PART 1 – SHOW SELECTION AND PREPARATION

Economic downturns hit trade shows hard.  After 9/11, for example, trade shows struggled to make a comeback.  With the current recession, trade shows are again struggling with attendance and booth sales.  Many businesses dial down their participation in industry conferences when times are tough.  Companies deem it hard to justify trade show attendance or participation while cutting staff, slashing hours and benefits, and re-examining every expense.  Continue reading →

Have you ever listened to a voice-mail message only to be left wondering who called and what they wanted?  Not because your phone was acting erratically, but because the message simply was unclear.  Or have you ever gone to hear a speech or a presentation only to find that you could not understand what the speaker was saying?  Perhaps worst of all, have you ever interviewed someone for a job and had to ask the person to repeat what they said because you could not understand what he said?  Continue reading →

AFTER THE MEETING… ACHIEVING RESULTS

For the last two weeks, we’ve been examining meeting best practices to ensure we make the most of time spent at business gatherings  In the last two weeks, you’ve probably attended at least one meeting… perhaps even a few.  If you were running the meeting, did you make sure to only invite those that needed to attend, set it at a convenient time and place, and then prepare and distribute an agenda prior to the meeting?   If you were attending the meeting, did you review the meeting agenda and ensure you were fully prepared to contribute to the meeting? Continue reading →

MAKING THE MOST OF EVERY MEETING

Last week, we determined that it is important to use best practices to ensure that the myriad of business meetings we attend are productive.  Specific actions were recommended to ensure that every person attending a meeting is fully prepared to participate and contribute. Continue reading →

PREPARING FOR THE MEETING

Most business people spend a substantial part of their day in meetings.  Meetings with clients.  Meeting with coworkers.  Meetings with stakeholders.  Department meetings.  Project meetings.  Board meetings.  All of these meetings consume time, energy, and focus.  Continue reading →

Email has become an indispensable part of business communication today.  Just how indispensable is it?  Ever seen what happens when email communication breaks down at work?  Frustration rises in equal proportion to the drop in productivity.  Indeed, much of our day-to-day communications occurs via email… and these emails are digitally encrypted in corporate hard drives and servers forever. Continue reading →

Stress is no laughing matter . . . or is it?  According to a report by the United Nations International Labor Organization, “Stress has become one of the most serious health issues of our times.”  While stress is part of everyone’s life and there are many ways to contend with stress – everything from jogging to biofeedback and from aerobics to herbal tea – apparently the quickest and most effective way to relieve stress or diffuse a bad situation is literally to laugh it off. Continue reading →

Non-stop negativity.  Chronic complaining.  Wearisome whining.   Persistent pessimism.  Know anyone like this? It seems like every workplace and every social group has at least one “Negative Ninny” – a person for whom the weather is always too something (hot, cold, wet, dry, cloudy, sunny…), the brother is annoying, the food is lousy, the vacation was a drag, and… well, you get the picture. For this type of person, the proverbial glass is always half empty.  No matter how good things are, this naysayer can only see the bad…. and worse, feels compelled to express it to everyone else. Like Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh, for this person the “Outcome always looks sort of gloomy.”  Continue reading →

THE ART OF DEVELOPING MORE REFERRAL SOURCES

It’s not news that referrals are an excellent way to get more business. We all ask people we know when we’re looking for a new product or service.  We rely on our friends and colleagues for advice in these situations in order to make the best decisions.  The more complex or important the service or product needed, the more we turn to trusted sources for advice.  Legal advice.  Financial assistance.  Medical help.  Real estate transactions.  These, for example, are all areas where a referral by a friend or colleague carries more weight.  Continue reading →

YOUR COMPANY THROUGH YOUR CUSTOMER’S EYES

• Ever placed an order and found that it was not ready when it was supposed to be? 

• Ever asked about a product or service and found that the salesperson did not know the answer? 

• Ever called a place of business at numerous different times of the day and got voice mail every time?  Continue reading →