Senin, 01 November 2010

Sales Basics, Prospect to Partner

By Ken Rogner

Job Vacancy Indonesia, Employee, Vacancy   


Recently I had a call from the manager of a wholesale distribution sales center in Houston. He had a question, "Is there a ten-step program that I can teach my salespeople to take a customer from prospect to partner?" It got my attention so I probed into his situation.
His sales center is part of a large national chain of wholesale distribution centers and he has two full-time outside sales people, one very experienced and one new. There are three other locations of his company in that market. My caller had been traveling with his new salesperson for the first time and, as he watched and listened to the presentation made to a potential customer, he realized how it rambled and lacked a specific overall plan.
My caller has been in distribution management for a long time but some of his past training included exposure to sales training from well known authors and consultants. He knew that there was no systematic process involved in the sales call he had viewed and he was hoping for a simple set of steps he could share.
His question forced me to reflect on the history of sales training. I realize that sometimes we complicate things because we try to continually improve the process. My caller made me take a look into the past into what the basics of sales education really is. Here is what I came up with.
I have read Tom Sant's book in which he gives the credit for developing a process for selling to John Henry Patterson. In about 1880, Patterson had taken over the rights to a patent for manufacturing a machine called a cash register. His new company was called NCR (National Cash Register). Even though Patterson was a strong believer in this machine and its ability to improve retail businesses, he had serious challenges finding a method for letting the rest of the world know its value. When Patterson held his first national sales meeting in 1886 the company was stuck at a sales volume of about 12 cash registers every month. He shared with his sales people all of the features of the new models and then began questioning them to determine "tips and techniques" they were using to sell these units. He had invited his brother-in-law, Joseph Crane, to attend that first meeting and offer input. Later that year Patterson convinced Crane to join NCR and they soon realized that Crane didn't need to be technically strong at servicing the machines to be successful at selling them. Crane eventually recognized that he didn't need to point out every feature of these machines but rather to concentrate only on features that would benefit each specific customer and meet his/her needs. As Crane became the most successful representative for NCR, Patterson worked with him to uncover the "system" that Crane was using. Patterson soon recognized that it was not the script or consistent wording that Crane was using but rather his focus on specific needs of the customer. This was, in effect, the beginning of what we call the consultative approach to selling. Patterson then created a process selling book called the primer, that all of his salespeople were required to follow. The primer system consisted of four basic steps, Approach (identify customer's problems), Proposition (develop a proposal to show value), Demonstration (show the answer to the problem) and Close (ask for the order).
So there, for my friend in Texas, was the start of process selling, a simple set of steps to be used consistently as a system. I could share those basics but he was asking for more. After all, he wanted a road map to go from prospecting to partnering.
I had to expand my proposal to my new friend. Here is the "simple set of steps" as I presented them:
1. Prospecting: This is "digging" to know and understand the marketplace, evaluating the territory first to find where your sales people should focus time and energy. I recommend doing a formal SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) Analysis of your sales territory first.
2. Know and understand your customer: Learn everything about that target opportunity you can. Check with every independent and manufacturer's rep for input, use the internet, check with trade publications, pull out all the stops....know your target and as much about her business as possible.
3. Approach: Develop a series of questions that generate information about the customer's need and her definition of value. A well thought out and customized approach is key.
4. Proposal: This is step to create a response that comes from the results of the questioning and the matching to our products or services to address the customer's needs or value. I sometimes call this "marrying" the correct service with the correct need. Sometimes developing the skill that comes with writing good proposals is an additional necessity here.
5. Demonstration: This is where we must show that the product or service provides the hoped-for solution. It could be as simple as showing a new product that fills the customer's needs or as challenging as loading and demonstrating a new B2B software. Here is where product and service education within our respective companies becomes critical.
6. Close: This may be the most often taught and yet most avoided portion of every selling system. From trial closes, to dollarizing, to overcoming objections, etc. there are many approaches to this step. My recommendation was to ignore gimmicks; instead have his people develop a comfortable close that is honest and non-manipulative. In his case, as a wholesale distributor, everything is about long term relationship building, so sometimes a very successful close is making another appointment to bring in a specialist or for meeting with additional people on his staff.
7. Partnering: Success in sales definitely revolves around follow-up, continual contact and relationship building. This is where the relationship expands to one of trust and a mutual sharing of ideas, opportunities and information. This is the point where a sales person demonstrates to a customer that their loyalty is earned.
Obviously, I didn't end up with a ten step program...only seven. But these steps are the basics as I see them. The steps are somewhat simplistic but I hope they work for my friend in Texas. Developing a system for selling helps assure success, keeping it simple is sometimes the surest way of making that happen.

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Creative Selling Strategies 2010

