News: Historic house sold as Huthwaite moves on

Huthwaite International - the global training provider and behaviour change specialist – has relocated the company's UK headquarters from Rotherham to Sheffield.

Perhaps better known around the world than in the borough, the company is a market leading behaviour change consultancy and specialises in consulting and training on all aspects of sales. It works with major blue chip companies across the world including SAP, Medtronic and Siemens.

The move to offices at Fox Valley comes with the sale of Huthwaite's former home - Hoober House at Wentworth.

Rothbiz reported in March that Huthwaite had engaged leading property agent, Savills, to market the property for sale. It was sold from a guide price of £1.65m.

The sale documents describe the property as "a fine period stone built detached residence" which comes together with a refurbished coach house with a front courtyard and "glorious private mature grounds and gardens" of approximately 5.25 acres and "an impressive sweeping tree lined driveway approach."

The buildings extend to some 9,935 sq ft of accommodation in the main house arranged over two main floors with a cellar. The Coach House offers a further 4,505 sq ft which is currently used as a business centre and training facility.

Advertisement
Originally part of the renowned Fitzwilliam Wentworth Estate, the property sits in a semi-elevated position with "glorious" west facing views across the adjoining Wentworth Estate.

Hoober House was built as the Dower House for the principal historic residence of Wentworth Woodhouse and was previously lived in by Lady Milton when she was a widow.

In 2018, Huthwaite secured planning consent for change of use back to a residential property.

Tony Hughes, chief executive officer of Huthwaite International, said: "We are really excited to be relocating our team to Fox Valley. This is a great location for us to continue to develop and grow our business and we are looking forward to being part of the Fox Valley community.

"The centre has great links to the wider region as well as fantastic facilities for our team when they’re working from the office."

Huthwaite website

Images: Savills

Read more...

News: Historic Rotherham property up for sale

A substantial stone built country house that is currently being used as offices in Rotherham has been placed on the market and could be turned back into a residence, or even become a new hotel.

Hoober House at Wentworth is currently used as headquarters by Huthwaite International, the market leading behaviour change consultancy that works with major blue chip companies across the world including Rezidor, Dell, Motorola, UPS and Zurich Insurance.

Due to relocation, Huthwaite has now engaged leading property agent, Savills, to market the property for sale. It has a guide price of £1.65m.

The sale documents describe the property as "a fine period stone built detached residence" which comes together with a refurbished coach house with a front courtyard and "glorious private mature grounds and gardens" of approximately 5.25 acres and "an impressive sweeping tree lined driveway approach."

The buildings extend to some 9,935 sq ft of accommodation in the main house arranged over two main floors with a cellar. The Coach House offers a further 4,505 sq ft which is currently used as a business centre and training facility.

Advertisement

Originally part of the renowned Fitzwilliam Wentworth Estate, the property sits in a semi-elevated position with "glorious" west facing views across the adjoining Wentworth Estate.

Hoober House was built as the Dower House for the principal historic residence of Wentworth Woodhouse and was previously lived in by Lady Milton when she was a widow. In the 1950s it was used in connection to Lady Mabel College which was based at Wentworth Woodhouse. The National Archives has an entry entitled "Wentworth: Hoober House boarding home for maladjusted girls" dating from 1947.

In 2018, Huthwaite secured planning consent for change of use back to a residential property.

The sale documents state: "This is an opportunity either to continue the commercial use the property now enjoys or to restore the house back to family occupation with the ability to create additional accommodation within the substantial detached coach house as leisure facilities, continued use as office or additional residential accommodation.

"In addition to the existing planning consent for change of use to residential, the property would be suitable for a number of alternative uses, such as hotel, leisure and educational, subject to planning permission."

Huthwaite website
Savills website


Images: Savills

Read more...

News: Huthwaite highlights heroes of business

Huthwaite International, the market leading behaviour change consultancy based in Rotherham, has found that sales skills are overlooked and undervalued in all industries except retail.

Based at Wentworth and specialising in consulting and training on all aspects of sales, the company works with major blue chip companies across the world including Rezidor, Dell, Motorola, UPS and Zurich Insurance.

