Don’t drop your pants……!

  

               Late last year I met with a Toronto based manufacturing salesman who was insistent that he was a top negotiator and always brought the deals in. I spoke to his VP Sales and found that although he was bringing in the sales, he was actually selling at a low margin. He had to sell three times as many orders as the real top salespeople. On top of that, this individual was working longer days than everyone else.

              After another interview with the salesman and a few questions on some of his orders, I discovered that whenever the customer/prospect challenged him on price, he dropped his pants and agreed to a lower price.

He was selling on price – the client’s price! 

           In any selling situation you must find out the prospect’s real need or you will sell on price!

          Here is one question that will ferret out the prospects need and help you put together a selling strategy based on value.

           Early in the qualification phase of the presentation, ask the prospect this question: “Why don’t you do nothing and save yourself the money?” The client’s answer will tell you the real reason he is in the market to buy your product or service.

Selling with you.

Chris Wilkinson.                              

Certified Business Behaviour & Attitudes Analyst.               

Business Coach.

 (Mississauga).

Tel: 905-275-2907

E-mail: buspilot@bell.net

When You Have to Fire An Employee - 10 Things to Keep In Mind

1. DON’T lie.  A manager makes a huge mistake by trying to not hurt an employee’s feelings, or trying to gloss over performance problems because the manager feels badly about having to terminate the person.  Be direct, be clear and be quick.  You do not have to put the reason in writing, but be aware that an Ontario law gives an employee the right to request that the reason be put in writing.
2. DON’T leak the decision to terminate to anyone who is not on a “need to know” basis.  Allowing the news to come through the grapevine is a sure way to make an already difficult situation ten times worse.
3. DON’T fire someone on a Friday or right before a big holiday.  Earlier in the week allows them to start looking for a job right away, and ensures access to support services if an employee is especially traumatized by the termination.
4. DON’T email or text an employee with the news.  Learn from  Radio Shack's mistake - firing 400 employees via email was the PR nightmare heard round the Internet.
5. DON’T withhold money from their paycheck, other than those items required or allowed by law.  Ontario has very specific laws and regulations about what can and cannot be withheld from a final paycheck.  Even when an employee steals from you, those laws must be followed.
6. DO have a third party present. Typically an HR person, but in any case it is a good idea so that later there is no confusion or ability to misrepresent what was said.  Have that person take notes.
7. DO have a security plan in place.  Think in advance what needs to be done should the departing employee become violent.  Or return with intent to harm others in the workplace.
8. DO follow your own policies and procedures.  Making sure the decision to terminate follows in step with company policies and procedures helps eliminate arguments later that the decision was somehow improper as it did not comply.
9. DO back up the employee’s computer files, and contact your IT person.  Terminated employees have been known to delete or remove files out of spite, or with the intent of taking valuable information with them to a new place of employment.
10. DO contact a labour lawyer in advance if you have reason to believe this termination could lead to a lawsuit (even a frivolous one).

Please not that this information is offered for general information purposes only and is not to be construed as legal advice. Consult your legal advisor for specific recommendations.

Working with you.               

 Chris Wilkinson       

  Certified Business Behaviour & Attitudes Analyst.

Business Coach.

Tel: (905) 275-2907 (Mississauga).

E-mail:buspilot@bell.net 

60 Employee Benefit Ideas.

1.     Match employee RRSP contributions up to xx%.

2.     Guarantee performance based reviews.

3.     Post job open positions on intranet/notice board.

4.     Performance incentive & recognition programs.

5.     Summer BBQ’s.

6.     Supplier discounts.

7.     Negotiated car & home insurance discounts.

8.     Fitness centre memberships.

9.     Employee & family counseling.

10. Annual employee survey.

11. Employee autonomy to develop benefits programs. ie smorgasbord..

12. Employee skills upgrading programs.

13. Hotel & food deals when traveling.

14. Direct employee access to the president/owner.

15. Management employee “listening” sessions.

16. Opportunities for worker promotion to management positions.

17. Speaker presentations on life balance issues.

18. On site fitness facilities.

19. One day a year employee paid leave for community volunteerism.

20. Unique service awards.

21. Monthly draws for concerts & shows.

22. Christmas ham/ turkeys for staff.

23. Birthday cards signed by the president/owner.

24. Summer hours.

25. Educational assistance.

26. Subsidized loans for staff.

27. Rewards for healthy living choices.

28. Flex hours.

29. Formalized employee development plans.

30. Leadership training for managers.

31. Negotiated employee banking discounts.

32. Full benefits for part-timers.

33. Share ownership plan for employees.

34. Health & dental benefits.

35. Employee committees to feedback to management.

36. Contributions to employee pension plans.

37. Job sharing.

38. Computer loans.

39. ‘Times of hardship’ employee loans.

