Want applause and investment for your training program? Don't miss these 5 crucial steps 🔑
Just like that, we’ve found ourselves halfway through 2024. If your head is spinning thinking about all the work you’ve crossed off your list (kudos!) while also thinking about all the work left to be done, this month’s Skillet edition is just for you. We're getting right to the can't-miss tips from our recent webinar around gaining buy-in. After all, if you're grabbing your bags for a summer vacation rather than sitting back and tuning into our webinar series, we don't want you to miss the tips & tricks to get you ahead once you're back ☀️
(Of course, if you want to catch the full session—grab the on-demand recording from our Summer Sessions page. With no further ado, we bring the July Skillet to you.)
⭐️ How to Push Your Program into the Spotlight
Let’s cut to the chase: You've worked hard to create amazing training programs that help your customers succeed. But here’s the deal— it’s not enough to just build great content. You need to make sure your efforts are recognized and valued within your own organization.
Why? Because the more your internal stakeholders understand the value of your training programs, the more support and resources you’ll get. This means better funding, stronger cross-functional partnerships, and ultimately, a more impactful program that drives real business results.
Our conversation around where internal marketing meets education program was hosted by our very own VP of Marketing Ali Biggs, featuring Matt R. and Jill Glynn—focused on aligning goals and impact for your training program. After all, going into H2 planning likely means you'll need to polish off your internal marketing skillset and set clear goals for the rest of th year.
Here's the inside scoop on their secrets to gain executive buy-in and making your training program an integral part of your company’s strategy.
1. Build Strong Cross-Functional Relationships
🔍 Why?
Building strong relationships with teams across your organization is crucial for amplifying your training program’s impact. Engage with key stakeholders such as product, sales, marketing, and customer success teams.
💬 Hear directly from the experts:
Matt R. : “Establishing regular touchpoints with key executives has been invaluable. For instance, my monthly meetings with the executive leadershipfocus on how training impacts customer retention and reduces support costs. This direct line of communication has significantly increased our program’s visibility.”
Jill Glynn : “We created a digital customer success ecosystem that integrates tools like WalkMe for in-product guidance. This collaboration reduced our support ticket volume by 30%, showcasing the direct impact of our training efforts.”
📌 TL;DR to get ahead:
2. Align Training Content with Business Goals
🔍 Why?
Ensure your training content is aligned with your organization’s strategic goals. This alignment helps in gaining executive buy-in and demonstrating the program’s relevance to broader business objectives.
💬 Hear directly from the experts:
Matt R. : “Our cross-functional forum ensures that training content aligns with upcoming product releases. For example, when launching a new feature, our product marketing team includes a link to the relevant training module, driving immediate adoption.”
Jill Glynn : “We integrated our training content with LinkedIn’s product marketing efforts, ensuring that our training materials are included in all product release announcements. This has significantly boosted feature adoption rates.”
📌 TL;DR to get ahead:
3. Develop a Learning Health Score (or Similar Metrics)
🔍 Why?
A learning health score can help you track and communicate the overall effectiveness of your training program. This score should be simple, using clear criteria to assess engagement and certification levels.
💬 Hear directly from the experts:
Matt R. : “We created a simple learning health score model, tracking key roles and certification levels. Presenting this data in our quarterly business reviews helped us secure additional funding by showing a clear correlation between training engagement and business outcomes.”
Jill Glynn : “Mapping our content to specific learning objectives and desired product actions allowed us to measure product adoption rates effectively. This approach has helped us refine our training programs and improve customer engagement.”
📌 TL;DR to get ahead:
4. Present Training Data in Concise Business Terms
🔍 Why?
When presenting your training data to executives, use business metrics that resonate with them. Avoid training jargon and focus on how your program contributes to key business outcomes.
💬 Hear directly from the experts:
Matt R. : “We shifted our language from training jargon to business terms. By showing that customers who completed our certification program had a higher renewal rate, we gained significant executive support.”
Jill Glynn : “Aligning our metrics with those of our stakeholders, particularly our customer success team, has been crucial. For instance, we demonstrated that trained customers had a 25% higher NPS and a 20% reduction in churn, which resonated well with our executives.”
📌 TL;DR to get ahead:
5. Extend Influence & Communicate Effectively Across Multiple Channels
🔍 Why?
Effective communication is key to ensuring your training program is recognized and valued within your organization. Use a variety of formats and channels to share your program’s successes and updates.
💬 Hear directly from the experts:
Matt R. : “Forwarding key updates directly to individual executives has been a game-changer. It ensures they see and engage with the information, which wouldn’t happen with group emails.”
Jill Glynn : “We use interactive dashboards to provide real-time insights into training metrics. This transparency has helped build trust and support from our stakeholders.”
📌 TL;DR to get ahead
📣 Cheers for Peers
As always, we'd be remiss to not highlight fresh content from education leaders just like you—and this month, Tiffany T. is bringing some much-needed wisdom around the intersection of simplicity and impact. Watch her fresh take below👇🏻
🎒 Career Corner
On the market for a new gig in the education space? Here are a few roles you should keep your eyes on 👇🏻
👋🏼 'Til Next Time
Thanks for taking the time to skim our monthly Skillet—can’t get enough marketing tips to bring into your own education program? We thought so. The good news is we have one more on-demand session, plus one more live session ahead. Be sure to join us!
👏🏻 ‘Til the next Skillet,
Caroline Van Dyke —Head of Content @ Skilljar
Forged in Higher Education. Sharpened by Tech. Energized people manager, fierce learner & passionate about customers.
2moAlways great information being served up in the Skillet! Thanks for the highlight! I meant every word! Thank you for making such an accessible product!