You may have shocked to hear that a Global Workforce Study from '07 found that 1 in 5 workers today is engaged. After all the hype on Employee motivation, and how Managers have learned to LEAD and inspire instead of micro-MANAGE, why is there morale still down? I don't have the '08 #s yet, but with all the layoffs as of let, I speculate that we'll see the same stats, or even worse!

Even though Managers may think their teams are inspired, how could they find out the truth? Having a meeting and sending the Manager out of the room is one way for an open discussion, but it that just fueling the fire? Will the Manager be able to handle the "debrief" following that discussion?

Most Leaders put results as their #1 priority. Have they tried implementing a balanced approach of results and people? Have they put their People Smarts to work? For example, are Managers easily accessible to their direct reports, and on a consistent basis, do they ask Employees if they feel valued and appreciated?

Other points to consider regarding Employee engagement:

Are today's Managers immediately addressing Direct Reports' topics of concerns and following through on their ideas for execution?

Are today's Managers providing an environment to showcase their Direct Reports' talents?

Are today's Managers creating an environment where Direct Reports feel part of a bigger purpose? Although their part may have been small, were they notified of the big picture outcome? (They need to start thinking like Senior Leadership before they get there, not when they get there).

Are Managers providing enough recognition based on their preference of being recognized? (Perhaps instead of money, they prefer an invitation to focus groups with Senior Leadership). I witnessed a case when Senior Leadership needed to relate more to those lower on the totem pole. This Senior Leader started to "mingle" more often with Employees, yet it backfired, because the person with whom she were mingling, was motivated by money (not by the "seemed-forced mingling"). The point here, which may sound simplistic, is that people are motivated by different things and want to be recognized in different ways from their colleages. The only way to find out is to ask. Is their full potential really being tapped into?

Perhaps enhancements could be made to improve their daily fulfillment. Do you and/or your team laugh on a daily basis? Studies have shown that laughter is healthy for job fulfillment.

Are Managers creating a comfortable environment where everyone participates at every meeting? The greatest solution may be from the Employee who is not interjecting whenever possible. Often times the people who are the most vocal get the attention and the credibility. Once one or two people have spoken, do we assume that the rest of the group feels that way?

We need to focus our time and energy on the people who drive the results. This specialized attention wil result in higher engagement levels, for a more efficient productivity!

In summary, Employees will stay at a job for LESS pay if they' trust their manager, enjoy what they're doing, and their strengths are shown on a daily basis.



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kerrie_Espuga

There was a Swedish TV Show that was showing all the different acts similar to the Ed Sullivan show years ago and they had a trainer and his orangutans. The orangutans were a unbelievable hit because they would make their trainer do all these dumb tricks while they acted like smart intelligent entertainers. When they asked the trainer how he trained new orangutans to do all these incredible tasks he said that he just showed them love and followed them around for a few weeks and found out what they liked to do and incorporated what they liked to do into a act.

Stuart Lichtman a brilliant entrepreneur, has been asked by many venture capital clients to rescue companies. He has always done the orangutan management method with fantastic results.

He intuitively watch for what people in the company liked to do and then structure things so that they would do what they liked in a way that was aligned with his vision for the company.

As managers, leaders, or entrepreneurs, we oppose what comes natural only at our own risk. The case books are full of examples.

When we flow with what is natural and enjoyable and that also fits in appropriate vision for our business our businesses are productive,involved and filled with energy. When we do the opposite we get procrastination, a lot of illness, late deliveries, high turnover, negative conversations, and other forms of avoidance.

Which works better? The answer seems obvious. Why not create a business that involves their employees doing what they like to do.

Whether within a organization or within ourselves these techniques marshal the inventiveness to bridge between what makes us happy and whats required.



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Todd_Hallstrom

Now lets start very simply - see the two titles, which one interested you the most, which one created in you a desire to find out more, which one is boring? How is your product being received? Do you create a boring impression in the customer, or a WOW factor, a desire for your product? OK, so you sell a boring product, so what, you still have to create the wow factor in your customer and by doing that you will generate much more business.

Take a look at your website, does it say WOW or does it say b-o-r-i-n-g? Take a look at your printed material, WOW or boring? Take a look at your presentation, WOW or boring?

I know you think it is fluff, but let us look at some examples and see what happens.

Some industries have understood this factor for years, while others have not. Take a look at cars. If the average business sales person sold cars, what would they be selling them as? My bet is they would be selling transportation, trying to fill your need to get from point to point. That is boring. Successful car sales people sell color, speed, comfort, looks, and prestige. Why do you buy a particular car?

Real Estate people have known the location, location, location factor for years. People buy houses because of location. They do not buy them because they need a place to live. We all need a place to live, but we want a great house in a great location.

The product I represent is "The Alternative Board", help for business leaders. Boring. So what I sell is increased profit, more money, more time for things other than business, ability to buy a new car, ability to move. I sell success and success is the WOW factor.

