2054 Courses in Liverpool

The often-used phrase, 'just the receptionist', completely misrepresents the role. An excellent receptionist is a most valuable resource for any organisation. This programme has been designed specifically to deal with the essential skills necessary to represent the organisation to the best possible effect. It will also help you get the most out of your working day. There are six key reasons to take part in this workshop. It will help you: * See your role in a new light * Develop your communication skills * Deal with different types of customer and situation * Boost your confidence * Cope in a pressurised environment * Get more satisfaction from your working day 1 INTRODUCTION * Workshop objectives and personal objectives * The challenges of 21st century communication * What makes an excellent point of Reception? And why is it so important? * Who and where are our customers? * As a customer, how do you like to be treated? * What makes people feel valued? * Objective and subjective aspects of customer service * 'Micro moments' that shape the relationship 2 COMMUNICATION ON RECEPTION * Definition of communication * Barriers to good communication * The 'recipe' of verbal, vocal and visual aspects of communication * Differences between communicating face-to-face and on the telephone * Communication 'leaks' * The primitive human response * The impact of visual communication - body language, gesture and facial expression * Voice - tone, speed, volume, pitch, clarity, inflection, pacing * Words - positive words and phrases compared with negative terminology * Professional greetings face-to-face * Steering the conversation with effective questioning 3 TELEPHONE EXCELLENCE * How we use the telephone * Qualities of the telephone * Non-verbal communication on the telephone - what aspects can be 'seen' by the other person? * Professional telephone etiquette * Taking and leaving messages - key points that can help customers, colleagues and the organisation * Clarifying information 4 LISTENING SKILLS FOR ACCURACY AND RELATIONSHIP BUILDING * How accurate are your listening skills? * What are the challenges for accurate listening? * Active / empathetic listening 5 CREATING A RAPPORT BY 'STYLE FLEXING' * Understanding how different people communicate * Shaping our message to the other person so that they feel understood * How changing situations can alter communication needs 6 CONFIDENCE AND ASSERTIVENESS * Recognising different styles of behaviour - aggressive, passive and assertive * Qualities of assertive communication - verbal, vocal and visual * Assertive techniques - basic, persistence, negotiation / empathetic * Demonstrating confidence 7 COPING IN A PRESSURISED ENVIRONMENT * Words - the most useful ones to use with stressed people and identifying the 'red rag' words * Challenging situations - what do you find difficult and how do you respond? * Dealing with outbursts of anger * Bringing non-stop talkers back from their tangent * Constructive ways to say 'no' 8 PULLING IT ALL TOGETHER * Action plans * Summary of key learning points

Masterclasses? Refreshers? Introductions? It depends what you're looking for and where you want to pitch them, but here are six tried-and-tested highly focused sessions that organisations can take individually or as a series, to help develop their teams' project management capabilities one topic at a time. Objectives for each individual session are set out below, as part of the session outlines. Taken together, as a series, however, these modules are an ideal opportunity to develop your team's levels of project management capability maturity, whether that's by introducing them to the basic principles, refreshing them on best practice, or giving them the opportunity to really drill down into a specific area of challenge in your particular operating environment. SESSION OUTLINES 1 Stakeholder management SESSION OBJECTIVES This session will help participants: * Understand why stakeholders matter to projects * Be able to identify and engage stakeholders * Be able to categorise stakeholders by their significance 1 KEY PRINCIPLES * What does 'stakeholder' mean - in theory? * What does this mean in practice? * Why stakeholders matter * Consequences of missing stakeholders * The stakeholder management process: * Identify * Assess * Plan * Engage 2 IDENTIFYING STAKEHOLDERS * Rapid listing * CPIG analysis * PESTLE analysis * Drawing on the knowledge and experience of others * Other ways to identify stakeholders 3 ASSESSING STAKEHOLDERS * Which stakeholders are significant? * Stakeholder radar * Power-interest maps * Power-attitude maps 4 PLANNING * The adoption curve * Dealing with obstacles * Who should engage which stakeholder? * How should the project's organisation be structured? * How will communication happen? 