Lance Dublin and Jay Cross are writing a book, the capstone of ASTD's series on eLearning.

People before us have asked the Field of Dreams question: If we make it, will they come? (If that's all you do, they probably won't come.)

Jay and Lance are probing for answers to additional questions:

1. If they come, will it matter? This is a change management issue.

2. How can we make them want to come? This is a consumer marketing issue.

The focus of our February meeting was helping Lance and Jay write their book applying the concepts of marketing to improve eLearning performance.

Learnativity's Ellen Wagner offered some reflections on eLearning's promise three years ago and what we find important today. We've gone from "e-bang" to learner reality.

Note: Links in text are to PowerPoint presentations.

See Sherrin Bennett's graphic of Ellen's reflections.

eLearnia's Brenda Sugrue interviewed three eLearners about their experiences and what motivated them. Our panelists were unusally persistent and dedicated. Jay facetiously noted that the 3,000 representative eLearners we'd invited failed to show up.

See Sherrin Bennett's graphic of the eLearner panel.

Marketing consultant Christina Raes introduced the field of marketing. A very young John Cleese provided an example of extreme customer dissatisfaction. (He's trying to return a dead parrot to the pet shop.)

Marketing is not MARCOM. As Regis McKenna says, "Marketing must find a way to integrate the customer into the company--to create and sustain a relationship. It's not a function-- it's a way of doing business."

Jay Cross presented an "MBA first-year course in marketing" in twenty minutes. He noted that the marekting process is not unlike the instructional design process.

The form of any product or service is a variable, not a given. The generic, core product may be a commodity, but what the customer buys is his or her perception of the product. For example, Charles Revson said, "It the factory we make cosmetics; in the department store we sell hope." Brand influences perception; that's why Evian water costs more than the stuff that comes out of the tap. Good marketers compete with perceptions, never on price.

We went over basic marketing concepts and how they might apply to eLearning: market segmentation, target market, lifetime customer value, identity & logo, lifestyle segmentation, tipping point, and more.

C-level executives.

Takes top down, bottom up strategy
Start where the pain is high, get an early success
Selling to the training organization not the way to go
Have a contingency plan in place

Chief learning officers.

Tom Kelly. What's success?
25,000 Cisco sales people polled about satisfaction

What might they buy? Need a trusted partner.

eLearning managers.

"The fact that organizational learning takes place at all is a miracle"
They may think their role is improving productivity but they may be evaluated on the success of the eLearning initiative
Importance of scoping expectations. What is success?
Importance of blended learning, eLearning not a substitute for the classroom
"because we have to" - that's okay. Going through the motions more important than apparent.

Bosses.

Delighted bosses, whose people learned something
Disciplined bosses, whose people completed something
Boss who is bloodied into it by senior mgt, checkmarks
Frustrated boss - employees not on board
"e" is not the issue, learning is
boss is at some sort of crossroads
conundrum

New learners.

Someone who doesn't have an impression of eLearning already
Great upfront experience
How to acquire newbies… what's the value proposition.
Losing the classroom perk?
Flexibility?
Does someone care about me?
First course of Norm's brought immediate feedback at 1 am.
Peer testimonials.
How do we exploit the social nature of learning?
Wow them the first time, even if it's costly

Veteran learners.

Lots of them comfortable with old ways, e.g. classroom
eLearning uncomfortable?
Use them for guerilla marketing; viral
Disabled veterans - never again
Must show value - clarifying the big picture
Hitchhike on organizational change, e.g. M&A

Win fame and prestige by having your story memorialized for future generations in Lance and Jay's book. Share your story, individual or organizational, great experience or utter disaster, minor suggestion or big deal.

Push the button.

Our March topic will be meta-learning.