Randy Clark's Blog, page 10

Is Road Rage Killing You?

So, is road rage killing you, or will it? Whenever I mention road rage, regardless of the demographic I’m speaking with, a high percentage of the group admits to road rage, even sharing stories and occasionally defending their behavior. Before you think I’m being holier than thou, I also suffer from road rage. Yes, I said suffer because road rage doesn’t help anybody. It’s destructive, dangerous, and unhealthy. Do you suffer from road rage as well? If so, what are we going to do about it?

Own It

The first thing is to admit that we have a problem. You and I must stop defending our poor behavior, blaming others for our lack of emotional control, and recognize that road rage is not the answer.

A common fallacy in thinking is explaining by naming, falsely assuming that by naming a behavior, you’ve explained it. Let’s start by calling road rage what it is – anger, out-of-control, illogical anger. You don’t get road rage; it’s not a virus. You don’t suffer from road rage; you get angry.

As Beverly D. Flaxington shares in Psychology Today, “There’s a big difference between observing reckless vehicular behavior and reacting to it with rage. It’s perfectly normal to be alarmed at poor driving and, hopefully, to respond defensively. But some of us, me included, get furious at times. We honk our horns. We slow down with them on our tailgate to “teach them a lesson,” or we pull up beside them, roll down our windows, and yell.”

Is Road Rage Killing You? Stop Raging – It’s Your Decision

Once you accept that you’re angry, the next step is to admit that nobody makes you angry. You always have a choice as to how you react in any situation. First, you must admit nobody gave you road rage. If you’re angry, it’s because you choose to be so.

Anger Kills 

Next, take the time to consider how destructive your anger is. Whether you’re driving a 40,000-pound class 8 truck or a Mini Cooper, you’re behind the wheel of a ticking time bomb when you allow anger to take the wheel. Anger behind the wheel kills. Here’s how:

Distracted Driving, when you vent toward one event or driver, you’re not focused on the whole.Escalation: There are countless stories of enraged drivers upping the stakes, which can lead to accidents and, in today’s world, gunfire.It’s unhealthy; anger isn’t good for the body or the mind. I’m certain I could find a story of a driver while amid road rage who suffered a heart attack or stroke, but it doesn’t have to be that intense to be damaging to your body and spirit.Anger is tiring. It wears you out and uses up your body’s ability to cope with danger. Tired Driving after uncontrolled rage is almost as dangerous as angry Driving.How to Stop Raging Behind the Wheel Be Prepared

You know it’s coming. Traffic jams, accidents, poor road conditions, construction zone delays, and bad drivers who make poor decisions are all waiting for you. So don’t be surprised — be ready. If you know what to expect, you can manage your expectations. Commit to not react angrily to what you know is part of your daily commute.

Drive Defensively

Are you a good driver? Do you drive defensively? If so, it’s impossible to drive defensively and with anger at the same time. Think about it: One cancels the other. Which one do you want to present on the road? So, don’t be the cause of road rage. Don’t tailgate, cut off others, or hog the left lane.

It’s Not About You

When my wife sees me moving toward road rage, she asks me, “What’s the matter? Aren’taren’t the other drivers meeting your expectations?” I thank her for it. Her words give me perspective and remind me not to take it personally. I used to sing a ditty with my two oldest grandchildren when they were in the car with me, and another driver showed poor driver skills or decision-making. It went like this, “You’re a dummy, and you don’t know how to drive, you’re a dummy, and you don’t know how to drive, you’re a dummy, and you don’t know how to drive, I’m amazed you’re still alive.” Yes, it’s silly, but the kids laughed, and the anger disappeared.

Use Good Manners

Where else is discourteous and rude behavior accepted? When someone maneuvers their shopping cart in front of you at the grocery store, is it acceptable to gesture, scream, yell, and curse? What about at a restaurant when another gets their food before you? The answer is it’s not good manners anywhere, and we should especially use good manners behind the wheel when so much is at stake.

Do You Want to Be Happy or Mad?

Is road rage killing you? If so, it’s on you. Would you rather be mean and angry or good and kind? The bottom line is you decide whether it will be rage or kindness. With rage comes a multitude of dangers and with kindness comes the feeling of goodness and cheer. I know. Goodness and cheer may sound corny, like some holiday commercial, but it’s the truth, and it’s up to you. How do you want to be? Do you enjoy working yourself into a rage? Really?

