Welcome

Thank you for coming to my website. I trust you will find the information that you are looking for.

I thought it would be good to provide you with a little more context as to why I use a process in management and sales rather than "train".

More than three decades ago, I started a training company with the purpose of providing training in a myriad of topics including management development and sales training. However, for many years I stood by and watched people go on training, rave about the facilitator and lunch, yet bring very little of value back to their employer. With the cost of training being what it is, this worried me immensely.

It didn’t take much to realise what the problem was – the learner went on a two or three day course but the experiential entrenchment of the knowledge (It's not yet learning!) was left to…………? And as is the rule with human beings, unless the new skills are managed and disciplined in the workplace, we all fall back into our comfort zone of old habits.

So in my company, Merit Business Institute, my job is to train in management and sales, but I decided to change things up. I decided I am not going to train any more. I am going to coach – and there is a difference. Coaching is allowing a person to learn through experience but within a safe environment. Nothing new here. There are a lot of “coaches” running around attempting to do just that. But I can’t coach you on something that you have no knowledge of. So I first have to give you the knowledge and then show you how to use that knowledge in the workplace. The icing on top is, the maintenance of that use of knowledge in the workplace, is assured by bringing the employer into the coaching relationship.

People don’t learn by accumulating knowledge. People learn by using that knowledge in a supportive environment that leads to the knowledge becoming a skill. That’s why I do what I do. I am more focussed on turning knowledge into skill, than I am on only the accumulation of knowledge.

What my clients say

I wish to thank you for the outstanding work you have done in delivering the Productivity Management programme at Adapt lT. When I contracted you to do this work, I fully expected to get good results based on the reference checks I performed as part of our contracting process. What I got however surpassed my expectations, and l'm accustomed to people giving me feedback that l am hard to please.

My feedback would be incomplete if I didn't deal with the benefit of having someone with your character deliver such things. ln a world where accountability and direct feedback have fallen out of favour, it is quite refreshing to find people who continue to believe in good old fashion management values. Your firm, self-assured, experience-based, and no bull approach is so invaluable that I have no words to adequately express its benefit.

l'm a huge believer in the work that you do and I wish you lots more opportunity to spread your magic and get South African organisations to be more effective than we are.

- Mandisa Seleoane - Human Capital Executive - AdaptIt

I just wanted to drop a note to say both thank you, and how impressed I am with with the recent Sales training module done with my team. For me the training was supposed to give my team a common sales language country wide and this is very evident when travelling with them in the field. There is a sense of confidence with them now and we are already seeing the difference, particually with some up to now hidden diamonds. I am also really impressed that Mark is still assisting my team via email and it has really given extra value to what we have received. Again thank you for reinforcing the sales culture in my team, it is not the last you will be hearing from us I assure you!

- Andrew Thurston - National Sales Director Varilux (Essilor)

I am confident to say the management programme helped to make my job easier in our organization. I’ve seen the results, and I’m proud to say I’ve been promoted to Managing Director.

- Lawrence Kau, MD - G&W Base & Industrial Minerals

Mark is direct and to the point, so at all times you know exactly where you stand with him and he will not hesitate to challenge people if no change is evident after engaging in his programs. I will recommend him specifically for his work that he does in the field of coaching as I have witnessed, behavior change and new insight gained by people who participated.

- Rita Kruger, Executive - Customer Service - Tracker

+27 82 465 5481

markd@markdeavall.com