The company was founded in 1974 by Neil Rackham and researchers Linda Marsh and Simon Bailey, who set out to discover what verbal behaviours were most commonly used by people to achieve the greatest degree of success when selling and negotiating, compared with those who were only average performers.

A recent study by YouGov with Huthwaite International sought to find out what decision makers from a range of sectors thought of their departments and which departments were considered "the heroes" of the business.

While sales came out top for those in retail on 34%, across all industries surveyed sales slipped to third place (24%), behind research and development on 32% and production and manufacturing on 26%.

Advertisement

Tony Hughes, CEO at Huthwaite International (pictured), said: "Businesses operating in the retail sector understand that sales are crucial, but other industries still don't seem to give credit where credit is due. Possibly they believe that services and products just sell themselves, which is certainly not the case.

"Skilled salespeople build value for the product or service they sell, working with customers to understand their needs and how these needs can best be served. It's not a one-size-fits-all approach, but a tailored and consultative effort that is essential to success in all industries."

At the other end of the scale, procurement and HR came joint last, each being named as heroes of businesses by only 9% of respondents.

Hughes added: "Procurement continues to suffer from a serious reputation problem when it comes to how it's viewed by the rest of the business. Research we conducted in 2013 showed that procurement's image within the business is negative overall and it seems not much has improved over the last few years.

"Sales can make their own lives easier – and also help to make procurement look good to their colleagues – by ensuring that they clearly articulate the customer benefits of what they are selling and ensure at least some of these benefits are expressed in terms that enhance the value to procurement.

"Also, by involving procurement earlier in the process, salespeople can help them communicate the value of what is being sold to the wider business. The closer salespeople can get to the procurement department the better, both for salespeople to do their job and for procurement to improve their image in the business."

Huthwaite International currently delivers sales and negotiation skills training across all six continents and in 35 languages. It trains some 14,000 people each year. The company reported a turnover of £8m for 2015 and 75% of sales are from overseas.

Huthwaite International website

Images: Huthwaite International

Read more...

News: Huthwaite research is up for negotiation

Rotherham's Huthwaite International is continuing to develop its renowned innovative behavioural approach to sales and negotiation skills in its 40th anniversary year.


The market leading behaviour change consultancy is based at Wentworth and specialises in consulting and training on all aspects of sales. It works with major blue chip companies across the world including Rezidor, Dell, Motorola, UPS and Zurich Insurance. One client, IBM, has been on Huthwaite's books continuously for 34 years, and many others are not far behind.

The company was founded in 1974 by Neil Rackham and researchers Linda Marsh and Simon Bailey, who set out to discover what verbal behaviours were most commonly used by people to achieve the greatest degree of success when selling and negotiating, compared with those who were only average performers.

The firm's latest survey has identified that even if you think you're not a negotiator in business, you probably are.

In fact, 36 per cent of business people who took part in a skills survey didn't have traditional negotiation roles, such as sales or buying, but were found to carry out large, complex negotiations on a regular basis. In addition, 67% of respondents said they got involved on a regular basis with internal negotiations with colleagues.

Huthwaite International revealed these early findings from an international survey that has already attracted over 800 respondents in 18 countries, as part of the company's ongoing development of its renowned VBA (Verbal Behaviour Analysis) Negotiation Skills training suite.

46% of respondents were regularly involved in large, complex negotiations, but even more (59%) said that they were frequently involved in short, commercial negotiations and 64% said that they regularly took part in non-commercial negotiations with colleagues, suppliers or customers.

The fact remains that these negotiations, although on a smaller scale, could have a significant impact on the business, as well as the performance of the individual within the organisation.

Dr Janet Curran, head of Thought Leadership at Huthwaite International (pictured, below), said: "There's a common misconception that there are only a small number of people within an organisation who are required to negotiate – usually buyers or sales people.

"Our latest survey has gone a long way towards demonstrating that negotiation is a skill that the majority of business people require in their everyday working lives with internal negotiation often proving more difficult than external.

"Having good negotiation skills can therefore make a huge difference to their productivity and the performance of the whole organisation.