How Can I Help You?

I like to help people and organizations, but I have three criteria I consider before taking an assignment – I believe in what the organization stands for, I know I can help, and it looks like fun. If you have any questions, Contact Me. 

So, does your business have a management training plan? Because if not, many organizations, large and small, use my book, The New Manager’s Workbook, a crash course in effective management, as the basis for their leadership development program. Check it out.

Photo by why kei on Unsplash

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6 Ways to Improve Your Business Blog Overnight

Of course, you want to improve your business blog, but you know it can be challenging. You also know how important it is. I attended a website improvement seminar for small businesses. The facilitator shared excellent information. However, she only briefly touched on content creation and its impact on SEO (Search Engine Optimization). The speaker owned and operated several companies with multiple websites and more than one business blog.

I asked her how she was doing with her blogs. She answered that she was behind and needed to get a handle on it. She understood what content creation meant to organic searches.

6 Ways to Improve Your Business Blog Keywords Matter

Despite what you may have heard about the death of keywords, it’s not true. Keywords are part of an effective blog. Not keyword stuffing with so many keywords that the text reads like a computer printout, but strategically placed keywords in the title, first paragraph, subhead, meta description, and alt image.

Grammar Counts

Business blogging isn’t text talk. It’s not the place for thumb-typed abbreviations. Most of the time, it’s not the place for poor grammar. It’s important to know the rules, and it’s necessary to break them occasionally, but you must know them first. Grammar your going to make mistakes.

Tell a Story

Does your content spark interest? Does it create emotion through storytelling? Okay, not every post has a story, but many can and do. Try this: what’s been the most significant event in your life over the last seven days? Was it heartwarming, humorous, or a learning experience? Share the story and tie it back to your business. How does your experience connect with your business and what you do? Is This What Your Content is Missing?  

Add Value

People are searching for answers on the Internet. Why not oblige them by sharing how-to blogs (such as this post), tutorials, and warnings (things to avoid)?

Make it Easy to Read

Formatting can make all the difference. Poor formatting, hard-to-read fonts, backgrounds that are too busy, long paragraphs without subheads, and the lack of breaks such as bullet points make content challenging to take in. Here are 9 Steps to Creating a Compelling Blog Layout

A Picture’s Worth…

Every published post should have at least one image. No exceptions. Quality photos and graphics add to the professionalism of your blog. Here’s an excellent guide for adding images to your blog post. Neil Patel — 11 Best Practices for Including Images in Your Blog Posts   

Overnight? Really?

The title of this post is 6 Ways to Improve Your Business Blog Overnight. You may be thinking; that’s a lot of work. There’s no way to do all this overnight, but there is. The title isn’t 6 ways to make your blog perfect overnight, it’s to improve it, and yes, you can accomplish that overnight.

Commit to thinking about keywords; begin with keywords in the title, first paragraph, subhead, meta description, and alt image. It only takes minutes once you get it down. Strive to improve grammar. If you need help, do what I do, use Grammarly; it only takes minutes. Add value, tell stories, and post images. It’s not that hard. You can do this overnight. Really, you can.

How Can I Help? 

Let me know if I can help. If this post struck a nerve, you should check out my book, How to Stay Ahead of Your Business Blog Forever. The book contains action plans to create a blogging/writing system that works for you. If you have any questions, please reach out to me. Thank you for reading this post.

If you enjoyed this, you might also like, What Makes a Blog Attractive to Readers?

Photo by JESHOOTS.COM on Unsplash

 

 

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How to Know What Questions Your Target Market Wants Answered

Do you know what questions your target market wants answered? Here’s a few ideas on how answering questions reaches your target market. At my last full-time job before becoming self-employed, among other things, I wrote blog posts and shot video. My most viewed blog post, with tens of thousands of hits, wasn’t a writing masterpiece. At a mere 164 words, it doesn’t share a wealth of information. It answers a well-searched question, FAQ: How Much Does a Vehicle Wrap Cost? If you’re considering vehicle graphics, it’s something you want to know.

