116 Courses in Birmingham

Are you struggling with the 'creeping kilograms?' Many of us find that not only has our weight increased over the last few years but the diets either no longer work or become harder and harder to commit to. This session will help you re-evaluate your approach to losing weight and give you the foundations for creating a plan that makes it easy for you to reach and maintain a weight that feels right for you. Take away a tool that will enable you to assess your eating type, whether you are a protein or carbohydrate based eater, and eating style, whether you prefer to be a grazer or three meals a day, and develop an eating plan that works for you. You will have the opportunity to: Explore the myths and reality of losing weight Examine self-defeating eating habits and how to replace them with energy enhancing food Learn about one change you can make today that will not only help you lose weight but improve your ability to think and manage your emotions more constructively

Running a successful project requires skills in planning, budgeting, tracking deliverables and stakeholder management. An area that can be neglected by project managers is the 'people side' - not the project team themselves but the end-users, those who will be affected by the project. Too often there is a single line at the end of the project plan that says 'Comms and Training'. If people are going to have to work differently and learn some new processes, then there is work to be done by the project team to help them through the emotional side of the change. This session explores why it's important to bring people along when a change is being made. It will provide project teams with the skills and knowledge either to manage the people change plan themselves or to secure the right resources for their project. Understand the importance of the 'people side' of change 8 'Golden Rules' of change management - overview How to create a simple but effective change plan Adoption Benefits of good change management 1 Introduction Objectives and agenda People and projects - why is it important? The Change Curve - the emotional side of change 2 8 'Golden Rules' of change management - including... Role of the sponsor Communication Resistance to change 3 Change plan Elements of a change plan Change impact assessment Alignment with the project plan 4 Adoption Who owns the change? The vital role of the manager Feedback and action loops 5 Benefits Estimating the costs / benefits 6 Next steps Summary of key learning points Reflection on next steps 7 Close

Finance doesn't have to be a puzzle. And if you want to get anywhere with your career, it had better not be! Whatever your role, you have an impact on the financial wellbeing of the organisation you work for, whether you've got specific financial responsibilities or not. This thoroughly practical, fun and enjoyable one-day workshop will help unpuzzle finance for you. It's an ideal opportunity to master the terminology, get to grips with the concepts, learn how 'the finance department' works and understand the part you play. This course will help participants: Appreciate the role and importance of Finance within organisations Be able to recognise and describe some of the common items and jargon used Identify the elements of the Profit & Loss and the Balance Sheet Understand cashflow Make better decisions Manage budgets 1 Introduction Expectations Terminology Key financial principlesAccrualsConsistencyPrudenceGoing concern 2 The three main financial statements Profit & Loss accountIncomeCost of salesGross profitAdministrative expenses ('overheads')Net profit/(loss) for the financial year (the 'bottom line')P&L format Balance SheetTerminologyFixed AssetsCurrent AssetsCurrent LiabilitiesLong-term LiabilitiesCapitalB/S format Cashflow Statement Financial and management information systems 3 Budgets and forecasts Why budget? Types of budget - incremental or zero-based Budgeting for costs - fixed and variable Budgeting for income An eight point plan for budgeting for your department Case study: Small Brother Ltd Problems and solutions 4 Accruals Accruals - what and why? Prepayments 5 Open forum

A thorough account of the UK and European legal framework and its requirements as regards managing environmental performance. This course will help staff to understand: The framework of UK and European legislation and its enforcement The principal features of the legislation as they apply to your organisation's activity/product/service The benefit of having an Environmental Management System such as ISO 14001 How their own actions and decisions can either expose or protect the organisation in relation to its legal obligations 1 Introduction and objectives 2 Introduction to environmental law and enforcement Sources of law (European and UK) Structure and enforcement Key legislation 3 Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) and Local Air Pollution and Control (LAPC) Pollution and Prevention Control Act 1999 EC Directives on PPC The meaning of BAT Transitional provisions Fit and proper persons Control of emissions to air National Air Quality Strategy 4 Packaging and producer responsibilities Who, what and how The Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations Obligations and exemptions Registration Recycling and recovery obligations Records Duties of the Environment Agency Offences Developments 5 Waste management National Waste Strategy Waste minimisation (re-use/recycling) Waste definition Disposal and recovery Controlled waste management Hazardous waste management 6 Proposed Legislation and EC Directives EU Commission's waste and resources strategies Implementation of ELV (End of Life Vehicles) Directive WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) Directive transposition into UK legislation Other producer responsibility initiatives Other proposals from the EU 7 Conclusion Open forum Summary Close

