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TIP  No 1

Understand and act on the 80/20 rule.

20% of your clients will bring in 80% of your business – so make sure you spend the appropriate time building relationships with your best clients – rather than spending too much time with clients who bring you nothing but grief!

TIP No 2

Look for every opportunity to stay in touch with your clients.

While the project is ongoing it’s easier, but don’t forget to keep working at it. When the project is over – that’s the difficult time. How do you keep in touch without being a nuisance?

Ideas:

Send them information: a newspaper/magazine article you think will interest them, a card on their birthday/promotion, request advice, refer possible job candidate, thank them for a referral, invite them to seminar, thank them for information, offer free consultation, offer lead on job search, provide information on potential customer, request name of supplier.

TIP No 3

Devise a ‘Relationship Building’ plan

For your major clients – the 20% who bring in 80% of your business – make a 6/12 month plan to stay in touch. Sit down with your colleagues and brainstorm ideas.

Example:

• Month 1: Win account – Visit client’s offices for further fact finding
• Month 2: Ask client to visit your offices to meet team and present on their business: issues and challenges
• Month 3: Networking event – cheese and wine, skittles?
• Month 4: Performance review

Circulate the plan to colleagues so that everybody knows what is going  to happen during the 6/12 months.

TIP No 4

Host a seminar

Make a presentation at your offices/hotel on a subject of current interest/concern to your industry. Invite all your clients. Include a light buffet so that you can network. Make sure all your colleagues know how to ‘work the room’ and don’t squander the company’s investment of time, energy and money by talking amongst themselves!

TIP No 5

Client Presentation

Invite your clients to present to you and your team about what they do, what they’re looking for, what problems they face etc

TIP No 6

Assign a Client Champion

Ask a colleague to be responsible for the client’s business. Get them to learn everything about it – don’t let yourselves be accused of not understanding the client’s business fears and concerns. Then ask them to present their knowledge to your in-house team so that everybody is brought up to speed.

TIP No 7

Work up the chain of command

Build relationships with people further down the chair of command – as they progress up the ladder they will take you with them.

TIP No 8

Use a questionnaire/survey

At the end of the project ask for their feedback. This will tell you how well you’ve done and give you pointers for the future. Identify every piece of feedback as an opportunity. It’s the most efficient and least costly way of getting information and understanding of your customer’s expectations about your products and services. Act on the feedback.

TIP No 9

Ask for a Referral

If you’ve done a good job the client will be delighted to sing your praises and will be pleased to ask to do something for you in return. So don’t be embarrassed to ask. Research suggests that only 42% of sales people have the courage to ask for a referral. Don’t waste a fantastic opportunity.

TIP No 10

Celebrate Success

Take the client and your team out to celebrate a job well done.

It isn’t easy! I call it the ‘Exit’ strategy. Here are some ways to help you:

No 1

Need . . . Must . . . Have
One of the problems of exiting a conversation is that we feel guilty about leaving the other person – thinking that they will feel that they are boring us. There are 3 really useful words that will help you exit a conversation professionally: . . need . . must . . have.

‘Excuse me. I need to put my name down for next week.’

‘Excuse me. I must speak to the new member before she leaves.’

‘Excuse me. I have to speak to the organiser about next month’s meeting.’

No 2

Tell the truth
This is such a sensible thing to do but because we feel embarrassed we can’t do it!

‘I’ve really enjoyed our conversation. I’ll catch up with you again next month.’

Don’t worry about leaving them – they have also probably come to the end of their conversation with you and will be delighted to move on.

No 3

Take them with you
If there are just 2 of you left in the conversation and you have exhausted the conversation and want to move on – then take them with you.

‘Shall we go and introduce ourselves to the group over there?’ In this way you can introduce them to the new group and when you’re ready – make a discrete exit.

No 4

Ask them if they want a drink
Because we are all so polite we don’t like to exit the conversation by saying we’re going to get ourselves a drink. We usually tag on: ‘Would you like one?’

