160 Courses

Selling Skills for Professionals: Part 1 Prospecting   Course Description   Copyright Ross Maynard 2021   Course Description Welcome to Selling Skills for Professionals: Part 1 Prospecting. If you are an accountant, a lawyer, a consulting engineer, a surveyor, an actuary, a management consultant, an events organiser, an HR professional or any other form of professional businessperson, and you need to identify and develop new clients, then this course is for you This is part 1 of a two-part course on selling skills for professionals. In Part 1 I cover prospecting, that is identifying potential future clients and making the initial approach. In Part 2 of Selling Skills for Professionals I cover the sales process once you have a make contact with a potential client. Selling Skills for Professionals covers high involvement purchases where the commitment is a significant one for the purchaser. This covers relatively expensive business investments, but also purchase agreements which the purchaser feels will have a significant impact on their business – for example engaging an accountant or a lawyer, or a management consultant, and so on. With a high involvement purchase, the client typically will consider a range of alternatives; will review a variety of information sources; and will evaluate product and service attributes in detail. This means that there is a relatively high barrier to surmount to get the potential client’s attention. A solid approach to prospecting and a well-structured sales process can increase that conversion rate and enhance your success in securing clients who will remain with you for the long term. That is the purpose of this course.   I hope you enjoy the course.     Key Learning Points  On completion of the course, delegates will be able to: Describe the scope and purpose of sales prospecting for professional services Understand the five rules of selling professional services Develop a branding statement for themselves and their organisation Define the criteria for the clients they wish to target Appreciate the importance of client pain points and how to identify them Prepare materials for prospecting Create a cold calling script for prospecting Write a cold email or LinkedIn message to prospects including a strong subject line Understand the sorts of questions they can use to stimulate client engagement in a discussion Move prospects onto the next stage of the selling process     Curriculum Module 1: First Principles in Selling Professional Services Lesson 1: The Five Rules of Selling Professional Services Lesson 2: The Five Rules of Selling Professional Services Lesson 3: Branding   Module 2: Getting Ready to Prospect Lesson 4: Identifying Prospects Lesson 5: Client Pain Points and the Purpose of Prospecting Lesson 6: Preparing to Prospect   Module 3: Making the Approach Lesson 7: Seven Seconds to make an Impact Lesson 8: Crafting the Message: Cold Calling Lesson 9: Crafting the Message: Cold Email Lesson 10: Sample Scripts for Cold Email  Lesson 11: Trigger Questions Lesson 12: Getting Ready to Sell: The Next Stage  Lesson 13: Key Learning Points in Prospecting     Pre-Course Requirements There are no pre-course requirements     Additional Resources None     Course Tutor Your tutor is Ross Maynard. Ross is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants in the UK and has 30 years’ experience as a process improvement consultant specialising in business processes and organisation development. Ross is also a professional author of online training courses. Ross lives in Scotland with his wife, daughter and Cocker Spaniel

One-to-one sketching with pen and watercolour tour run by the Edinburgh Sketcher at The Arienas Collective in Edinburgh City Centre

