Training costs

Would you pay for training to feel better and function more effectively, whatever your profession? If so, how much? I'm trying to price a training course: The Resilient Therapist - how to prevent burnout. It's applicable to anyone in the caring professions. (I'm only charging £50 for the launch event, but that's a break even.)

If there's great content with an experienced trainer, but it isn't about making more money (I know that's a factor!) what have you paid/would you pay for training per day?

Thanks for the feedback!

I'm not sure what my answer would be. I'm inclined to say 'nothing' but I know that's a very short-sighted viewpoint.

One thing I am certain about is that if I was willing to part with £50 for a training course and it was good value, then I'd probably be willing to part with £60 for the same, possibly even £65.

Without knowing what's in it for me (Wii FM) or even the content of your course I could not place a value on it.

Pricing a course based on what it costs you, is not the best way to go. Same as asking in an open forum really, as you will get some who are not bothered who would say £0 and others who would say £150 etc...

All training has to tackle a problem/issue, if I don't have such problem/issue then it is of no relivance and little worth to me. If it is a problem/issue for me, then it is of more worth to me.

This is like me asking do you want to come on an Excel intermediate course. What you consider to be intermediate and what I do are different therefore percieved value is less.

If you want to talk it through, then let me know and I will give you a call. In the mean time, write out the content of the course and the sorts of issues that content typically tackles then post it up.

As a counsellor/therapist I would expect to pay anything between £75- £125 for a valuable days training.

My hunch is though the people you are targeting would balk at paying that for THEMSELVES.... where they wouldn't blink an eyelid if it was to help their clients.. so the trick is to market it in such a way that they understand it is!

oooo... Jen meet Liz, Liz meet Jen.... teehee

The world is full of plimsolls (cheap trainers).

On the whole, the more people pay the more they value what they've paid for.

So long as what you do for people really does have a value, price it higher rather than lower.

Things to think about which might help set your price:

1. What will people be able to do at the end of this training, that they weren't able to do before?

2. What benefits will this give them?

3. What is the quantifiable value of these benefits?

4. What is the cost of not having these benefits?

Or the simpler version:

1. How much would I pay a plumber/mechanic/decorator etc for a day's work?

2. Is what I do worth more than that?

Jen, lots of good stuff above - I have offered training in the past and even if a free taster session . It is amazing how few people value the content, expertise and time that has gone into it. By the way. That's my fault not theirs. So, if I were to practice what I preach, I would say that if they don't see the value in your courses, you could give them away for free and people will still not even sign up.

Make it valueable to your chosen audience, make the value clear, keep communicating the event as widely as possible and charge what you are worth. Don't let apathy (of others) and or misunderstanding of value, reduce your price to a cost plus format. You're worth more than that...or you shouldn't be running the course, or rather, none of us should.

K

Hello

It all depends on what your objective is, is it to:

a) deliver tools that people can actively use daily to manage and cope with stress so that when they leave the course they are fully equipped and capable of applying the techniques taught

b) deliver a taster of things that people can think going forward without giving them all the tools

c) entice people to learn that there are tools and then engage with them further individually through sessions with the therapist i.e. grow the client base for the therapist

The only one that should have a cost is (a) if we are led to believe that info marketing is the way forward. There are cheaper methods of delivering (b) and (c) if that is what you want to deliver. If (a) is your objective then the cost should be in the region of £200 to £250. In my opinion anything less than that makes me think that there is little value in the content and little quality. If you take a look at other offerings, you will notice that these are the average costs associated to those organisations who specialise in stress management.

Hope this helps

What will the delegates be able to do with their new skills post course and 'how much' will that impact them?

Price accordingly.

There is the argument that if it looks cheap it might not be any good. /just saying

I have been to a workshop very similar to what you are offering (or sounds it, from the information you have posted) and that was £70 if that is any help to you. They had billed it as a 'help your clients by helping yourself' event and I did find it really useful but I think attendence was lower than anticipated (this may be, as Liz mentioned, that the people you want to attract are loathe to spend money on themselves!)

Not sure if this helps but I also tend to pay more for events billed as workshops rather than seminars/training. In my mind a seminar tends to be sitting writing notes, and I am slightly ADD and get bored! A workshop always sounds and feels more interactive and always makes me think I will get useful skills to take away with me.

Have you thought about piggybacking your course with training colleges? Maybe approach some therapist training colleges and offer it as a special day for their students - this could work out well, especially if the college are paying for the venue.