Energize your organization

Rich content, real-world skills, and fun-loving delivery makes Ron Black's seminars and breakouts memorable and rewarding.

Whether you're rolling out a corporate-wide initiative or tuning up a team's business skills, Ron delivers, with an infectious enthusiasm, the world-class content that your team will long remember and often use.

Change Management

Constructive Destruction Dismantling the barriers to your organization’s success

Leadership skills for managers and executives in a world of explosive complexity and relentless change. This program helps business leaders shift their organization's attention and actions away from the past/present, onto the future/present: refocusing resources from yesterday's paradigms, onto today's imperatives, for tomorrow's success. Created through years of experience leading turnarounds, founder's teams, and product launches, this approach emphasizes moving forward with the resources you have right now--not the resources you wish you had. It provides a strategic framework and techniques to:

• identify past/present systems and assumptions
• lead the destruction of outmoded paradigms
• construct new and resilient ever-evolving systems
• refocus current resources on future/present imperatives

 Format 45 to 90 minutes. 

Tools of Change - People and Process The essentials of managing change

The ability to lead change is essential to success in our world of globalization, technological upheaval, and volatile markets. Yet, from the executive team to front-line employees, change initiatives are often poorly planned, poorly communicated, and poorly implemented. The inability to effect desired change can be deadly to both the organization and those individuals leading the change. It is little wonder that typically 70% of stakeholders ignore or openly resist change initiatives? In this session, sponsors, agents, and targets of change learn how to combine proven process methodologies with leadership competencies—converging process-essentials with people-essentials—to facilitate lasting and effective change. Formats from one hour to one day.

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Time Management

Acrobatics for Overachievers Control-point time management for today's ultra-busy professional

Get more done and get home sooner! Missed deadlines, churning priorities, and 50-hour weeks plague today's high-achievers. Both success and job satisfaction depends on delivering meaningful results on schedule. With this fresh approach, you'll master six powerful productivity principles and a novel control-point technique that obsoletes traditional time management myths. You'll end deadline panic forever, reduce stress, and get home with more energy! It combines the essential elements of time management, project management, productivity, organization, and communication skills with the latest research on multi-tasking, sleep, and other performance affecting choices, to fundamentally change the way you think about productivity and achievement.

• Master this innovative control-point time-management system

• Apply the six productivity principles essential in today's dynamic workplace

• Focus your effort on results that really count

• Get in control of competing priorities once and for all

• End deadline panic forever

Program formats include one-hour to full-day seminars. Download a printer-ready seminar description.

Coming soon! The Acrobatics for Overachievers 4-Video DVD and 4-Audio CD learning systems set is scheduled for a January 2008 release. Call for details. 

Time and Task Management for managers and supervisors

Effective managers make the most of their own time and help those they supervise do the same thing. Learn how to keep your team focused on the results that really count. These essential time management techniques will keep your limited resources focused on achievement, doing the right things, and in the right order. You’ll learn how to create a milestone focus, coordinate complex work, and manage multiple projects, balancing priorities for optimum achievement. And, you’ll never miss a deadline again!   Formats include one-hour to full-day seminar.

Time to Sell! Making the most of your time for sales professionals

Over 80% of the average sales representative’s time is spent doing everything except selling. This seminar provides the tools and techniques sales professionals need to get focused, get organized, and get going on the activities their success really depends on: contacting, communicating, and closing sales with customers. Tailored for in-house or field-sales representatives and delivered in one-hour to full day seminars.

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Teams and Leadership

Team Leadership Building a championship team

Leading successful, productive teams that champion the organization’s goals requires a special set of skills and a broad range of knowledge. With a focus on team achievement, and with performance as the catalyst for team development, participants learn to see everyone as a contributor, to champion individual success towards a common goal, and to clearly communicate roles, responsibilities, and rules of conduct throughout the team’s stages of development. Learn how to build consensus, coach for performance, and apply situational leadership skills to gain commitment and foster authentic participation. One-hour sessions to two-day seminars.

Championship Teamwork Building a GREAT place to work

Improving teamwork is everyone’s responsibility and requires appropriate action from the most senior to the most junior team member. This course delivers the teamwork knowledge, competencies, and skills needed by all levels of the organization. These include the ability to: focus on true achievement with appropriate Goals; establish and communicate Roles and Responsibilities; develop and manage team Rules and standards of performance; create and maintain an Environment of mutual trust, respect, and commitment to success; thoughtfully adopt the Attitude and professional bearing conducive to teamwork; and maintain high levels of Trust and respect that fosters positive interdependence and authentic participation. Delivered in a half- to full- day format.