5 ENGAGING * Seven principles of stakeholder engagement 2 Requirements and prioritisation SESSION OBJECTIVES This session will help participants: * Understand how clarity of requirements contributes to project success * Use different techniques for prioritising requirements * Agree requirements with stakeholders * Manage changes to requirements 1 UNDERSTANDING AND MANAGING STAKEHOLDER NEEDS AND EXPECTATIONS * What are 'requirements'? * What is 'requirements management'? * Sources of requirements - and the role of stakeholders * Are stakeholders sufficiently expert to specify their needs? * Do they understand the detail of what they want, or do they need help to tease that out? * What do stakeholders want to achieve? * Working within constraints * Prioritising requirements - three techniques 2 MOSCOW PRIORITISATION * 'Must have', should have', 'could have, 'won't have this time' * When to use MoSCoW 3 THE KANO MODEL * Customer satisfaction - 'attractive' and 'must-be' qualities * When to use Kano 4 VALUE-BASED PRIORITISATION * Understanding risk v value * Using risk v value to prioritise features and schedules 5 AGREEING REQUIREMENTS * Perfect v 'good enough' * Establishing acceptance criteria * Requirements traceability * Agreeing project scope 6 CHANGING REQUIREMENTS * Why requirements change * Why change control matters * Impact on projects * A formal change control process * Paying for change - managing change for different types of project 3 Estimating SESSION OBJECTIVES This session will help participants: * Understand the different purposes estimates satisfy * Be able to use different estimating techniques * Understand how to achieve different levels of accuracy 1 KEY PRINCIPLES * What's an estimate? Informed guesswork * What needs to be estimated? Costs, resources, effort, duration * Tolerances * Precision v accuracy 2 ESTIMATING THROUGH THE LIFECYCLE * Start * Plan * Do 3 EARLY ESTIMATES * Comparative ('analogous') estimating * Parametric estimating * Using multiple estimating techniques 4 BOTTOM-UP ESTIMATING * Bottom-up ('analytical') estimating * Pros * Cons 5 THREE-POINT ESTIMATING * Three-point ('PERT': Programme Evaluation and Review Technique) estimating * Uncertainty and the range of estimates * Calculating a weighted average * Three-point with bottom-up 4 Scheduling SESSION OBJECTIVES This session will help participants: * Understand how to create a viable schedule * Be able to use different forms of schedule * Understand the concept of the critical path 1 KEY PRINCIPLES * The planning horizon * Rolling wave planning * Release planning 2 VIABLE SCHEDULING * Creating a viable schedule * Define the scope * Sequence the work * Identify the risks and build in mitigations * Identify the resources * Estimate the effort and durations * Check resource availability * Refine until a workable schedule is produced 3 CRITICAL PATH ANALYSIS * The critical path * Network diagrams * Sequence logic * Practical application: * Network diagram with estimated durations * The 'forward pass' * The 'backward pass' * Calculating total float * Identifying the critical path * Calculating free float * Gantt charts 5 Risk and issue management SESSION OBJECTIVES This session will help participants: * Understand the difference between risks and issues * Be able to identify and assess risks * Understand ways of mitigating risks * Manage issues 1 KEY PRINCIPLES * Understanding risk * Threats and opportunities * The risk management process * Preparation - proactive risk management * The process - identify, assess, plan, implement * Stakeholder communication * Roles and responsibilities * Risk management strategy * The risk register * Risk appetite 2 RISK IDENTIFICATION * Brainstorming * Interviews * Assumption analysis * Checklists 3 RISK ASSESSMENT AND PRIORITISATION * Probability, impact and proximity * Triggers * Qualitative risk assessment * Qualitative impact assessment * Qualitative probability assessment * Probability / impact grid * Bubble charts * Risk tolerance 4 PLANNING COUNTERMEASURES * To mitigate or not to mitigate? * Categories of risk response * Avoid and exploit * Reduce and enhance * Transfer * Share * Accept * Contingency * Secondary risks 5 ISSUE MANAGEMENT * What is an issue? * Tolerances * Issues and tolerances * The PRINCE2 view of issues * Ownership of issues * An issue management process * Issue register 6 Budgeting and cost control SESSION OBJECTIVES This session will help participants: * Understand what to include in a budget - and why * Choose - and use - the appropriate estimating technique * Align the budget with the schedule * Understand how to monitor spend and control costs * Trouble-shoot effectively to get projects back within budget SESSION FORMAT Flexible. The session can be tailored to the participants' average level of project management maturity - a 60-minute session (delivered virtually) is an effective introduction. A 90-minute session allows for more in-depth treatment. A half-day session (face-to-face or virtual) gives time for a more challenging workshop, particularly to discuss specific cost control issues with any of the participants' current projects. 1 WHERE IS THE MONEY COMING FROM? * Can we pay from revenue? Do we need to borrow? How long will the project take to pay back? * The lifecycle of the budget * Through-life costs * Stakeholder involvement 2 ESTIMATING COSTS * Reminder: the relationship between estimates * Reminder: possible estimating techniques * What do we need to estimate? * People * Equipment * Materials * Facilities and operating costs * Work package estimate * Estimated project costs * Estimating agile projects 3 ALIGNING BUDGET AND SCHEDULE * Scheduling and financial periods * Spreading the budget 4 RESERVES AND AGREEING THE BUDGET * Contingency reserve * Management reserve * Agreeing the budget 5 COST CONTROL * Planned spend over time * Actual spend over time * Work completed over time * Evaluating different scenarios: delivery v spend 6 TROUBLE-SHOOTING * Why are we where we are? * What has caused the project to spend at the rate it is? * Why is it delivering at the rate it is? * What are the root causes? * What can we do about it?

