Leadership Training

Just the thought of picking up the phone to make an unsolicited sales call is enough to give any sales rep the shivers (pun intended)…

However, it is a necessary evil in the business world, and needs to be performed.  So how do you work on your cold calling skills?  For starters, check out this article in Entrepreneur Magazine by Barry Farber.  He offers eight strategies to utilize the next time you need to reach out and touch someone you’ve never met before.

In addition, as someone that has made his share of cold calls, I offer the following thoughts:

- Have your script in front of you, but make sure it doesn’t come across like you’re just reading it.  You should be comfortable enough with your pitch that you only need the script as a reference.

- There will be some days you have a good flow on the phone, and some you will not.  If you get in a rut, take a breather, step outside & regroup.  There’s no point in continuing down the list if you don’t have your best game going.

- Get to the person you need to, get the information they need to them, and get off the phone.  Be considerate of their time, just as you’d want someone to be considerate of yours.

- Above all, have fun with it!  Yes, it’s hard to think of cold calling as fun, but if you don’t, you will set yourself up for easy failure.  Have fun, make a personal connection, laugh, and you be pleasantly surprised how far a good attitude will take you!

cold calls, Entrepreneur, telemarketing

“Hello, how are you?”  My name is…”

Whether it’s because you’re in sales, have moved to a new area, starting your own business, or just looking to meet some new people, networking is a must to stay active and involved in your business community.  So where do you go?  How do you start?  These days, there’s a variety of options:

1)  Online through your blog

Yes, there’s blogging, of course.  In fact, if you’re wondering why nobody is reading yours, Alister Cameron (a self proclaimed ‘blogologist’) has some words of insight and advice, specifically stating that, “massively successful blogging is about establishing and maintaining mutually beneficial relationships.”  He then offers some steps to gain that personal relationship level.

But what about more traditional means of networking?

2)  Take a continued learning class

Enrolling at a local university or with an accredited business class not only makes you smarter, but teams you up with peers looking to do the same.  You never know whom you might meet or what companies will be represented.  Your own company should offer a tuition reimbursement program for such class work, so long as it’s pertinent to your job.  If not, well, perhaps it’s time to find a company that does…

3)  Social networking

No matter where you live, there are bound to be plenty of events and activities you can take part in.  Your city chamber of commerce should certainly provide some social outings.  Take a look at the local business journal as well, for a calender of events sponsored by various organizations and companies.

Of course, once you get to one of these events, how do you break the ice?  Meeting people at a large networking event can be an unnerving process, even for usually sociable people!  Of course, it always helps to go with a co-worker or friend, whom you can fall back on (or have them rescue you if needed)!

But if you’re still feeling queasy about mingling, there are companies that offer classes to enhance social communication.  Pinnacle Performance specializes in teaching interactive communication skills in a way that can help prepare you for any social situation.

Above all, make sure that you don’t take too long into the night to switch over from alcohol to soda, lest you make an impression that’s hard to forget!

networking, blogs, social skills, business classes

Today’s company is only as good as the customer service it provides. You don’t need to go far in today’s headlines to find examples of poor service, and how it can adversely affect a corporation’s image. Time Warner Cable is certainly discovering this in Los Angeles right now.

So what are some of the keys to providing good customer service from a call center perspective? In the past, the mantra was, “the customer is always right”. What’s even more important these days is “how is the customer service experience for the customer?” While there are enough topics on how to properly run & maintain a call center to start an entire new blog based on customer relationship management (CRM), I for one, don’t have the time (or money) to do so! But here are three basics etched in stone for all call centers to follow:

Rule 1: Get the person talking to a live customer service representative ASAP.

Unfortunately, many companies still employ a maze of user prompted call options that resembles Pan’s Labyrinth in order to get to a CS rep. However, due to the degree of complaints and frustrations that have come with these automated systems, more and more call centers are going back to the “press 0 to speak with someone” alternative. Evidence of this movement can be found at the popular website Get Human which provides a listing of over 500 companies and the quickest way to get in touch with a person.

