The usual distinction made between courses is whether they are structured programmes, studied over a lengthy period of time and leading to a recognised qualification, or short targeted courses focusing on a particular skill. There is also a third much more informal learning option available through workshops, conferences, seminars and networking. Each of the three offers different learning experiences and there are arguments in favour of them all.
Before deciding on a training course, however, the individual needs to decide what gaps the learning is intended to fill. They might lack theoretical knowledge and generic understanding of their profession; they might lack certain skills to enable them to do their job well; they might need to learn ways of modifying behaviour to get the best out of colleagues and contacts.
Chris Sharp, head of Reed Training, says: We stress that people need to explore their weak spots and identify the need. Then they should look at what is taught in the different courses and the way it’s taught before matching content to the gaps in their knowledge.
Research conducted by the Institute of Direct Marketing (IDM) shows that 79 per cent of its members are involved in both B2B and B2C marketing. Neil Morris, deputy managing director of the IDM, says; many of the skills and techniques and much of the knowledge of marketing is shared between B2B and B2C, and the IDM’s curriculum provides a balance between the two perspectives.
At the moment, the Institute has no plans to offer a B2B qualification. Joanna King, IDM’s Director of Professional Short Courses says: marketers may feel that a specifically B2B specific qualification would narrow their personal options.
The Chartered Institute of Marketing’s (CIM) qualifications are based on professional marketing standards. The framework was defined by the CIM three years ago in consultation with employers and academics, while the syllabus within that framework is under constant review to ensure the information remains relevant.
Susan Ward, marketing manager for the CIM, says: From the B2B point of view, the syllabus and assessments are generic but tutors and learning materials provide tailored examples for students to apply in their own situation. About 50 per cent of our students come from the B2B arena. Case studies and assignments are tailored to the needs of the students they could easily all be drawn from B2B examples.
Although CIM, doesn’t at the moment, offer a specifically B2B professional qualification the syllabus is constantly being reviewed. Ward again: For the moment CIM qualifications are broad enough to meet the needs of B2B students. However we keep in close touch with our study centres and students constantly to assess market requirements.
London School of Marketing (LSM) is one of CIM’s largest study centres and Darrell Kofkin LSM’s founder believes that qualifications reflecting different specialisms are not far away. CIM offers a good grounding but it’s dealing with a very eclectic group of people so tries to be all things to all men. Different sectors have different requirements and nuances and should therefore have subtly different qualifications. One good way forward for the professional qualification is for specific optional modules to be available in either B2B, B2C or public sector marketing.
Simon Lawrence, joint MD of data analytics company Information Arts, takes a slightly different view: I don’t think there’s really a need for a separate professional B2B qualification the principles of marketing still apply although many of the specific practices differ but I think there’s a definite need to recognise that B2B training is not just a bolt-on extra to B2C.
Mike Green, director of the Professional Development Programme at the Open University (OU) Business School, adds: There may be something in the claim that courses are so arranged around the B2C arena that B2B marketers wonder whether it’s worthwhile taking them.’
Longer courses tend to be knowledge-based, while shorter ones focus on skills. Formal qualifications provide structure to learning and an acknowledged link with academic education. Ward of the CIM says: It’s not enough now to have just a first degree. Many business degrees include an element of marketing but they tend to major heavily on theory and focus on FMCG, ie. B2C.
B2B is largely ignored and there are few if any practical examples. Professional qualifications give credibility and a competitive edge although the professional qualification is not the end, but the beginning of future professional development, she adds.
Morris of the IDM agrees: Accredited learning is a transportable, universally-recognised mark of expertise useful beyond the context of a current employer.
Green of the OU adds: the main difference between short courses and longer accredited programmes is the measurement of knowledge. Accredited courses evaluate the students to make sure that they understand to a sufficient level what they’re studying. Short courses do this far less and generally have no formal assessment.
If longer accredited qualifications provide good professional stepping stones to advancement, short courses address current or anticipated needs, provide a quick way of topping up skills and have a much more urgent timescale. CIM and IDM both offer a couple of short courses aimed specifically at B2B marketers, while experienced training providers such as Reed Training can tailor courses to fill in whatever gaps have been identified. Because businesses need the knowledge quickly, tailored courses can be arranged quickly.
The B2B market is in a rather unusual position regarding both long-term accredited courses and short focused ones. The profession has grown so quickly that it is only recently that the issue of B2B education and training has arisen at all. As Green of the OU says: Part of the problem with B2B marketing is that it’s moved so fast that professional expertise in it is still very new. You can’t teach people until there’s something to teach them.
Kofkin of LSM agrees: The B2B sector is growing and the training and qualifications are not growing fast enough to keep up. There are few dedicated training events and fewer conferences.
Information Arts was a pioneer of conferences dedicated to B2B, although the IDM now also run one annually. Joanna King of the IDM says; Tickets for the 2005 conference were sold out three weeks in advance which shows that B2B marketers want an annual event that is their own. Simon Lawrence of Information Arts who launched the first B2B-specific conference in the UK adds: We aim to get high-quality speakers addressing a knowledgeable audience. The feedback we’ve had so far is that within a week people had put some of the things they learnt at the conference into practice.
Much of the learning and professional development which is going on in the B2B arena at the moment is happening informally where groups learn from each other’s experience. Green of the OU, comments: I think the informal arenas of networks, conferences and workshops are where most of the B2B learning is happening and it’s largely invisible. Information Arts has set up a Small Business Forum where non-competing firms discuss marketing to small businesses, the problems, how they overcome them, etc.
Simon Lawrence comments: We ask a successful practitioner to speak and then there’s time for discussion. It’s not formal training and it’s too early days as yet to suggest that it will lead to or encourage formal training but it’s a very useful learning forum. LSM is also setting up a series of masterclasses where students will be addressed by top practitioners, can dissect case studies, and share ideas and experiences with other professionals.
Kofkin of LSM says: There are three main questions in marketing training: What? How? Why? Each corresponds to an increasingly sophisticated level of training. ‘What’ marketing is aimed at bright people who have recently entered the industry. ‘How’ marketing techniques develops junior marketers so that they gain a firmer grasp of the work. ‘Why’ marketing works demonstrates the importance of strategy to senior marketers. This progression is applicable across the sector B2B, B2C or the new public sector marketing.
Never stop learning Training is about developing people and teaching them how to do their job better. Marketers should examine their long term aim. They may have skill shortages which need filling, but if they’re looking for advancement they should also gain the skills needed for the next level. Professional qualifications will probably also be necessary to fill in the theory. As Chris Sharp of Reed Training says: People often stay in jobs because of career development and are happier if they are learning and growing. B2B marketers shouldn’t concentrate just on specialist skills but take an holistic approach to their individual development.
In that case long and short courses and informal learning each make unique and valuable contributions to professional development.
Deborah Goodman works for global real estate provider Jones, Lang LaSalle. She is the operations & marketing manager for the group which handles corporate solutions for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Deborah has recently taken the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) Postgraduate Diploma through the London School of Marketing: She says I was studying at the same time as working so I was able to use the knowledge immediately in my day-to-day job. I’d done a marketing degree but it was difficult at university to see where and how to apply the theory. The CIM qualifications use real examples and case studies. The Business Unit at Jones Lang LaSalle is growing very fast and we don’t deal with the consumer at all. In the B2B world, because you’re dealing with other businesses, it’s even more important to know what you’re talking about. The qualification has given me that authority and expertise.
