Wouldn't sales be a 'walk in the park' without challenging customers? Why is it that some customers are so difficult to please, so quick to call 'foul' at the slightest blip and so mean with their gratitude after we've bent over backwards to accommodate them? Whether we are looking at prospective or existing customers, there is a toolkit for dealing with the most challenging of them. This course will help participants: Use broad open questions to give the customer a platform for their opinions or issues Improve listening skills to really understand what's behind the customer's challenging style Probe specific phrases to show listening and earn deeper disclosure Use silence to let challenging customers 'blow off steam' Understand the negative impact of certain phrases on a challenging customer Summarise effectively and reassure the customer of our understanding of their needs Recognise the 'behaviour cycle' and avoid emotional escalation Understand 'transactional analysis' and how to bring people from 'child' to 'adult' state Create loyalty in customers who are slow to give trust 1 What makes a customer 'challenging'? Why customers challenge us - understanding their drivers 'Wearing their shoes' - seeing things from their perspective Understanding our own personality style How to flex with a style that is different from our own Ways to quickly recognise a customer's style The benefits of flexing with a challenging customer's style 2 Practical exercise - forum theatre Participants take it in turns to deal with the trainer (who plays the role of the challenging customer) Observers stop the action when they hear or see something they deem wrong The participant in the seat gets a chance to use a suggested alternative line The participant who makes the suggestion has the chance to occupy the seat and deliver it themselves Frequent feedback from the trainer as to how the participant's words are making him feel Opportunities to rewind the action if an ill-advised line is suggested and delivered Flipchart for capturing what worked, what didn't work and why Mehrabian principle - the importance of body language and tone over words used 3 Questioning and listening skills How to use open questions to get the customer talking What questions to avoid and why The use of pauses and silence to reduce tension and build trust What listening is and what it isn't Question funnelling - how to earn deeper disclosure through probing The power of summary 4 Transactional analysis explained What is transactional analysis (TA)? Exploring the TA states and why people behave in that way under pressure How to bring challenging customers to 'adult' state to reduce tension How 'parent' or 'child' behaviours can be inadvertently triggered Understanding the 'behavioural cycle' and how to break it Mini-role play 'vignettes' to demonstrate real time impact of ill-chosen words 5 How to build trust with challenging customers Techniques for placating current challenging customers Methods that the participants have already used effectively - understanding why those methods worked and how other participants can model them Participants' experiences of trust having been lost - understanding why those experiences had that negative outcome How to 'go the extra mile' with challenging customers 6 Bringing a 'real' challenging customer to life Participants give the trainer a brief profile of a specific challenging customer of theirs 5-10 minute roleplay in which the trainer brings that individual to life Observing participants - without interrupting - make notes on what is and isn't working Trainer stops the action half-way through to give feedback on how he is feeling Participant goes back into the roleplay having recalibrated their approach based on feedback Observers give feedback on what did and didn't work Trainer comes out of character to explain the impact of the participant's words and behaviours 7 Wrap-up Key learnings from each participant Individual action planning - steps that can and will be implemented in the workplace
Many people have a misconception about networking events, and lose out on new business opportunities as a result. They either don't appreciate the real benefits and techniques of networking and don't attend events, or they attempt to 'sell on the first date', causing resentment. You can either attempt to make a sale for a quick buck (which is particularly likely to backfire at a networking event), or you can try to open a long-term relationship, creating new opportunities and a high lifetime value customer (which is how it's meant to be done). Networking, when done properly, is an excellent tool for referrals. But you have to appreciate that it's done on the basis of giving rather than receiving and this doesn't always come naturally to sales professionals. The old saying that it's about getting to 'know, like and trust' is still true. This workshop is about having your prospects and customers getting to know, like and trust you, and building that lifetime value as a result. By the end of this programme, participants will be able to: Understand what networking is - networking etiquette Know how and where to network Clarify their objectives - why network Use the 4 basic questions to start a conversation Build rapport quickly and easily Answer the question 'What do you do?' effectively in a few seconds Deliver a 60-second pitch Break into a group Prepare for a network meeting Identify opportunities Use tools to assist in networking 1 Introduction Aims and objectives 2 What is networking? Why network - objectives and goal setting Networking etiquette Preparation - online and offline tools to use Identify networking opportunities - where to network Know what you have to offer 'Know, like and trust' - the process 3 What do you do? Answer in 5-10 seconds Create and deliver a 60-second pitch Who is your target market? 4 Starting a conversation Breaking into a group Building rapport The 4 questions to start a conversation Moving on 5 Communicate and engage LISTEN - 4 types of listening skill Ask powerful questions Influence - don't sell What can you do to help others - give to get 6 Power of referrals Who can give you referrals? When to give or ask for referrals Have a referral system Showing appreciation 7 Social media and other online tools Using LinkedIn and other social media Online directories 8 Next steps Following up Arranging one-to-one meetings Developing relationships