They’ve also provided their own grading system for each call center’s operations. How did they do? Well, let’s just say the boys over at the Delta House would be mighty proud of these marks…

As a rule of thumb, customers shouldn’t be on hold waiting for a call center representative for more than 30 seconds. According to the LA Times article, the average wait time for a Time Warner Cable customer late last year was over nine minutes. Other companies have customers who routinely are on hold for a half-hour to an hour. That’ll raise anyone’s blood pressure a few notches, and leave you with a very fired-up customer. Which leads to the second rule…

Rule 2: The customer service representative should be as friendly as courteous as possible.

Customers can take out their anger and aggressions on a call center rep with a vengeance. Colorful tirades, insults and even threats are not out of the ordinary. Your CS team must be trained and ready for these customers. Empathy is the key. Phrases such as “I understand you are frustrated,” and “let me see what I can do to help your situation,” should be used while in the process of finding a resolution.

Above all, a representative can NEVER lose their temper with a customer. If they are starting to lose their patience even slightly, the call should immediately be forwarded to a manager.

Rule 3: If a call back is requested or needed, make sure it is done when you promise it will be done, with an acceptable resolution provided.

It’s at this point that I’d like to bring up a GOOD customer service experience I just had with Verizon Wireless. It’s important to note here that I do not work for Verizon, nor did they pay me to write this - I just felt this was an instance of good customer service that should be noted. Like many of you readers, I have plenty of negative experiences to share, but I figured a positive experience was the better story…

I recently contested an overage in my monthly minute allowance. The reason? A Verizon 800 number put me on hold for over two hours. Naturally, when I called & argued that I should not be charged for those minutes, I was not in the best mood. Yet the CS rep was very professional and let me make my argument without interrupting. To make a long story short, she agreed to call me after my billing statement was processed on March 1st, and would eliminate any overage charges.

On March 1st, at exactly noon, I received my follow-up call from the very same CS rep, who told me that the $12 charged to my account for going over my minutes would be removed from my bill. It was perfectly fair, and the rep did her job by calling me back promptly on the promised date. Good work, Verizon!

For larger companies, a CRM software package (such as ACT!) should be utilized for customer contact records and call reminders. If you’re a small business, you can get by with Microsoft Outlook (or Entourage for the Mac). Whatever tool you use, just make sure it works and that your employees are organized enough to make those call backs! Of all the things that will enrage a customer the most, it will be the unreturned phone call…

customer service, call center, representative, courtesy, on hold, wait time, return call, Time Warner Cable, Verizon Wireless

In the modern business era, there is no other name that calls to mind corporate greed and deceit quite like “Enron.”  Of course, the sordid rise and fall of this former giant has been well chronicled in such works as The Smartest Guys in the Room by Bethany McLean and Peter Elkind, and Conspiracy of Fools: A True Story by Kurt Eichenwald.

However, as bad as the Enron scandal was, there are a few positives that have come about in it’s aftermath.  

For instance, CEOs that are confronted with a shortfall in earnings have a stark example of what could happen in the worst case scenario if they cook the books the way Kenneth Lay did.  As Mark Morrison wrote in BusinessWeek, “Fewer big company bosses are managing in the Lay mold of pushing subordinates to make the numbers work each quarter, the rules be damned. The Sarbanes-Oxley requirement that the CEO sign-off on and accept more direct responsibility for reported results is one reason. The government’s effective legal pursuit of Lay and others who committed white-collar crime is probably an additional deterrent.”

Also, Rich Klein notes on his blog ‘Riverside Views’ the increased scrutiny given to corporate leaders by journalists and other media members since Enron.  In the old days, a CEO, CFO, and general counsel might have gotten away with “no comment” or “we’ll try our case in court” because the media wasn’t always paying that close attention to how companies operated behind the scenes.  But it’s a new ballgame. Smart companies know that they must engage the public when facing a crisis if they want to survive.

Of course, perhaps the greatest warning to today’s leaders is the legacy of the name Kenneth Lay.  Despite a lifetime of receiving awards and recognitions from organizations such as Child Advocates, the NAACP, and the U.S. Navy, his name will always be vilified and associated with corruption; not to mention the bankruptcy of thousands of employees retirement savings.