By Ken Rogner

Job Vacancy Indonesia, Employee, Vacancy  

Winning With Creative Sales Techniques
I recently had the opportunity of helping to judge a group of creative sales technique entries for a large distribution company. It reminded me that creativity is now and always has been the way to win the sales game in challenging times and situations. Sometimes you utilize contemporary technology but most of the time sheer creativity is what sets you apart from the competition!
Here are some examples of entries that won the competition. These entries show what has changed and what has stayed the same in creative strategies for selling.
1. Finding and very successfully selling an off-season product to existing "summer-only" business customers. The difference here was in how the customers were identified and contacted. Historically this would have been by phone or in person but in this case the new contacts and customers came via e-blasts and Facebook. The backup and strengthening feature of the new product promotion however, was still a billboard ad campaign. How can you use technology to attract new customers or promote your creative ideas to existing customers?
2. Recognizing that a competitor's customer was about to lose his existing supplier due to bankruptcy, this salesperson had a new showroom display model of his product delivered...to himself but at the customer's address. When the retailer called to inform him of the miss-shipped package he apologized for the error and promised to stop by and pick it up. When he asked if they would enjoy seeing the about-to-be-released product version and received a "yes" it was the strong "buy signal" that he had been waiting for. He got the business for the year. This example of creativity would have been a winner in the past just as it was in 2010. What unexpected or remarkable things can you do to open the door or attract your potential customer's attention?
3. Taking advantage of his bi-lingual abilities this salesperson appealed to his small service contractors (with counter card displays in Spanish) and asked for leads to other similar businesses in the Hispanic community. He offered additional support and/or leads and spiffs in exchange for new contractors signed up. That first program was so successful that he added a second level to the program for referrals to other contractors in different businesses. That was also a success. What strengths and/or unique talents can you utilize to take business away from your competition?
4. Finding a high profile name or event to tie your promotion to is (and always has been) a creative way to have promotions recognized and get response. During the World Cup soccer finals in South Africa this European rep named his July promotion after the country's coach and team and alluded to their earlier-than-necessary demise. Because the event had everyone (including all of his customers) talking his promotion gained a bit of notoriety and was a huge success. He doubled his business from the previous year's promotion. What are people thinking and talking about could help you set a timetable for your promotions?
5. Creating unique reports to continually remind customers (and field sales people) of an on-going promotion. This sales manager created unique and customized computer reports, simple but effective, that could continually be e-mailed to his field sales people and their customers. The reports indicated progress made and unit sales still required to attain previously agreed to sales growth incentives. The promotion was the most successful ever with his sales center achieving more than double any other center's gains. How can you use customized computer reports to remind customers of how they can achieve success in a promotion?
6. Doing night-time, updated sales techniques training and offering customized presentation booklets for a retailer's entire floor sales staff (as well as offering Saturday deliveries) was how this distributor sales person took 100% of the business away from his competition. The economy had stalled sales and a new round of sales training plus customized presentations rejuvenated this customer's consumer-business. What unique training can you offer that will help a customer regain sales in a depressed economy?
7. Being creative about how products are assembled, packaged and delivered can sometimes increase volumes because of shared savings. This sales person worked with a customer and created a check with order process that, coupled with a 12 model cookie-cutter program, was able to reduce costs for the distributor and the retailer. When these savings were passed on to the consumer business increased dramatically. How can you find creative ways to save costs and pass the savings on?
No matter how much technology changes our daily lives and sales presentations, creatively solving a problem for a customer is still the winning combination. How can you help a customer regain lost sales? Find the answer and win the game!


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Promotional Duffel Bags - Too Tempting To Resist

By Sirangi Kalpana

Job Vacancy Indonesia, Employee, Vacancy   


If you are seriously pondering upon some new strategies to make your brand promotion a big extravaganza and contemplating to use some type of handy product for promotions, how would an idea to use a duffel bag sound? This extremely useful product can publish your logo in every sphere of globe, wherever these are carried. These days, people follow products that are catchy and trendy. Will this not prove one of the fastest ways to promote your brand and products? So, if you are struggling in a quest to find an appropriate promotional item for your marketing purposes, then Promotional Duffel bags can be an optimized solution.
Hand in Hand for Admirers
We all are well aware of the fact that athletic people are always the centre of attention and admiration for all. They influence people because of their scout, well toned physique and out bursting nature. This feature makes them winnable and demandable. Because of this assorted admiration by virtue of desire whatever they carry, wear or use becomes the first priority of all those who follow them. So the best recipients of your promotional products can be these athletes. These days, for many people, these athletes are no less than idols. So whatever they follow, enthusiasts imitate the same. It is not because they are insane after their image, but it is for the reason that followers have faith in their idol's choice.
Also, it would be a smarter way, if you supply these logo embellished bags to quality shoppers in fitness centers or gyms. This attempt of yours will bring positive response to your product and give the recipients sense of being special; thereby bringing you back various rewards like advertisement through word of mouth or even valued sales. Another option can be leaving these products with the gym owners and asking them to distribute your duffle bags as complimentary gifts to every new joining. This investment would result in hitting many stones in a single go and in a comparatively low cost. Your logo beveled on the duffel bag that a well known athlete will carry, will become a trustworthy promotion for your product. These bags will be owned by many for the reason that they look sporty and give a feeling of being an athlete, even when if the person is an average individual. Putting your investment in this idea can help you significantly in flourishing your brand name across potential customers like a wildfire.
Appreciation Gifts for Outstandingly Performing Employees
Awarding custom made duffle bags to commendable employees those who have worked sincerely for the growth of company throughout the year is another achievable step. This will not only bring jubilance to the employees after receiving this token of appreciation from their employers, but will also encourage motivated promotions throughout employee's acquaintances. Further modifications can be done by imprinting their name on the bags along with company's logo to bring more warmth and personalization to the gift.

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Bachelor of Science in Business Administration Degree - What You Need to Know

By John G White

Job Vacancy Indonesia, Employee, Vacancy   


Also known as a BSBA, this program is completed in four years of study. The general credit requirement for a BSBA is one hundred and twenty hours of study. Like a Masters in Business Administration, a BSBA is a broad examination of all levels and aspects of the business world.
This degree allows student to pick a specialization in one aspect of business to concentrate on during their final year of study. Each university program has varied specializations, but in general a student can choose form accounting, finance, legal studies, management, marketing, economics, international business, or management information systems.
After earning this degree, all students should have practiced and honed these essential business skills, management, employee relations, policies, finance, and leadership.
Often viewed as the first step to earning a Masters in Business Administration, this degree provides a student with a great foundation and background. It shows the potential employers you are well educated with the business world, and you are often qualified for entry level business office management positions, supervisor jobs, or other types of employee management positions.
Graduates with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration find themselves with a background and understanding of basic business practice, as well as a specialized concentration of study they choose themselves. What they choose to specialize is a direct indication of what type of work they may end up in after earning their degree. Working for a business can prove to be lucrative, and there is no shortage of jobs in the business field. If you are looking to begin a career within the business sector, this program is one you should consider.