Introducing Trauma-Informed Therapy Package: Healing, Empowerment, and Renewed Well-Being Have you experienced past traumas that continue to impact your daily life and relationships? Miss Date Doctor’s Trauma-Informed Therapy Package is designed to provide you with a safe and supportive environment to heal from trauma, regain a sense of empowerment, and foster renewed well-being. Trauma can leave deep emotional scars that affect your mental health, self-esteem, and capacity to form healthy connections. Our experienced and compassionate therapists are here to help you navigate the healing journey with trauma-informed care. Here’s how the Trauma-Informed Therapy Package can support you: Safe and Non-Judgmental Space: Our therapists create a safe, non-judgmental space where you can freely express yourself and explore the impact of trauma on your life. Trust and confidentiality are paramount as we work together on your healing journey. Trauma Processing: Through evidence-based techniques, we’ll gently guide you through trauma processing, helping you gradually process and release the emotions and memories associated with the traumatic experience. This process can reduce the emotional intensity of trauma and foster emotional healing. Empowerment and Resilience: Our trauma-informed therapy empowers you to reclaim your strength and resilience. By addressing the effects of trauma, you’ll find inner resources to cope with life’s challenges, enabling you to move forward with renewed hope. Coping Strategies: We’ll equip you with practical coping strategies to manage triggers and stressors that may arise from trauma-related memories. You’ll learn healthy ways to regulate emotions and navigate difficult situations. Rebuilding Self-Esteem: Trauma can significantly impact self-esteem. Our therapists will work with you to rebuild a positive self-concept and develop a healthy self-image, fostering self-compassion and self-acceptance. Strengthening Relationships: Trauma can affect how you relate to others. In the Trauma-Informed Therapy Package, you’ll explore relational patterns and develop healthier ways of connecting with others, nurturing fulfilling relationships. Mindfulness and Grounding: Practicing mindfulness and grounding techniques can help you stay present and connected to the here and now, reducing anxiety and hypervigilance associated with trauma. Understanding Triggers: We’ll help you identify triggers and understand their origins. By gaining insight into your triggers, you can better manage their impact on your emotional well-being. The Trauma-Informed Therapy Package at Miss Date Doctor prioritizes your healing and well-being. Our therapists have extensive experience in trauma recovery, ensuring that your therapy journey is individualized and tailored to your unique needs. Release the burden of trauma and embrace a future filled with hope and empowerment. Enroll in the Trauma-Informed Therapy Package today, and let our skilled therapists guide you towards healing and renewed well-being. You don’t have to face trauma alone; we’re here to walk with you on your journey to recovery and growth. 3 X 1 hour sessions https://relationshipsmdd.com/product/trauma-informed-therapy-package/
We communicate daily in many ways, including email, phone, text, Zoom, Teams, Google Meets, Slack, and even that old-fashioned thing, what was it now... oh yes, talking face-to-face. But, when we look at communication closely and really drill down into what we are doing in conjunction with how our brain works (neuroscience), how internal, organisational, and social politics control what we believe we can say, how hierarchical positioning impacts our honesty and how the lack of psychological safety means we say what we know others want to hear rather than what they need to hear…. It is oh so complicated! This workshop not only explores the concept of excellent communication, but we also want to hear what you believe it is too. We also delve into how organisational culture influences our perception of speaking up. Factors that hinder open and honest communication, and we work collaboratively towards removing these barriers to achieve a communication style that fosters trust and transparency, creating psychological safety. This workshop is particularly relevant to our Emotional Intelligence workshop (EI and Me). We firmly believe that developing emotional intelligence is the key to unlocking Clean Communication, a skill that is crucial for all of us, regardless of our roles and responsibilities, so that we thrive in our professional environment. If you want to see if we are correct, why not have us facilitate a workshop for you and see what you get by the end of it? LENGTH - Normally, one day. But please contact us to discuss your specific needs, or we can offer advice. NEXT WORKSHOP START - Please ask for more information as we deliver bespoke closed events for your people at your location or a mutually suitable location. WORKSHOP DELIVERY - The