Open course or in-house? What should it cost? What do you ask on the discovery call? This free guide answers those questions, and a few you have not thought of yet.
Buying training should be simple. It rarely is. The options are endless, quotes are hard to compare, and every provider promises something “engaging and interactive”. This 28-page guide cuts through the noise with checklists, worksheets and plain talk about money.
The short answer, before you download anything
You should not have to hand over an email address to get a straight answer, so here are the main points.
- Start with the problem, not the course. Training fixes skill and knowledge gaps. It rarely fixes motivation or a broken process. Describe what is happening before you describe what you want to buy.
- Open courses suit small numbers. One to three people, from different teams, usually belong on an open course.
- In-house starts to win on cost somewhere between four and eight people, and sooner once you count travel and time away. The exact point depends on the day rate and the price per head, so the guide includes a scale you can check against your own quotes.
- Tell providers your budget. A good one will design the best option within it instead of guessing.
- Ask what would make them recommend something different. An honest answer is the best sign you have found a provider worth trusting.
- Plan the follow-up before you book. The course is the start. Manager briefings, action plans and a check-in at 30 to 90 days are what make it stick.
What is inside
Ten chapters, each built around a question buyers actually ask:
- Is training actually the answer to this problem?
- What should we find out inside the organisation before we call anyone?
- Open course, live online or in-house?
- How do we set a budget, and make it go further?
- How do we choose a training provider?
- What should we ask on a discovery call?
- How do we compare proposals like for like?
- How do we make sure the training sticks?
- How do we measure whether it worked?
- Which mistakes should we avoid?
Plus four printable worksheets: an internal briefing sheet, a discovery call checklist, a provider scorecard, and a cost and business case calculator.
Who it is for
HR and L&D managers, department heads, business owners, and anyone who has been handed a training budget and a problem to solve. You do not need any training expertise.
It is not a catalogue or a sales pitch. In places it will tell you an open course is the better buy, or that training is not the answer at all. That is the point.
Get the free guide
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Questions about the guide
Is it really free?
Yes. There is no charge and no obligation to buy anything from us.
Do I need to be a client?
No. It is written for anyone buying training, from any provider.
Can I share it with my team?
Yes. Print it, copy the worksheets and pass it on to colleagues.
Is it just a sales pitch?
No. We wrote it to help you make a good decision, even if that decision is to choose someone else, or not to buy training at all.
Who wrote it?
Revolution Learning & Development, a UK-based learning and development consultancy working with organisations across the UK, Ireland and Europe.
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