What Can You Do About Your Problems?

What Can You Do About Your Problems?

Allow me to offer to you a short discussion for thought:  I would like to invite every single person reading this weekly newsletter to assemble at a large field, at least the size of a couple of football fields.

Then I would like every single person to throw onto the field all their problems.  After everybody has put their problems onto this huge field you will have the option to take any of the problems scattering on the field, home with you no matter to which contributor they originally belonged. 

I am willing to bet that most people would end up picking up their own problems and retreat realizing that they didn’t have it so bad after all.

So much of life is about attitude and how you handle what life delivers to you.  Life is good if you stay positive, deal professionally/effectively with the people around you and address the issues at hand.

So it goes it in business as well.  Why not assemble all the department heads in one large room and ask them to share (throw into the ring) their most pressing problems from within the work environment.  Trust me when I tell you that when I’ve facilitated this type of exercise with mid level to “C” level personnel, the results have always amazed me.  The instant change and long term affect is almost mind boggling. 

Why not try it?  What have you got to lose?  More importantly, what have you got to gain?  I’d love to hear the results of your exercise.

Regards,

George F. Mancuso, CPC, CEO
Client Growth Consultants, Inc.

Change and Survival

I have been reading your newsletters with interest and my employees are pushing me to “make change.”  But we are a 15 year old manufacturing company and we gross about 8 ½ million, year in and year out and we are profitable.  Why would I want to consider making changes?   L.M.., a CEO in Kansas City, MO

First off if your revenues have been the same year in and year out, your growth is not only flat but most analysis would agree that you are going backwards by not going forward!  Allow me to share a true story with you about the Golden Eagle and maybe this will help make some sense of “why change.”

 The Eagle has the longest life span of its species.  It can live up to 70 Years

But to reach this age, the eagle must make several very hard decisions.

In its 40’s its long and flexible talons can no longer grab prey which serves as food.

It’s long and sharp beak becomes bent and difficult to use.

Its’ old-aged and heavy wings, due to their thick feathers, become stuck to its’ chest and make it difficult to fly.

Then, the eagle is left with only two options:  DIE or go through a painful process of CHANGE which lasts 150 DAYS!

The process requires that the eagle fly to a mountain top and sit on its nest.

 There the eagle knocks its beak against a rock until it plucks it out.

After plucking out its beak, the eagle will wait for a new beak to grow back and then it will pluck out its talons.

When its new talons grow back, the eagle starts plucking its old-aged feathers.

And after FIVE PAINFUL AND UNCERTAIN MONTHS, the eagle takes its’ famous flight of REBIRTH and lives for 30 MORE YEARS!

Why is changed needed you ask?

Many times, in order to survive we have to start a change process.

We sometimes need to get rid of old memories, habits and other past traditions.

Only freed from past burdens, can we take advantage of the present!

Rebirthing or reinventing yourself and your organization has never arrived at a more critical time.

The Eagle is a wise, powerful and magnificent bird of prey.  Truly an imposing force to be dealt with in the wild.

Perhaps a lesson from the Eagle is a great lesson to be learned about change in 2008!  What option would you choose?

 I get many Emails every week when one of our readers truly identifies with the message.  You are welcome to utilize our newsletter as a tool.  Forward it with a personal message and say you thought they might enjoy this newsletter as well and that signing up is easy.  All they have to do is go to our Home page and on the left side put in their first name and Email address.  If you’d like me to address an issue or question, please Email me at George@ClientGrowthConsultants.com .

Regards,

George F. Mancuso
Client Growth Consultants, Inc.

While Going For The Home Run, Have You Forgotten What It Takes to Get On Base?

While going for the home run, have you forgotten what it takes to just get on base?

I know a young sales professional who I have mentored over the years who sold a huge account about two years ago.  He is a 100% commissioned sales person and this brought him a six figure annual income.  The problem is, he stopped working.  He told me his only job was to take care of this account and bragged about working less than 8 hours per week.  Many times I called him, he would be on the golf course, fishing, hunting or other activities not related to continuation of his selling career.

He felt confident that all he had to do was keep them happy and they would keep him in money.  Well guess what?  The company moved their operation to another city and no longer need to utilize his services.  Today he is scrambling in an attempt to recover from a serious tactical error.  He has no smaller accounts to sustain him.  No prospective accounts at all in the hopper.  Now there is nothing to do but start over or look for another job.

Don’t get me wrong, there isn’t a sale or business professional that doesn’t dream of hitting the huge home run like my friend did.  But to lie back on your laurels once that has been achieved can be the kiss of death to your earning potential and maybe even your career. 

2012 is seven and a half months old and you’ve got only the next 4 1/2 months to hit the home run.  But you can never forget that it takes getting on base in order to round the field and touch home plate.

A.    Have you set your goals in writing to carry you to the end of 2012?

B.    Are you planning to track your accomplishments?

C.   Have you shared your goals with your spouse, peers or managers to help keep you on track?

D.   Have you fully learned your product and services and are ready to take on any business challenge within your selling theatre?