Our team of Construction industry experts provide business management training for leaders and business owners across England and Scotland CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY SPECIFIC Construction Business Growth Academy The Power Within Training is dedicated to helping construction-based business owners and construction management throughout England, Scotland, and Wales achieve more than they believed possible. Our construction business training is designed to develop owner-managers and help them create the future they want. To ensure business growth, we have a dedicated team of industry professionals to give unique support specific to the skills, traits, and challenges found within Construction. This programme was created to help you push and elevate your business to the next level. Contact us to register for our construction business training. Explore Our Construction Business Growth Course We created the Business Growth Academy for business owners like you to grow and develop their businesses in a more controlled and sustainable way. To ensure growth, our construction business training is a series of six training modules focused on business growth, leadership, and financial management. Most of our participants are business owners looking to get the tools needed to spend more time working on their business while generating more profitability to ensure consistent business growth. The Power Within Training uses the latest business growth strategies, which allow you to identify, modify and quickly implement our easy-to-follow business-building tools and techniques designed around the construction and property development industry. Whether you are a business owner or an aspiring construction and property development entrepreneur, our Construction Management Course will provide the tools and techniques to drive your business forward and achieve sustainable growth. Join us at the Business Growth Academy and unlock your full potential. The Goal of Our Construction Management Training Our goal with this training is to provide you with the tools you need to take control of your business. This allows you to use the latest strategies and ensure the smooth growth of your construction business. The construction management training we offer is a three-month course with new modules available twice monthly, delivered via Zoom or in person. These modules are designed to work around your schedule. After, you’ll have a 39-hour CPD certification thanks to our CITB skills & training courses. Overall, our fully funded construction management training will help you place the proper foundation, allowing you to build a more substantial and focused business that’s centred around constant growth and profits while future-proofing your business. BUSINESS GROWTH ACADEMY The Benefit of Our Business Growth Academy As you go through our training, you’ll delve into each module and the critical steps and tools. These include how to plan, organize, and control construction operations, all designed to provide you with a well-rounded view of your business. Not only will you get the tools you need to ensure your construction business growth, but you’ll also get access to benefits such as lifetime access to your online interactive training portal, entrance into a private social and professional networking group, pro bono coaching, and mentoring from industry experts and leaders. Here are some additional benefits of our construction management training: Register your interest today You’ll build a personalised 12-month business development plan that keeps you focused on high-value activities, ensuring you remain on track to grow. Tools and techniques to not only measure but also increase your profitability within your business. These tools help you ensure that you’re never leaving money on the table again. Learn, develop, and nurture self-management and leadership strategies that you can work on and in your business to help you from chasing your tail or burning out. You’ll develop unshakeable confidence in your business’s ability to grow and become the kind of entrepreneur that chooses the customers they want to work with, meaning customers who are driven by value, not by price. Gain valuable leadership and self-development skills, which encourage learning for life. Lastly, you’ll no longer wonder, “what if?” You’ll have the knowledge and understanding to keep unlocking and growing your business’s true potential. WHAT'S INCLUDED IN THE PROGRAMME Course Overview As we’ve mentioned, our business management course is designed to be completed over three months, with two courses being released monthly. These are designed to be done on Zoom or in person and are flexible around your busy schedule. Our modules were created to be easy to understand while providing the resources needed to elevate your construction business. Here is a more in-depth look at what to expect from our modules: Module 1: The C.O.D.E Breaker: The Business FundamentalsThis module will encourage you to deep dive into your why and break the business C.O.D.E. You’ll be shown the importance of knowing why you started the business, how you can build a business while remaining authentic, and what needs to be done to ensure you create and support a solid foundation moving forward. During this module, you’ll discover how to successfully build a business in the construction industry, from the fundamentals and foundations to the growth. Lastly, we’ll review your vision, values, and purpose, show why these are critical areas, and allow you to establish a real business for you and your customers. Module 2: Your M.E.N.T.A.L Agility: The Entrepreneurial Mindset With this module, we’ll focus on self-leadership and how you should constantly be developing the ‘inner game’ or minder and the ‘outer game’ or action. The inner game consists of intention, self-awareness, self-confidence, and self-efficacy. These must be used to achieve personal mastery, while the outer game consists of influence and impact. M.E.N.T.A.L. agility is your key to all success and failure, meaning that without leading yourself, you’ll never find business success. For us, your M.E.N.T.A.L. agility is made of five key components that enable you to transition from owning a business to thinking and planning like an entrepreneurial business owner. Module 3: The T.I.M.E Multiple: Working ON or Working IN The point of this module is to help you understand that you can’t manage your time; you can only manage your use of time or your self-management skills. It’s vital to have strong self-management skills to be more successful at work. We’ll explore ways to help maximise your time and identify your High Payoff Activities. The T.I.M.E. multiplier is about accepting that you cannot do everything yourself. Instead, it would be best if you focused on your high-payoff activities. Our goal is to teach you to say it’s okay to say no. We’ll show you the importance of recognising the significance of all your decisions. Along with that, we focus on unique planning and defining processes to bring the future into the present. Module 4: The Business P.R.O.B.E: The Numbers Game Understanding your finances is essential as it allows you to make informed decisions that have the potential to make significant impacts on your business, growth, and even your bottom line. We want you never to leave money on the table again. When you know the difference between markup and margin, fixed and variable costs can make the difference between owning a business and the business owning you. Understanding your business numbers will increase your revenue and profitability and even grow your business. Module 5: High-Performance T.E.A.M.S: The Well-Oiled High-performing teams are more than a group that works together. A high-performing team has clear priorities and purposes and shares an understanding of how each team member or subcontractor prefers to approach work. The foundation of a high-performing team or business starts with trust. The development starts with creating an environment where leaders and team members can openly disclose which strengths they feel they bring to a team and what support they need to be their best selves. Truth is that all people’s problems directly reflect the business owner’s leadership and management. When a team doesn’t do things your way, they probably have no idea what your way is. Module 6: G.O.A.L.S: Setting & Defining the Accountability System Everyone works best with clearly defined goals, from completing a refurb on a budget or growing your construction business to over 10M annual profit. Remember the old saying, through a goal with a plan, is just a wish! We’ll teach you our tried and tested process for setting and achieving your objectives by focusing on what matters most. Reviewing your daily, weekly, and monthly goals, we can help you make high performance a habit. Best of all, you’ll create a detailed 12-month business development plan to get your personal and professional goals moving in the right direction. Meet the Construction Business Training Presenters Derrick Matheson: Training and Development Director and Trainer of Business Growth Academy A seasoned business owner, Derrick understands the challenges UK construction and property development professionals face. We have crafted a targeted program that simplifies growth, empowering entrepreneurs with easy-to-implement strategies.  Derrick’s mission is simple: to empower and equip ambitious entrepreneurs and professionals with the tools and knowledge necessary to thrive in today’s competitive market. The Business Growth Academy is a testament to his dedication, offering an innovative, step-by-step business-building process that demystifies the complexities of growth and unlocks the full potential of your enterprise. Stuart Mason: BGA’s Bold Training Manager, Lead Trainer, and Author of “How To Wreck Your Business Stuart, the fearless BGA Training Manager and Lead Trainer has turned his business failures into powerful lessons for others. As the author of “How To Wreck Your Business,” Stuart shares his hard-earned wisdom to help business owners avert the same pitfalls that led to the demise of his own company on its 20th anniversary. Stuart’s approach is refreshingly direct and unapologetically abrupt, cutting through the noise to deliver real-world insights that make a difference. Don’t expect a dry lecture on business theory from a dusty textbook; instead, Stuart offers a ‘streetwise’ perspective that is both practical and actionable, pushing you to uncover the answers that will make your business shine in a competitive market.

