vfm-associates-catalogue-image e : simplebooklet.com

www.vfmassociates.com 4 5 With offices in the UK, Spain and Russia, VFM Associates has training experience in over 50 countries. Our understanding of the cultural perspectives associated with the process of developing people helps us to deliver consistent results. This gives us the ability to handle global training and consultancy solutions, delivering them in the required languages. This catalogue has been put together to give an insight into our Competence Development portfolio. All of our offerings featured in this publication are examples of a wider range of our products and services. We remain determined on delivering solutions tailored to your business needs. If your business has a training or development need, we would love to talk to you. Introduction VFM Associates are a training and consultancy company, based in North Yorkshire. Our focus is business growth and people development. Established in 1986 as a specialist in sales training. The company has evolved into a global organisation offering bespoke training, consultancy and business strategy solutions. Our core values of Integrity, Quality, Creativity and a Results Focused approach, have shaped lasting relationships with clients in the agricultural ,commercial vehicle, construction and municipal equipment industries. enquiry@vfmassociates.com Delivery We use the following methods: - Classroom training - Workshops - Coaching - Mentoring - E-learning (ask to see examples of our contemporary and engaging packages) - Webinars and remote training - Experiential learning – we have our own centres in Scotland and Cornwall but can deliver the learning practically anywhere - Work based assignments – designed, monitored and measured in the business Measuring We believe in measuring the effectiveness of any competence development activity and we use many sources of data to do this including: - Delegate Assessment – through work based assignments and assessment panels - Feedback from coaches, managers, delegates and trainers - The Kirkpatrick approach – measuring at one or all the four levels: reaction, learning, behaviour and results - ROI calculations - Control group management Ask to see examples of our CD reports and calculations. Course Catalogue The following course catalogue is only a part of our CD solution – it contains courses that we have written, delivered and measured for effectiveness. Methodology We believe that Competence Development should be driven by the objectives of the business, it can take many forms, and it should be measured. Design Nearly a quarter of our business is devoted to designing and writing new programmes. We always begin with the business objectives and then work with the key people within your business to produce the competence development solutions. This often means working with steering groups and subject matter experts to get the right “flavour”. We genuinely want the finished package to be 100% right for our clients and believe that one size never fits all, so we tailor all our courses to the relevant job role and clients needs.

Page 5

Page 6

www.vfmassociates.com 6 7 Leadership Development 14 Leadership Development Programme 15 Big Bang 16 Leading the Way 17 People Management 17 Developing People 17 Recruitment & Selection 18 The Role of Senior Management Multimedia 18 - 19 Multimedia & E-Learning 20 Colophon Index The catalogue is split into two lists: commercial skills and leadership development. We have several versions of each course, so please look on each one as an example of the subject being covered. Commercial Skills 7 Selling Skills 7 Negotiation Skills 7 Customer Care 8 Presentation Skills & Personal Impact 8 Meeting Skills 8 Process & Best Practice 9 Problem Solving 9 Self-Presentation & Business Etiquette 9 Creativity & Innovation 10 Team Building 10 Strategic Implementation 10 Marketing Management 11 Project Management 11 Finance 11 Business Performance Management 12 Business Development 12 Consultancy Skills 13 Parts Commercial Knowledge (PCK) 13 Value Based Selling enquiry@vfmassociates.com We have many, many courses covering selling skills – ranging from the essentials of sales through to master classes for B2B specialists. The following are just some of the subject areas we cover: - Sales Process - Essential Selling Skills - Opportunity Selling - Consultative Selling - Solution Selling - Value Based Selling - Buying Facilitation - Tender and governmental selling - Selling services - Time and territory management - CRM way of working - Sales systems This can be run as a traditional training course or it can be a highly specific department-based workshop. This is a skill-based event and has an immediate impact: - What makes a successful negotiator - How to develop personal negotiating power - Objective setting, planning and preparation - Negotiating rules, commandments, and tactics - In-depth industry case study with measurable results - Personal action plans and objectives This course is about highlighting the importance and impact customer care can have on a business, and how we can change our approach with customers to get the most from the relationship. A typical agenda looks like this: - The effect each individual can have on the bottom line - People and their attitudes - Exploring new attitudes towards customers - Internal and external customers (internal communications) - Spotting and addressing weaknesses - The impact of new attitudes - Selling the total company package - Positive communications - Handling customers with a problem - Team building exercise - Achieving total customer satisfaction Selling Skills Negotiation Skills Customer Care

