Did you know……that only 10% of organisation in the UK have a Menopause policy in place. This is absolutely staggering when you consider the following:

• 71.4% of women are in the UK labour market – the highest it has been since 1971
• The Office of National Statistics have shown that women aged 50 to 64 are the fastest growing economically active group
• Menopause symptoms are costing the UK economy 14 million lost working days a year
• 370,000 working women in the UK have stated that they have either left or considered leaving their career, as dealing with the their symptoms in the workplace was too difficult
• The average cost to replace an employee in the UK is between £30,000 to £50,000

What is the menopause?

The menopause occurs after your periods cease. When your ovaries stop producing eggs, your oestrogen levels fall. However, the symptoms can present up to five years beforehand, as the oestrogen gradually declines. This is known as peri-menopause. 

Among its many functions, oestrogen is thought to aid cognition and memory. It also affects collagen in the skin, maintains bone density and keeps blood vessels clear of the sticky deposits that cause damage and can lead to cardiovascular disease. It maintains the pH balance in the vagina, reducing the likelihood of infections, prevents the vaginal wall from thinning and keeps the area moist. In short, a decline in oestrogen can wreak mental and physical havoc, with symptoms often worsening over time.

Women need to understand the menopausal process, what diet and lifestyle factors they can change to reduce symptoms and improve later health and what treatment options are available.

Education is needed for healthcare professionals so that women are given accurate and consistent advice. The British Menopause Society (BMS) has many educational events and resources available and are working hard to implement its vision for menopause care in the UK.

If you want to build your own knowledge on the subject, work towards putting a policy in place and understand the adjustments you could put in place to create a support and comfortable working environment please get in touch for further information 01623 409824 or email info@futureproof-training.co.uk.

Ask questions and listen

Make sure you “peel the onion” and ask as many relevant questions as is appropriate.

The more you know about your potential customer and how they will use your products / service, the better chance you have of presenting value.

The types of questions matter

When you talk to your potential customer, try the approach of asking questions as if they have already bought your product or service. Don’t ask them if they’d like to buy but how they will be paying. Ask how they will use your product or service.

Show customer your full offering & the results achieve

When you share results information with your potential customer it allows them to see how they can grow and scale their operation or satisfy their personal need; it makes it easier for them to buy what you’re selling because they’re seeing results. Customer testimonials can come in handy at this time.

Assumptive close

One of the best secrets of closing the sale is to assume the person on the other side has already made the decision to purchase your product or service. There are a few reasons behind this:

Depending on your industry, there’s a good chance your prospect has already done their research on your company or product, and, to a certain extent, already decided they are going to buy. The confidence you show by assuming the sale will make it easier to build a relationship with your client. By the time you’re done, they don’t even realise they’ve been sold.

Tell your story visually

Visuals can help your message become actionable. Video, whiteboards, images or other pictures will show how your prospect’s problem will be solved with what you’re selling. By using images you create contrast, which can create the feeling of urgency, which will help you close the sale.

Please get in touch if we can help develop your sales teams. Futureproof Sales Courses 01623 409 824 or info@futureproof-training.co.uk

According to recent research, CEOs have cited high quality staff as the top factor that has contributed most to the growth of their company. Interestingly, finding, hiring and retaining qualified employees have also become one of their biggest operational challenges in managing their company’s rapid growth.

One of the top reasons people usually give for leaving their job is more often than not, their immediate superior or management. Managing people should no longer be simply viewed as just a responsibility, but an extremely important skill that managers should constantly hone and improve to deal with the diverse personalities and cultures in a team or company. 

Here are some management insights on how managers can effectively get the most out of their staff and motivate them to put in their best not just for a day – but always.

Adopt a people-based culture

There is a reason why some of the world’s top organisations attribute their success to their people. By treating their employees as the most valuable asset of the company, they achieved impressive results and became more competitive across many fronts.

Employees enjoy coming to work where their contributions are valued, and morale is increased when they are given more responsibility, autonomy and freedom. They are more likely to articulate the company’s shared vision and bring their best ideas to work. 

Empowering staff also gives them a sense of responsibility. It motivates them to be more independent and do what needs to be done without being told and makes them feel they have a significant impact on their work.

Be a leader, not a manager

Many business managers are often trapped in the daily operations of running their department / part of the business. In today’s world, to remain competitive and stay ahead of the game a business requires inspiring leaders who can inject enthusiasm into the work environment and make employees excited about their job, as opposed to having staff simply executing orders issued by management.

 
A great business leader moves people to extraordinary performance and is able to communicate his vision to his staff and get their buy in. Genuine leadership cleverly uses talents to bring about real and limitless productivity, as employees begin to emulate and internalise their leaders’ positive attitude and approach to work, especially when these leaders support them wholeheartedly in whatever they do. 

Encourage risk taking and innovation

When a company becomes too set in its ways, it kills creativity and innovation within the workplace. Employees will perform their assigned duties as contracted, with hardly any interest in achieving the company’s vision and goals. A business that does not challenge its people to think, create, innovate and contribute will only give rise to more people with a ‘why rock the boat’ mentality.

Stretch and challenge

Challenge your staff by setting and exacting the highest standards, spurring them on to achieve what are seemingly impossible targets. By ensuring that everyone is working to meet these standards, you are engendering enthusiasm among the workforce and generating a competitive spirit within the company. When a company involves and ignites its people to make such stretch targets a reality, they get excited about the work and are eager to achieve the vision by maximising their own capabilities.

https://futureproof-training.co.uk/people/

info@futureproof-training.co.,uk

In the Learning and Development world there is sometimes an overwhelming desire to be always looking for new or different ways of managing and leading people but there are some models that have withstood the test of time and are still just as effective now.

Of course, we need to find new ways to engage delegates and take advantage of the advancements in technology but the thinking behind Adair’s model provides new managers especially, with such a great mindset to adopt when trying to get the right balance of people, task and team management.

For many new managers they come from a background that is very operationally (task) focused, getting the job done on time, meeting quality standards, meeting client deadlines and offering a great service. Without the correct level of support, it can be difficult for new managers to appreciate that to consistently achieve any of the above outcomes they are dependent on their team to make it happen!

Working with Adair’s model allows us to look at how we can get the best out of others (and the team) in order to successfully complete a task. Looking at what is important to the team or individuals when completing a task can put a very different focus on the way in which we communicate, delegate responsibility, set performance objectives, provide constructive feedback and offer reward and recognition. 

Our website offers some great programmes for New Managers.

www.futureproof-training.co.uk

Or, please get in touch and we can work together to build a programme to meet your specific requirements.

info@futureproof-training.co.uk or 01623 409 824

In many businesses across the UK in addition to carrying out their daily operational duties, managers are also expected to manage, lead and successfully deliver a broad range of business projects.

But, how many of these managers are given the correct guidance and development needed to manage projects successfully? A professional approach to project management can ensure that businesses of all sizes reap the following benefits:

• Clarity of project goals and objectives before allocating any significant resources
• Well controlled progress through all the essentials stages of the project
• Well managed and realistic delivery timescales
• Projects delivered within the agreed budget
• Clear identification of the project team’s roles and responsibilities
• Implementation of an effective project communication strategy
• Strong leadership, team collaboration and accountability

At Futureproof we have a dedicated team of Project Management consultants who can help your managers learn the key stages involved in the project management life cycle before looking at core key skills and behaviours required to be an effective Project Manager.

Project Management for Managers

For more information please get in touch info@futureproof-training.co.uk or 01623 409 824