1223 RES courses in Belfast

Any successful business manager will tell you that you never get the deal you deserve - you always get the deal you negotiate! This two-day workshop includes recent research and practical techniques from the Harvard Business School Negotiation Project and provides a unique opportunity to learn and practice these skills in a safe environment using up to date materials and life-like practice negotiation case studies. This course will help participants to: Understand the basics of negotiation Develop negotiating skills Increase their business acumen Develop their communication skills Learn the models, techniques and tools for an effective negotiation Identify the barriers to agreements Close the deal 1 What is negotiation? Key skills for negotiation Types of negotiation Win-lose negotiations versus Win-win negotiations Wise agreements and Principled Negotiation 2 Four key negotiating concepts BATNA - Best alternative to negotiated agreement Setting your reservation price ZOPA - Zone of possible agreement Creating and trading value 3 Business acumen Understanding pricing, gross margins and profit Knowing the key points on which to negotiate 4 A Four Phase Model for negotiation Nine steps to successful planning Discussing a deal - creating and claiming value Making and framing proposals Bargaining for the winning deal 5 Effective communication Effective questioning Active listening skills Understanding and interpreting body language Barriers to effective communication 6 Understanding influence and persuasion Influencing strategies Ten proven ways to influence people Six universal methods of persuasion Understanding why people do business with other people 7 Negotiating tactics Tactics for win-lose negotiations Tactics for win-win negotiations Effective team negotiating Understanding and using powerv What do you do when the other side has more power? 8 Barriers to agreement Common barriers to agreement The Negotiators Dilemma Dealing with die-hard negotiators Dealing with lack of trust 9 Potential barriers to cross-border agreements Understanding business methods and practice in other cultures Figuring out who has the power and who makes decisions Recognising and dealing with cultural differences What's OK here might not be OK there 10 Closing the deal Four steps to closing the winning deal

As technology continues to develop and increasingly interact with our daily lives, so must our sales techniques to ensure we're leveraging advances in how people do business to our advantage. It is essential for all salespeople to understand how to navigate the various tools at our disposal and grow their skills and confidence to put them into action in order to build a solid business pipeline. We have developed this programme to be practical, fun and interactive, whilst ensuring that participants will learn how to utilise new technology to their advantage, self-generate new business leads and opportunities, gain additional business and referrals from existing contacts, and save time and effort using proven business development skills. This course will help participants: Understand the 'organized persistence' model of sales prospecting Develop skills in using video, online and social media to generate interest Understand how to write effective sales and outreach emails and using online tools Develop techniques for effectively managing telephone appointments Learn ways to use LinkedIn for connecting with customers and prospects Develop networking skills and learn how to source and develop referrals and professional introductions 1 Key principles of smart sales prospecting Set your sales prospecting goals and objectives Elevator pitch, core messages and your value proposition Targeting and segmenting your market 'Organised persistence' using your CRM effectively 2 Setting appointments by telephone - planning and preparation Why calling still works and the best times to call Creating a call prompt sheet: Opening a call and taking control Giving a reason to meet Key questions to ask Overcoming the cold calling blues 3 Setting appointments by telephone - advanced skills Giving a reason to meet and 'selling the appointment' Key questions to ask that will create interest and motivation to meet Voice tone, power words, phrasing, pausing, responding Getting past gatekeepers and getting through 4 Using LinkedIn for research and follow-up Why LinkedIn matters and how to use it Finding new contacts, connecting and Inmailing Short-cuts and advanced skills 5 Email strategies that work Using AIDA and other templates for sales emails Using personalized video emails to create interest Vertical targeting emails, with examples Building awareness with an email chain

