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:IdentifyAssessPlanEngage 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 durationsThe 'forward pass'The 'backward pass'Calculating total floatIdentifying the critical pathCalculating 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 processPreparation - proactive risk managementThe process - identify, assess, plan, implementStakeholder 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?PeopleEquipmentMaterialsFacilities and operating costsWork package estimateEstimated 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?
If you want to be better at making to-do lists or managing time better this is NOT for you! The time challenges we all face at work need to be addressed with a different approach. This 'bite-size' session takes a fresh approach to how we deal with time personally and challenges the belief that we don't always have enough time. The workshop will be participative, interactive, and will cover the personal relationship we have with time and how this impacts on dealing with challenges and ever-changing priorities on a daily basis at work. The workshop will give you some practical tools and ideas on dealing with your thieves of time from a different perspective, including interruptions and emails. To enable participants to organise and use their time effectively, using strategies to help with both 'thinking' and 'doing' that are fit for purpose. This workshop will enable you to: Recognise the barriers to effective time management and set goals to overcome them and get things done Understand how their mindset affects how they use time and use better ways to deal with the inbuilt patterns of behaviour this produces when at work Plan for tasks and projects in a productive way Use some new tools and techniques to tackle time thieves, including email and interruptions Review and evaluate their learning and have an action plan to take back to work 1 Welcome, introductions and objectives Exploring your relationship with time and how you focus your mind on daily work pressures in relation to time Past, present and future - where do you focus your energy at work? Time thieves - exploring the results of the pre-workshop questionnaire and learning strategies to deal with the roots of your time thieves 2 Personal strategies and tools: having a new mindset Emails, interruptions and curve balls Review and evaluation of learning Action-planning
It's a fact of life that costs generally increase and as a result prices must go up too. Implementing an increase without losing customers is challenging. Talking about a price increase with customers never makes for an easy conversation. Your customers will generally decide whether to accept the increase based upon value, as well as the hassle cost of switching and going elsewhere. Even the most experienced salesperson who has implemented price increases before will be fighting back the nerves when faced with the task of 'selling' the increase. In this flexible programme, we will support your internal preparations at whichever stage you and your colleagues are at. From making the decision to increase prices, right through to those on the frontline already dealing with any push-back. This programme will help participants: Understand the business case for increasing prices Take steps to research the market Consider their customers' motivations Use the six principles of influence Identify and adapt for different personality styles Assess their level of trust with customers Build rapport rapidly with their customers and prospects 1 Raising prices - keys to success Understanding the business case Researching the market Assessing the value of your offering 2 Understanding your customer base Assessing your key accounts What is your 'target' customer range? Creating consistency in pricing approach 3 Planning the increase Timing your implementation Communication strategy Elements of a good price increase letter 4 Developing influencing skills The Trust Equation The six principles of influence Discovering your customer's buying decisions 5 Emotional intelligence and price increases The part emotion plays Developing strategies for keeping calm Handling your customer's responses 6 Understanding different customer styles Discover your own style Recognising behaviour traits in others Adapting your approach to their style 7 Preparing for customer contact Preparing for specific customers Anticipating their response Dealing with challenging customers 8 Following through Maintaining a consistent approach Resisting requests for discounts Confirming the increase in writing
M&O of engineering plant and services is becoming more important to the success of the core business. To select the right M&O technique for specific plant and equipment it is necessary to know what options are available, what they deliver and how they should be implemented. This course will help you consider options and techniques that provide best value based on that thorough understanding of the business need. M&O will increasingly be required to demonstrate it is delivering the optimum of cost and value and the main purpose of the course is to show how this can be achieved. Note: this is a purely indicative list of topics that can be covered. The content, duration, objectives and material used would all be adapted to match your specific requirements. This course will help you: Determine what the business needs from the M&O service Determine the cost and value of the various M&O options Prepare and present the business case for the selected M&O strategy Introduce meaningful KPIs based on performance-based service by the M&O provider Undertake a review of current M&O and make recommendations for improvement Introduce energy and carbon management performance criteria in M&O Better deal with project risk and uncertainties Motivate others to deliver a reliable and cost effective M&O service Note: this is a purely indicative list of topics that can be covered. The content, duration, objectives and material used would all be adapted to match your specific requirements. 1 What is maintenance and what is operation? - their relative importance to the business 2 Comparison of the various maintenance options and techniques, including: Planned preventative Run to failure Condition monitoring Business focused Business critical Total productive Reliability centred maintenance 3 Forms of contracts and service, including: Comprehensive Input driven Output driven Limited replacement Performance based M&O 4 Selecting the right options and making the business case 5 Continuous commissioning as a tool for delivering best value 6 Case studies
