Testimonials

Negotiation Testimonials | Business Testimonials | Creative Testimonials

Negotiation Testimonials

Noel McCluskey, Sales Account Director, Oracle, Dublin, Ireland

I have already reaped benefits, successfully securing deals

Al’s training provided a dynamic and comprehensive approach to address a gap in our approach to negotiations.

The team all felt better equipped and confident entering negotiations with corporate entities, shifting from back foot to front.  

I have already reaped benefits, successfully securing deals utilising a number of Al’s wider value factors.

Hannah Schneider, Director at Regent’s Compliance, Founder of Tailored Compliance, London, UK

Alistair proved an invaluable strategic partner

“As the co-founder of a small RegTech company, I came to Alistair for some support in moving from development to marketing and client acquisition stage.

Given that this is a new area for us, it’s easy to be overwhelmed about where to start and Alistair proved an invaluable strategic partner, helping to talk through our options, potential approaches and negotiation techniques.

We are technical specialists therefore the more client focused work was initially daunting, though with Alistair’s coaching, proved to be well within our capabilities. Putting into practice what I discussed with Alistair bore fruit surprising quickly, with a direct positive impact on our client satisfaction and engagement.

I look forward to continuing to work with him as we seek to expand.”

Sam Saarsteiner, Partner, Clark Hill Solicitors, Dublin, Ireland

The best training we’ve had

“Learning about self-awareness during negotiations and changing dynamics was highly useful. Being able to change states and roles in sequential negotiations and the planning exercise proved very relevant to me.

I discovered I too often use one particular approach when circumstances don’t indicate it’s the right route. What was also useful and insightful was self-testing, not to label but identify traits and explore how to best apply them. I didn’t feel there was anything about the course that could be improved.

Excellent training, highly researched and relevant. The best training we’ve had in”.

Jonny Madderson, Filmmaker, Co-Founder, Just So Productions, London, UK

Right from the off we found the Goliath Negotiation Method to bring great value

“Right from the off we found the Goliath Negotiation Method to bring great value.

When we applied just one piece of the planning method at a meeting, the process helped us highlight and plan for potential challenges and difficulties ahead in a very positive and constructive way.

Would thoroughly recommend Al McBride.”

Business Testimonials

Eugene Mitchell, COO at BoscaSports, Dublin Ireland

I would regard the coaching sessions we had as top notch

After the first session I was better but mainly in the sense that it was great share the frustrations albeit that I had no plans yet to deal with them. My mind felt lighter like someone ‘got my frustration’ without judging the situation.

By the end of the second session, the approach just came to me and I was able to step back into my best self which actually allowed me develop a plan.

As a result working with Al I am calmer, more considered and I’ve slowed down. I tend to react less and when I feel the ‘red mist’ descend I can step out of it so that it doesn’t run my program.  At home, I’m easier to live with and happier (well so I’m told!).

When the student is ready, the teacher appears – this was so true in my case.  I have had a lot of coaches but because I am quite self aware, I felt you went straight to the point and really challenged me to ‘deal’ with the situation and you also gave me some really useful language to frame how I was thinking.

You struck the right balance of listening and probing and your ability to carry the conversation from session to session was brilliant – it just felt like one conversation with long breaks. Your use of stories is also really useful and the fact that you enjoy & personally learn from the sessions creates good energy.

I would regard the coaching sessions we had as top notch. The test for me is always would I like to continue to work with you and it would be big yes from me!”

Jenny O’Byrne, Psychotherapist, Dublin, Ireland

Client numbers have more than doubled

“Alistair was enormously helpful, in a number of ways, in getting my business up and running.  I could not recommend him highly enough.  His exceedingly broad and in depth knowledge of start ups was immediately apparent and inspired my confidence and trust in him to deliver a lot more than I was capable of even conceiving.  He is a very clear and concise thinker with a lot of focus which enabled me to pull various aspects of my business and website together in a consistent and congruent way.  Finally, he has a very respectful but pointed way of ensuring that all areas are covered by asking crucial and pertinent questions.

Since we started working together my regular client numbers have more than doubled and it’s still improving. Alistair’s advice and both logical and creative suggestions played a significant role in that rapid growth. He has always been highly encouraging of my efforts and supportive of my abilities. Thanks Al”

Anthony Cheam, Speaker, Author, Coach, Personal Trainer, Toronto, Canada

My income grew 20%-30%

“Working with Al over the past 6 months has been very clarifying and enlightening for me in my business.  His ability to emphasize and articulate small yet profound tools and strategies right down to the simplest form guided me to become more aware of the opportunities, goldmines I already had within my business.  This immediately turned my creative juices and enthusiasm towards bringing more value to my current clients and establishing myself as a unique brand in the field of health and wellness.

Almost immediately this greatly expanded my range of clients buying my service while also increasing customer lifetime value and profitability significantly. Overall my income grew 25% and continues to grow ever since.

