Business Improvement

Archive for October, 2010

20 Tips On Presenting Corporate

1. If you operate an office that receives visiting clients you probably have a reception area. Such an area can be used to great advantage. While your client is waiting to see you why not give them the opportunity to learn about you and the company? Large photographs of the factory or the products / services you provide help to make it clear what your company does or stands for. It also gives an insight into areas your visitor may not be able to access under normal circumstances. You may be surprised at how interested people are in you and what you do behind the scenes.

   2. Alternatively you could take the opportunity to feature pictures of the key workers in your team. A head and shoulders photo and a name plate will enable first time visitors to recognise the person they are to meet and to determine their position within the management team. This is considerably comforting when you are about to meet someone for the first time. It also helps to make the staff feel valued and a real part of the organisation.

   3. If you think that you need to be a little more creative why not feature your staff in poses that display their favourite pastime. If the M.D. is a keen angler or the Sales Manager takes part in amateur dramatics feature them in suitable attire. This makes the person appear “human” and not an office automaton thus making them easier to relate to.

   4. If customers are to be required to wait a while or even if waiting to make a complaint consider carefully how you can entertain them while they are waiting. You need the area to be calming and friendly so avoid aggressive colours such as bright reds or solid blacks and consider featuring pastel colours in abstract designs of a gentle nature. You may even consider some humorous cartoons or caricatures of the senior management as a way to present yourselves as people of a good humour and friendly nature. Try to be general in subject so as to appeal to everyone. For example avoid pictures of football clubs etc even if the M.D. is a big fan. If customers are entertained and relaxed by your choice of images and you come out to meet them with a big helpful smile on your face they will find it harder to be angry with you when you first meet.

   5. Similar rules apply when decorating the general admin areas of the office. It is likely that the work is constant and repetitive so make the staff comfortable by displaying bright and positive images they can enjoy. But avoid scenes of Far Eastern Beaches and Palm Trees you might just find them drifting off on a mental holiday.

   6. In your Marketing or Sales Area try and avoid the clich pictures of Lions stating “The Customer is King” etc. While true such messages are tired and lack impact these days. Instead why not feature nicely framed letters from happy customers certificates of achievement employee of the month awards pictures of staff outings that were earned as rewards against results. These will make it quite clear why everyone is there and reminders of the rewards they get for effort will spur them on to win future acknowledgements.

   7. Make sure your art is modern popular and right up to date. Framed calendar prints of Monet’s Water Lillie’s in tired frames against decrepit wall paper or wood wall panelling just will not do. They give out signals of being slow old fashioned and behind the times. If you happen to like the classics it okay to hang them just make sure you do so in a celebratory way. Big positive prints and good frames will make much more of a statement than something old and tired.

   8. As with flowers and fish tanks it may be possible to hire art for your workplace. This has the advantage of regular refreshment as the supplier visits at allocated times to change the displays. It may also just give you the chance to see what you want to keep on a more permanent basis once you have a had a chance to live with them for a while.

   9. If you would rather put your money to a good cause why not sponsor a local School or Hospital to provide paintings by pupils or patients. These are fun and different and show a caring side to your business. Framed well even the poorest of efforts can look very interesting considering the source.

   10. Whatever you choose make an effort to frame it well. Cheap tatty frames do nothing for your image or your perceived attitude to quality. A tatty attitude to your dcor could suggest to a client that you have a sloppy attitude to your business or the service you will give them. The presentation you make in your place of work says a great deal about you and what you stand for.

   11. Try to discourage staff from littering the walls of their work area with personal effects such as pictures of Pop Stars bawdy calendars humorous verses about working here being made easier by being crazy etc. If these areas are encountered by your clients they will give the impression of a loosely run ship. By all means allow staff to personalise their area to an extent pictures of the family can remind clients that after 5pm this person returns to being human again. If possible keep the other trends exclusively for the staff room.

   12. Try not to make the work environment too sterile. Make good use of plants preferably synthetic as these do not take the oxygen out of the air maybe a fish tank theses done well can look very impressive and encourage tranquillity. Good use of lighting can make an enormous difference to the atmosphere of the place as can a TV screen permanently tuned to a news channel. Again announcing to all who visit that you are in touch with the World beyond your own doors.

