85 Influence courses in Birmingham

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

Mental Health First Aid (MHFAider) is an internationally recognised training course that teaches people how to spot the signs and symptoms of mental ill health and provide help on a first aid basis. We don't teach people to be therapists, but we do teach people how to respond in a crisis, and how to reach out before a crisis happens. The training gives people tools to support themselves and each other, so everyone can talk about mental health and seek help when needed. As an MHFAider you will be able to: * Recognise those that may be experiencing poor mental health and provide them with first-level support and early intervention * Encourage a person to identify and access sources of professional help and other support * Practise active listening and empathy * Have a conversation with improved mental health literacy around language and stigma * Discuss the role in depth, including boundaries and confidentiality * Practise self-care This course is ideal for those who would like to become an MHFAider to: * Gain the knowledge and skills to spot signs of people experiencing poor mental health * Be confident starting a conversation and signpost a person to appropriate support * Alongside the best evidence-based Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training, MHFAiders are also provided with three-year access to ongoing learning and support through the MHFAider Support App 1 INTRODUCTION TO MHFAIDER (3 HOURS 30 MINS) * MHFA and the MHFAider role * Introduction to the MHFAider Action Plan 'ALGEE' * What is Mental Health? * Helpful and unhelpful language * Undersign our Frame of Reference, understanding how we make sense of the world * Understanding stress & the Stress Container 2 UNDERSTANDING MENTAL HEALTH (4 HOURS) * What influences mental health? * The Mental Health Continuum * What is anxiety? * What is a traumatic event? * Active listening and empathy * What are eating disorders? * What is self-harm? * What is substance misuse? * MHFA conversation practice 3 MHFAIDER IN PRACTICE (4 HOURS) * Applying ALGEE * What is depression? * What is suicide? * What is psychosis? * MHFA conversation practice 4 NEXT STEPS (3 HOURS) * Recovery and lived experience * Applying ALGEE * Boundaries in the MHFAider role * MHFA conversation practice * Moving forward in the MHFAider role and your MHFA action plan * Self-care

This programme has a simple objective: to help a sales team create and implementa comprehensive account development plan. If you want to earn strategic partner or preferred supplier status with your clients and customers then you need to add value to their business, consistently, and you can only do this if you have a plan - a key account management plan. This programme will help participants: * Discover opportunities - through a deeper understanding of the customer's business * Develop partnership - through a better 'value proposition' for the customer * Increase repeat business - based on higher customer satisfaction * Improve synergy - by getting everyone to 'sing from the same hymn sheet' * Develop a collaborative account plan - validated by the customer and their own management * Secure resources - management will align resources to execute soundly based account plans * Win an increased share of 'customer wallet' - through systematic account development 1 THE SIX PRINCIPLES OF STRATEGIC ACCOUNT DEVELOPMENT * Introduction to the PROFIT account development model: * - Performance * - Relationships * - Objectives and goals * - Feedback * - Integration * - Teamwork * Practical account development strategies: overview and case studies 2 PERFORMANCE * Use practical tools to help you manage and measure account performance and success * Design and build a monthly account dashboard for all sizes of account * Prioritise and manage accounts and customers pro-actively and successfully, using proven planning tools * Develop a cross-selling strategy to integrate products or solutions into the customer's business as closely as possible 3 RELATIONSHIPS * How to build and manage key relationships within an account * Qualifying and managing key influencers accurately * Producing a 'relationship matrix' for each account quickly and easily * Approaching and developing new contacts strategically * Tools and techniques for successful tracking of contacts and call-backs * Developing a coach or advocate in every customer organisation pro-actively 4 OBJECTIVES AND GOALS * Where are you now? - how to establish your competitive position within an account * Know how to set, monitor and track key objectives for accounts over the short, medium and long term * Selling against the competition - developing both long- and short-term sales strategies 5 FEEDBACK - BUILDING LOYAL AND SATISFIED CUSTOMERS * The correct way to manage customer expectations and create listening loops within an account * How to monitor and track your customer's perception and satisfaction with your organisation * Building a personalised satisfaction matrix for each account * Customer review meetings - best practice in building loyalty by regular joint planning events * Understanding the concept of long-term customer value and the importance of adapting a customer-focused attitude 6 INTEGRATION * How to integrate your products or solutions with the customer's business needs and processes * Spot and react to early warning signals that may cause an account's loyalty to fade, reduce revenue or switch to a competitor * Developing a loyalty strategy for key accounts or groups of smaller accounts * Getting your message and strategy across to C-level contacts 7 TEAMWORK * Working with others to achieve your account goals * Gaining internal commitment from your organisation * Managing and working with a virtual team * Creating cross-departmental communication loops 8 PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER * Personal account reviews * Personal learning summary and action plans

The aim of this programme is to provide current / prospective senior project managers with an in-depth review of the role and importance of project management in the organisation. It focuses on the strategic role of the project manager and aims to draw out the full scope of the role and how it impacts on project performance. The five key objectives of this programme are to enable the participants to: * Identify the characteristics and attributes needed by project managers in ensuring the organisation is recognised as an industry leader in delivering successful projects * Understand the full scope and impact of the project manager / leader's role in managing projects or programmes to maximise benefit to the business * Define the hallmarks and skills required to manage significant business projects or project portfolios * Develop an understanding of the skills required and their impact on the project through case study work and syndicate exercises * Benefit from an effective forum for exchanging experience and fostering a sense of team spirit and mutual support between senior project managers DAY ONE 1 INTRODUCTION (COURSE SPONSOR) * A vision of future opportunities and challenges * The impact of project managers / leaders on future success 2 THE DETERMINANTS OF SUCCESS * The contractor's perspective * The client's perspective * Success and failure: factors that determine the project outcome * The impact of the project manager 3 CASE STUDY: PROJECT GIOTTO * How successful was this project? * What were the primary factors that influenced the outcome? * How relevant are these factors to current projects? * Feedback and review 4 PROJECT TEAM EXERCISE * A practical exercise demonstrating the role of the project manager in managing the interfaces between the client, the project team and suppliers * Review - what skills are required to be a 'world class' project manager? 5 THE ROLE OF THE PROJECT MANAGER * The role and skills of the 'world class' project manager * The three key dimensions of effective project leadership * Managing influential stakeholders * Managing project performance * Managing the project team * Project leadership skills appraisal (individual review) DAY TWO 6 MANAGING INFLUENTIAL STAKEHOLDERS * Project management and the art of leadership * Who are the influential stakeholders and how do they affect the project? * What we need to do / not do, to build successful working relationships 7 CASE STUDY: UNDERSTANDING THE CUSTOMER * What are the likely problems the project manager will encounter? * What should the project manager do to ensure an effective partnership? 8 MANAGING PROJECT PERFORMANCE * Issues affecting commercial performance * Joining up the project life-cycle: getting performance from inception to closure * The roles of project manager, line manager and project sponsor 9 PROJECT TEAM EXERCISE: MAKING THE PROMISE / DELIVERING THE PROMISE * An exercise demonstrating the commercial and team leadership skills needed by the project manager * Review - what must the project manager do to optimise project performance? 10 MANAGING MULTI-FUNCTIONAL PROJECT TEAMS * The challenges of building effective, multi-functional project teams * Co-ordinating work across functional and organisational boundaries * Maintaining strategic focus and balancing priorities 11 MAKING IT HAPPEN * Individual action planning * Syndicate discussion 12 COURSE REVIEW AND TRANSFER PLANNING (COURSE SPONSOR PRESENT) * What will we do differently? * How will we make it happen? * Conclusion

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