Whether it's for fun, friendship, fitness, or for your future, dancing is a great way to express yourself and grow. If you're looking for something fun and free, or something more technical and focused there's a dance class here for you. We hope you will enjoy your time at our dance school! An exciting and fresh dance school in Aberdeen, Scotland.

Fraud Prevention: A Guide for Small and Medium Sized Enterprises   Course Description   Copyright Ross Maynard 2021   Course Description Business fraud is a significant, and growing problem. Hardly a day goes by without news reports of organisations being hacked or having their data hijacked. Phishing scams and ID theft are also serious threats to businesses. According to data produced by Accenture, 43% of cyber attacks are aimed at small or medium sized organisations, but only 14% of those organisations are well protected. Around 60% of successful internet fraud cases are the result of phishing emails, and  30% of cases result from ID theft. These two approaches are increasingly being combined in business internet fraud. The aim of this course is to help managers in small or medium sized organisations understand the fraud risk that they face, and to take action to mitigate the risk. The course covers frauds risks, creating an anti-fraud culture and developing an fraud risk management strategy. The course comes with a fraud risk mini-audit and sample anti-fraud policies, and related policy documents. The best way to prevent fraud is to have clear anti-fraud policies and procedures which all staff understand, and which are rigorously enforced; coupled with an open, communicative environment, where staff feel safe and supported to question actions and raise concerns. To help your organisation put these elements in place, this course has five parts: Part 1: What is Fraud and Who Commits it? Part 2: Creating an Anti-Fraud Culture Part 3: Fraud Risk Management Part 4: Managing Bribery Risk Part 5: Appendices with sample anti-fraud policies, fraud response plans, a whistleblowing policy and anti-bribery policy.   I hope you find the course helpful.     Key Learning Points  On completion of the course, delegates will be able to: Define meaning and nature of business fraud Appreciate the variable nature of people’s honesty and how that can tip into fraud Understand the personality types of people who commit business fraud Identify the elements of an anti-fraud culture Explain the steps required to guard against internet fraud Understand the elements of a fraud risk management strategy Outline the sanctions available for those committing fraud Develop an Anti-Fraud Policy, Fraud Response Plan, Whistleblowing Policy and Anti-Bribery Policy for their organisation Begin to audit the level of fraud risk and bribery risk in their organisation     Curriculum Part 1: What is Fraud and Who Commits it? L1: What is Fraud? L2: The Variable Nature of Honesty Part 2: Creating an Anti-Fraud Culture L3: Creating an Anti-Fraud Culture L4: Internet Fraud and Cybercrime  Part 3: Fraud Risk Management L5: The Fraud Risk Management Strategy Part 1 L6: The Fraud Risk Management Strategy Part 2 L7: Sanctions for Fraud  L8: Tips to Help Prevent Fraud L9: The Fraud Risk Mini-Audit L10: Fraud Prevention Exercises Part 4: Managing Bribery Risk L11: The Bribery Act 2010 L12: The Bribery Risk Mini-Audit Part 5: Appendices Sample Anti-Fraud Policy 1 Sample Anti-Fraud Policy 2 Sample Fraud Response Plan 1 Sample Fraud Response Plan 2 Sample Whistleblowing Policy Sample Anti-Bribery Policy     Pre-Course Requirements There are no pre-course requirements     Additional Resources PDF copies of the following documents are provided with the course: Sample Anti-Fraud Policy 1 Sample Anti-Fraud Policy 2 Sample Fraud Response Plan 1 Sample Fraud Response Plan 2 Sample Whistleblowing Policy Sample Anti-Bribery Policy Sample Code of Ethics CIMA Fraud Risk Management Guide 2016 The Honesty Questionnaire The Fraud Risk Mini-Audit The Bribery Risk Mini Audit     Course Tutor Your tutor is Ross Maynard. Ross is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants in the UK and has 30 years’ experience as a process improvement consultant specialising in business processes and organisation development. Ross is also a professional author of online training courses. Ross lives in Scotland with his wife, daughter and Cocker Spaniel