Agility has become a prized business attribute. Although Agile methods were once most associated with software development, they are now applied in a host of different areas. Agile continues to find new applications because it is primarily an attitude. This programme delivers a solid grounding in both the Agile mindset and Agile methods. It covers three methods, illustrates the benefits of each and shows how they can be integrated. It includes practical techniques as well as background knowledge. By the end of the session, participants will be able to: * Apply Agile concepts to self-manage their work * Understand the roles people take on in Agile teams * Use a variety of techniques to help deliver customer satisfaction * Focus on delivering against priorities * Employ a range of estimating techniques 1 INTRODUCTION * Overview of the programme * Review of participants' needs and objectives 2 THE BASICS OF AGILE * What makes Agile different * Agile Manifesto and Principles * Using feedback to deliver what is needed 3 AGILE TEAMS * Multi-disciplinary teams * Team size and empowerment * Agile values 4 AGILE AT THE TEAM LEVEL - SCRUM * Scrum roles * Scrum 'events' * Scrum 'artifacts' 5 AGILE FOR TEAMS JUGGLING MULTIPLE DEMANDS - KANBAN * Taking control of the work * Improving throughput * Dealing with bottlenecks 6 AGILE IN PROJECTS - AGILEPM * The phases of an Agile project * Managing change requests * Delivering on time 7 ESTIMATING * T-shirt / Pebble sizing * Yesterday's weather * Planning poker 8 PICK 'N' MIX - SOME USEFUL TECHNIQUES * The daily stand-up * User stories * Retrospectives * Work-in-process limits * Burndown charts * Minimum viable product * A / B testing 9 REVIEW AND ACTION PLANNING * Identify actions to be implemented individually * Conclusion

The importance of building services to the success of an organisation has never been greater and continues to grow. Developers and occupiers are becoming more aware of the contribution that building services make to the well being of occupants and hence their perception of the quality of the working environment. Those involved with the design, construction, maintenance and operation will increasingly be required to deliver building services that demonstrable contribution to the occupier's business. Energy efficiency, carbon management and occupant satisfaction depend substantially on the way building services are designed, managed and operated. To optimise these aspects, an informed strategic approach is essential. Tried and tested techniques and processes are available that, when applied holistically, will deliver substantial benefits. This course reviews best practice in the area and inspires participants to ensure that building services perform at their optimal level. To provide a better understanding of how building services can be designed, managed and operated to: * Maximise occupant comfort, satisfaction and wellbeing * Add value and contribute to the success of the business of the occupier * Improve health safety * Reduce operating cost, energy use, carbon emissions and environmental impact * Optimise cost and value * Provide strategies for continuous improvement and sustainable operation 1 BUILDING SERVICES FUNDAMENTALS * The function of services in commercial buildings and their importance to the core business 2 TECHNIQUES AND PROCESSES FOR OPTIMISING COST AND VALUE * Programmed operation evaluation * Continuous commissioning * Lifetime product management * Performance-based service * Energy efficiency and the scope for environmental improvement 3 MAKING THE BUSINESS CASE AND PREPARING THE STRATEGY * Motivating decision-makers * Empowering those who have to deliver the results * Managing business risk 4 STRATEGY IMPLEMENTATION AND MONITORING RESULTS * Ensuring that rich and robust feedback is available to support continuous improvement and strategy enhancement * When to get feedback * Why * How * What to do with it 5 CASE HISTORIES AND 'AIR TIME' * Sharing experience and addressing specific issues of interest to participants * Course review * Close

The Sales Accelerator programme is a fresh approach to improving business development productivity. It focuses on identifying and using a series of business productivity metrics in order to build a clear action plan for improving sales results - typically within 90 days. The metrics are grouped under three headings: The basic principle is that a small improvement in each area can lead to a significant increase in sales results and productivity. And the object of the programme is to show how best to achieve that. The programme therefore looks at each of these three areas in turn, spending a day on each. Suitable for any and all businesses and all levels of experience and expertise, this is a remarkably practical and hands-on programme. During the workshop, participants discuss, review and apply many proven sales and marketing techniques and personal selling ideas. The goal is to generate and commit to changes and actions that can lead to a 10-30% increase in the next three to six months. There's also a consultancy option, rather than the workshop-based programme. See below for details. DAY ONE - ACTIVITY Key objective This first module introduces the Sales Accelerator model. The goal here is to show participants how to increase their pro-active activity levels by around 10%. It covers all aspects of creating new business opportunities, from existing customers and non-customers alike, and is linked to personal activity improvement goals. Main elements * Improve the productivity, accuracy and effectiveness of your business approach