When I sold labor in the tradeshow industry I sold time. Time to go to the show site and do some things other than worry and supervise the exhibit construction. I sold comfort, I sold fun at the show, the ability to get away from the construction site and see the city. Any one can sell you labor to put your booth up - I sold you piece of mind and time. Thus, I sold you WOW.

When I sold computer consulting I sold success. If you bring us in we will make you look great by implementing the project successfully. I sold career growth, raises, glory, and the respect of others. Any one could sell technical skills, but that was not the WOW.

So, what is your WOW factor? I do not care what you sell; everything has a WOW factor.

If you sell healthcare insurance - you might sell respect and happy employees. You sell a staff that knows their families are taken care of; they do not have to worry about whether they are covered or who to call if there is a problem. They can relax and enjoy other things.

How about those in the print industry - what are you selling? What is the WOW factor for your industry? Why would I buy from you as opposed to your competition?

Many people ask how to increase their sales. Number one, find the WOW factor or create it if you cannot find it. Then build your entire sales process around it.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Manny_Nowak

Achieving long-term business strategies can only be accomplished by implementing short-term objectives. What are the eight qualities of short-term goals and how can marketing and sales executives use them to get results?

Measurability

Short-term objectives are most effective when they clearly state what is to be accomplished and how achievement will be measured. These objectives can be used to monitor both the effectiveness of each activity and the progress that a business group is making.

Priority-Centric

Prioritizing objectives should happen during the planning stage when executives are negotiating over budget and resources. All annual objectives are important, but some deserve a higher priority due to economic forces that may demand change. There is a substantial risk of long-term (3-5 year) failure if short-term (6-12 month) priorities are not established.

Link to Long-Term Objectives

Short-term objectives help business units gain traction and momentum in the process of accomplishing long-term goals. The link between the long and short term helps employees understand how the work will be done, who will do it, and what is in it for employees as they move closer to the overall objectives of the firm.

Acceptability

Managers will pursue objectives that are consistent with their preferences and their own vision for their business unit. If objectives are deemed to be unfair or if they diminish the role of a manager's unit, it is likely that the short-term objectives will be ignored or even revolted against.

Flexibility

Objectives should be adaptable to unforeseen changes in the business environment. This can be difficult to do because flexibility comes at the expense of specificity. Flexible objectives can sometimes be seen as too vague.

Motivating

People are most productive when objectives are set at a motivating level - not so high as to frustrate or so low as to be easily attained. Seek out management and employee input to make sure goals are right for different business units.

Understandability

This is pretty self-explanatory. How can someone achieve an objective if he or she cannot even understand it. Keep it simple.

Achievability

Achievability is closely tied to motivation. If an objective cannot be achieved, employees will burn out quickly and move on to a company where they can thrive.

Your ability to set and achieve short-term goals will be directly tied to your long-term success as an executive, manager, or entrepreneur. Making sure you have covered each of the above criterion will enhance your results in the coming months.

Visit http://www.GoalRevolution.com for your FREE copy of the GR Newsletter.

Bill Tamminga is the founder of Goal Revolution LLC.

Bill is the creator of the GR Business Growth System and the author of Advanced Business Triage, a set of white papers that explain Bill's systematic business assessment and growth plan for service business owners and managers, high end sales professionals, and independent financial planners. He also wrote The Ultimate Success Tool.



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bill_Tamminga

Anyone entering a new field wants to become a success. No one likes to fail! Unfortunately, many people look at gumball and candy vending machines and think it's easy to have success in this area.

While this is relatively true with a handful of machines, the situations change somewhat as you grow into dozens and hundreds of machines. It is much easier to make a few mistakes with a few machines than to make many mistakes that replicate through 2,500 machines like I currently have. The effects of faulty assumptions upon your cash flow become magnified the more you grow your gumball and candy vending business.

If I only had a few machines, I would still operate those few machines by the same success principles I use to manage my 2,500 machines. The priority is to maximize your income producing asset to put the most money in your pocket. Why waste your time and resources?

Becoming a "Super-player" in the field of bulk vending has to do with two main areas: sales and management. To become a Super-player means you are dominating the particular areas you are operating in and that you have maximized your machines to produce the most efficient through the use of sales and management strategies.

Every bulk vendor needs a sales strategy as machines will have to be replaced over a period of time because of theft, poor sales results, or losing accounts at the request of business owners. By sales strategies I am referring to "selling" yourself and your company to allow you to place your machines in local businesses. Sales strategies might involve the following components:

1. Reading sales books on effective selling techniques
2. Scouting new areas and businesses to locate your machines
3. Pulling your lowest 10-20% of machines each year to find higher producing accounts
4. Developing brochures and other printed materials (including good business cards) to help visually present your product or service
5. Providing sales incentives to businesses to secure key locations
6. Hiring a professional location service to do the job for you (be careful you do not get scammed in this area!)

