Key Skills = Business Success

Sir Digby Jones has warned that companies could be losing out because of poorly-trained sales staff and inadequate customer service.

This message from the former director general of the CBI is clear - expert telephone skills are vital if businesses are to prosper.

As part of the business champion's charitable work, as appointed by the Chancellor Gordon Brown, Sir Digby is now backing a Nottinghamshire training company's efforts to improve these vital skills.

By Appointment Ltd, based in Newark, Notts, has launched a DVD series with clear guidance and information how to raise standards among customer advisors and telephone sales staff.

The telephone skills training series, produced by training mentor and director of By Appointment Ltd, John Knight, is aimed at keeping sales performance and customer service up-to-scratch through instant access to a training course and refresher tips.

The first of the DVD's, Making Great New Sales Appointments, is on sale this week. The Generation New Business Sales from Existing Customers and Retaining Customers training courses will be available by the end of the year.

Sir Digby Jones said Creating and growing a successful business in the UK today depends upon a continuous flow of new business contact and meetings.

That business effort is made much easier when individuals are professionally taught the correct way to set up new business appointments by telephone.

John Knight has perfected a simple method that is effective, courteous and easy to instigate - and what's more, it gets results!

I would recommend this professional training method to every business looking to increase its sales performance.

The Making Great New Sales Appointments DVD contains four hours of training material on how to get through to senior executives, obtaining business appointments, the dos and don'ts of cold telephone caling and strategies for making prospects sit up and take notice.

A professionally trained appointment setting person can make contact with up to 80 companies in one day and speak with approximately 25 decision makers. On average, one in five will agree to a meeting - that's five appointments each day.

John Knight says Cold calling is tougher than ever, so sales staff need to be very astute to get past the gatekeepers to the decision makers.

This DVD set will be a valuable investment for any company or business and in particular will improve the abilities of the growing number of smaller businesses and the self-employed. As well as increasing your sales significantly, it is a constant training resource. Companies can dip in and out of the advice on offer, using it for induction days, refresher courses, staff reviews and motivational sessions.

This first DVD set Making Great New Sales Appointments, is now available to purchase online through their website at www.telephonesalestraining.com where a short video clip is also available. Normally priced at just 79.95 including postage, a special once-only launch offer is available.