Andy Lopata blogs for The Huffington Post and has been quoted in the national press, including The Sunday Times, The Financial Times and The Guardian. He has also written three books on networking, with a fourth book in the pipeline.

For eight years, Andy was Managing Director of one of the UK’s leading referral-focused networking groups with over 2,000 member companies.

Since then, he has worked globally with companies from one-man bands to global names such as HSBC, Wella and GlaxoSmithKline to help them realise the full potential from their networking.  Andy is a Fellow and a former Vice-President of the Professional Speaking Association (PSA) and a Fellow of the Learning and Performance Institute (LPI). He is also a Master of the Institute of Sales Management and Member of the Global Speakers Federation (GSF).

Andy Lopata Keynote Talks:

Andy Lopata – How NOT to Get Referrals

Challenging sales teams and sharing the mistakes that lead to most businesses not getting as many referrals as they could

With growing competition and more demands on budgets, it’s becoming harder and harder to win new business. Yet still so many salespeople leave potential new revenues untapped and unexplored.

The reason is very simple. Across a range of industries, referral strategies range from tired and predictable to passive to simply non-existent. A large number of salespeople and business owners become complacent when it comes to referrals and simply expect them to appear. Networking is still treated as a skill, not a core business strategy. Where referrals strategies do exist they tend to be lazy, poorly timed and ineffective.

As a result, the potential new business simply goes elsewhere.

In this talk, Andy will share with you the key mistakes he sees practised by so many unsuccessful companies time and time again. The mistakes that ensure that they don’t get anywhere near as many referrals as they should.

This talk is ideal for audiences who have members who feel that they know how to generate new business through referrals but who may be making many of the mistakes outlined in the presentation.

Andy Lopata – It’s Who Knows You

Why networking is so important and why it’s essential to have a strategy.

For many people, networking is simply about passing out business cards at events or collecting contacts online. More successful business people, however, realise that it’s a far more strategic tool with a big impact on many areas of their business or career.

How much could you accomplish with the help of your network…- for your business?- in your current role?- in your career?

How much are you achieving at the moment?

This session is designed to enable participants to understand the power of their network, surround themselves with people who will support them at each turn and influence how other people see them. It can be run as a 45-minute talk or 90-minute interactive session.

What participants will learn:

Why networking is important both for business or career development

How to manage their personal brand and what people say about their business

The importance of mentor and peer group support

How a strong network can help you achieve more effective results and a lower cost of sale

The power of Six Degrees of Separation and how to connect with anyone through your network

What participants will discuss with their peers:

What do they want to be known for and who by?

What challenges do they face in their business or in their career?

How they can use their network to make key connections

Andy Lopata – Make the Room Work for You

Does the word ‘networking’ simply leave you cold? Do you avoid all networking opportunities if you possibly can?

When you go along to a networking event, do you find yourself standing on your own, talking to your work colleagues and watching the time wondering when you can leave?

A session that focuses on some of the key skills which make networking so much more effective…and enjoyable.

What You Will Learn:

What is Networking?

Overcoming fear of a room full of strangers

Who to approach

Moving on

What do you talk about?

Exchanging business cards

Leaving the elevator pitch on the ground floor

Following up

How to build and develop relationships

In addition, in the interactive talk delegates at your event will have the opportunity to introduce themselves to each other in a safe environment and start interesting conversations which will help them identify what they have in common and build rapport.

Can be delivered as a 30-45 minute talk or 90 minute interactive session.

Andy Lopata – Connected Leadership

Why is networking relevant to top leaders? How can you make a difference by connecting with key employees, stakeholders, influencers and others?

Andy interviewed a number of top leaders on why networking is so important to them and in this presentation he shares their thoughts, combined with his experience of the power of networks.

What You Will Learn

The role networking plays in successful businesses

How to identify your brand as a leader

Why your values need to be congruent with the values of your organisation

How your network can communicate your brand and your values

The importance of mentoring

The role of strategic alliances

How your network can keep you in tune with what is happening in your company, in your industry and beyond

The importance of long term relationships

In addition, in the interactive talk delegates at your event will have the opportunity to introduce themselves to each other in a safe and constructive environment and start interesting conversations which will help them identify what they have in common and build rapport.

Can be delivered as a 30-45 minute talk or 90 minute interactive session.

Andy Lopata – The Hidden Power of Your Network

What the participant will gain from this session:

You can’t do it all on your own.

Whatever you think about your abilities, and whatever you’d like other people to think, you will achieve so much more in your career, in your role and for your business if you’re open to the support of others. Yet, unfortunately, whether because of time pressures, the need to save face or sheer lack of focus, very few of us achieve anywhere near the level of success that our network could help us reach.

This session is designed to help you change that. Over the course of this presentation, we look at:

Why we don’t like to let anyone help us

The importance of a trusted network and where to find it

When and where to share

The role of mentors and sponsors

Mastermind groups

How networks can give us key business intelligence

Innovating and creating new ideas with the help of our network

The support offered through online networks

What the organisation will gain from this session:

Participants in this session will go away with a much clearer focus on how to harness the power of their network to find answers, to challenge them and to drive their career or business to the next level.