However this can work to your advantage because while you’re getting them the drink, it’s possible that somebody else will engage them in conversation. It’s also highly possible that somebody will engage you in conversation near the bar. You can then take them back their drink and say:

‘Excuse me I’m talking to somebody over here.’ Or ‘Do carry on with your conversation. I’ll catch you later.’

No 5

Ask for a referral
Another way to make a graceful exit from a conversation is to ask the person you’re talking to if there is anybody in the room that they think you should meet. You then have an entry into the next conversation:

‘The woman I’ve just been talking to over there in the red dress tells me that I you’re the person to talk to about last week’s newsletter.

No 6

Exchange business cards
As you’re coming to the end of the conversation the issue of business cards will raise its head. (Make sure you don’t fall into the trap of giving out business cards at the beginning of the conversation – this is called a cardboard exchange!) I have to say that I no longer hand out my business cards to all and sundry – I wait until someone asks me for it – what’s the point of giving your card to somebody who doesn’t want it! I only exchange cards with somebody who I can help or can possibly help me.

No 7

Discuss any Follow up
If you don’t follow up any useful leads there was no point in meeting the person in the first place.

‘It’s been great talking to you. I’ll contact you in a couple of days to get a date

when we can meet.’

Again I have to say that I follow up with very few people. My attitude is that I simply want to make an impression so that people remember me the next time we meet or they have a need for my services and remember me and our conversation. I hate it when I attend an event and the next day get emails from hordes of people I didn’t meet the night before. I have no relationship with them. Make sure if you say you’re going to follow up – then you do – preferably in the next couple of days.

No 8

Thank them for the conversation

You’ve been talking to the person for a while now and you both obviously want to move on. You’ve possibly exchanged business cards and discussed any follow up. Now let them know that the conversation is coming to an end by thanking them for the conversation:

‘Thank you so much for the conversation. I’ve really enjoyed talking to you.

No 9

Shake hands

Signal you are about to leave the group by shaking hand with the person/persons who are left in the group. Make sure the handshake is firm. This is a really important non verbal clue as to the kind of person you are. We all know how we feel when we’re on the receiving end of a wet fish!

No 10

Move Away

Turn and move purposefully away from the group and decide which new group you are now going to enter – where the whole process starts all over again.

All of this is called ‘working the room’ and a professional exit strategy is essential if you are going to use your time wisely at networking events.

You have only minutes to influence the board, win the contract, beat the competition, motivate your staff, convince the boss – can you do it?

You can – if you invest, time, money and effort in Presentation Skills training. For the past 18 years I’ve helped over 10,000 people to more effectively present themselves and their ideas and particularly to overcome their fears of public speaking. It is a skill that can be rapidly learnt!

So what does it take to put together an effective presentation? There are several key areas:

The first area is the body. Your body is an instrument for holding the audience’s attention. So use it.  Most of us use our bodies very badly – terrified in the knowledge that we are centre stage and all eyes are riveted on us. They are – so you might as well accept it and use your body as the instrument that it is: a wonderful tool for building rapport with the audience. So how do we use our bodies more effectively?

Have courage and come out from behind the barricades. Don’t stand behind a table or a podium. Don’t sit down. I know that you probably feel more comfortable doing this. But you are far more interesting to the audience when they can see all of you rather than just your chest upwards.

Don’t clasp you hands behind your back. Men seem very partial to this one! Very often this is accompanied by rocking on the feet  – rather like Policeman Plod! This posture tends to look very unnatural and even pompous.

Don’t hold hands with yourself. Either you look as though you are going to sing an aria from grand opera or you adopt the ‘fig-leaf’ position. I find that occasionally women have a tendency to lower the head, look coy and to splay out one leg. There is nothing strong or assertive about these postures.

Both men and women tend to stand on one hip then the other. It looks totally off balance and becomes repetitive – so much so that members of the audience become totally preoccupied with your swaying hips and don’t listen to what you are saying.