by using new and unique models and techniques. * Different methods of creating and generating new business opportunities in the short, medium and long term. This includes sourcing new business, up-selling, cross-selling, warm calling and gaining referrals. * Using organised persistence to track and build new customer revenue. * Managing your sales time effectively. Key learning points * Sales productivity - understand the dynamics of increasing the combination of activity levels, deal value and conversion rate of proposals/quotations to orders and implement an improvement plan. * Sales goal setting: setting business development objectives for quantity and quality - plus tips and tricks of top performers. * Maintain a peak activity level, on a consistent basis using 'organised persistence' and structured business development tracking methodology. * How to prioritise opportunities and manage your time when sourcing new business. * Identify potential new customers - and particularly the decision-makers and influencers - with greater accuracy. * Make outbound business or appointment calls with improved confidence, control and results. DAY TWO - VALUE Key objective To be able to better anticipate, identify, create, and develop business opportunities using a customer / client-focused communication-based business model and consultative skills. Main elements * How to develop sales more effectively from new and existing customers; and managing the first appointment with a new customer. * Use structured and assertive drawing-out skills to identify, develop and formalise business opportunities and to gain commitment. * How to better position your company and your products and services against your main competitors. * Create and deliver persuasive business messages based on specific need areas, criteria and value. Key learning points * Advanced consultative selling - use a variety of structured and advanced questioning techniques to confidently and efficiently uncover opportunities, need areas and business criteria - confidently and efficiently. * Involve the customer/client at all times, and to a far greater degree, and keep better control of business development process. * Value message - differentiate your solutions clearly and accurately with customer/client-matched value statements. * Presenting the right USPs, features and benefits and making them relevant and real to the customer. Qualification and reading buying signals. DAY THREE (HELD AROUND FOUR WEEKS AFTER THE FIRST MODULE) - CONVERSION Key objective This module looks at how to improve the final qualification, progression and conversion of opportunities in your sales pipeline. Also includes price negotiation, overcoming objections and obstacles to gaining agreement. The module begins with a learning review, sharing participants' experiences over the last four weeks in applying the new techniques and skills acquired during the first two modules. This is an opportunity to revisit particularly challenging areas as well as to share and celebrate successes. Main elements * Structuring and preparing for negotiating a deal and knowing when and how to move into the 'end-game' mode. * Anticipate and answer customer objections and questions more confidently. * Build more credibility and proof into your business process to reduce 'buyer's remorse' and speed-up decision-making. * Being more assertive and developing better instincts and strategic thinking in progressing quotations and proposals. Key learning points * Smart ways to position price, emphasise value and be a strong player without being the cheapest. * Becoming more assertive in closing deals, and the importance of organised follow-up on the telephone. * Qualify pipeline opportunities with more accuracy, using a proven check-list. * Use an 'option generator' to simplify complex proposals, increase business value and close business faster. * Writing more effective sales proposal documents and quotations. * How best to draw-out, understand, isolate and answer customer objections, negotiate points and concerns. * Practical methods of asking for agreement and closing a sale

This workshop will help you create, develop and close business opportunities using a consultative approach and a value-based (not price-led) proposition. Value-based selling means working the way your customer wants to buy, not how you want to sell. It also means: In a transactional sale the customer knows the answer without help from a salesperson (or cannot see why they should choose you), or is prepared to stay with what they have. Customer decision criteria are price and convenience and customers resent time spent with (new) salespeople, mainly because the salesperson adds little or nothing to what the customer already has and just wastes time. In a consultative or value-based sale, by contrast, the customer doesn't know the answer already. The salesperson must take the role of an advisor, not just a 'product promoter'. Customers demand expertise, advice and customisation during the sales process. Often customers insist on multiple meetings with salespeople and others to develop advantages that you can bring and reduce the perceived risk of changing. In this way the salesperson often adds more value than the product or service alone. This very practical workshop will help you use proven strategies and tactics to build, manage and successfully close sustainable business opportunities using a consultative approach and a value-based (not price-led) proposition. This includes: * Increased impact of your new sales conversations, presentations and proposals - leading to