Characteristics of Effective Teamwork…

                                                    

In any group project or organization, effective teamwork means that the whole team works efficiently together to reach goals and objectives. Identifying the characteristics of good teamwork will help you determine whether your group is on the right track and help you pinpoint areas you can make stronger to create effective cooperation.

     Clear Goal

o                                                        To reach a desired end, you must first have a clear idea of what your team or group is working toward. Discuss together what the purpose of your work is and what the result should be. Write this goal on posters and send emails reminding the group of common objectives. If everyone knows what they should be aiming for, the team as a whole is more likely to get there.

Unified Commitment

o                                                        A unified commitment is necessary to reach those clearly defined goals. This means every person on the team should be 100 percent committed to the project or plan. If some team members are not fully behind the project or if they aren't as committed as some other team members, the group as a whole will struggle to complete its work.

Collaborative Climate

o                                                        Even the most dedicated team has problems working toward a task if it doesn't have a collaborative climate to work in. This means the group must have a space to come together, discuss ideas and plan for future goals. If team members are seated far away from each other or cut off from one another by high cubicle walls, they will not be as collaborative as possible.

High Standards

o                                                        It's easy to meet goals that are sub-par or simple. A team can become most effective when standards of work are raised. Team members will rise to the occasion to meet expectations put forward to them, and this will result in the best possible work completion.

Encouragement

Even the most efficient team needs outside encouragement to keep up an improved pace. Encouragement from management or project heads goes a long way to ensuring you get the best possible result or product. Incentive programs, prizes, team competitions and games all improve morale and allow you to see the best possible teamwork occur.

Chris Wilkinson.                              

Certified Business Behaviour & Attitudes Analyst.               

Business Coach.

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

E-mail: buspilot@bell.net

Quick Tip: Overcoming the F.E.A.R. of Public Speaking......


Virtually all speakers get nervous before an important presentation...butterflies, trembling, voice quavers, shortness of breath, sweaty palms, pacing/rocking, pocket-change-jingling, and so forth. At a recent presentation to 300 strangers in Toronto, an industry leader started off by reading from a sheet of paper and immediately discovered that his hands were trembling. Solution? Calmly lay the paper on the speaker's table and keep going...nobody will know!

Nervousness usually arises from one of four sources. There are a number of techniques you can use to control your nervousness, though the best one is just getting more and more experience until the speaking situation becomes more natural.

Even so, you will most likely continue to experience some nervousness throughout your career. Here are four things you can do, following a F.E.A.R. acronym:

Failure...believe in your message and be enthused about the opportunity to present it. Don't anticipate the worst and go into it with the attitude that you just want to get it over with. Try things like breathing exercises, having a Hershey bar (one speaker swears by the soothing effect of chocolate!), expending nervous energy by taking a quick walk, etc. Also, NEVER apologize for being nervous or inexperienced...unless you tell your audience, they will probably not know you're nervous.

Environment...arrive early, walk around and view the room for the audience's perspective and from where you will be standing. Make sure the set-up is to your satisfaction. Take control of the temperature, lights, noise, and other environmental factors...it's YOUR show!

Audience...know what they expect of you. Do you know? Do you know what every audience expects? The answer is simple: something-anything-of value! It's amazing how often most speakers fail to deliver on that simple demand. Also, keep this in mind: the audience is on YOUR side. Have you ever gone to a presentation hoping the speaker would be terrible? Of course not.

Rehearsal... Some speakers swear by videotaping their practice sessions or speaking before a mirror. That may not work for you, but you may wish to try as it. The most important thing, though, is to know your material...preparation, preparation, preparation. You can probably reduce your nervousness by 75% just by being confident in your knowledge of the subject matter and the general outline of your presentation. And, while you're rehearsing, visualize success...imagine an attentive audience, rousing applause, and throngs of people coming to you with questions after you're through. It really works.

Chris Wilkinson.                              

Certified Business Behaviour & Attitudes Analyst.               

Business Coach.

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

E-mail: buspilot@bell.net

Get more trade show leads with at-show promotions and activities ….     32 ideas!

