Skill Development Programs

Communication Imperatives - personal development for professionals

Your clients want to deal with professionals who are confident, knowledgeable and skilled in their practice areas.

You recruit professionals for their technical knowledge and skills. Ongoing technical development programs ensure that they are kept up to date. But how certain are you that they project the necessary confidence through their communication skills and presence?

Communication Imperatives will help develop more self-assurance in your practitioners by providing guidance on various aspects of communication, professional behaviour and presentation.

This program covers a wide range of material and has been specifically designed to account for professionals’ ability to rapidly absorb content whilst providing ample practice time.

You can do all or some of the following topics and modules can be arranged in various time formats to suit your needs:

• Knowing the different communication styles for different people
• Effective listening skills
• Communicating clearly – the message and the delivery
• Non-verbal communication and personal presentation
• Networking
• Dining etiquette
• Handling difficult situations

Managing the client/professional relationship

Business performance of a service provider depends not only on technical skills of the professional but also on the quality of the relationship between professional and client. Building skills in managing the client relationship is commercially vital. It assists to strengthen the client/professional relationship thereby providing greater opportunities for referrals and repeat business. It also protects against client defection by being alert for any signs that could threaten key business partnerships.

This workshop includes case studies and role-plays tailored to the participants’ own working environment.

Networking

A business network can be a rich source of work. Developing your network is low cost, low risk marketing and, for many areas of business, the single most effective tool in your marketing armoury.

Many people understand the significance of a good network of contacts but do not know how to effectively build one for themselves. Others do not use their networking opportunities well confusing socialising with strategic networking. Still others need to overcome a reluctance to participate in networking opportunities.

This program covers how to build a network as well as practical tips in handling networking opportunities.

Presentation skills

Giving a presentation can be a highly effective form of marketing yourself or you business and building the brand. The audience hears about your offerings and has time to consider you as a person with whom they may like to work.

Unfortunately most people find the prospect of making a presentation daunting. Where to start? How to organise all the information that you want to include? How to overcome nerves?

This one day workshop covers:

• How to craft a brilliant speech
• Use of voice and body language for best effect
• Things you often don’t consider (food before speaking, clothes, where to stand, etc)
• How to overcome nerves
• Dealing with impromptu requests

Selling skills for professional services

Has your firm increased its spend on marketing but found that it has not resulted in new work? The marketing department of a professional firm can go only so far in building business. Ultimately clients engage the practitioner that they want to deal with. Could it be that opportunities have not been converted because of a lack of business winning skills of practitioners?

Successful sales of significant products or services requires a distinctive approach that understands the increased time it takes to win a new client and takes into account the personality of the prospective client. Clients want to reduce risk, maximise return and importantly, trust that promises will be delivered and that they can build a strong and enduring relationship with the professional.

This effective sales training program titled “Is your marketing winning new business?” consists of four modules run over a minimum of a month.