Coaching company set for stronger brand image

Here's a wee PR thingy that our friends at Pulse Creative Marketing produced. The rebranding exercise referred to was an interesting exercise in how we all need to make sure we're communicating a consistent message these days. I think that applies to big corporates and individuals alike. Whether your promoting a multi million dollar ad campaign or putting your CV together, it's all about creating a brand image.

Anyway, here's the piece:

A leading Sunderland-based training company is set to boost their own performance, after receiving an extensive rebrand from a growing marketing agency.

Matt Somers, author, practitioner and coach, established Peak in 1999. Since then the company have delivered coaching skills training to managers and team leaders across the UK and Europe, building an impressive client base which includes Citigroup, Scottish & Southern Energy, Toyota and Northumbrian Water. After realising different strands of the company were clouding the overall perception of Peak, Matt called upon Pulse Creative Marketing for a rebrand.

Matt said: ‘Having worked with Pulse in the past, I knew they understood the different parts of Peak and would help us to create an image that would appeal effectively to all of our customers.”

Pulse and Matt outlined two clear elements of Peak, which needed to be refined and branded separately. Matt’s growing individual reputation often preceded the Peak brand, so it was decided that the coaching and training services, offered for SMEs, and new businesses, would be branded simply as Matt Somers Coaching Skills Training, allowing this arm of the business, and Matt’s growing reputation, to become prominent within the company image.

Matt Somers said: “The entire marketing process with Pulse has allowed us to re-imagine the way in which our business is perceived. Since the rebrand, we have seen an incredible increase in sign up for our entire range of services, and we have recently been recognised by the Association of Coaching, for our two day residential course, one of our many programmes under the Matt Somers – Coaching Skills Training brand.”

Paul Finch, Pulse Marketing Manager said: “After working with Matt sometime ago it was nice to work with him again to help develop the brand so the business can continue to grow and develop. I wish him every success with the future of his business.”

Stand and Deliver!

I've just been booked to tread the boards at the 4th annual Training Journal conference.

It takes palce at the Commonwealth Club in Northumberland Avenue, London on Tuesday 23rd June.

It looks like a fabulous event and the organisers have been kind enough to line me up several 'warm up acts' (ahem) including Elaine Grix, Head of HR at BAA Heathrow and Jackie Orme CEO at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

If you're interested in attending drop a line to carol@mattsomers.com

My talk is entitled "Coaching through the Credit Crunch". I intend to set out a range of low or no-cost ways that line managers can make sure that learning and development continues despite the economic downturn.

I have produced a short report on the subject which you can get if you Click Here

Hopefully see you there!

Oh look, books!

Books are a passion of mine.

I have written three (all on coaching; don't know much about anything else) and read hundreds more (not all on coaching, but a lot were!)

The tale of my getting published the first time is an interesting example of ignorance is bliss. Many consultants I speak to are keen to get a book published and regularly ask me which literary agent I used or which service I used to distribute my manuscript.

The truth is I didn't. I had several titles on my own bookshelf from Hodder & Stoughton's 'In a Week' series. I think I had 'Time Management in a Week' and 'Project Management in a Week'. Noticing that they didn't have a title on coaching I decided to see if they'd like one.

Not knowing who to talk to I phoned main reception and said "I'm Matt Somers and I'd like to write a book on coaching for the in a week' series. They must be trained to look kindly on happy amateurs because I was put through to the series editor who patiently explained that I needed to write a synopsis and a sample chapter.

This I did and they must have liked it because I was duly contracted to write the full title. I followed this with a fuller treatment of coaching for John Wiley & Son in Coaching at Work (2006) and have again written for Hodder with Instant Manager: Coaching (2008) which replaced Coaching in a Week when the series was revised.

I've recently created a mini-site to promote these books and recommend a number of other coaching titles. You can find it at http://coachingbooks.sapphiredev.co.uk