1.                     Introduce a new product at the trade show

2.                    Add motion to your exhibit

3.                    Offer food, especially if it smells good, like baking cookies

4.                    Offer drinks to your booth visitors

5.                   Give your attendees something entertaining and fun to do

6.                   Do an engaging demo in your booth

7.                   Get your client to hold your product

8.                  Go beyond sight to appeal to attendees’ sense of smell, sound, taste, and touch

9.                    Add interactivity

10.               Run presentations or video loops on large video monitors

11.                Offer healthy food, not just candy

12.                 Put out a candy or chocolate dish to slow down attendees long enough to engage them

13.                  Offer in-booth massages

14.                   Give a free sample of your product

15.                   Give a free sample of a product made with your product

16.                     Hire a celebrity for your booth, where the celebrity is popular with your target audience at the show

17.                     Hire a celebrity lookalike for your booth, where the celebrity is popular with your target audience at the show

18.                     Giveaway something useful to your target audience

19.                        Hire a performer, such as a magician, to attract attention to your booth 

20.                        Have a raffle, sweepstakes, money machine or a game

21.                        Hold a press conference if you have newsworthy news

22.                        Sponsor something highly visible at the show

23.                        Have a contest for attendees in your booth

24.                        Get signage in the show hall promoting your booth presence

25.                        Offer a show special or discount

26.                        Get someone from your company to be a speaker at the show

27.                        Give presentations or educational sessions in your booth

28.                        Do door drops that target only show attendees at their hotel rooms

29.                        Pay to include an invite or a gift in the official show bag each attendee gets

30.                        Put an ad in the show book

31.                        Brand your staffers with outfits or similar attire

32.                        Offer one really big prize (worth thousands of dollars) to get more attention

Chris Wilkinson.                              

Certified Business Behaviour & Attitudes Analyst.               

Business Coach.

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

E-mail: buspilot@bell.net

Use These Guidelines to See if an Employee Policy Manual is Needed…….

 A policy is necessary:

• if the actions of employees indicate confusion about the most appropriate way to behave (dress codes, email and Internet policies, cell phone use etc., etc.),
• if guidance is needed about the most suitable way to handle various situations (standards of conduct, travel expenditures, purchase of company merchandise),
• when needed to protect the company legally (consistent investigation of charges of harassment, non-discriminatory hiring and promotion),
• to keep the company in compliance with latest Federal and Provincial governmental policies and laws
• to establish consistent work standards, rules, and regulations (progressive discipline, safety rules, break rules, smoking rules), and
• to provide consistent and fair treatment for employees (benefits eligibility, paid time off, tuition assistance, bereavement time, jury duty).

There may be other reasons, additionally, for why you may want to develop a policy. Remember, though, that one employee's poor behavior should not require a policy that will affect all other employees.

Articulate the Goal of the Policy

Once you’ve determined that a policy is necessary, determine the goal you want to accomplish in writing the particular policy. When possible, you will want to tell employees why the policy is being implemented. You need enough details in the policy to make the company’s position clear, yet you can never hope to cover every potential situation addressed by the policy.

Chris Wilkinson.                              

Certified Business Behaviour & Attitudes Analyst.               

Business Coach.

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

E-mail: buspilot@bell.net

8  selling statements to motivate your highly cautious, analytical buyer….(ie; reduce the transactional friction)

  

1. There has been a great amount of input into this product that ensures it’s quality….. (ie: well researched).
2. Once you have taken the time to examine the facts, you will see that this is the correct decision purchase for you….(ie: provide full factual analysis).
3. You are in a position to examine the facts. Complete the analysis, interpret and draw your       own conclusion….(ie: no pressure from me…prove for yourself).
4. With a purchase decision as important as this, let’s set up several appointments where we can examine all the alternatives….. (ie; NO rush on this. NO fast , hard close)
5. I have brought along all the information that you will need to thoroughly investigate the product and determine if it is right for you…(.ie: make sure you have leave behinds).
6.   My other clients in your industry found this to be the perfect solution to their problem. With your emphasis on standards, you will probably find this fits in well….. (ie: likes testimonials).
7. You can see that our warranty eliminates any risk on your part. We stand behind the product 100%….. (ie; remove the FEAR of  buyer error).
8. This is a proven product, having been out on the market for many years, so you know that you have something that you can rely on…… (ie: likes ‘tried & true’).

