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- encapsulating one of Ray’s key philosophies ‘nobody is as clever as all of us’ - it's a celebration of 50 NZ’ers who are high achievers, risk takers and extraordinary in their own fields - we are proud to offer Ray and many of these great kiwis to speak at your events!


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Presenter Profile - MARK DI SOMMA
Travels from   Wellington
Based   Wellington
Type   Speaker
Style   Inspiring, Insightful, Creative, Energetic, Engaging, Dynamic, Impactful, Thought Provoking, Passionate, Captivating, Content Rich




Mark Di Somma is a Thoughtbreaker, strategist, writer and senior creative consultant to design firms and ad agencies. He works directly with senior management teams facilitating, problem solving and sometimes as part of a change program!

Mark Di Somma owns a restless mind, a passion for words and business, and an unrelenting curiosity. You quickly get a sense of all that when he presents.

After university, Mark turned his love of writing into a career – working in radio and then in ad agencies, before starting a direct marketing agency. A chance assignment prompted Mark to diversify into brand strategy. It quickly became a passion, then a career, and finally the Audacity Group, his thinking and writing consultancy.

Today Mark works as a strategist, writer and senior creative consultant to design firms and ad agencies. He works directly with senior management teams facilitating, problem solving and sometimes as part of a change program. And as a specialist in investor branding, Mark also has an in-depth understanding of how to talk to investors.

Keynotes and workshops are opportunities to combine Mark's addiction to problem solving with his love of language. Breaking myths, pitching new ideas and thinking, finding ways forward; sharing impressions and opinions, telling exciting stories.

You’ll love the way Mark gets what makes sectors and people tick. He’s fascinated by what happens when market dynamics and human reactions collide. First and foremost, he says, companies need to think their way out of trouble. His guiding principles: solve a problem in your head, drive the answer from your heart, put your commitments on paper, and never be afraid to ask the inconvenient questions.

Mark’s style is energetic and stimulating, and people really warm to his lateral approach to key issues facing leaders and business owners and his ability to identify and address those  issues with optimism and positivity. At his sessions, lines of inquiry, ideas and insights fly, and it won’t be long before you and your team are re-evaluating what you do, why it gets done and where it can take you.



 



Presentations

KEYNOTES:

Mark's style is refreshing, fun and punchy, and audiences love his energy, passion and lateral approach to a wide range of topics. Choose from one of the following if it suits you - or talk to him about whatever's chewing you up right now!

BRANDED MEMORY: "I forgot you – and I can’t remember why"

There’s no such thing as good customer service anymore, because customer service is no longer just one thing. In fact, generic customer service is expensive, inefficient, irritating and old fashioned. If you want to engage your customers and build loyalty through service, the astute decision is to pursue the exact opposite: a distinctly branded customer interaction programme that is specific to what you know you can deliver to ensure your customer always wins.

What's this about?
This is a presentation about building indelible memories. Lifting your game to break from the pack means actively, aggressively and consciously making the decision to become the organisation that customers are loyal to. The organisation that customers know and want to work with. They organisation they remember. The competitive advantage going forward doesn’t lie in being anyone, because anyone is replaceable and forgettable. It also stands to reason that if it’s not good enough to be just anyone anymore, then it’s not good enough to think and behave like anyone either.

Part of that is making a deliberate decision to move away from a generic customer service model, and to pursue an approach designed to provide customers with experiences that make them feel loyal.

Getting it right with customers means delivering them experiences that are:

  • memorable - people enjoy and remember the interactions
  • distinctive - when it's done well, only you will dare to work this way
  • consistent - the experience you deliver is the one you promised and the one you know you can afford

In this presentation, Mark will present your people with a completely different definition of "customer" - one that will help them to understand that the next era of customer service demands participation and commitment from everyone inside the organisation. He'll talk about how you empower people to behave in this way, and he'll introduce them to the concept of "plussing" - an idea that Walk Disney used to inspire his animators to excel.

Who's this for?
This programme on the power of unforgettable customer experiences is aimed at brand managers, marketing managers, communications managers, call centre managers and teams, operational decision makers, project and team leaders.

What does it cover?
In this keynote, Mark works through:

  • The four ages of service
  • Delivery - the price of autonomy
  • The “L” word
  • “Customer” – redefined
  • Everyone counts
  • Little by little by little is big
  • The power of permission
  • 9 thoughts to lift the intensity


BRANDED CULTURE: Singing in your rain

In the war for talent, the very worst thing you can do is offer your people a job. What they need is a cause. This is the business case for building a unified, purposeful culture that transcends function. Filled with real life proof, this is a rational eye opener for anyone who believes people stuff just costs.

