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WORKING RELATIONSHIPS 12 MONTHS COMPREHENSIVE SOFT SKILLS PROGRAM Increase Sales & Improve Customer Service WHO IS THIS FOR?

§ Service and front-line staff § Sales staff § Administration and operational staff § Team leaders, managers and supervisors § Business owners § Individuals (yes, most of the content can be applied to your personal life) § Students wanting to prepare themselves for the working world

THE CONTENT IS APPLICABLE TO:

§ All industries (we have experience in training across all industries) § To individuals aspiring to improve their personal or professional lives

IT INCLUDES EVERYTHING THAT WILL SUPPORT YOU TO:

§ Take ownership of your life § Guide your choices to achieve your goals § Get to know different personality types to understand why people do what they do § Provide excellent customer service § Increase your sales § Effectively manage people (teams, suppliers, colleagues, supporting departments) § Improve relationships with customers, suppliers, colleagues, friends and family § Create a healthy work ethic § Create a culture of ownership, accountability and self-discipline in the workplace § Develop a goal-oriented mentoring and leadership style § Create a dynamic and results-driven working environment § Beat your competitors § And more!

MORE INTERACTION THAN TRADITIONAL CLASSROOM TRAINING: Many participants are uncomfortable to address issues in front of people that they know. This online platform will support you to interact in a non-threating space. We encourage you to:

• Ask questions to qualified coaches (free) • Join discussion boards (free) • Request online meetings (additional cost)

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TESTS: • Online tests will need to be completed after each month’s work • The pass mark is 90% in order for the qualification to have value and so it’s clear that

participants learned and understood the content • Once the full program has been completed and passed, a certificate of completion will be

awarded BENEFITS OF ONLINE TRAINING: Better implementation! Better results! More profit!

• Affordable training allows you to train more of your staff instead of just a handful each year. It ensures everyone is on the same page

• It’s disruptive to have staff out of the office for days. This way you can complete the course at times that are convenient to you and your business

• In many instances, participants are distracted during training as they are required to respond to queries and answer mails, etc. Due to this they miss much of what is discussed

• As the course Is delivered over 12 months, with continual reinforcement of concepts, learners retain more of the information. Traditional short courses are often 'info dumps' which are hard to retain and apply due to an overwhelming amount of information, with little reinforcement of the ideas

• Can’t remember what the trainer explained? Well now you have access to the content 24/7 • Do you know what the trainer told your staff? Well now you will, and you’ll be able to

reinforce the applications more efficiently • The content allows for teams to work together, highlighting focus areas for each week or

month

SOME COMPANIES THAT WE HAVE ASSISTED:

Advanced FST • Alexander Forbes • Arch Chemicals • Armscor • Auditor-General of South Africa • Aviation Co-ordination Service • Barloworld • Basil Read • Bathludi Consulting • Bayer • Becton Dickonson • Beefcor • Bestmed • Bliss Chemicals • BI Office Furniture and Equipment • Board of Healthcare Providers • Bokoni Platinum • Bonalasedi • Bombela/Gautrain •

Bosch • Bravo Group • Bureau Veritas • Buscor • Competition Commission • CHIETA • City of Tshwane • Council for Medical Schemes • Dawn Logistics • DB Schencker • Deloitte • Delta EMD • Denel • Department of Environmental Affairs • Department of Social Development • Department of Water & Sanitation • Development Bank of Southern Africa • Dg Store • Dwarsrivier Mine • Eris Property Group • Federated Employers Mutual Insurance • Financial Intelligence Centre • FNB • Free4All • Garmen • Gauteng Tourism • Gerotek • GEW • Guard Risk • Gijima Holdings • GloCell • Gold Reef City • GWK Landbou • Huawei • Imperial Retal Solutions • Janssen Pharmaceutical • John Craig • John Deere • Johnson Matthey •

Kevro • Keyhealth • Komatiland Forest • KWV • Kwelanga Training • Laxness • LCS Logistics • Loreal • Massive Quantum • Mamba Cement Factory • Maths Centre • McCarthy • McDonalds • Mercedes Benz • Metropolitan • Mintek • Mix Telematics • Monash • Mott McDonald • National Bargaining Council • National Parksboard • National Toll Roads •

National Treasury • NCR • Nestle • Netcare • Nkonki Inc. • North West University • Partquip • PayDay Software Systems • Petro SA • Powertech • Premier Foods • Provantage • Redefine Properties • Right to Care • Road Accident Fund • Road Wing • Rubric Consulting • SAAB • SABC • SAHRC • SANBS • SA Mint • SAMRO • SA Reserve Bank • SASFIN Bank •

SASFIN Premier Logistics • SASSA • Sasol • SEDA • Senwes • Silverstar Casino • Simba/Pepsi Co • SITA • Stanlib • Steinmuller Africa • STMG Consulting • Southern Africa PGA Tour • Taste Holdings • Taxichoice • Teraoka • The

Character Group • The Innovation Group • The Smollan Group • The Spur Group • The Teddy Bear Clinic • Tom Tom • Tower Bridge Projects • Transnet • Tsebo Facility Services • TUHF • Umalasi • Unisa • Van Schaicks • Verifone • Virgin

Atlantic Airways • Vodacom • Vukani Slots • VWV • WBHO • Westend Brick Factory

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PROGRAM OUTLINE: COURSE INTRODUCTION

• Meet your trainers • How to follow and use the program, and what to expect

MONTH 1: SHIFT HAPPENS Creating the foundation for immediate positive change. 1. Taking Ownership of Your Life:

Success is determined by the choices you make! Every action has consequences, positive or negative. • How to give your best EVERY. SINGLE. DAY • What motivates you (understanding your why) • Personal motivation • Creating a life vision • Setting your goals and steps to achieve them … finally! • Exercising goals to progress and develop positive habits • Internal locus of control (be in control … mostly) • Average and fine are your new swear words • Motivation vs. discipline • Stop surviving, start thriving • Discipline vs. motivation • The rule of every day • Why you should care and be conscious of your actions

2. Personal Branding:

Who are you and what do you stand for? • It’s more than your business card and what you wear • Your reputation is everything • Personal presentation

o Creating a value and ethics system that support your goals • Communicate your brand – PACKAGING

o Sounding great, acting great, looking great o If looks could kill

3. Settling into a New Work Environment:

New people are often either desperate to impress their new colleagues, or screw up unintentionally. Over- or underdoing it, can certainly make life a lot tougher for you! • Tips to settling into a new position and overcoming typical challenges • How to create a great first impression

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• How to get working and settled in as quickly as possible, and avoid making common mistakes

• Tips for new managers taking over an existing team MONTH 2: SALT & PEPPER Now that you have decided what you want, you need to get the ball rolling and we’re covering the basics so that you can. 1. Plan Strategically (in every position, not just for managers)

Turn good ideas and dreams into reality. Create SMART goals. • ‘Quantify’ goals and commitments • Personal action plan • Strategically set goals (align with company, or personal, vision, strategy and policies) • Identify risks, create contingency plans and explore alternatives • Use tools to create a personal, departmental or organisational strategy that directs action

o Bonus: Tools may also be used to manage projects (Project Management 101!) o How to manage multiple goals and projects to avoid failing to meet deadlines

• SWOT analysis … a more urgent call is needed to keep up with competitors • Get support!

2. Managing the Change:

It’s pretty great that you have ideas and have decided that things will change … but have you realised that it can be overwhelming? Even small changes often fail to be implemented. Ensure that changes will be actioned. • Manage and prioritise short, medium and long-term goals strategically • Implement plans tactically in order to gain co-operation • Consistency and perseverance is key • Change (a step-by-step guide) • Live your change

3. Create and Instill a Culture within your Organisation or Department: Any successful organisation or team lives by an entrenched set of powerful values. Once your employees understand, adopt and respect these values, these are the principles that govern and direct employees’ decision-making and behaviour.

4. Attitude & Building Rapport:

People buy more from people they like!

5. Personality Types: The number one request: ‘How do I deal with people who are different from me’ Identifying and understanding the different personality types will support you to develop positive relationships and build rapport with people. • Understand how others process information

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• Understand the likes and dislikes of others • Understand your own strengths and challenges • Interaction between the personality types • Apply to various contexts:

o Customer service environments o Adjusting your ‘sales pitch’ depending on the customer’s personality type – build

rapport, make the sale! o Dealing with different colleagues differently o Managing staff’s differing personalities

6. Communication Skills:

Stop wasting time fixing poor impressions and misunderstandings. • It takes five meetings to change a poor first impression • Communicate effectively to accommodate each style • Verbal speaking skills & the power of tone • Body language made simple • Start listening (no, really!) • Display a positive attitude by choosing positive words

MONTH 3: GOOD AS GOLD If you’re not giving your customers EXCEPTIONAL service, a competitor will! 1. Customer Service:

If employees understand the customer’s needs, they will gain the confidence to deal with them professionally. • Average customer service is easy, GREAT customer service is hard • Customer Service

o Times Have Changed (keep up with the economic climate) • Professionalism in a diverse environment • The needs and expectations of customers

o Respect their hierarchy of needs (it’s different for everyone) • What if I don’t know? • Match their mood (there is a time to smile, and a time not to smile; a time to go slow and a

time to pick up the pace) • Flexibility vs. consistency • Value beyond product, exceed their expectations • Cost of bad service • What’s good about complaints? • Why do customers get angry and why do they complain? • Understanding and dealing with difficult people • Dealing with complaints effectively • Thorough follow-up • How easy is it to do business with you? Am you available to your customers?

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2. Telephone Skills: This is often the first contact the public will have with you. Make it amazing. In our experience, it’s one of the most neglected and frustrating areas. • No! No! Nos! • Common frustrations • Call mechanics (things to think about) • The horrible ‘hold’ • Voicemails

3. Written Communication:

Your personal and company’s reputation and professionalism will be judged on your written correspondence. Times might be changing, but it still matters. • Tips to writing mails so people actually read them • Email etiquette (basic manners) • Avoid doing these things • Decide how you choose to communicate for business • What’sApp etiquette

MONTH 4: MENTAL FLOSS 1. Emotional Intelligence: (EQ)

It’s the most sought after skill for a very good reason. People with emotional intelligence get results through people and get what they want – 80% of the time. Everyone needs to make more of an effort to understand their own and other’s emotions and feelings, to create win-win situations and relationships. The way we act, respond and treat others is a choice. • Understand your own behaviour and those of others (a scientific approach) • Learn to control your emotions and reactions (explosions can be pretty and fun, but result

in the worst of consequences) • When being clever isn’t really that smart • Build solid relationships (a good relationship is not luck or a coincidence, someone decided

it’s important enough to make an effort) • Get results through people • Communicate to reach your goal rather than to make your point or prove you’re right • Focus on common goals versus personal feelings • Choose your words and change your world • Cope with stress • Deal with conflict • Managing anger issues (not just yours) • Managing your emotional energy • Limiting beliefs and mindpower

o Achieve and maintain a positive attitude o ‘Mindfraim’ is everything – best friend or worst enemy!?

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MONTH 5: POWER You might be over dealing with people who don't understand your needs, keep making the same mistakes and behaving badly, or just not doing their work properly. Usually, honest conversations can sort this out.

1. Assertiveness Skills:

Most people’s natural way is to communicate in a passive or aggressive manner. Assertiveness training is vital for people because it’s a learned skill. It’s really unlikely that you were born with it. GET PEOPLE TO TAKE YOU SERIOUSLY. • Assertive, aggressive and passive communication styles • Understand the difference between assertive, aggressive and passive behaviours as it will

determine how others react to you and treat you • Why you may currently be passive or aggressive, rather than assertive • Examples of behaviours • Identify other’s communication styles • How others respond to passive and aggressive communication styles • Support others to become more assertive • Identify your own communication style • Get the confidence you need to become assertive so you can achieve your goals, become

productive in your workspace or lead a team well

2. Feedback Skills: MAGIC.

• When to give someone constructive (building) feedback • How to get ‘not-so-nice’ feedback from others • How to structure your feedback to solve the problem, rather than create more problems • The best way to follow up with the person and build a healthy and productive relationship

3. Coaching – Introduction to Teaching and Reinforcing Skills:

People might be productive in the workplace, but In order for people to improve on the basics they know and become really good at what they do, they require coaching. Sometimes employees are tasked with training others, but they have not been taught how to execute this properly. • Coaching is the reinforcement of what people have learned during training • Developing good habits • Use a coaching tool that will assist you to structure one-on-one coaching interventions • Steps to facilitating coaching sessions • How to follow through to sustain improved performance • Prepare individuals for advancement, promotions and new positions through coaching, or

as they settle into their new role

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MONTH 6: LIQUORICE ALLSORTS These various skills can make an enormous difference to an individual and a business. 1. Being Proactive:

A mindset that solves problems. • A proactive culture • Being reactive is a time and money waster • Predict and prevent typical problems in the business • Use your initiative • Prepare and plan

2. Time Management:

Drop the ‘busy’ story, everyone’s so tired of hearing it. • Plan more proactively

o Plan to plan o Plan for the unplanned o Include typical happenings

• Identify time-wasters • Learn to prioritise • Find time for the important stuff that’s usually neglected • Scheduling • Activity vs. productivity • It’s a discipline issue • Be organised and save time • Be familiar with technology • Help for procrastinators

3. Responsibility & Accountability:

It’s a no-brainer why we cover this. It’s just become too easy to say ‘I tried’.

4. Work Ethic: Get yourself respected and treated well • Why you have a job • Live up to the promises you’ve made • The things that drive a manager mad (maybe you didn’t know) • Take control and be trusted • Be the right person that they hired

5. General Questions:

We will answer various complicated questions we have received over the years, such as, ‘How do I deal with favouritism?’, ‘My boss expects me to work in my breaks and overtime?’, ‘How do I deal with colleagues who don’t do their work, and then my manager expects me to do it?’. And many more. We’ll answer with brutal honesty.

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MONTH 7: PENNY WISE 1. Caring and Saving for your Business

All employees need to be educated with regards to the impact they have on any business. This module will save you plenty! • How people get to own or invest in a business, and the personal risks involved • Why helping hands are hired • Fair exchange (what managers must expect from paid employees) • Profit problems (small things add up and end up costing companies a fortune) • Employees can become dishonest – why? • Stealing and dealing with dishonest colleagues. They make life hard for everyone • Sharing results is vital, employees need to know how their efforts are assisting the

company and in turn, themselves MONTH 8 & 9: AT THE END OF THE RAINBOW Everyone will benefit from learning sales skills, even though it’s aimed 100% at sales staff. Everyone is selling SOMETHING! It may not be a product, but it may be ‘selling’ an idea or a proposal, or perhaps it may be getting others to cooperate with you. This will help everyone to get more of what they want. 1. Sales Part 1:

• Psychology of selling • Psychological issues of selling

o Fail often, failing gracefully o Fear of rejection (psychological problems and overcoming fear) o Getting into the zone (analysing what worked and what didn’t) o Emotional energy management

• Genuine sales approach o Sales tactics masquerading as a sales strategy o Longevity and sustainability (don’t sell to people who shouldn’t buy) o Sales TODAY o People don’t want to be ‘sold to’. But they love to buy o Value vs. price. What value are you adding?

• Getting referrals • Spotting opportunities • Who won’t buy? Don’t waste your energy • Know your market and speak to the right person • Get the appointment (cold calling)

o Separate yourself from the other callers o Establish credibility o Hook – cold call to conversation (warmer) o Turning around common responses

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2. Sales Part 2: • When to ask and when to sell • Identifying needs • Presentations and pitches

o Creating proposals that stand out o The science of persuasion and influence o The curse of knowledge o Be a person that is worth listening to o Addressing their needs (matching needs with solutions) o Be quick and to the point o Paint a powerful picture (tell a story) o Triggering emotions o Benefits vs. features o Incorporating personality and learning styles o Power words (the power of language) o Maintain the rapport o Presentation structure o Set-up the why (the Golden Circle) o Address the challenges and objections o 30-second commercial o Using testimonials o The power of suggestion o Build certainty over time (keep some in your pocket) o Looping and language patterns o Congruent communication o Use your tone

• Negotiation skills • Overcoming objections • Tricks in your pocket • Eliminate risk and fear, make it safe to buy • Close the deal (make saying yes simple) • Creating and evaluating logical and emotional certainty in the product, yourself and the

brand • Up and cross-selling

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MONTHS 10, 11 & 12 – ONE DIRECTION The aim is to get everyone to move in one direction, with all their actions directed to achieve the common goal. Together everyone achieves more = TEAM The following content was designed specifically for current, acting, new and aspiring managers, supervisor and team leaders. However, everyone is constantly managing something or someone. You’re indirectly managing colleagues, other departments, suppliers, your boss, friends, family, you name it. So, this too, will be beneficial for everyone. 1. People Management:

Once you achieve the level of ‘management’ your daily activities will change. You were probably selected as a manager because you were good at using your skills to execute your current tasks. As a manager, you’re now responsible to ensure others are productive and get results, while you complete your additional manager’s tasks. • People versus Operations Management • The real roles and responsibilities of a manager – SUPPORT and control • Employee responsibilities • Creating the foundation for a high-performance team culture • Understand your power and influence • Get results through people • No one wants to fail, there is always a reason • Working environments have changed, why does it matter? • Why the high staff turnover? • Lead by example • Stages of team development • Trust is crucial • The benefits of interdependent teams

2. Planning:

• Evaluating current performance and systems • Gap and SWOT analysis • Visionary thinking and beneficial change • Creating specific job profiles and detailed task lists for projects • The uses and benefits of proper job profiles (problem solved!) • Specify measurable performance standards • Create individual performance files • The ultimate solution for fair performance reviews that really motivate, ensuring smooth

disciplinaries 3. Organising:

• Allocate roles fairly and appropriately • Contract your team, get commitment and agreement on standards, values, deadlines or

anything you’ve established as necessary to achieve the goal

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4. Delegation: • The art of assigning responsibilities and giving instructions to individuals and teams to get

the required results • Common mistakes made that cause others to fail in their tasks • Practical steps to influence others to cooperate with you • Planning and fair distribution of tasks • Delegate responsibility and authority • Understand the consequences of failing to delegate • Necessities in order to delegate successfully • Include all the information (the communication process) • The leader’s involvement, once tasks have been allocated • Ensure staff are able to complete delegated work

o The training process (training, coaching and assessing knowledge, skills and attitude) o Never hear ‘no one told me’ or ‘I didn’t know’ again o It’s not common sense, it has to be trained o … and you can train attitude

5. Support – Managing Performance:

• Manage by objectives • A performance review is a measuring tool, it is NOT managing performance • Impact of performance reviews • How often do you review your finances? How often should you review performance? • Situational leadership • Typical reality check discussions to have with employees (open and honest) • Realities of the world and business • Developmental coaching and feedback skills (when staff are still learning) • Corrective coaching and feedback skills (when they know, but have become undisciplined) • Dealing with inadequate performance and non-compliance issues • Talk and talk and talk? Here’s the solution • Treat the cause not the symptom:

o Ability issues o Motivational issues

• Disciplinaries (your last resort) • Avoid wrongful dismissals • Manage conflict situations

6. Controlling Performance:

• Conducting performance reviews • Check results (measure performance against results) • Make people feel like winners • Everyone should have a brag factor • Managers, when is it time to listen? • Reporting problems to superiors (get taken seriously)

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7. Motivation: • What motivates and what demotivates (our biggest challenge made simple) • Incentives that work • Facilitate incentives to motivate and not discourage. Incentives that are poorly managed

cause more damage than good • It’s not always about money • Other motivational factors

8. Managing your Colleagues:

It’s tricky to ‘manage’ your colleagues when you’re not their manager. You shouldn’t have to manage your colleagues, but rather learn how to get them to cooperate with you.

9. Managing your Manager: Yes … your manager needs to be managed. Most managers don’t know all the tasks that you have to complete on a daily basis and will often throw at you more than you can handle. • Communicating with your boss to gain clarity on tasks and deadlines • Communicating effectively when you are overloaded • Organise your manager • Scheduling frequent short meetings with your manager to plan the way forward • Managing instructions from two or more managers

10. Managing Friends:

People often get promoted to management positions after working with their colleagues, who have now become friends, for many years The change to having a friend as a manager, or managing a friend, is awkward and uncomfortable for both parties. Learn how to deal with this situation so that the relationship stays intact, and the work gets done.

11. Managing Suppliers:

Bad service or inability to deliver on agreements can affect your organisation’s reputation and can be costly, even if it’s not your fault. By managing suppliers correctly, the risk could be significantly reduced if not eliminated all together.

12. Dealing with New Employees: New talent in the business is exciting, but could also be a huge frustration if not facilitated correctly. New employees need information, guidance, training and mentoring. • Induction processes, performance agreements and entrenching company values,

standards, etc. • Rules, procedures and policies • Frequent contact meetings • Probation

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13. When Employees Drop Standards: This informational module may assist you to understand why employees’ performance and productivity generally declines after a few months. • Unfair work distribution • Lack of clear systems, instructions, communication or practical resources • The treatment of hard working employees, vs. lazy, poorly performing employees • Lack of tangible future advancement or growth

14. Interviewing Skills: This is the most important skill for any manager. Employ the right people to grow your business. The ‘wrong’ people will be your demise. • Set up and conduct professional interviews • Match the person most suitable for the job vs. making a job fit a person

15. Facilitating Productive Meetings:

Teams waste a great deal of time in meetings. People dislike attending meetings that seem pointless especially when the same issues keep being discussed. • Conduct meetings with purpose and value • Plan for constructive meetings, often with the input of others

o Topics that should not be discussed in meetings o Ideas for valuable meetings (see a huge difference in a short space of time)

• Apply meeting etiquette • Facilitate interactive meetings and document the meeting’s content, holding people

accountable, setting deadlines, etc. • Follow up on the previous meeting’s commitments to ensure people actioned issues

previously discussed to minimize reoccurring issues

16. Problem-solving: One of the most frustrating and demotivating things for staff is managers not doing anything about the problems. So, they also stop trying. Face the problems. Not only will you solve the problem, but you will usually make changes that will take you and your business to greater heights. • Recognising and identifying problems • Analyse data, facts or statistics to help you drill into the problem, or look at the area where

problems are occurring regularly to discover the causes • Establishing authority and power

o Is this within your control? o Is this your problem? o Choose your challenges carefully (establishing emotional and time limitations)

• Identify the root cause rather than dealing with symptoms • Turn big problems into smaller, manageable work packages • Brainstorming

o Facilitate and manage the team’s input

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o Respect and manage the creative stage o Ensure brainstorming sessions are productive rather than active

• Problem-solving styles • Gather the information

o The difference between facts, information and opinions o Influential people make opinions seem like facts

• Common errors when looking for solutions • Decision-making

o Autocratic and democratic decisions (a time and place for both) o Decision-making traps

• Plan action steps to solve problems • Prevent problems from reoccurring

17. Train-the-Trainer:

We have found the most successful managers are trainers. So, learning these skills is a must for trainers, as well as managers. Trainers have an enormous responsibility to their learners and must impact and inspire them positively. They must also ensure their advice is responsible because it will be followed.

18. Creating a CV and Prepare for Upcoming Interviews: Your competition is HUGE!