First and foremost, think this strategy through very carefully. If you miss the mark you will not only waste your money but will also run the risk of  reducing your goodwill, instead of enhancing it. Very treacherous ground, filled with landmines.

Here are some guidelines if you choose to embark on this journey.

1. The gift should in some way be commensurate with the value of the customer to you. Do not cheap out on your very valuable clients, overspend, it will come back to you many fold.

2. Better off sending a card, or making a donation on behalf of the client then giving them cheap gifts with little thought.

3. Customized gifts with the clients name or your own logo or brand can be perceived as tacky….depends on many aspects specifically and most importantly how nice the gift is and how nice the imprint is, if it’s embroidered maybe ok, if it’s silk screened getting marginal, be creative and tasteful and it will be a winner. The nicer the gift the easier it is to customize, you  must execute perfectly. If you do, it can be a winner for you.

4. Specific gifts to a restaurant with enough paid to cover the entire meal, wine and the tip…do it right or do not do it. Obviously you can only do this a limited number of times, your best clients. A special restaurant with real show off potential….. flash works, big dividends.

5. If possible enclose a  personal thank you note, signed and written by you. You can manage, it’s not that difficult. If on a low budget, this will demonstrate you do care even with a low value item.

6. Special food items can be a good choice, steaks from Omaha, honey from somewhere special, nicely packaged, lobsters from Maine, jams, coffee from Jamaica, cigars, get very good ones, Cubanos, are a knock out if you have the connections.

7. Low budget but great potential, a custom  art  seasonal card, with a personal note….nice.

Either do it well, or do not do it at all. Be creative and spend a few extra dollars. It must be something the recipient will want to save, wear, use and enjoy,  and think of you every time, or you are wasting your money. If you do it well, it is the best goodwill enhancer imaginable and you will have a friend and loyal customer for years. Take it out of your advertising budget.  If you have none, make it your advertising budget, it may be the best program possible.

Beware of sizes,  get it right. Call a secretary, or wife, or guess correctly and upgrade. Instead of a t-shirt do collared golf jerseys, if it is a  baseball cap make it one that is sized and made of quality material, like the pro’s. If it is a t-shirt have it printed front, back, maybe arm,  maybe custom art work…make it special, on a high quality made in America 100% cotton.

I do not recommend calendars as everyone has their own style and needs, and will not switch easily.  Money wasted.

Be creative, what I discussed above was for the purpose of showing you the context for deciding what to do…. Purpose: Getting you a return on your investment and thus very worthwhile, worthy of the investment. It should return far more then you spend if you do it correctly.

Quality and flash at any price level that works for you.

Figure it out.

Christmas Shopping

It’s that time of year again when we start our Christmas shopping, the malls are packed and we are all frantic to get the best deals and check off our family’s Christmas wish list.

Just remember that the people who are serving you are doing their best. Stay patient and enjoy the season!

‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the store
Not a customer was friendly while they came through the door
The cashiers were rushing to check out their gifts
In hopes that the customer wouldn’t want to through them off a cliff
Their children were home all snug in their beds,
While their parents fought with others to get their favorite threads

And the manager in her office hiding from the mob
Had just settled down from arguing with a long winded knob.

When out in the parking lot there arose such a clatter
The staff sprang from the store to see what was the matter.
Away to the lot they flew like a flash
Running through the crowds and almost causing a car crash

The moon was a glow with the new-fallen snow
Which gave it a luster to vehicles below
When, what to our wondering eyes did appear
But a sleigh and eight reindeer

With a plump little man, so cute and quick
We all knew that it must be St. Nick
More rapid than a Ferrari his coursers they came,
And he shouted and whistled, and called them by name;

“Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! on Cupid! on, Donner and Blitzen!
To the top of the store! to the top of the mall!
Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!”

So up to the store-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of goodies, and St. Nicholas too.
And then, in a twinkling, we heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.

As we rushed back to the store scrambling about
St. Nicholas appeared there was no doubt
He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;

A bundle of goodies he flung on his back,
He shook his head and wanted to attack
His eyes were angry his mouth did not smile
He glared at us all as he walked down the aisle

Why are you fighting, why are you in a hurry?
Look at this CSR, all she does is worry
She’s doing the best she can with an overwhelming amount of work
And you are all upsetting her, you’re acting like jerks

Don’t forget the meaning of Christmas joy
It has nothing to do with a shiny new toy
Remember to say thank-you and take a deep breath
Lines will be long but there’s no need to stress

Everyone’s doing the best that they can to help speed things along
Stop and be friendly and hum a Christmas song

And he smiled at us all and winked at the CSR
She smiled back and was ready for some well deserved R&R

We all looked at each other and felt ashamed
For after all, the things we bought did not mean a thing

We ran to the lot as he took off with his crew
We all looked up hoping for his last cue
And we heard him yell and he flew out of sight
“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night.”