The management side of the business is just as critical. Once you get new accounts for your gumball and candy vending machines you must be able to effectively manage the asset or you will end up losing accounts. The main aspects of the management side of becoming a Super-player include:

1. Optimizing your routes and deciding how far you will travel and the frequency of your service cycles
2. Deciding on what products you will sell
3. Figuring your profit margins and how much product you will provide per vend
4. Handling your bookkeeping and other legal and professional services
5. Deciding on expansion and how to employ the cash flow you generate to produce more money
6. Choosing the right machines for trouble free operation
7. Establishing criteria to keep machines in a location

Both sales and management will certainly be required to become a Super-player in the field of bulk vending. In my opinion, a Super-player is not the person with the most machines but the person who can maximize his assets (machines) the best.

A person who effective learns maximization has the ability to continue expanding and dominating any market. Some people take the lessons learned in one area of vending and apply it to another such as crane vending, snack vending, or selling toys in large racks. Regardless of the area, developing your skill in the areas of Sales and Management will yield great results over time which will help you enjoy the fruits of your labor and become a Super-player in the area of bulk vending.



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mark_Evants

How much does each salesperson aspire to make next year? 50,000, 100,000, 200,000??

Let's use 100,000 as an example. You can adjust the number for the situation. If a salesperson works 2000 hours a year (40 hours per week), he or she will earn $50 per hour. (Every hour that completes itself contributes the most cherished component of a salesperson's day - time.)

Sales Managers with High Activity Salespeople (sales cycles from initial contact to close - 90 days or less ...)

How do your salespeople handle interruptions to sales time? How do business demands interrupt the team's selling time. How many hours of the day do your salespeople spend either in front of someone or fighting to get in front of someone? How much of their day is spent idle? How often do they react to things rather than schedule them? How much of their day do they spend prospecting or selling in a face-to-face meeting in order to achieve their sales goal? And, finally ... how do they maximize the amount of time spent face-to-face in front of prospects? And, how do you support or coach sales efficiencies and productivity?

Sales Managers with Major Accounts' Sales Teams (with sales cycles of 90 days and up, even 2 years or more ...)

How much sales time is spent thinking about and determining strategies? How much of your team's time involves getting other peoples' input for decisions about next steps? How much time do your reps put into writing and rewriting emails, approach letters, responses to questions, powerpoints, etc.? How much of their time is spent finding ways to get the next important advance accomplished - one that moves the sale another degree in their favor? In other words, how do they structure their sales time to plan out the next thing to do with the right person(s) at the right time - then do the sales action - and then review their account positioning to plan out the next thing to do, etc. etc. etc.? Plan - Do - Review, Plan - Do - Review.

For all salesperson on high activity or major accounts sales teams, time is valuable. It may be used differently - it's still valuable. With 2000 hours in a year, one hundred thousand dollars is earned one hour at a time ... $50 dollars an hour.

And, once gone, a salesperson cannot recover time - it's gone - $50 or more each and every hour - burned up by waste or good intentions or a lack of understanding.

$ Per Hour

At $100,000 a year - $50 an hour

At $200,000 a year - $100 an hour

Examples

How many sales does someone need to make to earn $100,000? $200,000 ... $300,000.

Divide the number of sales in a year by 2000 hours in a year and you know the number of hours available for each sale.

For example, a cellular salesperson for some companies must make 1000 sales in a year to earn $100,000.

1000 sales ÷ 2000 hours = 1 sale every 2 hours (lots of face-to-face time in a week)

In some firms, a commercial real estate broker must make 10 sales in a year to earn $200,000 ...

10 sales ÷ 2000 hours = 1 sale every 200 hours (200 hours mostly made up of planning and reviewing before doing a prospecting or face-to-face activity

So, do your people value their time at $50 or more per hour? Do they realize that what they do with time is having a dramatic effect on their family's security or well being, or their achievement, or their security, or the recognition they receive, or just their ability to do their duty - to achieve a minimum sales amount for their company?

.............................................

Salesperson time tips ...

* Every meeting does not need to happen nor does it need to be an hour long.
* Do not automatically say yes to any use of time.
* Every email does not instantaneously need to be responded to or even read.
* The use of the Internet needs to improve your sales during sales time.
* When someone wants to talk with you for "30 sec," do you just react and by your actions say, "Yes?"
* Schedule more of your day calendar into blocks of productive time.
* Block out time to find new opportunities (lead generation) and time to prospect them on the phone.
* Block out appointment time for face-to-face sales calls.
* Block out time for important strategy sessions (major accounts)
* Start 'a stop doing this with time' list
* For high activity sales teams, focus sales time on being in front of prospects or fighting to be in front of them
* For major account sales team, focus sales time on planning, doing, and reviewing ... then start this cycle over

................

We often forget about our most valuable sales asset - time. The activity trap of multiple tasks, sensory lures, and interruptions get us off track. Let's stop the cycle or at least begin the process of slowing it down now. You can do it. Keep remembering at the end of the day, and the year, what's important - really important, and change. Get better. Lance.



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lance_Cooper