Laura Benjamin's Newsletter

Laura Benjamin's Newsletter
##########################################
Circulation: A select group of 1700+ international readers
Vol. 5, Number 6 - June 2004
Publisher: Laura Benjamin
http://www.laurabenjamin.com
##########################################
Quote of the month:
"Your snazzy logo, shiny truck, and 'How's My Driving'
bumper sticker will make a great impression, but you'll blow
it in an instant when your driver leans out the window at
the next red light and spits." (Laura Benjamin)

More quotes at www.LauraBenjamin.com/teamworkquotes.htm
===========================================
Privacy Statement: We never release your contact info, ever.
Bookmark www.LauraBenjamin.com for archived newsletters,
free articles, and Breaking News on upcoming events.
============================================
In This Issue
============================================
1. Marketing Tips

2. Management Tips

3. Useful Resources

4. Shameless You Know What (always at the end)

=============================================
1. Marketing Tips
=============================================
From SalesForceXPress e-newsletter June 2, 2004
Successful sales managers tend to be those who were not star
performers as salespeople. Why? The skills are different.
The common denominator among managers who received high marks is:
-they understand their sales culture
-they have a clearly defined sales process in place
-they spend time developing and coaching their teams
Rate your organization/sales manager on a scale from 1-5 for how
well they rank in those areas.

Reverse Web Linking
Want to see just how popular you are? Find out how many other
websites have linked to yours by going to: www.Alltheweb.com
Type your domain name into the search field as follows:
"link:www.yourdomainname.com" (link:www.LauraBenjamin.com)
to pull up the sites that link to yours.

Value-Added
I was on top of a scaffold staining log beams for my sister
and her husband who are building a new home, when the drywall
contractor stopped by. My brother-in-law gave him the tour so
they could write up a bid for the project. When they got to
the bathroom area, my brother asked about the type of concrete
board he should install to prepare for tiling the shower.

The contractor didn't hesitate a minute before offering to
install the concrete board for him at no cost. Later on, I
commented to my brother that it seemed the contractor wasn't in
the house more than 15 minutes before he found an opportunity
to add something extra into the deal. Smart man.
No wonder his business is doing so well.

Tip: Look for ways to "sweeten the deal" when you bid out a project.
Throw in some extra materials, upgrade the services you provide,
or add in a bonus. We all love free shipping, don't we?
Catalog companies long ago learned the value of throwing a free
gift into the box along with the product you ordered. No doubt, you
are asked to do things for free all the time. So if you're going to
give anything away, why not do it for your paying customers as a way
to say thank you in advance?

=============================================
2. Management Tips
=============================================
Tips to Motivate Your Employees:

- Hold regular team meetings, but this time, they are in charge.
Rotate facilitators from among the team to develop and manage the
agenda. You (the boss) get one brief slot on the agenda to discuss
"need to know" items. They are responsible for positive,
productive outcomes. This will not only involve them in the process,
but give them some personal responsibility for the level of
communication in your department.

- Install a recognition program. You don't need a lot of money to
do this and you don't need a sales environment to make it effective.
Put together a volunteer team to identify opportunities to reward and
recognize employees (ex: coming through in a crisis, helping a co-worker)
Come up with as many qualifying ways as possible, then whittle them down
to those that most people can support. Create a menu of rewards that
folks can choose from (breakfast with the boss, 15 min. extra break, a
chocolate chip cookie, coupon from the cafeteria, "You're the Greatest"
certificate on colored paper they can tack to their cubicle) This is
not a competition - rather, it's an opportunity to give a little extra
something to those who regularly show up and go a little above and
beyond.

- Use the "Strengths Interview" format from First, Break all the Rules,
by Curt Coffman and Marcus Buckingham (I'm happy to email it to you) to
figure out how people want to be developed. It will be different for
each person and could include professional coaching (from you, an internal
coach, an external consultant), signing up for a teleclass, cross-
training, obtaining a certification, etc. Avoid making the assumption
that professional development means the same thing to everyone.

==============================================
3. Useful Resources
==============================================
The "Invisible" Web:
Did you know that Google has about 4.3 billion pages in its
index, yet that is only about 25% of the surface web and less
than 0.1% of the "hidden" web? These are pages the search engine
crawlers cannot see or are restricted from and are generally
higher-quality information, including:
-Content in proprietary databases
-Government resources
-Some market research
-Demographic statistics

"Invisible" or hidden web directories include:
www.invisible-web.net
www.incywincy.com
http://completeplanet.com
www.lii.org (librarian's index to the Internet)

A Tip To Lift You Up:
Feeling a little down in the dumps? Take a quick walk around
the block. In a 16-week study of people suffering from major
depression, 60 percent of those who walked or jogged for 30
minutes 3 times a week overcame their depression without using
antidepressants. That's almost the same recovery rate as for
those who only took mood-enhancing drugs (68%)

===============================================
4. Shameless You-Know-What...Always at the End
===============================================
Through Spring 2005: Peoples National Banks Mystery Shop
and Customer Service Improvement Project

Jun 15-16 Acordia Insurance Regional Controllers Team
Retreat & Strategic Planning Session with the DiSC
Behavioral Profile, Colorado Springs CO

Jul 20 Cheyenne Mountain Resort Corporate Learning Center
Teambuilding Workshop & Outdoor Experiential Learning
Colorado Springs CO

Oct 18-21 GSA's Federal Supply Service Outreach Europe
2004 Biannual Overseas Expo, Heidelberg Germany
Programs:
- Teamwork: There IS an "I" in Team
- Crack the "EQ Code" to Construct Emotionally Intelligent
Teams

Upcoming Articles:
-Remodeling Magazine, Sept 2004, Mystery Shopping
-Today's BlueSuitMom Magazine, Sept 2004, Teamwork: There IS
an "I" in Team

===============================================
Laura Benjamin's work is featured on radio and TV, published in
Remodeling Magazine, Corporate & Incentive Travel, Sales &
Marketing Management, SalesForce XP, www.BlueSuitMom.com, and
translated into Russian for Globiz magazine. She is a Meeting
Professionals International "Platinum Speaker", Past President
of the Colorado Springs Society for Human Resources Management,
and United States Air Force veteran. Her Management Tips
newsletter reaches thousands of subscribers worldwide.
===============================================
If you want to join our list of loyal readers, please click here.

===============================================
Laura Benjamin International
http://www.laurabenjamin.com
(C)Laura Benjamin International 2004