> RESERVE NOW

నాకు ఆఫీస్ లో పని ఎక్కువవ్వసాగింది.  రాత్రి ఇంటికొచ్చే సరికి పన్నెండు దాటుతోంది. సరళ ని ఆ టైం లో లేపటం ఇష్టం లేక నేనే నా దగ్గరున్న డూప్లికేట్ కీ తో తలుపు తెరుస్తాను. స్నానం చేసి భోజనం చేసి పడుకొనేటప్పటికి  రాత్రి రెండవుతుంది. మళ్ళీ మరుసటి రోజు పొద్దున్నే లేచి ఆఫీస్ కి వెళ్ళాలి. ఒక్కో సారి వీకెండ్స్ లోకూడా ఆఫీస్ కి వెళ్ళవలసి వస్తోంది.
సరళా నేనూ ఇప్పుడు వేరే వేరే ప్రాజెక్టు ల లో పని చేస్తున్నాం. సరళ వాళ్ళ ప్రాజెక్టు లో పని తక్కువ. నేనెంత కష్టపడ్డా మా ప్రాజెక్టు పై కస్టమర్ నుంచీ కంప్లెయింట్స్ వచ్చాయి. దానితో ప్రాజెక్ట్ లో అందరికీ అప్రైజల్ లో రేటింగ్స్ తక్కువ  వచ్చాయి. మా ప్రాజెక్ట్ సరళ వాళ్ళ ప్రాజెక్ట్ కంటే కష్టం అన్నది వేరే విషయం. సరళ కు మాత్రం మంచి రేటింగ్స్ వచ్చాయి. ఆమె కు ప్రమోషన్ వచ్చే అవకాశం కూడా ఉంది.
సరళా నేనూ సాలిగ్రామం లో లోన్ మీద ఒక అపార్ట్ మెంట్ కొన్నాం. నెల కి పద్నాలుగు వేల ఈ ఎం ఐ. నా జీతం లోంచీ కట్ అవుతోంది. ఒక కారు కూడా కొన్నాం. దాని ఈ ఎం ఐ. సరళ జీతం లో నుంచీ కట్ అవుతోంది.
నేను నెమ్మది గా లావెక్కసాగాను. ఎక్సర్ సైజ్ చెయ్యటానికి టైం దొరకట్లేదు. వీకెండ్స్ లో ఆ ట్రాఫిక్ లో కారు డ్రైవ్ చేసుకొంటూ వెళ్ళే కంటే ఇంట్లో పడుకొని రెస్ట్ తీసుకోమని శరీరం మారాం చేస్తుంది.  ఎప్పుడన్నా ఓ గంట బయటికి వెళ్తే ఆ  దుమ్మూ పొగా ట్రాఫిక్ చెమట ల వలన ఇంటికొచ్చిన తరవాత పూర్తిగా అలిసిపోతున్నాం.
జీవితం రొటీన్ గా సాగిపోతోంది. మా ఇద్దరికీ జీవితం లో ఏదో వెలితి కనిపిస్తోంది. సరళ పిల్లల్ని కందాం అని సజెస్ట్ చేసింది. అందుకోసం ప్రయత్నం చేయటం మొదలుపెట్టాం. ఐదు నెలల తరవాత ఉపయోగం లేక ఒకగైనకాలజిస్ట్ దగ్గరికి వెళ్ళాం. ఆమె సరళ తో ఒంటరిగా మాట్లాడుతూ మధ్యలో నన్ను పిలిచి అడిగింది,”ఎన్ని సార్లు ఇంటర్ కోర్స్ చేసుకుంటారు?” అంది.
నేను ఎన్నిసార్లో చెప్పాను.
“అదేమిటి? ఈ వయసు లో ఇంటర్ కోర్స్ అంటే ఇష్టం లేక పోతే ఎలా?” అందామె.
“ఇంటరెస్ట్ లేక కాదు మేడం,రెస్ట్ లేక”, అని గునిశాను నేను.
“అదీ విషయం అని,ఏవో విటమిన్ టాబ్లెట్లు రాసిచ్చింది,ఆ టాబ్లెట్లవలన  అలిసిపోము అన్నట్లు గా.
ఎప్పుడైన మా కొలీగ్స్ ఇంటికి వెళ్ళేవాళ్ళం. అది కూడా తెలుగు కొలీగ్స్ ఇంటికి మాత్రమే. సిటీ లో అంతా టచ్ మీ నాట్ వ్యవహారం.  ఎంత సేపూ రాజకీయల గురించో సినిమా ల గురించో మట్లాడుకొవటం తప్ప, జనాలు ఒకరి గురిచి ఒకరు మనసు విప్పి మాట్లాడుకొనేది తక్కువ.
వీక్ డేస్ లో చాలా వరకూ బయటి హోటల్ నుంచీ భోజనాలు  తెచ్చుకొనే వాళ్ళం, సాయంత్రం వండుకొనే ఓపిక లేక. మధ్యాహ్నం ఆఫీస్ లోనే భోజనం. సరళ కి పెళ్ళి కి ముందు వంట చేసిన అనుభవం లేదు. ఆమె వంట ట్రై చేసేది, కానీ ఆమెకి కూరలు కుదిరేవి కావు.కానీ కూర వడ్డించిన వెంటనే అడిగేది “కూర ఎలా ఉంది?” అని. నేను ఉప్పుఎక్కువైంది అనో, కారం తక్కువైంది అనో అంటే ఆమె మొహం చిన్న పోయేది. ఇక తరవాతి నుంచీ సరళ ఎప్పుడడిగినా “బాగుంది” అని చెప్పడం నేర్చుకొన్నను. ఎప్పుడన్నా ఊర్లోని అమ్మ చేతి వంట గుర్తుకు చేసుకొంటే సరళ నిష్టూరాలడేది, “మరి పల్లెటూరి అమ్మాయినే చేసుకోలేక పోయావా? నన్ను ఇష్టపడి మరీ ఎందుకు చేసుకున్నావ్” అనేది.
నాకు డిగ్రీ రోజుల నుంచీ గరిట తిరగేసిన అనుభవం ఉండతం తో, అప్పుడప్పుడూ సరళకు వంట లో సహాయ పడుతున్నాను. ఇంతకంటే నేను చేయగలిగింది ఏమీ కంపడటంలేదు.
సరళ తో సహజీవనం వలన నేను మాట్లడే భాష లో కొంచెం అరవ యాస  వచ్చింది. అదే విధం గా సరళ తెలుగు వొకాబులరీ ఇంప్రూవ్ అయ్యింది. అయితే తెలుగు వంటలరుచి అరవ వంటలకి మాత్రం రాలేదు.  కొళంబు కి గోంగూర రుచి ఎలా వస్తుంది. కొళంబు రుచే గొప్పగా అనిపించాలంటే మాత్రం నేను అరవాడిగా పుట్టాల్సిందే!

