The Professional Development Institute

Why Bashing Millenials is Wrong

2010-09-28T10:12:00.005-05:00

An interesting generational take by Nancy Lublin in this weeks issue of Fast Company. We all have a generational bias, but how do we put it to positive use in the workplace? Here is just a short segment of Lublin's article:

"Millenials don't have traditional boundaries or an old-fashioned sense of privacy. They live out loud, sharing details of their lives with thousands of other people. Of course there are the obvious risks to this - say, that unflattering, reputation-damaging photo that should have been deleted from Facebook- but while you shake your cane at them for indulging in TMI, I see their openness as a great opportunity....."

"A recent study found that millenials typically use up to seven devices, apps, and programs at once-texting, G-chatting, tweeting, and listening to music while working on that memo. Where I make a list and slowly cross things off one at a time......(One employee) will site in front of three screens (two PC, one Iphone) and plow through three times as many tasks in the same amount of time. I see my role as defining a clear goal, giving her the resources to take the shot, and then getting out of the way while she dunks."

Now, who is the dinosaur? I have seen the enemy and it is me.

How To Implement a Continuing Education Program

2010-09-22T14:44:00.004-05:00

From Inc. Magazine (08/18/2010) by Lou Dubois:

"Despite budget limitations, small and mid-sized businesses need to focus on employee training and development. While 41 percent of employees polled by Louis Harris and Associates planned to leave companies with poor training during the next 12 months, only 12 percent of respondents planned to leave companies with excellent training opportunities. The study indicates that employees are happier and likely will stay where they are if they are well-trained, discrediting the popular belief that employees seek out better job opportunities once they have been trained.

To institute a continuing education program, firms should partner with corporate universities on customized programs that meet their specific industry and business needs. They also should consider partnering with local universities, as they could offer night and online classes so that employees can maintain a normal work schedule; but companies need to be understanding and offer support to workers furthering their education. Partnerships with local universities allow employees to pursue advance degrees, certificates, or continuing education units."

Read the complete article at Inc. Magazine

It Is What You Learn After You Know It All That Counts

2010-09-22T10:43:00.002-05:00

It goes without saying that today's work environment may be as unstable as it has ever been across all levels of employment and career opportunities. Businesses and corporations are less secure than in the past and this leads to unstable careers. It creates nervousness and it creates stress, both of which hamper the productivity of you and/or your workforce. Many situations are beyond any one individual's control. However, if you remain proactive in your own development then you place yourself in a much stronger position.

Here area few, but simple and effective, actions anyone can take to enhance his or her career:

Get Organized: While appropriate dress for the right time and place is critical, you must also consider how others view your work environment. Don't appear disorganized in your work setting. There is not one solution that fits everyone, but there are enough organizational techniques and solutions available to find one that works for you.
Give Presentations: This is not easy for many people, but you never want to appear as if you do not have the confidence to speak in front of a group. Start small. Find a comfort zone. Look for low-key, low-risk speaking opportunities. This is truly a skill that is developed with time and effort.
Set Goals: This is time-tested advice, but it is critical advice. How do you know where you want to go if you do not have any goals? Use the SMART objective technique. Make your goals Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time Restricted.
Learn...and then Learn More: Business and corporations now strive to become learning organizations. You must set the same course of action for yourself. Once you quit learning and stretching yourself as a professional and individual you begin to lose traction in the workforce. Technology is evolving. The demographics of the workforce will continue to change. Find something that benefits your organization as well as yourself and learn something new. You really cannot afford not to do so.

Change is not easy. Your cheese will continue to be moved by someone. Continue to learn and push your boundaries and you will benefit yourself in the long run by becoming a more productive, and valued, employee.

Making a Great First Impression!

2010-09-20T11:03:00.002-05:00

"It takes twenty years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you'll do things differently."
--Warren Buffett

In her 2005 book, Business Class: Etiquette Essentials for Success at Work, Jacqueline Whitmore identifies the two basic qualities to an effective, and lasting first impression: "The best way to make a positive first impression, especially during first-time business encounters, is to be on time and be prepared." First impressions are critical in any setting, including job-hunting activities, professional meetings and social events.

One of the largest insurance agencies in Arkansas does little, if any, paid advertising. Why? Because each employee in the organization sends out at least five handwritten notes (thank you or otherwise) to current or potential customers each week. Think for a minute and try to remember the last time you received a handwritten note in the mail that was not from a member of your family. The impact of a handwritten note or card is significant in an environment where junk mail and pre-printed marketing pieces dominate the mail we receive each day. It leaves an impression and one that is strongly positive!