People BUY from (sales) people they like. People like to BUY from people like themselves.
“Birds of a feather flock together” …..ie; behave like your customer.
Working with you.
Chris Wilkinson.                              
Certified Business Behaviour & Attitudes Analyst.               
Business Coach.
Tel: (905) 275-2907 (Mississauga).
                 E-mail: buspilot@bell.net

Help with Procrastination....

     Into which category do you fit?

Delay boring or unpleasant tasks: Do the dreaded tasks first each day. Just jump in and do them; get them over with so you can feel a sense of accomplishment and put the unpleasant task behind you. If you’re waiting for motivation, it will probably never come for boring tasks, so just dive in.

You can also set a deadline to complete the unpleasant activity and then reward yourself when you complete it.

Delay overwhelming or difficult tasks: Divide tasks into smaller more manageable subtasks. Make them short and achievable. The feeling of accomplishment and relief will spur you on to the next subtask.

Delay due to indecision: Set priorities and time limits. Take the first step no matter how small. Don’t worry about making the wrong decision, most of the time you can always change your decision later.

Ways to Avoid Procrastination:

• Realize that progress is better than perfection
  
• Identify the cause of your procrastination
  
• Attack the goal in short time intervals or small portions of the task
  
• Think positively
  
• Check your To-Do List daily
  
• Reward yourself when you complete a job
  
• Eliminate distractions
  
• Better utilize small amounts of time
  
• List pros and cons to help you make decisions
  
• Don’t overdue simple tasks so you’re left with less time for the important things
  
• Leave your control freak at the door. Let go and let others do their jobs.
  
• Practice relaxation skills
  Ask for help; you don’t have to do everything yourself
• Remember, happy, successful business people don’t make excuses and act like victims.

The one thing you never want to put off is taking time for your own well being and happiness.

Never put off until tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow. ~Mark Twain

Chris Wilkinson.                              

Certified Business Behaviour & Attitudes Analyst.               

Business Coach.

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

E-mail: buspilot@bell.net

Five Strategies for Retaining Employees....

    Retaining employees and developing a stable work force involves a two-step process -- understanding why employees leave in the first place, and developing and implementing strategies to get them to stay.

Employees leave jobs for five main reasons:

1. Poor working conditions
2. Lack of appreciation
3. Lack of support
4. Lack of opportunity for advancement
5. Inadequate compensation

 Top Tips for Retaining Employees
To retain their employees, companies should implement the following best practices:

• Hire right to begin with.  HIRE for skills, FIRE for attitude & behaviour.
• Engage in longer orientations with new employees.
• Live the values.
• Use creative rewards and recognition.
• Create annual personal growth plans for each employee.
• Consider non-compete agreements.
• Make it easy for people to get their jobs done.
• Do corporate succession planning.
• 
  Conduct exit interviews with employees who resign. 
• Retaining Key Employees

By focusing on key players who truly make or break your business, you can get the most leverage from your employee retention efforts. Retaining key employees requires a five-step process:

1. Identify key employees and positions.
2. Know what motivates your key employees on an individual level.
3. Provide a deferred compensation plan. (the golden handcuffs!)
4. Monitor and manage key employee performance.
5. Review key employees annually.

Using Benefits as an Employee Retention Tool
Employee benefits provide a powerful tool for attracting and retaining top-notch employees. To design a retention-oriented benefits program, use the following steps:

1. Create a benefits mission statement.
2. Identify your audience and their specific benefits wants and needs.
3. Define a benefits budget that fits within the financial constraints of the company.
4. Give employees as much control as possible over their benefits.
5. Communicate the plan.

