How to Handle Prospective Employees with Tattoos?

Set your policy with care.

Here's a problem HR managers didn't face in the good old days. What to do about prospective employees who have facial piercings or visible tattoos? Is it any different for existing employees? The questions matter for more and more employers. A surprising number of potential hires are tattooed, and its not just the kids. According to the Pew Research Center, four of ten 26 to 40 year olds have at least one tattoo.  

For the most part, employers have the right to set policies as they see fit. The employer's ability to conduct business trumps the rights of expression of its employees. That said, it is important that employers provide these policies in writing. The terms must be non-discriminatory, so no separate rules for men and women. Rules vary across states, so be sure to check with your counsel before crafting your own policies. Just be sure you do make them! You might run into trouble if you fail to provide them before hiring tattooed employees. 

          While the majority of tattoos are not a protected form of speech, one form of tattoo is protected. Religious tattoos that are a sincere expression of belief are protected under the law. Failing to address this can be costly. In a 2005 case, an employee fired for visible tattoos that were an expression of his religion received a large settlement. Again, check with your lawyer and be proactive in creating your policies.

Chris Wilkinson.                              

Certified Business Behaviour & Attitudes Analyst.               

Business Coach.

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

E-mail: buspilot@bell.net

Eight Yes’s Secures A Sale…..

Statistics show that if you can get your customer to say "yes" at least eight times through trial close questions then you will secure a sale! When asking trial close questions, always help the customer to say "yes" by nodding your head --they will automatically nod with you. Have you ever tried to say no while your were nodding your head up and down?

Using trial close questions in the presentation is like going down Main Street through traffic lights. As long as the lights are green, you can keep on going. If you ever come to a red light, you have to stop. At the yellow lights, you either proceed cautiously or come to a stop, at that point, a change has to take place before you can proceed down the street.

 The same is true in closing a sale. Each trial close question is like a traffic light with the client at the controls. As long as he gives you a "yes" (a green light) you can keep on moving with the presentation and progress toward the sale. The minute you hit a "no" (a red light) you have to stop, handle the objection and then ask more trial close questions. When a customer continually responds negatively to trial close questions, shorten your presentation and, if necessary, gracefully finish up and move to another appointment--you can only do so much.

Remember, when people see red lights or green lights, they pretty well know what to do. It is the human problem of what to do on the yellow lights that causes most of the trouble. The same is true in the close. In selling products, it is not the yes's or the no's that will cause you not to do well, but the maybe's.

When a customer responds to trial close questions with maybe's or indecision, proceed with caution by showing more and asking additional trial close questions. You hope all of your customers are excited and say "yes" to every presentation that you make. The important thing is that you gently bring them to a point of decision--even if the decision is not to purchase the product today.


 Chris Wilkinson.                              

Certified Business Behaviour & Attitudes Analyst.               

Business Coach.

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

E-mail: buspilot@bell.net

5 ideas to increase your sales…..

1.   Encourage your sales staff to upsell.

Essentially, upselling involves adding related products and/or services to your line and making it convenient and necessary for customer to buy them. Just placing more products near your usual products isn’t going to increase your sales much. To upsell successfully, the customer has to be persuaded of the benefit. For instance, when I last had my carpets cleaned, the cleaner noticed a pet stain. Instead of just cleaning it up, he drew my attention to it, and showed me how easily and effectively the spot cleaning solution removed all trace of the stain. Did I buy the spot cleaning solution? You bet. He persuaded me that buying it was beneficial to me and made it convenient to purchase it. Result: increased sales for the carpet cleaning company.

2. Give your customers the inside scoop.

Recently I was shopping at a retail housewares store. I had picked out an item and was mulling over whether to buy it or not when a salesperson came up to me and said, “I see you’re interested in that blender. We’re having a sale next week and all our blenders will be 20 percent off. You might want to come back then.” Guess what? I did – and bought two other items as well. Lesson: if you have a promotion or sale coming up, tell your customers about it. They’ll come back – and probably bring some friends with them too. (And don't forget - you can give your customers the inside scoop by emailing or calling them, too.)

3. Tier your customers.

There should be a clear and obvious difference between regular customers and other customers – a difference that your regular customers perceive as showing that you value them. How can you expect customer loyalty if all customers are treated as “someone off the street”? There are all kinds of ways that you can show your regular customers that you value them, from small things such as greeting them by name through larger benefits such as giving regulars extended credit or discounts.

4. Set up a customer rewards program.

We’re all familiar with the customer rewards programs that so many large businesses have in place. But there’s no reason that a small business can’t have a customer rewards program, too. It can be as simple as a discount on a customer’s birthday or as complex as a points system that earns various rewards such as discounts on merchandise. Done right, rewards programs can really help build customer loyalty and increase sales.

5. Distribute free samples to customers.

Why do so many businesses include free samples of other products when you buy something from them? Because it can increase sales in so many ways. As the customer who bought the original product, I might try and like the sample of the new product and buy some of it, too. Or, I might pass along the sample to another, who might also try the product, like it, and buy that and other products from the company. At the very least, the original customer may be thinking warm thoughts about your company, and hopefully telling others about your products.