Key points to consider for your next external impression opportunity:

Find out who you will be meeting.
Do your homework. You will be more relaxed the more you know about with whom you are meeting.
Everyone talks about the weather and traffic. However, most people are at ease discussing where they went to college, recent vacations, family events or personal interests.
Read the newspaper or watch the morning news. Leave the impression you are engaged in daily events and you are knowledgeable about the world in which you live.

You must think about how you dress each day and, more importantly, how you dress for any meetings you may have on any particular day. You must dress appropriately and be careful to not overdress or under dress. Does your appearance give the right impression? If your potential customer is in the financial industry then your dress must reflect, at a minimum, the acceptable daily standard for business. On the other hand, if you have a meeting within the the confines of a manufacturing environment then your dress should be appropriate for a potential tour of the grounds. If your potential customers wears safety boots then you should do so as well.

The bottom line is to leave a great first impression you must be prepared, be confident and, most importantly, be yourself.

2 Simple Ways to Reduce Email Congestion

2009-09-30T09:10:00.002-05:00

How much of your day is spent culling the unnecessary emails from you inbox? I am not addressing the SPAM mail, but the mail you received from people you work with on a regular basis. Two simple additions to the end of your subject line, when appropriate, can help reduce your email traffic.

NRN: No Reply Necessary

NTN: No Thanks Needed

We often feel compelled to thank people as a matter of courtesy and to reply to emails as a matter of acknowledgement. If you give the people who receive your emails the freedom to not reply or thank you when it is unnecessary then you will greatly reduce your inbox traffic. Just be sure to educate your remail recipients the first few times you use NRN or NTN.

Want to learn more? Managing the Email Surge is offered by the Professional Development Institute at Arkansas Tech University on December 8, 2009 from 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Early Bird Registration is $15 per person. (479) 968-6035 or http://lakepoint.atu.edu/pdi-registration.htm#Business_Communication

Have You Given Value Today?

2009-09-22T11:46:00.004-05:00

The economy is built on sales and this is true regardless if you are in the service sector, manufacturing, retail, education or training. We are continually inundated with sales pitches from every possible media. The level of competition for business is staggering. However, at the end of the day, people still want to buy from the people they know and trust. So, this begs the question: How do I initiate a relationship with the customer I do not know? The answer is really quite simple. You must give before you receive and you must create worth for your prospective customers before they will buy from you.

You craft the potential for influence with your customers when you look to do what they value first. You may not think it is noticed, but people do pay attention when you do small things for them and, when this occurs, you gain a small bit of influence. People need and want information but their time to find this information on their own is often limited. Offer them what they are looking for first and gain their confidence before you offer them a product or service. Is one or more of your customers hurting in some way and can you assist? To paraphrase a line from Field of Dreams: ease their pain.

Jeffrey Gitomer (www.gitomer.com) encourages his readers to do four things:

1. Serve your customers beyond their expectations.

2. Help your customers beyond their expectations.

3. Look to increase your present wallet share (sales volume) with existing customers.

4. Work you butt off.

Gitomer argues that if you do the four things above and do them well only then will referrals begin coming your way because you have earned them.

Note: Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of The Little Red Book of Selling and eight other business books on sales, customer loyalty, and personal development.

5 Worst Things to Say in the Workplace

2009-09-18T10:54:00.002-05:00

1. "That's not my job." -When you look closely, everyone does things that "aren't their job." If someone asks you for help, take it as a compliment.

2. "I don't mind helping you with that." --(With a fake smile on your face)--There is nothing worse than someone who offers you help and then complains about it later.

3. "Don't tell anyone I said this but..."--Anytime you start a sentence with that phrase, you're asking for one thing: the recipient to tell someone you said that.

4. "I'm so . . . stressed out/busy/sick of working here."--Constant complaints about your workload, stress level or the company will quickly make you the kind of person who never gets invited to lunch.

5. "I don't have time for that."--Everyone is busy. If your boss asks you do something, chances are it is not an option.

Is customer service a lost art?