"Our experience over the past 40 years shows that companies that invest in enhancing the negotiation skills of their employees across the business leads to improved productivity and long term performance of the business."

Huthwaite International website

Images: Huthwaite International

Read more...

News: Huthwaite hosts international business school

Rotherham's Huthwaite International, the world's leading company in behaviour change for salespeople and negotiators, recently welcomed delegates from across the globe for its International Business School event.

Held at its Wentworth HQ as part of its 40th anniversary celebrations, the event was attended by employees and some colleagues from Huthwaite's global network including Portugal, Poland, German, Israel, Switzerland, Greece, Denmark and the Netherlands.

The market leading behaviour change consultancy specialises in consulting and training on all aspects of sales. It works with major blue chip companies across the world including Rezidor, Dell, Motorola, UPS and Zurich Insurance. One client, IBM, has been on Huthwaite's books continuously for 34 years, and many others are not far behind.

At the International Business School, chief executive of Huthwaite International Tony Hughes gave a corporate update on the latest research on negotiation skills, plus information on new products and technology updates that the company will shortly be introducing to its client base.

Tony Hughes, chief executive of Huthwaite International, said: "It was fantastic to see representatives from our global network attending our 40th anniversary event. This is an exciting time for our business as we are developing a number of new products based on our innovative behavioural approach to sales and negotiation skills. The event was great opportunity to be able to update our partners, celebrate our anniversary and look to the future at the same time."

After the business school, delegates enjoyed a dinner and corporate entertainment in a marquee in the garden at Hoober House, Wentworth. To mark its anniversary, Huthwaite International designed a beautifully illustrated timeline, which runs the length of one of its entrance corridors and tells the story of Huthwaite over the years. The company also created a map of the world from thumbnail photographs of the firm's UK and international employees.

The company was founded in 1974 by Neil Rackham and researchers Linda Marsh and Simon Bailey, who attended Huthwaite's 40th anniversary celebration. They set out to discover what verbal behaviours were most commonly used by people to achieve the greatest degree of success when selling and negotiating, compared with those who were only average performers.

The company was originally based at Huthwaite Hall in Thurgoland near Barnsley and relocated to its current address in Wentworth in 1989. Huthwaite International currently delivers sales and negotiation skills training across all six continents and in 33 languages. With two prestigious Queen's Awards for International Trade, Huthwaite's revenue from non-UK business grew from £3.8m in 2010/11 to £5.7m in 2012/13 and exports are now 76.6% of turnover.

Huthwaite International website

Images: Huthwaite International

Read more...

News: Huthwaite International celebrates 40 years at the top

Rotherham's Huthwaite International, the world's leading company in behaviour change for salespeople and negotiators, celebrates its 40th anniversary this week.

Perhaps better known around the world than in the borough, the Wentworth company is a market leading behaviour change consultancy and specialises in consulting and training on all aspects of sales. It works with major blue chip companies across the world including Rezidor, Dell, Motorola, UPS and Zurich Insurance. One client, IBM, has been on Huthwaite's books continuously for 34 years, and many others are not far behind.

The company was founded by a group of researchers at Sheffield University who met in the late 1960s, led by founder Neil Rackham. They sought to discover what verbal behaviours were most commonly used by people with the greatest degree of success when selling and negotiating – compared with people who were only average performers. And in the early 1970s, companies such as BOAC (now part of BA), Kodak and Xerox asked them to come and share the learning with their sales teams. Hence the foundation of the company – originally at Huthwaite Hall in Thurgoland, in 1974.

At a luncheon for the 70 staff based at Hoober House, the company's home since 1989, Huthwaite unveiled a timeline charting the firm's successful journey and a map superimposed with the faces of the Huthwaite staff. A growing number of trainers (currently 280) deliver across six continents and in 33 languages and the company has won two prestigious Queen's Awards for International Trade. Huthwaite International's revenue from non-UK business grew from £3.8m in 2010/11 to £5.7m in 2012/13 and exports are now 76.6% of turnover.