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Compromise Agreements Tax Implications

By Fiona E Martin

Job Vacancy Indonesia, Employee, Vacancy   


Compromise Agreements are legally binding agreements between an employer and an employee, sometimes referred to as a termination settlement. They allow for a clean break of the employment relationship where the employee waives their right to bring claims in return for compensation.
The first £30,000 of compensation is generally tax free. However, this is not the case with every Compromise Agreement. How much of a payment is taxable depends on the basis on which it is paid. So if you are giving or receiving compensation in a Compromise Agreement it pays to look at ways to make it as tax efficient as possible. Here are some of the options.
Salary and benefits to date
All payments made up to the point the contract of employment ends are subject to normal tax and national insurance deductions.
Payment in lieu of holiday
Payments in lieu of holiday are taxable.
Pay in lieu of notice
Where such payments are allowed for in the employee's contract of employment or employee handbook they are taxable. Where they are not, they may be paid gross and count towards the £30,000 exemption.
However, where an employer routinely makes payments in lieu of notice - even if it is not part of the employment contract - HM Revenue & Customs may consider tax should be deducted.
Payments for restrictive covenants and confidentiality obligations
An employer may restrict an employee from acting in competition, or approaching customers or employees after they leave. If the contract contains enforceable restrictive covenants, the employer can rely on these if it has not breached the contract when terminating the employment.
However, if the contract does not have these provisions, or they are unenforceable, the employer can seek new restrictions. To make these binding in law a "consideration" must be paid - usually a small sum of £100-£200. This is taxable and liable to national insurance contributions. The same applies to payments associated with a confidentiality clause.
Compensatory and ex-gratia payments
The first £30,000 of compensatory, ex gratia (non-contractual) payments for loss of office or employment is tax exempt.
Redundancy Compromise Agreement
Statutory and contractual redundancy payments fall within the £30,000 exemption.
Pension contributions
Direct payments into a pension scheme are not taxable unless they exceed annual and lifetime contribution allowances.
Outplacement costs
Contributions to the cost of outplacement counselling or training are not taxable. Usually paid directly by the employer, they do not count towards the £30,000 exemption.
Legal costs
The employer usually pays the employee's legal costs. This does not count towards the £30,000 exemption as long as the fees are solely in connection with termination of employment.
Sums exceeding the £30,000 exemption
If the Compromise Agreement compensation exceeds the £30,000 exemption, tax is deducted at basic rate on the additional amount.

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Do I Really Need A Workers Compensation Lawyer?

By Howard Batt

Job Vacancy Indonesia, Employee, Vacancy   


The law with regard to workers compensation in New Jersey can be very complex. It is a specialty area and finding an attorney to deal with it may be bit more difficult to achieve. It is in fact worth it to keep looking to find the best. This very specialized and complex area of law is one of the most important to you as a worker who has been injured.
Do you need an attorney to help you with your workers compensation claim? Realistically you probably do. In New Jersey an employee may not always be given all that he or she is entitled to so far as their compensation claim. Employees who have been injured at work need the assistance of an advocate for their cause.
Realistically, many companies are going to seek out ways to prevent you from having full claims. While it sounds unfair the fact is that it's true. The reality is that the employers and companies who are working against you have their own attorney and are at least being given legal advice to assist them in the case.
If you are denied your compensation, you have the right to appeal. You will have 14 days in many states in order to file an appeal against the denial notice that you receive. In some cases you will need an attorney to help you file a motion to compel the insurance company to review your case and to admit or deny it based on the merits.
An attorney will help you to navigate the red tape that it may take in order to assure that your financial future is secure and that you aren't harmed in any way by the accident and injury that took place at work.
In addition to helping you to file an appeal an attorney can help you to get through the investigation of the entire accident. They will want to be certain that the accident that you had was one that actually took place on their premises and that involves an investigation into the accident. You need to make sure that your rights are protected.
Your employer has attorneys who work hard for their business. You need an advocate who will also work hard on your behalf to make sure that you have what you need and that your financial tomorrow are all secure. The New Jersey workers compensation laws can be difficult to work with. If you're not an expert in the field of workers compensation, find someone who is and make sure that you have representation that you can count on. The difference that it may make in your overall workman's compensation progress and outcome could be more than worth what you have to pay your attorney.

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The Employer's Responsibilities for Treating an Injury

