If you’re looking to grow your learning business, you need to know how to gain more customers – and keep more of the customers you've already earned. To do this requires thoughtful marketing, customer service, and customer experience that customers love enough to talk about. Jay Baer, President of Convince & Convert, helps the world's most iconic brands do just this. He’s a marketing and customer experience expert, keynote speaker, and New York Times best-selling author of five books, as well as the host of the award-winning Social Pros podcast. In this episode of the Leading Learning podcast, Jeff talks with Jay about how to win perspective customers and create lasting relationships, the importance of top-notch customer service, and the power of word of mouth. Full show notes available at https://www.leadinglearning.com/episode133.  Highlighted Resource  – The Convince & Convert Blog - this is the blog started many years ago by Jay Baer, our guest for this episode and frankly, if you aren’t already subscribed, you should be. Convince and Convert is one of a handful of “must read” marketing blogs on our list – one we link to regularly in our Leading Learning newsletter. Our sponsor this quarter is ReviewMyLMS, a collaboration between our company, Tagoras, and 100Reviews, the company that is behind the very successful ReviewMyAMS site. As the name suggests, ReviewMyLMS is a site where users can share and access reviews of learning management systems, but in this case, the focus is specifically on systems that are a good fit for learning businesses, meaning organizations that market and sell lifelong learning. Contribute a review and you will get access to all existing and future reviews—there are already more than 100 on the site. And, if you don’t have review to contribute, there is also a subscription option. Just go to reviewmylms.com to get all the detail.  

One of our favorite tools for helping learning businesses hone their product strategy is the Value Ramp™. If you aren’t already familiar with it, the Value Ramp is a tool we developed that highlights the relationship between price and value, the importance of momentum, and the impact of brand. Because many organizations haven’t taken the time to really reflect on the relationships between their products, using this tool can certainly be an eye-opening experience. In this episode of the Leading Learning podcast, Celisa and Jeff discuss eight tips for filling out your Value Ramp and how to effectively manage the value offered along it. Full show notes available at https://www.leadinglearning.com/episode132.  Highlighted Resource – A page with additional information related to the Value Ramp - includes both text and video as well as helpful visuals to help you make use of the tool. Our sponsor this quarter is ReviewMyLMS, a collaboration between our company, Tagoras, and 100Reviews, the company that is behind the very successful ReviewMyAMS site. As the name suggests, ReviewMyLMS is a site where users can share and access reviews of learning management systems, but in this case, the focus isspecifically on systems that are a good fit for learning businesses, meaning organizations that market and sell lifelong learning. Contribute a review and you will get access to all existing and future reviews—there are already more than 100 on the site. And, if you don’t have review to contribute, there is also a subscription option. Just go to reviewmylms.com to get all the details.  

Meeting your full potential as a leader often requires a close look at the behaviors, skills, and mindset you need in order to be successful and influence others. Christie Berger, an executive coach with a learning and development background, has a broad base of experience in helping leaders do just this so they can accelerate their performance and create more value within their organizations and communities. In this episode of the Leading Learning podcast, Celisa talks with Christie about the connection between learning and leadership, ways to improve leadership and increase influence, as well as common mistakes that leaders often make. They also dive into the topic of women and leadership and the work Christie is doing around this through her Fusion Leader Circuit program. Full show notes available at https://www.leadinglearning.com/episode131  Our sponsor this quarter is ReviewMyLMS, a collaboration between our company, Tagoras, and 100Reviews, the company that is behind the very successful ReviewMyAMS site. As the name suggests, ReviewMyLMS is a site where users can share and access reviews of learning management systems, but in this case, the focus is specifically on systems that are a good fit for learning businesses, meaning organizations that market and sell lifelong learning. Contribute a review and you will get access to all existing and future reviews—there are already more than 100 on the site. And, if you don’t have review to contribute, there is also a subscription option. Just go to reviewmylms.com to get all the detail.