Another typical posture is to fold the arms. It might feel comfortable but probably consciously or unconsciously you are putting up a barrier between you and your audience. Your audience needs to feel that you want to be there so use large open gestures. They build warmth and rapport.  (Think about how you sit in meetings? interviewing? negotiating?)

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Another classic mistake in my opinion is to put hands in pockets. It can look over relaxed. You have undoubtedly noticed how many speakers then proceed to spend the whole of their presentations jangling their money or playing with their car keys and the audience is probably wondering exactly what the speaker is doing with their hands?

Now I know why we fall into these bad habits. It’s because we are agonised by these things at the end of our arms – we don’t know what to do with them!  I encourage people in my courses to be as natural as they possibly can when they stand in front of an audience. Use yourself! People are usually very animated in normal conversation but stand them up in front of a group and they immediately look like pencils – nothing moves!

So use your body as the instrument that it is. Stand centred. Feel tall, strong, powerful, professional. Imagine that you have a golden thread from the top of your head and it’s pulling you up to the ceiling. Move purposefully – otherwise you’ll get rooted to the spot with fear and tension. It’s incredibly boring for your audience watching you get stuck in quick-set cement. Use your arms and hands to make effective, meaningful gestures. Gestures make you so much more interesting to look at. Show enthusiasm with your whole body. If you are not enthusiastic about your topic just think how the audience is feeling. Do smile. If you smile at the audience they will smile back at you. Smiling is wonderful for building warmth and rapport and you will appear as a normal human being not cold, aloof and not wanting to be there. The British are very good at the stiff upper lip mentality. We think it is bad form to let any concern, anger, commitment, passion come through. It can make us very boring speakers.

The second area that needs to be considered in making ourselves more effective speakers is the voice. Just as the body is an incredible instrument for getting our message across, so is the voice. Do you use yours? Most people I work with never consider their voices – never think of using them to maximum effect. How many times have you been bored rigid by a speaker’s monotonous dirge?

Use your voice: Vary the pitch and pace to hold the audience’s attention. Be dramatic. Don’t worry about your accent.  Make sure that you slow down and enunciate clearly. Don’t speak too quickly and show everybody how nervous you are. Don’t use fillers: er, um, I mean, you know. Use pauses. Pauses are wonderful. They give you audience time to assimilate your words. They give you time to think about what is coming next. They also give you the opportunity to control yourself, to slow yourself down, to breathe deeply and to control nerves. Improve your voice by practising breathing deeply; read aloud to your children every day and really ‘act out’ the characters; practice speaking from the diaphragm not the throat.

Remember your body and voice together are dynamite! People will never fall asleep on you if you use these instruments effectively.

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Another very important instrument to use in your presentations: your eyes. In our society eye-contact is essential. If we don’t look people in the whites of their eyes people can say disparaging things about us: shifty, dishonest, untrustworthy, timid, shy, sly, cold, aloof, calculating. In our society people expect good eye contact. Use your eyes to let your audience know that you are looking at them and you expect a response.  So don’t look over the audience’s head, don’t look at the ceiling for inspiration, don’t study patterns in the carpet, don’t gaze out of the nearest window, don’t frantically flit from one face to another, don’t pick out one pleasant looking person on the front row and look at them only. You will only embarrass them and the rest of the audience will feel left out and switch off.

Use your eyes as instruments to build warmth and rapport with your audience. Make a conscious effort to look at everyone in a small group. For larger groups give the impression that you are looking at them all. You won’t be able to but if you use your eye effectively they will think that you are. Divide the group into 4 quarters and look at each quarter in turn. Hold people’s eyes momentarily. Remember to sparkle. Eyes must be alive with the message. If your eyes are not sparkling with the enthusiasm of your message, nobody in the audience will light up. I constantly point out to delegates on the first day of a course that their eyes are glazed over with fear and tension – they can’t see anybody or anything. By the second day, once they have had the opportunity to practice the right techniques, eye contact rapidly improves.

