Creative Selling Strategies 2010

By Ken Rogner

Job Vacancy Indonesia, Employee, Vacancy  

Winning With Creative Sales Techniques
I recently had the opportunity of helping to judge a group of creative sales technique entries for a large distribution company. It reminded me that creativity is now and always has been the way to win the sales game in challenging times and situations. Sometimes you utilize contemporary technology but most of the time sheer creativity is what sets you apart from the competition!
Here are some examples of entries that won the competition. These entries show what has changed and what has stayed the same in creative strategies for selling.
1. Finding and very successfully selling an off-season product to existing "summer-only" business customers. The difference here was in how the customers were identified and contacted. Historically this would have been by phone or in person but in this case the new contacts and customers came via e-blasts and Facebook. The backup and strengthening feature of the new product promotion however, was still a billboard ad campaign. How can you use technology to attract new customers or promote your creative ideas to existing customers?
2. Recognizing that a competitor's customer was about to lose his existing supplier due to bankruptcy, this salesperson had a new showroom display model of his product delivered...to himself but at the customer's address. When the retailer called to inform him of the miss-shipped package he apologized for the error and promised to stop by and pick it up. When he asked if they would enjoy seeing the about-to-be-released product version and received a "yes" it was the strong "buy signal" that he had been waiting for. He got the business for the year. This example of creativity would have been a winner in the past just as it was in 2010. What unexpected or remarkable things can you do to open the door or attract your potential customer's attention?
3. Taking advantage of his bi-lingual abilities this salesperson appealed to his small service contractors (with counter card displays in Spanish) and asked for leads to other similar businesses in the Hispanic community. He offered additional support and/or leads and spiffs in exchange for new contractors signed up. That first program was so successful that he added a second level to the program for referrals to other contractors in different businesses. That was also a success. What strengths and/or unique talents can you utilize to take business away from your competition?
4. Finding a high profile name or event to tie your promotion to is (and always has been) a creative way to have promotions recognized and get response. During the World Cup soccer finals in South Africa this European rep named his July promotion after the country's coach and team and alluded to their earlier-than-necessary demise. Because the event had everyone (including all of his customers) talking his promotion gained a bit of notoriety and was a huge success. He doubled his business from the previous year's promotion. What are people thinking and talking about could help you set a timetable for your promotions?
5. Creating unique reports to continually remind customers (and field sales people) of an on-going promotion. This sales manager created unique and customized computer reports, simple but effective, that could continually be e-mailed to his field sales people and their customers. The reports indicated progress made and unit sales still required to attain previously agreed to sales growth incentives. The promotion was the most successful ever with his sales center achieving more than double any other center's gains. How can you use customized computer reports to remind customers of how they can achieve success in a promotion?
6. Doing night-time, updated sales techniques training and offering customized presentation booklets for a retailer's entire floor sales staff (as well as offering Saturday deliveries) was how this distributor sales person took 100% of the business away from his competition. The economy had stalled sales and a new round of sales training plus customized presentations rejuvenated this customer's consumer-business. What unique training can you offer that will help a customer regain sales in a depressed economy?
7. Being creative about how products are assembled, packaged and delivered can sometimes increase volumes because of shared savings. This sales person worked with a customer and created a check with order process that, coupled with a 12 model cookie-cutter program, was able to reduce costs for the distributor and the retailer. When these savings were passed on to the consumer business increased dramatically. How can you find creative ways to save costs and pass the savings on?
No matter how much technology changes our daily lives and sales presentations, creatively solving a problem for a customer is still the winning combination. How can you help a customer regain lost sales? Find the answer and win the game!