Attracting new customers is a good thing. But attracting new customers is not the only way to increase your sales, and is, in fact, the hard way of going about it. Shifting your sales focus to enticing your current customers can make increasing your sales easier – and best of all, build the customer loyalty that results in repeat sales.

Chris Wilkinson.                              

Certified Business Behaviour & Attitudes Analyst.               

Business Coach.

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

E-mail: buspilot@bell.net

Break Into a New Industry  

Are you ready to open the doors to a new industry? Here are some strategies for getting up to speed and winning sales.

Thinking about introducing yourself, your product and your company to an industry you have not previously pursued? Perhaps you have a new service to sell, or maybe you've found new applications for your existing product. You may even be ready to branch out of your current customer base.

Whatever your reason, getting started in a new industry will require massive organic research and activity. By organic, I mean it becomes a part of you--breaking into the new industry becomes your focus 24/7. To accomplish your goal successfully, try these tips:

1. Start calling. Call your entire network of friends and business associates, and ask who they know that might have some insight into that industry. Get as many referrals as you can collect. At this stage, you're searching for information. You want to find people who can share their wisdom and experience about the particular industry you're exploring.

2. Study the products and services of the industry. If you're dealing with products, find out how they're marketed and packaged. Go to retailers, or look at catalogs. If it's a service, use it yourself, or talk to someone who has. Study the way other companies do business in the industry.

3. Go to trade shows. Nowhere else can you find the same concentration of people in the know, all at the same place at the same time. At a trade show, you can talk to people in distribution, marketing, sales and manufacturing. Take a notebook along, and ask questions that will help you understand their businesses and the industry as a whole. It's an exhausting process, but well worth the effort. After the last trade show I attended, my feet were killing me, but I came away loaded with literature, a pad full of priceless information and a significant number of new contacts. It's an invaluable day-long lesson you can't get anywhere else.

4. Research online. Use a search engine like Google to help you find articles and information about the industry. You'll find many sites offering extensive information; some even have visual presentations as well.

5. Read, read, read. Gather every magazine and industry publication you can buy or subscribe to, and read about what's new and what's changing in the industry. Learn about the movers and the shakers, where they are and what they're doing. Make yourself familiar with as many aspects of the industry as possible so that when you do meet people, you'll know the jargon and speak their language.

6. Contact those at the top. Don't be shy about contacting the bigwigs. When you're reading industry publications, cut out articles that recognize individuals for their achievements. Laminate each article, and send it to the subject with a note of congratulations. Follow the note up with a phone call. While there's no guarantee you'll get an appointment, it will definitely raise the odds. In the meantime, see as many people as you can, even if they're not the biggest players in the industry. They can still provide valuable information and may even be able to refer you to more qualified people.

In the end, you get the greatest education from actually doing the deal. That's when you're forced to learn about the intricacies of an industry. But until you get to that point, your best bet is to practice the six steps above.

Chris Wilkinson.                              

Certified Business Behaviour & Attitudes Analyst.               

Business Coach.

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

E-mail: buspilot@bell.net

How to Determine New Employees' Annual Bonuses.

When to Give an Annual Bonus to a New Employee

Chances are, you have recently been tasked with the job of determining (or at least helping to determine) what your employees’ end-of-year bonuses should be. With your long-term employees, you've have had some historical practices, as well as a, hopefully, comprehensive performance review to rely on to help you. But what do you do with employees who haven’t been with the company for a full year, including those who may have joined very recently? While there are no hard and fast rules, here are some approaches for you to ponder.

Luck of the draw. Some companies have a firm policy that says that employees who haven’t been with the company for at least a full year (or some other arbitrary cut-off date) are not eligible for an end-of-year bonus. It is the luck of the draw, so to speak, when an employee starts with the company. This is certainly a valid business choice, and may seem desirable these days when budgets are tight. But, it may come at a cost, especially if you have some outstanding new employees who are not recognized at a time when everyone else is.

Categories. You may decide to split up your new employees into categories. For example, employees who have been with you for under three months may receive a small lump sum bonus, say $100. Employees who have been with you for three to six months may receive a slightly larger lump sum bonus. Employees with you for six to nine months may receive a sum slightly larger still. And employees who have been with you for nine to 12 months may be eligible for the full bonus under the same parameters as all your longer-term employees.


Prorate. When you prorate, you use the same parameters you would use for your long-term employees, but adjust the bonus based on the number of months the employee has been with you. For instance, if an employee who has been with the company for over a year would be eligible for a five percent bonus, then a new employee in the same position who has been with the company for six months would be eligible for a 2.5 percent bonus (half the year=half the bonus).

Of course, you have to keep in mind that you may have hired someone within the past year who clearly isn’t performing well, in which case it is recommended that you refer to rule number one in compensation: don’t reward a poor performer! 

Be Consistent.Keep in mind that whichever option you choose should be used across the board – if you decide to go one route with one employee and another route with another, you may open yourself up to liability. Above all, your bonus practices should stay in alignment with the company’s compensation strategy, as well as the overall business strategy. And finally, at the end of the day, make sure you stick to the budget. If you can’t stay within your allotted budget, you run the risk of your CFO cutting the bonus program altogether.

Chris Wilkinson.                              

Certified Business Behaviour & Attitudes Analyst.               

Business Coach.

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

E-mail: buspilot@bell.net