Turning now to the mechanics of putting the presentation together.  I still find it amazing the number of people who arrive on my courses clutching scripts for even the simplest of presentations. I believe that scripts are an audience turn-off. They cause so many problems. Quite frankly I don’t want to be read to from pieces of paper and they don’t give me faith in the presenter’s knowledge of their subject if they have to read every word to me.

One of their major problems is that scripts form a barrier between you and your audience. They don’t build rapport. Presenters have to put their scripts on a desk or podium. There is little effective eye-contact because of the fear of losing one’s place. I would suggest that when presenters read they are usually not thinking of the content – they are just reading. The audience watches the presenter turn over page after page and starts to count the pages rather than listen to the content. I believe the only possible need to use a script is when you are speaking to hundreds at the company’s  annual convention and your words are acting as cues to an amazing light and sound show going on simultaneously! As most of us will never be in this situation I recommend to all the people I work with only to use cue cards. I know that once delegates have had the opportunity to practice using cards most of them will never use a script again. Cue cards have so many advantages.

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First of all you have to use them effectively. I recommend that you only put key words on your cards – the words that are going to act as your memory joggers – to remind you of the words you had planned to say. Don’t write out the whole of your script on cue cards otherwise you will be back to square one – reading from a script. By using key words only you will have to think about what you had planned to say and then talk to your audience about it. I believe this makes you sound like a normal human being – because we only have normal everyday conversational words in our head. You know what happens to us when we read from a script. We use a very verbose, complex written form of English. So that we tend to sound like technical robots rather than ourselves. As well as being forced to think and therefore talk in a natural style, cue cards also allow more effective eye-contact because the presenter thinks of what they want to say and then talks to the audience about it. Cue cards allow us to use our bodies to advantage rather than clutching at pieces of paper. They fit neatly into one hand. They even give you something to do with your hands. Try not to cling on to them but use them in alternate hands. Do remember to number them and don’t write on the back – for obvious reasons!

The last major area that needs to be considered in order to make effective presentation is the structure/outline of the talk. There are 3 words that will keep you on track for any impromptu speech, any formal/informal talk, any letter, any report:
Introduction, Development and Conclusion. It is such a simple format and yet how many of us use it? I believe that if we use such a structure we will sound competent, confident and professional.

I always use 3 ingredients in my Introduction. The first one is an attention getter – a very carefully thought out opening sentence that is going to grab the audience’s attention. Apply the ‘right first time’ concept. You cannot start again. It has to be good. Perhaps you could start with a question, an important statement of fact, a statistic, a quotation. The second of my key ingredients for a successful introduction is that you must apply the talk to your audience’s needs – what’s in it for them. They won’t listen otherwise. The third ingredient is make sure you give the title of the talk. The audience will feel much more confident in you if you tell them why you have gathered them all together.

The Development of the presentation spells out to the audience the areas you intend to develop and then they wait for you to develop them. It’s like showing them a menu. A simple and effective example of this would be: Past, Present, Future. Don’t ramble from one obtuse idea to another – the audience will not be able to follow you. They will dream instead.

An effective conclusion in my opinion needs several ingredients. The first thing to remember is to re-get the audience’s attention  – let them know you are finishing. One of the best ways to do this is to say:  ‘In conclusion . . . ‘ You can see the audience prick their ears up and get ready for the end. Then re-appeal to their

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needs – remind them how by listening to you has helped them. Don’t forget to then restate the topic of the presentation. Some of them might have forgotten what you are talking about by this stage! Remind them also of the areas you have developed in your development section. Make sure that you finish with a really strong closing statement: your recommendation, your proposal, a close of sale. Don’t say ‘That’s about it’ and fall off the end of the stage!