ఒక తెలుగు సాఫ్ట్  వేర్ ఇంజినీర్ కథ – ఒకటవ భాగం

ఒక తెలుగు సాఫ్ట్  వేర్ ఇంజినీర్ కథ -రెండవ భాగం

ఒక తెలుగు సాఫ్ట్  వేర్ ఇంజినీర్ కథ -మూడవ భాగం

ఒక తెలుగు సాఫ్ట్  వేర్ ఇంజినీర్ కథ -నాలుగవ భాగం

ఒక తెలుగు సాఫ్ట్  వేర్ ఇంజినీర్ కథ -ఐదవ భాగం

ఒక తెలుగు సాఫ్ట్  వేర్ ఇంజినీర్ కథ -ఆరవ భాగం

ఒక తెలుగు సాఫ్ట్ వేర్ ఇంజినీర్ కథ – ఏడవ భాగం

ఒక తెలుగు సాఫ్ట్ వేర్ ఇంజినీర్ కథ – ఎనిమిదవ భాగం

ఒక తెలుగు సాఫ్ట్ వేర్ ఇంజినీర్ కథ-9

ఒక తెలుగు సాఫ్ట్ వేర్ ఇంజినీర్ కథ-10

ఒక తెలుగు సాఫ్ట్ వేర్ ఇంజినీర్ కథ-11

ఒక తెలుగు సాఫ్ట్ వేర్ ఇంజినీర్ కథ-12

ఒక తెలుగు సాఫ్ట్ వేర్ ఇంజినీర్ కథ-13

ఒక తెలుగు సాఫ్ట్ వేర్ ఇంజినీర్ కథ-14

ఒక తెలుగు సాఫ్ట్ వేర్ ఇంజినీర్ కథ-15

ఒక తెలుగు సాఫ్ట్ వేర్ ఇంజినీర్ కథ-16

ఒక తెలుగు సాఫ్ట్ వేర్ ఇంజినీర్ కథ-17

ఒక తెలుగు సాఫ్ట్ వేర్ ఇంజినీర్ కథ-18

ఇంకా ఉంది…

Difference between PARTY and CUSTOMER?

