Package 1 Become a confident and effective networker
Why this? In these lean economic times, it’s crucial that opportunities for business development aren’t missed through a lack of strategy, skill and support.
Who is this for? Professionals with a responsibility for business development and those who want to brush up on their basic networking skills. It is also suitable for other staff who are either inexperienced or reluctant networkers.
What does it cover?
Session 1 focuses on what do before, during and after a typical event to maximise the time and opportunity. Delegates will learn how to:
- Take a strategic approach to developing new relationships
- Prepare so that they’re networking with a purpose – using a checklist
- Get started in busy room when they don’t know anybody
- Remembering names
- Get in and out of conversations easily
- Have the effective 5-step networking conversation
- Demonstrate their credibility through using conversational stories
- Follow up professionally without being a pest
- Use on and offline channels to generate leads
- Avoid making the one mistake that will ruin their chances of being successful.
8 – 10 week practice period where delegates will:
- Use all their session 1 learning in real-life networking scenarios
- Record their experience
Session 2:
This bespoke session will address any challenges faced and further increase your lead-generating ability. Typically this will also include some online networking training.
What format does it take?
- Two half day sessions, 8-10 weeks apart, at your premises
- Fortnightly networking tips reminding you of points covered (for a 6 month period)
- A telephone coaching call with each individual.
- A review meeting to monitor progress.
How many can attend the session?
Typically 10 – 12 people
“I recently attended Melissa’s networking workshops and found them to be invaluable, and have certainly helped me in building confidence and ideas to use when networking with external clients.
As a result, the bank hired her to talk at one of our conferences to a room of managers looking to imporove their skills. The talk was well prepared, extremely relevant to our business, and certainly provoked a lot of thought within the room. The feedback received after the event was extremely positive, due in part to Melissa’s unique and interesting presentation style.
I would have no hesitation at all in promoting Melissa’s services to anyone looking to improve their skills in business networking and winning over new business, and I am sure we will look to work with her again.” Steve Jones Premier Relationship Manager HSBC
Please click here to contact Melissa for more information
Package 2: Make yourself Memorable: Ensure key people remember you and the value you create.
Why this? Our lead generating ability is directly correlated to the way we describe our proposition. Given its importance, it is rarely given the attention it deserves by technical professionals. This can mean opportunities are missed as people don’t remember what we do or why we’re different.
Who is this for? Professionals who struggle to convey their proposition in a concise, interesting and memorable way. It will be valuable for managers, leaders and those involved in sales or marketing.
What does it cover? Having studied what make some people and their propositions more memorable than others I have pulled together 7 principles. This communication skills workshop shows you how to apply them to your unfolding business development conversations.
By the end of the session you will have:
- Techniques to ensure people want to hear what you have to say
- 3 concise, clear and conversational introductions that you feel confident using
- A formula for telling stories that demonstrate your credibility
- A memorable metaphor to illustrate your offering or positioning
- Identified ways to keep strengthening your key relationships – without being a pest
- An understanding of how to avoid being remembered for the wrong reasons
- Increased your confidence, motivation to get out there and meet more prospects.
What format does it take?
- One half day session at your premises
- Fortnightly tips reminding you of points covered (for a 6 month period)
- A telephone coaching call with each individual.
How many can attend the session?
10 – 12 people
“The open workshop was so valuable that I have organised for the rest of my team to go on the programme. It has stimulated a whole new way of talking about our offer – one which is going down much better with prospects. Not usually one to be gushy…this was one of the best training sessions I have attended.”
David Waldman, MD Five Hats International Ltd
Please click here to contact Melissa for more information
Package 3: Focused Networking
Why this?
You’ll be aware that your success in your role is closely linked to who you know. This programme will take a snapshot of your network, help you to exploit any untapped potential, leverage key contacts and expand your reach. You will be taken through a step by step approach to focus your efforts, enhance your effectiveness and thus increasing the value of your network.
Who is this for?
- Professionals who rely on their network for leads but who have received little or no training in strategic networking. It is highly focused on ensuring you’re getting in front of the right people, so is suitable for professionals who are clear on their target market.