What's this about?
The great irony of our time is that organisations demand more and more of their people's time to help meet their corporate objectives and to remain competitive, and yet they give too little back in return. They want people to make strong emotional commitments to their place of work, and yet what those people get back too often does not equal what they have been asked to put in.

Why should we care? Because no-one can afford not to. Today, customer experiences live or die at the touchpoints, and it is your people who make those touchpoints magical.

That's why it's vital to understand that your people don't need a job. What they need is a cause. People with purpose are empowered, enabled and committed, and this is the business case for building a unified, purposeful culture that transcends function.

Three things make that possible - information, inspiration and motivation. Your people need to know what they have to deliver and why, they need to believe in it absolutely, and they need to have the means at their disposal to achieve it. Fail on any of these levels, and you place your brand, your competitiveness and even your profitability at risk. Get it right, and there are few limits to what is possible.

A unified workforce is vital because:

  • it's committed - everybody believes in what the organisation is doing
  • it's visionary - people can see where they are going and why
  • it's values driven - emotions inspire passion, but they also positively regulate behaviours and focus energies it's singular - everyone knows what they've signed up for. That's why they're there.

Who's this for?
This 40 minute programme on getting the headspace right internally is aimed at senior decision makers, human resources managers, marketing managers, operational decision makers, project and team leaders.

What does it cover?
The programme works through:

  • The sure signs of a disillusioned culture
  • Why passion = purpose
  • Why ownership has nothing to do with shareholding
  • Making it personal - the we/me equation
  • Achieving "the kick inside"


BRANDED SALES: Making money in the middle

When so many people are selling so much stuff, how does anyone in sales build a stand-out reputation? By deciding that they are only as good as their name and only as trusted as the brand they operate under. And secondly, by making a conscious decision to deliver a brand boosting level of value

What's this about?
We are now entering the fourth era of sales – a time when traditional “peddle and close” sales techniques are increasingly ineffective. Today, when most products are so similar as to be largely equal, features and benefits selling is a thing of the past. Consumers now are buying not just on what they get, but on how they feel about what they get. They are increasingly looking for rewards beyond function, and a sense of value that lasts beyond the thrill of the purchase.

The growth of online sales has also fundamentally changed the role of sales. It can no longer be about transactions – because most people can buy most things cheaply, quickly and with greater choice online than they can in person. Anyone who now stands between the customer and the products and services they want must be able to add margin-justifying value to the purchase – or their days are numbered.

With products and services now more and more equal, and availability less of an issue than it has ever been, the nature of sales going forward must change dramatically. Increasingly, customers will require sales people to take a much more holistic view of what they represent and to provide a convincing articulation of the overall value they add.

Who's this for?
This 40 minute programme on making more money by rebranding the sales experience has been prepared specifically for professional sales teams.

What does it cover?
The programme works through:

  • Flatlining – making a living in a world that is killing cost
  • What are you adding? No, really …
  • Pricing beyond price
  • You're good, but no-one's that good ...
  • Exceptional. No exceptions
  • Why were you worth it (in their eyes)?
  • Boomeranging

WORKSHOPS:

Mark's workshops attack your problems with zest, fun, passion and answers that you can take away and apply. Choose from one of the following if it suits you - or bring him an issue!

BRAND PROMISE: Make them a promise they can't refuse - and deliver on it!

Powerful brands make powerful promises to their people and their customers. But a promise is much more than just a form of words: it's a spirit that must be distinctive, achievable, competitive and carried through everything you say and do as an organisation if you are to ring true. To achieve that, you need to fully understand what you have signed up to. This programme focuses on aligning what you promise with what you say.

BRAND COMMUNICATIONS: Wallop the weasel - how to find your truth

It's amazing the number of organisations that feel they are speaking volumes when in fact they are saying very little - at least, very little that is interesting, original or different. It takes discipline and insight to achieve communications that truly resonate; that represent you faithfully and position you distinctively. This programme is about resisting the urge to justify in favour of an approach that is on target and on the money!

BRAND STORY: What's the story? The legend of your brand

Stories are the backbones of powerful brands. They provide communicators, decision makers and staff with a roadmap for where the brand has been, and where it is heading. Every strong brand is backed by a powerful brand story that weaves together all the brand elements into a single and compelling tale packed with truth, insights and compelling ideas. This programme will help you focus your many ideas and opportunities into a rich and powerful narrative.

