Buying an LMS

Association LMS Buyers Companion – 2019 Edition

August 7, 2019

Association LMS buyers guide 2019 - a collection of free resources from independent learning tech analyst, John Leh

August is here – and not a moment too soon! Most of us look forward to this month as an opportunity to take a break from work. These dog days of summer invite us to relax and recharge before we jump into back-to-school activities and the fall [...learn more...]

Software Demo Tips: What Works? Ask an LMS Selection Consultant

August 21, 2018

What's in a winning LMS demonstration? Software demo tips from independent LMS consultant John Leh

If you subscribe to this blog, or listen to our podcasts, or attend our webinars, you probably think of Talented Learning as a free source of fiercely indeperndent information for LMS buyers and sellers – but that’s only part of our [...learn more...]

LMS Selection Roulette: Who Can You Trust?

August 17, 2017

LMS selection can seem like a gamble. But consultant John Leh says it's wise to trust a proven process

It happens at least once a week. I bump into LinkedIn posts from learning professionals who are overwhelmed by LMS challenges. Often, these posts attract dozens of responses from LMS vendors, each claiming they offer the best solution, based on [...learn more...]

The LMS Sandbox: How to Play For Keeps

April 18, 2017

LMS Sandbox: How do free trials and prototypes help learning systems buyers make better choices - Independent analyst John Leh explains

Why does everything about the LMS market seem so complex? To find the best learning technology fit, we must sort through various learning platform types, license models, functionality, integration capacity, implementation services (or lack of) [...learn more...]

Is Your LMS License Model Misaligned? How to Avoid Costly Mistakes

February 8, 2017

LMS license model misaligned with your learning usage requirements? How to avoid costly software selection mistakes

Making Sense of LMS License Models Throughout the last month, I’ve reviewed 12 RFP responses for 3 different LMS business scenarios: association learning, commercial training and corporate channel/customer education. These buying [...learn more...]

How Does LMS Selection Work? This Case Reveals All

November 30, 2016

What does LMS Selection success look like? Independent learning tech analyst John Leh explains

At Talented Learning, we help all kinds of organizations big and small find the right LMS for their needs. With 13 years in LMS sales and now nearly 3 years as LMS selection consultants, we’ve been directly involved in $65,000,000 worth of LMS [...learn more...]

5 Ways to Buy an LMS You Will Hate!

June 7, 2016

How to Buy an LMS You'll Hate - Independent learning tech analyst John Leh explains how to do it wrong (and right)

You hear a lot of chatter over the last decade about how everyone hates their learning management system. Some people even think customer dissatisfaction is the reason there are 700 LMS vendors. I don’t think that is the case. I’ve spoken [...learn more...]

LMS Implementation Pricing: Take 2

May 2, 2016

LMS Implementation Pricing - What should learning systems buyers know? Independent learning tech analyst John Leh explains

Bloggers know instantly when we’ve hit a good topic that deserves further exploration. It’s easy to see in the volume and variety of feedback from readers. Recently, I wrote about “Shrinking LMS Implementation Fees Drive Market [...learn more...]

Introducing the LMS Almanac: Corporate Edition 2016

April 26, 2016

LMS Almanac - The No-Nonsense Guide to the learning management systems market - by independent analyst John Leh

After more than two years of intense research, 111 LMS reviews, 90 learning technology blog posts, dozens of LMS selections and 25 original webinars, we are proud and finally ready to introduce our first paid publication – The Talented Learning [...learn more...]

Shrinking LMS Implementation Fees Drive Market Expansion

February 24, 2016

Shrinking LMS Implementation Fees - Why are learning management systems implementation fees decreasing? Learning tech analyst John Leh shares his perspective

As little as five years ago, it was common for average LMS implementation fees to exceed $100,000. An LMS needed to be installed and then configured in either the vendor’s data center or at a client location. IT played a time-intensive, [...learn more...]

LMS License Models: What in the World is Going On?

February 10, 2016

LMS License Models - What's changing about learning systems pricing? Independent analyst John Leh looks closer

“How much does an LMS cost?” As an LMS research analyst and vendor selection consultant, I get a version of that question often from both LMS buyers and sellers. The true yet unsatisfying answer is that “it [...learn more...]

Talented Learning: Greatest Hits of 2015

December 30, 2015

As 2015 draws to a close, it makes sense to look back and reflect on highlights from the past year. It’s especially appropriate for our team at Talented Learning, because the New Year also marks our second anniversary and a chance to [...learn more...]

Buying a Learning System? 110+ LMS Acronyms You Should Know

May 11, 2015

LMS Acronyms - A glossary of key elearning terms by independent learning tech analyst John Leh of Talented Learning

I am an independent learning technology selection consultant and I help my clients select the right learning management system (LMS) for them based on their business needs. In a recent article about conducting better LMS demonstrations, I advised [...learn more...]

A Multi-Perspective Look at LMS References

March 31, 2015

LMS references - When choosing a learning management system (LMS), how can you make the most of vendor references? Independent tech analyst John Leh explains

When you invest in an LMS, you are sticking your neck out professionally by committing $100,000 or $1,000,000 to a system that touches every employee, channel partner and/or customer in your business ecosystem. It’s your responsibility to [...learn more...]

What to Do While Waiting for LMS Budget Approval

January 28, 2015

Getting final budget approval for an LMS is kind of like pushing over a Coke machine — it usually takes a few tries. The buying cycle for a new or an upgraded LMS averages 12-24 months — and can easily take much longer. This [...learn more...]

The Hidden Cost of Qualifying LMS Vendors

July 14, 2014

Last week, I relearned the same costly and time-consuming lesson I’ve learned many times before. It looked like a leaky pipe. Simple enough. But instead of calling a plumber to repair the problem, I changed into my DIY hero suit, [...learn more...]

The 3 Licensing Models of an LMS (or Any Enterprise Software)

April 14, 2014

Learn the three licensing models of an LMS (or any business software). Independent learning tech analyst John Leh explains

One of the most eye-opening lessons I learned when I sold learning management systems (LMS) is that customers often don’t understand all the available licensing models available to them when they enter into the buying process. As a result, [...learn more...]