By Howard Batt

Job Vacancy Indonesia, Employee, Vacancy  

Under workers compensation laws, can an employer refuse the employee medical attention at time of injury? The answer to that question is no, they may not deny you treatment, but you are the one who is responsible for making sure that you get it in some cases.
Your employer is a partner in your financial future, but sometimes when you're injured at work that may change. Very often, sometimes without intent, employers tend to look down on employees who are injured at work and the employee will feel somewhat less likely to report an injury or ever to seek treatment.
Failing to report an injury means that you are not qualified to receive any type of treatment for the injury under the law and that your employer is not necessarily constrained to offer you any type of remuneration after the fact, even if you find out later that your injury is more serious than was originally thought.
If you report your injury to your employer immediately you have the best chance of receiving your workers compensation without any real problems so it is encouraged that you report your injury and seek treatment within 24 hours and it is the law that you must report it within 7 days if you are to achieve any type of treatment or compensation for it.
Your responsibility is to notify your employer as rapidly as possible after your accident and to make sure that it is documented at work so that everyone knows that you received your injury in the workplace. This makes for granting you workers compensation far more easily accomplished.
Your employer has the responsibility to provide you with medical treatment if you request it immediately following the injury. If your injury is an emergency, then you can be sent to an emergency room for treatment. If the accident is not emergent in nature on site treatment may be provided by a nurse or an EMT or Paramedic, with follow-up treatment at a physician or hospital.
The worker has the right to prompt medical treatment and the employer has the responsibility to provide it. It may be in an emergency room immediately after the accident, and then the employer may be notified if it is an emergency injury.
If the injury is not emergent or life threatening, the employee has to notify the employer first of the injury and then seek medical care after speaking to the supervisor or employer.
The competent employer will not only offer medical care for their employee but will go with them to the medical facility in order that they know best what the physicians say is the prognosis and the diagnosis, as well as to know when the employee will be permitted to return to work.
Your employer does have the obligation in most states to see to the treatment of your injury and if the injury is of a serious nature, it is mandated that treatment take place immediately.
While your employer may offer you the physician who ordinarily treats the company employees you do have the right to request another doctor. In some states they are not obligated to offer that, however some permit it if you have requested to not use the company physician in advance, well before your injury has taken place.

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Employment Law Solicitors: How to Choose the Right One for You

By Meena C Shah
  
Job Vacancy Indonesia, Employee, Vacancy   


You've just been informed that you are being dismissed because your job has been made redundant. While this may probably be the worst thing that has happened to you as an employee, it isn't the end of the world. Under the employment law you are entitled to certain claims from your former employer as a result of your redundancy. However, if you are like most individuals who have also been made redundant, it is most likely that you are not familiar with employment law. You need the services of an employment law solicitor.
Most people are often too intimidated to even consider seeking the services of an employment law solicitor. This has a lot to do with the fear of the costs involved with hiring a solicitor. Good solicitors are willing to provide you with a free consultation either on the phone or in person to help determine whether you do have a case worth pursuing. If you do have a case, the employment solicitor will provide you with an estimate of the costs and expenses before proceeding. Stay away from solicitors who want to charge you immediately without first hearing your side of the story.
Now that you have decided on seeking professional help, the next step of course is to choose the best employment solicitor to hire.
With all the available employment law experts and solicitors around, the main thing of course is for you to get the best for what you can afford. This is not of course to say that you should scrimp on your budget. Remember expertise does come at a price. Often the inexpensive services come from solicitors who may lack the experience or knowledge necessary for you to get the most out of your claims. Always look for the solicitor's credentials first then decide whether you can afford their services.
Another good way to choose the right employment solicitor for you is to check out the internet. Good solicitors will have a website that is both comprehensive and informative. You should be able to know the extent of the services that they have, experience, even sample case reports to know if they are able to handle your particular case. A website says a lot especially about the way a group of solicitors or a firm is organized. If you understand their website and are interested, chances are you will like the kind of services they can offer you.
Aside from a good website, good solicitors will also be easy to contact. Good employment law solicitors should provide you with all the necessary information for you to contact them and not just hide behind a fancy name for a firm. They should be able to provide you with a toll-free telephone number, a complete address so you can mail them or visit them directly at their office, an email address and an easy to fill out inquiry form.
Finally, your chosen employment solicitor should be able to talk to you in layman's terms and not try to impress you with heavy legalese jargon. You're trying to find help to understand something not find someone who will confuse you more.
Remember, employment law solicitors are there to help you make something positive out of your negative situation so strive to always find the ones who can help you make the most out of your redundancy.

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Understanding the ISO 9001 Audit Checklist

By Justin Knightley

Job Vacancy Indonesia, Employee, Vacancy   

If an organization has recently embarked on the journey of implementing ISO 9001:2008, a generic ISO 9001 audit checklist can be very helpful in determining gaps in compliance. As the system matures however, generic checklists lose their effectiveness and it becomes critical for the organization to delve deeper in terms of conformance when assessing the effectiveness of operational controls and specific processes.
Why use an ISO 9001 Audit Checklist?
Internal auditors often use an ISO 9001 audit checklist to determine compliance since the ISO 9001 audit checklist covers each requirement of the standard as a question. This type of questionnaire is very useful for internal auditors, because it helps them to discover how a specific requirement is implemented. The auditor has only to check that the defined procedure meets the requirements and if the procedure is preformed correctly.
The shortcoming of this approach is that the audit often fails to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of the process being audited. What happens if the process does not meet procedure? Should you change the process to be compliant with the procedure, or should you verify whether the process is effective and change the procedure? These are questions to consider in any procedure-based audit.
Instead, use the ISO 9001 audit checklist only as a guide and allow the auditor to delve freely into whatever process is deemed critical. This model will produce more meaningful findings, but, there is a risk that auditors focus on auditing processes that are familiar to their particular specialty. Furthermore, as time goes by, completing the checklist could become mandatory and overburdened with detail resulting in less time for in-depth auditing.
Process Auditing and Checklists
Process audits are undertaken to verify whether a process meets the planned goals and objectives and to identify opportunities for improvement. The main thing to understand when auditing a process is the actual process concept. One does not need to know or understand the details of a specific process to be able to audit it, although it does help. A good auditor should be able to audit any process without knowing anything about it by monitoring the process inputs to determine whether the desired process outputs have been achieved.
As with other ISO standards which require internal auditing, audit checklists based on the standard have minimal benefit when it comes to auditing a process. It is best to develop a specific audit questionnaire based on actual management system policies, processes and procedures. This allows a more in-depth approach that identifies not only failures in the processes but also potential failures, while also ensuring the internal auditors are much more rigorous during their enquiries.
Controlling the Audit Checklist
The basic ISO 9001 checklist template should be controlled but the actual audit checklist for each process is subject to change and should not be controlled.