E.    Have you demonstrated your leadership ability and are working your way through all of this negative media hype?

F.    Do you care about people?

G.   Do you have a positive attitude?

H.    Are you a deal maker or a procrastinator?

I.      Are you a non-stop networker?

J.     Do you give your business card out several times a day?

K.    Do you tell your business story several times a day?

L.    Always ask yourself, “If not today than when?”

 Please accept my wishes for a tremendous week.  Call or write if I can be of any assistance.

George F. Mancuso, CPC, CEO
Client Growth Consultants, Inc.

Top Ten Low and No Cost Employee Retention Tips

Top Ten Low and No Cost Employee Retention Tips

RETENTION CONTINUES TO BE A HUGE ISSUE IN MY BUSINESS CONSULTANCY

1.        Employee Selection – Hire the Right Person

a.       Research clearly indicates that poor job matching is a leading factor in unwanted employee turnover!

2.       Open and Effective Communication

a.       A well written and communicated statement of purpose, will aid new and existing employees in aligning with the goals and values of the organization!

3.       Clear Expectations

a.       A satisfied employee knows exactly what is expected of them during a typical day!

4.       Outstanding Feedback and Recognition

a.       The need for recognition increases when employees know they are doing a good job!

5.       Treat People With Respect

a.       Recognize that each member of your team has unique backgrounds, experiences, talents and abilities!

6.       Share Training Responsibility

a.       You can spotlight the strength of certain employees, by asking for their participation to demonstrate your trust and the value you place on their experience!

7.       Have Fun

a.       Studies have shown that laughter dissolves tension, stress, anxiety, irritation, anger, grief and depression!

8.       Promote Work/Life Balance

a.       The realization and acceptance of the fact that people have lives and events of importance outside the office is a huge loyalty builder!

9.       Demonstrate Corporate Social Responsibility

a.       As organizations we can build personal relationships through our combined support especially to develop a “feel good” atmosphere among the entire staff!

10.   Utilize Connection and Exit  Interviews

a.       Change creates opportunity for growth and when utilized properly this can be a solid source of quality information for future development.

Employee Retention matters are a key indicator of a healthy and successful organization.  It is also one of the biggest challenges organizations face today.  Employee Retention has a ripple effect on every aspect of your organization.  Customer satisfaction, product development, sales and overall profitability are all affected by your organizations ability or inability to retain your best employees.  We are here to help.  Call or write and we will respond immediately!  And please feel free to share this Email.

Regards,

George F. Mancuso, CPC, CEO
Client Growth Consultants, Inc.

Employee Efficiency and Growth

Dear Gman;Would you kind enough to give me some tips on motivating my employees? I feel like most of my employees are just marking time and the next thing I know we are in a time crunch for a project. We are a manufacturing and service organization and this problem includes office, customer service and sales people. Wesley K., Hannibal, MO
Without visiting your business and observing your people it is a bit deceiving what is transpiring. However on the surface it sounds like they have a lack of focus which will destroy any chance you have at developing good time management skills for all.

Recently a friend of mine shared an idea with me and in part, allow me to put my spin on it and share some insights with you as well. At your next company meeting or through a company wide Email offer your employees this scenario:

Imagine arriving at work and you find that your workstation office is covered with $100 bills from the floor to the ceiling. As you find your way to your desk, on the loud speaker you hear the President announce, "Between the Hours of 9:00 AM and 11:30 AM and 1:30 and 4:00 PM today, you can keep all of the $100 bills that you can gather up – no strings attached!"

Ask yourself the following questions:

Would you REALLY wait until 9:00 AM to start?

Would you REALLY go to lunch?

Would you REALLY take personal phone calls?

Would you REALLY send or read personal Emails?

Would you REALLY go onto social Internet sites?

Would you even go to the bathroom or take a break?

You probably answered "NO" to most of those questions, because you would be extremely focused on gathering and keeping as many $100 bills as you could.

HERE IS THE REALITY THAT YOU MUST CONVEY TO YOUR EMPLOYEES:

Those $100 bills are in your office right now. In order to grow YOU as an employee or US as a company, harvesting those $100 bills is critically important to OUR MUTUAL success!

You have many people on both sides of the sales process and our co-workers can also be a distraction. And don’t forget that we often distract ourselves when our attention switches from work to family, friends, vacations etc.

Often family members and friends don’t realize they are taking money out of your pocket when they distract you during business hours. It is important to limit those distractions by just letting people know they should call you before work, during lunch or at the end of the day.

They take money from YOUR pocket because if your company doesn’t grow, you just might not get a paycheck next Friday. If you limit the distractions, you will earn more money long term and you will have more time.

WITHIN THE ENTIRE SPECTRUM OF THE ORGANIZATIONAL CHART(S), ALL MUST TAKE OWNERSHIP OF THEIR ACTIONS, ACTIVITIES, GOALS, TASKS, MISTAKES AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS!

IF YOU TAKE MY SUGGESTION THIS WEEK, I’D LOVE TO HEAR ABOUT THE RESULTS.
There are several ways to help people BETTER manage their time, become more organized, and learn to grow themselves while growing their organizations and take ownership of their jobs.

All of these are elements to improve your revenue and Employee Retention.

If you need more information, just contact me, George@ClientGrowthConsultants.com. .

Find a way to make a difference this week in your life and of the people around you.

Regards,

George F. Mancuso, CPC, CEO

Client Growth Consultants, Inc.