Who would want to be remembered for that?

Enron, Kenneth Lay, legacy, aftermath

One of the primary goals of this site is to provide interviews of corporate leaders in various business industries. Now it’s your turn! We’re looking for CEOs, Vice-Presidents, Directors, Managers, anyone with a leadership position to provide some insight on their job, their company, and the daily challenges they encounter (and more importantly - how they solve these problems)!

We’ve recently interviewed the CEOs of Pinnacle Performance and TLC Marketing. The goal is to have at least one interview posted per week, along with various other leadership and training links & articles. We are especially interested in talking with Chief Learning Officers, Human Resource Managers, Training Directors; anyone who can give managerial insight on the challenges of selecting and implementing training programs for employees.

If you (or someone you know) would like to be a candidate for an interview at Leadership Training, please send an email (no more than 500 words) with the following information:

- Name
- Title
- Company
- Years with Company
- Total Years of Corporate Experience

Along with a brief essay explaining why you would make for a great interview. Also, please include a telephone number where you can be reached if you are chosen as an interviewee. Please send your email to:

brian.mcneany@451press.net

If selected, your interview (and picture, if requested) will be posted on Leadership Training, along with links to your company’s website. This service will be provided for you and your company at NO COST (free stuff! Who doesn’t love free stuff?). It’s a great way to provide a high-profile forum for your company and the work you’ve done for them…

Thanks, and we look forward to hearing from you! Good luck…

leadership, training, profiles, interview, free

Today we spend time with Walter Osterman, the President of TLC Marketing in North America. TLC Marketing is No. 1 in the world of consumer incentives, using travel and lifestyle rewards of a high perceived value for powerful acquisition and retention campaigns.

• How did you come across TLC Marketing, and what made you decide to open the US Office?

I am from New York and my wife is from Massachusetts, but we were living in London to grow the business of my Calling Card company. During this time, I made a very good friendship with Nick True who had founded a very successful travel and lifestyle incentive company, TLC Marketing Worldwide. With 15 years of experience, and a network of 18 offices throughout Europe, Asia and Africa, TLC already held a very solid position in the world of promotions with reputable clients and hundreds of campaigns a year. I was surprised to learn TLC had not yet opened an office in the Americas.

As my family decided to move back to the States, I recognized the huge opportunity available in the opening of TLC Marketing, North America. While travel incentives are not uncommon in the American market, lifestyle incentives are still not being used with the frequency that they are in Europe. Lifestyle incentives were virtually an untapped market with no competition. Consequently, TLC Marketing, North America began with a focus on lifestyle incentives with the travel portion of our business coming a bit later.

• Give us an overview of what TLC Marketing does, and your client base?

At TLC Marketing, we take anything that people like to do in their free time, like beauty treatments or rounds of golf or traveling to new places, and create a promotion for our clients that lets them give these rewards to their customers for free. For example, get a free flight for activating your credit card or a free beauty treatment as a thank you for your business.

TLC’s niche is our sourcing department which spends all day, every day reaching out to airlines, hotels, salons, golf courses, theaters, museums and restaurants. Using our worldwide intelligence and credibility as an accredited travel agent, we negotiate unparalleled offers that we leverage for our clients in groundbreaking promotions with proven results.

While sourcing is the DNA of our agency, TLC is a one-stop-shop offering strategic planning, creative services, account management, and customer fulfillment. The end result is a fantastic promotion that results in increased sales and lasting brand loyalty.

Since TLC specializes in creating customized campaigns, TLC’s client base is broad and deep. There is no limit to the types of rewards that we can source, so we are able to work across all demographics in both online and offline capabilities. Our method is to identify the client’s objectives and penetrate the brand for a strategic understanding of what incentive and mechanic will most appeal to the client’s unique consumer.

