1. Developing influencing & pitching skills
Welcome new ECs
Welcome new team
Org chart
Company priorities: coordination, scale, impact
What 3 things matter the most

2. Stage 1: Researching a Business
1. Source a Company Name. Use things like the local business pages of your newspaper, local business magazines, any events you have attended, local LMI.
2. If they are a large national company, contact CEC to see if they are engaged elsewhere - someone may have invaluable knowledge
3. Google the company – any bad news? Any good news? Any education work already involved in? Any press articles on recruitment and diversity or magazines interviewing a new MD/ HR manager / Operations Manager and talking about their priorities
4. Check Company website - any existing school relationships? Do they seem ad hoc or joined up? What need would might the EAN fill for this business? Do they list the senior management team and their roles, Google names you can get. Check them on twitter and Linked in.
5. Check linked in. Do they have a company page or personal profile. Do they update it regularly? Do many people comment on it and are the comments on the whole positive? Do any of the commentators seem like they might be in a position to lead engagement with local schools.
6. Google: <<company name>> HR director. Something usually comes up on linked in. See how updated their profile is. Linked in often also suggests other people working at that company, some of which might be interested.
7. Ascertain the company address format. Look at other company s addresses -communications or HR team might list their address on the news or job sites. Eg is the format or etc.
8. Ascertain right contact and initial interest. Call the main number to try and get through to who your research suggests is the key person. Have you opening question ready.
9. Consider next options for targeting. This might be a letter, an , another phone call or relevant document/research to trigger their interest.

3. Stage 2: Targeting from Cold
Cold Lead
CEC, LEP or EC confirms interest
Introduced to EAN through another business person
Confirm NO interest
Confirm YES - keen interest
Exploratory meeting takes place
Business colleague invites to a CEC/EAN event
Employer states they DO NOT wish to engage
LEP, CEC or EC successfully engages in person at an event.
Successfully engaged in person post event eg by telephone
Targeted by CEC or EC via cold call, marketing mailer, event invite etc
Respond negatively or not at all (after 5-6 attempts).
Respond positively and agree to meet
Business / lead is cold
Fish for interest
Confirm initial interest
Work to convert interest to curiosity

4. Stage 3: Exploratory Meeting
1. Build credibility
Look like a business person
Use standard business meeting body and verbal language
Ask them an intelligent question about their sector, business or profession
2. Explore their interest
Ask them questions about their role, objectives, the structure of the company, the general buy in for school engagement
Listen for challenges. Ask questions about the questions they ask you – i.e. do you have a particular interest in connecting the curriculum to your work
When they seem to have been fully heard, give them your version of answers to their problems. Draw on both your research and information given in this meeting to come up with the answers.
3. Address objections
Listen out for potential barriers to their engagement such as time, authority, need and interest
Have a response prepared for each of these. Know how the EAN fits against these
If there are other decisions makers that need to be brought on board, take this opportunity to find out as much as you can about their interests and objectives.
4. Call to Action
Always listen for what the ‘call to action’ will be and write it down
Send a follow up listing the actions you have taken; i.e. have attached x, y and z. I understand you are going to speak to x or y
De-brief with a colleague you trust after the meeting so you build up your own understanding and expertise in managing objections.