- Professionals with limited time, who are frustrated with attending pointless networking events that don’t seem to deliver results.
- Business people who are new to the area and need to build up their network
- Those professionals who are breaking into new markets
What will it cover?
You will learn how to:
- Identify your key players both inside and outside your network
- Focus your efforts by assessing and prioritising your contacts
- Leverage the low hanging fruit within your network
- Create an action plan to deepen key relationships
- Develop a number of ways of demonstrating your credibility
- Systematise the process of building relationships to ensure effective use of your time
- Maximise the opportunities that Linked In offers to develop new and deepen existing relationships.
How does it work?
This is a bespoke programme which focuses on where you need to be going and who you need to be building relationships with. The 3 sessions are run over a six month period at a frequency determined by you. Each lasts 2 hours and takes place at your premises. There is also scope for telephone coaching after the 3 sessions are completed.
What others have said:
“Melissa helped me identify the strengths and weaknesses in my network and develop a plan to use it more effectively. Since I started working with Melissa, my networking has been more deliberate, and purposeful, and I’ve noticed a marked change in results! George Mills, Sales Director Fibixio
“It can be difficult to pin down all the people in your network and keep tabs on who you should be talking to. Your process has helped me do just that. Being a highly visual person, the tool has helped me in ways that a CRM can’t.” James Cook, MD Spider Group
“It was interesting and very valuable to note how you categorised my network. Plus you’ve given me some real clarity and answers to a positioning problem that I’ve been having for some time. I really like tools that help me to keep focused and yours certainly does. It’s going straight up on my wall. This was a very good use of 2 hours.” Lee Cottier Think Productive
Please click here to contact Melissa for more information
121 Coaching Programmes
You can choose from a range of programmes and packages to suit your budget – and we can bespoke a coaching package to meet your individual needs.
Typically, we find that sustainable change only happens after a minimum of three coaching sessions – but our coaching packages are delivered on a rolling monthly basis, so you can stop them at any point.
One of the first questions our clients tend to ask us is – how much does coaching cost? Our coaching packages range from £95 to £1250 per month.
Please click here to contact Melissa for further information
Popular coaching programmes include:
1. Make your message memorable (help to explain your offer – especially useful if you sell something that is abstract, a hard-to-differentiate service, or if you’re giving a talk, plus creative ways to reinforce your message)
2. Strategic networking: (how to decide where you should be going, who you should be building relationships with, how best to approach prospects, how to talk about your offer, how to follow up effectively)
3. Basic social media (deciding which tools to use, how not to waste your time, get started on Linked In and Twitter, integrating them with your marketing plan, tips to maintain momentum)
4. Bespoke coaching. Why might you opt for this? Having an external person with whom you can get some perspective, test your thinking and keep you accountable can prove invaluable to your productivity, profitability and happiness.
Tailored to the issues you want to explore, flexible to meet your specific learning needs and private and confidential in the way other learning and development interventions aren’t. This means no time’s lost on irrelevancies.
An experienced external coach with knowledge of the industry will help you emerge from sessions clear eyed and confident in your decision making. Through identifying blocks and plugging skills gaps, coaching really does enhance performance.
Every coaching session with Melissa has been both a pleasure and productive. She’s helped me to think through some tricky issues, always being inventive and offering new approaches to achieve a successful outcome. She listens well and is always ready with good questions that make the best next steps apparent: whether it’s considering a career path or managing colleagues.
Steve Sayers Operations Director, Futurelab
Both my boss and peers have noted my increased confidence in leading my team, through what has been a challenging time. Furthermore you have opened my eyes as to how to use internal and external contacts to help me contribute and achieve at a higher level. Each session left me with lots to think about as well as some quick win ideas to implement immediately.
Head of Design of a major publisher
“I’m convinced you have helped me to grow in a very short time…so much so that I have asked if I can continue to be coached here in France to keep on developing myself.” Arnaud Perrin, Operations Manager, Coca Cola Enterprises