Ideal Consulting Articles

Ideal Consulting Article Excerpts The following are excerpts from articles written by Lorraine Hart: Get More Work Increase Profits Better Employees Increase Sales Reduce Stress Have More Time Doing the Impossible The message we have gotten from recent surveys is quite clear. Most of you want to get more work, make more money or both. That’s no surprise; neither is the worry about the economy and how it will affect each of us. This is quite a contrast from what was happening a few years ago, when the worry was about too much work. Unfortunately worry doesn’t make the phone ring or put money in our pockets. I think we would all agree we liked it better a few years ago when the biggest problem was how to accomplish all the work. Now we have to overcome a seemingly impossible task – getting work when it seems like there isn’t any. But before any of us agree that there just isn’t any work out there, I strongly recommend that we change gears and decide that there is work out there and we can do the impossible. ____________________________________________________________________ Keep the Focus on Good News In a recent article I urged everyone to look for the good news around them. We also asked our clients to share their good news. The following is from an email we just received from one of our clients. “The phone is actually ringing. I put a concerted effort into our marketing last January. I became more active in associations of potential collaborators as well as consistently sending out marketing post cards, newsletters and e-mails. We have continued to do this despite the cost. We have economized in some areas of the business but not the marketing. We have always relied on our clients to continue to supply us with work. This year our clients, Big Wall Street financiers, have tightened their budgets and are not planning any projects. However, the jobs we are signing and the prospects we are talking to, are in the main, a direct result of the marketing I started last year.” In hard economic times we have to make choices. Do we give up? Or do we decide that we will succeed no matter what? I hope the answer is along the lines of success. If you did decide that you will succeed no matter what, then you must do what it takes. ____________________________________________________________________ Don't Do It In this current economic climate we are so tempted to do things that in happier days we wouldn’t even think of doing. So before I start, let me say this: “don’t do it.” At this point, let me warn you – you might not like what I am going to suggest or not suggest. How many of you are thinking I need to lower my prices? I can hear many of you saying that makes lots of sense. Let’s look at the reasoning behind this and then we will look at how this tactic can backfire. Many of you have told me that people are hurting or they are scared, or you need to be competitive or you want to keep your employees working. Let’s look at the idea of people hurting or scared or whatever their thinking may be. The reality is that if they are really fearful they will put off the project. If they are going to actually do the project then they don’t really need a lower price. Keep this in mind – if they are going to do the project, they will do it and the same conditions exist for them regardless of the economic scare. ____________________________________________________________________ Increasing Profits "You work so hard, you think you are doing everything right, and yet your profits just don't seem to be where they should be. You have listened to others tell you that you are just too big, or too small. Someone tells you to hire more employees and someone else suggests that you fire everyone and do it all yourself. With all this contradictory advice you don't know where to turn or who to listen to. In order to increase profits you need to look at many aspects of your business. The solution for one business might not be the right course of action for another, and can in fact create havoc for your company. That is why it can be dangerous to answer this question without studying the individual situation." ____________________________________________________________________ Shining Stars I am often asked, how do I get my staff to care? How do I get them to be more productive? Before answering these questions, let’s step back a bit and look at some facts with regard to productivity, morale and motivation. Let’s also turn this around and ask “How can I make my employees feel valued?” If an employee feels valued, he will care and he will be more productive. One way to increase production is by implementing an incentive plan. This plan doesn’t have to be complicated and it shouldn’t cost you money to do so. In fact, it should result in more profit for you. An important aspect of your incentive plan is that everyone agrees to it and it is fun! By giving your employees a chance to really shine, you give them the opportunity to help you and themselves. In essence what you want to do is to give your staff the feeling of ownership and the ability to control their jobs and their income. Giving them that little feeling of ownership of their destiny may be exactly what is needed to change an average group into a group of shining stars. ____________________________________________________________________ Predicting Staff Success "How often have you asked yourself how you can find, build or keep good staff? I am often told that it is simply impossible to find or keep good staff and yet I consistently see just the opposite. No, I am not saying that the problem doesn't exist, but what I am saying is that there are solutions to the "staffing crisis." The first step to finding the right people is to know what to look for. Although it is important that the individual possesses the skills or abilities you are looking for, it is even more important to be able to predict an individual's behavior. We all know that all the skill and ability in the world won't do us any good if the person doesn't show up for work or stands around complaining when he does show up." ____________________________________________________________________ Fun in the Workplace When you think of employee games what instantly comes to mind? Are these thoughts negative or did you think of something positive? Yes, there is the negative side of employee games, where the game seems to be getting you. In this case it seems that you are the adversary, as opposed to a team member. Instead of playing a game, where there has to be a winner or loser, let’s look at games where everyone can win and have fun. Staff performance games are one way to motivate your staff and achieve the results you want. Everyone wants to be a winner, and most people enjoy a game. Your employees will work with more efficiency, speed, enthusiasm and teamwork than ever before. Your patients will win, and you and your staff will win. Following are some important steps to follow in starting your game: 1. Decide to do it 2. Determine the rules and rewards 3. Communicate with your staff 4. Incorporate your staff’s suggestions 5. Work out the details 6. Start the game Next, it’s time to root for the home team. Cheer them on by being enthusiastic about winning the game. Remind your staff about the game and reassure them. Have fun and make sure everyone can win – that means your staff, your clients and you. ____________________________________________________________________ Outsell Your Competition In recent surveys we have been told that competition is becoming more and more of a problem. Business owners and those in sales have been telling us that competition is a factor in a number of ways. These concerns include unqualified or dishonest contractors low-balling prices, and clients who don’t know how to evaluate proposals. One of the other prevalent comments I hear is that it is all about price. This often results in people choosing a proposal, product, service or contractor that is not right for them. Unfortunately buying into this line of thought, that it’s all about price, does not help anyone. In fact, instead of having a “win-win”, the result is “lose-lose”. Although you may not think of it this way, you should consider the fact that if your product, service or company is really the best fit for this particular client and they don’t choose you, they are the loser. With that idea in mind you might consider that you have an obligation to help this prospective client choose the solution that is best for them. ____________________________________________________________________ Reducing Your Stress How often have you wondered why it takes so long to get something done? You plan out your day or the project, you figure out what you or your staff will accomplish, but somehow it takes much longer than you expected. If it's your own project you may simply get mad at yourself or wonder where the time went. When it's your staff that take much longer than expected, you wonder if you have the right people working for you. You see others who seem to effortlessly accomplish all their needed tasks and you get even more frustrated. ____________________________________________________________________ Changing the Clock How often have you said to yourself, I'll do this some day, but there is just no time now, or if only I can make time. or maybe you wish you could somehow change the clock. If only you could add minutes to hours or hours to the day. Instead of lamenting about the shortage of time, let's look at what can be done about it. Is it really that there is no time or is it that we aren't putting the time we have to the best use? Although it isn't really possible to add minutes to an hour or hours to a day, it is possible t make it seem like we are actually adding time to our seemingly skimpy allocation. In order to make time we have to learn the fine art of using the time we do have to maximum advantage. The secret lies in efficiency. You have probably realized that you need to increase efficiency every time a project or task took longer than you expected. If you are like most owners or managers you have often wished that your staff could be more efficient.

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