About Bill

A humorous, authentic and content driven business speaker, Bill James inspires, educates and entertains his audiences throughout New Zealand and Australia- well anywhere actually! As an accredited National Speakers Association Certified Speaking Professional, Bill has recently been recognised by his peers as the New Zealand Business Speaker of the Year (2012-13)

Bill’s message is relevant to all people who are looking at increasing revenue. His motto -”More Business Right Now! - is all about finding, landing and growing business and his efforts often reflect increases in sales in the 100’s of percent.

As a specialist on attracting new business through referrals, the creation of profitable business relationships and how to create a sales process that fits within your team’s internal values – so they want to use it – Bill has a simple and easy to understand presentation style that gets participants to make a commitment to take action with what they have learnt and walk away with an “I can do this” attitude.

Although his strategies are breathtakingly brilliant, many are so incredibly simple, as well as cost effective, they can be implemented the very next day.

So where does Bill’s practical experience come from?

Having achieved his B.Com with a double major in marketing and personnel, Bill started a long and successful professional sales career. His early years included door to door sales and retail, eventually moving into finance. A short stay with AGC was followed by National New Business Manager at Nathan Finance and then the position of Finance Manager for Nissan NewZealand.

Tempted into the corporate world at South Pacific Securities as Assistant to the GM he implemented a complete e-based sales program a decade before it was the norm. He then worked as National Sales Manager and later Operations Manager for Multicorp Insurances. Here he ran all departments, negotiated multimillion dollar contracts and helped create new records in sales.

Following the 1987 crash, Bill held the following roles:

• Top sales advisor for National Insurance
• Contract financial controller for the Giltrap Motor Group.
•  As Branch Manager for the PSIS, Bill quadrupled the size of the branch in 4 years with no money spent on advertising – word of mouth and customer service only.
• In 1991 Prudential Assurance recruited Bill and he became their ‘Rookie of the Year’ achieving 430% of his initial target. With the next 15 years consistently impressive.

In 2004, after 15 years of safeguarding his client’s lives and also providing financial literacy training for the NZ Navy and Air force, Bill embarked full time on his current speaking career.

Today Bill now chooses to continue running his own speaking business, applying skills gained across a varied and wide-reaching career  along side the new skills he has mastered through ongoing personal education within the speaking industry. Early in 2013 Bill was accredited with the highest creditation available in New Zealand for a professional speaker- a CSP.

This experience now sees him in demand within the speaking and training industry, often being asked to deliver to: franchise oganisations, associations and traditional sales and service industries (particularly financial services) and also highly technical industries (health, engineering, accountants etc) providing sales for non-sales people. Bill also has had experience in the public sector and has worked with a number of local authorities, schools and government departments.

Outside of his professional life, Bill has been married to his wife and business partner Sue for 26 years and they have two beautiful daughters.