The most watched video I shot for the company, with 40,000 views, is How to Remove a Decal, an early video before I discovered tripods or noise reduction. It’s not a work of art. Both pieces of content solve problems and share valuable information. They answer questions potential customers want answered. What does your prospect want answered?

How to Learn What Questions Your Target Market Wants Answered 

So, how can  you know what questions to ask? Here’s a few of the ways I learned to uncover topics consumers were interested in.

Begin by asking your team

I posted an FAQ (Frequently Asked Question) every week. To find FAQs I visited different departments and picked their brains. I asked what their most frequent questions were. Sometimes, I’d ask how they would answer a specific question. I’d occasionally ask about the most recent question they’d been asked or what they wished someone would ask. I’d vary whom I asked and eventually asked everyone in the department. I’d talk to salespeople, CSRs, designers, installers, C-level staff, and production workers. The top blog post, mentioned above, came from asking a CSR her most asked question.

Talk to customers

Not a week went by that I didn’t stop and chat with a customer at the facility where my office was. I’d ask what questions and concerns they had and what they’d like to know more about. Whether it’s face-to-face, email, or a phone call, take the time to survey your customers. They’ll inform you what to answer. The concept for the top video came from chatting with a customer while he waited on his vehicle.

Google it

When I was stuck for an idea, I’d Google an FAQ about graphics removal, sign installation, popular promotional products, or other areas of the business. I wanted to know what prospects were searching and what competitors answered. If you want to reach an audience, find out what they’re searching, what questions they have.

I didn’t share the numbers on the top post and video to brag. I wanted to share a bit of proof. Now, if your video received nearly 5 million hits like this one, How to Open a Wine Bottle without a Corkscrew, I’d brag. Think about it: It’s a great question for a wine producer to answer. It isn’t directly about their product, but it puts them directly in touch with 5 million wine drinkers. So, what problems do your customers want solved?

How Can I Help You?

I like to help people and organizations, but I have three criteria I consider before taking an assignment – I believe in what the organization stands for, I know I can help, and it looks like fun. If you have any questions, Contact Me. 

So, does your business have a management training plan? Because if not, many organizations, large and small, use my book, The New Manager’s Workbook, a crash course in effective management, as the basis for their leadership development program. Check it out.

If you enjoyed this post you might also like, 10 Business Social Media Good Manners to Follow

Photo by Ameer Basheer on Unsplash

The post How to Know What Questions Your Target Market Wants Answered appeared first on Randy Clark Leadership Training.

Do You Believe In What You’re Selling?

Do you believe in what you’re selling? If you do believe in your product or service, great. If not, why are you selling it? I’m not saying you should immediately quit your job. First, determine if you have good reason not to believe. Have you done your research? Do you understand why you don’t believe, and is it reasonable?

Is Your Disbelief Justified?

I was once VP of operations for a mid-size B2C company. Our products were not the cheapest in a highly competitive marketplace. Because of this, a salesperson would occasionally question the pricing, which, if not addressed, would lead to them losing belief in the product, service, and company. I easily believed in the product because the price included a high-end product, a nationally recognized award-winning service department, and outstanding employee installation crews. The company attracted and kept the best employees because they offered full-time, year-round employment, competitive wages, and full benefits in an industry primarily composed of subcontractors. I never hesitated to explain to a customer or a salesperson that part of the price was taking care of the employees who would take care of them. So, have you done your research? Is your lack of belief justified?

Do You Believe In What You’re Selling?If You Don’t Believe, What Should You Do?

Determine why you don’t believe, follow up with research, and tell your boss. Wait, what? Tell your boss you don’t believe in one or more of the company’s products. Yes. Allow them to show you why they believe in the product. Or, it could be that management needs to be made aware of the faults in their product. Unless you’re a sociopath, you will not be good at selling a product you don’t believe in, you will be unhappy, and if management can’t answer your concerns, do you really want to work there?

Do You Believe in Your Company?

I’ve worked with companies that discontinued product lines because they lost belief in them. In some cases, an employee brought it to management’s attention. Maintaining an open line of communication about product quality is in any company’s best interest. If a product doesn’t solve a customer’s problem, it becomes a problem for the provider. Either the organization spends money servicing the problem, loses the customer, or both. If you believe in your company, give them a chance to fix the problem, and if they don’t, is it where you want to work?