40. Back up daycare.

41. Culture of trust & respect.

42. Job competency profiles.

43. Career streams for all positions.

44. Salary fill up to xx% for maternity leave.

45. Visiting massage therapist.

46. Casual dress Fridays.

47. Early close on Halloween.

48. Children’s Christmas party.

49. Dancing & yoga lessons.

50. In house financial counseling.

51. Out of town conferences.

52. Comprehensive orientation for new hires.

53. Birthday day off.

54. Flu shots & cardio screening.

55. Cash prizes for new hire referrals.

56. Child scholarship program.

57. Full safety program.

58. Employees recommend/assist in HR policies.

59. Dry cleaning discounts.

Generous pension benefits.

Working with you.  

Chris Wilkinson.

Certified Business Behaviour & Attitudes Analyst.

Business Coach.

Tel: (905) 275-2907 (Mississauga--Canada).

                  E-mail: buspilot@bell.net

Seven-Point Sales Prospecting.

 

For more consistent sales prospecting success, search according to a

system. Make these tips part of your prospecting plan and expand your sales possibilities.

1. Choose three sources of quality leads. Your leads may come from two different sources: people (current customers, prospects, community or service organizations, etc.) or data (advertising responses, industry trade directories or the Internet).

2. Research first. Before you call prospects, make sure you know what you're talking about by studying up on their industry, financial situation, market conditions, problems, etc.

3. Know titles of top contacts. Know who has influence and who makes the buying decisions, whether it's the president, CEO, COO, general manager or someone else.

4. Perfect your contact methods. Third party introductions are ideal ways to meet new prospects, but if you make your message memorable and unique, a phone call, email message or fax may be equally effective. 

  

 5. Get past gatekeepers. Treat gatekeepers (secretaries, personal assistants), with respect and courtesy. Make your call important, call early or late in the day to avoid the gatekeeper entirely and don't be shy about politely asking questions that can help you learn more about your buyer.

6. Pick your three best benefit statements. Your initial approach has just one critical objective: to create interest, so your prospect will invest time with you. Use benefit statements with the words increase, improve, gain, grow, maximize, enhance, or manage.

7. Use an effective follow-up system. Schedule follow-up visits and phone calls and have objectives for each follow-up contact.

Chris Wilkinson.

Certified Business Behaviour & Attitudes Analyst.

Business Coach.

Tel: (905) 275-2907---- Mississauga, Canada.

Contact e-mail: buspilot@bell.net.

Do you have a mediocre employee?

High performer/low performer, the action steps are clear, but how do you re-connect

with the employee who scores 4-7  out of 10 (about 50% of your labour pool!)

Recommended action steps:

1..     Do a head count of your mediocre employees. Pull out all job appraisals and other documents relevant to each employee? Performance. Determine which employee’s performances warrant immediate termination and which employees would benefit from coaching. Pinpoint problems that may be a result of poor or uninspiring leadership and address those issues, too.

2..     Request from direct supervisors a written performance summary that outlines problem areas, concrete action plans for improvement and a turnaround timeline.

3..     Meet with each problem employee privately to discuss the performance issues. Solicit feedback on how the employees view their performances and what would motivate them to do better jobs.

4..     Consider lateral moves or demotions as options. The outstanding technician who was promoted and became a frustrated mediocre manager might be delighted to go back and be a class-A technician.

5..     Ensure that each direct supervisor is monitoring the employees and following up with feedback as to how they are progressing toward the goals for improvement. 

6..     Review your termination policy and set performance bench-marks with all managers. Be prepared to terminate employees properly, complying with provincial and federal laws.

7..     Define quality work versus mediocre productivity in your workplace. Devise methods that immediately address any deficiencies. Create a set of guidelines for employees and their managers to use as a reference.

8..     Review your recruitment methods. Bone-up on tactics that will help you recruit with better results. Use professionally applied behavioural assessments as a predictor of hiring success.—see FREE offer at top of page.

9..     When you have openings, be sure you offer enough pay to attract top-level applicants. Evaluate likely work behaviour styles, then be sure you select the best candidate.

Sincerely,  

         Chris Wilkinson.                                                                                                                                                       

Certified Business Behaviour & Attitudes Analyst.               

Business Coach.

Tel: (905) 275-2907 (Mississauga).

E-mail: buspilot@bell.net

27 Points to Ponder BEFORE  you Merge your Business....

1.     Management depth. One person or a team?

2.     Number of customers. Is this more than 1 and 3 years ago?

3.     Importance % of top 5 customers?

4.     Customer churn rate %.

5.     Size of market---massive, miniscule?

6.     Is the market dominated by a 500lb gorilla?

7.     Is market growing, static, or in contraction?

8.     % of total sales of established products ie; 3 years

9.     % of sales of new products only in market 6 months.

