+61 412 522 771
steves@thepersuader.com.au
37A Seymour Street, Bathurst NSW 2795

Testimonials

Dear Steve,

I would like to thank you for delivering such a great workshop on networking to our staff on Tuesday. The workshop was very useful and engaging. I was impressed with how much you were able to cover during the day and with the way you managed to draw out some great networking ideas from us.

Thanks again for sharing your networking experiences with us and for providing us with some great tips and tricks. Your passion, drive and enthusiasm made the workshop all that more enjoyable.

Kind regards

Michelle

Dr. Michelle Cull FCPA, FPA Allied Professional

Associate Dean, Engagement | Senior Lecturer – Accounting & Financial Planning | School of Business, Western Sydney University

Upon hearing about Steve Semmens new networking book we invited him to speak at our professional development event designed to bridge the gap between the UQ student body and industry professionals. Through his engaging address, Steve instilled confidence to a diverse audience of both nervous student networkers and seasoned industry professionals. We were very impressed and have had positive feedback from attendees. The skills Steve imparted to our members have made us desire to continue a relationship between UQMA and Steve.

Kim Lockhart

The University of Queensland Management Association

Steve was a fabulous presenter & motivator at our Macquarie Medi Spa team training day.

Steves professionalism, sense of humour & expertise were a highlight of the day for my team. Many employees mentioned Steve to be their favourite  guest speaker with many new ideas learnt to take on board to improve the business.

Karla McDiarmid

Director , Macquarie Medi Spa

Dear Steve,
It was nice to see you at the recent HR Summit in Brisbane recently. I must say I was impressed with the way you ran the conference. As you know I have been to a few conferences and it is refreshing to see one run on time for once, in no small part as a result of “the persuader”. You sense of humour and unique style kept the proceedings upbeat and a little less dry then they normally are at these occasions. I know other delegates were also impressed at your accessibility during the breaks and the entertainment value of your speaker introductions. Well done, your fresh approach was a welcome change.

Michael Scott

Human Resources Manager, Runge

We used Steve (The Persuader) as part of recent MBA induction.  His engaging style and simple advice really helped our incoming class get started with one of the key learning points in any MBA course – learn how to develop and manage a wide network of contacts

Dr Nick Barter

MBA Director, Griffith Business School

When I first heard about networking it didn’t appeal because even though I enjoy talking with people, going into a room full of strangers made me nervous. I’ve since discovered most people feel the same way. Steve’s networking seminar helped me see networking in a new light and realise with the right tools and strategies it’s easier than you think. I now see networking as an enormously powerful way of doing business and the best part is it’s authentic and genuine, and you get to meet great people. Steve is a light-hearted and patient teacher who makes everyone in the room feel comfortable and he gave inspiring practical ideas I can use immediately in my business. Business owners obviously benefit but so will their employees.

Janet Poole

Author and WHY Coach, Janet Poole Consulting

Steve has been a very good influence on me. Steve has a nice fearless approach to networking business development and has demonstrated for me how easy it is to meet and work with genuinely nice people that have similar business interests. Steve is always encouraging and spreads positive energy, even when he’s had a heart attack!

Nick Barrett

Financial Planner, Swift Business Solutions

Hello Steve,

Thank you for attending last night’s event and executing such an engaging and insightful presentation. We had quite a few students mention how much they enjoyed your presentation and took away a lot of valuable tips.

We do hope you made some great connections with our past interns and most importantly, got your stomach’s fill of food and drink!

We thought the event was a success which could not have been so without your participation so our sincerest appreciation and gratitude for being a guest speaker at our 2015 CAN event.

