21 Courses in Manchester

In our constantly changing environment, if you always do what you've always done, then you'll always get what you've always got - and that's not enough! Building a strategic marketing plan is a powerful way to take a step back from day-to-day activities, review the opportunities available to your business and your products, and build a roadmap of tactics that will set you apart from the competition. In this workshop, we look at how to build a customer-focused strategic marketing plan to pin-point your milestones to success over a 12-month period. This programme will help participants to: Understand the key questions that a strategic marketing plan should answer Understand the value of customer and competitor insight and how to develop actionable insights to guide your plan Conduct a market analysis and identify the barriers and drivers to success Learn how to build a customer buying journey and how to identify the most valuable customers Develop a customer-focused strategy and customer engagement plans Develop core messages and winning tactics to engage with your key customers Identify the key metrics to review and measure to keep your plans on track 1 Situational analysis Introduction to marketing strategy Market and competitor analysis and insight generation Understanding the customer buying journey How to segment customers to identify your most valuable customer opportunities Identifying the barriers and drivers to your success 2 Strategy Introduction to strategy How to build strategic imperatives and SMART objectives How brand vision and positioning drive customer focus A guide to building key message themes 3 Tactics, messaging and measurement Introduction to building customer-focused tactics How to build a customer-engagement plan How to build key messages and a customer-focused tactical plan A practical guide to developing key metrics to review success and keep your plans on track Actionable outcomes Throughout the programme we will use your own product examples to build your plan, participants will: Learn best practice examples of strategic planning Discover market and customer opportunities to strengthen your competitive edge Create a strategic plan that can be implemented immediately within your business Start planning compelling marketing messages to reach the right customer at the right time Receive immediate feedback on your strategic marketing plan Have the opportunity to share common issues and solutions with colleagues in the group

Maximising the relationship and sales potential of each active account is key to the sustainability of any business relying on repeatable custom. In this workshop we start by looking at key techniques for analysing the profitability and development opportunities for different clients before deciding upon the strategy and skills needed for moving the relationship to that of trusted adviser and partner. By understanding and creating the need we can use our influencing skills to harness any sales development potential. By creating the habit of explaining our ideas in a way that also meets the need of the other party we help everybody make the right decisions for them. This course will help participants: Assess the sales profitability and potential of existing key accounts Prioritise where time and energy is directed for maximum profitability Understand the key players in the decision making unit Create a strategic plan for the development of each client target Develop proactive sales consultancy skills Learn advanced communication and influencing techniques 1 What makes an effective account manager? The difference between order taking and account management How do you define a key account in your business? Why should existing customers remain with your company? How do you compare to the competition? 2 How do I prioritise my account management activity? Use practical tools to help you assess revenue potential Analyse the investment required versus the return on your time Create a SWOT analysis on your clients - Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities & Threats Appreciate how this knowledge will improve your sales development 3 Planning strategies for each account Create a list of priority accounts and activities Learn how to develop a long-term and sustainable relationship Discover how they make their purchasing decisions Research the make-up of the Decision Making Unit for each client 4 Learning and utilising the six principles of influence Learn the secrets these principles offer sales people Discover how these principles will work for you Create an influencing strategy for influencers within the client Learn new habits of influence 5 Proactive sales skills Plan proactive sales meetings for key accounts Set primary and secondary objectives for every touch point with the customer Structure sales meetings for maximum effectiveness Help the customer commit and achieve their objectives 6 Putting it into practice Discuss real scenarios to plan for putting these skills into practice Share common issues with fellow sales people Create a personal development plan

