GB Training Blog

Reading list - Coaching & Leadership

gary@gbtraining.com — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 16:17:00 GMT

Here's a short list of some of our favourite books on the subjects of coaching and leadership. None of these are particularly heavy reads but they all have a pragmatic approach with useful tips for implementation that have stood the test of time.

Tags: Leadership,coaching,reading

Coaching works!

gary@gbtraining.com — Wed, 26 May 2010 16:36:00 GMT

One of our long-standing clients has recently asked us not only to design and deliver their sales training programmes, but also to get out on the road (in this case it’s a very long road consisting of nearly 50 cities across the globe!) and spend time with their sales teams to see how the training is being implemented.

The success of the training programme hinges around the implementation of a clear set of sales standards and the coaching support given to the sales executives by their local managers.

One thing has been crystal clear – in those places where the training has been supported by effective coaching, the capability of the salesperson has dramatically increased and when we’ve been out on sales calls with them we have seen that the quality of these calls and the results achieved, exceeds those areas where coaching is not a priority or is being conducted inconsistently.

Of course, we knew this already! Research has, for a long time, supported the fact that training delivered without ongoing coaching support is far less effective over the long term than when coaching is taking place. It has been good to see it in action though.

One other interesting observation has been the way in which the previous experience of sales managers influences their willingness and ability to adopt standard sales processes and undertake coaching. There is an obvious difference between those who have been given these roles on the back of their broad managerial and commercial experience and those who have been promoted from within the sales ranks where they were high performing sales execs. There are more of the former who are open minded to new ways of working and fully understand how effective coaching brings long term confidence and competence within their team leading to greater success and improved sales results.

It’s been an interesting experience. We rarely get the opportunity to see the final results of the training we carry out – this has confirmed that the investment is a sound one, but can only be maximised with the full engagement of managers in the field.

More ...

Tags: coaching,sales

Some great feedback

gary@gbtraining.com — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 15:51:00 GMT

A recent sales training course we ran for a multi-national, b2b sales team prompted some great pieces of feedback of which we are justly proud.

"I've attended a few sales training programmes throughout my career, and I can say with confidence that this course was the best. The content was highly relevant to the industry and Jacqui and Gary delivered it in a positive, highly interactive style that I really enjoyed, and which tied the learning’s to real world scenarios. Great job guys."

"One of the greatest training courses that I had attended yet. It was a very active and motivating course that helped all appreciate and participate during the course time."

Comments such as these mean a lot to us since we work hard to deliver the best possible experience each and every time we train, ensuring that it is totally relevant and of value in the workplace. Thanks to the delegates that sent us these comments.

More ...

National Customer Service Week

gary@gbtraining.com — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 16:29:00 GMT

The Institute of Customer Service organised National Customer Service Week is taking place between 5-11 October 2009.

Read more about how you can inspire, reward and recognise service excellence in your organisation.

Customer First magazine article

gary@gbtraining.com — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 11:48:00 GMT

Customer First is a magazine published by the UK's Institute of Customer Service.

The latest copy includes an article about the work we have done with one of our clients, Johnson Diversey, to support them in their commitment to their customers.

You can see a copy of the article here and read more about our work with Johnson Diversey here.

More ...

New website now live.

gary@gbtraining.com — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 13:25:00 GMT

If you've come across this first Blog entry on our site, then you have already found out that our new website is now live. As we approach 10 years of business our previous site was in dire need of an update in order to provide a more accurate reflection of what we do and how it solves our clients' issues.

The site has been designed by Chris and Rowena at Ansars Ltd, who have been incredibly patient throughout the process as what started out as a quick redesign turned into something more substantial.

As with everything else we do, we thrive on feedback so I'd really welcome any thoughts or comments - particularly about what content you would like to see us provide in the future.

More ...