Relax … (takes a deep breath before you read this)

Author unknown:

An interesting reflection: Slow Down Culture………

It’s been 18 years since I joined Volvo, a Swedish company. Working for them has proven to be an interesting experience. Any project here takes 2 years to be finalized, even if the idea is simple and brilliant. It’s a rule.

Globalize processes have caused in us (all over the world) a general sense of searching for immediate results. Therefore, we have come to possess a need to see immediate results. This contrasts greatly with the slow movements of the Swedish. They, on the other hand, debate, debate, debate, hold x quantity of meetings and work with a slowdown scheme. At the end, this always yields better results.

Said in another words:

1. Sweden is about the size of San Pablo, a state in Brazil.

2. Sweden has 2 million inhabitants.

3. Stockholm has 500,000 people.

4. Volvo, Escania, Ericsson, Electrolux, Nokia are some of its renowned companies. Volvo supplies the NASA.

The first time I was in Sweden, one of my colleagues picked me up at the hotel every morning. It was September, bit cold and snowy. We would arrive early at the company and he would park far away from the entrance (2000 employees drive their car to work). The first day, I didn’t say anything, either the second or third. One morning I asked, “Do you have a fixed parking space? I’ve noticed we park far from the entrance even when there are no other cars in the lot.” To which he replied, “Since we’re here early we’ll have time to walk, and whoever gets in late will be late and need a place closer to the door. Don’t you think so?” Imagine my face.

Nowadays, there’s a movement in Europe named Slow Food. This movement establishes that people should eat and drink slowly, with enough time to taste their food, spend time with the family, friends, without rushing. Slow Food is against its counterpart: the spirit of Fast Food and what it stands for as a lifestyle. Slow Food is the basis for a bigger movement called Slow Europe, as mentioned by Business Week. Basically, the movement questions the sense of “hurry” and “craziness” generated by globalization, fuelled by the desire of “having in quantity” (life status) versus “having with quality”, “life quality” or the quality of being”.

French people, even though they work only 35 hours per week, are more productive than Americans or British. Germans have established 29 hour workweeks and have seen their productivity been driven up by 20%. This slow attitude has brought forth the US’s attention, pupils of the fast and the “do it now!“. This no-rush attitude doesn’t represent doing less or having a lower productivity. It means working and doing things with greater quality, perfection, with more attention to detail and less stress. It means reducing rejects and wastage. It means re-establishing family values, friends, free and leisure time. Taking the “now”, present and concrete, versus the “global”, undefined and anonymous future. It means taking humans’ essential values, the simplicity of living. It stands for a less coercive work environment, more happy, lighter and more productive where humans enjoy doing what they know best how to do.

It’s time to stop and think on how companies need to develop serious quality with no-rush that will increase productivity and the quality of products and services, without losing the essence of spirit.

In the movie, Scent of a Woman, there’s a scene where Al Pacino asks a girl to dance and she replies, “I can’t, my boyfriend will be here any minute now“. To which Al responds, “A life is lived in an instant“. Then they dance to a tango.

Many of us live our lives running behind time, but we only reach it when we die of a heart attack or in a car accident rushing to be on time. Others are so anxious of living the future that they forget to live the present, which is the only time that truly exists. We all have equal time throughout the world. No one has more or less. The difference lies in how each one of us does with our time. We need to live each moment.

As John Lennon said, “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans“.

Congratulations for reading till the end of this message. There are many who will have stopped in the middle so as not to waste time in this globalized world.

yeSyeSWay

In celebration of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Megnificent Made will have FREE SHIPPING to all of the US and Canada! This promotion will last November 27-November 30!

Notebook Style Fabric Book by Megnificent Made

Fabric notebooks are great little keepsake gifts and come in loads of beautiful fabric combinations. When you order a fabric notebook, you have a choice of two varieties. You can get the Writer’s Pack which includes pens, pencils and lined paper. It’s perfect for journal writers, students and even just chronic list makers! The Artist’s Pack comes with drawing pencils and sketch paper and is the perfect carry along for those that like to doodle.

Vespa in Paris Custom Coloring Book by Megnificent Made

Custom Coloring Books are a great gift for kids this Christmas! We take your photographs and turn them into coloring book pages for your kids to add their creative touch to. Kids love coloring in the people and places they know and love. Select from the store one of the many adorable fabric books you would like and it will come with 14 custom coloring pages and crayons. An extra 12 coloring book pages can be purchased for $4. For more information on how to select photos and send them, look in the Customer Help section of the blog.

Silver Sparkle Camera Wristlet by Megnificent Made

For the ladies in your life, or even for yourself, pick up a Camera Wristlet! These cute little purses are designed to hold a digital camera. I’ve found that when I dress up to go out, I often can’t fit my camera in my little purses. I hate to ruin an outfit by toting around a camera bag so here’s the solution! It’ll be great for the holiday parties when you’ll look your best and also have your camera to capture your holiday memories!