BRAND ONLINE: Curioser and curioser – creating allure online

Companies spend thousands on their websites, and yet the content for far too many of them is trite. In this workshop Mark explores how to brand your way onto the internet and into the hearts of your customers. From the branding strategy behind the site to the spirit behind the words and even the updates that keep it fresh, this workshop will help make sure your website is always on brand, online.







 

 



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Categories
Business, Branding, Change Management, Corporate Culture, Customer Service, Leadership, Marketing, Organisational Change, Strategy

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KEY SPEAKERS
inspiration

Barbara Kendall
Billy Graham
Sir Brian Lochore
Buck Shelford
Cam Calkoen
Cas & Jonesy
Sir Colin Meads
Darryl Lovegrove
Dave Currie
Davey Hughes
Dick Tayler
Eric Rush
Farah Palmer
Graeme Kendall
Graeme Sinclair
Sir Graham Henry
Gordon Tietjens
Greg Murphy
Heather Swan
Ian Ferguson
Ian Taylor
Irene van Dyk
Janine Shepherd
Jason Barrell
Jenene Freer-Crossan
John Anderson
John Shackleton
Kevin Biggar
Kevin Milne
Li Cunxin
Lisa Tamati
Marcus AkuhataBrown
Matt Watson
Mark Inglis
Melissa Clark-Reynolds
Sir Michael Hill
Mike King

Oscar Kightley
Paddy O'Brien
Paddy Sweeney
Peter Baines
Peter Hillary
Sir Ray Avery
Sir Richard Taylor
Rob Hamill
Rob Waddell
Sally Anderson
Shaun Quincey
Steve Gurney
Steve Lange
Steve Price
Suzanne Paul
Dame Susan Devoy
Tab Baldwin
Tawera Nikau
Tony Adams
Tony Christiansen
Tony Laker
Tony Mowbray
Warren Mahy
.....more speakers


information

Allan Pease
Alan Patching
Allison Mooney
Amanda Gore
Ann Andrews
Bill James
Bob Pritchard
Brett Rutledge
Bruce Cotterill
Cath Handley
Christine Rankin
Clare Feeney
Craig Rispin
Davey Hughes
Debbie Mayo-Smith
Emma Hill
Fran O'Sullivan
Hannah Samuel
Ian Harvey
Dr Ian Brooks
Glenn Capelli
Graeme Kendall
Sir Graham Henry
Jenene Freer-Crossan
Jeremy Moon
John Anderson
John Hart
John Lees
Kim Seeling Smith
Lester Levy
Mark Di Somma
Martin Grunstein
Matt Church
Sir Michael Hill
Rt Hon Mike Moore
Mike & Doug Tamaki
Mike Hutcheson
Murray Thom
Naomi Simson
Nigel Latta
Peter Sheahan
Rod Oram
Rodney Marks
Ross Dawson
Sir Roger Douglas
Hon Ruth Richardson
Scott Unsworth
Scott Williams
Tony Alexander
Wade Jackson
Zuza Scherer
.....more speakers


entertainment
ABBAlicious
Alzarae
Ben Hurley
Brad Blaze
Chet O'Connell
Chris Moore
Dangerous Liaisons
Ewen Gilmour
Frankie Stevens
Gary McCormick
Geoff Dolan
Ginette McDonald
Greg Ward
Guy Cater
HALO Band
High Society
Jackie Clarke
James Elliott
Jeremy Elwood
Jesse Mulligan
JGeeks
Jim Hopkins
Joe Bennett
Julie Mason
Keith Quinn
Kerre Woodham
Leah Panapa
Mark Ferguson
Mark Wright
Matt Hollywood
Michele A'Court
Mike King
Mojave Quartet
Music Quiz
Nairobi Trio
Nick Nickolas
Peter FitzSimons
Phil Kingsley Jones
Pinky Agnew
Pio Terei
Raybon Kan
Rodney Marks
Russell Harrison
Scott Williams
Simon McKinney
STRIKE Percussion
Terry Williams
The Beatgirls
The Lady Killers
The Leading Men
The Mermaids
The Topp Twins
Tim Shadbolt
Tina Cross
Tom Sharplin
Tongue & Groove
Undercover Show
Yulia
.....more entertainers