Tony Hughes, CEO at Huthwaite (pictured), said: "Our continued success is a result of the talents and skills of our people, whatever their role, and of the continued faith that our clients across the globe place in our ability to deliver the results they are looking for. Here's to the next 40 years."

In a message sent from America where he now lives, founder Neil Rackham, added: "Less than one company in 100 makes it to 40 years. It's testimony to the hard work and dedication of many people and it makes me proud that the organization I started all those years ago should be so successful today and still making such an important and useful contribution. My thanks to all of you."

Huthwaite International website

Images: Huthwaite International

Read more...

News: Rotherham's outstanding companies

Plimsoll Publishing Ltd, the world's leading provider of market reports and company analysis, has awarded the accolade of "Outstanding Company" to a number of businesses in Rotherham.

Only a handful are awarded following the latest analysis of the published annual accounts relevant to the firms' specific area of business. The award indicates they have improved their overall financial health based on Plimsoll's assessment of their overall performance. At the same time they have achieved solid sales growth.


Leading the way is expanding manufacturing firm, CMD Ltd who were recognised this month. Based at Eastwood, the innovative company has a product range offering underfloor power systems, lighting and power busbars, lighting control systems, together with office power, cable management and ergonomic solutions.

Steve Cole, managing director at CMD Ltd, said: "Building and maintaining an outstanding financial growth takes a lot of hard work across the entire company and it's fantastic to be recognised for this. Plimsoll Publishing is a well-respected, independent body so it's exciting that they've acknowledged CMD's achievements with this award."

Other recognised Rotherham firms include, Roberts Radio, the UK brand leader in the portable radio market that is sold around the world from Japan to USA. The company is based at Swinton alongside Morphy Richards, both of which are owned by the Irish Glen Dimplex Group.

ASD Lighting, the successful family-run firm that specialises in the manufacture of lighting for domestic and commercial installations, is also on the list. The latest financial results for the Barbot Hall company showed that pre-tax profits were £3.7m in the year ending 31 December 2012. Turnover during the year increased to £25.8m from £23.3m in 2011.

Huthwaite International, the world's leading company in behaviour change for salespeople and negotiators, is also recognised by Plimsoll. The Wentworth company is a market leading behaviour change consultancy and specialises in consulting and training on all aspects of sales. It works with major blue chip companies across the world including Rezidor, Dell, Motorola, UPS and Zurich Insurance.

Huthwaite International's revenue from non-UK business grew from £3.8m in 2010/11 to £5.7m in 2012/13 and exports are now 76.6% of Huthwaite's turnover.

Also on the list is Exol Lubricants, the largest independent lubricants company in the UK. Based in the West Midlands, its large blending plant at Northfield has recently expanded. Exol has successfully grown its export business throughout Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East, appointing strategic partners in various countries.

Acorn Industrial Services Ltd has also been recognised in the year that it completed a £1.25m investment in new premises in Hellaby. The firm is one of the largest power transmission distributors in the country and supplies bearings, power transmissions and linear systems to a global customer base.

With new premises twice the size of the previous sites combined, and more than capable of housing the company's £4m worth of stock alongside all head office functions, the firm has recently significantly extended its range of power transmission products with the launch of a brand new coupling division.

Plimsoll website
CMD Ltd website
Roberts Radio website
ASD Lighting website
Huthwaite International website
Exol Lubricants website
Acorn Industrial Services website

Images: CMD / ASD Lighting

Read more...

News: Huthwaite International continues to grow abroad

Rotherham's Huthwaite International, the world's leading company in behaviour change for salespeople and negotiators, is living up to its name and exporting to more countries than ever before.

The Wentworth company is a market leading behaviour change consultancy and specialises in consulting and training on all aspects of sales. It works with major blue chip companies across the world including Rezidor, Dell, Motorola, UPS and Zurich Insurance.

Huthwaite International's revenue from non-UK business grew from £3.8m in 2010/11 to £5.7m in 2012/13 and exports are now 76.6% of Huthwaite's turnover.

In the past year, the company has delivered training programmes to over 14,500 delegates in 65 countries, including events in some countries where it has never operated before, such as Bangladesh, Ghana, Panama, Serbia, Tanzania and Venezuela.