Siobhan Markus

UWS Careers | Office of the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Students) , Western Sydney University

I have had the great pleasure of attending a couple of workshops recently which was conducted by Steve Semmens ‘The Persuader’ one of those courses was ‘How to get paid in thirty days without using a baseball bat’, in a life time you come across a handful of talented people who leave a mark on you, I would have to say that Steve is one of those few talented people. Steve has the ability to facilitate change in peoples behaviours using a number of techniques throughout his course, humour is certainly one of those techniques coupled with his great depth of knowledge and his ability to get his message across to the audience he is communicating to. I would have no hesitation in recommending any of Steve’s courses to anyone that wants to learn new techniques which they can apply both professionally and personally. Please do not hesitate to contact me personally on my mobile.

Penny Delfs

Director, Vortex Insect Control Holdings Ltd

As small business owner, I recognised the importance of developing my strategic network but was unsure how to grow my network profitably. I was fortunate to meet Steve Semmens at a networking event in Brisbane and accepted his invitation to attend his workshop on strategic networking. It was one of the smartest business decisions I’ve made. Steve shared with me his personal experiences explaining how he grew his enviable professional network. With Steve as my business mentor, I have seen my professional network grow substantially delivering real business opportunities and financial rewards. Steve is a great mentor and business coach. I can’t recommend him highly enough. Thank you for your extraordinary help Steve.

Shaun Michels

Owner, Fix My Resume

Steve,
Just a quick note to tell you that our recent skip workshop was a worthwhile process. It has provided management a great insight into the thoughts and attitude of our staff towards the whole skip process. Even though it told us what we didn’t want to hear, we feel that this will be of great benefit to us in the future. Your presentation was first rate and all participants enjoyed the experience.

Paul Charlton

Credit Manager, GMAC

Hello Steve,
Thank you for a lovely day yesterday and for the great comments throughout the day. I wanted also to let you know that you went further than most people did with regards to networking. You gave the attendees time to work out how they could maximize their contacts within the group through informal strategic alliances, and this part of the course was one of the better team learning outcomes I’ve ever seen, and believe me I’ve seen a lot.
The day was very good, the venue was good, the networking and clients there were good, the course was good, your course material and your experiences and the way you related them to the attendees was very good. All these goods have to add up to excellent. So what more can I say than thank you Steve.

Kathryn Giovanis

Principal , Krecruitment Solutions

As a relative newcomer to small business I was quick to discover the world of networking. However, it was not until I met Steve that I began to gain a deeper understanding of how powerful networking can be. After recently attending his one day workshop on networking, and all its “hidden secrets”, I now feel very confident in approaching people and seeking informal alliances with a range of businesses that I see as providing great opportunities for all concerned. I now constantly put into practice what Steve preaches, and it works. I would thoroughly recommend Steve’s workshop on networking to anyone, new to business or not, who wishes to grow their business effectively and meet great people and new friends on the way. Thanks Steve.

Jeff Withers

Director, Jims Bookkeeping

We recently celebrated our 3rd year in business; around 40 of our top clients and business associates were coming. We wanted to make the night fun and entertaining but above all, we wanted it to run smoothly. I couldn’t recommend Steve highly enough to MC an event; the night went off without a hitch and he thought of all the little things that we hadn’t. I was able to spend the night mingling with clients and I didn’t worry once about the night running to schedule. Both my business partner and myself were surprised at Steve’s versatility and his unique ability to be funny and sincere at appropriate times. I am more than happy to speak to people personally if they would like any other feedback on Steve.

Rebecca Maitland

Director

“I had a fantastic opportunity to attend a one day workshop on “Easily Engage with Industry Through the Power of Networking” organised by the School of Business at Western Sydney University. The workshop was facilitated by Steve Semmens – The Persuader. It was a phenomenal session! Very timely and valuable to learn how to make long-lasting industry relationships.

Steve, thanks for sharing so many golden nuggets of information. The workshop was hands-on, and some of the key takeaways were transactional vs relationship selling, informal strategic alliances, the importance of small talk, elevator speeches and much more. The participants also shared valuable insights and inputs. All the participants received a personalised certificate of completion.”

Uma Panchapakesan

MRes Student, Western Sydney University