Get in there Friday through Monday and take advantage of our Free Shipping deal!

If you go outside and just take a few quiet moments in observing people, you will notice that almost everyone are carrying their own gadgets:  You will see that businessmen are busy talking to someone on their cellphones; teenagers have their ears plugged with earphones listening to their i-pods;  children are busy playing with their PSP;  moms listening to their self-help audio in their MP3s;  and employees researching on the internet using their laptops;

Now you ask yourself this:  “What would this people want for christmas?”  I’m pretty sure that almost all of your family members have one of the gadgets that were mentioned above.  Well, enough thinking and let me help you.

I had one of my friend, Shirley Choa, showed me her fantastic product.  It is called Hamburger Mini Speakers.  When she showed me this tiny speaker, I couldn’t believe how loud and clear the sound was!  You can also carry it anywhere with you without worrying about carrying bulky speakers and looking for a power outlet to make it work.  It is so convenient for me I bought the red one at first sight. 

For you tech-wise guys out there, the following specifications are for you:

Dimension: (L) 55.5 MM x (H) 77 MM
Net Weight: 112g
Speaker: 36MM
Input: L/R380mV
Power Output: 7W X 2
S/N: 80dB
AMP Freq Range: 280Hz %u2013 16KHz
Charge Voltage: 5V 0.5V
Charge Time: 1.DC 5V 200MA%u2014300MA about 2.5 hours
3 USB about 4 hours
Suitable Temperature: 0°C-40°C

Now what’s even greater here is that she also have Double-Speakers.  They are two mini speakers which can be put together– which would look like an egg.  The bottom part of the speakers are magnetized, which means you can place them anywhere that’s metallic.  Double the sound means double the fun!

With this kind of gift to my loved ones, I’m pretty sure they would remember the day I gave it to them.  The children would be very happy with the fantastic sound on their PSP and teens can now party without carrying large stereos!

I wanted to take the time to wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving and to all of the sales people out there I hope you are able to enjoy a feast on this turkey day and not a famine.  Today is a day revolving around family, friends, football for many but most importantly being thankful for what we have.  Our society puts an emphasis on what we don’t have and there becomes a big void in our lives because of this.

I’m challenging you today to not think about what you don’t have but what you do have.  The funny thing about life is when you hone in on what you have a person tends to forget what they don’t have.  Abundances in life come from thinking positive while avoiding the negative mindset.  I tell my people to focus on where they’re at month-to-date with their numbers and what they have.  If we focus on how much we are short of budgets by too often the human nature is to press and when you press in the world of sales good luck hitting any budget.

Again use this day to reflect on what you have and give thanks.  Pick up the phone call a distant family member, a friend you haven’t talked to in a while, or even a stranger and give the gift of thankfulness on this Thanksgiving Day.  Try it and I bet you’ll feel better.

My good friend Karalee Evans has just published an article for me over on her Blog about PR and Marketing. I like what I wrote and I’m stoked that Karalee wanted to pick it up.

Enjoy

1. Knowledgeable and available staff : While a customer is making the buying decision, they want knowledgeable assistance, available when they want it . Customers place a high value on accurate information and want to be served by employees who know the product inside and out.

2. Friendly people: Customers not only want product-savvy sales people, they want them to be friendly and courteous. Your staff should value each customer more than any individual sale.

3. Good value: This is where price factors in. But customers surveyed see price as only one component of the bigger picture of “value” that includes the service, information and follow-up they also receive.

4. Convenience: The service rule here is simple: make it easy! Says Gross, “Customers want merchandise that is well organized, attractively displayed and easy to find. That’s how today’s customers define convenience, and the easier you can make the shopping, the more money you will be lugging to the bank.”

5. A fast finish: This final item is where too many businesses fall flat, right at the finish line. While customers are in the process of deciding to buy or not, they are proceeding on your time. They want thoughtful help making the right decisions. But once the buying decision is made, get out of their way because now you are working on their time, and they want to complete the transaction and be on their way as quickly as possible. At the cash register, there is no time for making additional suggestions.

The latest buzz is that customer loyalty is dead.  With everyone concerned about the economy, people are focused on price and value.  Loyalty is a luxury than most people just can’t afford.

Businesses are trying to rebuild their loyalty programs and recapture their loyal customers.  I suspect that customer loyalty is not dead but it may never be same.  The important point to remember is that customer loyalty is like any other relationship.  It takes work.  It can’t be taken for granted.