In the fast-changing world of business, and especially IT, everyone in the organisation should be involved in sales. One of the best ways is to give the customer an outstanding experience. The customer experience is the competitive battlefield of today. Sales may be won or lost here. You can either close a sale for a quick buck, or open a long-term relationship to create a high lifetime value customer. By developing excellent communication skills, rapport and, most of all, a desire to serve and listen to the needs of the customer to the best of their ability, both sales teams and other IT professionals will create trust, nurture relationships and develop awareness of other opportunities with the customer. By the end of this course, participants will be able to: Understand the power of a positive customer experience in developing sales opportunities Recognise and develop a sales opportunity when it arises Engage with customers and develop rapport and trust Use verbal and non-verbal communication skills and pick up on signals Ask powerful questions - and listen to the answers Create 'magic moments' for the customer Turn a complaint into an opportunity Know when to ask for referrals and testimonials Pass on leads to the relevant people 1 Introduction Aims and objectives Beliefs about sales 2 Building rapport First impressions Short cuts to rapport Finding common interests 3 Selling or serving? Managing emotions and behaviour - Transactional Analysis Moments of truth - creating 'magic moments' Speed sells - the follow-up 4 Meetings Planning a successful meeting Pre-meeting connection and assistance Sales meeting failure reasons Right v wrong mindset 5 Communication - verbal and non-verbal The 3 Vs - Visual, Verbal, Vocal Picking up on signals 7 power questions Questioning techniques LISTEN - 3 types of listening skills 6 Influencing 6 levels of influence Framing to change perspectives Turning complaints into opportunities 7 Referrals The power of referrals How and when to ask for a referral 5 steps from rapport to referral 8 Presentation and pitching (optional session) Basic presentation structure and delivery Creating powerful impressions Creating a 60-second pitch The elevator 10-second pitch - answering 'What do you do?' Sales presentations Emotion v Intellect - how to engage Using visuals

Successfully closing a sale and negotiating the best outcome for the business is a key skill for all salespeople, and often an area that is overlooked. Investing in this skill will have a positive impact on interactions with customers, both new and existing, and lead to improved sales performance. Whilst understanding how to reach a conclusion with a customer faster means increased efficiency and more time to invest in sourcing new business. We have developed this programme to be practical, fun and interactive. Participants will learn proven techniques for influencing, persuading and negotiating with clients, gain increased confidence and clarity when reviewing contract terms and prices, and understand how to structure and manage sales negotiation and contract review meetings. This course will help participants: Learn a structured and proven approach to the negotiation of contract terms Apply the key principles of negotiation, playing the person and the problem Create a contract negotiation strategy - from opening to close Recognize and put to use proven negotiation tactics and techniques Learn how to embrace conflict positively - to 'say no, then negotiate' Plan and prepare for any commercial negotiation conversations Understand the stages of negotiation and how to move through them 1 Closing and negotiating from a position of personal power The eight steps of a sales or commercial negotiation Ten ways to resist price pressure How to draw on sources of power when you have less authority The six principles of influence and persuasion and how to use them 2 Effective negotiation - planning and theory How to plan and structure your negotiation for a successful and quick conclusion Influence: knowing how to 'push or pull' to win an argument Achieving a BATNA - a range of practical skills and techniques Case study: planning for a client negotiation around contract or price issues 3 Effective closing and negotiation - practice and reality Higher-level questioning techniques to investigate and solve problems Listening to lead - active listening and structuring your conversation The most common 'unforced' negotiation mistakes and errors Case study: setting objectives, sources of value, trading concessions 4 Sales negotiation tactics and playing the game How high - how hard - how soon; why now How to identify hidden or perceived currencies and values How to use these to establish a higher base price Negotiation best-practice checklist and summary