If you don’t believe in your company’s product or service, do something about it. If you find your disbelief unwarranted or your company fixes the concern, you’ll learn that belief in your company, products, and services is a constant source of enthusiasm you can share with your customers.

Are You a New Age Consultant?

When I was younger, I used every sales trick in the book and even invented a few. I used these tactics to sell and taught others how to dupe a customer into buying the product I wanted to sell, which was only sometimes what the consumer needed. I’m not proud of my early years in sales. I was “that” Salesperson.

Eventually, I learned that helping customers rather than “selling” them built lasting relationships. It not only made good business sense, but it also felt good. It was the right thing to do. Are you ready to do the right thing? Do you want to learn how to be a compassionate sales consultant and increase sales while building your customer base? If so, read this book. How to Sell Without Becoming “that” Salesperson

If you like this post, you might also appreciate 5 Things Top Consultants Do. 

Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash

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10 Steps to Building a Business Brand

What are the 10 steps to building a business brand? First, let’s talk about branding. Branding has become one of those trendy business words that businesspeople throw around to make unrelated topics seem like they relate. For example, although customer service can affect a brand, it isn’t branding — it’s customer service. Sales isn’t branding; it’s sales, and engineering isn’t… you get the point. So, what is branding? What are the key elements in creating a positive and memorable brand? How is a brand built? What are the 10 steps to building a business brand?

10 Steps to Building a Business BrandDefinition

It begins with identifying who you are. What is the organization known for? What does it do better than anyone? And what do customers expect from the business?

Position

What is your company’s niche? What geographically and demographically segmented market is the organization’s target audience? And what is the business’s unique sales position?

Message

Create a message that defines your company. It should be simple, communicate the benefits to the client, and be usable across multiple media.

Voice

The message should incorporate a voice. Don’t mix elevated diction with vernacular, negative connotation with positive, and figures of speech should be used consistently.

Image

The message should include a logo that expresses and defines the brand. The key is to keep it simple and make the best use of design, typography, and color.

Unify

The brand image, message, and voice should be the same or complementary across all advertising media, including social media, print, TV, and your website.

Promote

Your brand should be promoted through traditional advertising, collateral materials, social media, networking, and content marketing.

Build community

Recognize and encourage advocates and evangelists, from employees, customers, vendors, and interested parties, who help promote your brand.

Review

Periodically review your brand, in all its forms, at least once yearly.

10 Steps to Building a Business Brand Starts with this

What’s the first step of the 10 steps to building a business brand? And the number one answer is. Have a strategy. Create a plan. Branding isn’t something that just happens, and it shouldn’t be an afterthought.

Now that you have a brand is it time to advertise?

Six Questions to Answer Before You Leap into an Advertising Campaign  

Before jumping headfirst into an advertising campaign, you need to be able to answer six questions —who, what, where, why, how, and when? Regardless of how excited your marketing team is or how enthusiastic the advertising agency might be, take some time to answer these questions before you roll the dice and only hope your numbers come up. Don’t let your advertising campaign be a crap shoot.

Why?

Why do you think you need to advertise? Are you introducing a new product, reaching out to a new demographic, or looking for a larger market share? Before you consider any marketing strategy, you must be able to answer why you need to.

Who?

Who do you want to reach? Are you trying to connect with loyal customers, reconnect with lost clients, expand into new territory, or all the above? Who is this customer? So, what do they like, what interests them, and what problems do they have that you can solve?

Where?  

Once you’ve determined your target audience, the next step is to determine where they can be found. Do they listen to drive time radio, follow you on LinkedIn, or watch the big game on Sunday?

How?

How much can you spend in dollars, time, and personnel? Do you have the finances and people to make an advertising campaign work? Do you know your budget and how it should be spent?

What?

What do you want to accomplish? Think about this: how will you know the advertising campaign has succeeded? How will you measure performance? What milestones will be gauged, and how will the campaign be tracked?

When?

So, when will you advertise: mornings, evenings, weekends, or all the above? When will your target audience be listening and watching? When will they be online?

Sounds Pretty Simple, Doesn’t it?  