Also in 2013, Huthwaite has extended its licensee and distributor operations with new offices in Bulgaria, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Romania, Shanghai, Spain, Switzerland and Turkey.

Another innovative service is the Virtual Training Campus, where Huthwaite can recreate the live classroom learning experience for delegates in up to nine different locations and time zones simultaneously. It has been a significant attraction for international clients such as INVISTA, sellers of LYCRA fibre and other speciality apparel lines, as a way to unite sales teams from across the globe without the cost and time of long distance travel.

Huthwaite's training is based on years of negotiation research, analysing everything that the most respected operators in the business do and don't do during their meetings. It has built a database of over 40,000 separate interactions, observational data that has been applied to dispel many of the widely received myths about what makes for good sales and negotiation skills. Since 1974, thousands of companies and hundreds of thousands of people all over the world have applied the Huthwaite verbal behaviour models in their business lives, with great success.

One recent example is the work with Siemens, the German multinational engineering and electronics company in Greece.

The Greek market was one of the toughest sales environments in the world for Siemens, even before the economic crisis, so they appointed Huthwaite to deliver its SPIN® Selling, a consultative and listening model which helps sales people to sell to the specific needs of the buyer. The 72 days of intensive training with 165 Siemens sales people is paying off for the company and has been recognised with an industry award.

Irene Karamani, human resources manager for Siemens Hellas, said: "Huthwaite's training programme was exactly what they needed to keep them alert and motivated in the current difficult period for the business. And most importantly, they finished the programme full of enthusiasm, passion and strong belief that if they use the knowledge they can change their results immediately."

Huthwaite International website

Images: Huthwaite International

Read more...

News: Smart talk success at Huthwaite

Local school pupils got the chance to put their skills into action alongside the real experts - consultants at Huthwaite International in Rotherham.

The Wentworth company is a market leading behaviour change consultancy and specialises in consulting and training on all aspects of sales. It works with major blue chip companies across the world including Rezidor, Dell, Motorola, UPS and Zurich Insurance.

The two-time Queen's Award winning company gave its offices and its consulting staff over to Year 6 students from Grenoside Primary School who have been taking part in a unique project since 2012 to apply the communication skills that Huthwaite International uses to train its business clients around the world, to their school and social lives.

Huthwaite has built a database of over 40,000 separate interactions, observational data that has been applied to dispel many of the widely received myths about what makes for good sales and negotiation skills. Since 1974, thousands of companies and hundreds of thousands of people all over the world have applied the Huthwaite verbal behaviour models in their business lives, with great success.

This Verbal Behaviour Analysis (VBA) has now been used by experts at Sheffield Hallam University's (SHU) Centre for Science Education in a study that begun in 2010 on the development of children's communication skills.

Grenoside teacher, Jenni Monach, has been working with Dr Lynne Bianchi, the principal research fellow at the centre to introduce these skills to the pupils for a couple of years in a project to study the impact they can make in a wide range of areas such as the ability to learn through group work – especially in science, transfer from primary to secondary education, selfawareness and future employability.

Researchers found that it produced interesting results for their confidence and achievement in and out of the classroom. Jenni Monach said the project was "certain to make all the children involved better equipped for senior school and later life."

11 year-old Alice Marsden (pictured above, left) summed up the day at Huthwaite's Wentworth headquarters, saying: "It was amazing. It really taught me stuff I hadn't thought about before and I feel much more confident now about the way I persuade others, talk to people and listen properly to what they have to say."

Tony Hughes, CEO of Huthwaite International and a former teacher in a local school (pictured above, right), said: "Throughout an exhausting day they've been trying their hand at the kind of effective persuasion exercises, sales simulations and negotiations that we usually run with senior executives at multinational companies – and they've done very well at it.

"Better verbal communication, persuasiveness, confidence and listening are all going to become very important skills as these children progress through senior school and out into the adult world.

"I've been very impressed by what they can do."

The winner of the Smart Talk Behaviours contest was Jessica Bailey, 11, who said: "It's not as easy as it looks, but we've learned a lot, and have really enjoyed the new experience of going into a business office for the first time and seeing what goes on there."

