(China trade) The Failure of Training

March 12th, 2010 admin Posted in retail |

By Antwan Richardson

Sometimes when I conduct my workshop on Effective Meetings, one of the participants will ask, “Where’s my boss?”

And I say, “Your boss claimed to be an expert on holding effective meetings.”

Then the person laughs. “My boss needs to attend your workshop more than anyone in our company. And without our manager’s support, no one will use this.”

This is bad because if no one uses the ideas presented in a workshop, the client will conclude that training doesn’t work. And then the company might abandon all training.

Here are three important issues that determine the effectiveness of training.

1) People follow the leader. Any training program will be more successful if management supports it. This is why I always involve top executives in planning my workshops. I also ask them to attend. And I recommend follow-up sessions to review the material covered in the workshop. In fact, I only work with people who value and support learning.

Training has earned a bad reputation because many programs were just thrown over the fence at employees who were sent to be fixed. It’s unlikely that any training program conducted under these conditions will accomplish much.

> Key Point: Gain management support before scheduling any training program.

2) Each of us has control over our area of responsibility. And each of us lives in the environment that we create.

The participant mentioned above can still conduct effective meetings, even if top management continues to hold bad meetings. In fact, someone who demonstrates sound leadership by holding effective meetings could end up replacing the boss who holds bad meetings.

There are two parts to every learning experience. The first part involves mastering new skills. The second (and critical) part involves choosing to use them.

> Key Point: You can be an effective leader even when others aren’t.

3) Some people play make-believe. Many years ago I received an evening phone call from a colleague who wanted to know if I could recommend a good book on how to hold effective meetings. It seems this person was scrambling to find material for a workshop that was scheduled to start the next morning.

You will learn more from an expert, rather than from someone who is delivering a book report. In this case, I recommended either of the two books that I had written on how to hold effective meetings.

Many companies hire trainers who build training programs based on books that they read. And some entrepreneurs agree to speak on topics that are purely academic for them. The best trainers ARE the message, which means that they live and breathe and use what they teach. They can answer any questions, meet any needs, and help with any situations that the participants may bring up. They truly know their topic.

> Key Point: Hire a trainer who wrote the book instead of one who (you hope) read a book.

Any training program can succeed, if delivered to people who want to improve by an expert who can show them how.

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How Much Should Your Virtual Assistant Make?

By Antwan Richardson

I’ve seen Virtual Assistants’ prices range from $15 to $70/hr depending on the VA’s experience, specialty, and the project. One of the most common concerns with a new Virtual Business is what to charge for their services.

A common mistake made by new Virtual Assistant businesses is underestimating the value of their services. The more specialized your service is the more you may be able to charge for those services. Here are some guidelines:

Peek in on your competitors

Visit other Virtual Assistants’ websites to see what they are charging for similar or the same services. Look for areas you can improve and perhaps provide a service that they don’t. Find your USP (Unique Selling Proposition or Point). In other words, what sets your business apart from others like it.

Calculate your expenses

Your price should at least cover your expenses. Expenses can include but not limited to:

1. Your Time (Yes, I said your time)

2. Office supplies, Equipment, and Software

3. Marketing (Online and Offline)

4. Rent/Mortgage

5. Utilities (Electricity, Gas, Telephone, Water, etc)

6. Taxes

7. Insurance (Business, Health, etc.)

8. Web Hosting and Web Maintenance

9. Travel and Transportation

10. Continuing Education

These are just a few that I can think of off the top of my head. Once you have calculated your expenses you will have a general idea of what you need to at least cover your expenses. Of course you don’t want to just cover your expenses, but make a profit as well.

Price your services according to your target market

Your target market is another factor to consider before setting your virtual assistance price list. If your target market is business executives or college students then naturally you could charge the business executives more than you could college students. Why? Well…college students may be on tight budgets, work part-time, and/or may still be depending on their parents for financial assistance. Business executives are pretty much established and tend to have bigger budgets. Do you catch my drift?

Price your services according to supply and demand

If you provide specialized services and the demand is high but the supply is low, not many VAs offering the same services, you can charge more for those services. However; if the supply is high you may want to consider being more competitive with your prices. If you want to lower your prices and still make a profit you will want to cut your expenses also.

After considering all of the above it should give you a general idea of how to set your virtual assistance price list. This is just a basic and general guideline so nothing is set in stone