Buying a Learning System? Find Out How to Buy Like a Pro!
Guidance You Can Trust. No Cost. No Vendors. No Strings Attached.
When buying a learning system of any kind, you’ll want to choose wisely. With so much at stake, poor decisions can have dire business and professional consequences. So why not give yourself an advantage?
You deserve to buy with confidence. That’s why we created our new Office Hours Series for LMS Buyers. Hosted by our CEO and Lead Analyst, John Leh, this monthly series will walk you through the most critical steps in the LMS buying journey:
- Business case and requirements mapping
- RFP and shortlist development
- Vendor evaluation and decision process management.
Whether you’re actively looking for a learning system or are just starting to think about it, these interactive sessions will deliver what no sales call or demo provides — a proven selection path. So, whenever you need to choose a solution for your customers, employees, partners, or members, you’ll be ready.
Reserve Your Spot Now for Office Hours!
Attend all sessions or only 1 — whatever you need to move forward effectively. If you register, you’ll receive every link, recording, template, and reminder we publish throughout the series.
*NOTE: This series is intended as a safe space exclusively for aspiring or active LMS buyers. If you’re a vendor representative, we respectfully ask you not to register or attend.*
LMS Buyers Office Hours Schedule
Mark your calendar for the 2nd Wednesday of each month, from 11:00–11:45 am ET
Grab a coffee, snack, or lunch and join any of our live Zoom sessions at your convenience. Each session combines practical advice and content, created and delivered by John Leh. Half of our time will be open for informal Q&A and discussion with other participants. So, bring your toughest questions to the table!
Register once for the entire Office Hours series, and attend whatever sessions you prefer:
MAY 13th
11:00–11:45 am ET
How to Write a Valuable RFP: Cut Through the Marketing Fog
Learn how to use apples-to-apples comparative data from your shortlisted vendors to develop a strong RFP. With our RFP Template, you’ll accelerate the documentation process, improve the quality of vendor responses, use scientific methods to justify your decision, and impress everyone with your professionalism.
JUNE 10th
11:00–11:45 am ET
How to Manage Vendors: Drive the Bus, Don’t Ride
What does it take to run a streamlined, defensible vendor selection process? We’ll explore techniques for managing vendors, evaluating proposal responses, comparing prices, down-selecting vendors, and staying on schedule.
JULY 8th
11:00–11:45 am ET
How to Buy an LMS for Associations
Associations require a different buying lens than corporate LMS buyers. Learn how to evaluate platforms for member education, certification, test preparation, community engagement, social learning, events, recurring revenue and integrations with your AMS or CRM systems.
AUGUST 12th
11:00–11:45 am ET
How LMS Pricing Really Works
LMS pricing is often confusing by design. Learn the most common pricing models, including active users, registered users, portals, implementation fees, support tiers and overage charges. We’ll also share practical strategies for negotiating smarter agreements.
SEPTEMBER 9th
11:00–11:45 am ET
How to Buy a Customer Education LMS
Customer education platforms should drive business outcomes, not just course completions. Learn how to evaluate solutions for onboarding, product adoption, certifications, customer engagement and scalable external training programs.
OCTOBER 14th
11:00–11:45 am ET
Shortlisting with the 2026 LMS Awards Winners
The 2026 Talented Learning LMS Awards have just recognized top solutions across key categories worldwide. Learn how to use this independent market intelligence, along with use-case filters and research frameworks, to quickly identify qualified vendors and build a smarter shortlist.
NOVEMBER 11th
11:00–11:45 am ET
How to Replace an Aging LMS
Is your contract renewing? Has your vendor been acquired? Is adoption weak or costs climbing? Learn how to evaluate whether to renew, replace or redesign your learning ecosystem using a practical decision framework.
DECEMBER 9th
11:00–11:45 am ET
How to Build LMS Requirements Without Wasting Months
Requirements gathering often becomes slow, political and bloated. Learn a faster, more practical way to gather stakeholder input, prioritize real needs and build a shortlist-ready requirements framework.
JANUARY 13th
11:00–11:45 am ET
2027 LMS Market Trends: What Smart Buyers Need to Know Now
What is changing in learning platforms, AI, pricing models, vendor consolidation and buyer expectations? Start the year with a practical market briefing designed to help learning technology buyers make smarter decisions in 2027.
Why Register for Office Hours?
Choosing an LMS is a high-stakes opportunity that can make or break your professional credibility. It may seem complex — even scary. But once you know how, it’s easier than you think.
Designed for anyone who wants to achieve great results, this office hours series is:
- Led by John Leh, who has helped hundreds of organizations succeed at buying an LMS
- Designed around step-by-step methods that save time and reduce risk
- Based on vendor-neutral research, tools, and guides you can share with your team
- Proven to clarify needs and align stakeholders, even before you contact vendors or write an RFP
Attend whatever sessions you wish. You’ll be better prepared to find the right learning system for your organization!
Who Should Attend?
If you’re responsible for researching, selecting, or recommending a new learning system, this series will help you succeed.
Whether you’re starting now or planning for the future, you’ll come away with insight and tools for making smarter decisions without wasting time or reinventing the wheel. You’ll benefit if you’re buying a learning solution for programs that support:
- Customers, partners, employees, or any combination of enterprise audiences
- Professional education, certification, test prep, or vocational training
- Non-profit, NGO, or association member education
No matter what your use case may be, you’ll walk away with a clear roadmap, peer-tested tools, independent research, and expert guidance to help you succeed.
About Your Host
John Leh, CEO and Lead Analyst at Talented Learning
With more than 14 years of enterprise LMS sales experience and a master’s degree in instructional technology, John founded Talented Learning in 2014 as a fiercely independent consulting firm that advises and empowers LMS buyers worldwide. Over the years, he has personally guided over 175 organizations through a formal process to find the best LMS for their needs.
In addition, John’s popular thought leadership content has helped thousands of organizations make better LMS buying decisions. He created the annual Talented Learning LMS Awards, RightFit Grid, and Adaptive LMS Requirements Survey. He also hosts The Talented Learning Show and Customer Education Nuggets podcasts. And he has authored hundreds of articles on the Talented Learning blog.
