Use It or Lose It - Ask These Questions Before Your Next Training Event

Last week I announced my new service offering, Evergreen Experiences?. If you missed it, you could check out the details here. The feedback has been fabulous and we’re working on inspiring experiences with a number of different companies. 

Do you remember the Disney Magic That Blew My Mind Tidbit? 

Shortly after writing that Tidbit, I was meeting with the CEO of a large industrial manufacturing business. I told him the Disney story, and he promptly told me that hated Disney. But he was still intrigued. A few weeks later, he told me how he was able to take that learning, apply it to a process within his company, and generate some pretty remarkable results. 

I realized that if my secondhand story of an eye-opening experience could be that powerful for someone selling massive industrial machinery sharing that experience with business leaders would be exponentially more powerful. And so, Evergreen Experiences were born. 

A lot of training events, conferences, and corporate retreats end of being a bust, and with 2018 coming to an end, your training and development budget can often end up the same. 

Many of you emailed me last week and instantly "got it." You understand both how and why this can be so powerful and makes so much sense on so many levels. 

For one, I think we'd all be happier if we never had to endure another hotel conference room, cheesy team-building game, an overpriced, expensive keynote speaker who has given the same speech to a thousand companies before yours, or a generic 'strategy” session again… 

I was speaking to an executive at a company recently who told me a bizarre story of three days of weird leadership games with no actionable takeaways at all. He said that while they had some good laughs, it was a complete waste of three days and a lot of money, not too mention the rope burn from the rope climbing event! 

Most of these types of events are designed to bolster teamwork or improve communication and collaboration. The problem, while well-intentioned, is that it’s tough to connect these exercises to the desired outcomes. 

Evergreen Experiences are different in that they’re intensely concentrated one, two or three-day immersive experiences focused on powerful learning and driving specific action plans, troubleshooting organizational challenges, and developing strategic direction in key areas like customer service, customer loyalty, and customer experience. 

At the end of an Evergreen Experience, the team which takes part will come away with both strategic insights that are tailored to your company, as well as tactical plans that they can bring back to sales, marketing, and customer service departments. 

No silly exercises. The majority of our learning is hands-on and experiential, but then we have very guided and focused sessions ensuring everyone leaves with a strategy they can implement. In a nutshell, Evergreen Experiences generate results. 

These events are perfect for groups of little as three and as many as fifteen. 

Right now, I’m talking to three co-owners/partners of a mid-market, privately held manufacturing firm interested in doing an experience together. 

I’m talking to another CEO who wants to send his customer service team on an immersive experience. 

And yet another, a group at the top of their game, is looking at an experience designed to take them to the next level as it relates to their customer experience. 

We’re heading into the end of the year where budgets either get used or lost in the abyss. This is a great way to use it, not lose it.

Your Challenge For This Week: Obviously, I wouldn't be offering Evergreen Experiences if I thought there was a better way to get the same results. 

And so I can't encourage you strongly enough to book a discovery call for your company today! 

But if for whatever reason that's not an option for you, then your "real" weekly challenge is simple - Take a hard, appraising look at the training and events you've done over the past three years, and ask yourself if you've really seen the results you expected from them.

What changed as a result? Were the results and changes measurable? Look at training or events you have booked for 2019 and ask yourself if the desired outcomes & results are clearly defined and you've got a way to measure your success.

Best,

Noah

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Noah is the author of the landmark books, Evergreen, The Customer Loyalty Loop, and the recently released Dealing with Difficult Customers. The books break new ground on customer loyalty, customer service, customer experience, and customer retention. Since 2005, Noah’s firm, Fleming Consulting & Co., has worked with clients around the globe to help them dramatically grow their businesses. Learn more about Noah here. Noah is also a LinkedIn Learning Instructor–view his courses here.

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