The Industrial Peg and Marble Company Teambuilding Simulation

A high-energy, engaging business simulation providing experiential learning for the basics of teambuilding. Through successive rounds of play, essential team development concepts are introduced, experienced, and internalized. Requires 3 to 4 hours for optimal learning. May be used alone or in conjunction with Team Leadership and Championship Teamwork seminars.

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Project Management

Complete course descriptions and additional information can be found on the project management training page.

Project Management Fundamentals the elements of success

This comprehensive seminar provides the knowledge, insights, and techniques project teams need to accomplish even the most challenging project. From the seasoned veteran to the anxious rookie, the largest gains in project success come with a focus on the fundamentals—the process, the vocabulary, the tools and techniques of achievement. Compliant with popular standards, tailored to your needs, and grounded in results-proven experience, this course delivers project skills that will drive your organization’s success into the future. Tailored to the organization’s project environment and provided in one- to three-day formats.

Creating an Environment for Project Success Executive briefing

This course provides the essential information senior managers need to interact with, participate in, and create more effective project management environments. Emphasis is placed on the role of enterprise-wide project management doctrine. It addresses critical issues for the executive team responsible for managing the project portfolio. Includes an overview of the project management process, how to prioritize projects based on organizational objectives, choose and implement an effective process model, establish project roles and responsibilities, apply stage-gate management techniques, select effective project teams, and understand what research and experience shows us about project success and failure factors. Formatted for one-hour briefings to full-day workshops.

Project Management for the IT Professional

This course explores the different types of IT project lifecycles and presents all the tools, processes, and documents needed to initiate, plan, and control successful IT projects. You'll learn how to avoid common errors, use project control documents, and choose the best planning model for your projects. Includes a complete overview of scheduling tools and techniques — Gantt Charts, Network Diagrams, the Critical Path Method and more. Provides IT project managers with a strong platform of skills, tools and techniques for planning, scheduling, budgeting, organizing and controlling their projects. One- or two-day course.

Managing Projects the Easy Way with Microsoft Project

Manage the detail without losing sight of the big picture! This feature-rich software is tamed with a step-by-step approach, a comprehensive Action Guide, and hands-on exercises. The course is tailored to your needs and existing process to help you get in control and stay in control of even the most demanding projects. You'll master scheduling, resource control, cost tracking, and the skills you need to manage multiple projects. For geographically dispersed teams, you’ll learn how to use MS Project's powerful collaboration and communication features. Learn directly from the author of the popular Complete Idiot’s Guide to Project Management with MS Project 2003. One- or two-day course.

Project Team Leadership Building championship project teams

Leading successful, productive teams that champion the project’s success requires a special set of skills and a broad range of knowledge. With a focus on team achievement, and with performance as the catalyst for team development, participants learn to see everyone as a contributor, to champion individual success towards a common goal, and to clearly communicate roles, responsibilities, and rules of conduct throughout the team’s stages of development and the project’s lifecycle.  Learn how to build consensus, coach for performance, and apply situational leadership skills to gain commitment and foster authentic participation. This course delivers the teamwork knowledge, competencies, and skills needed by all levels of the organization. These include the ability to: focus on true achievement with appropriate Goals and milestones; establish and communicate Roles and single-point Responsibilities; develop and manage team Rules and standards of performance; create and maintain an Environment of mutual trust, respect, and commitment to success; thoughtfully adopt the Attitude and professional bearing conducive to teamwork; and maintain high levels of Trust and respect that fosters positive interdependence and authentic project participation.

Delivered in a half- to full- day formats. Applies to PMBOK section 9.3 Team Development and 9.2 Staff Acquisition.

Championship Teamwork Building a GREAT project team

A break-out session version of the team leadership seminar, this course delivers the essence of building effective project teams by focusing on team Goals, Roles, Responsibilities, Rules, Environment, Attitudes, and Trust.  Individual prerequisites to team success and staffing dynamics are introduced.

One-hour session. Applies to PMBOK section 9.3 Team Development and 9.2 Staff Acquisition

The Industrial Peg and Marble Company Project teambuilding simulation

A high-energy, engaging project simulation providing experiential learning for the basics of teambuilding. Through successive rounds of play, essential project team development concepts are introduced, experienced, and internalized as participants team up to complete complex pegboard designs in record time and according to specification.  May be used alone or in conjunction with Team Leadership and Championship Teams seminars.

Requires 3 to 4 hours for optimal learning. One-hour introduction to team building is available. Applies to PMBOK section 9.3 Team Development

Project Meeting Skills For managers, engineers, and technologists

Get more done in less time! Present project status with persuasive pizzazz! Learn how to turn every meeting into productive, collaborative, consensus building events with these powerful meeting facilitation skills and techniques. You’ll learn how to create effective agendas, facilitate productive discussions, prioritize ideas, build consensus, focus the participant’s attention on outcomes, and make better group decisions. You’ll even learn how to gracefully handle those awkward situations or distractions that threaten to derail your project meetings. Best practices for using variance charts, tracking Gantts, and Network Diagrams are discussed. Designed for project managers leading small or large projects in formal or informal project meeting environments.