It is. It’s not a complicated process; however, it takes hard work, commitment, and an open mind to succeed. Otherwise, your ad dollars could be wasted or, worse yet — work against you. Think not? Do you believe the people behind these campaigns thoroughly answered the six questions? This might be a few years old, but it still is a great lesson in looking before you leap.  The 7 Most Embarrassing Branding Mistakes of 2018.

How Can I Help You?

I like to help people and organizations, but I have three criteria I consider before taking an assignment – I believe in what the organization stands for, I know I can help, and it looks like fun. If you have any questions, Contact Me. 

Does your business have a  management training plan? Many organizations, large and small, use my book, The New Manager’s Workbook a crash course in effective management, as the basis for their leadership development program. Check it out.

Photo by Keila Hötzel on Unsplash

 

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21st-Century Cottage Industry

Historically, people think of the cottage industry as home-based work, such as sewing, assembling, and light manufacturing. The product-based home industry continues to thrive. It’s an important part of many emerging nations’ economies. But there’s another take. Is the cottage industry defined by producing tangible products alone, or is providing services part of the equation?

Cottage Industry Services

Here are six WFH jobs I’m familiar with. I write from home and have friends who do the other jobs listed here. There are many more than the six listed below. For example,  Indeed — 15 of the Best Work From Home Jobs

Software Engineer

I have a close friend who works in this field and does it quite successfully from his home office. He maintains that doing his job in his home office is easier without the interruptions at a workplace office. And when he needs to brainstorm or consult, he arranges meetings.

Financial Manager

My financial consultant works from home. She finds it gives her more freedom to meet her customers’ and her family’s needs. She’s not tied to mandatory meetings and seminars that may not benefit her. She can pick and choose what she attends and use her time to be available for her clients.

Writer

I hang with writers. I have three good friends who make their living writing from home; however, their work is often supplemented with copy editing, content management, marketing, or social media.

Photography

Two friends made the leap from being corporate photographers to working on their own. Although both have faced challenges, both are glad they made the change.

Public Relations, Social Media, and Market Research

These disciplines and others are often combined to fit the needs of customers. Once again, several friends are juggling this act and doing it successfully.

Graphic Designer

Several of my friends are freelance graphic designers, some working part time to supplement their day jobs and others independently.

Have You Thought About Working from Your Cottage?

I work from my home office. It’s where I write and plan leadership development and sales meetings. Like my friend, the software engineer, I accomplish more from my home office than I would with workplace distractions—granted, I’m the most significant source of the distractions. Creative pursuits flourish in a supportive environment, whether it’s the office or cottage. Have you thought about creating your own 21st-century cottage service?

How Can I Help You?

I like to help people and organizations, but I have three criteria I consider before taking an assignment – I believe in what the organization stands for, I know I can help, and it looks like fun. If you have any questions, Contact Me. 

So, does your business have a management training plan? Because, if not, many organizations, large and small, use my book, The New Manager’s Workbook a crash course in effective management, as the basis for their leadership development program. Check it out. It might help you stop putting off what you want to do.

If you enjoyed this post, you might like The Key Ingredient to Successfully Working from Home.

Photo by Luke Stackpoole on Unsplash

 

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How to Get More Leads Without Working Harder

If you’re in sales, you probably want to know how to get more leads. Am I right? Last week, I was discussing lead generation with a salesperson. They use social media, send emails, follow up with all inquiries, and make cold calls F2F and by phone. They work hard to find qualified leads to present their solutions, and their sales show it. They were substantially ahead of last year’s sales numbers.

How to Get More Leads Without Working HarderThe Best Lead You Forgot to Ask for

As we talked about lead generation, how much more productive email was than a cold call, and how following up with a previous customer was easier than knocking on a door, I asked how effective they were at gaining customer referrals. For the most part, they weren’t.

Referrals are among the best, if not the best lead for any salesperson. The prospect has been recommended to you by a friend, someone they trust, and isn’t that what we’re all searching for, whether it’s a car mechanic, dentist, or landscaper—someone we can trust?

The Most Productive Method of Procuring Referrals—EVER! 

