Most training providers feel comfortable talking about the value of what we do. We know our learning programmes make a difference. We have the stories and the smiles to prove it. It is enjoyable to talk about value.
But that value mostly lives in our world. It sits in our proposals and marketing messages.
Impact lives entirely in their world. It is what our clients notice long after the invoice is paid. It is the difference their colleagues and stakeholders see happening in the real organisational environment where performance matters.
If we want to build learning that moves the dial, impact must start at the beginning, not the end. It starts in the sales conversation.
Value versus impact
Many training companies rely on explaining the value they provide. That might sound like “high-quality delivery”, “engaging content” or “proven methodology”. That all sounds good.
These things matter. But they are not what causes a client to buy again.
They buy again based on impact. On whether the change they hoped for happened. On whether their people and their organisation behave differently because of our learning programme.
And they judge impact based on what they see, not what we think they should see.
Every client has a slightly different idea of what “success” looks like.
Here is the tricky bit: clients almost always judge impact using criteria we never asked them about at the beginning of the conversation.
They will measure success according to what makes their world better, faster or safer. Not according to what we think proves our brilliance.
That means if we do not find out how they plan to measure success, we are handing the most important part of their decision-making over to assumption and hope.
That is not a great commercial strategy.
The three questions that change everything
A little performance consultancy early in the sales process radically alters the relationship. Three questions make a powerful difference:
- What would people be doing differently if this succeeds 100%?
- How will you know they are doing it?
- What is the cost if nothing changes?
The first question makes the conversation about behaviour. The second question makes it measurable. The third question makes it urgent.
These questions immediately connect our learning solutions to the performance practices and business priorities of the organisation. They show that we are serious about delivering change, not just content.
By the way, here is a sneaky fourth question: What would people be doing differently if this is only 50% successful? This question prompts them to think about success and how they would measure it in a more granular fashion.
The third question about cost of inaction is a quiet powerhouse. Humans are wired to avoid loss. Show the consequences of standing still and suddenly “nice to have” becomes “we cannot ignore this”.
As one client told me: “You showed me what standing still would cost. That made the decision easy.”
A quick example from the real world
A team leader might say communication skills are the problem. But poor communication is not a problem. It is a symptom.
With a little exploration, we might discover that hospital ward handovers are inconsistent, leading to missed information and repeated errors. Suddenly, the impact criteria become tangible and measurable: fewer handover failures, fewer complaints, fewer delays, fewer rework loops.
Once defined, those measures anchor the entire programme. And they ensure everyone cares about whether learning is applied, not just absorbed.
Communication was not the issue. Workflow and behaviour were.
As soon as we named the real issue, we could measure progress. Fewer errors. Faster task completion. Lower stress. And this sort of clarity can only happen if we talk about impact before designing anything.
Why small training providers can win here
Large providers often arrive with templated offerings and fixed programmes. They talk about value at scale.
Small providers can do something far more compelling: tailor the solution to the exact performance story of each client. When we co-define success with our client, we become a partner rather than a vendor. We stop being “training” and start being “change”.
That distinction is commercial gold.
It also sets up the rest of the learning journey with much more clarity.
Impact unfolds over time
Impact is rarely a single event. It typically plays out on three levels:
- Immediate: confidence and motivation to use the new skills
- Medium term: visible behaviour changes in the role
- Longer term: business outcomes such as reduced errors or improved throughput
If we only ever talk about short-term change, we invite disappointment. When we map the longer arc together with the client, we anchor expectations realistically and provide reasons to follow up over the longer haul.
Learning transfer is where the real battle is fought
At the Business of Training conference last week, I was on a panel with the brilliant Erica Farmer and Melanie Martinelli talking about learning transfer and impact.
We all agreed: impact does not happen in the classroom, virtual or otherwise. The classroom only earns the right for impact to begin.
Training creates possibility. It does not create change. That happens afterwards, in the noise and pressure of the working day.
Learning sticks when managers make time for it. When systems support the new behaviour instead of punishing it. When reminders nudge people at the right moment. When colleagues expect the new behaviour, not the old one.
If part of our sales conversation is “Here is how we will help your people use this back at work”, we win hearts and minds much faster.
Our clients do not want just learning. They want change that they can see.
One client’s impact is another client’s shrug
Impact must be defined locally. What moves the dial in one context might barely wiggle it in another.
There is no universal success metric. There are only metrics that matter to this team, in this place, for this reason. Impact is personal to the business, not to the provider.
Our curiosity about the problem and the desired change becomes our strategic weapon.
A simple challenge for your next client conversation
For your next sales conversation, resist the urge to dive into what you can deliver. Instead, ask those three questions:
- What would people be doing differently if this succeeds 100%?
- How will you know they are doing it?
- What is the cost if nothing changes?
The questions lift you out of the commodity bucket. They move the discussion toward outcomes and accountability. They show that you speak the language of the business, not just the language of learning.
If you have not asked how the client will measure success, you have silently agreed to be measured by hope.
Building L&D programmes that move the dial starts long before delivery. It starts the moment we ask what change – what real impact – looks like in their world.
Further reading How to Reboot Training for Tangible Business Impact
Also check out our Learning Workflow Design Guide
Case study From learning to application: a workflow approach to enhancing training outcomes