Page 7

Page 8

www.vfmassociates.com enquiry@vfmassociates.com 8 9 The main learning points are: - Setting presentation objectives and controlling the situation - Communication skills and body language - Use of visual aids - Horizontal planning technique - Timing - Delivery skills There are some people who feel that there is no need to invest in a day’s training on meeting skills – and their meetings pay the price in terms of dreary atmosphere and lost opportunity. This course will pay for itself within a few months, not only in the amount of time it saves but also for the improvement in motivation and results that occur. If you want meetings to be successful rather than frustrating this course is a must. The main learning points are: - How to structure a meeting and the correct way to lay out an agenda - The pitfalls that beset business meetings - Pre- and post-meeting administration - Chairperson skills - Dealing with people (the good the bad and the ugly) - Alternatives to the “ordinary” meeting We have solutions for everyone involved in the process hierarchy: owners, managers and operatives. These range from brainstorming workshops to process documentation. The following is an example training course: “The Way We Do Things” – a total package that ensures operations are at peak effectiveness via the implementation of business best practice. - All departments are involved in the process - Senior management – objectives and support - Management team – decide operations to be improved - Department managers and key staff (this includes special training for “bright sparks” – people chosen to lead on-the-job process training) - Staff – trained on best practice PresentationSkills & Personal Impact This course deals with presenting at the following: informal one-to-one meetings; supplier/customer meetings; management or team meetings; training sessions; large audience and formal events; report presentation and information exchange This course does not try to turn out clones; rather it builds on the individual’s natural presentation style. Meeting Skills Process & Best Practice This is a “total package” that takes people from the theory to the practical and also allows them to review their own performance. The key areas covered are: - finding the cause rather than reating the symptom - spotting the elephant issues - setting achievable objectives; planning the solution (horizontal plans) - Implementation & contingency planning - Dealing with the human factors such as emotional issues and stress. The objective of this module is to arm our people with the knowledge and skills to build their self-confidence and ensure they portray a professional image to everyone they deal with. The main subjects covered are: - Communication - Basic meeting skills - How to influence people - Dealing with important people Business etiquette & expectations - Body language & personal Organisation & Administration The difference between good and great is not really a lot. Very often it is the small things that make the difference. Finding and implementing these small changes is the creativity and innovation cycle; this course has the following objectives: - To help people realise their creative ability and to help them unlock the innovative power of others – particularly when working in teams – in order to deliver results in a changing environment - Explain the nature of creativity and the creative process - To turn the concept of innovation into a practical process – focus on techniques, overcoming barriers to innovation & implementation - To be fast moving and quite intense - To be highly interactive and have fun - To work on value, quality and brand, not just on budgets and timescales Problem Solving Self-presentation & Business Etiquette Creativity & Innovation

Page 9

Page 10

www.vfmassociates.com enquiry@vfmassociates.com 10 11Anything from an hour for a handful of people to an international conference for hundreds. You set the business objectives then we design and deliver the event. Ask to see our separate material on team building for further details. This course digs deep into understanding strategy and particularly strategy implementation. The course uses case studies as the main learning tool; this is also a good way to improve personal confidence and presentation skills. By the end of the course each delegate will be able to take an arms length and long-term view of the business. This will improve their business planning skills and ensure a more thorough and in-depth analysis of the business is achieved. The course is also useful as a tool to “round” a managers overall ability, the main elements are: - The importance of business and marketing strategies - Business environment and analysis - Strategy formulation and the tools available - Strategy implementation – putting the plans into practice - Business planning – the ongoing implementation and communication process The objective of this module is to explain the marketing concept and the fundamentals of marketing management to non-marketing professionals. The outcome of the course is to enable managers to approach marketing in a structured manner so the business gets a “bigger bang for its marketing buck”. Specific subjects covered include: - The marketing concept - CRM - Market segmentation and creating differential advantage - Local management of the brand - Making marketing work – involving other people - Marketing communications, media choice and usage - Measuring campaign success Team Building Strategic Implementation Marketing Management We run an “inside” and an “outside” version of this course. The inside version is a traditional training course whilst the outside version is the implementation of a genuine project. The objectives of these courses include: - Understanding the nature of a project - Defining the role and personal qualities of the project manager - To establish the project management process - Dealing with the personal aspects of project management - To learn about project management tools This is a finance for non-financial specialists course. Its objectives are to make people more comfortable with financial terminology and to improve their self-confidence. This course is particularly recommended for people who lack self-confidence or for people who are scared of figures; it is not aimed at making anyone into an accountant. The main parts of the course are: - Financial documents (P&L, Balance Sheet, Funds Flow) and related terminology - Management accounting documents (cash flow, departmental income statement, budgets and forecasts) and costing - Analysis of a selected competitor or customer accounts - A presentation where the delegates have to present a business case for the purchase of a company, including how much they would pay for it and what they would do with it once it was purchased. This is a workshop that uses departmental information as the primary learning vehicle. The event focuses on: - Complete understanding of business finance as it applies to a department or job function - A run through on the main measures and reports available to control the business - Creating a “company dashboard” for the monitoring of activities, control of resources and measurement of results Project Management Finance Business Performance Management