Project management can seem scary and rather intimidating. The whole aim of this programme is to give people a simple and straightforward way of dealing with projects without having to use complex and confusing systems. This two-day course is designed to introduce the apparently complex world of project management in a simple and practical manner. The programme is for anybody who has to run a project of any nature. It has been attended by people from as diverse fields as events management, fashion, charities, oil companies and so on. The programme is run without using any IT project management systems although an introduction can be given if required. At the end of the programme participants will leave understanding: What a project is and why projects are so important today The roles of a project manager Some key language and concepts A simple 5-step model for organising projects How to make sure you understand what your 'client' really wants A set of three simple tools to plan the project How to make decisions What to monitor when the project is running How to close the project 1 Introduction What is the aim of this programme? 2 Background thinking What is a project? The project manager's eternal triangle (cost-quality-time) What are the characteristics of successful projects? Who are the key characters in a project? What are the roles of a project manager? 3 The project process Why have one? 4 Project initiation What is the aim? Identifying key information Key skill: mission analysis Initial risk analysis Document and sign-off 5 Decision-making - 'Stop, Think, Act!' The 'Stop, Think, Act!' technique Recognise the opportunity to make a decision The 3 Cs - making sure we understand the decisions we have to make Identifying options Making your decision Taking it to action 6 Creativity 7 The planning stage Identify all discrete tasks Sequence and dependencies Time line - critical path Resources Project base-line 8 Execution stage - delivering the result Monitor Evaluate Adapt Control Review 9 The project close Review Documentation Have we delivered? What have we learned?

This very practical one-day programme provides participants with the skills and knowledge required to be an effective member of the procurement team and to enable them to procure a wide range of resources for the organisation, in a compliant and cost-effective manner. It also empowers them to be able to collaborate with all key stakeholders. By the end of the programme participants will be able to: Understand the basic concepts of good procurement practice Apply a range of tools and techniques for developing scopes of work and specifications Apply various methods to select and evaluate suppliers Develop robust contract award strategies Appreciate the commercial importance of effective procurement and opportunities to reduce cost and add value Develop appropriate procurement strategies depending on risk and value Appreciate the legal aspects of procurement 1 Welcome Introductions Aims and objectives Plan for the day 2 The basics of procurement The concept of total cost of ownership v price The procurement cycle The roles of the customer and the contractor Impact upon profit 3 Specification process Importance of effective specifications Specification development process Types of specification Team approach Use of performance specifications Early supplier involvement (ESI) / early contractor involvement (ECI) 4 Quality Concepts and practices Defining 'fit for purpose' Conformance to requirements Compliance to standards Role of the supplier Quality assurance tools and techniques 5 Procurement methods RFP RFQ ITT Negotiated procurement Strategic partnerships Outsourcing 6 Tendering How to undertake a formal tendering process Business case to award Critical stages in the process Risks and benefits 7 Tender evaluation How to undertake a quotation analysis Tools of analysis Use of VFM models Role of the customer Comparisons around cost, quality, and delivery 8 Supplier selection and evaluation Developing critical selection criteria Using the 10Cs model Importance of effective selection process Weighting systems Importance of validity and evidence 9 Capital equipment procurement Life cycle cost issues Payback calculations Compatibility issues Maintenance and training issues After-sales support 10 Supplier relationships Corporate social responsibility issues Communication 360 feed-back Open and ethical Initial understanding Clear and fair terms and conditions 11 Close Review of key learning points Personal action planning

This one-day workshop is intended for participants who have a basic understanding of Outlook but who want to know how to use its advanced features to manage their email communications, calendar events, contact information and other communication tasks. This course will help participants: Gain confidence using Outlook and its advanced features Organise and prioritise email messages Archive messages for safe-keeping Use rules to process received or sent messages automatically Manage scheduled meetings with others Give others permission to view and manage their folders and items Use contacts and commands to find out more about a person or company Prioritise work-flow using tasks and assigning tasks to others 1 Email messages Combining multiple clicks with quick steps Following up flag options Saving multiple attachments Attaching a folder of files Recalling and replacing a message Categorising messages with conditional formatting 2 Message options Adding options to messages Marking a message as private Receiving quick responses with voting buttons Directing replies to specific users Delaying sent messages Inserting links in messages 3 Stay organised with rules Using rules to automate message flow Moving messages with rules Using the rules wizard Setting up rules with conditions Using rules that work whilst you are away 4 Message clean-up Using conversation clean-up Using mailbox clean-up Moving messages to the archive folder Archiving folder properties Auto-archiving properties 5 Managing calendars Creating calendar groups Sharing calendars with permissions Setting up working days and times Managing time zones Categorise appointments with conditional formatting Publishing a calendar 6 Schedule meetings Scheduling a meeting Managing meeting responses Proposing new meeting times Adding attendees to a meeting Viewing multiple appointments 7 Using contacts Merging contacts to letters Merging contacts to labels Mail merging contacts in Word Exporting contacts to Excel 8 Managing tasks Organising your workload with tasks Categorising tasks Assigning tasks to others Sending a task status report Allocating time for tasks Regenerating a new task Viewing your tasks in the calendar 9 Adding message items Adding calendars to messages Adding business cards to messages 10 Email accounts Adding multiple user accounts Adding account permissions

