References and Testamonials

" Many thanks for QED's work with us. Our members found your strategic planning workshops, 'Thinking Around Corners', really valuable, challenging and thought provoking. Several have said to me afterwards: "I am now wondering, why haven't I done this before!", which further confirms the value of your two sessions to these very hard-to-please and eminently successful business people. "

Mark Howe - Group Facilitator of a North Nottinghamshire Land-Owners' Forum

" The Action Learning Set meetings, discussions and supporting material were all excellent. The set has been enjoyable to participate in and valuable, both professionally and personally. "

Senior Policy Manager

" The Finnish-British Chamber of Commerce organised the workshop 'Why great managers do not always make great Leaders' for all the Nordic Chambers of Commerce. Jeremy Thorn was very well received and we felt that his approach with interactive delegate participation was very efficient and also enjoyable. I heartily recommend Jeremy Thorn as one of the leadership trainers for your list. "

Hely Abbondati - Finnish-British Chamber of Commerc

" I first met Jeremy of QED Consulting at a nationwide Action Learning Set for Chief Executives for which he is a regular speaker across the UK. Jeremy specialises in strategic business development, organisational effectiveness and helping employees to meet their full potential. He is author of several books on these subjects and in my opinion is one of the very best speakers I have heard, with hugely perceptive qualities. I am sure others can benefit from considering some of the softer aspects of managing an organisation with him, which will be both beneficial and enjoyable. "

Jim C - Managing Director – Nationwide Educational Software Company

" I was extremely pleased with the outcome of our recent sales training workshop with QED and am happy to see the lessons learnt in practice with immediate effect. The QED workshop hit the mark and was much the best I have experienced, by being tailored to our industry needs and most unlike some of the "pile 'em high, sell 'em cheap" non-descript courses and seminars I have experienced in the past. To say that some of my team were reserved about the workshop beforehand would be an understatement, but it was a total success and ALL of us have spoken well of the lessons learned. I would recommend QED to any person or company interested in employing their services. The QED team have huge experience and with dedicated ground work and research can tailor tuition to probably any industry with positive results. "

Mark J - Sales Manager – Cutting Tools company - Yorkshire

" I was very impressed with the content and style of the QED sales training course I attended. It really has strengthened my weaknesses and educated me with practical techniques I would never have used before - I recommend it highly. "

Martin M - Technical salesman - Engineering company - Lancashire

" I have previously attended two similar sales training courses in the past and cannot believe just how much more impressive the QED course was. The content was valid, ethical, realistic, entirely relevant to our business and enlightening. It became apparent with the practice we had that the techniques offered really can be acquired and used with great success. I have no doubt that the new skills that I now have will be of great benefit to me and my company. I would genuinely recommend the course to all, except perhaps our competitors! "

Phil H- Senior Sales Engineer - UK Industrial Products company - Sheffield

" I was really pleased with the practical help you have given me in your recent negotiation workshop which I attended. I have already made substantial savings after only just 1.1/2 months by taking your advice, and have just renegotiated a new annual contract at prices we didn't think were possible despite strong initial opposition from a fellow Director! (Your session on different personality types, listening and influencing skills was really helpful in winning him round!) "

Paul W - Director and Co-Owner - Media and Promotions Company - West Midlands

" Congratulations! - one of the best workshops I have ever been to. I really valued your practical help and insights. "

Constantine - Managing Director - International Telecoms Company - London

" I have been extremely impressed and delighted with the staff training and development sessions recently provided by QED Consulting. Your skilled application and analysis of a wide range of team-building and strategic planning tools, including the impressive array of ethical, validated personality profiling instruments such as the Myers Briggs Type Indicator and FIRO-B, together with the QED Team Profiling Questionnaire and the QED Strategic Planning Model, have all proved to be invaluable and powerful in helping our participating staff to progress both their personal and team development. The programme QED designed and provided met all the objectives we had agreed; the supporting notes and materials were excellent; both the Group and individual development days were thought-provoking, challenging and also enjoyable; and the final outcomes, debated and agreed during our last development day with you have provided the staff with a very clear direction for their work over the coming year. This training from QED has enabled the staff to make huge improvements in the way they work, both as individuals and as part of a team, most cost-effectively. I have no hesitation in recommending you as a provider for other voluntary and not-for-profit organisations. "

Kath W - Director of Projects – International Charity

" The Role-plays and subsequent reviews really made us think and ponder how to improve our negotiation skills. I found the Tips and Techniques most helpful, especially with the frequent summaries as there was so much to learn! I found it all very stimulating and thought provoking as I can apply everything to my job right away. I was fascinated to learn how to deal with deadlock, and make it work for me rather than against. I found the host of practical examples and case studies particularly helpful and revealing. It was really useful learning the theory behind what we sometimes do instinctively, but didn't know why. "

Jon P – Managing Director - International Process Plant Company, South West England

" Working with QED's consultants has proved a valuable experience. Key to our selection of any training and development professional is their ability to partnership effectively. QED's consultants have taken a supportive and challenging approach to our working partnership, bringing real commercial experience combined with knowledge of personal and organisational development processes. The breadth of experience amongst QED's team has meant that we have been able to use them in a range of training interventions. These have included development of a team's selling skills, provision of a stimulating anecdotal-based input to maintain the momentum of a long training event and the design and delivery of an action learning based management skills series. "

Andy R, Training Manager – International Law Firm

" Three months after your Negotiation workshops with us, your company’s name was still mentioned at least 4 times at our last group meeting! - all with reference to negotiations that members have going on. Your material has regularly given us a source of excellent advice in preparation for key meetings. Thanks! "

Gareth C - Chairman of an Action Learning Set for Managing Directors – South East England

