Skills blog

For over four decades, LDL has worked with accountancy firms across the UK, helping partners and teams strengthen the commercial skills that sit alongside technical expertise. In recent conversations, one phrase keeps coming up: “We’re doing more work than ever, but it doesn’t always feel like we’re being paid.” Fees are being challenged more frequently. […]

You know those occasions when it really counts — the big presentation, the high-stakes sales meeting. You want to be at your best when it counts, but what ensures you will perform at the upper range of your talent and skill?

In today’s fast-changing world of work, annual reviews and occasional coaching sessions just don’t cut it. Teams move quickly, expectations evolve, and employees want continuous guidance, recognition and opportunities to grow. That’s where a culture of coaching and feedback becomes essential.

Selling has evolved. Virtual sales meetings, typically on Zoom or MS Teams, are now standard practice. Surveys confirm many buyers actually prefer it. Virtual selling is here to stay.

We live in challenging times. It’s vital to ask yourself, day in and day out: what sort of example do you set for your team? As a manager, it’s show-time all the time. Every phone call, every meeting, every speech, every presentation, every employee interaction, you are on show.

There’s a famous joke about a tourist who asks a local for directions, only to receive the reply: “Well, if I were you, I wouldn’t start from here.” The same can be said about defending your price – to avoid price objections, you need to start in the right place. And that means building value […]

In a world where workplace disengagement is at an all-time high – just take a look at Gallup’s latest State of the Global Workplace report – keeping your team energised isn’t just a nice-to-have: it’s a competitive advantage. With quiet quitting still making headlines and burnout levels rising, leaders who can spark and sustain enthusiasm […]

We’ve all been there: facing a conversation which won’t be easy. Whether it’s addressing a performance issue with a direct report, providing feedback to a manager or tackling a misunderstanding with a colleague, starting the conversation can be tough. Your uncertainty about how the other person might respond can make you hesitate, or even avoid […]

Your sales career is going reasonably well. You usually achieve your goals. You work hard. But now you want to move up a gear and make larger sales and manage some of your organisation’s key accounts. Where do you start? The crucial point is to realize that when you move into larger sales, you need […]