Frequently Asked Questions
- How does the "satisfaction guarantee" work with company sponsored training programs?
- How much lead time do you need to plan and develop a sales training program of two to three days, before delivering it?
- It sounds as if TM Consulting is a small company. Is it?
- You seem to have an unusual and diversified background. Can you do training and consulting equally well for commercial firms, government agencies and non-profits? There is a big difference between a $45 million software company like ours and a $2 million non-profit.
- Would you charge a fixed fee or an hourly fee to upgrade our web site and create a new brochure?
- We might consider having TM Consulting do your Major Account Sales program in all our sales regions but only if we can see it first, test it first. We don't have enough reps - or the budget available - to justify having one of the national training firms come in again at this time.
- I manage a private 104 bed skilled nursing facility. Census is way down and I need to get it back to at least 90% quickly or I could lose my job. We have had less than good experiences with some marketing/admissions reps. What can you do for us?
- What is your geographic coverage?
Our clients usually express very high satisfaction levels. However, if a company determines that one or more modules of a training program "didn't work," didn't have sufficient value, based on written evaluations of the trainees, we have several ways to offer "satisfaction."
Option One: Modify the modules of concern and repeat that portion of the workshop for the same participants at no additional cost.
Option Two: Company pays for only the portion of the workshop that it deems valuable. If a workshop carries four primary objectives, for example, and results related to one of the four is deemed far less valuable than anticipated, the client would pay only 75% of the agreed upon fee.
Option Three: TM Consulting can repeat the full program with the modified modules, for a new group of trainees, at a reduced cost. The cost could be reduced by an amount proportionate to the percentage of the earlier session that was "unacceptable." If the client and TM Consulting work closely together during the assessment phase and if the client carefully reviews the program Goal, Objectives, Methodology, and Content BEFORE the program, the chances of the need to invoke the "satisfaction guarantee" will become greatly reduced. The specific details of the "satisfaction guarantee" would appear in the contract for services. It shows the strength of our confidence that you will find the work of TM Consulting highly satisfactory.
That depends on several factors but primarily on how much customization you need and how quickly we can have access to the information and people on your team to get what we need. The more complex your organization, the more diversified the products and services you offer, the more markets you serve, the more development time necessary. The process could take as little as a few weeks or as much as a few months.
Yes, by design. Tom works alone to deliver most of the consulting and training services. However, some training programs require two trainers. For example, the COMMUNICATION/ PRESENTATION SKILLS workshops always involve two facilitators, Tom, who takes the lead, and an associate who handles all the video work and assists with small group activities and one-to-one feedback sessions.
Our marketing work often involves the assistance of a highly experienced, professional graphic designer. We might use a team approach with a specialized partner for work on "new media," web advertising and web analytics, for example. While we will increase staff as necessary, TM Consulting will "stay small" by choice and use partners as necessary. It is all about quality control, agility, flexibility and client satisfaction.
Good question. Have you noticed that in the last ten, twenty years the differences between commercial firms and non-profits have decreased? Many of the more successful companies offer more "community services" and philanthropic activities through volunteer staff, foundations, fund raisers, special subsidiaries, etc, while non-profits have adopted many of the traits of commercial firms, from accounting practices to marketing strategies.
When Goldman Sachs, a leading investment banking firm, sponsors a $100 million management training program for underprivileged women globally and when United Way, Big Brothers/Big Sisters and the US Olympic Committee use TV advertising as effectively as Fortune 500 firms do, there is a real blurring of the lines between profit and non-profit organizations. Nonetheless, there are still more differences than similarities between profit making and non-profit organizations. TM Consulting functions equally well in both realms, as well as government organizations, because of extensive experience in all three.
That depends on several factors, all of which you control. Do you have an excellent logo? Need a logo? Have many excellent photos or need photos? Have great client testimonials or need us to go develop them? Have "content" in various sources already or are we going to create everything from scratch? This is what we explore in a free two -hour assessment. Once we know what you have to start with and your goals, we can envision the project and discuss specific deliverables, possible costs and payment terms. We then develop a proposal for your review.
We can creatively offer you a number of ways to test our Major Account Sales program with minimal risk and cost. One option: Let us train one diversified group of your "mid-market" reps and if the results do not meet your expectations, you pay only in proportion to the level of satisfaction, based on written evaluations. If it succeeds, we get the opportunity to offer the program in all regions you identify for the training.
Another option is to allow us to offer our "Client Centered Selling--Sales 101-201" program for some of your newly hired junior reps. If that goes very well, you might feel confident in using our Major Account Sales program. We would need to understand your experiences with various other programs such as Miller Heiman, Solution Selling, SPIN Selling, etc,--whichever ones you have used--and discuss how our program will differ, in content, methodology, outcome and price.
To ensure success, we would prefer to customize our program significantly to reflect your total situation--your company's goals, your department's goals, your sales model, your products, services, clients, prospects, marketing strategies, comp plan, CRM tool, etc. Let's start with our two-hour free assessment conversation. Which day next week is best for you?
First, we would listen and learn. We would propose a brief overview assessment of most aspects of your operation before looking at what you are and are not doing related to marketing and admissions. Our proposal might then involve some time-limited, targeted, measurable projects and special events to enhance relationships with referral sources and generate awareness among the public. You need to get more people in the door.
If those initial activities had positive results, we might propose to develop a broader marketing plan for the next 12 months and offer to manage some of the additional activities. We would consider enhancing your web site and your marketing literature as well, if necessary. We might do a satisfaction survey of clients' families and actual clients, depending on when you last did one and its results. How do your clients and families rate your dining services, your therapeutic recreation, your care staff--all aspects of the operation critical to successfully marketing it?
Generally, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Connecticut, but we will gladly consider a regional or national assignment. Tom has previously worked from Boston to Miami, from Chicago to Houston, from Seattle to San Diego and all in between.