faster decisions and increased conversion * Greater confidence, consistency and professionalism throughout the business development process * Enhanced sales questioning skills and techniques, leading to better, faster and more accurate development of customer needs, problems, value and expectations * Improve your people, communication, influence and persuasion skills when approaching, consulting or presenting your services and solutions * How to build value at all points in the customer's buying process through your knowledge, skills and structured approach * Proven ways to gain additional business and referrals from existing customers and contacts, through direct approach and lead generation * Being better able differentiate your firm, your solutions, track-record and expertise clearly and accurately with tailored value statements for each stage and for each opportunity * Overcome and avoid price-based objections, buying criteria and negotiation 1 INTRODUCTION AND KEY PRINCIPLES OF VALUE-BASED SELLING * Introduction and review of pre-course questionnaires - KPIs, personal learning objectives and key principles * The main principles of value-based selling and how they benefit you and the customer * How value-based selling differs from 'transactional' or 'price-based' selling * The stages of the customer's buying cycle - how to identify and work through strategies for each stage * The concept of structured and set-piece selling and proposing * Presentation by participants: Personal sales improvement goals 2 VALUE-BASED SELLING STRATEGIES AND SKILLS * What is value? How can one move away from a price-led agenda? * How to survive and resist price pressure - six techniques * A review of key competencies and skills needed for a value-based approach * Strategies, case studies and examples with discussion and review * Defining your initial value proposition and comparative advantage * How best to established the right level of trust, rapport and credibility * Planning and practice session: Strategy - mapping a value-based sales process. 3 CONNECTING SKILLS * Research before the meeting and the first few minutes - ways to gain instant rapport and setting the foundation for a successful outcome in a first sales call * How to structure an effective first time sales call or meeting - the subtle differences that are important to master * How best to differentiate your solutions and build credibility and enthusiasm early or at the start of the buying process * Overcoming initial buying resistance and relaxing the prospect; gaining rapport, opening the meeting: PBC (purpose-benefit-check) and gaining agreement to proceed * Planning and practice session: Connecting - first meeting with a new contact 4 CONSULTING - BUILDING, DEVELOPING AND INFLUENCING CLIENT NEEDS * Understanding the power of high-impact and third-level questions to influence people based around specific needs and solutions * The importance of body language and other personal communication dynamics when asking questions; empathic listening, run-on questions, drawing out skills, summarising, etc * Creating a 'disturb' approach to creating needs and opportunities and positioning your solutions * Using proven advanced sales questioning techniques with greater skill: Outcome, SPIN and qualification questions * 'Decision-making criteria' - tools to help you develop the relevant criteria with the customer and in doing so progress your sales opportunities more effectively * Planning and practice session: Questioning skills 5 CONVINCING - PRESENTATION AND PERSUADING SKILLS PRACTICE * Substance and style - selecting the right tone and content to engage and enthuse your prospect * Compelling benefits and reducing perceived risk - key messages to deliver * Helping the customer choose your proposition - by being convincing, compelling and credible when you present * Professional and effective presentation skills - with personal coaching and practice sessions * The keys of influence and persuasion and the keys to convincing a new customer to choose you for the first time * Planning and practice session: Role-play in presenting your solution 6 COMMITMENT * Knowing when and how to close for commitment to the next stage in your sales process, plus ways to ask for commitment professionally and effectively * How to isolate, prioritise and answer objections and concerns more openly and accurately, using a consultative not a confrontational approach * Deal more effectively and profitably with price objections and reduce buyer's remorse (which can lead to an 'I want to think about it' reaction and cause delay and inertia) * Key negotiation skills around the closing process - getting to 'yes' * Planning and practice session: Role-play in closing and negotiation skills 7 ASSESSED ROLE-PLAY - FINAL PRACTICE SESSION Live role-plays * There is an option for external participants to be brought in to the live training workshop to take-part in the final assessed role-play or assist with other sessions run during the course. Performance assessment - 'Dragon's Pitch' * The final afternoon of the course is an assessed role-play using a prepared scenario and external 'CEO'. The assessment criteria will be agreed prior to the workshop. 8 WORKSHOP SUMMARY AND CLOSE * Personal action plan and learning summary