Bad news - people don't buy your product. Better news - they don't buy anyone else's product either. Best news - they do buy what a product gives them, whether it be removing 'pain' or giving 'pleasure'. So what a challenge it is that every single person buys your product for a slightly different reason! What's the secret to selling in that sort of sales environment? This programme provides a great roadmap. This course will help participants: Build rapport with authenticity Use open questions, listening and summary to properly understand the prospect Use 'impact' questions to 'stack the pain' of remaining with the status quo Convert features into personalised benefits that reflect stated needs Handle objections with calm confidence Identify buying signals Close effectively Convey credible urgency centred on the prospect's - not the salesperson's - interests 1 What makes a customer buy any product? Moving towards 'pleasure' Moving away from 'pain' Robert Cialdini's Psychology of Influence - buying motives Understanding what your product does for customers Why there is never a 'one size fits all' approach What are the real 'unique selling points' and why the salesperson is the real 'USP' At what point does the customer emotionally buy your product? 2 Getting past gatekeepers What gatekeepers' motivations are How to make them your friend rather than your enemy How to make your call harder to block than to put through How to control the gatekeeper with questions, not answers Using Cialdini's 'reciprocity' law to get put through more often Practical exercise in which the trainer poses as gatekeeper 3 Questioning and listening skills How to use open questions to get the customer talking What questions to avoid and why How to 'stack the pain' of the status quo with 'impact questions' Practical 'pain stacking' exercise in pairs What listening is and what it isn't Question funnelling - how to earn deeper disclosure through probing Practical funnelling exercise in pairs The power of summary 4 How to create tailored benefits and not 'dive into solution' What is 'diving into solution'? Examples and analogies Why it is to be avoided Practical exercise in pairs - how it feels to have solutions offered up too early How to avoid 'feature-dumping' What is 'value selling'? How to create tailored benefits How to convert product features into benefits How to deal with the prospect's competitor allegiance 5 Handling objections and testing the water How to overcome the price objection by selling value Common objections the participants encounter and answers that work The objections salespeople carry in their own heads The 'A-C-E' objection-handling model How to uncover objections When - and when not - to trial close 6 Closing skills Why salespeople often close too early How to identify buying signals How to use urgency with skill and effectiveness Four killer closing techniques that work How to avoid buying the product back by careless post-sale talk How to ask for referrals for your product How to 'farm' the account for future opportunities 7 Wrap-up Key learnings from each participant Individual action planning - steps that can and will be implemented in the workplace