There are obviously other areas that have to be considered in order to make your presentation as effective as you possibly can. In order to do them justice they actually need further articles of this length so just a few brief comments for you to consider. One of people’s first questions to me on my courses is: ‘But what about the Visual Aids?’ I personally feel that people use visual aids very badly. We use them as a crutch to hide behind. The best piece of advice is to use them only when your words are not enough and then to make sure that they are visual and not verbal. You will realise that you have spent many hours looking at boring words on a boring screen.

Another area of concern for people is Dress. Again this is an article in itself. The  most useful piece of advice that I give to my delegates is: ‘Wear what your audience expect to see – you are the representative of your company.’ We also know that if we look good then we feel better and it gives us the professional edge.

One final comment about controlling nerves. If you do not control your body then it will control you!  This means that you have to know the parts of your body that cause you problems when you make presentations and take steps to control them.  As you sit in your chairs while you are waiting to make your presentation – work on your bodies. This might mean for you tensing and relaxing your shaking legs, working on the tension in your throat, telling your hands to relax and calming your heart rate through breathing deeply. The next thing I recommend is to visualise yourself in your mind as giving the presentation and everything is going absolutely according to plan. You are being incredibly successful. You must then also use self-assertion techniques: ‘I can give this presentation very effectively and I will give this presentation very effectively.’ Get rid of all negatives. They will destroy you. Only think positives. Positive thinking will get you everywhere.

In conclusion we’ve looked at the essential ingredients that must be considered in order to make an effective presentation. We’ve discussed the body. It is an instrument and must be used as such in order to hold the audience’s attention. So is the voice. It’s an invaluable tool to keep the audience with us. Use eye-contact to build warmth and rapport. Use cue cards, not a script, so that you can sound like a normal human being – not a robot. Finally remember an effective structure to the presentation – hold the audience’s hands and pull them through.

So the next time you have only minutes to influence the board, win the contract, beat the competition, motive your staff, convince the boss put these ideas into place and remember what the Peacock knows – the value of a great presentation.

The article was by Lucy Kellaway and was titled: Anti Powerpoint Revolutionaries Unite.  Like my first client, I’m sure some of you will remember that I’ve always maintained that you are the best visual aid that there is so why give centre stage to a screen? When clients have accused me of not liking visuals my answer has always been that I do like them – provided that they are visual and not verbal and that they are used when the words are not enough.

According to the article, interested people are being invited to join a new political party that has started in Switzerland called the Anti PowerPoint Party. ‘Finally Do Something’ is its slogan. The AntiPowerPoint Party has attempted to calculate the economic damage of spending millions of hours looking at mind blowingly boring slides and has concluded that Europe wastes 110 billion euros a year from people sitting through dull presentations. Apparently the APPP is hoping to fight PowerPoint through peaceful means.  It wants  journalists like Lucy Kellaway to write articles – so this is my attempt to demonstrate by peaceful means!

I’ve always believed people cling to visuals for a variety of reasons:  because everybody else does, people expect you to use them, it’s easier to put up bullet points and then talk around them rather than carefully devise a talk and of course nervous presenters use visuals to hide behind. None of this has changed in the 25 years I’ve been helping people to present.

So – what to do? I’m currently working with clients to win business pitches for huge contracts and increasingly we are told by the potential client that they don’t want a powerpoint presentation – they want us to talk to them with a few visuals. So how about going back to basics -  using yourself and when you’re not enough – story boards, upmarket flip charts, using visuals for charts, graphs, flow diagrams, pie charts, cartoons, pictures, elevations, photographs and then if you’re in the more creative areas – video clips, fly throughs.

Finally Powerpoint has been around for a long time and will continue to be so unless the Anti-PowerPoint Party wins a devastating victory. Best piece of advice I can give you and have given for the past 25 years: People buy People – the client looks at you and your team and says: ‘Do I like them? Can I work with them? Do I trust them?’ They don’t say: ‘What a fantastic powerpoint presentation!

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No 1

Make Presentations

This is the very best way to increase your visibility – inside and outside your company. It’s also one of people’s greatest fears and why so many people don’t use this opportunity to get known. Make sure it’s a skill you possess – go on a course and learn the techniques – it’s all about having the right techniques and then practising them. Don’t be reactive and wait for the presentation to come to you – be proactive – push yourself forward – find opportunities to speak – it’s the very best way to let people know you exist.