Creative Rewards and Recognition

• Reward people for specific behaviors/results.
• Make your rewards program simple and easy to understand.
• Get employees involved in designing and running the program.
• Make it fun!. 
•        Chris Wilkinson.                              
  Certified Business Behaviour & Attitudes Analyst.               
  Business Coach.
  Tel: (905) 275-2907 (Mississauga).
  E-mail: buspilot@bell.net

11 Ideas for Superior Trade Show Displays.......

The quality of your trade show displays will make or break your trade show experiences. Exhibitors new to trade shows tend to focus on the flashy; they want to create trade show displays that will draw crowds. But that's not the point. I

t's not the number of people your trade show displays draw that matters, it's whether or not your trade show exhibit engages them when they're there. Use the tips for trade show displays below to create trade show displays that will engage people and get them interested in your products and services.

1) Think neatness and visibility when putting your trade show displays together.

Use a display board to hang some of your products at customer eye-level to draw them into your display. Make sure your display is organized and tidy; customers will be turned off by messiness or by having to do too much searching to find what they want. Have all your prices clearly marked.

2) Build the impression of demand into your trade show displays.

Customers will want your products more if they think they're in high demand. Place a strategic sold sign on one or two items. You might even leave a display spot empty, giving the impression that you've been too busy to restock.

3) Pull a crowd to your trade show display.

Use interactive trade show displays, such as quizzes, computer games, contest draws, scheduled demonstrations; it doesn't need to be fancy to draw people's interest and get them to cluster around your trade show display rather than the others. At a gardening trade show, I once saw over 50 people crowding around to watch an exhibitor demonstrate how to turn compost!

4) Have a stock of promotion items that you can use as trade show giveaways.

Small items that people can take away and use (while being reminded about your business) are best. Be sure you place these items in a location where people will have to walk into or through your trade show display to get them. Idea: items pre-printed with your name address, phone # etc.

5) Use a prize draw or contest.

Having some kind of prize draw or contest as part of your trade show displays is a great way to collect contact information from booth visitors. You can give away promotion items to encourage people to participate.

6) Make it easy for booth visitors to get information.

Use signs in your trade show displays to give information about prices, minimum orders, shipping costs, or any other basic information they might need to know, to save them the trouble of having to wait to ask when you're busy with another potential customer.

7) Make sure you have plenty of promotional literature on hand.

You'll want to have a good supply of color fliers and brochures as well as order forms, price sheets and business cards that you can hand out to trade show display visitors so it will be easy for them to find all the information they need about your business later. You should also have a press kit prepared for the trade media.

8) Be ready to do business.

Be sure you have a good supply of order forms, pens, credit card slips, or anything else you need to conduct sales and keep track of people's orders at your trade show display.

9) Have your trade show displays manned at all times.

Someone has to be there to greet browsers, engage them in conversation, and take their questions. If you can't be there every minute the trade show is open, you'll need to have at least one other person help man your booth.

10) Actively engage trade show display visitors.

Give people who approach your trade show display a friendly welcome, and welcome their questions. Be sure your body language is friendly; don't stand there with your arms crossed over your chest, for instance. "Chat" with booth visitors, and find out what aspect of your business they're most interested in. Be prepared to offer specific solutions to their questions. The trick is to draw them in without intimidating or overwhelming them.

11) Follow up promptly.

Send out email, regular mail, or make the phone calls to follow up on the contacts and leads you made during the trade show as soon as possible. The faster you send them out, the more your business will stand out from the rest. “Hot” show prospects cool down by the hour after the show is completed.

 Trade Show Displays Have to Do Two Things

So there are two main considerations when you’re putting trade show displays together. Your trade show displays have to be visible and interesting enough to get people over to take a closer look. But once they get there, you have to make that closer look worthwhile by engaging them with conversation and information. Do these two things well and trade shows will be an incredible source of contacts and customers for your business.

Working with you.

Chris Wilkinson.                              

Certified Business Behaviour & Attitudes Analyst.               

Business Coach.

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

E-mail: buspilot@bell.net