This one-day workshop is ideal for those looking to work with existing databases as well as creating a new Access database. You will learn effective ways to enter and extract data and convert data into a well-presented format for reports. This course will help participants: Plan and create a database Sort and filter records Use field data types Work with tables Create and manage a query Create and work with forms, and use the form wizard View, create and print reports 1 Access introduced Planning a database Creating a blank database Opening an existing database Security warnings The navigation pane Previewing database components Closing an Access database 2 Tables introduced Viewing and navigating table data Navigating using keyboard shortcuts Editing table data Adding records to tables Selecting and deleting records Finding and replacing data Filtering tables Summing table data 3 Queries introduced Opening a query in datasheet view Opening a query in design view Adding fields to a query Sorting query results Modifying datasheet view Saving and closing queries 4 Forms introduced Working with form data Sorting records Filtering records Working in design and layout views Changing object attributes 5 Reports introduced Opening and viewing reports Viewing a report in design view Previewing and printing report data Creating reports with auto report Creating reports with the report wizard Changing field attributes 6 Creating a new database Creating database tables Creating table fields Selecting field data types 7 Table relationships Introducing relationships Establishing table relationships The one-to-many relationship type Establishing referential integrity 8 Creating queries Streamline query criteria using wildcards Creating summary queries Creating queries based on criteria Running date queries Formatting field properties Building queries from multiple tables Summing in queries 9 Creating forms Creating a new form Inserting form fields Working with the property sheet The command button wizard The command button wizard Programming without typing Creating forms with embedded sub forms Creating forms with the sub form wizard Creating forms with the form wizard 10 Creating reports What are report bands? Managing report controls Basing reports on multiple tables Basing reports on queries Sorting and grouping records
This practical, enjoyable day will give you the tools to go and do your job effectively and the opportunity to practise using them in a safe and supportive environment before putting them into practice for real back in the workplace. To inspire, you need to be inspired!Having the right set of skills, tools and techniques helps us to manage in a productive and beneficial way. Above all, the workshop will inspire you with the determination to engage with the people you manage to produce greater levels of achievement. This workshop will enable you to: Understand what the role of the manager is Engage and inspire a team to perform Recognise the range of styles appropriate for different situations and how your communication style impacts Provide clear direction on your team's purpose, role and responsibilities Understand how to create a motivating environment for those who report to you Hold them accountable for delivery Hold performance conversations Review and evaluate your learning and have a plan to take back and implement at work 1 Bringing the role to life Starting the day with sharing your current ideals and approaches using the pre workshop task Understanding what you bring to your role and your objectives for the day 2 The role and responsibilities of a manager: an overview Responsibility and accountability Producing results Managing teams Developing individuals 3 Communication excellence The model of a team communicator What type of communicator are you and what about your team? Practical interactive group exercise 4 Your role as a team leader - shaping how we work using the organisation's values Your role Your team's role Enabling your team to deliver in a changing mindset 5 Engaging and motivating your team Exercise: using a leadership model to explore how you are enabling your team to engage with current change, what's getting in the way and how you will manage this in your organisational context Peer and group task and discussion 6 Addressing motivation at team and individual level in times of change Exercises:Identifying approaches to motivating people at work based on a work based model of motivation: team taskExploring a behavioural model of motivation: team discussion Review in plenary 7 Holding people accountable The work cycle model of team performance: Agree purposeSet objectivesMonitor performanceProvide feedbackCompliance vs. commitment Professional discussion in small groups Exercise: Practising short conversations using peer coaching support 8 Review of learning and action planning Personal review and action planning Group review of learning Evaluation