As we move from a society where experts hoard knowledge and towards a more ‘networked’ or ‘social’ age of collaboration and information sharing, the culture of many organisations needs to shift and this is being recognised across a number of industries. Lack of an immediate answer is no longer routinely dismissed as a ‘weakness’ but nor is not knowing enough. It’s important to develop a trusted network to help to find the answer.

This presentation provides the foundation block to putting that new, inclusive and supportive culture into place. Letting employees know that it’s OK to ask for support and encouraging them to be honest about their shortcomings, while empowering them to do something about it.

More openness and honesty within an organisation can lead to:

Better performance from individuals and across the organisation

Resilience

Greater employee engagement

Support for leaders who may feel isolated in their roles

Increased innovation

Can be delivered as a keynote speech or longer interactive presentation, it can work on an organisational/leadership level or as a wider piece across the organisation or for specific teams.

Andy Lopata – Leveraging the Power of your Network

How much business are you winning through introductions from your network? Perhaps more importantly, how much business could you be winning through such referrals?

Most companies recognise the importance of referrals as part of an effective sales strategy yet so many fail to do anything proactive about finding them. Instead they leave referrals to chance, leaving substantial amounts of business untouched. Even companies who believe that they are ‘referral aware’ often fail to achieve anywhere near the real potential offered by their networks.

In this talk, Andy Lopata will focus on where to find referrals, particularly the ones right under your nose, how to make it easy for people to refer you and how to build an effective strategy to keep a flow of referrals into your business.

You’ll leave with simple steps you can take to win high quality referrals with little effort.

What You Will Learn:

What does a quality referral look like?

Who is your ideal referral?

Identifying key introducers

Who is in your network and who do they know?

Why would people refer you?

Getting your message right

Building a referral book

Can be delivered as a 45 minute keynote talk or 90 minute interactive session

Andy Lopata – How to use Linkedin as a referral tool

Social media has exploded in popularity as a business tool in recent years and LinkedIn has been at the heart of that explosion. A large number of business people now have profiles on LinkedIn, but how many truly understand how to use it effectively?

Who this is for

Although particularly of use for those with a business development responsibility, from owner-managers to sales teams, everyone in a business should understand how they can use LinkedIn to find new connections to benefit the company.

Particularly recommended for sales teams, company directors and entrepreneurs.

What you will learn:

Where the power of LinkedIn really lies

How to put together an effective profile to attract key prospects

Who you should and shouldn’t connect to

How to raise your profile and connect with key influencers in your prospects’ industries

The difference a good testimonial can make, and what it should say

How to search for key connections through your existing network

How to ask for referrals through LinkedIn

By the end of the session, participants will understand the simple steps they need to take to set up an effective LinkedIn profile and how they can generate substantial new business with just a small time investment every week.

Can be delivered as a 45 minute keynote or 90-120 minute interactive session

Andy Lopata – The Networking Mindset

Invite people to a networking event and many will find any excuse not to go. Images fill our minds of people exchanging business cards and elevator pitches over cold canapes and warm wine. Many feel uncomfortable approaching strangers, struggle to know what to say or lack the confidence to talk to senior people.

Yet strong networks provide a foundation for a successful career and events are a key tool in helping us to build those networks and deepen the relationships within them.

How then, can we overcome our hesitation, enjoy networking events and ensure that they are productive?

In a brand new interactive presentation, Andy Lopata will explore the networking mindset, looking at what you need to think about to get the most out of your networking. You won’t just learn from Andy’s presentation, you’ll network throughout, putting Andy’s suggestions into action.

Andy Lopata – Building your UK Network

A talk designed for trade delegations and overseas Chambers of Commerce. In this presentation, Andy Lopata explores how networking lies at the heart of developing a successful business in the UK.

In the presentation we discuss how to develop a UK network that will help you to become:

Better Known – How do you develop your profile in a new country and new market? Understand the role that social media and networking events play and how to develop relationships with key influencers who can open doors for you.

Better Equipped – Develop a network of people in the UK who can help you understand market trends, what people are buying and also comprehend the local culture and traditions – and how they affect your business.

Better Connected – It’s often much more difficult to get through to key decision makers in the UK than it is overseas. Understand the importance of six degrees of separation and building a network who will make valued introductions and referrals.

This can be delivered as a 30-45 minute keynote presentation, a webinar or as a longer interactive session.

Andy Lopata – More Than Just a Cuppa…

Navigating the Online Networking Jungle

LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Pinterest, Google Plus…

The list is seemingly endless. Every day new social networking sites are formed and invitations to create another profile appear in our inboxes. In a world where digital communications mean ever growing demands on our time, how do we decide which social networks we should join, and how can we possibly justify the time needed to use them effectively?

In his talk, Andy Lopata will share a simple approach to deciding which online networks are right for you and how to decide just what role they will play in your business or career.

Online networking offers so much more than sharing a picture of your latest cup of tea. With the right degree of focus they can be a fantastic business tool, offering valuable shortcuts, answers, brand building and introductions.

But without a clear idea of why you should engage with them you might as well just have a break and a cuppa

Call +44 1753 439 289 or email Great British Speakers now to book networking expert Andy Lopata to speak or host your next live event.  Contact us.