Are your sales people too stressed, running on adrenalin, perhaps driving towards burnout, struggling to reach targets? Wouldn't you rather they delivered consistently good performance, sustainable over longer periods of time, with less stress (for both them and you)? This uniquely empowering workshop will help your team develop naturally high levels of focus, energy and motivation. They will attain a sense of grounded euphoria, giving them a very distinct and ethical edge in selling. A one-day programme, it gives salespeople an introduction to the 'Natural Superheroes' concepts and resources, tools and techniques, to help them improve their sales performance - realising greater sales potential, developing deeper and more profitable client relationships, winning more business. Through this experience, sales teams gain: Information about profiling clients to instantly understand more about their deepest drives and true needs so they can be genuinely met and, where possible, exceeded Insights into deep, honest and very 'real' reasons for sales procrastination - participants are given specific workable strategies they can easily apply to overcome sales resistance, by tapping their natural motivational styles An understanding of communicating at the very highest levels with different people so they truly understand your sales message and have a significantly more positive sales experience A realisation of their very specific natural sales talents as individuals and as a team A deeper level of experience and understanding of what specifically drives their own behaviour and the behaviour of their clients - these unique insights explain not only how but exactly why people behave the way they do An experience of what it takes to be unshakeable under pressure and manage the sales processes and relationships to a positive outcome for all Brand-new insights into working with and handling difficult people across all levels of authority An understanding of the pitfalls and the psychological traps we set ourselves which cause unnecessary stress, anxiety and frustration on a daily basis and, in turn, limit our sales performance Access to very simple and practical tools that massively increase self-awareness, engender accountability and responsibility and develop emotional sales mastery 1 Introducing 'Natural Superheroes' for sales What is a 'Natural Superhero'? Defining emotional intelligence in the context of sales and why it is so important Knowing yourself - why most people don't know themselves at all and how we can understand exactly what drives our behaviour for the purpose of improving sales performance specifically Knowing exactly why others, and specifically clients and team members, behave the way they do - understanding the real motives behind people's good and bad behaviour in a sales meeting Simple steps to freeing yourself of any anxiety, pressure and false sense of limitation when selling Being yourself in sales - why this is not as easy as it sounds but how you can make it effortless How to take control of achieving the sales performance you really need and want for yourself and others Strategies that raise your self-awareness, increase an authentic and sustainable sense of self-confidence, in difficult situations and in moments of crisis 2 Understanding yourself, your team members and your customers - using the Enneagram Introducing the Enneagram and why it is so valuable to sales people and their clients Exploring the 9 types of motivational drives and why people have different reasons for buying from you Core types and wings - understanding the influence of other motivations either side of the core Enneagram type How to confirm the profile of your client - using celebrities from the world of politics, cinema, sports - we explore how to identify each type - what are their core drives, why have they arisen and how can we use these insights to help you in improving your sales performance The 3 levels of behaviour within your personal profile and that of your clients Lookalike Enneagram types - mistaken identities - how to avoid these traps when profiling your clients and your team How to communicate effectively in a sales environment with each of the different Enneagram types - communication strategies for positive impact on morale, performance and, ultimately, sales results How to interpret and make use of the results of your online personal profile - participants complete an online profile before the event and have the opportunity to analyse their results with a view to improving their sales performance How sales teams sabotage their own performance and that of other people within the team - and how to stop it Uncovering your particular edge in a sales role - what unconsciously trips you up as a sales person? How the Enneagram helps us in sustaining a truly great sales performance over time 3 Why positive thinking alone doesn't work in sales Why 'PMA' does not stand for positive mental attitude when selling - learn its alternative meaning that can serve you even more effectively in a sales role 3 steps and exercises that naturally increase PMA The value of making unconscious thinking conscious and how to do this without any pain or discomfort in a sales meeting Why each Enneagram type has a different experience of PMA in terms of their outward behaviour and how to know when you are maximising your sales performance 4 Measuring success How to measure the development of your individual profile as a sales person Development planning and review Into the future - how to continue your Natural Superhero development