30 Employee Engagement Communication Tips

By Sarah Perry

Job Vacancy Indonesia, Employee, Vacancy   

High levels of employee engagement in an organization are linked to superior business performance, including increased profitability, productivity, employee retention, customer metrics and safety levels. Hence effective employee engagement communication is a key part of any internal communications strategy.
Tip # 1 - 60% of people communicate visually. Use interactive visual screensavers to portray company values and vision. A picture paints a thousand words. Use screensavers to show a positive view of the company. Broadcast it round your organization to capture people's imagination in an appealing, visual way.
Tip # 2 - Visual cues are important. So your CEO can't be at the meeting? No problem. Use Video to let staff see the commitment and intent in your CEO's eyes and hear the passion and empathy in his or her voice. Where possible, customize video for different groups of employees at different times and you can measure cut through.
Employee engagement communication tip # 3 - The power of small groups. Smaller face to face executive communication, such as brown bag lunches and skip level meetings, offer a more personalized and engaging format for leadership communication. Multiple time slots and venues can also help maximize the chances that employees can attend executive briefing sessions.
Tip # 4 - Customize engagement communications for different target audiences. Work with managers to make engagement communications as relevant as possible to different groups of staff.
Tip # 5 - Expand awarenesss. Make sure employees understand how the unit they work in contributes to the overall success of the organization. Expand their awareness beyond their own performance and extend it out into their team.
Tip # 6 - Highlight best practice. Include articles in your staff magazine that show how employees are modelling organizational values or supporting wider company initiatives.
Tip # 7- Reinforce understanding and develop local context. Use the pop-up Staff Quiz to ask scenario questions to reinforce understanding and local context. For example, "When I see a colleague working in an unsafe way, I would: A, B, C, or D or all of the above?" or "In XXX situation, how would you apply our company values?" Offer prizes to encourage staff to take part. Include humorous or trick questions and answers that make the quiz fun and build employee engagement.
Tip # 8 - Provide employee helpdesks. Set interactive online helpdesks to let staff ask questions about any aspect of the business and their role within it.
Tip # 9 - Get respected managers and staff to blog about various aspects of the business. These people can, answer questions and provide context to staff regarding any aspect of the business.
Tip # 10 - Encourage and help senior managers share ideas with their staff.
Tip # 11- Show that you're genuinely concerned about employees' opinions and use social media as a communications tool to build engagement.
Tip # 12 - Let staff tell their own stories to build engagement. Encourage them to tell their own stories in the staff magazine about what they are doing to support company strategies or embody organizational values.
Tip # 13 -Show how feedback is being used. Articles in staff magazines, updates on scrolling news feeds and even interactive corporate screensavers can be a great way to demonstrate to staff how their feedback is being used.
Tip # 14 - Involving employees builds engagement. Use Staff Quizzes to involve people. For example, by asking them to name new ways of working (e.g. new systems, projects) or suggest improvements. Offer prizes for the best ideas and recognize them using targeted corporate screensavers and articles in the staff magazine.
Tip # 15 - Promote employee development programs. Interactive corporate screensavers and articles in staff e-magazines can be effective ways to raise the profile and perceived value of employee development programs.
Tip # 16 - Promote employer brand. Internal brand messages can be lost if they are buried in email or on the intranet. Bring brand messages to life with interactive, visually engaging Communications channels such as messages on screensavers. Involve staff in creating brand values using staff surveys and discussion forums. Find out what staff know and think using fun staff quizzes.
Tip # 17 - Actively promote organizational effectiveness, reputation and ethics. Use all the internal communications channels at your disposal to raise employee awareness. Employees want to feel good about their leaders, where they work, the products they sell and the reputation of their company. Hence these types of engagement communications can valuable.
Tip # 18 - Communicate value. Screensaver images can be a very effective way to promote 'free goodies' available to staff. Anything from staff parties, discounted gym memberships to health checks, fun runs and fresh fruit can be promoted easily and effectively on corporate screensavers. Raising awareness of additional staff benefits can help employees feel more valued and engaged.
Employee engagement communication tip # 19 - Department highlights. Often people don't see where they fit into the bigger picture or why a specific department is working so hard on a particular initiative. Use screensaver messages and short articles in the staff newsletter to provide project updates and progress reports.
Tip # 20 Tell managers first. This gives them time to plan how they will react when their team hears important news and time for managers to prepare answers to the questions that may be unique to their team.
Tip # 21 Get managers to share ideas with one another. Social Media tools allow managers meet online to discuss strategies, share ideas and plan. This is especially useful when managers work in different locations.
Tip # 22- Measure how well managers are communicating. Help Managers see the importance of effective communication in order to increase engagement.
Tip # 23 - Not Communicating or Communicating late can damage employee engagement. Hearing about an important update from media, colleagues or family and friends can have a negative impact on employee engagement. Ensure employees hear these messages from the business as soon as possible. Desktop Alerts can achieve fast, effective message cut through. Reporting options let you check which recipients have opened the message. Message acknowledgement options allow you to ensure communications compliance.
Tip # 24 - Deliver localized content. Setting managers or their PAs up as internal communication assistants is a good way to make sure staff get information that is directly relevant to them as soon as it is available.
Tip # 25 - Measure understanding and impact on behaviors. Measure employee understanding and the impact of engagement communications on behaviors.
Tip # 26 - Celebrate both financial and non financial achievements.
Tip # 27 - Highlight success visibly. Interactive corporate screensavers are great engagement communication tools. Use visual communications to highlight and celebrate successes.
Tip # 28 - Document local success. Encourage employees to submit articles to the staff magazine that talk about what they have achieved (e.g. simpler ways of working, important milestones met).
Tip # 29 - Catch dissatisfaction early. Two way internal communications channels such as Staff Surveys and Social Media channels make it easy to regularly gather feedback from staff and to catch dissatisfaction early - to understand what's really going on.
Employee engagement communication tip # 30 - Promote opportunities for staff. Include a section in the employee newsletter promoting internal vacancies. Promote training opportunities and staff support schemes on interactive screensavers or as articles in the staff magazine.