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Step by Step Guide to Employee Satisfaction Surveys

By Martin Day
  
Job Vacancy Indonesia, Employee, Vacancy   


The benefit of running an annual employee survey has for a long time been widely accepted but many organizations have been put off by the amount of effort that is required.
Many organizations who have bit the bullet and conducted their own internal employee satisfaction surveys have often relied on word-processors to allow them to design and compile a survey, then gone through the effort of printing and distributing the survey and spent time chasing and collecting the completed surveys and then even more time transferring the survey response information into a meaningful management report.
Fortunately with the introduction of the Internet and hosted survey websites like www.surveygalaxy.com what was once a time consuming, resource hungry, long winded and cumbersome process is now slick, quick and easy.
This document provides a step by step guide to help implement a survey that will bring considerable benefits to any organization.
Step 1 - Identifying The Need
The reasons an organization would need a survey are as wide and they are long. Listed here are a few of the common reason why employee satisfaction surveys are conducted.
Event Driven
If your organization is about to embark, or is going through, a change management program employee surveys can assist in managing the change, measuring the effectiveness of the change, help to deliver a 'message' and gather valuable feedback throughout the change cycle.
For organizations that are experiencing rapid growth employee surveys can monitor internal communications and management structures to ensure that employees are aware of their reporting and management responsibilities.
Where an organization is suffering from poor moral brought on by either internal or external influences an employee survey can be used to identify the specific concerns of employees so those concerns can be properly addressed.
Where there is an increase in turnover of staff employee surveys can help an organization identify the underlying cause of employee unrest and through their findings help find solutions.
Periodically
As part of a periodic assessment, surveys will help an organization review their personnel and monitor on an individual level job satisfaction, training and career development.
Employee surveys also offer senior management the opportunity to look at the soft underbelly of their organization to confirm that their 'top down' view of the organization matches the reality and 'bottom up' perspective.
With the help of employee surveys an organization can establish good employer/employee communication that will in turn bring both direct and indirect benefits.
Step 2 - Management Buy-In
Management buy-in is always desirable for any initiative and many will argue that it is essential to ensure a successful employee survey, however, in some instances the findings of an employee survey can lead to kick-starting a management that has grown complacent and detached from their employees.
Some organization may be fortunate in that the senior management recognize and drive the need for employee surveys, while in others the management may need to first be convinced of the direct and indirect benefits an employee survey will bring.
The level of management commitment to an employee survey will have some bearing on the nature of the survey and to some extent will help determine what questions are to be asked and the manner they are asked.
A management that is supportive of the initiative may require feedback on specific areas of the business or they may give the go ahead because they feel confident that the results will only confirm that the level of employee satisfaction throughout the organization is high.
In nearly all cases it is good practice to at least try and get management to buy-in to the employee survey from the very start as they have a lot to gain and are in a position to effect any change that is later identified as being required.
Step 3 - Designing The Survey
Designing a good survey will take some time and effort but by following the basics of survey design and concentrating on the 'need to know' questions and removing the 'nice to know' a survey will rapidly take shape.
Determining the exact questions that should be asked will be entirely dependent on the individual organization, its structure and the previously identified primary need and objectives of the employee survey.
When considering what questions to ask consideration should be given to how the results are to be analyzed. For example there may be a desire to ask for individual comments but these types of answer formats can be very time consuming and cumbersome to analyze and should therefore be avoided or used sparingly.
With online surveys it is generally better to do a few smaller surveys than one very long survey as the longer the survey the higher the drop out rate will be.
Step 4 - Proof Reading And Testing
Grammar, Spelling And Clarity
Before publishing the survey make a careful check for spelling and typing mistakes and incorrect grammar. If available it is always better to have someone who has not been involved in designing the survey to proof read the survey with clean eyes, if no one is available try to take a break before checking through the survey again.
Say What You Mean And Mean What You Say
When checking the survey you need to consider the survey from the viewpoint of the respondent, you may know what you mean by each question but will the questions be clear to the employee?
Allow The Employee To Answer Truthfully
For closed questions where the employee will be required to choose from a number of available responses have you allowed the employee to answer accurately? Make use of responses like 'Don't know', 'No comment' or 'Not Applicable' where you have made the question mandatory but the employee may not be able to answer.
Consider allowing the employee to include an 'Other' answer but also appreciate that 'Other' answers will add to the complexity when analyzing the survey results.
Don't Require A Response To Questions That May Not Have One
Check that for any questions that you have made mandatory you do require an answer, for example open questions such as asking for additional comments should not be mandatory unless you definitely require the respondent to write a comment.