   13. Strongly discourage staff from holding personal conversations within earshot of waiting clients. Not only is this immensely embarrassing for the person waiting it suggests lack of discipline and attention to the job at hand. What Molly did with her boyfriend last night should remain the exclusive interest of Molly and her boyfriend.

   14. Make sure reception staff speak well and convey elegance. Make sure they know your clients name and use it each time they address them to offer coffee or update on your availability. Only select individuals with a good spoken voice to greet clients in person or by phone or make announcements on the P.A. system. This is very important when aiming to establish the quality of your company to clients and staff alike.

   15. The smart appearance of staff is essential to maintain standards. Clean shaven well tied ties smart haircut etc go a long way to making a great impression. In these days of increased casual attitudes it is not difficult to stand above the competition. You don’t have to go over the top but rolled up shirt sleeves still look much better than a Tee Shirt.

   16. Washrooms for use by you and your clients are often over looked when it comes to setting standards. Simple things like making sure soap tissue toilet seats believe it or not are all there along with a working extractor fan hot water and hand dryers are the simple things that can be allowed to let slip. Cleanliness is paramount too of course. Why not go and check your facilities right now and see how much you can improve them.

   17. If welcoming foreign visitors make the effort to ensure you are familiar with their customs when greeting. For example if greeting a guest from Malaysia it is customary not to shake hands although they will as they are also aware of your culture but to greet them by placing the palm of your right hand against your own left shoulder as you make a subtle bow towards them. It is also good manners for the majority of far eastern countries to intently study their business card for a few seconds when it is offered to you and to avoid pointing with your finger instead gesturing direction with a gentle upturned hand.

   18. When clients are leaving you after a meeting make the effort to at least see them to the door of your building or if appropriate walk them to their vehicle. So many times I have been given excellent treatment by my host only to feel hurriedly ejected at the end of the meeting. Though this was never intentional it is often the last few minutes of your meeting that you remember after leaving.

   19. Go the extra mile to impress. Always send a short note or Email to thank your guest for coming and to suggest the next steps of your trading relationship. Any deal you are after is not in the bag until the contracts are concluded.

   20. Constantly appraise your working environment and create a check list of points to maintain at all times. It’s easy to forget these important details but they can make all the difference to your image both within and outside the office walls.

About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;Trevor Krueger is an avid art lover and has many years’ experience in the art and picture framing business. Trevor’s 20 tips makes choosing office art easy! For limited editions and Christian Art please visit http://www.eppingstudio.com

10 Ways To Get Control Of Your Meetings

Meetings when done properly should be to the point smooth and only as long as they have to be. Having a good and efficient meeting takes planning and firm execution. While there are not too many ways to have a great meeting there are plenty of ways to have a bad one. Some potential pitfalls are inflated agendas having a meeting when an email would suffice and inviting the wrong people. If you have a necessary wellplanned meeting with the right people and its going well what do you do when it gets derailed? How can you prevent that from happening?

1. Preventing a meeting from being sidetracked actually begins well before start time. By using an agenda you provide the structure upon which the meeting is built. The more detailed and planned the agenda the smoother the meeting. Another way to use the agenda is while passing it out. When you communicate with each participant about the meeting make sure to tell them that it will begin and end exactly as scheduled. Once you have set the stage however you have to follow the agenda exactly. If you dont respect the schedule no one else will.

2. At the beginning of the meeting clearly state that your time and everyone elses is valuable and that you only have enough time for the meeting as scheduled. If the meeting runs over you will have to leave. This subtly leads your fellow participants to stick to the schedule.

3. Often when beginning meetings we pass out materials that will help to guide our participants and reemphasize certain points. The tendency is to simply hand over everything so as not to disrupt the flow later. However peoples instincts in these situations dictate that they rifle through the handouts pulling their attention away from your opening remarks. The best course is to hand out materials as needed.

4. A major potential derailment of your meeting comes from your speakers. The can ramble on and on they can get bogged down in questions or they could simply go off topic for who knows how long. There are several ways you can combat errant speakers. First make sure they know how long they have to speak and have them submit their lecture or notes ahead of time. If you see any potential splitaway points bring them to their attention so they can avoid going offtopic in the meeting. If they do split anyway a gentle reminder of their previous or next point can set them aright.

5. If your speaker knows their specific time to speak they are less prone to go over. However unless you provide a clock or timer of some kind their best intentions will be for naught. If a timer isnt feasible work out a system of cues ahead of time. For example you could put a blue pen in front of you for the five minutes left signal and a red pen for one minute left.