Page 11

Page 12

www.vfmassociates.com 12 Business Development is about setting specific targets and then working out how to meet them in the most effective manner. This workshop is suitable to people who are charged with growing or protecting a part of the business. General subject areas such as: - Key account management - Marketing calendars 13 - Use of a database - Market segmentation These are covered but the main thrust is towards helping the delegate produce an ordered plan that produces measurable outcomes. One month before the workshop is run each delegate and his or her immediate superior will be contacted to discover the area of Business Development which is most critical to the delegate. When this has been collated the full objectives of the workshop will be circulated. enquiry@vfmassociates.com The objectives of this workshop include: - Enabling delegates to facilitate business improvement - Defining the role of the internal consultant - Identifying essential skills and behaviours - Establishing an understanding of good consultancy practice - Introducing the tools and techniques of consultancy The ideal target audience are colleagues identified as potential change agents or who need to act as a consultant to other parts of the organisation. Business Development Consultancy Skills This course has been developed over time to look at the ever-changing parts market. During this hybrid training we investigate the technical side of parts by looking at physical products to understand the difference and value of your genuine products over non-genuine alternatives. We then look at the soft skills side of parts sales to arm the delegates with the knowledge to effectively and confidently communicate this information to the end user. The hands-on nature of looking at physical products is popular with delegates, as a result the course can give a strong and quick return on your investment. Many salespeople use customer benefit statements as an effective sales technique, however these statements are generic in their nature. Today it is important to “put a number on it” if we want to convince the customer of our proposal. The “premium brand – premium price” proposition must be supported, and this is where value based selling is required. Course Content: - What is value based selling? - What customers value – what keeps them awake at night? - How to calculate economic value for the customer - Economic value and price positioning - Convincing the customer about the value - Prospect v Existing customer value - Segmentation and value proposition - Building value through relationships - Value presentation skills This course produces sales people who can deliver compelling value based argumentation to prospect and existing customers. Parts Commercial Knowledge (PCK) Value Based Selling

Page 13

Page 14

www.vfmassociates.com enquiry@vfmassociates.com 14 The modular approach has many advantages: - Use of work based assignments - More accurate assessment of individuals 15 - Greater perceived value by the delegates - Better application of learning behaviours and results - Networking We use the modular approach at different levels: supervisory; junior management; senior management and executive. The following is an example agenda: Module One - Introduction and Objectives - Personal Assessment - Company strategy and brand - Introduction to coaching skills - Assignment 1: Coaching assignment – on the job Module Two - Feedback from assignment - Business development - Implementation planning - Coaching skills (cont.) - Assignment 2: Business development assignment Module Three - Feedback from assignment - Process management - Financial indicators - Operational Indicators - Coaching (cont.) - Assignment 3: Mapping and improvement of local process Module Four - Feedback on assignment - People skills - Team development - Coaching (cont.) - Assignment 4: Competence development Module Five - Assessment of individuals - Graduation Leadership Development Programme This is a leadership foundation course called “Big Bang” and can be a stand-alone course or the start of a larger development programme. Big Bang has two major objectives: firstly to ensure delegates receive a broad grounding in the core leadership competencies; and secondly to assess them against these competencies with a view to making recommendations about their future development. This approach means that each delegate is professionally assessed and profiled and therefore their future development is tailored to their needs. This means managerial and leadership development is more effective from a personal viewpoint and more cost effective from the company viewpoint. As Big Bang is a foundation course people will see a lot of material covering all the managerial competencies in a very short space of time. This event can therefore be described as “intense”. At the end of Big Bang delegates will be set three objectives: one will be “time” based – this is common for everyone attending this event; one will be “business” based; and one will be “personal” – allowing people to choose a specific area to work on. Big Bang