Importance of Continuous Job Opportunities

By Macon Maic

Job Vacancy Indonesia, Employee, Vacancy

Jobs form the part of your life. It is impossible to lead a normal life without proper job. Jobs act as the major source of income thereby making the livelihood easy without many troubles. Jobs indeed keep the individual occupied without boredom. It is natural that you will completely feel bored if you sit simply without engaging yourself in any activities for about five days continuously. If this is the case, just imagine the situation you are unemployed. It will almost take your life both mentally and physically. A proper complete human life cycle comprises of job and it occupies a greater share in the livelihood and in the society. There are different types of jobs to which human beings get engaged themselves and these jobs varies depending on the qualification and other skills possessed by the individual apart from the availability of type of job in the place.

All the jobs are created by man and are also done by man in order to gain most out of it. Also there are many opportunities available around you that will definitely help you to fetch maximum and you would not have ever imagined about this kind of jobs in your life time. You might have come across many types of job opportunities while reading through various news papers and magazines. Apart from that, internet has emerged to be one of the latest developers of job wherein internet jobs are hitting the headlines. These job opportunity ads are published in the newspapers or magazines by giving the location as the headline like London jobs, Southampton jobs and so on. This clearly indicates that the job location is the particular place tagged along with the job in the opportunities heading.

You cannot avoid any opportunities as they are the main income source generators at your home front. You will always wish to look after your family and your dear ones in the most comforting and pleasing way. This wish can be converted to reality only with the help of a good job in hand. Sometimes people are also looking for additional opportunities in order to take them in the form of part time basis as they are finding it difficult to meet up the expenses due to increasing price rate. So it is advised to take care of all job opportunities with important care even if you are not in need of a new opportunity now.

Selling Your Company To An International Entrepreneur

By Terry J Filkins

Job Vacancy Indonesia, Employee, Vacancy  

If you'd like to become successful with an international business and then consider selling your organization on the international stage, then there are several things you must think about.

Managing an enterprise and offering it to suitable clients is a very complicated activity. Putting up for sale your company on the global stage is a lot more complicated compared to selling in your own state or country. Selecting the most appropriate small business agent, lawyer or attorney together with an accountant together which all have a history of successful overseas business sales is also important. Look for a team that has a good deal of knowledge because during the extended sales process, you will come across many difficulties en route.

Develop a certain in-depth marketing document where you can include your background and characteristics of the business, several year financial overview, business missions, small business supervision also staff, very competitive examination, business enterprise and also industry targets, and business technique and projections. This could be employed to distribute your company, so it is important that it is created effectively to show a proficient look to potential business enterprise potential customers.