10. Is there a company operations manual in existence?

11. What is the value, as a % of total sales, of ‘locked in’ customers?

12. What is there a major risk to the company---does this have offsets?

13. Does the company have a long-term lock-up on key technologies?

14. Does the company have effective key staff ‘none compete’ clauses in position?

15. Is there a low cost substitute for key product? Is China a factor?

16. Does the company have a plan in place to maintain total profitability?.

17. Does the company have investment plans in place to grow the business?

18. Can the company handle growth?

19. Quality of management.

20. Does the company have pricing power in the market?

21. Are there incremental products/services that can easily be added on to enhance profitability?

22. Is the H.O. committed to support the new venture…rate 1 thru 5.?

23.  Is there adequate after service arrangements available for key products?

24. Will the new venture detract adversely from the core business?

25. What is the 3 & 5 year project vision, of both parties. Variance?

26.  Value, power, prestige of existing customers.

Company cultures. Can we merge the teams?

Chris Wilkinson.

Certified Business Behaviour & Attitudes Analyst.

Business Coach.

Tel: (905) 275-2907 (Mississauga).

                  E-mail: buspilot@bell.net

* Executive coaching. How sharp are the management skills that you use to lead your business?

* Behavioral & Attitude Assessments as used in the candidate evaluation/performance review process.

* Customer satisfaction surveys. Show them you care.

* Employee morale surveys. Slow down wasteful employee turnover.

* Integrity testing. Is that job candidate really telling you 100% the truth in his application?

* Executive search projects.

* Career planning assessment for students. 70% of us are in careers we would no longer choose! 

* Salary Surveys. Are you paying both fair AND competitive? 

* Sales force sales skill testing. Does he have (& are you paying for?) the knowledge of a professional salesperson?

* People buy from people they 'like', but what do they 'like'? D.I.S.C. based customer blending training for sales professionals.

* Sales Training Seminar. 50 sales closes. Close more often, make more profit.

* Employee Handbook template. (Ontario). Lawyer reviewed. 70 subject headings.

* Company Operations Manual. 225 Ontario lawyer reviewed topic templates to ensure organizational clarity in your business.

SAMPLE DISCIPLINARY LETTER FOR EXCESSIVE ABSENTEEISM (just fill in the blanks)

	Date:
Employee Name       Address

Dear [Employee Name],

I am writing this letter to describe the events that have occurred over the past [Time Frame] which have resulted in the need for disciplinary action.  It will explain to you the conduct required on your part for continued employment with our firm.

[Explain Attendance Problem]

[Document Facts]

As we discussed, excessive absenteeism is unacceptable and will not be permitted by me or the executive management of the company.  Accordingly, I am placing you on disciplinary notice for a period of [Time Frame] from the date of this letter.  During this period, I will carefully monitor your attendance.

Any further incidents or breaches of the company attendance policy observed during this period that are contrary to acceptable standards of behavior could result in your dismissal.

We all want to see you succeed here, and we hope that your acknowledgment of the seriousness of this situation will have a positive result on your future at the company.  If you need any clarification or other help, please see me immediately.

Sincerely,

Manager’s Signature      

  

Chris .Wilkinson                

6 ways to gather the complaints that make your business better…….

Since continual improvement requires continual feedback, it’s important to make finding out about and analyzing customer complaints/compliments/needs a formal part of your business strategy. Following are six tactics you can employ to ensure your company is listening to its customers—particularly when they have complaints.

1. Lost sale follow-up program: Follow up with lost customers or lost sales by finding out exactly why customers took their business elsewhere. Ask them. Then make adjustments to prevent further losses for the same reasons.

2. Key account reviews: Some B-to-B companies conduct periodic key account reviews, which they call “debriefings.” Everyone involved in an account from product managers to customer service supervisors conducts open-ended discussions. Problems, upcoming special needs, recognition of competent activity, and complaints, are all topics for discussion.

3. Customer visits: Some companies pay a visit to their customers now and then. They observe their products being used. And, they talk with their customers’ employees to find out if they have any insights and observations that might help in product design, delivery, or service. There is no better way to get an insight into your customers’ needs and how you can meet them than by watching them and asking questions while they are working. This approach will make a powerful positive impression on your customers as well as everyone else in the company. Some companies go so far as to set job objectives for all middle managers to visit a specific number of customers each year.

 4. Complaint correspondence summaries: Consider summarizing customer complaints (and kudos) for senior and middle management as well as front-line people involved with the issues at hand.

5. Service expenses: Dig deep for tips to customer needs, wants and potential complaints in repair costs, field service costs, liability costs, high warranty costs, and returns/refunds. Include counts and amounts in regular management reports.

6. Focus groups: Bring customers in for a focus group on the topic: “What is it like to do business with us?” Record the meeting. Show the video to every employee. Run it continually in employee lounges, perhaps, and show it as part of most routine training sessions.

Sincerely,  

Chris Wilkinson.

Certified Business Behaviour & Attitudes Analyst.

Business Coach.

Tel: (905) 275-2907 (Mississauga---Canada).

                  E-mail: buspilot@bell.net