Check You Will Be Able To Analyze The Data
Check through the survey again but this time looking at how the results of the survey will be analyzed. Consider how you are likely to want to analyze the survey data, have you asked the right questions to be able to perform detailed analysis? For example if you wanted to view the detailed response data from the perspective of the different genders, or maybe departments, check you have asked the employee to indicate their own gender and/or department.
Don't Ask Anymore Questions Than You Need To
Consider all the questions in the survey and look for questions that are not 'need to know'.
Test The Link And Try Completing The Survey
Publish the survey and then send the survey's link to a number of people who will be willing to test the survey. By completing the survey yourself you will get a feel for how the respondent will view the survey. From your own and others feedback stop and make adjustments to the survey as required.
Repeat this process until you are happy with the survey.
Check The Data
Take time to view the online summary results of the test data and confirm that the data is being collected in a manner that can be properly analyzed and that will give meaningful results.
Step 5 - Promoting And Deploying The Survey
Where all or the majority of employees have access to the internet or company intranet deploying the online survey is as easy that ABC, either via email or by establishing a link to the survey from your own website or Intranet.
Where there are some or many employees that do not have direct access to the internet there are a number of alternatives that can be used from issuing the survey in printed form, providing a shared terminal or giving them an incentive to complete the survey at home.
Anonymous Responses?
There is a choice to allow all surveys to be completed anonymously. Allowing a survey to be anonymous may encourage employees to speak their minds enabling the survey to provide 'a warts and all' report, in turn giving management an opportunity to address underlying problems before they become serious.
However, allowing anonymous comments also allows employees to be more cavalier and flippant with their responses. Some organizations would therefore only want to consider comments where employees are prepared to stand by their convictions and that will also provide an opportunity to follow up the specific concerns of individual employees.
The decision to allow anonymous responses or not will, among other factors, be down to the individual organization, the specific nature of the survey, the surrounding circumstances, the management style and the existing employer/employee relationship.
Step 6 - Monitoring The Survey
While the survey is in progress you will be able to view the summary results online and also monitor in real-time the number of surveys that have been both started and completed.
If after a few days the number of completed surveys falls short of the expected target it is advisable to send periodic reminders to employees asking them to complete the survey.
Step 7 - Analyzing The Results
There are no hard and fast rules for analyzing the data. Much depends on the individual survey, the questions asked and the number of responses.
Most surveys will benefit from many of the results being displayed in graphical as well as tabular form.
When first analyzing survey data often a number of 'headline' results will immediately stand out that will provide you with a general overview and, providing the right questions have been asked, give you an instant assessment of the mood throughout the organization as a whole.
Where the results give areas of concern a more detailed analysis may be advisable. For example if employees were asked if they felt the organization provided equal opportunities to both genders and 25% gave a negative response it would be useful to know the gender split of the organization and also to look at what the gender split was of the 25% that answered negatively. Was the negative view shared by employees of both genders, evenly spread throughout the organization, or of a particular gender from a particular department?
There is a method of reporting that presents the result data in tabular and/or graphical form allowing those who are interested in the results to view the raw data.
Often used as a compliment to the first, another method is to interpret the results and provide an analysis of the data and offer a view as to what the meaning is behind the results, what circumstances may have contributed to the results being as they are and, where the results indicate a negative, what initiatives could be taken. Such analysis if done by a single individual is likely to be very personal, if done by a committee it is still likely to be objective and therefore open to interpretation.
Step 8 - Further Action
Probably the most important step is the last. An employee survey will either confirm that the perfect organization exists or it will highlight areas that are less than perfect by identifying individual and common concerns.
It may be that further more detailed surveys are required that target specific areas. For example the survey may reveal that employees working in a particular department are collectively unhappy, but the reasons for their dissatisfaction may not be clear. A smaller, specifically targeted follow-up survey may help reveal the root causes.
When employee surveys are periodically run an organization that has taken steps to address issues will see their efforts reflected in subsequent survey responses. Almost all organizations have some problems and it helps an organization's moral to see that a channel is available that will allow problems to be highlighted, addressed and resolved.
Summary
These guidelines are intended to help an organization conduct successful employee satisfaction surveys, they are however, only a guide.
Each organization is different in style and structure and the organizations 'personality' will go someway to influencing the tone and nature of the survey and organizations will have many different circumstances and primary reasons for conducting a survey.
By utilizing existing technology and conducting surveys online you are now able to monitor the heart beat of an organization, quickly, easily and, by using websites like Survey Galaxy, at minimal cost.