With the incredible speed at which technology is advancing and changing how we live, it’s crucial that we understand the impact that all of this is having –­ and is going to have ­– on how we work and learn. And perhaps nobody is more well-versed in addressing this topic than internationally known speaker, writer, and thought leader, Heather McGowan. Heather is an innovator, synthesizer, and leading voice related to the context and impacts of accelerated change and she uses single frame visuals to help people process information more effectively. In this episode of the Leading Learning podcast, Jeff talks with Heather about the intersection of the future of work and learning including why the type of change we are going through now is different from what we’ve experienced in the past, what we should expect to see related to this in the future, and how to better prepare for it. Full show notes available at https://www.leadinglearning.com/episode130. Highlighted Resource – 10 Critical Shifts in the Market for Lifelong Learning – a free Tagoras resource which highlights 10 trends that are impacting, and will continue to impact, the landscape for learning businesses. Our sponsor this quarter is ReviewMyLMS, a collaboration between our company, Tagoras, and 100Reviews, the company that is behind the very successful ReviewMyAMS site. As the name suggests, ReviewMyLMS is a site where users can share and access reviews of learning management systems, but in this case, the focus is specifically on systems that are a good fit for learning businesses, meaning organizations that market and sell lifelong learning. Contribute a review and you will get access to all existing and future reviews—there are already more than 100 on the site. And, if you don’t have review to contribute, there is also a subscription option. Just go to reviewmylms.com to get all the detail.

Spring is now upon us and that means blooming flowers, warmer days filled with sunshine, and of course, baseball—all wonderful inspiration for metaphors. And since we’re always thinking about lifelong learning, we couldn’t help but liken the idea of creating a successful, high-impact learning business to the idea of hitting a grand slam in baseball. In this episode of the Leading Learning podcast, Celisa and Jeff discuss the tremendous opportunity and responsibility that currently exist for learning businesses as well as what it takes to hit the “learning business grand slam”. Full show notes available at https://www.leadinglearning.com/episode129.  Highlighted Resource – Tagoras Platform Directory for Learning Businesses™ – a free resource that offers profiles of more than 30 platforms that are a good fit for learning businesses. Our sponsor this quarter is ReviewMyLMS, a collaboration between our company, Tagoras, and 100Reviews, the company that is behind the very successful ReviewMyAMS site. As the name suggests, ReviewMyLMS is a site where users can share and access reviews of learning management systems, but in this case, the focus isspecifically on systems that are a good fit for learning businesses, meaning organizations that market and sell lifelong learning. Contribute a review and you will get access to all existing and future reviews—there are already more than 100 on the site. And, if you don’t have review to contribute, there is also a subscription option. Just go to reviewmylms.com to get all the details.

Often the principles that create a winning team out on the field are the same that apply to create a winning team in business. Jamy Bechler, a former college basketball coach, decided to take what he learned from his years on the court and apply it to help people in the business world. He’s now an executive business coach, professional speaker, and leadership trainer who works with organizations to motivate and strengthen teams by helping them understand the important role they each play--he also hosts the Success is a Choice podcast which features guests of all different backgrounds sharing their personal stories of how they achieved success. In this episode of the Leading Learning podcast, Celisa talks with Jamy about the topic of leadership including leading regardless of role, how to create influence, and tips for building high-performing teams. Full show notes available at https://www.leadinglearning.com/episode128.  Highlighted Resource – Jamy Bechler’s list of 18 FOR ’18: 18 Books to Read in 2018. Within this list Jamy also links to his 15 best books for leaders.

