A great series of questions came into my email inbox the other day from Shelly, who just discovered me and pmStudent.
Shelly: Are these video’s for PM’s that had the schooling and are now ready to begin their career? If so, how much education would one need for your system to at it’s most helpful?
Me: My courses do not assume any prior training or experience in project management. Even if you just decided to become a project manager today, the courses walk you through everything and I am available for questions.
Shelly: With all the scams out there, how do I know you are legit?
Me: That’s a great question Shelly. I think the best way is to follow my articles at pmStudent.com, gantthead.com, Govloop.com, connect with me on LinkedIn and Facebook, join the PM Career LinkedIn group, etc. You’ll get to know me and what I’m all about pretty quick.All of these free resources will help give you good ideas and you can get to know me too. If you are feeling hesitant to purchase my training now, that’s to be expected if you’ve never interacted with me before or know who I am.
Thanks for the great question!
Don’t Get Scammed
I’ve written in the past about things in the online project management world that didn’t seem legit to me, and provided some tips of what to look for.
Aside from the on-page look and feel of a website, I think the ability to get to know the person behind the training or the company behind a certification is also very important. Ideally, you’ll already be comfortable with someone because you’ve been following them for months and really get to know who they are, how they operate.
- Do they really want to help people? Or are they just trying to make a quick buck?
- Have they been around for awhile, or did they pop out of nowhere just recently?
- When you send them an email, do they email you back?
Do They Love What They Do? Can You Even Tell?
After interacting with someone by following what they are doing online, I think the most important factor is determining if they love what they do. Are they sincere and love to help people?
The first online training program I bought was the PM Prepcast. But I didn’t just go to a sales page and purchase it immediately. I got to know Cornelius Fichtner through the PM Podcast and even emailed him a few times with questions I had about project management. It was evident pretty quickly that Cornelius was the real deal. Then when I wanted to purchase some great training for the PMP, I knew exactly who I trusted. Then after I purchased it, I was so impressed that now it’s the only PMP training program I recommend.
But trust must be earned over time, it’s not something you’ll instantly feel for someone when you meet them for the first time, or come to their website for the first time. I know Cornelius will never steer someone wrong after I refer people to him, but that trust wasn’t earned overnight.
So to close this out, I advise everyone to be skeptical and do your due diligence before putting down your hard-earned cash for any significant purchase, online or offline. Training or other things you can purchase online have real people behind them, and in the real world some people are in it for the love and some are not.
Have you had any positive or negative experiences with training you’ve purchased online? Hearing about other people’s experiences who are in our similar situation can provide a great starting point for your due diligence.
Please share in the comments!
Original link: Are You Legit?
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Most of us do ask this question when purchasing anything online. It is important to do your research whether buying a car or learning materials. When it comes to learning materials, I tend to find three or four sources to juxtapose. I try to find reviews and blogs that comment on personal experiences. The PMP certification was a personal goal of mine, so I spent several weeks looking for options. That is when I discovered the PM Prepcast. That was good investment.
I never really considered getting to know the trainer when shopping for learning materials. It is sometimes hard to find that personal touch when it comes to products developed by organizations vs. individuals such as yourself. I guess looking for contact information and trying to touch base is worth it. But word of mouth is still the best way to connect. Typically the products speaks for itself in comparison.
Great points Travis, thanks for the comments!
Great advice! One of the first things I do when checking out a product or service is to type the product or service name into Google followed by “criticism,” “complaints,” and “reviews.” This has been rather enlightening in some cases.
That is an excellent strategy Bill!