2009-09-16T08:13:00.002-05:00

There are many days when I am frustrated by the lack of quality, or genuine, customer service from retail America. It seem to be such a simple concept but one that is elusive to most businesses regardless of their efforts to promote customer service through their employees. An instance yesterday brought this to mind today. Yesterday morning I had a scheduled appointment with a utility provider who gave me a window of 8:00 a.m. until 10:00 a.m. I scheduled the appointment two weeks in advance in hope that I might be the first one on the schedule. By 10:00 a.m. I have not heard from the company. I called local customer service number which routes me to a call center in Texas. They confirm my appointment but they do not have a way to contact the local office except through an internal messaging system. The representative tells me I should receive a call within 30 minutes. At 10:45 a.m. I am on the phone with the call center again and receive the same instructions. Unfortunately, I had to reschedule the appointment for a later date.
When exceptional customer services does occur we seem shocked and surprised because it is no longer the standard. Two years ago I purchased a HDTV television that was "dead in the box." It never worked. I spent 6 months working through the manufacturer who finally agreed to replace my television provided I could provide the original receipt. Knowing I did not have a clue as to where the receipt might be in my house, I went to the large national retailer where I purchased the television. I knew the date and the amount and I had purchased the television on layaway. Now, this retailer had since discontinued layaway. But the Customer Service manager who greeted me took the time to research my receipt until she found a copy. It took her 20 minutes with the assistance of two other store managers. But she found it. The point is she could have easily have disclaimed my request by telling me there was not any way to retrieve my receipt. The time and effort of this one employee made me an advocate for this retailer.
The bottom line: Customer service may be the single most important aspect of your business plan. Many people are willing to pay a little more for a product or service in order to receive excellent customer care.

Business Etiquette Quiz #1

2009-09-15T16:47:00.002-05:00

If you have to introduce two people and you can't remember one person's name, you recover by saying:

a. "Do you know one another?"

b. "I can't remember your name. Will you introduce yourself?"

c. "Nothing and hoping they will introduce themselves.

d. "It's been one of those days. Please tell me your name again."

e. "Nothing and doin nothing. After all, you don't want to embarrass yourself or others.

And the answer is. . .

D! Be honest and forthright and all will be well. Most people can empathize with someone having a bad day.

Copywriting for the Average Joe

2009-09-14T10:02:00.005-05:00

Writing in an brief and effective manner to convey your thoughts to your audience is a challenge, especially when it does not involve Twitter or Facebook. A majority of businesses and organizations do not have the luxury of an inhouse advertising expert or the need of a full-service advertising firm. The task of writing marketing materials usually falls to an internal employee who has been identified as the best writer on the staff, regardless of position or responsibility. Here are a few copywriting tips to consider if you have been selected as your company's one-person marketing section:

1. Do not write a word until you have studied your product or service and dug out every possible benefit you can, along with selling points.

2. Discuss your ideas with anyone in the company who will listen and give you feedback.

3. Build your outline.

4. Visualize the prospects in your market and talk directly to them, as if you were selling in person. (You are, in fact, selling through the written word).

5. Write your copy as if you were talking to just one prospect, not all readers. Try making a promise to your prospect, and then prove that you can deliver what your promise.

6. "The more you tell the more you sell." There is no such thing as too much copy.

7. When you read your copy, does it sound like a real person wrote it or does it sound like it was generated by "Hal" from 2001: A Space Odyssey?"

8. Leave out the jargon. It is a good idea to leave difficult to comprehend words entirely out of your copy.

9. Use the "Grandmother Test." If you grandmother read your letter or copy, would she be able to understand it?

10. The part of marketing copy most read by all readers is the P.S. If you do not use a P.S. at the end of your copy then you are missing an opportunity.

P.S. Never write or send a marketing letter without a P.S.

"The bend in the road is not the end of the road, unless you refuse to take the turn." -- Unknown

10 Small Business Keys for Social Networking

2009-09-02T10:35:00.002-05:00

Tuesday, September 8, 2009 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Lake Point Conference Center

Do you Twitter? Are you LinkedIn? Have you considered a blog to promote your business or your expertise to increase business? Social media marketing and social networking for business continues to grow. Come and learn how to develop a social media marketing survival plan for your small business.

$20 per person $10 for Arkansas Tech Faculty/Staff/Students

Welcome to the Professional Development Institute

2009-09-02T10:28:00.002-05:00

Do you imagine yourself leading the meeting?, inspiring your staff or co-workers? Do you see yourself doing more in less time, with the confidence of increased business and technical knowledge? Are you looking for increased earning power?

The Professional Development Institute at Arkansas Tech University provides customized or off-the-shelf education and training delivered to your door and on your schedule.