The principles of effective time management are applicable to all aspects of life. When successfully applied in a sales environment they can lead to improved performance, higher sales and increased customer satisfaction. All salespeople would benefit from learning the tools and techniques to introduce impactful time management to their working lives. We have developed this programme to be practical, fun and interactive. Participants will better understand how to increase the amount of time spent on high-value sales activities, be able to improve their self-motivation and ability to get more done, and be better able to plan, delegate and speed up routine tasks. This course will help participants: Learn key principles of managing sales priorities, meeting targets and getting 'everything' done! Learn proven techniques for structuring your day, week and normal routine Develop effective sales time management at the office and on the road Learn a seven-step process for setting goals and objectives in your work and personal life Understand how to make time for sales prospecting, designated call days Understand practical ways to improve your time management 1 Key principles of sales time management Course objectives and review of time log Essential principles of sales time management How do you use your time now? Reviewing your working day (from pre-course survey) Beliefs and feelings about time 2 Managing sales priorities and planning systems Managing priorities and planning systems Use organised persistence to plan your sales activity Planning your territory and prospecting activity How to use priority ratings not urgency to react to tasks 3 Dealing with distractions and communication skills Know your time 'bandits' and creating more positive habits to overcome them Making time by saying 'no' assertively and managing expectations Assertiveness techniques for handling colleagues and clients Making meetings worthwhile - preparation and planning 4 Sales goal setting and action planning Set clear, concise, and motivating sales goals and action plans How to set and use goal setting as way of managing your time and increasing results The principles of linking SMART objectives to action plans and daily activities 5 Creating results focus - every day, week, and month Batch sales tasks together, starting with emails Planning your day and week and protecting sales 'prime' time Apply the 80/20 to your sales contacts, clients, and prospects 6 Overcoming procrastination and structuring your day Understanding procrastination, what it is and how to recognise it in yourself and others How to stop procrastinating and start making progressing Build a power prospecting hour into every day Smart stuff to make more sales time: five automated tools Live the $64,000 dollar question

Trade barriers are going up across the globe. And cybercrime is on the increase. The link between the two? The value of trade secrets. As countries become increasingly protectionist as regards international trade, so their IP law has been changing, with the result that companies that previously would have sought protection through patents are opting to go down the trade secret route instead. But is this a high-risk strategy? Technology is changing and this is having an impact on forms of commercial co-operation. Collaborative or open forms of innovation by their very nature involve the sharing of intellectual property (IP), and in many instances this IP is in the form of valuable confidential business information (ie, trade secrets). Little surprise, then, that trade secrets disputes have increased accordingly. At the same time, the changes in technology make trade secrets more vulnerable to attack, misappropriation, theft. So just how effective are the legal protections for trade secrets? How can organisations safeguard the value in their IP (increasingly, the single biggest line in their balance sheets)? This programme is designed to help you address these issues. Note: this is an indicative agenda, to be used as a starting point for a conversation between client and consultant, depending on the organisation's specific situation and requirements. This session is designed to give you a deeper understanding of: Emerging trends in trade secrets protection and exploitation The current situation in key jurisdictions Recent case law How leading companies are responding The importance of trade secret metadata Different external stakeholders and their interests Key steps for effective protection of trade secrets Note: this is an indicative agenda, to be used as a starting point for a conversation between client and consultant, depending on the organisation's specific situation and requirements. 1 What are trade secrets? Definitions Examples Comparison with other forms of IP (patents, confidential information, know-how, copyright) 2 Current trends The various changes taking place affecting trade secrets - legal changes, trade wars, cybercrime, technology, commercial practice The current position in the UK, Europe, USA, China, Japan, Russia Corporate best practice 3 Trade secret disputes - how to avoid them Trade secret policies, processes and systems Administrative, legal and technical protection mechanisms The role of employees The sharing of trade secrets with others 4 Trade secret disputes - how to manage them Causes Anatomy of a trade secret court case 'Reasonable particularity' 5 Related issues Insurance Tax authorities and investigations Investor relations 6 Trade secret asset management roadmap Maturity ladder First steps Pilot projects