HR managers should take note.  This same phenomenon applies to them as well.  People are also asking if employee engagement is dead.  The same comments apply.  HR and line managers must continually work – day after day – to build engagement.  That is Job 1.

When the recession ends, many employees will be looking elsewhere.  Some articles assert that this is happening already.   Team building is a never ending struggle even in the best of times.  So, don’t wait for the good times.  Start now.

http://www.segherssurveyconsulting.com

Whenever I am asked about my favorite holiday, I always say Thanksgiving Day (and no, I do not call it “turkey day”!). There are many reasons for this, not the least of which is that I love to eat. Beyond that, Thanksgiving is a time when we can all be united no matter what our backgrounds or beliefs. It is a holiday marked by the healthiest of all emotions: Gratitude.

I know that there are many people who only look to Thanksgiving as a day to over-eat and watch football. I think these people are the ones to be pitied. They don’t realize what a powerful effect true gratitude can have on their lives.

Jim Rohn once said in an address at a success conference, “Let us be grateful; for gratitude opens the way to the blessings that are in store.” This is a lesson for all who seek success in life, because gratitude is the beginning of positive attitude. And a positive attitude leads to success.

So, in a year marked by so much adversity, what do we have to be grateful for?

Let’s start by listing the things that we have. Starting with your family, friends, and all of your positive relationships, list everything that has contributed to your happiness. Think about all those who helped you in one way or other. If you are a business owner or manager, be thankful for your team. They have contributed to your success.

Be thankful for your customers. Without them, where would you be?

Be thankful for your mentors and coaches. They taught you, guided you, inspired you, pushed you and held you accountable to becoming more than your were. Be especially grateful for those that were tough on you and would not accept any less than your best.

Be thankful for those who challenged you and even the difficult circumstances that you lived though. For it is in adversity that we learn and grow the most.

Be thankful for your business or job that provides for you and your family.

When you start looking around for things to be grateful for, you will see that the list grows continuously. Richard Fehr, a great spiritual leader, once said very simply, “He who can think must give thanks.”

In a recent blog post, Kevin Eikenberry relates that genuine gratitude is the most powerful force for chance and success for leaders in any organization. He describes a simple four-step process for showing gratitude to your team. This carries over to all people in your life:

•    See it – look for reasons to be thankful to your team
•    Say it – they won’t know that you notice what they do unless you tell them
•    Write it – this is much more powerful than verbal thanks and longer lasting
•    Share it – formal recognition is the greatest motivator of all.

Be sure to participate in this great holiday and open the door to success and happiness in the year to come.

So, how are you going to celebrate Thanksgiving? What do you have to be thankful for, and to whom? How will you show your gratitude? Let me know.

How do I maximise sales?

This is a key question for many small businesses looking to grow effectively.

In order to maximise sales you really need to put a plan of daily business activity in place that allows you to prioritise tasks and maximise sales performance. I would like to look at this as optimising your time effectively:

1. Avoid scheduling too many appointments in one day otherwise it will be harder to invest more quality time in important prospects.

2. All prospect or customer enquiries and requests should be dealt with quickly and efficiently. Failure to do this could result in loss of business and it’s better to deal with it when it’s still fresh in your mind.

3. Prepare daily to-do lists the previous day to ensure that it’s ready in the morning otherwise you may find your time taken up with additional tasks that you could have prioritised for the night before.

4. Plan your presentation carefully – see how you can personalise it to the prospect you are selling to.

5. Always set aside some time in the day to prospect for new business. Try to promote your product/service thoughtfully and positively to prospects.

6. Manage relationships with existing customers consistently. I think customer relationships are crucial to not only retain existing business but to establish yourself and your organisation as a viable, professional organisation.

7. Automated list management is a very quick, useful way of tracking and managing prospects. For example, email marketing systems will allow you to upload a list of prospect email addresses and mass-mail to them rather than spending too much time sending out individual emails.

8. The key to being successful is to have a good work/life balance. Spending all your free time focusing on sales and work will not only leave you with no real personal social life but also means that you aren’t leaving yourself to wind-down after a tough day. Personally I like to go down the gym and take out my frustrations on the treadmill or simply go home, have a beer and spend time with the family.

Now don’t get me wrong – I am as guilty as the next man, and I have been known to sit at my laptop until late into the evening working on projects, much to the annoyance of my wife and daughter I might add. Despite this I have started to learn that switching off the PC or work phone in the evening is as important a step as any other on this list. My advice to any aspiring business man is to allow yourself time to breathe otherwise you’ll drown in your own ambition.

More useful links:

Taking a larger bite out of the marketplace

Ten tips to maximising your sales through ECommerce

Photo by: Danilo Rizzuti

Hi,

Here the placement for Sales Engineer – Jeddah, Saudi Arabia .