best environment for this workshop is face-to-face, but we can facilitate this workshop online. Suitability - Who should attend? Who Should Attend and Why? Who? - Perhaps think of this another way… who shouldn’t attend to ensure we can attain Clean Communication? There’s your answer. Why? - Every person needs to understand what we are saying above about how we get trapped in this organisational formatting which changes how we communicate and how it prevents us from communicating cleanly. EVERY organisation has this, despite what our values profess. And 'Values', that’s a whole other story. Workshop Content Using the 'Moccasin Approach'® to clean our personal and organisational communication LaPD’s Communication Cycle and what we must consider. (Can you work out what the ? represent above? Accountability and Responsibility raises its head in Communication. It has to. Bias, unconscious bias and its impacts on our communication. The conundrum of communicating with others and their styles (The TRAP). How would my perfect Manager/Leader communicate with me? Nonverbal communication (body language), rapport, Clean Communication. Negative communication can go viral (Self-Fulfilling Prophecy). Reflections, findings and goals (individual and team). Meeting our workshop objectives by listing five areas for development. Workshop delivery and venue This workshop is usually one day in duration, and it focuses solely on how we communicate with each other. It can also be a two-day event incorporating aspects of Emotional Intelligence (EI) with group, and individual activities to allow discussions about the various communication we need in your organisation. When you consider the content we deliver, we are sure you will understand why we always prefer to deliver our workshops, courses and programmes face-to-face. Face-to-face workshops and courses can be held at a location of your choice or, if you wish, a central UK location, such as the Macdonald Burlington Hotel in Birmingham, located directly across from the Birmingham New Street train station. We can deliver our workshops, courses and programmes online, although this will mean splitting elements into manageable learning events to suit the online environment.
A workshop to reflect on important experiences in your life and to develop your autobiographical writing skills.
Today's administrative professional needs flexibility and a broad portfolio of skills including self-motivation, assertiveness, and the ability to deal with difficult people. You will benefit from this course if you are an administrator, medical/legal secretary or PA, who wants to enhance your administrative support skills, as well as evaluating your existing techniques. This course will help you identify: your areas of strength and your areas for improvement in the work environment ways to accept new challenges and responsibilities with confidence what motivates you at work techniques to improve your planning and time management ways of improving your influencing and assertiveness skills your preferred working style (and relate it to your interaction with others) ways of using your initiative how to deal with challenging people, using recognised communication methods The course will help you develop a flexible set of skills that will allow you to succeed at work, no matter what the day throws at you. It will help you communicate effectively with a diverse range of colleagues and others with tact and diplomacy. And, finally, it will help you provide the administrative support that is essential for the smooth running of your area and of the organisation as a whole. 1 Introduction Overview Introductions Individual objectives 2 What exactly is your role? Before looking at new skills and techniques, where are you now? Do you have the skills, knowledge and attitude required to be an exceptional administrator? Understand your job criteria Identifying your strengths and areas for development Activity - skills analysis Activity - action plan 3 Building trust How can you build trust? Understanding the links between reliability, consistency and trust What is required to deliver efficient service? Activity: efficient service requirements of the professional administrator 4 Working styles Identifying your working style preference Understanding the importance of a flexible approach Identifying areas of improvement to become a more effective team member Activity: Questionnaire (completing, scoring and charting) Activity: drawbacks of my style Developing your working style 5 Assertiveness Understand the differences between behaviours Activity: Definition and characteristics of assertive / aggressive / passive behaviour Activity: Identifying different behaviours Understanding how to be more assertive How to use assertiveness techniques How to ask for feedback Activity: Making requests assertively Activity: Refusing requests assertively 6 Time management The importance of planning for success The importance of managing interruptions The importance of having clear purpose Time management best practices Activity: How do you plan your time? What prevents you improving your time management? How will you recognise success? 7 Prioritisation How to prioritise work to meet deadlines The prioritisation matrix Activity: Post it! 8 Dealing with interruptions The impact interruptions have on productivity How to manage interruptions Activity: What interruptions do you experience? What tactics can be employed to reduce these interruptions? 9 Close Open forum Summary Action planning
