press releases

networking mission

Be Clear Ltd, of Market Harborough, has appointed Mike Edwards as its networking specialist, to run workshops for individuals and offer consultancy advice for businesses in the subject.

Mr Edwards, who has 37 years experience in sales and marketing management in five countries, said:

"Networking is the Cinderella of the marketing mix – there are very few books or courses about it. All too often, firms send their staff out to ad hoc functions, with no preparation, no clear idea of what they want to achieve, and no follow-up, in the belief that it’s ‘a good thing’ to put in an appearance.

"In fact, managed properly, networking can be extremely effective in developing profitable long-term business relationships. Research suggests that most people have a personal network of around 400 contacts, so if you meet 10 people at an event, they potentially have access to 4,000 more – making them a powerful surrogate sales force.

"Whilst not everyone is naturally gregarious, and there is an art to making the most of these events, they offer a direct pathway to influencers and decision-makers. In competitive markets, ‘reliable recommendation’ by a trusted third party, will always be more credible than ‘hard sell.’ The trick is in making the opportunities work for you."

Christine Searancke, MD of Be Clear, added: "Networking is a natural extension to our existing range of services, meaning that we can now support our clients in any form of spoken communication or presentation, whether their audience is one or 5,000."

As well as offering personal coaching, Mr Edwards will help firms develop networking action plans.

He is the seventh member of the Be Clear team, and lives in Billesdon.

The company, which was founded in 2000, offers advice and support to business and professional clients across Leicestershire.

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'firms undersell' says research

The research, conducted by Be Clear, a firm of communication skills specialists based in Market Harborough, found that more than half were confused about the most effective font style to use in tender documents, when best to present in a ‘beauty parade’ sequence, and how to order information in a presentation for maximum impact.

Company MD Christine Searancke said:

"The research suggests many businesses under-value effective communication in its various facets. To give one example, research shows that comprehension levels are a staggering five times higher when you use a serif type font such as Century Schoolbook or Times New Roman in main document text, than when you use a sans serif font like Arial or Univers – something most people in our survey were unaware of.

"Similarly, it’s better to present first in a ‘beauty parade’, because it appears that sub-consciously the first presentation sets the standard against which the others are measured. Again, this is something businesses were unsure about.

"And only one in four understood that it’s best to order important information with the most important point first, the least important second and the second most important last. People remember what is said at the beginning, what is said at the end, and things that are repeated a lot in the middle."

Something those quizzed were aware of is the impact of non-verbal communication. More than half correctly recognised that for 55% of meaning is derived from facial expression and body language, compared to 38% from the way the words are said, and just 7% for the words themselves.

The survey was carried out at Business Expo 2003. For a copy of the full survey results and answers to the questions, please email enquiries@beclear.co.uk .

Be Clear was founded in 2000, and offers advice and support with conference speeches, bids, sales pitches, presentations and networking, to business and professional clients across Leicestershire.

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Contact be clear on 0845 456 7094 or enquiries@beclear.co.uk