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Tips for Successful Direct Mail Marketing

By Ron Morton

Job Vacancy Indonesia, Employee, Vacancy  


Considering Direct Mail Marketing? Good idea.
Direct Mail has been around forever and is still considered the most personal style of advertisement because no other medium can give you the ability to touch and feel it like mail does. There are many things to think about before you jump into a bulk mailing campaign; who your customers are, how you're going to reach them, and how many potential customers can use your product are just a few.
Do lots of research on direct mail, it never hurts to know more than you should. Keeping mail pieces that you have received is good too because it lets you get ideas from businesses that are in the bulk mail game already, and knowing what your competitors are doing can be an advantage.
Determining your mail route strategy is a very important factor. What neighborhoods will produce the most potential customers? Income, location, and household count should be three big decision makers when figuring out your mail distribution. Creating a database from current customers is a good strategy too, and sending direct mail to these current customers with coupons and upcoming sale items keeps these customers coming back for more. But know that there are potential customers out there awaiting your mail piece, you just have to know how to find them.
Creating your mail piece can become the tricky part. You need to have something that will catch the customer's eye, whether it is a great photo on the front or "SALE" in big letters, that always gets me to look. But the designing of your mail piece is part of a whole other department.

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30 Employee Engagement Communication Tips

By Sarah Perry

Job Vacancy Indonesia, Employee, Vacancy   

High levels of employee engagement in an organization are linked to superior business performance, including increased profitability, productivity, employee retention, customer metrics and safety levels. Hence effective employee engagement communication is a key part of any internal communications strategy.
Tip # 1 - 60% of people communicate visually. Use interactive visual screensavers to portray company values and vision. A picture paints a thousand words. Use screensavers to show a positive view of the company. Broadcast it round your organization to capture people's imagination in an appealing, visual way.
Tip # 2 - Visual cues are important. So your CEO can't be at the meeting? No problem. Use Video to let staff see the commitment and intent in your CEO's eyes and hear the passion and empathy in his or her voice. Where possible, customize video for different groups of employees at different times and you can measure cut through.
Employee engagement communication tip # 3 - The power of small groups. Smaller face to face executive communication, such as brown bag lunches and skip level meetings, offer a more personalized and engaging format for leadership communication. Multiple time slots and venues can also help maximize the chances that employees can attend executive briefing sessions.
Tip # 4 - Customize engagement communications for different target audiences. Work with managers to make engagement communications as relevant as possible to different groups of staff.
Tip # 5 - Expand awarenesss. Make sure employees understand how the unit they work in contributes to the overall success of the organization. Expand their awareness beyond their own performance and extend it out into their team.
Tip # 6 - Highlight best practice. Include articles in your staff magazine that show how employees are modelling organizational values or supporting wider company initiatives.
Tip # 7- Reinforce understanding and develop local context. Use the pop-up Staff Quiz to ask scenario questions to reinforce understanding and local context. For example, "When I see a colleague working in an unsafe way, I would: A, B, C, or D or all of the above?" or "In XXX situation, how would you apply our company values?" Offer prizes to encourage staff to take part. Include humorous or trick questions and answers that make the quiz fun and build employee engagement.
Tip # 8 - Provide employee helpdesks. Set interactive online helpdesks to let staff ask questions about any aspect of the business and their role within it.
Tip # 9 - Get respected managers and staff to blog about various aspects of the business. These people can, answer questions and provide context to staff regarding any aspect of the business.
Tip # 10 - Encourage and help senior managers share ideas with their staff.
Tip # 11- Show that you're genuinely concerned about employees' opinions and use social media as a communications tool to build engagement.
Tip # 12 - Let staff tell their own stories to build engagement. Encourage them to tell their own stories in the staff magazine about what they are doing to support company strategies or embody organizational values.
Tip # 13 -Show how feedback is being used. Articles in staff magazines, updates on scrolling news feeds and even interactive corporate screensavers can be a great way to demonstrate to staff how their feedback is being used.
Tip # 14 - Involving employees builds engagement. Use Staff Quizzes to involve people. For example, by asking them to name new ways of working (e.g. new systems, projects) or suggest improvements. Offer prizes for the best ideas and recognize them using targeted corporate screensavers and articles in the staff magazine.
Tip # 15 - Promote employee development programs. Interactive corporate screensavers and articles in staff e-magazines can be effective ways to raise the profile and perceived value of employee development programs.
Tip # 16 - Promote employer brand. Internal brand messages can be lost if they are buried in email or on the intranet. Bring brand messages to life with interactive, visually engaging Communications channels such as messages on screensavers. Involve staff in creating brand values using staff surveys and discussion forums. Find out what staff know and think using fun staff quizzes.
Tip # 17 - Actively promote organizational effectiveness, reputation and ethics. Use all the internal communications channels at your disposal to raise employee awareness. Employees want to feel good about their leaders, where they work, the products they sell and the reputation of their company. Hence these types of engagement communications can valuable.
Tip # 18 - Communicate value. Screensaver images can be a very effective way to promote 'free goodies' available to staff. Anything from staff parties, discounted gym memberships to health checks, fun runs and fresh fruit can be promoted easily and effectively on corporate screensavers. Raising awareness of additional staff benefits can help employees feel more valued and engaged.
Employee engagement communication tip # 19 - Department highlights. Often people don't see where they fit into the bigger picture or why a specific department is working so hard on a particular initiative. Use screensaver messages and short articles in the staff newsletter to provide project updates and progress reports.
Tip # 20 Tell managers first. This gives them time to plan how they will react when their team hears important news and time for managers to prepare answers to the questions that may be unique to their team.
Tip # 21 Get managers to share ideas with one another. Social Media tools allow managers meet online to discuss strategies, share ideas and plan. This is especially useful when managers work in different locations.
Tip # 22- Measure how well managers are communicating. Help Managers see the importance of effective communication in order to increase engagement.
Tip # 23 - Not Communicating or Communicating late can damage employee engagement. Hearing about an important update from media, colleagues or family and friends can have a negative impact on employee engagement. Ensure employees hear these messages from the business as soon as possible. Desktop Alerts can achieve fast, effective message cut through. Reporting options let you check which recipients have opened the message. Message acknowledgement options allow you to ensure communications compliance.
Tip # 24 - Deliver localized content. Setting managers or their PAs up as internal communication assistants is a good way to make sure staff get information that is directly relevant to them as soon as it is available.
Tip # 25 - Measure understanding and impact on behaviors. Measure employee understanding and the impact of engagement communications on behaviors.
Tip # 26 - Celebrate both financial and non financial achievements.
Tip # 27 - Highlight success visibly. Interactive corporate screensavers are great engagement communication tools. Use visual communications to highlight and celebrate successes.
Tip # 28 - Document local success. Encourage employees to submit articles to the staff magazine that talk about what they have achieved (e.g. simpler ways of working, important milestones met).
Tip # 29 - Catch dissatisfaction early. Two way internal communications channels such as Staff Surveys and Social Media channels make it easy to regularly gather feedback from staff and to catch dissatisfaction early - to understand what's really going on.
Employee engagement communication tip # 30 - Promote opportunities for staff. Include a section in the employee newsletter promoting internal vacancies. Promote training opportunities and staff support schemes on interactive screensavers or as articles in the staff magazine.