Before I go further, you need to know that for this method of gathering referrals to be effective, you must provide a superior product, outstanding service, and great customer follow—up. If you don’t, stop reading right now; you’re wasting your time. Who wants to recommend a mediocre experience to their friends?

Do customers thank you? Do they thank you for superior work, solving problems, servicing your product, or correcting a mistake? When they do, what do you say? “No, I thank you!” OK—nothing wrong with that, but you must take it further. When your customer thanks you for the great job you and your company did, it’s time to ask for referrals. Look your customer in the eye and say, “Thank you. We try our best to meet our customers’ needs. Customers are important to us. May I ask who you know the could use our services and deserves to be treated this way?” I’m not big on verbatim scripts, so put it in your own words, but take the time to ask.

Four Steps to More Referrals  Deliver outstanding products, service, and follow-upListen for your customer’s appreciationRemind them how important customers are to youAsk for referralsCreating Evangelists and Advocates

When you’ve created a satisfied customer because of your efforts, ask for their help. You might begin by asking if you could use their name as a referral. Request a signed release, then post photos, create blogs, or share videos and testimonials of the work. Post the information on social media—Facebook, LinkedIn, and X. Share a video on YouTube. It’s free and easy. Once you’ve established your customers as an advocate, ask them to be an evangelist for you.

Advocates allow you to use them to promote your product or service. The evangelist promotes you by recommending you to others. Establishing an evangelical relationship with your happy customer may be easier than you think. Often, all you need to do is ask. Some folks aren’t inclined to help, and others may not have time, but you’ll find many who want to help. They want to see you succeed; they want to be part of your success, and as long as you take care of your customers and their referrals, they will continue to help you succeed.

I changed the title of this post several times. “Work Smarter for Leads not Harder,” “How to Create Product Evangelists,” and “Harvest These Leads or Someone Will.” Regardless, the point is to use your hard work to satisfy customers and help you succeed. You deserve it. How do you ask for referrals?

New Age Consulting

When I was younger, I used every sales trick in the book and even invented a few. I used these tactics to sell and taught others how to dupe a customer into buying the product I wanted to sell, which was only sometimes what the consumer needed. I’m not proud of my early years in sales. I was “that” Salesperson.

Eventually, I learned that helping customers rather than “selling” them built lasting relationships. It not only made good business sense, but it also felt good. It was the right thing to do. Are you ready to do the right thing? Do you want to learn how to be a compassionate sales consultant and increase sales while building your customer base? If so, read this book. How to Sell Without Becoming “that” Salesperson

If you like this post, you might also appreciate, 5 Things Top Consultants Do. 

Photo by Steve Johnson on Unsplash

 

 

The post How to Get More Leads Without Working Harder appeared first on Randy Clark Leadership Training.

Recruiting Is Not a Nuisance

Recruiting is not a nuisance. The most important commodity for any organization is its people. It starts with recruiting the best team through best practices. Very few management activities are as important as recruiting, building, and improving a team. Any leader’s role will be made either more rewarding or more difficult by the team she builds.

Fulfilling leadership responsibilities may rest more on recruiting skills than any other leadership task. Without a passion for recruiting and the development of recruiting skills, a manager’s true leadership potential might never be realized.

Recruiting Is Not a Nuisance

A few years ago, I wrote a preface for a recruiting manual. I began with, “Organizations that improve their hiring and retention competencies will increase their market share as others lose theirs.” Improved recruiting and retention lead to more productive employees who deliver a higher quality product, which leads to a more robust bottom line and more market share.

It all begins with recruiting. Recruiting the best employees, the best fit for your organization’s culture and needs, and that starts with leadership understanding the importance of recruiting.

Before discussing who, where, and how to recruit, let’s clarify one point — Recruiting is not a Nuisance!

It doesn’t interrupt your dayIt doesn’t interfere with your workIt IS your work

If you’re a manager, what you manage is people. I’ve often observed managers put recruiting on the back burner because of supposedly “more important tasks.” Nothing is more important! Have I made my point? The first time you think, “Crap! I have to do an interview now.” Remember, hiring the best team IS your job.

Building a Winning Team Begins with:A passion for recruitingUnderstanding recruiting is a full-time jobA dedication to improving recruiting skills

Without a dedication to improving recruiting skills, a commitment to always be recruiting, and the urgency to recruit, you’ll be at the mercy of whoever walks in your door and completes an employment application.