Qualification:

Experience:

• 3 to 5 years experience in the occupation in similar industrial environment.

Skills Required:

• Basic estimation skill; negotiation skill.
• Capable of preparing sales / analytical reports.
• Capable of handling customer/client’s enquiries efficiently.

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A factor that is driving the trend towards automating the sales department is the extent to which speed has become a strategic advantage in the selling process. Once, it was acceptable for salespeople to promise to get back to customers with answers to questions. Increasingly, those salespeople are finding that by the time they get back to their customers with the necessary information, the sales opportunity has evaporated. The ability to respond to customers quickly is crucial to success, and the tolerances are narrower than ever before.

Similarly, the ability to compress the sales order cycle is becoming an extremely significant factor in a competitive situation. Your customers, who are under the same competitive pressures as you, are placing more and more emphasis on increased cash flow and reduced inventories. Reducing your sales order cycle from four days to two can make an important and measurable difference, certainly enough of a difference to determine whether or not you get the order.

My Consultancy–Asif J. Mir - Management Consultant–transforms organizations where people have the freedom to be creative, a place that brings out the best in everybody–an open, fair place where people have a sense that what they do matters. For details please visit www.asifjmir.com, and my Lectures.

Just as I had feared the overall production has slowed to a near crawl and I’m kind of upset.  When I was out there as a new employee I did not take the time to focus on what time of the year it is, what reason the customer might give as to why they couldn’t buy, or whatever excuse there may be.  My focus was on the positive and what I was going to do.  This is a mentality that not everyone understands and comprehends.  To be good at what you do in the world of sales you’ve got to be willing to do things differently than anyone else.  Failing to do so leads to the ever growing number of mediocrity and I will never settle for being mediocre. 

This morning I was in the office around 7am trying to look at what I could potentially do to help increase my team’s numbers and I started noticing a trend.  People are creatures of habit and case work after case work demonstrated the same typical trends for each employee.  One year ago this month I had one of the best months ever in my sales career and to follow up November with December was I increased my business sales by over $80,000.  All around me I heard the negativity of how people were not going to buy this product because of Christmas, because of the holidays, because they had no money.  The people uttering these excuses well they didn’t do so well and I made sure that their perception did not cloud my judgment.

Who cares what time of the year it is?  If people waited until they could afford things to buy then they would never be able to do so.  Every month I have individuals call me up and tell me thank you for the service I was able to provide them and I take pride not in the sales but by helping others out.  Instead of making excuses start finding answers or as it is commonly referred to at work is be a problem solver not a problem maker.

Previously, Zest Air would send promos and airline updates via email. I noticed that they haven’t sent me one for the past few months. You would really have to visit their website for promo updates. Fortunately I was able to see some of their refreshing new ideas. They have posted the selling and travel dates for their promos. Moreover, they now offer packages for travelers like me! Check out some of the latest happenings from Zest Air!

Important Zest Air promo sell and travel dates to remember for 2010:

Zest Air New Year Sale

Selling period is from January 3 to 5, 2010

Travel period is from June 15 to November 15, 2010

The Love Seats Sale

Selling period is from February 12 to 14, 2010

Travel period is from June 15 to November 15, 2010

Summer Madness Sale

Selling period is April 1 to 7, 2010

Travel period is from June 15 to November 15, 2010

Mid-year Sale

Selling period is from June 1 to 7, 2010

Travel period is from July 1 to November 15, 2010

Zest Air Annual Sale

Selling Period is August 1 to 3, 2010

Travel Period is September 1 to 30, 2010

Halloween Sale

Selling period is  October 27 to November 2, 2010

Travel period is from November 1 to December 10, 2010

Early Christmas Sale

Selling Period is  November 23 to 30, 2010

Travel Period is from January 15 to March 15, 2011

IMPORTANT NOTICE: For all booking made and finalized before October 16, 2009, kindly click the image for the new flight numbers. It is important that you reconfirm your flight bookings through their hotline or ticket offices within 24 hours prior to the day of your flight to avoid inconveniences.

For those who want to travel stress-free, you simply have to book the package offerings from Zest Air. I believe the package rates are valid until March 30, 2010 and it already includes round-trip airfares, 3 days and 2 nights accommodations, daily set breakfasts and the 12% VAT.  It resembles the packages of PAL called PALakbayan and I guess that’s how Zest Air came up with their new product. So check them out!!!

To book your flights or for more details you may log-on to Zest Air’s website at anytime. You may also call their hotline at +632-855-3333 or email through leadagent@zestair.com.ph.

For inquiries and feedbacks you may email Customer Service Center at customerrelations@zestair.com.ph.

Biyahe na!!!