Huthwaite International website

Images: Huthwaite International

Read more...

News: Smart talking pupils learn Huthwaite's techniques

Can techniques used by great salespeople also be used by great students? Unique research by Huthwaite International in Rotherham is being used to find out.

The Wentworth company is a market leading behaviour change consultancy and specialises in consulting and training on all aspects of sales. It works with major blue chip companies across the world including Rezidor, Dell, Motorola, UPS and Zurich Insurance.

The training is based on years of negotiation research, analysing everything that the most respected operators in the business do and don't do during their meetings. For example, Huthwaite found that skilled negotiators seek significantly more information during negotiation than their average counterparts. They frequently test their opposite number's understanding of the discussions and verbally summarise progress throughout the meeting. Average negotiators, on the other hand, often deliberately avoid clarifying ambiguous points for fear of disagreement from the other party.

Huthwaite has built a database of over 40,000 separate interactions, observational data that has been applied to dispel many of the widely received myths about what makes for good sales and negotiation skills. Since 1974, thousands of companies and hundreds of thousands of people all over the world have applied the Huthwaite verbal behaviour models in their business lives, with great success.

This Verbal Behaviour Analysis (VBA) has now been used by experts at Sheffield Hallam University's (SHU) Centre for Science Education in a study that begun in 2010 on the development of children's communication skills. The study will help support initiatives that help children to express themselves verbally and listen to others, which can have powerful implications for crucial aspects of their immediate development such as the ability to learn through group work – especially in science, their transfer from primary to secondary education, their self-awareness and future employability.

The study worked with over 70 children in South Yorkshire to address these issues, with researchers saying that it produced interesting results for their confidence and achievement in and out of the classroom.

Later this month, year 6 pupils from Grenoside Primary School in Sheffield, who took part in the VBA project during 2012/13, will put their new-found communication skills to the test in a variety of business based exercises, during which they will take on the role of Huthwaite Apprentices.

Using verbal subtlety and behavioural skill gained from the intensive teaching and learning approaches developed by their teacher, Jenni Monach in association with the SHU project team, pupils will try their hand at effective persuasion exercises, sales simulations and group presentations. It will be a test of their adeptness in applying 11 very specific verbal behavioural categories appropriately, to achieve the best outcomes for all parties.

Tony Hughes, CEO of Huthwaite International and a former teacher in a local school, said: "We see this forthcoming event as a great opportunity to showcase a very positive and collaborative effort, involving many disparate experts, to measurably and immediately improve the life chances of young people at a critical stage in their social and educational development."

Huthwaite International website

Images: Huthwaite International

Read more...

News: Huthwaite International named amongst the UK's best businesses

Huthwaite International in Rotherham has been named as a finalist in this year's National Business Awards.

In partnership with Orange, the prestigious awards recognise Britain's most innovative and sustainable public and private sector businesses.

The Wentworth company is a market leading behaviour change consultancy and specialises in consulting and training on all aspects of sales. They are one of ten companies shortlisted in the BlackBerry Business Enabler of the Year category.

The combined turnover of all finalists this year was £96bn, - if the National Business Awards finalist organisations were a country they would be a top 50 country in the world just behind Romania and ahead of New Zealand. Almost three times the size of Luxembourg.

Other organisations shortlisted this year range from big names such as Debenhams, JD Wetherspoon, moneysupermarket.com, BSkyB, Majestic Wine and Supergroup, through to rising stars like Ovo Energy, Door-Stop, ShortList Media and HeartSine Technologies.

Finalists will make presentations in person before an independent expert judging panel at the offices of Coutts & Co, in the City of London, later this year.

Baroness Bottomley of Nettlestone, is chairing this year's judging programme, where 100 of the country's leading CEOs, entrepreneurs and senior directors, are to assess and reward Britain's most promising and successful companies.

She said: "The economic climate continues to present UK businesses with an unprecedented challenge: it is therefore particularly encouraging that the entries in this year's National Business Awards have shown no drop in quality or performance. Congratulations to all finalists for demonstrating tremendous strength in their ability to adapt and innovate which no doubt reflects the resilience and optimism that are the hallmarks of UK enterprise."