Page 15

Page 16

www.vfmassociates.com This is an event that uses outside learning to meet its objectives. There are many versions of the event available ranging between the following: - A low-key version that can be run using a car park or a grassed area along with a lecture room that reinforces the outside messages; - A full blown outward bound course using a full range of physical and mental activities Please note: this event is safe and properly organised; the instructors are qualified to the highest level; all our delegates are fully insured (£5m liability cover); no delegate will be “made” to complete any task they are uncomfortable with; this learning really does produce genuine business benefits and is not simply a character building exercise; and the event can be tailored to a business issue, from business planning to sales techniques. enquiry@vfmassociates.com The main points of this training are: - The development of specific predetermined business skills 16 17 - The development of leadership skills - Planning, preparation, monitoring, objective setting and communication - The development of team skills and team building - The promotion of individual self-confidence This module is applicable to those who need to manage people and to those who need to influence other people when they have no direct authority over them. The theme for the event is “performance management” and covers review / appraisal, motivation, empowerment, negotiating and a comprehensive case study and role-play. Delegates on this programme are typically: - those who require a general “refresher” on the main people management skills - those who have a specific issue they want to address: for example motivation - those who require development in the whole area of people management – this module will equip them with an ordered plan for approaching the subject, including further modules where appropriate Leading the Way People Management This module explores why and how to develop the people within the organisation. The course explains that development is more than just “training” and that responsibility lies with management just as much as the training departments. As a result the module is aimed at people who have staff reporting to them. The main skill developed on the course is coaching. Subjects include: - Why we develop staff – it’s not just competence development - Development options - Needs analysis - Learning styles - Coaching versus mentoring) - Getting the best from “training” - Measuring development outcomes The importance of these two tasks cannot be overstated. Many companies are facing a huge problem in finding the right people and the consequences of making a bad decision are expensive and far reaching. Of all the tasks the average manager gets involved with, this area is probably the worst administered. The course does not attempt to turn someone into a HR specialist but it does arm the delegates with the most important skills and shows them how to avoid the biggest errors.The course is split into two parts. Recruitment - The importance of recruitment to the business in terms of money and time -How to attract the right type of applicant - Job descriptions - People profiles and key tasks - Use of third party recruiters Advertising - Pre-selection techniques. Selection - The main selection techniques and their problems - Interview administration & technique - How to use different types of test (cognitive, behaviour, personality etc.) - Legal issues - Induction training. Developing People Recruitment & Selection

Page 17

Page 18

www.vfmassociates.com 18 19 Multimedia & E-learning Our very own creative team within VFM Associates create content for training and people development. Combining multiple disciplines to create charming and memorable experiences. Ensuring the execution mirrors thoughtfulness, accuracy and sustainability. We understand that businesses have specific requirements so we will be happy to discuss your needs and work towards a tailored solution. We provide specific services including e-Learning Solutions, video production, photography, graphic design and animation. The Role of Senior Management This programme is a mix of mentoring, coaching and workshop activities. The outcome is aimed at developing a person so they are effective as quickly as possible to drive the business agenda. It looks at the requirements of the business plan and explains how to keep the “Big Picture” in mind at all times. The training element of the workshop deals with making tough decisions and explores the role of leadership in a highly competitive industry. The development is tailored to the specific needs of each delegate; this will be achieved by in-depth discussions with the executive team and the delegate at the start of the process. enquiry@vfmassociates.com e-Learning Complementing the training and development expertise of the company, the media team excel at delivering bespoke, engaging and results focussed e-learning products that leave a big impact. We can offer differing scales of e-learning solutions depending on the training need, subject matter and budget. Like our traditional training the e-learning is bespoke to the client and industry, both in context and appearance. Our delivery can be stand alone or seamlessly integrated into an existing Learning Management System. Marketing Media Branching off slightly from the foundation of the company, training, we often get involved in marketing projects. Knowing our clients as we do it is often the case that we know their core values, their corporate identity and how they want to be known. This enables us to jump into a marketing project already comfortable with how the result should look and feel. We are creative by nature as a company, and always excited to talk with clients about marketing ideas and let the juices flow. Videography VFM Media have completed many video assignments, whether it be to launch or kick-start a program with a bang, video content to be used within a training environment, or to give clients conferences and events an additional sparkle. We are experts in the entire film-making process - writing, filming, directing, editing and colour grading. Whether it’s a straightforward shoot or an assignment involving actors, multiple technical disciplines and logistics; we’re capable. Graphic Design Graphic design is central to everything we offer; whether producing a piece of animation for a e-Learning application or designing a marketing campaign. We believe working closely with our clients, challenging their mind-set and together create sustainable and intellectual design solutions. Photography We take a careful and considered approach when tasked with any photography assignment. Quality and focus become equally important to defining the visual object for any project be it; - Parts Analysis - Shakedown Testing - Product Photography - Editorial - Events & Conferencing

Page 19

vfm-associates-catalogue-image e

Page 1

Page 2

Page 3

Page 4