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Ways To Be Special On A Shoe String | Recognize & Reward Employees
Crunch Time |
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| Ways To Be Special On A Shoe String |
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If your company is very small or you are managing a single unit, big - ticket programs like those of Timberland are probably out of your reach. However these high profile perks are not always necessary to make you the preferred employer among organizations comparable to yours.
According to Patti Dowse, President of Erda Leather, which makes leather and fabric handbags in Cambridge, Maine, “This is an on going problem for a small business, trying to retain quality people. In order to be competitive in a global market, prices need to stay low, and with them, the budget for compensation. So we have to be rewarding in other ways.”
Dowse offers perks that are particularly appropriate, to her business and to her employees, such as the following: |
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A massage therapist who comes to the company to do chair massages, which are a welcome treat to workers who spend their days bent over sewing machines or cutting boards. |
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A Christmas Party at which workers help each other make gifts using Erda materials and machines. |
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Keeping the facility open for employees to use on their own time to make whatever they wish. |
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Flextime, allowing employees to choose whatever hours work best for them and their families. |
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Trips with Dowse to New York or Philadelphia for trade shows. |
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But perhaps the most rewarding benefit is the kind of environment Dowse strives to create at Erda. “I find that what people want most in their work-life is a sense of ownership and control,” she explained.
Therefore she consults with everyone on matters not customarily brought up to employees. When business blossomed into more than they could comfortably handle, she got their input as to how much they could raise prices. She has also asked their opinions on fabric choices, advertising images and new styles. “Is this fabric to hard to sew? To cut? Does this style take to long to sew.”
Cross training helps employees to learn new jobs and brings fresh insights about each task. “Keeping folks stimulated is always a challenge in repetitive work,” Dowse admitted.
Each employee is quality control. If just one person thinks a price should be a second, then it is. It is a way to let people know their opinions are respected and that the company takes the same pride they do in quality work. |
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| Recognize & Reward Employees |
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| by Donna Deeprose |
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| Want To Import? |
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| On a recent trip to the library reference department, I came across another dictionary. The Directory of United States Importers published by Commonwealth Business Media is published yearly. It lists thousands of companies by state and what they import. There is contact information and what they import. There is contact information for each listing plus their port of entry. There is also a large cross-reference index by product so you will have many choices for what you are looking for. At the end of the directory, there is a section listing embassies and consulates of many foreign countries for you to contact directly if you want to start importing yourself. |
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| Editors Note = Is it better to import or export? What is the dollar worth in your country? |
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| Many of the import companies listed probably sell much of what they import directly and others are just distributors. You could approach any of them and offer to buy goods or partner with them. If they increase what they buy out of the U.S. by adding your orders, everyone can save on price and transportation. Be straightforward in what your intentions are and you might find new sources of supply you never knew existed. This directory is worth a look to see if what you are now selling is in there. Always keep your options open for new sources of supply. |
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| Increase Your Sales Quickly |
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The fastest way to increase your sales is to upgrade the quality of your salespeople through continuous training. In my experience, working with more than 1,000 companies, you will get a return of ten times, twenty times, fifty times, even a hundred times the cost of the sales training in increased revenues within twelve months. The salesman I just mentioned increased his personal income 1,000 times the $70 cost of an audio program.
The most part in selling is ask. Ask continuously. Ask for appointments. Ask for decisions. Ask for the order. Ask your customer to buy again, or to buy more. Ask for referrals. Ask courteously. Ask politely. Ask respectively. But never be afraid to ask.
It is absolutely amazing how many business problems can be solved quickly and easily by the simple act of asking your customers to buy from you, to buy again, and to bring their friends. |
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| Crunch Time |
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| by Brian Tracy |
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| Busy Signals |
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| What I Used to Think: |
Everyone expects a busy signal now and than. |
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| Nobody Told Me: |
Getting new customers to call you is like winning the lottery. You want to make sure you are there when they call your number. Phone lines are relatively inexpensive. Whatever money you think you’re saving by keeping phone lines to a minimum can be lost the moment you lose a phone call. |
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A few years ago I wanted some landscaping done. I was having a hard time choosing between two landscapers. I called one guy to tell him that he got the job and got a busy signal. The other landscaper happened to call me twenty minutes later, so I would up giving the business to him. On many occasions I have called companies listed in the Yellow Pages, got a busy signal, and moved on to the next listing. It’s not as if I thought, “I do not want to use that company because they do not have enough phone lines.” I just did not want to wait.
Some companies have to few lines because they are trying to save money. Other companies are just too busy to notice that they need additional phone lines. As your company grows, you will have more incoming as well as out going calls. You need to monitor this increase. The moment someone calls to do business with your company is precious. Guard it with your life.
If your customer keeps getting busy signals, you won’t be busy for long. |
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