The 'golden rule' of negotiation is simple - don't! But life's rarely that simple and very often we do have to negotiate, particularly if we want to win the business and especially if we want to win it on our terms. Such negotiations are crucial. We need to prepare for them. We need a strategy, and the skills to execute it. Does your team have a structured approach? Is it flawlessly executed, every time? Or is there room for improvement? This programme will help them master the six fundamentals of closing better business: Manage all these elements well and you will win more business, more profitably. This course will help participants: Negotiate from a position of partnership, not competition Deal more effectively and profitably with price objections Identify and practise successful sales negotiating skills Identify strengths and weaknesses as a sales negotiator Understand different types of buyer behaviour Learn to recognise negotiating tactics and stances Apply a new and proven structure to their business negotiations Identify and adapt for different behavioural styles Be alert to unconscious (non-verbal) communication Prepare and present a proposal at a final business negotiation stage Project confidence and exercise assertiveness in all sales negotiations 1 Planning for successful business negotiations This session introduces the concept of business negotiation and looks at its importance in the context of the participants' roles and activities. It briefly examines why we negotiate and the dynamics involved. Session highlights: What kind of a negotiator are you? Negotiation skills self-assessment and best practice How to establish roles and responsibilities for both parties How to identify and set objectives for both buyer and seller How to research and establish the other person's position (business negotiation stance) 2 How to structure your negotiations This module presents an eight-step framework or structure for use in negotiations and considers how best to prepare and plan your negotiations within the context of a supplier/customer relationship or business cycle. It also includes a brief review of legal responsibilities and what constitutes a 'deal'. Session highlights: Learn and apply a formal structure to use when negotiating How to establish short- and longer-term objectives and opportunities How best to plan, prepare and co-ordinate a major business negotiation meeting, or on-going negotiations Understanding of basic legal and organisational requirements 3 Verbal negotiation skills This session examines the human and communication dynamics inherent in any negotiation situation. It emphasises the importance of professional skills in preparing for a negotiation by identifying needs, wants and requirements accurately and by qualifying the competitive and organisational influences present. Session highlights: How to fully 'qualify' the other party's needs, requirements and constraints during the negotiation process by using advanced questioning and listening skills How to pre-empt negotiation objections by promoting and gaining commitment to options, benefits, value and solutions How best to propose and suggest ideas, using drawing-out skills 4 Non-verbal negotiation skills This module highlights how different personal styles, corporate cultures and organisation positions can influence events, and demonstrates practical methods for dealing with and controlling these factors. It also examines key principles of body language and non-verbal communication in a practical way. Session highlights: Gaining rapport and influencing unconsciously Understanding the importance of non-verbal communication; reading other people's meaning and communicating effectively as a result Ensure that non-verbal behaviour is fully utilised and observed to create maximum impact and monitor progress (eg, buying signals) Recognising that business negotiations are precisely structured and agreements gained incrementally 5 Proposing and 'packaging' This session highlights how best to present and package your proposal. It looks at how to pre-empt the need for negotiating by creating minor-options and 'bargaining' points, as well as how to manage the expectations and perceptions of the customer or buyer. Session highlights: How to identify the key variables that can be negotiated The power and use of 'authority' within your negotiations How to structure and present your proposal, ideas or quotation to best effect The importance of when and how to identify and influence buyer's objections 6 Dealing with price This module highlights how to best present and package price within your proposal or negotiation. In most cases, price has more to do with psychology than affordability and preparation and careful handling are essential. Session highlights: The three reasons that people will pay your asking price How to set price in a competitive market The key differences between selling and negotiating Ten ways to present price more effectively and persuasively 7 Getting to 'Yes': tactics and strategies There are many different tactics and strategies common to successful negotiators. This session looks at those that are most appropriate to the participants' own personal styles and situations. The importance of 'follow-through' is also explained and how to deal with protracted or 'stale-mate' business negotiations. Session highlights: How to negotiate price and reduce discounting early in the process How to recognise negotiating tactics and strategies in your customer or supplier Key strategies, techniques and tactics to use in negotiation The importance of follow-through and watching the details How to deal with stalled business negotiations or competitor 'lock-out' 8 Case studies and review This session examines a number of different situations and participants discuss ways to approach each. This will allow learning to be consolidated and applied in a very practical way. There will also be a chance to have individual points raised in a question and answer session. Session highlights: Case studies Question and answer Planning worksheet Negotiation 'toolkit' and check-list 9 Personal action plans Session highlights: Identify the most important personal learning points from the programme Highlight specific actions and goals Flag topics for future personal development and improvement

The main aim of this workshop is to encourage and enable delegates to present their sales messages stylishly and persuasively to expert buying audiences and improve their conversion rates. The focus is placed firmly on performance and creativity in top level presenting. It is aimed at experienced sales professionals who are expert at selling but need to be able to present and pitch for business at high skill levels in order to land major accounts. Delegate numbers will be restricted to 4 people. Delegates should be willing and be prepared to give video-recorded presentations as part of the course. Course Syllabus The syllabus of the Sales Presenting course is comprised of two modules, covering the following: Module One Components of Top Presenting Preparation and performance in presenting Being stylish and compelling Differentiation, risk-taking and presenting Connecting with your audience Achieving impact and drama Creating a buying emotion Getting out of a comfort zone First delegate presentations Module Two Pitching in Teams Getting your act together - the plan Looking and sounding like a team The buyer's perspective Getting your moves right - choreography Dealing successfully with questions Rehearsing to succeed Second delegate presentations Dragon's Den Exercise The delegation is split into two groups, each with a specific product or service to win the Dragons' investment. They have to also present to the Dragon's Den their business case for feedback and negotiate with the Dragons to gain either an "I'm in" or an "I'm out" reply. A full debrief is then conducted covering: Planning Commercial consequences Putting forward a business case Critical thinking Negotiating Selling skills Presentation skills Profile building Scheduled Courses This course is not one that is currently scheduled as an open course, and is only available on an in-house basis. For more information please contact us.