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Free Small and Medium Sized Business Support Programmes
The SME Knowledge Network @ Bradford University School of Management, a World Class Business School.
June 2009
Leading Successful Change
2nd and 3rd June (2 day workshop)
Leading Successful Change helps leaders develop the skills they need to bring about lasting change with minimum disruption to operations. It provides them with specific guidance and the opportunity to work with a toolkit of practical techniques for engaging their people positively in achieving change. Key learning outcomes include:
· Understand the root causes of why people struggle with change – the 5 forces of change
· Learn lessons from a variety of case study examples from business and public organisations
· Work together to apply practical techniques for avoiding the pitfalls of change and for engaging people positively with change
· Learn how to equip your senior and middle managers to become successful change leaders in their own areas
· Learn how to embed change within your organisation so that it sticks
If you would like to sign up to this event please contact us on [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>
Mediation in context
3rd and 4th June (2 day workshop)
Mediation for Managers provides participants with a thorough understanding of the principles and practices of mediation, and how best to apply them when employees are in dispute. The workshop gives participants improved communication and problem solving skills and allow them to work more effectively with complex and highly emotional complaints. Participants will learn how to effectively persuade staff and service users to resolve complaints through mediation and how to structure an effective mediation session. By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:
- Understand the common reasons for workplace conflict
- Identify the key concepts of mediation
- Successfully persuade employees to participate in mediation
- Structure a effective face-to-face mediation session
- Use effective communication skills to build rapport and identify the interests of employees
- Help employees take a constructive approach to conflict that involves looking for win/win agreements
- Improve communication and understanding between employees
- Identify how mediation can fit into their organisation’s strategic approach to managing employee disputes
If you would like to sign up to this event please contact us on [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>
Exit Strategy - Evening Workshop - 9th June
Heaton Mount, Bradford University School of Management
5.00 - 5.30pm registration, followed by the speakers and then a networking buffet at 7.15pm
This session helps to pull the jigsaw together – what are the short and medium term preparations for sale or succession. What exactly should you be thinking about when it comes to moving on? How do you realise the value in the business – what are the key valuation methods? How do you make sure it’s in a safe pair of hands? Intermediaries – who should you be talking to and what about? Preparation up front is important – a business needs to be in a fit and attractive state to pass it on, don’t leave until the last minute, forewarned is forearmed.
If you would like to sign up to this event please contact us on [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>
Influencing and Negotiation
9th and 10th June (2 day workshop)
The successful leader builds and maintains contacts within and outside the organization, challenges conventional thinking and introduces new perspectives. Influencing and negotiations have a lasting impact on organizational performance and culture. Yet, we tend to negotiate without preparation, resulting in poor outcomes and unworkable relationships. This workshop explores the need for effective influencing skills, considers influencing strategies and explores best practice negotiation practices. Key areas that will be addressed in the group are:
• Mapping your preferred influencing style
• Identifying strengths and limitations
• Preferred behaviour characteristics
• The negotiating process, including buyer and seller strategies and planning for negotiation
• Negotiation phases, including recognition signals
• Making and controlling concessions
• Managing the finish/closing the deal.
If you would like to sign up to this event please contact us on [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>
Working on Sales
8th and 15th June (staggered 2 day workshop)
This is a staggered two day workshop taking you from basic to advanced sales skills working in the real context of your own businesses’ sales issues and working out what you need to do to take your business to the next level in sales. It will develop your understanding of the mindset of your customers and getting close to them, and then how to manage the relationship and customer contact through to sale and after. Key areas that will be addressed in the group are:
· The Psychology of Selling
· Motivating & Relating to Customers & Clients
· The Power of the Telephone as a Sales Tool
· Promoting, Presenting & Packaging Your Products & Services
· Managing Successful Sales Meetings
· Making a Successful Sales Presentation
· Objection Management
· Negotiation Techniques
· Preparing a Powerful Proposal
· Closing the Deal – Techniques to Increase Your Closure Rate
· Sales Forecasting – Focusing Efforts on Winnable Business
· Building a Sales Network
If you would like to sign up to these events please contact us on [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>
Director Support Network
This Network is FREE and encompasses small groups of Directors working together to identify and unpack business problems and formulate ways of tackling these from the experience of the group. Group sessions are professionally facilitated and can be supported by coaching in between sessions which allows you to embed solutions in the workplace and to keep a check on implementation. Additional expert advice, should it be required, is drawn into the group. If the group decides it needs a specific knowledge input, whatever that might be, for example on marketing or strategy. Research indicates this is one of the most effective Learning and Support mechanisms for Directors.
Group sessions last for a morning or an afternoon and there are typically about six meetings in a six month period. If you would like to sign up to the Director Support Network please contact us on [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>
Owen Whitehouse
Associate Director
SME Knowledge Network
E-mail: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>
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