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This page is written for
colleges, school districts and other adult education organizations who
will offer and teach Workplace Spanish® programs in their local
communities. It tackles two key elements of the sales cycle — how to
get the message out (OK, technically that's marketing), and key things to
think about when you are meeting with prospective clients:
1.
Getting the Message Out
Naturally, their are many
marketing methods that can be used to get the word out about your
Workplace Spanish® training. We'll review the most commonly used
methods and provide some examples of what you can do to serve your
community workforce needs while building revenues for your organization.
| MARKETING METHODS |
COMMENTS OR ACTION TO CONSIDER |
| College Catalogs |
A standard media that you can use 4
times a year; pick up the key paragraph from our course descriptions
and offer as many classes as may provoke interest – or as you have
instructors and facilities for. |
| Publicity |
Let the local paper know what you are
offering when you catalog comes out. What new course is on the
schedule? Who have you trained in a specific course?
Publicity feeds on itself -- click
here to see an article placed by Phil Accardi at Gateway Comm. Tech in
Kentucky. |
| Flyers / Brochures /
Mailers |
Whether for a network meeting or to
be used as a mailer, these can be extremely effective in showcasing
your ability to meet community Spanish needs.
Click here to see a great brochure
developed by Bonnie Bissonette at Northeastern Wisconsin Tech.
Click here to see a very effective brochure developed by Jim McFaul at
Vincennes University. |
| Your Own Website |
No better place to show the
Workplace
Spanish® logo and state you offer Workplace Spanish® training -- then
list the courses. It compliments your catalog. There is no
fee to be an "official provider" -- so move ahead and get it done. |
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e-mail Marketing |
A great way to keep your clients &
prospects up to speed. It's quick, and can deliver the message
instantly. Copy the key parts of our monthly newsletter and
include them in your prospecting e-mails. Let your clients know
that the need for Spanish training is growing astronomically — and no
one is better to meet their needs than you. |
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Direct mail Marketing |
Effective to announce a new product or
service — or maybe entry into a new business (Workplace Spanish for
example). You can do these in small batches using your brochure
or a one-page flyer. |
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Networking |
Face-to-face communication at chamber
meetings, Rotary meetings or civic / charitable evens can work
wonders. Language barrier stories are always in the news, use
them to your advantage when meeting prospective customers at these
events. |
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Cold Calls |
When done selectively this can be a very
successful marketing method. On a small basis, use it to
follow-up on a news article or community occurrence (frequent examples
are police or fire dept. problems speaking Spanish in an emergency).
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Test Drive / Free Sample |
This works best when you have a great
instructor doing a Continuing Ed class; then you can invite key
prospects for contract training to spend an hour with you to see how
effectively you train. Even, if
you don't have a Cont Ed class going, you can always offer a 1 to
2-hour "test drive" to a major prospect or a group of prospects.
Demonstrate that this isn't boring old school Spanish — it's
energetic, interactive, focused and fun! |
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Cross-course Promotion |
Have a paramedic or nursing class going
on. Give out a sample of our Health Care or Fire/EMS table of
contents and let these folks know you can help them cut through the
Spanish barrier. There are usually many opportunities to
cross-promote. |
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Use our Marketing Materials |
We create a wide variety of info sheets,
PDF brochures, 1-page flyers, etc. They are all available on the
website for downloading. You can edit them and use them for your
prospects (assuming they are Workplace Spanish prospects). |
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Use our Website |
You can download and e-mail sample pages
and audio excerpts from the program pages on our website. Send
them to prospects with your cover page and pertinent facts.
Don't sit and wait for a sample — satisfy their instant gratification
desire! Also, use our customer
list if yours is not strong. We have trained or supplied
materials to many of the nation's largest and most prestigious
organizations – so take a look at our customer list and make it work
for you! |
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Have a better idea? |
Tell us so we can share it with your
peers! |
2.
Meeting with Prospective
Clients
When you meet with prospects, don't start
selling – rather, ask questions and start listening! These meetings
are not about teaching people to speak Spanish. They are about
helping others solve business problems by teaching their managers or
associates to COMMUNICATE IN SPANISH!
REMEMBER "You don't have to be fluent
to communicate effectively!™ Tell your prospect that; manage their
expectations; work with them to achieve the results they have in mind.
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Determine what your
client (or students) want to achieve when training is completed?
Probe for workplace objectives, problems, mistakes, accidents.
This training is all about solving or preventing problems, improving
service, etc. It is NOT about language excellence.
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Who are the people to be trained? What are their
positions; how do they interact with Hispanics; what are their priorities and
objectives? Addressing their needs will determine the success of the class.
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What SPECIFIC THINGS
do they need to learn? Workplace Spanish® training must
focus on what
the participants need to say or ask. Each of our programs
contains 400 to 500 key terms & expressions for a particular
industry or occupation -- there is never enough time to teach all of
the material. The class must be tailored and focused on the
specific needs of the group.
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What time & budget
are available for the training? You must assess whether
there is sufficient time and budget to meet the client
objectives. Use our
Prospect
Questionnaire to help pinpoint the client expectations.
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Workplace Spanish®
training programs usually range from 12 to 20 hours, depending on
the program complexity, and client time/budget. Again, the
objective is not to teach everything in the manual -- it is to
teach what is relevant and important to your client.
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To maximize
attendance & participation, we strongly suggest completing the
training within 4 weeks. Meeting twice a week for 2 to 3 hours has
proven to be the best approach. There is never a shortage of
material for additional classes or for a "Phase 2"
program."
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