The need for key staff to have commercial skills is paramount, as the public sector is increasingly opened up as a commercial market, in which organisations compete against each other and the private sector for contracts. Generating additional income and being commercially aware is vital for this to be a success, and is what many public sector organisations are looking to do. This programme will help you: See commercial awareness as not just another skill-set, but as a different mind-set Use a variety of tried-and-tested commercial, analytical decision-making techniques and tools Define your commercial objectives Develop a strategic focus Start looking at service clients as market segments Analyse, in a competitive context, your service offering Plan a commercial strategy, prepare for its implementation and see it through to execution 1 What is commercial thinking? Understand what it means to be a commercial thinker Identifying commercial opportunities often involves not only a different skill set but also a different mindset; looking at the services that you provide 2 Defining strategic commercial objectives Defining your key commercial objectives Prioritising your strategic objectives Two key strategic planning tools:Resource and Competency MatrixPESTLE How to apply these tools to your particular situation 3 Developing a strategic focus Decision-making on how to compete in the markets identified by your strategic objectives requires a strategic focus Developing strategic focus A tool for helping you to make those decisions: using the Ansoff Matrix 4 Defining customer targets How to think more commercially by understanding who all your customers are and how they differ from each other how to apply the principles to your areas to identify the type of customers you have and their key characteristics - Customer segmentation Who are your customers? How do their needs vary? - Scenarios 5 The competitive market place Understanding the competitive forces at play Different types of competition Analysing your competitive environment using Porter's 5 Forces model 6 Meeting stakeholder expectations Two simple models to help you identify the key stakeholders who could influence your commercial environment How to use your stakeholders to help you achieve your commercial objectives 7 Implementation - systems, structures and processes Effective commercial activity involves working with others to implement ideas and strategies What do you need to have in place before you implement your commercial strategy? How to health-check your organisation prior to implementation using the McKinsey 7S framework 8 Implementation - people and culture A good commercial strategy only works if the people involved buy in to the ideas and if the culture of the organisation is conducive to the effective implementation How the latest thinking in behavioural economics can help you develop your culture and people to work commercially 9 Tools and checklists Be more commercial within your sphere of influence using a commercial checklist to help you Using the checklist as a benchmark against the most commercially aware organisations Using the checklist as a health check - both corporately and individually

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

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

An insightful, enjoyable and experiential programme to help you analyse data and information and make a balanced decision based upon sound commercial reasoning. It will enable you to identify options, make decisions and take actions based on a thorough analysis combined with instinct and intuition to make a positive effect on profitability. This programme will help you: Identify ways to analyse data and sort relevant from irrelevant information Develop analytical and numerate thinking, and consider the financial implications of a decision Make decisions based on sound commercial reasoning - a mix of intuition and analysis Select from a range of tools to analyse a situation and apply these effectively Understand how costs and profits are calculated Use tried-and-tested techniques to manage and control your budgets Appreciate the fundamentals of financial analysis Focus on the bottom line Identify the basics of capital investment appraisal for your business Evaluate results and seek opportunities for improvement to your business 1 The commercial environment What do shareholders and investors want? What do managers want? Profit v non-profit organisations Investor expectations 2 Financial and non-financial information Risk and reward considerations Drivers of commercial decisions 3 Running a business A practical exercise to bring financial statements to life Different stakeholder interests in a business The impact and consequences of decisions on financial statements 4 Where do I make a difference to the organisation? How can I contribute to an improved business performance? Key performance indicators - measuring the right things A 'balanced scorecard' approach - it's not all about money! 5 A 'balanced scorecard' approach Analysing and reviewing my contribution to the business direction What is the current focus of my commercial decisions? Developing the business in the right way - getting the balance right! Where should/could it be in the future? Do my decisions support the overall vision and strategy? 6 Making commercial decisions Left-brain and right-brain thinking Convergent and divergent thinking Analysis and instinct Interactive case study exercise - emotional and rational decisions Reflection - what is my style of making decisions 7 Let's consider the customer! Identifying target markets Differentiating propositions and products Customer service considerations Marketing considerations and initiatives Pricing strategies and considerations 8 Strategic analysis The external environment The internal environment LEPEST analysis SWOT analysis Forecasting Group activity - analysing markets and the competition How do these improve your decisions? 9 Comparing performance Analysing key financial ratios Ways to compare performance and results Break-even analysis 10 Profit and loss accounts and budgeting Managing income and expenditure The budgeting process How does this link to the profit and loss account? Managing and controlling a cost centre/budget The role of the finance department Different ways of budgeting Incremental budgeting Zero-based budgeting 11 Understanding the balance sheet Purpose of balance sheets Understanding and navigating the content What does a balance sheet tell you? How do you affect your balance sheet? Links to the profit and loss account A practical team exercise that brings financial statements to life 12 Business decisions exercise How does this improve your decisions? A practical exercise to apply new knowledge and bring commercial thinking to to life The impact and consequences of decisions on financial statements 13 Working capital Why is this important? The importance of keeping cash flowing Business decisions that affect cash Calculating profit 14 Capital investment appraisal Capex v Opex Payback Return on investment The future value of money The concept of hurdle rate 15 Lessons learned and action planning So what? Recap and consolidation of learning The decisions that I need to consider Actions to achieve my plan