" We operate in very competitive markets with a first class product range. Winning good deals for both us and our customers and suppliers is an essential part of our success. As our group continues to expand internationally, we are determined that both our customers and suppliers at home and abroad will respect us for our professionalism, integrity and willingness. I am delighted that those who attended QED's workshops have gained so much from this programme, and even more pleased to see the savings we have made already accruing from better-developed negotiating skills. "

Garry G, Managing Director - International Healthcare Company

" QED's workshop, 'How to Negotiate Better Deals', was relevant, stimulating and thought-provoking for all of us, and these comments came from the articled clerks present through to some very experienced partners. We valued QED's undoubted practical commercial experience and their training know-how - we all left the workshop enlivened with enthusiasm to apply new skills and develop old ones. The Role Plays were enjoyable yet very revealing, the under-pinning behavioural knowledge we gained put everything into perspective and the session on body language was particularly instructive. "

John B - Partner, Company and Commercial Department – Regional Law Firm

" As for your facilitation training, I found it more valuable than I could have imagined (not really expecting to learn anything), the tools, tips and techniques that I learned from your course have enabled me to work through a number of difficult situations getting real value out of the end result. Highly recommended and very worthwhile. "

A facilitation training participant - South West Manufacturing Advisory Service (SWMAS)

" We needed the help of professional consultants to run a team-building exercise. We had 275 delegates from 10 different countries with varying degrees of experience. Jeremy Thorn and his team produced a programme which was stimulating for everyone. It had just the right balance between being educational but also fun. Their professionalism and attention to detail was first-rate and the feedback we received was overwhelmingly positive. "

John H - National Head of Litigation and Dispute Management Group, International Law Firm

" The teambuilding workshop you have just run for 40 of our UK sales team was an outstanding success and has received plaudits from all our troops, even the more sceptical ones! Not only did you win them all over, they were totally absorbed into the sprit of the workshop. The results from the personal surveys you conducted were also very valuable, not just from a team-building point of view but also in helping us to plan how we might best manage the organisational changes we are putting into place. All our objectives that we set you for the afternoon – of teamwork, having our minds stretched and fun - were fully achieved in a most professional and enjoyable manner. Many thanks for all your efforts. "

Vincent H-L - Chairman – Agricultural Chemicals Distributor & Farming Consultancy

" Thank you so much for your recent negotiation workshop. It was tremendously useful, not only with regard to content but also in terms of showing us all at first hand what good presentation skills look like; so you workshop slotted in with our needs on more than one level! Personally, you managed to get across a number of points which certainly helped the scales fall from my eyes (in German: "Aha-Erlebnis" - an 'Aha-experience!'). For that alone I am grateful to you. (Incidentally, you will be amused to know that I managed to put your advice to good use straight away in knocking £600 off the hotel bill...) "

Christa R - Professional Development Manager – Legal Training Organisation, London

" We now use QED regularly to help us recruit and select advisors - QED's Recruitment team understand what we need and work with us to help us get a full and rounded picture of applicants' strengths and weaknesses as these relate to the requirements of the post. The value for us in using QED's Assessment Centre approach is not just in selecting the best applicants - it also provides a foundation for both the initial and the continuing training and development of the successful applicants. We have used QED on a number of occasions to help us develop our understanding and refine our thinking of branding, quality and evaluation - this has been through structured facilitation processes. Steve Hinton has an excellent understanding both of the strategy and the national context - as well as the practical and operational issues involved. "

Helen West, Chief Executive - Business Link North Yorkshire

" Over the past four years the Business Links in London have worked hard to achieve high standards in their business adviser teams. QED has been a key element in this process through their professional expertise and their flexible approach, to both internal recruitment/assessment, most especially of Business Advisers and Specialist Counsellors, and broader strategy development. "

Valerie Thompson, Chief Executive - Business Link London Central

" QED were a new organisation to me, but came with sound references and I felt it would be beneficial to talk to them. The relationship blossomed as a result of these discussions and clearly Jeremy Thorn, who led the project for QED, on primary care groups was well versed in the needs of the public sector and prepared his approach in a most detailed and effective way. QED clearly engaged the group who were facing particular difficulties and showed a most diplomatic and knowledgeable understanding throughout the process. I would have no hesitation in recommending QED to other public sector bodies, particularly within the Health Service. "

Keith Salsbury , Chief Executive - Wakefield Health Authority

" A Local Business Link has utilised QED to undertake a series of Specialist Business Improvement projects with SME clients as part of the support to regenerate this part of South Yorkshire. Amongst work undertaken has been major restructuring of an engineering company which was experiencing difficulty in moving from a traditional skills company to a strategic growth organisation, capable of expansion into new areas of innovation, design and service support.QED successfully steered this process and aided the board in introducing a functional and organisational refit of the business. The impact has been seen in developing a new direction for the company, help in management succession, improved management systems and innovation, and substantially improved cash flow and improved bottom-line results. "

Senior Manager - Business Link

" We used QED to facilitate our analysis of our future role, and the objectivity and depth they brought to our own thoughts has stood us in good stead as we have moved forward to tackle the potential of our growing economy. They helped us to work out what we needed to do, who we should therefore have round the table to do it, and what should be the working rules which would guide us when we met. As a result, our partnership has become a beacon of success to all the other partnerships in the town. We intend to stay at the forefront and have now decided to invite QED back to help us to check that we remain equipped to help Doncaster achieve its full potential. "

Colin Jeynes, Chairman - Doncaster Economic Partnership

" Just a quick line to thank you for your time last week in assessing my suitability for the new job I have applied for. As a candidate, I found the psychometric profiling extremely helpful and will be following through a number of suggestions that you mentioned privately which may benefit my own personal development, as well as professionally. My better half concurred with all your findings too! Many thanks. "

Andrew – a Job Candidate