No 2

Speak up at meetings

Isn’t it amazing the number of meetings we attend and so many of the people there say nothing at all. What are meetings for other than to speak and let your views be known? Your company pays you to speak at meetings – not stay silent. So be proactive. For some of us it’s very daunting when we realise that we haven’t spoken yet and the nerves kick in.

A tip for you – as soon as you go into the room before the meeting begins – say anything: ‘Hello David – Good holiday?’ ‘It’s hot in here – is it OK if I open a window?’

Once you’ve heard your voice in that situation, it will be much easier to speak again once the meeting begins

No 3

Be Mobile

Like Ms Visibility take every opportunity to get known. Get out from behind your computer screen, get out of your chair and speak to people. Don’t send emails to people in the same department, on the same floor, sitting behind you – get out of your chair and talk to them. It’s so much better to see the whole person and to read their body language. That’s how you make an impression on them. Haven’t some of us got into terrible trouble for badly thought out emails and people have totally misunderstood what we were trying to say. Talk face to face.

No 4

Volunteer

One of the very best ways to really get the most out of things is to volunteer. It gives you the excuse you need to really get involved – so be proactive – put yourself forward for job that needs doing. Be helpful and people will really notice you and know you exist!

No 5

Dress the Part

This is a tricky area as we all have different ideas on what is appropriate and what isn’t. It depends of course on the kind of person we are and the job that we do. Research suggests that people have an impression of us within the first 3 seconds of meeting – so if that’s true then our visual image is vital. So in my opinion it makes sense to look good. I always say to my clients that if you look good you feel better – more professional. There’s also an interesting saying on this: ‘Dress not for the job that you have but for the job that you want!’ The way we dress undoubtedly makes an impression on people.

No 6

Attend events and conference

The best thing about conferences is the people you meet!
A tip for you: stand up, give your name and ask a question. I remember getting more notice from delegates by asking one question than I did by manning a stand for three days! Volunteer to help out. Let people know in your company that you are attending the conference; ask their advice on which speakers are worth listening to; do they have any questions you can ask on their behalf. After the conference, write a report or much better still make a presentation to your department/company about what you have learnt.

No 7

Become a great networker

In order to increase your visibility you need to get out and about as often as you can. You need to understand the importance of networking. It’s not just at events but also taking time to get to know your colleagues. Don’t worry about what you’re going to say – concentrate on being a great listener. Don’t forget it’s the people you meet who will probably find you your next job – they are your eyes and ears into the outside world.

It takes time, energy and effort to become a Ms Visibility – especially when for some of us it doesn’t come easily and we are too busy hanging on by our fingertips to the JOB. But if people don’t know that we exist – doing a fantastic job – working for a wonderful company then what’s the point?

Tip Number 1: Pretend it’s your party!

When you’re hosting an event in your home or office you make sure that everybody feels comfortable. It’s the same at a business function – give yourself permission to work the room.

Tip Number 2: Change the tapes in your head!

These tapes limit our potential. We’re excellent at: ’I can’t’ – change it to: ’I can.’ We’re great at: ’I made a total fool of myself’ – change it to: ’I learnt from that.’ We were told and we tell our children not to speak to strangers only to find in the working world that we have to speak to strangers – so start speaking to them.

Tip Number 3: Make the first move!

It’s not risky – you won’t die. I lived in North America for 7 years and the best thing that living there taught me was to go everywhere with my hand outstretched – ’Hello I’m Judith Gilmore – how lovely to meet you.’ People who are agonised at networking events will think you are wonderful if you make the first move and make them feel comfortable.

Tip Number 4: Remember names

Our names are really precious to us so show respect to the person you’re speaking to by remembering their name. I’ve heard a lot of strange techniques and gimmicks over the years about remembering names – for me the easiest and best is to repeat their name a few times after they’ve been introduced to get it into your head. That’s how we learn – by repetition.