Customers are astute and well-practised in researching and seeking information, solutions and added value in the minimum number of clicks online. There's only so much time they're willing to spend carrying on clicking. This mentality isn't just restricted to the world of B2C. In our increasingly hectic world, where information is expected to be available instantly, it applies just as much to B2B. In this workshop, we look at how putting yourself in the shoes of your customer and mapping their decision-making and buying journey is critical to ensuring that you provide what they perceive as fast solutions and added value. You will learn all about the three pillars for creating competitive brand experiences: Customer engagement planning puts you firmly in the shoes of your customer, helping you to build meaningful marketing communications delivered through the right resources at the right time to inspire your customers to engage with you. This programme will help participants to: * Understand the evolution of the customer buying journey * Map a customer buying journey for your brand or solutions * Understand the customer micro-moments and signals indicating interest and buying intent, both online and offline * Apply the psychology of branding to build marketing communications with impact * Develop sales and marketing content that differentiates your brand(s) from the competition by demonstrating unique value and how you can meet your customer's needs 1 THE EVOLUTION OF THE CUSTOMER JOURNEY * Understand how the use of mobile has had an impact on the customer buying journey where today's customers can research and compare products and solutions whenever and wherever they like, making the purchase journey even less linear * Explore how marketers are adapting to this new customer behaviour and drawing upon various strategies to win the hearts and minds of their audiences 2 THE SEE-THINK-DO-CARE FRAMEWORK * Explore the many different frameworks used to track the customer journey * Understand and apply the modern marketing model, where the internet has enabled the customer to hop between multiple touchpoints before making a purchase decision 3 CUSTOMER MICRO-MOMENTS AND SIGNALS IN THEIR BUYING JOURNEY * Understand the online and offline moments when customers seek information to research and make buying decisions * Apply this understanding to build a marketing communication plan to reach customers at all stages of their buying journey 4 THE ROLE OF BRANDING IN THE CUSTOMER JOURNEY * Explore the psychology of branding * Learn how to ensure your branding is relevant to your target customer needs * Bring together your brand value and story to achieve brand loyalty 5 THE WHY-HOW-WHAT FRAMEWORK * Apply a systematic approach to build a successful and compelling brand * Understand how starting with 'why' will help build your brand purpose * Apply the content marketing matrix to communicate your brand's value * Apply the hero-help-hub model to build engaging content marketing ACTIONABLE OUTCOMES We will use your brand examples to provide opportunities for practice: * You will learn and reflect on best practice examples of customer engagement * You will discover your brand value, purpose and the 'sweet spot' to drive engagement with your customers * You will create a customer engagement plan that can be implemented immediately within your business * You will receive immediate feedback on your customer engagement plan * You will have the opportunity to share common issues and solutions with your colleagues in the group

Generating new leads and new business can be both time-consuming and frustrating. It's not easy - it takes skill, careful preparation and the creation of effective models and methods, even perhaps using formal approaches and scripts. Once generated, a new lead or enquiry must also be carefully managed to maximise the potential revenue it can generate. But it's crucial to get it right. If your company can afford not to worry about getting new business - congratulations! If your company is completely confident that it is performing at peak potential in generating new leads - again, congratulations! But if your company is working in the real world, couldn't your team do with some help, to become even just that little bit more effective, to make the process just that little less painful? This highly practical, intensive workshop gives sales teams the proven strategies and tactics they need to build a sustainable new business pipeline. This course will help participants: * Develop a clear and consistent process for new business development and lead-generation * Master the secret of effective new business development and lead-generation - 'only sell the appointment or next stage of the sales process, not your product or service' * Set and achieve the right level of new business development and lead-generation activity to achieve your personal and organisational sales goals * Apply the key principles of effective prospecting and pipeline management using a proven toolkit and approach * Overcome the most common 'put-offs' when conducting telephone or face-to-face business-development and lead-generation activities * Develop an engaging telephone voice and manner - and a 'networking personality' * Qualify potential opportunities with more accuracy on a consistent basis * Prioritise opportunities and manage their time when sourcing new business * Discover online sources of leads, contacts and referrals * Overcome psychological blocks to cold or warm calling - theirs and the client's * Identify potential prospects - and decision-makers and influencers within target prospects - with greater accuracy * Make outbound sales or appointment calls with improved confidence, control and results * Improve the conversion of calls to appointments by using more effective questions and sales messages * Get past gatekeepers and assistants more effectively * Make the most of