One-hour to full-day seminar formats available. Applies to PMBOK section 10.2.2 Information Distribution Tools and Techniques and section 2.4.4 Problem Solving and Decision Making

Managing Projects with Microsoft Project The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Don’t fall victim to MS Project’s flaws, feature fluff, and built-in assumptions. The author of two best-selling books on using MS Project reveals the quirky, the troublesome, the aggravating, and sometimes deadly flaws found in the world’s most popular desktop scheduling software. If you’re new to MS Project, these tips and tricks will keep you safe and productive, harnessing the product’s power and avoiding its many hidden pitfalls. What every user needs to know about designing dynamic schedules, cost tracking, and using PERT analysis—and what every new user needs to ignore—to get the most from the MS Project desktop versions. By the author of the popular Complete Idiot’s Guide to Project Management with MS Project 2003.

Delivered in 45- to 60-minute sessions. Applies to PMBOK section 10.2.2 Information Distribution Tools and Techniques

The Art and Science of Time and Task Management For ultra-busy project managers

Designed for today’s fast-paced lifestyles and the ultra-busy project manager, this seminar provides the essential skills and knowledge needed to create balance, increase productivity, reduce stress, and improve your sense of well being at work. It applies project management scheduling concepts to resolve traditional time management conundrums, adds organization, productivity, with the latest research on multi-tasking, sleep, and other performance affecting choices, into an interactive and entertaining experience. Formats from one-hour to full-day sessions.

Applies to PMBOK section 2.4 Key General Management Skills, Managing oneself through time management, stress management, and other techniques.

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Executive Skills

Meeting Skills Facilitating collaborative success

Learn how to turn every meeting into productive, collaborative, consensus building events with these powerful meeting facilitation skills and techniques. You’ll learn how to create effective agendas, facilitate productive discussions, prioritize ideas, build consensus, focus the participant’s attention on outcomes, use visual storyboards to communicate like a pro, and even how to handle those awkward situations or distractions that threaten to derail your meetings. From the mechanics of taking notes, to room preparation, to handling A/V needs, to leading cross-functional expert discussions, this course provides everything you need to get the most from meetings with clients, prospects, and workgroups. One-hour to full-day seminar formats available.

Know Your Numbers! The metrics of success

Profits, strength, growth. While there are many ways to measure success, business managers must constantly monitor and control their organization’s profitability, strength, and growth. Yet most business owners and managers have little or no knowledge of how to measure these core indicators. Using an adaptation of the DuPont R.O.I. success formula, participants explore traditional financial metrics and consider other metrics that can help them measure, evaluate, and control their organization’s success.  Designed for the non-accountant, this program demystifies the income statement and balance sheet, describes how ratio analysis can be used to make better business decisions, and helps participants create their own key performance metrics.

• Master the time-honored R.O.I. success formula
• Learn the difference between leading and lagging indicators
• Read income statements and balance sheets
• Identify the operating metrics that will keep you focused on success

Critical Thinking, Analysis, and Problem Solving For business leaders

The increasing complexities of business and technology requires collaborative, cross-functional teams that are capable of gathering and analyzing diverse information, creatively solving problems, and effectively carrying through on decisions. In this seminar participants learn the problem solving process including how to collect data, four powerful data analysis techniques, the Ishikawa root cause model, five decision making techniques, how to plan the implementation, perform a risk analysis, and evaluate their results. Full-day seminar.

Business-to-Business Negotiations Creating healthy relationships with vendors and customers for long-term success

Companies don’t do business with companies…people do business with people…and they do the most business with those they trust. Your bottom line depends on your ability to create and maintain fruitful, long-term relationships with customers and vendors alike. In this business negotiation workshop you’ll learn how to find and leverage your power, build options, plan for important negotiations, probe for concessions, restructure for strength, develop your strategy, and create and manage fruitful business relationships for the long-term. Includes a negotiations planning checklist and action guide. Formatted in one-hour to one-day sessions.

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Sales and Marketing

Mastering Successful Sales Conversations Knowledge is important, but how we relate it to others is what matters the most

When sellers genuinely care about buyers, respect their point of view, and act with authenticity, buyers not only respond, they tell their friends! This seminar teaches sales rookies and veterans alike how to build on their natural conversational style and innate values to create fruitful, long-term business relationships. Participants learn how to use face-to-face communication skills to quickly build rapport, establish authentic trust and respect, create a collaborative sales relationship, effectively probe and refine mutual understanding, gain willing acceptance, build commitment, and lead their customer’s decision making. A five-step sales communication process is provided. Content includes:

• Why the biggest mistake in selling is not paying attention to buying
• Understanding buyer attitude and receptivity signals
• Creating naturally persuasive and influential relationships
• Master conversational skills of rapport, listening, reflecting, probing, alignment, and raising
• Using triangulation to defuse problems and issues
• Building collaboration, consensus, and commitment
• Leading confident decision making
• Planning for successful buy/sell meetings

Includes a participant’s action guide. Requires four to six contact hours.