Do you think I’m off base or exaggerating? How many times have you taken a “chance” on an employment candidate? How often have you hired someone you knew better than to hire but did so out of desperation to fill an opening?

I’m not throwing any stones because I have done all the above. If you have as well, it might be time to change your thinking about recruiting. Recruiting isn’t a nuisance; bad hires are.

But what If You Don’t Have the Time or Skills to Recruit? 

If that’s the case, we can handle the details of recruiting for you, so you can focus on what you do best.

The hiring process can be a long and brutal exercise when you’re trying to do it all yourself, especially while juggling the everyday tasks required to keep your company on track.

You can use our recruiting experience to handle the details. We will quickly find the talent you need in order to stay operational without skipping a beat.

We are as helpful and hands-on as you need us to be. Leave the searching to us and see how easy the hiring process can be with a professional recruiter in your corner.

How Can I Help You?

I like to help people and organizations, but I have three criteria I consider before taking an assignment – I believe in what the organization stands for, I know I can help, and it looks like fun. If you have any questions, Contact Me. 

So, does your business have a management training plan? Because if not, many organizations, large and small, use my book, The New Manager’s Workbook, a crash course in effective management, as the basis for their leadership development program. Check it out.

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy Leaders vs Commanders: Which Approach Drives Success?

Photo by Clem Onojeghuo on Unsplash

 

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The Top Ten Ways Small Businesses Self-Destruct

There are many ways small businesses self-destruct.  “Many people think that small businesses have it quite easy due to the wealth of entrepreneurship in the United States. The reality, however, is that 18% of small businesses fail within their first year, while 50% fail after five years and approximately 65% by their tenth year in business. This information is as per the Bureau of Labor Statistics.” —  US Chamber of Commerce

Yes, only half of new businesses survive to their fifth year, and only one-third make it to their tenth anniversary. Why do so many companies fail? Some causes of failure businesses have little control, such as economic downturns, new technology, and politics. What’s different about businesses that survive? Are they luckier or better prepared to succeed? The answer is most likely a little of both, and they probably didn’t shoot themselves in the foot.

The Top Ten Ways Small Businesses Self-Destruct  Not enough cash on hand

Any business that survived the economic challenges of 2020 learned this lesson. Lines of credit evaporated almost overnight, and cash reserves were exhausted. The companies that survived learned their lesson. Keep reserve cash on hand.

Not changing with the times

There are many examples of this. For example, look at how times have changed from Blockbuster to Redbox to Netflix. Don’t be Blockbuster. Stay up to date with your market and customers.

Accounting confusion

Hiring an accounting firm doesn’t mean the firm has the same vested interest as the owners. Someone within the organization should always stay on top of accounting.

Not meeting customer needs or solving client problems

If your product doesn’t fulfill the needs and wants of customers, they will not flock to your door. Don’t solve the problem you wish to solve—solve the problem your customers have. Give your customers what they want.

Poor location

This problem is easy to recognize for brick-and-mortar retail stores, but it can also affect B2B and internet companies. Whether your business has a building or is online, the main thing to consider is whether customers can easily find you.

Lack of effective marketing

Hit-or-miss marketing isn’t a plan. A marketing plan includes a budget, market research, and media reach.

Limited knowledge of competition

When businesses fly in the dark, they’re liable to hit something. Staying abreast of your competition’s marketing efforts, products, and customer service will inform you of opportunities as well as threats.

No business plan

Not only a business plan but policies, procedures, and systems. The most likely outcome of flying by the seat of your pants is crashing.

Lack demand for the product

Creating a need for a product is difficult when no need exists—finding a new answer to an existing problem or doing it better than competition puts the horse before the cart where it should be. Don’t create a product no one needs.

And one reason you didn’t think of

Drum roll, please. No succession plan. Even the most dedicated owners, entrepreneurs, and CEOs get sick, pass away, or move on. When there’s no succession plan in place, the survival of the business becomes a crap shoot.