your CRM software and systems 1 ONLINE MARKETING - WHAT WORKS! * Workshop overview and learning objectives * Choosing your social media channels * LinkedIn for sales and marketing * Designing and implementing an effective new business email campaign online * Creating a lead-generation strategy online - with case studies * Avoiding common mistakes in social media marketing * Case study: 'Best practice in social media sales and marketing' * Using blogs and video-based marketing (eg, YouTube) * New trends and how to keep your finger on the 'social media' pulse * Twenty essential websites and online marketing tools 2 MAKING APPOINTMENTS BY TELEPHONE * Planning the call, telephone techniques, integrating with email and online marketing * Developing a clear and consistent process to appointment-making * Setting and achieving the right level of telephone activity to achieve your appointment goals * Applying the key principles of effective prospecting and pipeline management generation, using a proven toolkit and approach * Overcoming the most common 'put-offs' to seeing or engaging with you * Overcoming psychological blocks to cold or warm calling - yours and the client's * Identifying potential prospects - and decision-makers and influencers within target prospects - with greater accuracy * Making outbound sales or appointment calls with improved confidence, control and results * Improving conversion of calls to appointments by using more effective questions and sales messages * The five keys to developing an engaging telephone voice and approaching manner 3 POWER NETWORKING * Strategies for networking and B2B referral-based marketing * The importance, and different types, of networking * How to work a room - preparation and strategy * Communication dynamics in networking - the power of the listening networker * Assumptions when networking * Business networking etiquette * Making connections, asking for cards, contact details and referrals, gaining follow-up commitments * Building relationships - follow-up and follow-through 4 DEVELOPING NEW LEADS * Strategies for first-time sales calls * Gaining rapport and opening first-time and new business sales calls effectively * Advanced consultative selling - questioning techniques to quickly and efficiently uncover opportunities, need areas and preferences * Presenting your solution to a new or first-time customer - creating an enthusiastic and compelling personalised and persuasive summary of your proposal * Value message - differentiate your solutions clearly and accurately, with tailored value statements * Presenting the right initial USPs, features and benefits and making them relevant and real to the customer * Smart ways to position price, emphasise value and be a strong player without being the cheapest or leading on price * Learn and use advanced techniques to determine customer needs, value and decision-making criteria in depth on a first-time call 5 ORGANISED PERSISTENCE - CRM AND PROSPECT-TRACKING * Organised persistence - sales tracking, following up on 'sleeping' customers, gaining referrals, time and territory management * Maintaining a good database for maximising new business ROI * Developing a contact strategy with different types and levels of contact * Analysing your contact base using state-of-the-art software and tools * Making the most of your CRM systems and solutions * Understanding that your attitude makes a difference when sourcing new business * Setting SMART objectives for new business development and lead-generation * Practical exercise - setting personal development and business goals * Time management tips to improve daily productivity * New business pipeline management strategies for peak sales performance 6 WORKSHOP SUMMARY AND CLOSE * Practical exercise - developing your new business action plan * Review and feedback

This highly practical one-day workshop has been designed specifically to help maximise sales where customers make contact by telephone. When customers contact us direct they have clearly already considered the possibility that they might buy from us, but we're still only half-way to making a sale. Unless we fully understand their needs and make it easy for them to buy, we may not secure the business. This workshop concentrates on the telephone skills and techniques needed to achieve the most positive outcome in any inbound customer call. A combination of excellent customer service skills and savvy sales awareness techniques will increase our chances of a successful outcome for both parties. The programme features the unique INBOUND model, to help remember the key principles for effective inbound telephone sales: Initial impressions Needs of the customer Bring them with you Open up the conversation Understand the triggers Narrow down the solutions Decision time! The programme also covers how to deal with difficult calls and challenging people - after all, every complaint is a sales opportunity! This programme will help participants: * Create the perfect interaction with any customer making contact by telephone * Make every call count * Build rapport quickly in any situation * Handle difficult calls and challenging people * Create sustainable and profitable relationships * Increase your sales conversions 1 THE INBOUND SALES PROCESS * Each customer who contacts us will be at a different stage of the sales process. Some might be making general enquiries whilst others will be ready to commit, having made most of their decisions already. Sales and customer service people need to be ready to find out the stage the customer has reached before helping them to