Tip Number 5: Be prepared

If you are agonised at networking events then take some time as you drive your car or take a few minutes in the car park to think through what you could talk about. What’s happening in the world – what’s happening in your industry – what’s the common reason for everybody gathering together – be ready to fill those awkward pauses.

Tip Number 6: Look approachable

Check your body language – make sure that you look open, smiling and friendly. Encourage people into your group – make them feel comfortable – take the responsibility of introducing them to others.

Tip Number 7: Have a plan

Too many people arrive half way through an event, look for the people they know and end up talking to the people they’ve worked with all day. What a waste of your time and energy. Have a list of the delegates faxed to you before the event and decide who you want to meet and then make the effort to meet them.

Tip Number 8: Have an exit strategy

Don’t feel awkward about leaving one person or a group of people. I’ve often watched people stay together for hours because they don’t know how to move on! Try saying I must, I need, I have to . . . ’I have to speak to the treasurer before he leaves . . .’. This implies that it’s not that his/her conversation is boring but rather you have a agenda you must keep to. And it’s true – you do. This is your precious time so make it work for you.

Tip Number 9: Use don’t abuse networking

We all stay well clear of people who do nothing but talk at us and sell their products/services in an aggressive manner. Learn to listen more than you speak. People will love you for it. Keep in the forefront of your mind what you can do to help others – building relationships is a slow process. People need to know, like and trust you before they will buy from you.

Tip Number 10: Follow up

There is no point in attending these networking events if you don’t have a system for keeping in touch with those people who are of interest to you. What’s your system? A diary, electronic organiser, notebook, contact management programme? Make sure you contact people within a week of meeting them.

So the next time you go to a networking event if you find working the room a daunting experience then be prepared, put a smile on your face, think positively, remember the 10 tips and be amazed at the number of interesting people that there are waiting to meet you.

Further information:

Building Networks to Generate Business

Is your company organised for effective networking? Do you have a strategy in place?

At business functions do you ‘work the room’ or speak to the people you have been with all day?

There are thousands of contacts to be made. Everybody is talking about Networking but few people know how to do it effectively.

This workshop will illustrate the professional and personal profits of networking inside and outside the company.

View details on Building Networks to Generate Business

How to Attract New Clients and Win Their Business

This one day seminar combines the vital ingredients of firstly getting as many leads as possible and secondly converting a percentage of them into business with your selling skills!

View details on How to Attract New Clients and Win Their Business

Pitching to Win

This course consists of a series of training and coaching sessions – working with the team who are responsible for winning major business accounts.

View details on Pitching to Win

So what are some of the ingredients you need to think about in order to make your people look and sound like a team and win the pitch.

First of all make sure you choose the right people to present. This isn’t as easy as it sounds. You obviously want to put forward your best presenters and senior members of staff but I find that more and more clients want to hear from the people who are actually going to be doing the work. These people tend to be more junior and are not polished presenters – so start training them! A good tactic is to have a senior member of staff to top and tail the presentation to show the potential client that they will be overseeing the whole process and will bring the gravitas required to the project but the meat of the presentation is hearing from the people ‘on the ground’.

Not only have you got to assemble the right people it’s also imperative to think through the personalities you’re going to be presenting to. I know that sometimes you have no idea who and what you’re going to have to face during the Pitch but I also know that very often you know exactly who is going to be there so use this knowledge to your advantage. Is there going to be a chief decision maker? What kind of a person is he/she? Very crudely there are 4 different personality styles – I call them Director, Socialiser, Relator and Thinker. So if you’re pitching to a lot of thinkers they want to know exactly how it’s going to work, they want to hear the pros and cons, they want lots of diagrams and charts, they don’t want to be rushed into a decision so perhaps blue sky thinking, flamboyant, enthusiastic language, whizzy fly-throughs are not a good idea!