He was also able to help me through some personal mental struggles that everyone tends to go through when running a business.  His insights are very powerful.  Whatever challenge or obstacle that I was going through at the time he had a great way of asking me the right questions which allowed me to work the issues out from a whole different mindset.  I believe Al will bring tremendous value to you or your organization!”

Becky Bristow, Director Operations and Development, Chartered Accountants Ireland

“I found Alistair to be a very experienced coach, able to flex his style depending on what I needed that day. He was able to challenge me to face the hard stuff without it feeling hurtful. The benefit of facing the thing I hadn’t known about myself, was that it improved a number of challenging relationships, as I could now see what it was about me that was triggering a certain behaviour in others”

Billy McCooey, Sales Consultant, Activ8 Energies, Dublin, Ireland

“I had four sessions with Al and found each one very beneficial in its own way. To begin with, if I’m honest, I was apprehensive about the idea of coaching as I couldn’t see it being something that would be for me as I am not one for talking about my own weaknesses/insecurities to others. However, very early on I can say that Alistair’s demeanour and likeability put my mind at ease and I found myself sharing with him quite easily. I took a great deal from my first session and the relationship grew from there.

The insights gained from my sessions with Al have given me an outlook and a way of approaching situations which up until that point had proven slightly problematic to deal with. Alistair’s personality made him very easy to talk to and while he challenged me in areas I needed challenging his approach made each session an enjoyable challenge.

I would highly recommend Al as a coach and have no hesitation in passing on his details to friends and colleagues of mine, as I have done”.

Lorraine Curham, Higher Education Advisor/Career Coach, Trinity College University of Dublin, Rowing the Atlantic 2020

Optimisation rather than perfection

“Working with Alistair helped me to identify my strengths and weaknesses. He helped me to identify and understand how my perceived weaknesses can also be beneficial to me and how I can use them to my advantage. I learned how to reframe my thoughts, for example, thinking of things in terms of optimisation rather than perfection.

This enabled me to take effective action, rather than allowing my thoughts to stop me in my tracks. Alistair has a friendly demeanour and is easy to talk to. This created a very free-flowing conversation, while also allowing me some great insights about myself and my behaviour”

Karen Coleman, Broadcast Journalist, Author, Conference Moderator at European Parliament, Galway, Ireland / Brussels, Belgium

“I had the pleasure to work with Alistair in a brainstorming capacity recently for a project I am developing. His innovative, creative and relaxed approach was immensely helpful. Alistair is very good at teasing out issues and helping a person to identify the things that are really important to them which enables a very positive coaching experience.”

Aine Rynne, Founder, Director Sober Sessions, Dublin, Ireland

I felt much more able and capable of dealing with what would or might arise

“When I spoke to Alistair about an upcoming event that I was organizing with dozens of things to organize and responsibilities pulling me in many different directions – I was pretty stressed. After we talked, I felt much calmer and better able to deal with the situation.

From this conversation, it helped me to take a different perspective and harness the resources I already had. The situation hadn’t changed, but I felt much more able and capable of dealing with what would or might arise. It wasn’t just some motivational talk, it was grasping reality but from a different perspective.”

Creative Testimonials

Deirdre Mullins, Actor, Writer, Director, London, UK

“The most important thing about Al is that he makes change, the thing I was expecting to be a really painful process, actually, quite shockingly enjoyable! He helped me uncover the small lies which were, in fact, the big lies I was telling myself and the big dreams I was, really, too scared to face up to and pursue. It sounds a bit dramatic, but the fear of failing at something I cared so much about was so deep rooted and powerful a force in my life that I had stopped admitting it to myself.

In case you think, as I did, that life coaching is only for people who are a bit of an organizational shambles… well, just meet with Al. Without trying to sound too pleased with myself, I felt I was a highly organised person with most things very much pushed to their potential in my life – my acting career, love life, travel, health & fitness and so on. I’d read lots of life coaching and lifestyle design books so I already had a grounding in the kinds of mental models and practical strategy to be both highly efficient and effective in terms of achieving goals. So when I asked Al to work with me – I had it in mind that he would operate as a kind of regulator alongside my own quarterly assessments, a safe-guard to ensure I didn’t lose sight of what I wanted and how I was going to achieve it. He was a luxury, a regular MOT to a life that was, as far as I could judge, running very smoothly”… READ MORE

Emmy Sandeen, Author, Copywriter, Helsinki, Finland

“When I started working with Al, I was kind of lost with my writing. I just never really got past writing the first act in the story, and then, disheartened, I gave up on the idea for the novel. So, I was a pantser. The idea of doing anything like schedules or plot points or whatever gave me chills. What Al got me to realize was that my fear of being constricted by a detailed plan was… just that: fear. It wasn’t even that he forced me to see it, no, he gently guided me to the conclusion that maybe having a rough sketch for my story beforehand would help me get all the way to the story’s end.

I think the best thing was, it really felt like Al was just there to nudge me to the right direction, and I got to try my own way and come back to ask for more nudges if and when I got lost again. Now I’m happily writing way past the first act, and the process feels calmer and more enjoyable than ever before”.