make the right decision for them 2 ENGAGING WITH THE CUSTOMER * Having clarified where the customer is on their journey to making a purchasing decision, our next responsibility is to create and build a trusting relationship on both sides. This involves establishing rapport quickly to ease the communication process, thus enabling smooth transactions, both now and in the future 3 QUESTIONING AND LISTENING SKILLS FOR GATHERING INFORMATION * Developing these skills requires practice so that the communication becomes natural for the customer. This helps the customer to feel comfortable with us and work with us towards an effective solution. We discuss different types of question and how to use high-gain questions to uncover key information. Active listening will ensure that we can really help customers get what they need 4 OVERCOMING OBJECTIONS AND EXCUSES * If we have followed the process properly and really understood the customer, then there should no further objections or barriers to completing the transaction. The reality is that there will still be the occasional issue that needs clarifying, so we need to prepare for possible objections and questions that customers might have. This includes probing objections so that we fully understand the customer's perspective before constructing suitable responses or solutions 5 GAINING COMMITMENT AND ENDING THE CALL * Customers want to gain a solution to the issue they are facing and the sooner we can help them achieve that the better. Guiding the customer and helping them to believe in their own decision is part of our role. This section is dedicated to getting commitment all the way along the process, not just at the close 6 DEALING WITH DIFFICULT AND CHALLENGING SITUATIONS * The realisation that everybody is different, with different personality types, different ways of looking at the world and different goals, is key to understanding sales. With this is mind we discuss these differences and how we adapt our approach to ease communication and maintain trust and understanding 7 ACTION PLANS * Course summary and presentation of action plans

The market for professional services is becoming increasingly competitive, with some firms and individuals becoming very effective at winning new work, leaving others lagging way behind. Given the choice between spending time on client work and business development work, we all tend to choose that which we feel to be easier, more attractive and more aligned with our image of ourselves. We stay within our comfort zones, we focus on client work, and we only resort to business development work when we have to, which can also lead to 'feast or famine' syndrome. The programme will help participants: * Understand the professional business development approach and the style that is appropriate for their business and their clients * Follow a process to guide their conversations and business development meetings * Prepare thoroughly for a business development meeting/contact with a client to ensure they use their time efficiently and maximise results * Create a great first impression and professional opening to a conversation * Ask open questions and listen effectively in order to spot opportunities, understand needs and progress the opportunity * Identify and understand buying and decision-making processes and criteria * Skilfully and confidently handle questions and objections * Sell the benefits of their services and approach over those of their competitors * Progress the sale by agreeing next steps and gaining commitment appropriately 1 INTRODUCTION * Aims and objectives of the programme * Personal introductions and objectives * Workshop overview 2 AN INTRODUCTION TO BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT AND SELLING FOR PROFESSIONALS * What is selling? * Who are you selling to? * The buying experience * What clients want * The four-step business development process * The business development cycle and pipeline management * Upselling and cross-selling as well as winning new clients 3 NETWORKING AND GENERATING LEADS * What is networking? * Networking objectives * It's not what you know but who you know * Asking for referrals and introductions * Making appointments from networking activity 4 OPENING THE SALES RELATIONSHIP/SALES MEETING * What potential customers are thinking * Judging first impressions * Creating positive first impressions * Building rapport and creating interest and impact * Earning the right 5 CORE COMMUNICATION SKILLS FOR PROFESSIONAL SELLING * Overcoming barriers to listening * The art of listening * Questioning refresher * Types of questions * Questioning funnel 6 UNDERSTANDING AND IDENTIFYING NEEDS AND OPPORTUNITIES * Identifying the questions to ask to identify needs and opportunities * Questions to move us through the buying and selling process * Understanding their buying processes * Asking questions that position you as a 'trusted adviser' * The questions that give you a competitive advantage * Knowing when you have asked enough questions 7 INTRODUCING SOLUTIONS * Tailoring your 'pitch' to the client * Speaking the client's language * Using features and benefits * Applying the benefit cycle 8 HANDLING OBJECTIONS AND CONCERNS * Identifying the typical objections and concerns * Understanding why clients raise objections and concerns * Following a structure for handling objections * Handling the price objection 9 GAINING COMMITMENT * Knowing when to close * The art of checking * Recognising buying signals * Small c and big C 10 PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER * Personal learning summary and action plans