Tony Hughes, managing director at Huthwaite International, added: "We are delighted to have been shortlisted for this important award and to be recognised in line with such successful and well-respected organisations."

Huthwaite International, the market leading behaviour change consultancy, works with major blue chip companies across the world including Rezidor, Dell, Motorola, UPS and Zurich Insurance.

Huthwaite International received the Queen's Award for Enterprise for International Trade in 2008, in recognition of the successful growth of its global business, which saw sales increase by 138 per cent over the previous three years.

Huthwaite International website

Read more...

News: Huthwaite develop sales academy for Rezidor

One of the fastest-growing hotel companies in the world, the Rezidor Hotel Group, is the latest leading brand to benefit from sales expertise at Huthwaite International in Rotherham.

The Wentworth company is a market leading behaviour change consultancy and specialises in consulting and training on all aspects of sales.

The operator of Radisson Blu and Park Inn hotels has worked closely with Huthwaite International to develop its highly successful sales academy, which combines a common sales approach based on identifying and satisfying customer needs with the flexibility to work within each brand and region that they operate.

Each year, up to 300 Rezidor sales staff attend training courses based on Huthwaite International's methodology. The current series of improvement initiatives, which includes sales, sales management and negotiation, continues to expand, with a new account development programme currently underway.

Jan Spooren, people development director at Rezidor said: "Our sales teams had to develop a deeper understanding of our clients' requirements, in order to propose solutions which aligned more closely to their business challenges.

"Huthwaite International also practiced what it preached, by working hard to understand our business and its challenges before putting together an appropriate
recommendation that would meet this objective."

During the recent recession, training sessions placed even greater emphasis on how to build value for each Rezidor brand in the face of unprecedented price pressure. More locally too, programmes were also adapted to address specific problems. For example, new hotels in Johannesburg suffering a significant drop in business immediately after the 2010 World Cup.

As well as boosting sales, Rezidor has also witnessed an improvement in staff retention, as employees recognise the company's increased commitment to their personal development. "This also feeds indirectly through to greater customer loyalty," adds Spooren, "as customers build trust and confidence in longer-serving
staff, resulting in stronger relationships."

Huthwaite International website

Images: rezidor.com

Read more...

News: Huthwaite International focuses on the changing world of legal services

Experts from Rotherham-based Huthwaite International, the market leading behaviour change consultancy that works with major blue chip companies across the world, will be in the region next month to emphasise the importance of having a proactive business development strategy in the legal sector.

Earlier this year, the Wentworth firm acquired top sales and business development training provider to the legal sector, Ridley Fleming, to strengthen its professional services team.

Their new specialist legal services arm, HuthwaiteFleming, has teamed up with RBS and NatWest to host a series of conferences around the UK designed to help leaders and finance managers in law firms address the challenges they face in a fast-changing legal services environment.

Peter Fleming, partner with HuthwaiteFleming, said: "The past year has proved especially tough for many firms.

"And, with the Legal Services Act due to come into effect in October 2011, the next few months will put even greater pressure on them to meet new commercial and regulatory demands."

In response, the free-of-charge conferences provide those attending with an opportunity to hear high-profile speakers address a broad range of topical concerns. These include the growing competitive threat, pressure to consolidate, understanding clients' buying criteria and negotiating profitable fees.

Heading the line-up will be industry thought-leader, Professor Stephen Mayson, strategic advisor to the Huthwaite Group, director of the Legal Services Institute and professor of strategy at The College of Law, who will explore in more detail the new world of legal services in 2011.

"As clients become more demanding and less loyal, the need to adopt proactive business development strategies focused on delivering meaningful client value has become central to success," added Fleming.

Tony Hughes, managing director, Huthwaite International said: "We believe there is a real demand for credible, research-based business development solutions which are tailored to meet the unique needs of the legal profession.

"Huthwaite International's strongly results-focused consultative training programmes, based on more than 30 years' dedicated research, are perfectly geared to meet the tough demands lawyers make on any training investment."