This Tableau Desktop Training course is a jumpstart to getting report writers and analysts with little or no previous knowledge to being productive. It covers everything from connecting to data, through to creating interactive dashboards with a range of visualisations in two days of your time. For Private options, online or in-person, please send us details of your requirements: This Tableau Desktop Training course is a jumpstart to getting report writers and analysts with little or no previous knowledge to being productive. It covers everything from connecting to data, through to creating interactive dashboards with a range of visualisations in two days of your time. Having a quick turnaround from starting to use Tableau, to getting real, actionable insights means that you get a swift return on your investment of time and money. This accelerated approach is key to getting engagement from within your organisation so everyone can immediately see and feel the impact of the data and insights you create. This course is aimed at someone who has not used Tableau in earnest and may be in a functional role, eg. in sales, marketing, finance, operations, business intelligence etc. The course is split into 3 phases and 9 modules: PHASE 1: GET READY MODULE 1: LAUNCH TABLEAU Check Install & Setup Why is Visual Analytics Important MODULE 2: GET FAMILIAR What is possible How does Tableau deal with data Know your way around How do we format charts Dashboard Basics – My First Dashboard MODULE 3: DATA DISCOVERY Connecting to and setting up data in Tableau How Do I Explore my Data – Filters & Sorting How Do I Structure my Data – Groups & Hierarchies, Visual Groups How Tableau Deals with Dates – Using Discrete and Continuous Dates, Custom Dates Phase 2: GET SET MODULE 4: MAKE CALCULATIONS How Do I Create Calculated Fields & Why MODULE 5: MAKE CHARTS Charts that Compare Multiple Measures – Measure Names and Measure Values, Shared Axis Charts, Dual Axis Charts, Scatter Plots Showing Relational & Proportional Data – Pie Charts, Donut Charts, Tree Maps MODULE 6: MAKE TABLES Creating Tables – Creating Tables, Highlight Tables, Heat Maps Phase 3: GO MODULE 7: ADD CONTEXT Reference Lines and Bands MODULE 8: MAKE MAPS Answering Spatial Questions – Mapping, Creating a Choropleth (Filled) Map MODULE 9: MAKE DASHBOARDS Using the Dashboard Interface Dashboard Actions This training course includes over 25 hands-on exercises and quizzes to help participants “learn by doing” and to assist group discussions around real-life use cases. Each attendee receives a login to our extensive training portal which covers the theory, practical applications and use cases, exercises, solutions and quizzes in both written and video format. Students must use their own laptop with an active version of Tableau Desktop 2018.2 (or later) pre-installed. What People Are Saying About This Course “Excellent Trainer – knows his stuff, has done it all in the real world, not just the class room.”Richard L., Intelliflo “Tableau is a complicated and powerful tool. After taking this course, I am confident in what I can do, and how it can help improve my work.”Trevor B., Morrison Utility Services “I would highly recommend this course for Tableau beginners, really easy to follow and keep up with as you are hands on during the course. Trainer really helpful too.”Chelsey H., QVC “He is a natural trainer, patient and very good at explaining in simple terms. He has an excellent knowledge base of the system and an obvious enthusiasm for Tableau, data analysis and the best way to convey results. We had been having difficulties in the business in building financial reports from a data cube and he had solutions for these which have proved to be very useful.”Matthew H., ISS Group
Nowadays not only do we rely on our commercial and sales staff to hit that bottom line but we expect our engineers and project teams to play their part too - not only through their engineering and management skills but by behaving in a commercially minded way in their dealings with their counterparts in customer or supplier organisations. This means understanding, amongst other things, the issues surrounding the commencement of work ahead of contract, having a clear contract baseline, recognising the broader implications of contract change, the need for timeliness and the consequences of failing to meet the contracted timetable. This practical one-day programme has been designed specifically to give engineers, project staff and others just that understanding. The course is designed principally to provide engineers and project staff with an appreciation of contractual obligations, liabilities, rights and remedies so that they understand the implications of their actions. It is also suitable for business development staff who are negotiating contracts on behalf of the business. The main focus of the day is on creating an awareness of when a situation may have commercial implications that would harm an organisation's business interests if not recognised and handled appropriately and how taking a positive but more commercial approach to those situations can lead to a more positive outcome for the business. As well as providing an understanding of the commercial imperatives the day also focuses on specific areas affecting engineers and project staff, such as the recognition and management of change, the risks when working outside the contract and managing delays in contracts. The course identifies the different remedies that may apply according to the reasons for the delay and provides some thoughts on pushing back should such situations arise. On completion of this programme the participants will: appreciate the need for contractual controls and will have a better understanding of their relevance and how they can be applied, particularly the issues of starting work ahead of contract, implementing changes and inadvertently creating a binding contract by their behaviour; have gained an understanding of the terminology and procedural issues pertaining to contracting within a programme; and be more commercially aware and better equipped for their roles. 