October marked the final event of our Elevate Franklin Business Series for 2026, wrapping up what has been a fantastic first year for the initiative.
As our first year running the series, we have been thrilled with the response from our local business community. It has been wonderful to see so many business owners, managers and teams coming along, sharing experiences, asking questions and taking the time to learn, connect and explore new ways to grow their businesses.
Elevate Franklin was created to bring valuable business knowledge and practical insights closer to home, giving our local business community opportunities to learn from experienced speakers, connect with others and take away ideas they can put into practice. Seeing the community get behind this has been a real highlight of the year.
Sales Strategy: Understanding How We Communicate
For our final event of the year, we welcomed Kelly Smith from Bizadvisor New Zealand, who shared her knowledge and experience in sales strategy, with a particular focus on understanding and adapting our communication styles when selling.
Kelly brought the topic to life, creating an engaging and interactive session that had the room involved from the beginning. Rather than simply speaking to the audience, she encouraged people to participate, share their experiences and think about how they communicate with their own customers.
Through relatable real-life stories and practical examples, Kelly highlighted how much of a difference it can make when we adapt our communication style to the person we are selling to.
An important part of this is understanding ourselves first. Recognising our own communication preferences, understanding how we naturally approach conversations and learning to recognise the different styles of those around us can help us build stronger connections with customers.
Sales isn't just about what we are offering; it's also about how we communicate, listen and build relationships. Being able to recognise what works for different people can help us have more meaningful conversations, better understand customer needs and ultimately create stronger business relationships.
Kelly's approachable style, practical insights and ability to get everyone thinking made for a fantastic evening and a fitting way to wrap up our first year of Elevate Franklin.
A huge thank you to Kelly for sharing her knowledge with our local business community, and to everyone who has attended, supported and been part of the Elevate Franklin Business Series throughout the year.