6. You can help your speaker with QA by stepping in as their personal moderator. If you are the one to pick who is to ask a question then you can easily step in after questions have gone on too long. Simply say thats enough questions for now instead of picking the next person. Also you can suggest that the speakers will be able to personally answer questions after the meeting.

7. Another big detractor from an efficient meeting is excellent important discussion topics that are not on the agenda. These topics can derail a meeting faster than anything else. The difficult part is that usually these discussions need to happen but you dont have to let them ruin your meeting. First acknowledge that the topic is a good one. Then you can derail the derailment in several ways. You could tell the major players in the discussion to table it for now and meet amongst themselves after your meeting. You could announce that your meeting will go on but there will be another meeting after this one to discuss the new topic.

8. If the offtopic point is a good one but not worthy enough for the solutions above create a bin list. This list holds all points that need to be discussed but not right then. You can schedule meetings for each one or all at once. You can also take the two most invested people in the discussion and assign them to work out the details and take care of it personally. The point is that you dont have it interfering with your meeting.

9. There are times that a meeting gets off track but not for a good reason like an important offtopic point. Often the problem is simply rude participants that slow down a meeting. Taking care of these situations falls almost completely on you but it doesnt have to be too big a chore. Start at the beginning of the meeting with confidence. Keep your posture straight throughout the meeting. Monitor your body language and make sure your voice is solid and carrying. Make them want to listen to you. Watch your participants body language as well. If you see slumping or boredom jump in with a request for their opinion to get them mentally back into the meeting. If the distracted are wide spread call for a quick five minute break. Your participants will return refreshed and rejuvenated. If you have people talking amongst themselves instead of listening simply smile politely and wait until they are done or have noticed that the entire meeting is waiting on them. They will quickly come to task.

10. A good strategy for keeping your meetings on track is to schedule them to end right before lunch or quitting time. However these particular end times can cause hazardous derailments because your participants are beginning to think about what they will be doing after the meeting. This is the point in the agenda where you should place all of the controversial topics. Not only will it liven up the meeting and banish daydreaming it will prevent the subjects from being discussed too long as lunch is just over the horizon.

If you craft a good plan and tight agenda you are prepared to have an efficient meeting. All it takes after that is to have a firm hand stick to the schedule and take care of your participants.

About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;For other conference call questions visit David Byrd at TalkPathConferencing.com.

You can also learn more about our video conferencing services as well!

5 Ways To Reduce Cost Without Cutting Price

Many a Salesperson has heard the news “I am being told by our corporate people that I have to cut the cost of maintenance supplies by 5.” Without some quick thinking this can easily be translated to “you need to cut your price by 5.” Or “We are going to start shopping all of your prices.” This is especially true if you haven’t done a good job of establishing a value for the service you have been providing.
You can immediately start backpedaling. You can start talking about the long relationship you have built over the past years. If you have been doing something besides buying donuts for a bunch of the good old boys down at the maintenance office you can start talking about your past yet unmeasured service.
The competition probably already offers many of the same things as you. Here’s a quick check list:
Knowledgeable Salespeople
Do you think any company really sends someone out who says Hi I don’t know anything?
Delivery
With the exception of some of the eBusiness type guys every body has delivery.
Credit
Who doesn’t offer credit of some kind or at least take Credit Cards?
Inside Support
Another one that’s hard to measure. Nobody says “We pick up our inside people down at the wino bar.”
Now lets talk about some of the good stuff; stuff you can sink your teeth into. All of these are areas an MRO purchasing manager would be foolish to ignore. All produce measurable dollars. Most of these are things you normally do or could do with little or no extra cost to you.

Maximize Warranties
Each year our customers buy thousands of dollars of products that are covered by warranty or could be covered by warranties. How does this happen? Busy maintenance people throw questionable parts and products away. The customer hasnt studied the warranty policy. Or the customer doesn’t know how to determine the warranty. Here are some examples:
Hand Tools Many of these have a lifetime warranty
Proximity Switches Lifetime warranties are the norm
Electrical Products 18 months 12 months in customer / 6 months grace period
Advanced Electronic Ballast often covered under warranty

Each time a warranty is used a savings is generated. Compile a warranty list and use it to record the values of product replaced or repaired for under warranty. To begin the process I suggest that you create a spreadsheet with companies and their respective warranty time for your personal reference.

