Best Practices vs Courses (and Others)

Every so often, we need to put our ideas into boxes, give them clear definitions and label them in order to fully understand what they are and where they can be placed.

As the Learning and Advisory Industry is expanding, numerous confusions can arise – what is the difference between a course and a Best Practice? when is hiring a consultant desirable? can you (or your company) solve some of your problems by using other tools? what are they? who is who on the market? what are the inter-dependencies?…

We have decided to address this topic today and give you a glimpse of our Industry and where Eloquens.com’s Market is situated in this vast Universe…

WHO WE ARE…

At Eloquens.com, we are creators of a unique marketplace with a view of making know-how a common good, thus preventing others from reinventing the wheel. We offer relatively short, both ready to use and adjustable content that addresses concrete issues.

We can be positioned in the top right corner of the ‘Learning Industry’ positioning matrix: with a low time and cost input. In our graphs, we call this segment of the matrix “The Pokeballs”… Why? Since we capture value and store expertise that professionals have accumulated over the years – similarily to pokeballs hiding Pokemons. You can read more about this concept in the article referring to our logo: Is the Eloquens logo meant to be a pokeball?! 

WHO WE ARE NOT…

What we are not is an educational institution or an e-learning platform. As much as we do contribute to the knowledge acquisition and to professional as well as personal development, we provide tools that require relatively low time input (as opposed to learning courses) and we are very much solution oriented (contrary to a formative approach of professional trainings or universities).

Best Practices 💎 published by Eloquens.com Authors can be found and downloaded within a shorter time span than those offered by coaches, advisors or mentors. They are also available at a lower cost than solutions proposed by major consulting firms.

WHO BELONGS TO OUR BUSINESS UNIVERSE?

To help you better understand our positioning in the Business Universe and our community, I will tell you a short story. Close your eyes for a few seconds and imagine Tom. Tom is working for a prosperous company and has just been appointed as a manager of a compelling project. Main objectives have been set and the time to look for investors has come. Tom is going to have a meeting with a few prospects in 3 days and he is required to deliver a comprehensive presentation on the project. However, there is still a major unsolved project-related issue and, on top of that, Tom has 3 other meetings in the upcoming days, 5 tasks due and his little son’S birthday party tomorrow. To put it simply: TOM HAS A LOT TO DO AND VERY LITTLE TIME TO DO IT.

What options does he have to find a solution to the issue with the project and get the presentation ready on time? He can ponder on the following questions:

  • Can I solve it myself?

    No, I can’t: I don’t have the necessary skills and knowledge.

  • Can I learn how to do it?

    No, I can’t: I don’t have enough time (if I did, I would sign up for a COURSE or other kind of TRAINING).

  • Can I pay someone to do it for me?

    No, I can’t – I have limited financial resources for this project (if I could, I would turn to a CONSULTING FIRM).

  • Has someone faced a similar problem? Has someone solved it yet?

    Most likely YES : someone might have already found a solution to a similar (or even the same) problem

This is the moment when BEST PRACTICES & ELOQUENS.COM strike gold – we offer exactly what Tom needs: impactful, short and concise content, with a wide range of different models and templates to help him SOLVE his ISSUE. He can download a few tools, compare them and pick the best solution for his case – all much faster and at a lower cost than if he decided to pick an alternative option.

See a few examples of Best Practices on Eloquens.com

WHAT COULD BE TOM’S CLOSEST ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS?

  • COURSE
  • a set of classes or a plan of study on a particular subject, usually leading to an exam or qualification.

    also: ‘the often gradual development of something’

  • imposes a LONGER DURATION and GRADUAL DEVELOPMENT
  • BEST PRACTICE
  • a working method or set of working methods that is officially accepted as being the best to use in a particular business or industry (after: Cambridge Dictionary)

  • highly SOLUTION ORIENTED, compact and focused on a particular topic
  • CONSULTING FIRM
  • a business that provides consulting and advisory services to other parties for a fee;
    services characterized by a detailed analysis and followed by recommendations
  • requires LARGE FINANCIAL OUTLAYS but may be highly TIME SAVING

WHAT IS THE PROFILE OF THE MAJORITY OF ELOQUENS.COM USERS?

Based on Tom’s example, we can draw some conclusions about Eloquens.com Users. They are people on the job, facing a challenge and trying to find a solution WITHOUT HIGH TIME INPUT and at a REASONABLE COST. As much as they might be willing to undertake a course to expand their knowledge and skill set, they cannot afford it at the moment given the time pressure they are under. Alternatively, they are looking for nothing but a feasible solution to their current issue as they are already overloaded with the vast quantity of information on various topics.

You can find more information on our User Database (including stats & graphs) in our article: Who is looking for Best Practices?

How do you find yourself with regard to Our Place in the Business Universe?

Do you feel it could be a good match for you?

Patrycja Cybinska

Author Value Manager

Patrycja Cybinska
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