At all times check any probable purchasers by using your adviser wherever they come from. This is to make certain that only the genuine company buyers that are eligible and may afford to acquire your small business can get to talk to you. This could further decrease the probabilities that opponents will find out that you're selling your enterprise. Discretion is important in enterprise selling.

It is important that when advertising your enterprise for a foreign entrepreneur, interaction needs to be carried out in writing. Due to the fact writing is able to cut miscommunication and will give time to investigate and clarify issues. In the event you take care of issues on the phone or in person, promoting your enterprise could become extremely frustrating.

Another thing you should contemplate is the fact you must not discuss with out your dealer. You may not know how to take care of a foreign client even if you might be a professional at promoting a small business inside your place. Despite all the troubles and conditions that may be experienced, you must be able to get a wonderful value for your enterprise with a good company agent.

Furthermore, you shouldn't settle without having your broker. Though you may be an expert at marketing a company in your country, you may not understand how to manage a foreign customer. With a capable company dealer, you should be able to have a fantastic cost for your small business despite all the hassles and conditions can be displayed. A properly produced advertising strategy will make the sales method incredibly easier.

Activity for Better Communication: Team Building Activities

By Tom Harry

Job Vacancy Indonesia, Employee, Vacancy  

As more and more people spend at least half a day at work, team bonding and Team Building has become the need of the hour. More and more people are realizing the importance of Team Building. Most people spend more than 9 to 10 hours at work and they need to release their stress. Most projects and task involves a strong and bonded team that can perform well. Most teams end up with below par performances largely due to either lack of communication or co-ordination, this is where most big companies face problems. Proper Communication and co-ordination is the key to a well-managed company. Hence, more and more companies are investing in Team Building Activities like team parties, picnics and other such activities to keep the environment friendly and stress free.

Team Building Activities need to be fun, but at the same time, they need to impart wisdom to your team. Your team should get to learn and understand the importance of unity and integrity. Team Building Activity must have a clear objective. The objective can be anything from communication to co-ordination or even efficiency. With every team building activity, your employees/subordinates must progress as a stronger team that performs with much more efficiency. You must organize Activities that will help them overcome their weakness.

There are many Team Building Activities. However, you need only those activities that will make your team stronger. Here's how you start developing better communication between your employees/subordinates

Start with analyzing what are the pros and cons of your team. You do not require wasting your precious time on activities that will help improve their plus points.

The objective is to concentrate on the negative aspects. Most Teams face communication problems. The activity given below is easy and can be organized every week:-

The basic problem with communication is that most people are embarrassed to talk about their problems with others and at the same time it is very embarrassing for that one person to listen to his negative aspects.

Hence, the first step is to create an environment where nobody is scared to talk or communicate. You can have people write name or names of their team members with whom they are facing communication problems.

Now, collect the chits and play this game. Make all the other members talk about why two people in your team are facing a communication problem. As the other members talk, the two prospective members cannot utter a word and will simply sit and listen.

The other members of your team will also give a solution to how they can communicate better.

This game could be played every week with multiple team members and will help resolve many work related issues. You will also see an improvement in your team building and how everyone is making an effort to create a friendly and stress free environment. This activity will also help everyone learn about each other and know each other better.

Why Team Building Is Out and Team Growing Is In

By Karen Schmidt

Job Vacancy Indonesia, Employee, Vacancy  

The old model of "building" a great team is outdated.

The concept of growing a team instead of building a team has been around a long time. It seems to have started with Frederick P Brooks in his book "The mythical man-month" written over 30 years ago. He believed that the "building metaphor has outlived its usefulness" and that "the conceptual structures we construct today are too complicated to be accurately specified in advance and too complex to be built faultlessly, then we must take a radically different approach".

So why do we persist with the term "team building"? I believe it's because it's easier for many technical managers to deal with inanimate objects than it is to deal with people. Building involves taking materials and logically turning them into something productive. You can determine in advance what you want to achieve and, with the right skills and equipment, reproduce an exact replica of a blueprint.

People aren't like that. Just because someone has the skills to perform a role doesn't mean they will perform it. Just because a reporting structure should work doesn't mean it will. Just because you give someone the title of manager doesn't mean they can manage. Things get in the way. Things like personalities, past experiences and perceptions.