Repair vs. Replace
Many items are routinely replaced that could just as easily be repaired. Electronic devices come to mind but the list can include some other products where a skilled person could easily make an evaluation and determine the proper action.
Extension Cords are they repairable? Also see above warranty info
Electronic Boards of all kinds
Solenoid Valves moving parts can be replaced
Electrical Motor Starters contacts and coils are easily replaced
Lighting fixtures ballast bad? Is the whole unit being scrapped for that reason?

Position yourself to serve as the watchdog for repairable items. Log the value. How much can you eliminate from the “waste stream”? Each of these items represents not only a measurable savings in the repair vs. replace equation but often represent savings in land fill charges. Printed circuit boards and other electronic devices often require special handling in their handling and disposal.

Proper Inventory Levels
Is the plant keeping excess inventory in their crib? This is true in many instances. For example does the plant have a stock of twenty 30 Amp Fuses? If so in the case of an emergency how long would it take for an emergency delivery to be made? In many cases the plant is only minutes away from a large supply kept on your own self.
When evaluating inventory it is important to note multiple types of savings. I have listed some of these for you to discuss with your customer. Be sure to take credit for all of these savings.
Cost of inventory this is the product
Cost of carrying the inventory this is the interest charge
Cost of shrinkage inventory control etc this is real stuff and can’t be left out
Cost of insurance what happens if there’s a fire?
Cost of shelving/material handling these cost money
Cost of floor space in the plant especially if the plant is running out of space
Again logging the total savings is the key to claiming this activity as a “real live and completely legit” savings.

Energy Related
The whole world has been struggling with the rapidly rising cost of energy. There are a number of things that you can do to make sure that the proper savings are realized. Here is a short list.
Energy Efficient Lighting Walkthrough
Energy Efficient Motor Survey
We don’t sell motors but we can still line up the experts.
Energy saving fans recirculates the heat
Automatic Door Closers
With gas now pushing three dollars a gallon everyone is thinking energy. Provide recommendations and more importantly keep records of how much energy was saved the cost of kilowatt hour and the cost of any steam diesel or heavy oil saved.
Standardization
Is the customer using the right product? Or are they using a “Cadillac Line” when a “Chevy” will do? Can we show the customer where there is little if any difference between two manufacturer’s products? Another aspect of standardization is the trilateral negotiations we can guide the plant through to gain price or other concessions. Some ideas:
NEMA vs. IEC designed electrical devices
Fiberglass vs. Stainless Steel Enclosures
Sensors
Most companies calculate annual savings. To do this you need the annual number of parts used each year and the saving in per item. Log the difference.

What were you doing on January 23rd 2005?
Log the savings you provide! You provide the greatest service in the universe. You have a team of savings specialists who comb the land looking for ways to save your customers money. You even understand the importance of measuring your service in most universal metric of human endeavor money. But I ask again what were you doing on January 23 2005? If you dont keep a detailed journal chances are you dont know. By the same token if you dont keep a detailed log of savings provided you wont remember. The log can be simple and easy. A MS Excel worksheet with a single spreadsheet for each customer will work. A full feature software package is available from several companies to assist in measuring and logging your value.

In Closing
Provide service. Measure the benefits of your service in dollars. Record these valueadd events for later reference. And next time you hear the statement “I am being told by our corporate people that I have to cut the cost of maintenance supplies by 5.” Youll be ready to Sell!

About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;Frank E. Hurtte Jr. founder of River Heights Consulting brings 28 years of distribution industry experience and a lifetime in sales. He served as manager of a rapidly growing startup location ran a cluster of branches where he worked to develop future leaders and was called on to build a winning team after the merger of two companies with dissimilar cultures. Frank successfully established sales strategies in emerging markets and coordinated the efforts of a diverse group of product managers to establish a corporatewide blueprint for success. In his role as VP Technical Sales Frank developed and implemented a model for tracking and measuring the valueadds provided to customers. Frank has served on the Board of Directors of the Association for High Technology Distribution and as the president of that organization. Upon founding River Heights Consulting Frank has put his broad range of experience to work helping others with Sales Marketing and Distribution based issues. Pick up a copy of his book Telesales Prospecting for Industrial Distribution or visit him at http://www.riverheightsconsulting.comIn his free time Frank serves on the Board of Directors of Davenport Iowa’s River Music Museum.