For Banana Republic, it was off-Broadway theater as a Gift with Purchase. For T-Mobile, it was golf, beauty and day out direct mailed to platinum customers. For Hummer, it was an Adventurous Getaway comprised of a free hotel night and adrenaline activity as a purchase incentive. We even sourced free pet portraits with the purchase of Hills Pet Food, so there truly are no boundaries.

• What has been your greatest challenge as a small business owner?

While it has been a blessing to grow so quickly, managing that growth has without a doubt been the greatest challenge. We opened our Headquarters in Boston in 2001. Due to demand, this was quickly followed by the opening of additional offices in Toronto, San Francisco, West Palm Beach and Nashville. With increased sales and an expanding client base comes the immediate need for more employees to support the campaigns. Measuring the additional offices, expenses and employees against projected growth is an ongoing balancing act.

• What do you look for when you are hiring new managers/directors at your company? What traits or characteristics in a person are most important to you?

Intelligence is unequivocally the most important trait. I do not look for specific industry knowledge in new hires, and am instead more interested in overall intelligence. With intelligence and a desire to learn, I believe anyone can become versed on the nuances of TLC and our industry, quickly contributing their own ideas for our continued growth.
As we grow in size, it is extremely important to me that TLC maintains a family environment. I look for good people who will fit in well to that family to cultivate a team approach.

• When it comes to the on-going training of your staff, what resources do you utilize; both in-house and through 3rd parties?

We do not have any formal in-house training, and rely on industry training for the ongoing growth of our employees. TLC encourages the desire for increased knowledge, and employees are able to take courses or become accredited in areas they feel will enhance their contributions.

• What has been your greatest reward as a small business owner?

Definitely to watch it grow. It is amazing to compare where TLC was when I opened an office in Boston to a network of 5 offices throughout North America less than 6 years later. TLC has quickly become a robust company of talented, dynamic people establishing a solid, diverse client base with creative, innovative campaigns.

• What are some of the new projects and/or products TLC Marketing has lined up for 2007?

With our lifestyle portfolio now extremely established, with nationwide partners secured for free beauty treatments, rounds of golf, days out, theater, cooking lessons, and more, 2007’s focus is providing unbelievable travel experiences.

In 2006, TLC became an accredited travel agent and this opens up an entirely new element by which to service our clients and their consumers, tapping into leading resorts and locations worldwide.

For example, our exclusive World for Free product, www.tlcwff.com, is a free one week’s accommodations at a choice of resorts at the most desirable destinations across North America, as well as worldwide. Whether a customer wants to finally visit the Grand Canyon, or is an adventurer looking for an exotic trip to Thailand, the WFF is an unparalleled travel incentive due to the scope of its choice.

A new Free Cruise product also joins our existing travel rewards such as Free Flight, Companion Flight or Hotel Stays. With no black out dates, TLC’s products truly empower customers to create their dream vacations.

• Where can someone go to find out more about TLC Marketing?

To learn more about TLC Marketing, North America, please visit us at www.tlcwm.com. For information on our network of worldwide agencies, visit www.tlcmarketing.com.

To learn more, contact us at info@tlcwm.com.

TLC Marketing, lifestyle, consumer, promotions

Now that we’ve taken a look at the interviewer, let’s change sides and focus on more effective ways for job seekers to get their foot in the door for an interview.

Everyone is trying to get noticed with a great cover letter and well structured resume, but what about doing it with a blog? Rather than sending an email with these attachments, how much more powerful would it be to include a link to your blog, where the recruiter can immediately get a better feel for your writing style, skills and interests?

The Recruiting Community Portal Recruiting.com provides some informative links to help you get started, along with some basic advice.

For a personal story on how a blog can help your job search, check out Innovation Creators, and how this writer got his new job because the company went out and contacted him…

Of course, if blogging is too old-fashioned for you, then how about a video interview? As Time Magazine reports, YouTube has nearly 2,000 videos listed under ‘resume’, and recruiting websites (old and new) are lining up to provide video resume job boards.

Of course, I’d be remiss if I didn’t provide the YouTube classic that started the video resume revolution; Mr. Aleksey Vayner’s ‘Impossible is Nothing’. I’ve also posted actor Michael Cera’s alternative take, ‘Impossible is the Opposite of Possible’.

