Have you earned MORE than your money back?

Return on Investment is a process that measures change in profits related to training/cost of training. If you convert these to percentages, it's ideal to have an ROI of over 100%. A 100% ROI means that you've earned your money back, but haven't increased revenue. An ROI of less than 100% means you've actually lost money on the training.

Training and development ROI (Return on Investment) measures financial or non-financial benefits gained from the investment in employee training and development initiatives. It quantifies the value and impact of training by comparing the costs incurred with the tangible or intangible outcomes achieved, such as improved performance, productivity, employee engagement, and retention.

Helena Ståhl is licensed through a 12 months training process at the ROI Institute and has measured ROI for over 20 years.

Measuring ROI
Measuring ROI

How we measure

We measure the results of all training with the Return on Investment (ROI) method. This is the most effective way to ensure that a client’s investment results in targeted goals. You can only measure training that lasts for a minimum of 6 months.

We measure ROI on individual, team, and company levels, and before, during, and after training. A trainer must be licensed to use the ROI method.

Helena Ståhl is one of only approximately 100 active and licensed ROI trainers in the world.

Isolate the effect

To measure ROI you need to isolate the effect of the training. Choose three key measurements the training can have an effect on. For example employee engagement, increased profit, increased number of new clients, decreased sick leave, number of key people in new positions or promoted, employee satisfaction, increased efficiency, or trust for management.

The overall goals need to be defined by management and set on individual levels. Continuously following up and reporting back to management throughout the training is essential.

Measuring ROI

Engagement in numbers

“This research is overwhelmingly showing that engagement, or the lack thereof, is at historic lows and that you can't operate a high-performing organisation without it. There are definite reasons why one organisation performs better than another.”


Source: healthydealer.com/engagement-survey
Engagement in numbers
Helena Ståhl – licensed to use ROI

Licensed since 25 years to use ROI – Return on Investment

Helena Ståhl has a very extensive and deep experience of measuring ROI globally on five different levels and can design a training process that will ensure measurability and achieve set goals on five levels.

The ROI certification is approved through HR Certification Institute® (HRCI®) as well as by SHRM and the Training Industry toward the Certified Professional in Training Management Credential.

Helena Ståhl is licensed and active since 25 years back in ROI - Return on Investment - by the founder of the ROI Institute, Jack J Phillips. Helena studied for six months as well as did an examination and case study including measuring all five levels.

  • Level 1: Participant satisfaction (traditional evaluations)
  • Level 2:  Behaviour change
  • Level 3: Application of new tools 
  • Level 4: Impact and effect of application 
  • Level 5: ROI - Calculated cost and profit/increase

As a certified and experienced ROI trainer, Helena Ståhl can: 

  • Identify the five levels of evaluation
  • Collect data using appropriate techniques
  • Calculate the benefit-cost ratio (BCR) and return on investment (ROI)
  • Apply the ROI Methodology
  • Isolate the effects of a program
  • Implement the ROI Methodology internally
  • Convert data to money

Recommendations when you buy training

Most frequent mistakes

  • The client does not have a clear objective for what they want the investment to achieve (According to stats. we spend at least 356 bn dollars on training every year)
  • The client thinks 1/2 – 2 days of training will be enough (according to the latest research it takes 69 days to develop and keep new work habits)
  • The client believes that training by itself will do the trick (Application in the work place makes the only positive difference)
  • The client feels that it is “wasted” money (they choose to work with a vendor who is not licensed nor experienced to measure ROI) 
  • The client does not see a visible change or improvement (there is a lack of an effective and successfully proven follow-up system) 
  • The client trusts that they can delegate all responsibility to an external vendor (An active and interested management team increases the application rate with over 20% according to our own experience)
  • The client does not check or ask to see client referrals, the tools, application rate and content that the vendor say they will use (A vendor that cannot present proven successful tools or say they will design from scratch might not be a trusted vendor…)

Recommended questions to ask a potential vendor

  • Can you please show us your last client project (with management training)? 
  • Can we see the process, sample of tools taught, how you follow up each participant, work with coaching, secure application, involve top management and measure ROI?
  • What have you done during the pandemic? (developed virtual skills, delivered training digitally, licensed and trained all your trainers, etc.?) 
  • Can we have a 1-2 hour digital workshop where we can see how you use your skills, not only digitally, but also using the phone, videos, social media, etc. (you want to look for modern digital skill sets) and when you can teach us just one of your tools? 
  • Are you licensed in EQ and CQ? And how do you train your clients in those skills? 
  • Have you worked with Scandinavian culture (or other cultures) and if so, in what way? 
  • What is your experience of working with international business and can you tell us about your experience with working internationally? 
  • When did you last lose a client and what was the reason?

How to get visible results from an investment in training

If you want the investment in training to show tangible results, ask the potential vendor the following: 

  • Is the training process at least over 6 months? (it takes at least 70 days to develop new skills & habits)
  • Is there a method to secure that application between sessions takes place? 
  • Is there an individual coach that individually follows up with each participant between sessions? 
  • Is there a systematic process to consistently report back to management?
  • Is there a method to measure the effect of the investment in training and development?
Buy training

“Progress relies on human agency. Things get better because we make them better.”

Susan Rice, Fmr U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations