PJ Beard

Business Mentor and Leadership coach

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You are here: Home / Archives for Blog

Do you know what You Want?

19th April 2018 by Peter Beard

One of the most important elements in any business growth coaching program is setting a vision for the company in the near future.

This vision should reflect the ambition together with the needs of the owners and directors, and it will be eventually refined into a working blueprint of the perfect business. It gives the directors a chance to anticipate problems ahead of the event and to develop powerful solutions. It also enables the management to optimise and automate workflows and build robust corporate structures before pressure and stresses create the operational fog that hinders rational thought and decision making.

The vision must go beyond the commercial demands of the business. It must address the personal needs of all parties involved and it will undoubtedly provide a desirable work-life balance, as well as satisfy the commercial needs of turnover, profits and liquidity. A good quality of life is essential as a powerful motivational force to achieve your ambition, and the better your quality of life the stronger the motivation.

So important are the personal aspects of the vision it is the focus of the first questions I ask. What do you want? How much money do you want to earn? How many weeks holiday do you want?

There is of course an advantage to demanding a lot. A company that can satisfy ambitious needs requires a good structure, is efficient in its processes and tends to be very resilient. These are very valuable attributes.

Why not like to find out how growth coaching can enable you to achieve your ambitions not just by growing your profits but also in improving your quality of life. I offer a free consultation with to anyone who is interested. It just takes an email or a phone call to arrange.

Filed Under: Blog

The Benefits of using Persuasive techniques.

31st October 2016 by Peter Beard

One of my biggest surprises in four years of coaching has been discovering how little we use persuasive techniques in our negations to help us sell our products, and influence people to make them want to do business with us.

It is surprising because of the abundance of convincing research that indicates not only is a decision to buy frequently made at the very early, often opening, stages of negotiations, but that we are also predisposed as human beings to want to do business with people we like.

Despite this, all too frequently we focus our sales pitch to be logical and rational with little regard to the personal and emotional issues of the people we want to negotiate with. All too often our arguments appear to be unheard and unnoticed and we are surprised and disappointed by the failure of our efforts.

My experience of helping my clients improve their negotiating skills leaves me with no doubt that putting the same effort into building rapport as you would constructing a convincing cost benefit analysis dramatically increases the success rate of any negotiations. In the context of sales this means achieving a significantly greater conversion rate, higher prices and better compliance. All this is possible as a consequence of listening, showing empathy and carefully choosing your words.

Whenever I have helped my clients develop persuasive arguments the response has been fantastic, so much so that I now explain the techniques in my coaching sessions as a matter of course. To help develop their skills even further I have organised some workshops to give them a thorough grounding in the techniques.

If any LinkedIn member would like to know more there is more information at http://pjbeard.co.uk/influence-and-persuasion-one-day-workshop/

Filed Under: Blog

Fear of Failure, and the art of Winning Big Contracts.

31st October 2016 by Alec Scaresbrook

When you prepare a quote for the supply of your services or products do you ever put yourself into the mind of your potential customer. Have you ever imagined what it must be like to understand and decide on a supply contract for whatever your company produces?
We are all experts in what we do. We know our product or service inside out, and fully understand how it works and the value it represents; but do we understand the significance of it to our customer? Do we, from the perspective of our customer, understand the risks it presents to their business. What if the installation and implementation doesn’t go smoothly, even worse, what if it doesn’t work? What impact will failure have on the buyer?
In his enlightening book ‘The Organised Mind’ Daniel Levitin explains that the human mind hasn’t evolved to be particularly good at rational decision making. As humans we have a limited attentional capacity to deal with large amounts of information and as a consequence rely on decision making strategies, many of which depend on assessing probabilities.
Some probabilities are objective, in other words if we had all the data and the capability to calculate it we would understand the likelihood of success. Other probabilities are subjective, they are not calculable or countable, and so they are at best a guess. In the real world the probability of projects, especially big complex projects, succeeding is nearly impossible to calculate with a 100% confidence of the outcome.
And this is when the other strategy, the hard to touch and define strategy, of trust comes into play. It is not a rational strategy, it is not based on big data and precise calculations, instead it is based on how the human decision-maker subconsciously perceives you, the human suppliers. Trust in the supplier is the key element that mitigates the risk or lack of confidence in the probability of success.
Fortunately you can help your customers build trust in you. The first step is to demonstrate that you have listened to them and understand their needs. You can do this easily by asking them questions and listening to their answers; let them do the talking. Once that has been accomplished show them you understand by describing what they want in their words. The second step is to build empathy and rapport with them; not just their company but the people in it with whom you are negotiating. There are some very successful techniques for doing this, such as mirroring, but they all depend on listening and observing them as people, human-beings like you.
Remember, the more complex your customers find the decision to buy the more likely they are to decide on the basis of trust.
To find out more about Influence and Persuasion visit http://pjbeard.co.uk/influence-and-persuasion-one-day-workshop/.

Filed Under: Blog

Consultancy and Services

  • Services
  • Details: Sales Negotiations – Influence and Persuasion – One-Day Workshops
  • Business Growth Coaching and Mentoring
  • Business Analysis and Process Optimisation.
  • Management Continuity
  • Growth Elevator Kick-Start Programme
  • Corporate Planning and Control
  • Finance Director Service
  • Coaching, Training and Mentoring.
  • Personal Development Coaching by Sian Rowsell
  • Leadership and Management Training

Latest News

One of the most important elements in any business growth coaching program is setting a vision for the company in the near future. This vision should reflect the ambition together with the needs of the owners and directors, and it will be eventually refined into a working blueprint of the perfect business. It gives the […]


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Peter J Beard Management Consultancy

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E-mail: peter.j.beard@gmail.com

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Testimonials for PJ Beard Consulting

  • I’ve been working with Peter Beard as my business coach for around 18 months.  In that time, we have developed a comprehensive growth plan for the next 5 years with clear targets and actions to deliver results.  I’m significantly more confident that my business will succeed. Peter’s undoubted technical ability combines with his affability and wicked sense of humour that brings a lightness to what can often be hard and “dull” work.  He has a very encouraging coaching style and I am happy to recommend Peter to anyone seeking to develop their business.
    Bill Quinn, Owner of Tonetech Ltd
  • The best thing to happen to my business – Peter Beard Consultancy. The one person who has made the biggest impact in my business life is Peter Beard. Running your own business can be a lonely place and I needed someone I could trust to discuss in confidence the essential commercial challenges and the business conundrums I face very day. Peter has shared immense knowledge with me and without him I doubt I’d still be in business. I realise now how little I knew about running a business. I wasn’t short on passion but my goal setting abilities were lacking. As were many other essential business management skills (like selling) which I’ve improved thanks to Peter’s support. For 2 years, Peter has been my coach and mentor and his support has been invaluable. He is the Number One person I turn to for business advice. I can’t imagine running my business without him. A business coach is essential for every business owner and director in a small to medium sized business. I’ve taken (and still refer to) numerous notes at my meetings with Peter – they are pure gold. Would I recommend Peter Beard? Without hesitation. Book a meeting with him and see for yourself how far you could take your business with him as your coach. We meet every month and I appreciate every meeting with Peter. Not only is he a fantastic coach, he is inspirational and his knowledge spans an amazing spectrum of facts about business, finance, history and life in general. He is a true gentleman and I come away from every meeting with a huge smile on my face because it has been such fun. As I drive home, I always feel fired up to keep on growing my business. Massive thanks to you Peter.
    Sue Lister, Director, Tresil Web Solutions ltd.
  • 'When we first met Peter we were just 2 Directors who owned a Creative Agency in Manchester. He has helped us structure our business and look at our whole structure with fresh eyes and most importantly to make the most of our time. He made us aware of what we were missing and how we could go about getting it. Since we have recruited 3 full time members and an apprentice. Time management is something that just passes you by in business but as an outsider looking in, Peter has helped us manage that reality. We want to thank Peter for not only being a great mentor but a lifelong friend who is always welcome for a brew at Tim Marner HQ  (and we make a good one)'
    Tim Marner Director, Tim Marner Ltd
  • “Peter coached us through our business start-up which was of tremendous help. Peter is enthusiastic, fun and a pleasure to work with. Would definitely recommend him to anyone who wants to develop their business further.”
    Adrian Mills, Director, Jamtech Engineering Ltd.
  • Working with a business coach and mentor is like any other business relationship that you want to work. You have to have a good relationship, a friendly one. To feel your coach is batting on your team, that they believe in you and your potential as much as you do, maybe more! That's what makes working with Peter Beard a unique and rewarding experience. He's a wise man, a funny man, a gentleman and a vastly experienced man who's been there, done it and sold the T-shirt. I would absolutely recommend engaging with Peter. All successful people had had guidance and an arm around their shoulder at some point. Have a chat with Peter and you'll see very quickly how he is an expert in his field.
    Martin Byrne Owner, Business Protect Limited

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