Category Archives: jobs

05.27.14
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An underutilized sales tool

YOUR VOICE MAIL!!

Seriously, people call you and you have 15-30 seconds to say something cool.  Credit to Jeffrey Gitomer who first put this thought in my head.  ” I am on my phone or away from my desk…”  Says nothing, shows nothing but it does waste the time of the person that called.  Help them smile, maybe even laugh.  Why not?

How about letting a call go to voicemail?  Absolutely!!  Stay on the phone with me, show me you are interested in just me.  Show me you are committed to speaking with me and getting something done.  Instead you click over or put me on hold.  You then need to try and reengage in the conversation.  We lost any flow we were in but hey you probably also just made another person feel unimportant as well.

Do you think you make anybody feel good when you tell them your are busy and will need to call back?

Now I understand sometimes things happen.  I do make exceptions for my wife, but not all the time.  She knows she can text or  email as well.  But if a child is sick or one of us is traveling, yes, in my world, this may constitute a good time to interrupt some business.  Beyond that, I am not rue of any reasons

Heck not answering the phone while on the phone or engaged in a task that already has your focus is more polite than interrupting someone.  On some level it also shows you are in demand

P.S. Please respond to all your messages and make some effort into leaving good voice mails as well.  Honestly, if a text or e-mail will work it is more important that you thoughtfully respond.

Just some thoughts, use as you see fit.

03.05.14
by

Unemployment insurance is earned not bought

How many people who collect “unemployment” are legitimately unemployed?

How many of those same people did NOTHING or close to it to remain employed?

**Disclaimer; I have  no idea what the payments are for unemployment.  I have no idea what you need to do to “qualify” for it.  I have never nor will never be unemployed…maybe unemployable but never unemployed**

FACT: There are jobs everywhere.  Thing is many of them are not advertised and do not need to be.

FACT: That is not a statement about the “old boys club” that is a true statement as it pertains to the world we live in.

Take this statement via Harvery McKay; ” Dig your well before your thirsty…”  Pretty simple concept that is often overlooked. Why?  It takes some effort, well truthfully a lot of effort.  But incorporating somethings into  a lifestyle concept pretty much makes it easy.

Maybe as a condition for receiving the monetary benefit you do not teach them a skill instead you make them look in the mirror and assess their “network.”  Maybe instead of looking at their skill set first lets look at who they are as a person.  Lets look at who they know.  Lets look at why they are in the position they are in and why they are there.

Unemployment is not the problem.  The problem is whatever caused them to become unemployed.

So how do we address it? Some thoughts;

1. What have they done to keep up with the world? I do not mean updating the resume I mean have they continually added to a skill set?  Have they added another skill set?  Have they developed any sales skills (don’t kid yourself, we are all in sales)?

2. What is their on-line presence like?  Do they have all their contacts in one place?  do they even have contacts?

3. Assuming they have contacts, do their people know what it is they actually do?  More importantly, do they know what they want to do?

4. How have they stayed in touch?  Have they brought any value to them?  Is there any reason for their network to help?

By the way, so far everything above is free or basically no cost since all you are doing is keeping in touch with friends.  And since you are already paying for internet and phone service you are all set.

Reality and likely the fact is that if you are open to new opportunities and you are keeping up with your friends you can likely avoid the fate of millions of others.  You do not need a job fair, you do not need the want ads or job boards or whatever other tools supposedly can help.  As long as you are making an effort to be a good human being, remain in touch with as many of your friends as possible and are bringing some value to the world you can avoid the unforeseen.  Better of looking at yourself as an independent contractor responsible for his or her fate than letting the world determine it.