Bestselling author and networking expert Stefan Thomas takes keynote role at South West franchise conference

Networking expert Stefan Thomas will be the keynote speaker offering business advice to franchisees at the it’seeze annual conference on Sunday November 27th, at the Aztec Hotel in Bristol.

Oxfordshire-based Stefan is the author of the best-selling Business Networking for Dummies and regularly gives talks and provides training to companies all over Europe. As such, he is well placed to offer expert advice on building lasting business relationships to franchisees attending the it’seeze event.

His talk will focus on how to network effectively, including how to start conversations at events just like the conference and using online platforms such as LinkedIn.

“I want to help the franchisees at the conference learn how to find local business owners and become part of their own local business community. Both in person and online. One of the most important skills is being able to turn conversations with businesses into sales and so I will use my talk to share my experiences on how to do this effectively,” Stefan said.

Stefan was asked to talk at the conference by it’seeze franchise business development manager, Alex Brook.

Alex said: “Our franchisees regularly attend networking events as part of their strategy to grow their business. When I started looking for speakers for our conference, Stefan immediately came to mind, as I wanted someone to be able to help our franchisees get the most from the time they spend at these events, in person and online. I also wanted to cover best practices on LinkedIn and Stefan was a natural choice.”

Torquay-based it’seeze offers franchise opportunities for people who want to become website sales consultants. Franchisees promote, consult on and sell it’seeze website packages to small to medium-sized businesses. Once the package is sold, the franchisees have a dedicated head office team at their fingertips, from the professional designers who design the websites, to developers and support staff, all helping them on their franchise journey.

Alex added: “I am looking forward to Stefan talking about how to build relationships at networking events and on LinkedIn, by regularly engaging with potential customers and without hard sell tactics, which I think will be welcomed by our franchise network and fit well with their consultative approach.”