Personally, I’d hire Michael over Aleksey…

cover letter, blogs, video resume, Time

Prior to an interview, the above average candidate will diligently prepare by researching as much as they can about the company he or she is interviewing with; by visiting the website, googling the name of the interviewer, writing up pointed questions to ask, etc.

The real question is - what is the interviewer doing to prepare for the candidate? Hopefully, just as much, if not more.

More than ever, today’s interview is a two way street. It’s just as much about whether or not the position and the company is the right fit for the interviewee, as it is vice versa. The candidate wants to make sure everything is a good fit: the career path offered, the office culture, salary and benefits. Most importantly, they want to make sure they get along with the person that will be their boss (which, more often than not, could be the person performing the interview).

Here then, is a list of points & guidelines for the interviewer to use in preparation for the interview. By no means is this a complete reference; it’s simply a guideline to use in addition to your company’s traditional checklist for interviews:

1) Be on time and enthusiastic. Do you currently let the applicant wait in the office lobby for 10-15 minutes just to let ‘em sweat? Time to stop. Unless you’re in the middle of an important meeting or call, the interview should begin on time. This is the very first impression you make to the candidate; if you’re late, that impression becomes, “I’m not very important to this company.”

When you meet the candidate, you should do so with a smile and a firm handshake. Immediately ask if there’s anything you can get them (coffee, water), and engage in some small talk; how was the commute? Have they been to the area before?

If you are at all uncomfortable with how to initially greet job applicants, find a sales rep at your company, and ask them what they do when they meet a prospective client for the first time. Because, like it or not, you are selling your company’s open position, and in this instance, you are the sales rep.

2) Let the candidate talk, and listen closely. Amazing as it may seem, some managers get so involved talking about the company and themselves, that they don’t listen nearly as well as they should to the job applicants. I believe the best interviews start with open-ended questions about them, such as:

- What was it about our company that interested you the most?
- What is the most important thing to you (salary, work environment, benefits, etc.) when it comes to your next job?
- Tell me what your greatest strength is, along with your greatest weakness.

You want to have them talking about themselves, their hopes for their new job, and what’s most important to them. That puts you on the right path to finding out whether or not they’re the right fit for your company.

3) When talking about your company and the job, be prepared and energetic. Again, think of this as your sales pitch. If you drone on about the company’s history for a half-hour like you’re reciting it for the 800th time, you’ll put the interviewee and yourself to sleep! Start off with something that catches their interest: “Let me tell you about a company that has tripled its revenue in less than a year, and will soon be a worldwide leader in our industry.”

You should have your summary about your company memorized and ready to recite to the applicant, much like an actor’s audition. It should be rehearsed, but still come out naturally. And be sure to have all the key information handy that the job seeker will want to know, such as company benefits, outings, vacation policy, 401k programs, etc. And make note of which benefits are more important to each applicant. Some may be more concerned about medical insurance, while others will be more focused on company stock options and bonuses.

4) Above all else, be honest. Many people can speak from personal experience that this is the most important aspect of the job interview. When I was just out of college, I interviewed for a telemarketing position, and the manager I interviewed with promised me that if I worked hard & made sales, I would easily make $60,000 to $70,000 per year. I took the job, and became the number one sales rep in the company within six months. Yet I was on pace to make under $30,000 for the year, even with commission. When I confronted the manager & asked him if I would get a raise, he responded with, “Let me think about it, and get back to you.” But he never did. Less than a month later, I quit the job.

Was it partially my fault that I was suckered in by a salesman in recruiter’s clothing? Absolutely. I was naive and took him for his word. But if someone brought his name & the name of his company up to me today, I would strongly recommend that person to steer clear. Your word is your bond, and a measure of both your own worth and that of your company’s. If you are not upfront with candidates, it will come back to haunt you.

I hope you found these tips useful. Of course, if you’d like to try something completely different, perhaps the approach used in this four-minute video will work better for you. Enjoy!

interview, interviewing, interviewer, interviewee