When we are focused on something important to us, we feel a very strong sense of urgency.  Everything else seems secondary.  We wonder why these other issues don’t realize that we can’t deal with them now.   We get especially upset when the people around us don’t share our anxiety.

Well, do unto others…

As service providers, we need to understand the sense of urgency that our customers have.  We need to see the situation from their perspective.  Sure, it may be just another transaction to us, but to them it may be the most important concern to them at the moment.

Oftentimes we are so focused on the features and benefits – as we see them — of our service that we fail to understand the needs of our customers.  They are focused on outcomes.  They are evaluating our service in terms of what it will bring them – more money, more time, more options, fewer hassles.  Only when we can view our service through their eyes we will truly be service providers.

During my working life, I’ve heard this word a lot – always struggled to understand what it means to me and the organisations I worked for.

Now that I am running my own project management company (MJP Project Management Consultants Ltd), looking to offer project management services to small, medium and large organisations, I am much more interested. I am also working through a MSc in Operations & Supply Chain Management – which covers TQM and quality management extensively, so I believe I have gained a very good understanding of quality.

So the original question was – quality  – what is it?

If we look at the Oxford English Dictionary, it talks about a degree of business excellence. I would be worried that this focuses to much on the supplier and not on the customer. In today’s global economy with markets and competition across the globe, it is important that organisations focus on the customer and their needs. So for me a better definition of quality would be “to meet the customer expectations and needs“.

Of course for different customers, quality would mean different things to them … look at flying – a business class passenger would expect a flat bed, top notch service, as well as reliability and safety – but an economy passenger would want a cheap ticket, comfortable seat, as well as reliability and safety – different customers, with different ideas of quality and requirements.

So – how does this affect your organisation?

It is important that you understand your customer and market you sit in. If you can exceed your customer needs on a regular basis, then the chances are you will built up customer loyalty and be seen as excellent business performing organisation. Take John Lewis in the UK – they have built an excellent reputation for customer service, which in turn has created a loyal bunch of customers. If we look at low budget airlines, their order winner is price, so for them quality is all about achieving cost savings, so they can offer the lowest prices – so no free luggage, credit card fees, etc – but their model seems to work – just look at EasyJet & RyanAir.

Finally I would say that quality is very important to an organisation and should be at the forefront of an organisation’s strategic objectives. Deming stated that “quality starts in the boardroom” and I do not disagree – senior management need to drive any quality improvement plan.

Do provide feedback – this is my first company blog … I will be doing more on a range of topics.

Mark

One of the first questions I ask organizations that I work with is “What is your brand’s vision?”  I ask this question because if the organization has a vision for its brand, then I can begin to understand where and how I can help them. Unfortunately, most of the time, I get a blank stare in response to my question, or something along the lines of “Well, we aren’t really sure.”

Not having a brand vision but trying to do marketing and brand building is like jumping into a car and driving to go somewhere without knowing what or where the destination is.  How do you know if you are headed in the right direction?  If you don’t know where you are going, how do you even know that a car can get you there?

Before an organization can start to tackle challenges like growing a brand with existing customers, extending a brand into new categories or driving awareness and interest with new customers, it needs to be clear on its long-term brand vision. The brand vision is the destination for the brand that the organization should be striving to reach.  As a result, a well-defined vision helps the organization narrow its focus to the critical objectives, strategies, and tactics that will ultimately help the organization achieve what it is trying to accomplish.  Additionally, when it is communicated, embraced, and reinforced in the organization, it is a valuable tool that aligns all of the brand stakeholders to working towards the same goals.

The components of a brand vision are in theory straightforward, but can be very challenging to formulate and assemble into a complete brand vision.  The components are:

1. The brand’s core essence.  This is what the brand ultimately stands for or its ‘reason for being’
2. The key functional and emotional benefits that the brand provides.  (For more detail on benefits, check out Marketing & Branding Mistake to Avoid #1: Communicating Features Instead of Benefits)
3. What the brand will be known for in the future.  This is also where critical goals and metrics should be incorporated such as, “Brand X will be a Million Dollar brand by 2015″, or “Brand Y will be present in half of the households in the U.S. by 2020″.
4. The brand character.  This is the personality of the brand.

The components are challenging to develop because ideally an organization should designate a group of internal brand stakeholders (a brand team) to devote a great deal of time, thought, and discussion to make the vision as strong as possible.  Typically organizations do not prioritize brand vision development for these reasons.  However, if an organization can devote resources to and prioritize the development of a vision, it will be in a much stronger, more productive, and successful position moving forward.  The resulting brand vision becomes a powerful guide post that aligns the organization, making the marketing decisions and challenges it faces much easier to navigate because the organization knows where it wants to go.