We have moved on from the industrial age and are now in the information age. People are at the heart of most organisations. Today, most successful businesses are all about intellectual capital not capital works. So stop treating people like pieces of wood you can build into a structure and start treating them like living beings that will naturally grow if given the right conditions.

Like a good garden, what makes a good team comes down to intangibles and most technical managers aren't good at dealing with them. They want the black and white, right and wrong, one size fits all solution. Gardeners know that doesn't work. They know you can put five plants in the same garden bed, four will thrive and one will die. Often there is no logic to it, just like with people. You can do all the right things... give them good soil, water them, give them regular fertiliser and protect them from pests and they will still die! That's nature. Just like you can't command a plant to grow faster, you can't command a person to work harder.

So let's stop talking about team building and start talking about team growing. Let's look at what we can do to let people naturally develop rather than force them to fit neatly into a predetermined size and shape.

As a keen gardener and someone who advises managers on employee engagement, I can see that there are many similarities between creating a thriving garden and creating a thriving organisation. Whether you have one pot plant sitting on your desk (one employee) or a plot of land that would rival the botanic gardens (many employees) the basic rules are the same. Get it right and your plants will thrive (your people will grow). Get it wrong and you will be left with a dead and dying garden (high turnover or, even worse, high disenagement). Gardening can be a rewarding pursuit. There is nothing better than seeing plants grow and it's the same with people. It can also be hard work and involve a long gap between effort and result. The similarities to managing people are obvious.

So learn some lessons about leadership from mother nature. Here are my top 10 to get you started.

1. You can't have engaged leaders in a poor culture... you can't grow plants in bad soil
2. We pick people for leadership roles for the wrong reasons... wrong plant in wrong location simply because we like the look of it
3. New leaders need assistance and support... plants need help to get established too
4. A leader in the wrong position can do damage... the wrong plant can potentially become a weed
5. Bad habits from leaders rub off on their people... like pests and disease moving from plant to plant
6. The right leaders provide staff with shelter from the organisational elements... like a tree shading smaller plants
7. You need to remove the barriers to help leaders grow... plants grow better when you give them space
8. Sometimes leaders outgrow their role and need to move on... sometimes plants need to be relocated to thrive
9. You always need to be cultivating new leaders... you need plants in all stages of development to keep your garden healthy
10. If leaders aren't growing they are dying... the law of nature, especially when it comes to plants

Business Coach Training - A Successful Business Coaching Company

By Rafael Tassini

Job Vacancy Indonesia, Employee, Vacancy

When a business leader is choosing a coach in business, they may be overwhelmed with the choices available. Some coaches in business are simply former business owners who want to share their experiences. The best coaches in business, however, have completed a business coach training course and are certified as having passed the qualifying exam. This helps prepare business coaches to deal with multiple situations and areas of business instead of just going off their own limited experiences. This certification is a sign that a coach has been trained in the best practices of the field of coaching in business. They learn how to assess the parts of a business and the company as a whole.

The ability to see how a whole is broken down into parts and what areas are slowing productivity is important in the coaching career. Keeping each portion of the company efficient and effective at what they are assigned helps the whole company to be more profitable. The purpose for hiring a business coach is can be different for each business owner. Some need a fresh pair of eyes to assess the business for the slower department and procedures. Some need to raise capital and need advice on how to get there. Others are looking to improve marketing strategies or implement newer technologies and desire guidance in those areas. Business coach training prepares business coaches to work in all these areas.

Certain processes, tools, and models have been used successfully in multiple areas of business all around the world. In coaching training, students learn these methods and how to apply them to different industries. Great coaching is based upon a relationship the coach builds with the business leader client. Interpersonal skills and good coaching relationship structures are also taught in the training course. These are key components to the success of a business coach. The clients are leaders who have little experience taking advice from others. They are often reluctant to see the failings in their own businesses even though this is the first step to fixing the problems.

Laying the groundwork of respect and relationship can ensure a business coach's success. In addition, a business coach training course teaches coaches how to find and acquire clients to build their own business. Successful systems for getting and retaining clients can help someone grow their coaching business into a lucrative company. Joining this unique field of coaching in the business world can start with a specialized training course.