Beyond Free Coffee & Donuts: Marketing Training and Development [Paperback]

Sophie Oberstein (Author), Jan Alleman (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 15, 2003 | ISBN-10: 1562863169 | ISBN-13: 978-1562863166

Beyond Free Coffee and Donuts provides today's training and development professional with creative and effective ways to capture the attention of an increasingly overtaxed learner audience. This is not just a book of quick tips and techniques to help trainers fill empty seats, but offers a more valuable brand of advice on how to get the right learner in those seats.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Learners will have to get used to less free coffee and donuts after training professional read this book and put its down-to-earth advice into practice. A well-crafted marketing plan CAN get participants to your learning event and at the same time increase your credibility within the organization. A must read for new and seasoned training professionals. --Judith Eckles, Senior Director, Marketing Communications, SunGard Availibility Services

Just what I wanted: An easy-to-read book that can help me transform my workplace into a learning organization! This books is so chock-full of incredibly relevant ideas that I found myself highlighting something on almost every page. Even seasoned internal training professionals can find a wealth of new perspectives and usable ideas. --Kim Neubauer, M.S., Training Director, The Franklin Institute Science Museum

This books is for anyone who has caught themselves saying, 'I know I should...but where do I start?' This book translates fundamental marketing strategies into user-friendly instruction and examples that you can implement to make a difference in marketing anything from a training workshop to your department's value as a whole. This is a resource you'll be picking up time and again. --Kari Gearhart, Director, Management Development Instructional Design

About the Author

Sophie Oberstein has been the employee development manager for the City of Redwood City, California, since August 2001. Previously, Oberstein founded and managed Targeted Training Solutions, a consulting firm that designed engaging and effective customized training interventions for national and global organizations. In addition, Oberstein has been a presentation coach and a training manager for Citibank's retail bank in the New York marketplace.

Oberstein holds a master's degree in HR management and postgraduate certification in training and development. She has been an instructor for the master's degree of business administration program at Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and in the certificate program at Mercer County Community College in Princeton, New Jersey.

She is an extensively published author; her publications include an Infoline on making your training design more creative, an article in T+D about maintaining your learners' enthusiasm, and a strategic HR audit in the Jossey-Bass 1999 Annual. She is a past president of ASTD's greater Philadelphia chapter.

Jan Alleman has more than 25 years' experience in marketing. Her organization, London Road Design, was founded in 1992 and has won numerous awards for design excellence. For the past decade, London Road has designed for and counseled clients on a wide range of projects, creating innovative or evolutionary marketing solutions to their challenges.

Product Details

• Paperback: 198 pages
• Publisher: ASTD Press (January 15, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1562863169
• ISBN-13: 978-1562863166
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 7.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,599,104 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Sophie Oberstein's career has been driven by her desire to improve the lives of others. Starting out as a High School English teacher for students who were unsuccessful in the mainstream public schools of Boston, MA, she has since worked as a corporate trainer, Employee Development Manager, and leadership and life coach. Her two books for ASTD Press/Berrett-Koehler publishers use interactive exercises and down-to-earth explanations to help readers acquire valuable skills for the workplace and beyond. More information about Sophie can be found on her website at www.fullexperiencecoaching.com. You can also visit her site to sign up for her periodic e-newsletter.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential for planners, leaders, and sponsors of training, April 5, 2003

By 

Julie Fajgenbaum "Julie Fajgenbaum" (NY, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Beyond Free Coffee & Donuts: Marketing Training and Development (Paperback)

This book is intelligently written and very useful. I am planning a full day training session for the top leaders in my business unit. Using this book, I've been able to attract the most motivated participants. Also, I'm understanding better how to gain sponsorship for the program from top execs in the company. I've been able to translate what I think will come out of the session into the measures top execs care about - bottom-line impact. It's been an invaluable guide.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Read!, June 2, 2004

By 

Rolf Dobelli "getAbstract" (Switzerland) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Beyond Free Coffee & Donuts: Marketing Training and Development (Paperback)

Employee development manager Sophie Oberstein and marketer Jan Alleman show why and how training programmers need to become marketers. To help you meet that demand, their workbook explains to trainers how to create and implement a marketing strategy that proves training programs boost the bottom line. They also spend time on the critical area of motivation. The authors provide a useful tool-kit for designing a marketing plan, including instructions on writing and designing promotional materials. The book serves as a good introduction to marketing for its primary target market, so we can recommend it confidently to professionals involved in training and development. One caution: the workshop format of the book is great if you are learning, and want to stop to answer questions or fill in the blanks, but it doesn't make for smooth reading.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book for the Everyday Trainer, July 3, 2003

By 

Reviewer in Northeast United States (Virginia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beyond Free Coffee & Donuts: Marketing Training and Development (Paperback)

In the introduction, the author sets the stage perfectly for this book. She says that this book does not exist to help trainers get more "get butts in seats." No, Oberstein's argues that the optimal situation for a trainer is to have the right people in the right class. The right "butts in seats." Seems like common sense, but organizations don't always behave in this fashion. Even more important, Oberstein argues, by getting the right learner in the right class, Oberstein points out that you will have even an more important outcome - respect from your organization. In today's world, what could be more important to trainers.
The ideas in this book are not meant to be groundbreaking, but should act as a reminder that you have more tools in your training marketing toolbox than you ever realized. Where the book shines is how it carefully explains how to use the tools you have more effectively, including everything from simple e-mail notices or flyers posted on lunch room walls to complete marketing campaigns to roll out major initiatives. You will probably find yourself saying more than one time, "that's a good idea" or "I never thought of that." As for value, four or five important "ah-ha's" in any book makes it a valuable book. Readers should find at least this number of important moments of enlightenment in this book and most likely even more. What more could you ask of any book?