In today's fast-moving competitive environment, sales are often made or lost on the strength of a telephone conversation or a brief email. This means that not only is customer service everyone's responsibility - so is sales. Customer service staff are failing the customer if they don't think about sales. And sales staff are failing customers if they don't think about service. And anyone failing a customer is failing both themselves and their employer. Too often, customer service staff feel neither capable nor empowered to recognise or capitalise upon a sales opportunity. Too often, sales people pursue the short-term opportunity at the expense of the bigger picture. The good news is - it doesn't have to be this way! Sales and customer service skills can be acquired, developed and polished just like any other skill. This tried-and-tested programme shows you how to do it. As a result of this course, participants will be able to: Take control of a customer conversation, with confidence Refresh and polish their customer service and sales performance Recognise and develop a sales opportunity Engage the customer and build rapport Identify a customer's needs Match the customer's needs to the organisation's products or services Handle objections confidently Ask for the order At the end of the workshop each participant will have developed their own action plan for developing and using their skills in the workplace. 1 Introduction Course overview, objectives and introductions 2 Serving or selling? Feelings and attitudes - How we can affect the outcome by our feelings and behaviour What is selling? - Selling is helping people to buy, identifying the opportunities that exist within the conversation to develop the customer's interest in our products or services 3 Developing the right skills Communication- The impact of body language, voice tone and words- How to make the best impression on the customer and create a 'buying environment' Rapport-building- What makes a good working relationship?- What do customers look for when they call us?- How can we match their expectations in terms of our own interpersonal skills? Relating to different types of people by identifying and matching their communication style on the telephone 4 Making it easy for the customer Starting it right- Opening the conversation positively- Building rapport- How to develop interest in our products or services Gaining and clarifying information- Questioning skills and questioning style- What do we need to know from the customer?- How can we use that information in the conversation? Active listening- The most under-rated skill of all- Picking up on the 'Golden Moments' when a customer shows they may be interested Presenting information confidently- Knowing the benefits of our products or services- How to tell the customer what they need to know in order to enable them to buy Closing on a positive note- When and how to ask for commitment Dealing with the customer's objections and concerns in a positive manner 5 Course summary and action plans Review of main learning points Presentation of personal action plans

It is essential that those charged with responsibility for credit control and debt recovery have a full appreciation of the relevant law: no-one can negotiate effectively to recover a debt if they don't understand the ultimate sanctions they can apply. This programme is designed to give them a practical, up-to-date understanding of the law as it applies to your particular organisation. This course will help ensure that participants: Understand the relevant laws Know how and when to invoke legal processes Avoid legal pitfalls in debt collection negotiations Specific, practical learning points include: Definition of 'harassment' How to set up an in-house collection identity Whether cheques in 'full and final settlement' are binding The best steps to trace a 'gone away'... and many, many more. 1 Data protection and debt recovery There are a whole range of things which can be checked on members of the public and which are not affected by the restraints of the Data Protection Act. These will be explained in simple, clear terms so that staff can use this information immediately. 2 County Court suing The expert trainer will show how to sue for money owed, obtain judgment and commence enforcement action without leaving your desk. This module is aimed at showing how to make the Courts work for you instead of the other way around! 3 Enforcement of judgments There are many people who have a County Court Judgment (CCJ) against their debtor but who still remain unpaid. This session explains each of the enforcement methods and how to use them to best effect. Enforcement methods covered include: Warrant of Execution Using the sheriff (now known as High Court Enforcement Officers) Attachment of earnings Third Party Debt Orders Charging Orders (over property and goods) Winding-up companies and making individuals bankrupt 4 Office of Fair Trading rules on debt recovery Surprisingly few people are aware of the Office of Fair Trading rules on debt recovery and many of those that do know think they don't apply to them - but they do. Make sure you know what you need to! 5 New methods to trace elusive, absentee and 'gone away' debtors Why write the money off when you can trace the debtor and collect the money you are owed? 6 Credit checking of new and existing customers It makes sense to credit check would-be, new and existing customers to evaluate the likelihood of payment delays or perhaps not being paid at all. This session shows a range of credit checking steps, many of which can be done completely free of charge, including a sample credit application/ account opening form. 7 Late Payment of Commercial Debts Regulations Do your staff understand this legislation and how to use it to make people pay quicker than ever before? The trainer shows how. 8 The Enterprise Act The Enterprise Act made some startling changes to corporate and personal insolvency. What are the implications for credit control and debt recovery within your organisation?

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