1 Basic contract law - bidding and contract formation Purpose of a contract Contract formation - the key elements required to create a legally binding agreement Completeness and enforceability Express and implied terms Conditions v warranties The use of, and issues arising from, standard forms of sale and purchase Use of 'subject to contract' Letters of intent Authority to commit 2 Change management Recognising changes to a contracted requirement Pricing change Implementation and management of change 3 Key contracting terms and conditions By the end of this module participants will be able to identify the key principles associated with: Pricing Getting paid and retaining payment Cashflow Delivery and acceptance Programme delaysExamining some reasons for non-performance...Customer failureContractor's failureNo fault delays ... and the consequences of non-performance: Damages claimsLiquidated damagesForce majeureContinued performance Waiver clauses and recent case law Use of best/reasonable endeavours Contract termination 4 Warranties, indemnities and liability Express and implied warranties Limiting liability 5 Protection of information Forms of intellectual property Background/foreground intellectual property Marking intellectual property Intellectual property rights Copyright Software Confidentiality agreements Internet
This very practical two-day workshop analyses the content and implications of key MoD terms and conditions of contract. The programme explains the principles and terminology of the contractual aspects of defence procurement as well as considering a number of relevant policies and initiatives. The course covers key components, constructs and methodologies associated with any commercial venture entered into with the UK MoD. Starting at the MoD organisational level the workshop sets the scene by looking at the acquisition process and organisation, detailing the various roles and responsibilities of MoD personnel. The workshop provides an in-depth examination of MoD DEFCONs and many narrative terms, setting them in the context of the organisation and its structures. The workshop helps participants to gain an understanding of the content and purpose of the range of MoD DEFCONs and narrative conditions commonly used throughout the acquisition lifecycle. It includes a review of Part 2 of the Defence Reform Act 2014 regarding Single Source Pricing, which comes into effect in 2015 and is already starting to be applied to significant contracts. On completion of this programme the participants will understand the terminology associated with the MoD terms and conditions of contract and will have an accurate view of their relevance, usage and their legal basis and how they can affect contractual and commercial decision-making. They will have gained an insight into defence acquisition contracting and they will be more commercially aware. DAY ONE 1 The commercial environment Key roles and responsibilities of the MoD organisations at the heart of the acquisition process 2 Tendering to MoD An appraisal of some of the obligations placed upon contractors when they are submitting a proposal to the MoD pre-contract 3 Standardised contracting MoD have introduced non-negotiable standardised contracts for certain levels of procurement. This section considers their use and relevance to defence contracting 4 Pricing, profit, post-costing and payment The parameters specific to a costing structure and the differences between competitive and non-competitive bidding The role of the QMAC, the profit formula, the requirements for equality of information and post-costing Different types of pricing and issues surrounding payment 5 Defence Reform Act - Single Source Pricing Single Source Pricing under Part 2 of the new Defence Reform Act Changes from the existing position, how contractors are affected and the compliance regime that accompanies the new requirements 6 Delivery and acceptance Specific requirements and the significance and impact of failing to meet them Acceptance plans Non-performance and the remedies that may be applied by the Customer - breach of contract, liquidated damages and force majeure DAY TWO 7 Protection of information and IPR Contractor's and MoD's rights to own and use information How to identify background and foreground intellectual property Technical information and copyright in documentation and software How to protect IPR at the various stages of the bidding and contracting process 8 Defence Transformation and Defence Commercial Directorate Widening and increasing roles and functions of the Defence Commercial Directorate Background to the Defence Reform Act 2014 9 Legal requirements Terms used in MoD contracts to reflect basic legal requirements Records and materials required for MOD contracts and therefore the obligations, responsibilities and liabilities that a company undertakes when it accepts these conditions Overseas activities 10 Subcontracting and flowdown Understanding the constructs required by the MoD for subcontracting Which terms must be flowed down to the subcontractor and which are discretionary 11 Termination Termination of a contract for default Termination for convenience How to optimise the company's position on termination 12 Warranties and liabilities Obligations and liabilities a company might incur and how they might be mitigated MoD policy on indemnities and limits of liability 13 Electronic contracting environment Electronic forms of contracting Progress toward a fully electronic contracting environment
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