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Importance of Continuous Job Opportunities

By Macon Maic

Job Vacancy Indonesia, Employee, Vacancy

Jobs form the part of your life. It is impossible to lead a normal life without proper job. Jobs act as the major source of income thereby making the livelihood easy without many troubles. Jobs indeed keep the individual occupied without boredom. It is natural that you will completely feel bored if you sit simply without engaging yourself in any activities for about five days continuously. If this is the case, just imagine the situation you are unemployed. It will almost take your life both mentally and physically. A proper complete human life cycle comprises of job and it occupies a greater share in the livelihood and in the society. There are different types of jobs to which human beings get engaged themselves and these jobs varies depending on the qualification and other skills possessed by the individual apart from the availability of type of job in the place.
All the jobs are created by man and are also done by man in order to gain most out of it. Also there are many opportunities available around you that will definitely help you to fetch maximum and you would not have ever imagined about this kind of jobs in your life time. You might have come across many types of job opportunities while reading through various news papers and magazines. Apart from that, internet has emerged to be one of the latest developers of job wherein internet jobs are hitting the headlines. These job opportunity ads are published in the newspapers or magazines by giving the location as the headline like London jobs, Southampton jobs and so on. This clearly indicates that the job location is the particular place tagged along with the job in the opportunities heading.
You cannot avoid any opportunities as they are the main income source generators at your home front. You will always wish to look after your family and your dear ones in the most comforting and pleasing way. This wish can be converted to reality only with the help of a good job in hand. Sometimes people are also looking for additional opportunities in order to take them in the form of part time basis as they are finding it difficult to meet up the expenses due to increasing price rate. So it is advised to take care of all job opportunities with important care even if you are not in need of a new opportunity now.



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Corrections Officer Workout Routine - How To Pass The Test

By EL Forestal

Job Vacancy Indonesia, Employee, Vacancy

Are you ready for the corrections officer physical fitness test?
If your answer is no, or you are in okay shape but need a little bit more work then keep reading. I've included some really simple workout tips in this article that will improve your strength, conditioning, and overall fat to muscle content.
The truth is some recruits have sailed through the correctional officer fitness test, while others have struggled mightily. I know if you are reading this article, you are dead serious about improving your overall fitness level. That's why I've written this article to help those candidates who are serious about getting a passing score on their corrections officer PFT.
You see, the corrections officer fitness test standards are different from agency to agency, but all of them are looking for recruits who are in shape. Seriously you don't want to show up to the test site out of shape or grossly overweight. Trust me if that happens, you might as well kiss your opportunity goodbye.
Here's how to get in shape fast:
The number one thing that you want to do when training for the law enforcement fitness test is to follow a workout routine that incorporates both strength training and cardiovascular improvement. If you do one without the other, you won't pass the test. The best workout program that incorporates both strength development and cardiovascular improvement is interval training.
If you don't know much about high intensity interval training, I suggest that you study up on this powerful workout program. If you include interval training to your regular training routine, you'll get into shape faster than you ever thought possible.

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Importance of Continuous Job Opportunities

By Macon Maic

Job Vacancy Indonesia, Employee, Vacancy 

Jobs form the part of your life. It is impossible to lead a normal life without proper job. Jobs act as the major source of income thereby making the livelihood easy without many troubles. Jobs indeed keep the individual occupied without boredom. It is natural that you will completely feel bored if you sit simply without engaging yourself in any activities for about five days continuously. If this is the case, just imagine the situation you are unemployed. It will almost take your life both mentally and physically. A proper complete human life cycle comprises of job and it occupies a greater share in the livelihood and in the society. There are different types of jobs to which human beings get engaged themselves and these jobs varies depending on the qualification and other skills possessed by the individual apart from the availability of type of job in the place.
All the jobs are created by man and are also done by man in order to gain most out of it. Also there are many opportunities available around you that will definitely help you to fetch maximum and you would not have ever imagined about this kind of jobs in your life time. You might have come across many types of job opportunities while reading through various news papers and magazines. Apart from that, internet has emerged to be one of the latest developers of job wherein internet jobs are hitting the headlines. These job opportunity ads are published in the newspapers or magazines by giving the location as the headline like London jobs, Southampton jobs and so on. This clearly indicates that the job location is the particular place tagged along with the job in the opportunities heading.
You cannot avoid any opportunities as they are the main income source generators at your home front. You will always wish to look after your family and your dear ones in the most comforting and pleasing way. This wish can be converted to reality only with the help of a good job in hand. Sometimes people are also looking for additional opportunities in order to take them in the form of part time basis as they are finding it difficult to meet up the expenses due to increasing price rate. So it is advised to take care of all job opportunities with important care even if you are not in need of a new opportunity now.


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Quirky Ways to Get Your Resume Read

By Bruno Deshayes

Job Vacancy Indonesia, Employee, Vacancy  

Unless you want a quirky job you probably don't want to go quirky about your job application. Do you want to be paid with real money or monopoly currency?
The first pitfall to avoid is putting a photograph of yourself. Leave that to your facebook page if they want to check it out. Unless you are applying for a role as an actor or performing arts where a whole press-book is required a photo of yourself can be detrimental. People will hire you for your skills and your brains - not for your good looks. Remember more and more women sit on recruitment panels and your sex appeal might not cut it with them...
Next pitfall are unsubstantiated claims. Trust, honesty and loyalty are in short supply in our confused world. What you say about yourself need to be corroborated by circumstantial evidence. Don't say you are the fastest, the tallest, the quickest, etc... simply state the challenge you faced, the action you took and the result it produced. That's all an employer is interested in and they just want to know if you can do it again for them - simple, huh?
Next pitfall - going wild with fonts and colours. Your application might be passed around to various people on the recruitment committee, emailed to an iPhone, a Blackberry or an android smartphone. How mangled you will look through a not-so-perfect email program on those devices? If you want your layout and composition to remain unaffected then stick to the PDF format. Recruitment agencies hate it because their databases can't scan it for keywords.
Next pitfall - confusing your resume for an essay or a monologue. Unless you apply for a role as a writer and are asked to submit samples of your prose, you should not bore your audience with your introverted view of the world since you became unemployed. Employers are not interested in your moods, your political or religious views - all they want to know is if you can be productive from day one without any need for training or induction.
Next pitfall - ignoring your industry lingo. The best way to be rejected is to show a lack of grasp for your industry values. New lobby groups are forcing employers to comply with more and more regulations and standards. What is best practice in your field? Do you use due diligence? What about occupational health and safety? What about anti-discrimination laws?

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