The next event takes place in Leeds on December 7.

Event website
Huthwaite International website

Read more...

News: Sales Academy to be established in Rotherham

Huthwaite International, the market leading sales training organisation that works with major blue chip companies across the world, has teamed-up with the South Yorkshire Chambers of Commerce to develop a unique Sales Academy.

The Sales Academy is set to start in April and run over a five-week period, taking place at the Huthwaite International's headquarters in Wentworth, Rotherham.

Training includes consultative selling, managing complex sales, negotiating, networking and persuasive presentations and proposals.

Guy Aston, mid-markets director at Huthwaite International, said: "The only way anyone is going to grow their business is through sales. The local Chambers recognise this and approached us with the idea.

"It is a great opportunity for us and we welcome the opportunity to utilise our expertise and experience in this area to bring world class, benchmark training to companies in South Yorkshire.

"We believe that the Sales Academy will build the foundations for the development of a South Yorkshire Sales Association. This will bring together sales people from around the region to discuss best practice and future training needs to boost the industry and help pull South Yorkshire out of the current difficult market conditions.

"The Academy is a unique opportunity for South Yorkshire and one we hope will become a regular feature on the landscape."

Huthwaite International website

Rotherham

Read more...

News: Credit crunch event for Rotherham businesses

The Chamber and Rotherham Work & Skills Board are hosting a free event which will offer expert professional advice, practical help and support to all businesses in Rotherham. The event – entitled "Managing The Credit Crunch" - will take place on Friday 20 March at the Holiday Inn in Rotherham, from 8 am to 11 am. A team of invited speakers will present tips to promote cashflow, sales & marketing, innovation and employment law. Local MP, John Healey and Chair of the Work & Skills Board, Neil Baxter of Bramall Construction will be joined by various speakers. Guy Aston from Huthwaite International in Wentworth will discuss selling in hard times and Neil McDonald from Rotherham's AESSEAL will explain how to manage your company’s future. Chamber Chief Executive John Lewis said: "We have an excellent programme of guest speakers lined up. This is a real opportunity for local businesses to come together, at no cost, and hear from our panel of experts, whilst also taking the time to meet with other local companies and share what we hope will be innovative ideas and best practice. "We would encourage all businesses to take time out of their busy schedule and join us for the morning." Neil Baxter, Chair of the Rotherham Work & Skills Board, said: "With the range of support available, we want to see Rotherham businesses not only surviving the credit crunch, but coming out of it in a stronger position than before. "I would encourage businesses of all sectors and sizes to come along on 20 March and find out more about the support available."
Chamber website
Rotherham

Read more...

News: Rotherham firm presented with enterprise award

The Star reports that Huthwaite International has been presented with its Queen's Award for Enterprise by the Lord Lieutenant of South Yorkshire, David Moody. The Wentworth company specialises in consulting and training on all aspects of sales and have been recognised for their outstanding achievements in International Trade. Huthwaite is established in more than 33 countries and their impressive list of clients include Dell, Bayer, Motorola, Sony, UPS and Zurich. Managing director Tony Hughes put success down to its ability to select licensees and partners who understand the local commercial environment and then help them build strong relationships with international companies trading locally.
Huthwaite International website
The Star article
Rotherham

Read more...

News: Rotherham based Huthwaite International recognised with Queen's Awards for Enterprise

Huthwaite International of Wentworth, Rotherham, have been recognised nationally for their achievements in the annual Queen's Awards for Enterprise. The company specialises in consulting and training on all aspects of sales and have been recognised for their outstanding achievements in International Trade. Since 1974, Huthwaite have been studying behaviour in sales situations in real commercial settings, observing in excess of 35,000 sales calls, isolating the behavioural characteristics that lead to a successful sale. Huthwaite is established in more than 33 countries and their impressive list of clients include Dell, Bayer, Motorola, Sony, UPS and Zurich. Huthwaite join other Rotherham firms, AESSEAL and Martek Marine and RiDO's Amanda Parris as recipients of the awards.
Huthwaite International website
Queen's Award website
The Business Desk article
Rotherham

Read more...