An honours graduate in Psychology, Simon’s background was originally financial services and advertising. It was as Sales Training Manager at Yellow Pages that he got his first taste of training and development. After working for GTE for 5 years he set up a training consultancy the original Answers Training, thirty years ago. As the company grew he developed an international arm to the business, which saw him delivering sales and management programmes throughout Europe, South America, the Middle East and the Far East.
1992 saw him involved with the merger and subsequent acquisition of Blackwater Valley Training – an organisation devoted to delivering Health & Safety, First Aid and IT courses. As his business interests expanded into Europe, Simon was becoming increasingly involved with the day-to-day running of the Answers Training International group of companies. He writes monthly columns on management and sales related topics and is regularly called to deliver events on behalf of the Associations, Universities, Training and Enterprise Councils, Business Organisations, the Chartered Institute of Training and Development and other national and international government bodies. He has also written two books on selling; Advanced Telesales – The Definitive Guide to Success and The Gentle Art of Firm Persuasion both published by Capita / Spiro.
The range of topics he presents is impressive – from introductory management to board level facilitation, from telephone selling to high-level strategic negotiations. Whatever the subject Simon’s courses exhibit a common trait – his commitment to ensuring his participants gain specific skills, tips and techniques that will be translated directly into the workplace. His obvious understanding and enthusiasm for his subjects are evident in his humorous, practical and inspirational approach to training delivery. He has worked with the event industry for over 30 years selling stands, organising conferences, running exhibitor workshops and exhibiting at numerous shows.