Negotiating Skills for Sales Professionals Creating profitable, long-term business relationships

Your bottom line depends on how well you can get what you want, by helping others get what they want. This business negotiation workshop delivers the principles, elements, and skills of creating successful deals for fruitful business relationships. Participants learn why it’s important to bond before bargaining, how to identify the facts and feelings essential to a deal, how to create successful strategies, position interests, and uncover what the other side really wants. Content includes:

• How to open negotiations and set expectations
• Recognizing and responding to common haggling tactics
• Identifying both factual and emotional elements of deal
• How to prepare, probe, and propose with persuasive punch
• How to use negative, positive, and normative leverage
• Overcoming obstacles, stalemates, and roadblocks
• Controlling the timeline and communications pace
• Creating agreements that satisfy and build repeat business

Includes a negotiations planning checklist and action guide. Formatted in half- and full-day sessions.

Time to Sell! Making the most of your time for sales professionals

Over 80% of the average sales representative’s time is spent doing everything except selling. This seminar provides the tools and techniques sales professionals need to get focused, get organized, and get going on the activities their success really depends on: contacting, communicating, and closing more business. The Unstoppable Sales and Marketing Machine strategy is introduced and provides the construct for participants to model their sales cycles, set long-term goals, and identify those daily results that are required to achieve success. They’ll learn how to focus on what’s important, increase customer contact time, deal with time-wasters, organize for productivity, maintain top-of-mind awareness, and leverage their activities for maximum sales results. Tailored for in-house or field-sales representatives and delivered in one-hour to full-day seminars. 

The Unstoppable Sales and Marketing Machine

Send your sales off the chart with this step-by-step approach to improving the three most important elements in the sales and marketing process: volume, velocity, and value. Entrepreneurs, sales managers, and sales professionals alike will benefit from this turn-around and start-up executive’s secrets to selling more with less.  Learn how to focus your sales and promotional resources for maximum benefit, create effective strategies, shorten the sales cycle, identify hidden opportunities, set realistic goals, and drive your performance to an all-time high. Formatted from 1-hour to full-day seminars.

Salesmanship for Everyone (who has ever hated a salesman)

Sooner or later, every job requires “selling”—gaining commitment, eliciting action, advocating a point-of-view, or somehow influencing others. This powerful approach is successful whether you’re selling yourself, your company, or your ideas. It unleashes the natural, powerful forces of influence created by interacting with integrity, honesty, and mutual respect. Understand buyer behavior signals, create rapport and influence, actively listen, lead decision making and build buyer commitment. Your confidence, credibility and comfort will only be exceeded by your sales performance! Formatted for one-hour sessions to one-day seminars.

Cold Calling for Hot Results

Not all business-to-business sales situations require cold calling, but this basic skill oft-times separates the good sales professional from the great. Learn how to consistently out-perform your peers by using this time-honored skill to strategically increase your sales volume, velocity, and value by testing lists, refining strategy, qualifying prospects, to build sales—even when your phone isn't ringing.  One- to two-hour session.

13 Deadly Marketing Myths and How to avoid them

Mired in misconceptions, outdated strategies, or victimized by common business "truths"? Learn how to challenge stereotypical thinking, unleash your own marketing genius, and really boost your company’s performance. You'll discover the powerful secrets hidden behind popular business myths and stereotypes. You’ll walk away with a fresh viewpoint, a clear new vision of what great marketing really is, and 13 ways to build your organization’s success. Formatted for one or two hours.

3 Ways to Create Delighted Customers Selling with confidence and composure

The biggest mistake sellers make is not listening to the buyer. When sellers genuinely care about buyers, respecting their point of view and acting with authenticity, buyers not only respond, they come back and bring their friends! This seminar teaches sales rookies and veterans alike how they can book more business by selling less and listening more. Learn how to turn your authenticity and natural people skills into productive, long-term sales results with these three essential skills. One-hour to half-day format.

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If you don't see the seminar you're looking for, give Ron a call. Custom programs are our norm. We listen to your needs and if it's within Ron's area of expertise, we develop a spot-on course that will drive your organization's success beyond the bold!

   

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Copyright © 2008 Ron Black, The Mentor Group                              503-618-8703  •  USA: 800-381-8686