Customer service just isn’t enough. Customer experience is where the secret to success lies. Build a loyal and fruitful customer base by learning how to design frictionless processes and build empathetic and solution-focused services with our bespoke courses, which include: Customer service vs customer experience The changing nature of customers and how to stay ahead Customer needs vs customer expectations How our behaviour affects those around us and how to use the power of influence Communicating with customers positively and effectively Moments that matter Building trust and integrity What to do when things go wrong
Agile working is an approach that the NHS supports. It demands new ways of working and thinking. Agile means that work is now seen as an activity, not a place. People are the organisation. The way we communicate has to change. The way we manage has to change. This workshop will let you reflect on what works for you now and where you may need to adapt. You may need to trust and value your team more than ever, but when they aren't in front of you in the office, you will need to question your beliefs. The workshop will help you: Understand what Agile Working is all about Reflect on your management style Recognise the new ways of managing agile workers Choose the right communication methods Understand culture and mindset Identify different ways of measuring performance Focus on innovation and not bureaucracy Manage more effectively This workshop has been designed to support you in effectively managing an agile team. You will need to be open to questioning your existing techniques and be open and responsive to change. 1 What's it all about? What is Agile working? What are your personal management concerns? How to make it work Time / location / role / source 2 Your role as an Agile manager Your style Your team's individual preferences Learning to let go Your management style self assessment 3 The 3 areas of focus Trust Delegation Empowerment 4 Communicating effectively New ways of communicating Managing expectations What are you measuring? 5 Your personal action plan What are you going to do differently?
A question of trust. Leadership implies followership. And that means trust. Because who's going to follow a leader they don't trust? This programme takes a values-driven approach to leadership. It gets current and aspiring leaders to hold up the mirror to themselves and to see their reflections as leaders of people. It asks them whether what they see justifies their view of themselves as leaders. It helps them understand just what it takes to be an effective leader. And it does so in a highly practical, constructive manner. It helps the course participants to truly understand the core skills of effective leadership. It focuses on the difference between leadership and management, defining what high performing teams do and how they do it. It helps people to see their teams from different perspectives, allowing them to adapt their styles to maximise team outputs. And it explores concepts such as emotional intelligence, authentic leadership and the RAIV approach (relationships-achievement-independence-vocation) to help explore underlying values and use them to drive effective leadership. Because what worth do our values have unless we put them into practice? The course will help you:• Appreciate the key skills a leader needs to be effective• Understand what the organisation expects of you as a leader• Recognise your leadership style and the impact it has on others• Consider your role models - who inspires you?• See leadership from the 'followers' perspective - how do you like to be led?• Discover what holds you back - limiting beliefs• Examine your core values -do they support your ambition?• Explore the concept of Emotional Intelligence - how do we manage ourselves?• Discover how to lead through change• Explore the concept of 'Authentic Leadership' - consider how it can work for you• Practice some of the skills essential to motivating and influencing for success• Use the RAIV approach to generating enthusiasm and commitment• Plan how best to 'walk the leadership talk' - in your role, in your organisation Above all, this course will help you put theory into practice, values into actions, in a mature, considered, effective way. Day 1 1 Welcome and introduction Participants are welcomed to the programme and invited to share their personal objectives and people challenges Participants given an action plan template to complete throughout the workshop Participants required to bring an inspirational quote to share with the group 2 What is leadership? The concept of 'leadership' The role of a leader Skills assessment for all participants# Leadership v Management Assess your team effectiveness 3 Your leadership style Leadership questionnaire You and your role models Push v Pull styles of leadership Empowerment v Control Team goals and role profiling Day 2 1 You, the leader Your core values Your communication style Situational leadership The Emotional Bank Account Buy Me Today 2 Are you Emotionally Intelligent? (EI) What is emotional intelligence? Self-assessment exercise Manage your emotions Nine strategies for promoting EI 3 Leading through change Identify the major changes affecting you / your team Types of change The roles of resistance How safe are you to talk to? Forcefield Analysis Day 3 1 Authentic Leadership (AL) What is AL? Managing perceptions is managing their truth A leadership challenge 2 Motivating and influencing for success What motivates you? Motivational theory Leading by example Influencing skills required Influencing styles The influence challenge! 3 Creating enthusiasm and commitment The RAIV approach (relationships-achievement-independence-vocation) Building self-worth What drives your team? Your leadership legacy Your commitment to leadership
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