As learning business professionals, we tend to think – and talk – about lifelong learning mostly as it relates to professional growth. But lifelong learning as it relates to personal growth is equally important because it cultivates critical thinking and allows for the never-ending exploration of curiosity. David Kurfirst and Chris Zumtobel are the co-founders of Think Olio, a three-year-old start-up that provides provocative and thought-provoking lecture-style events – what they refer to as “olios” - on a wide range of topics that allow individuals to engage in a unique lifelong learning experience for roughly the same price as going to a movie. In this episode of the Leading Learning podcast, Celisa talks with David and Chris about what inspired the creation of Think Olio, their model for teaching and learning and why it works for them, as well as lessons learned along the way. Full show notes available at https://www.leadinglearning.com/episode127.  Thank you to Blue Sky eLearn, sponsor of the Leading Learning podcast for the first quarter of 2018. Blue Sky is the maker of the Path learning management system, an award-winning, cloud-based learning solution that empowers your organization to maximize its message. Blue Sky also provides a range of virtual event and instructional services to help you maximize your content and create deeper engagement with your audience. To find out more about Blue Sky eLearn and everything it offers, visit http://www.blueskyelearn.com Highlighted Resource – Think Olio’s Chance Operation for Learning – 3 minute highlights of the classes offered by Think Olio.

There continue to be a wide variety of trends emerging in the market for lifelong learning and continuing education and it’s important to understand what impact, if any, each of these might have on your learning business. In this episode of the Leading Learning podcast, Celisa and Jeff discuss twelve of the biggest trends they see (in no particular order) disrupting the market for lifelong learning and continuing education and share resources related to each trend. Full show notes available at https://www.leadinglearning.com/episode-126-lifelong-learning-market-trends/ Thank you to Blue Sky eLearn, sponsor of the Leading Learning podcast for the first quarter of 2018. Blue Sky is the maker of the Path learning management system, an award-winning, cloud-based learning solution that empowers your organization to maximize its message. Blue Sky also provides a range of virtual event and instructional services to help you maximize your content and create deeper engagement with your audience. To find out more about Blue Sky eLearn and everything it offers, visit http://www.blueskyelearn.com. Highlighted Resource – 10 Critical Shifts in the Market for Lifelong Learning (downloadable document)

When it comes to training design, perhaps focusing on what people need to be able to do, not simply what they need to know, can make all the difference. That’s because this leads to activity-centered training rather than traditional information presentations. These concepts are what led Cathy Moore, speaker, training designer, and author of Map It: The Hands-On Guide to Strategic Training Design, to create the action mapping model. Her goal is to “save the world from boring instruction” and her tools and resources are helping to do this one learner at a time. In this episode of the Leading Learning podcast, Celisa talks with Cathy about action mapping including what it is, why it’s effective, and how to apply it. They also cover the role action mapping plays in measurement and evaluation and scenario design. Full show notes available at https://www.leadinglearning.com/episode125.  Thank you to Blue Sky eLearn, sponsor of the Leading Learning podcast for the first quarter of 2018. Blue Sky is the maker of the Path learning management system, an award-winning, cloud-based learning solution that empowers your organization to maximize its message. Blue Sky also provides a range of virtual event and instructional services to help you maximize your content and create deeper engagement with your audience. To find out more about Blue Sky eLearn and everything it offers, visit http://www.blueskyelearn.com. Highlighted Resource  – a collection of Action Mapping resources created by Cathy Moore.

We continue our tradition of providing After Action Reviews for the events we host, but with a slight twist this time. The scheduled live programming has ended, but we don't consider the Learning • Technology • Design™ (LTD) experience to be over yet, so we are calling this a "Mid-Action" review. Tune in to learn more about what we set out to do with this year's version of our annual virtual conference, and how it is turning out. Full show notes available at http://www.leadinglearning.com/episode124 Thank you to Blue Sky eLearn, sponsor of the Leading Learning podcast for the first quarter of 2018. Blue Sky is the maker of the Path learning management system, an award-winning, cloud-based learning solution that empowers your organization to maximize its message. Blue Sky also provides a range of virtual event and instructional services to help you maximize your content and create deeper engagement with your audience. To find out more about Blue Sky eLearn and everything it offers, visit http://www.blueskyelearn.com.