Level 3 Assessor course formerly known as A1 TAQA course. Learn More Academy provides all level of Assessor courses in England, Wales and Scotland. This courses was formerly known as TAQA course and this qualification is intended for those who wish to gain an understanding of the principles and practices of assessment without any requirement to practice as assessors.

Selling Skills for Professionals: Part 2 Making the Sale   Course Description   Copyright Ross Maynard 2021   Course Description Welcome to Selling Skills for Professionals: Part 2 Making the Sale.   In Part 1 of Selling Skills for Professionals I covered prospecting, that is identifying potential future clients and making the initial approach. In this course, Part 2 of Selling Skills for Professionals, I cover the sales process – converting a prospect into a client. In Selling Skills for Professionals: Part 2 Making the Sale, I look at the skills you need for selling professional services and how to create a series of webinars to build prospects’ interest. I then cover a five-step sales process in detail: Understand the current situation Surface the pain points Exploring the impacts of the pain points Shape the future state Close the sale   The course also covers why people buy professional services, and why they might not buy; and it shows how to deal with objections.   Selling professional services is not like selling a car, or solar panels. It’s about building a relationship with a prospect as a professional advisor; coaching them through the challenges facing them; and offering services tailored to their needs which will help the prospect make tangible improvements.   If you want to know how to sell professional services successfully, this is the course for you.   I hope you enjoy the course.     Key Learning Points  On completion of the course, delegates will be able to: Describe a five-stage sales process for professional services Identify the core skillset needed for selling professional services Deploy best practice when creating webinars to engage prospects Explore a prospect’s current situation on an online video call Identify a prospect’s pain points and explore their root causes and impacts Coach a prospect to visualise the future state they would like to get to be resolving the problems identified Handle objections surfaced as the prospect moves towards closing the sale Understand why people buy professional services, and why they don’t buy Reduce buyer’s remorse and plan to develop the client relationship after the sale     Curriculum Module 1: The Foundations for Selling Professional Services Lesson 1: The Purpose of Prospecting Lesson 2: The Selling Professional Services Skillset Lesson 3: Moving Beyond Prospecting Lesson 4: Script for the Webinar Follow-Up Call   Module 2: Building a Case for the Sale Lesson 5: No Pain No Gain Lesson 6: Building a Case: Initial Diagnosis Lesson 7: Building a Case: Root Causes Lesson 8: Building a Case: Impacts Lesson 9: Building a Case: Shaping the Future State Lesson 10: Building a Case: The Gap   Module 3: Closing the Sale Lesson 11: Selling is about Change Lesson 12: A Time to Close  Lesson 13: Closing (At Last)   Module 4: Evasion and Objections Lesson 14: Evasion Lesson 15: Handling Objections Lesson 16: Specific Example of Objections Part 1 Lesson 17: Specific Example of Objections Part 2   Module 5: After the Sale Lesson 18: Aftercare Lesson 19: Key Learning Points     Pre-Course Requirements There are no pre-course requirements     Additional Resources None     Course Tutor Your tutor is Ross Maynard. Ross is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants in the UK and has 30 years’ experience as a process improvement consultant specialising in business processes and organisation development. Ross is also a professional author of online training courses. Ross lives in Scotland with his wife, daughter and Cocker Spaniel

UNV CCTV Training, covering off the fantastic protfolio of UNV CCTV products, looking at how to configure them, what manufcaturer tools are available and how to connect remotely and via mobile apps to installed systems.

Virtual talks from the @iaminprint #iamwritingfestival covering many aspects of #writing and #publishing, from character creation to marketing, #self-publishing to finding a #literary agent. These talks were delivered to live international audiences and can provide much #writinginspiration to #writers in the comfort of your own home. Immerse yourself in the festival fun, and leave feeling motivated.

Free silver clay jewellery workshop and festive Pop Up shop at The Arienas Collective Annual Open Day in Edinburgh City Centre