This workshop will help you improve the impact, clarity, accuracy and effectiveness of your sales proposals. It takes bid and proposal teams right through the process, from start to finish - from forming the team and gathering the information, through to writing and reviewing the proposal document, and on to presenting it to the client. The learning points shared in the programme come from the trainer's extensive real-world experience with a wide variety of businesses. As a result of attending this programme, participants will be able to: Write more clearly, more grammatically and more persuasively Structure their written communications more effectively Avoid the 'howlers' that can cost you business Impress your clients Win more business 1 Bid strategy How to combine your knowledge of the market or customer, your products and services, and your competitors, to create a quality bid New insights into your comparative advantages and competitive position in the marketplace Understanding more about how your client views you and other suppliers A plan of attack to build on your strengths and attack the weaknesses of your competition Dealing with RFP/ITT situations 2 Teamwork How a bid or proposal team needs to prioritise and manage preparation time Co-ordinating input from team members Agreeing responsibilities 3 The importance and role of a well-written sales proposal Why bother? - the value of the sales proposal to you and to the customer What the customer wants and needs to make a decision in your favour Understanding and delivering on customer expectations Review and discussion of different proposals - with real-life examples 4 The best way to structure your sales proposals A section-by-section, page-by-page review of best practice in structuring great sales proposals How to improve the way you match your proposal to the customer's objectives and requirements Plan your sales documents systematically - to make them easy to read and more persuasive How to make your proposal look like the 'least risky' option 5 Making your proposal a compelling and persuasive proposition Choosing the right words that sell effectively Selecting the right content and information for your document or proposal Using an option matrix to summarise complex choices and increase final order value How to write an executive summary 6 Well-written and error-free Developing your writing style for maximum impact Expressing the content (ie, selling points) clearly, concisely and correctly Proof-reading and editing work effectively, using formal marks and techniques Improving visual layout, format and appearance Keeping it customer-focused 7 Presenting to the client - overview Presentation options Understanding the client's objectives - as well as your own The proposal review meeting - logistics Managing to the next step Designing and delivering a compelling presentation Isolating objections and concerns Follow-up and follow-through 8 Positioning your final proposal Finalising your bid - presenting the right 'best few' USPs, features and benefits and making them relevant and real to the customer Smart ways to position price and be a strong player - without being the cheapest How to differentiate yourselves by how you present, as well as what you present How to design and deliver a successful bid presentation 9 Bid presentation practice session with structured feedback Participants work in small groups or pairs to prepare and later present a sample section from a real life bid or proposal presentation The trainer will provide assistance and input During group review and discussions, input from others will be encouraged and many best practice ideas summarised 10 Managing the end game How best to draw-out, understand, isolate and answer customer objections, negotiate points and concerns How to read the situation to plan the next step Identifying negotiation tactics - and how to deal with them Planning for a negotiation and how to get the customer feel they have the 'best deal' 11 Workshop summary and close

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

Francesca Wyllie (BA Hons Fine Art) has an amazing north-facing art studio at El Retiro in Andalucia, which was purpose-built to accommodate painting groups. Bespoke painting and sculpture workshops can be arranged or Francesca can travel locally to guide you in your own studios or locations.

We invite adults, children, complete beginners, and advanced pianists alike to join us at our studio on Baker Street for the finest and most comprehensive piano lessons London has to offer, thanks to a wonderful team of piano instructors. Please contact us for in-person or online lesson availability.