It’s a challenge

There are enough challenges to keep any small business’s doors open without creating more. Threats come from the economy, politics, and new technology. Government regulations are ongoing and ever-changing. The mega-store that moves in next to the mom-and-pop, changes in demographics, and buyer habits all impact the bottom line for small biz in America. There is no room in small business for self-destructive behavior. Are you in a small business? What are your biggest challenges?

Photo by Chris Anderson on Unsplash

The post The Top Ten Ways Small Businesses Self-Destruct  appeared first on Randy Clark Leadership Training.

Wait What? You Want Me to Give a Meeting?

Your boss has asked you to give a meeting. OK, you were kind of told you were giving the meeting. But wait—you hate meetings!? There are too many, and they’re too long. The last thing anyone needs is another boring one-hour lecture. Are you to be a part of something you despise? Calm down and take some deep breaths. With a little planning, you can show everyone how to conduct a meeting properly. You can lead the way.

Before planning a meeting, determine its purpose and consider what type of meeting is best suited to that purpose. There are many types of meetings; here are four of the basics.

How to Give a Meeting Four Types of MeetingsStatus 

Use status meetings to stay current on project progress, activities, results, and expectations. Most status meetings should be short and to the point, primarily about the status of projects and daily activities. A status meeting isn’t best suited for discussing HOW to do it but rather WHAT needs done, WHO is doing it, and WHEN it will be completed. I’ve been involved with daily production meetings that included manufacturing, design, installation, and sales teams.

In these meetings, we discussed who was doing what, who could help who, where we stood on deadlines, and what had changed. Everyone doesn’t need to talk about procedures. Limit procedural discussions until after the meeting and make it between the parties directly involved. Conduct status meetings at the rate of status change in your organization. If change orders and new projects come in daily, you may need 10-15 minutes daily.

Tip – Having everyone stand for this meeting helps keep them short and on point.

Decision Making and Problem Solving

These meetings are the opposite of status meetings. By their nature, they will be longer and more involved. Using problem-solving techniques to identify areas of improvement can help the team establish how to overcome challenges. Brainstorming, involving the entire team in the process, opens creativity, often presenting new approaches and investing the team in a plan they helped develop. Although it may be a good idea to schedule regular problem-solving meetings, it’s common to schedule meetings as needed.

Tip – Part of your preparation should be asking attendees for their input before the meeting; you’ll know where it stands and who you can call.

Vision, Planning, and Creative 

Use this meeting type to set the course for an organization. Where are we going? What’s next? Some companies hold regularly scheduled meetings, monthly, quarterly, or yearly, while others share vision and planning as opportunities arise. This type of meeting may be a group input session, or a leader may share their vision and plans. Creating a Vision team or conducting a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis are examples of this type of meeting.

Tip: Assign a meeting note-taker. It will be important to follow up on this meeting’s conclusions.

Training 

Training meetings include basic training; follow up training, safety, procedural, and policy meetings. They should be continuous, ongoing, and scheduled on a regular basis. The schedule will depend on the level of experience, how often there are procedural changes, required compliance (such as OHSA), complexity of tasks, and how often new hires come aboard.

Tip – Develop and use checklists for these meetings, especially those which you will repeat.

Are You Ready to Give a Meeting? 

By first determining the purpose of a meeting and what you want to achieve, you can plan the most effective type of meeting suited to the purpose. For example, attempting to plan in a status meeting or problem solve in a training meeting may lead to a lack of direction, a lot of confusion, and time not well spent.

Today in America more employees believe that most meetings are a waste of time. Is this true in your organization? Are there too many, too long, uncoordinated meetings using up your time or are they productive and timely?

This CNBC post, The No. 1 workplace distraction that kills productivity, according to Microsoft offers a few valuable suggestions to make meetings more productive.

How Can I Help You?

I like to help people and organizations, but I have three criteria I consider before taking an assignment – I believe in what the organization stands for, I know I can help, and it looks like fun. If you have any questions, Contact Me. 

So, does your business have a management training plan? Because, if not, many organizations, large and small, use my book, The New Manager’s Workbook a crash course in effective management, as the basis for their leadership development program. Check it out.

If you enjoyed this post you might also like Unplanned Meetings Are a Waste of Time.

Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash

 

The post Wait What? You Want Me to Give a Meeting?  appeared first on Randy Clark Leadership Training.