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by Jane-Michèle Clark Donald Trump spoke in Toronto this past weekend, offering a side not usually seen on “The Apprentice”. I’ve always admired his accomplishments and tenacity – and respected his business acumen. After hearing Trump speak, however, I realized that I also really like him. He was funny, irreverent (perhaps a quality best appreciated by entrepreneurs) and down-to-earth. He wasn’t afraid to tell it like it is – and didn’t worry about the “political correctness” that hamstrings too much of our conversation and writings these days. |
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The real cost of “presenteeism” (i.e. showing up when you’re sick) by Jane-Michèle Clark Swallowing slices open your throat, congested sinuses trip hammer in your head and you can hardly croak out your name to answer your office phone. Yet you do, because you have dragged your sorry self into work – even though your bed was calling you back to its comforting sanctuary. |
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Communicating Today - Do’s and Don’ts by Jane-Michèle Clark PDAs, cell phones, instant messaging, e-mail – they’re all supposed to make our lives easier, but is being constantly tethered to the outside world all that it’s cracked up to be? Over 75% of people surveyed echoed the sentiment one executive who answered, “No; technology is making us all crazier than ever!” |
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Employee Satisfaction: Employee Retention by Jane-Michèle Clark As little as 5 years ago, “work-life balance” was a concept that met with some resistance and skepticism. Lynne Sanders, President of NYCC (New York Corporate Coaches) recounts the story of her first meeting, in 2000, with the VP Finance from what is now her largest client. (It’s a story this executive shares often, so we’re not telling any tales out of school.) “When I mentioned the term ‘work-life balance’, R.D. scoffed and snarled, ‘If they [employees] can get it together so that their home life is balanced, then it won’t interfere with their work and the problem will take care of itself.’ |
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by Jane-Michèle Clark Lately I’ve noticed that making small changes in both my business life and my personal life has led to big results. Even small suggestions to others can have a profound effect. Recently, I had the opportunity to help a few students with two different MBA in-field studies (major projects) and, by looking at their assessment from a different point of view, was able to make relatively small suggestions that led to substantive improvements. |
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Effective, Persuasive Communication – the 4 Ps by Jane-Michèle Clark We’ve all heard that speaking in public terrifies more people than death itself. In one survey, it didn’t even rank that far below torture! Ironically, we all communicate in some way, with someone almost every day – and most of us are born with the skills needed to communicate well. What we lack though, is courage. Many voice and presentation coaches maintain this fear is the result of people not knowing how to present well – or how to make sure their message is well-received. So what do we need to know? |
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7 Secrets for Selling to Women by Jane-Michèle Clark With women being responsible for +85% of purchases (either directly or through their influence), particularly in the B2C category, it’s essential that companies learn what makes women tick (in terms of sales, at least – smile). |
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What Women Business Travellers Expect as Hotel Guests by Jane-Michèle Clark Twenty-five years or so ago, when I first started travelling on business, there were very few other women on those early morning air commutes. Today women represent nearly 50% of business travellers, and hotels around the world are trying to determine what will keep women happy. It’s an important question because women are nearly twice as loyal to a hotel as men. |
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What’s changing in Customer Service? The top 5 new things that customers want. by Jane-Michèle Clark We all know that good customer service is paramount to growing a business and increasing profitability. What many managers are failing to realize, however, is that rapid changes in technology have lead to equally rapid changes in the delivery of quality customer service. In addition to the basics we all have heard time and again, there are five new areas of customer service that should be addressed to keep customers happy. This article takes a look at what’s new. |
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10 Tips for Delivering Good Customer Serivce by Jane-Michèle Clark In a time of instant messaging and increasingly automated self-service options, consumers are showing loyalty to companies whose employees treat their customers as individuals, and consistently demonstrate respect and courtesy. Here are 10 Tips for Delivering Good Customer Service in today’s fast-food world. |
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Getting better results from “Cold Calling” By Jane-Michèle Clark To get better results from cold calling, stop doing it. Stop it right now. Those of you in sales, or with sales teams to direct are probably thinking, “If only I could.” |
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by Jane-Michèle Clark “If you mess up, ‘fess up.” When things go off the rails (and face it, they often do in business), I believe in telling the truth...and taking accountability. When I said this once, someone added (more than half seriously), “or as much as you can without jeopardizing your relationship with the client”. In my experience, if you’ve been doing a good job for your client, then you will never get into trouble by saying, “We made a mistake. These are the ramifications and this is what we are going to do to make it right.” |
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By Jane-Michèle Clark One way or another fear can wreak more havoc than many other things because it’s devious. It’s truly sneaky, finding myriad manners to manifest itself. A lot of business owners over the years, especially women, in the early days of their new businesses have told me that their self talk is more destructive that just about anything anyone else can do to them. |
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“If you are going through hell, keep going.” By Jane-Michèle Clark Finding the courage to continue when times are really tough... |
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Ditch the mission; focus on the vision By Jane-Michèle Clark Quick –without looking it up, what’s the mission statement of the company that made the car you drive. What about your underwear? If you’re like most people, you don’t know the answer to either question. Chances are you may not even remember what brand of undies you put on this morning. And the mission statement certainly didn’t affect your purchase decision – or did it? |
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The Melding of Strategic Positioning and Execution (a biographical account) by D. Bruce During his early years in advertising, Norman Lowe became fascinated by the integration of strategic positioning with creative execution. Then, as now, the two were generally kept distinct and separate. However, because this was the heyday of creative revolution, and because strategy had not yet become so rigidly orthodox (except as practiced by the large packaged goods companies), Lowe was able to make incursions into the strategic role later denied "creatives". |
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Life in the Fast Lane: The Media Bash, Act 1. by Norman A. Lowe Curtain rises on a creative department office in a BIG ad agency. Two associate creative directors (i.e. just about any copywriter or art director with more than a few years’ in the biz) are chewing the fat and doing a bit of work between times. |
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Standing out in the Crowd…by getting lady luck on your side by Jane-Michèle Clark We all know people who seem to be truly blessed. They get top marks, get promoted easily and have the best social life – all without trying as hard as the rest of us. Or so it seems. |
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by Jane-Michèle Clark This was the question posed by the senior VP of a major North American hotel chain. Our answer: Listen when people talk – really listen. Sounds simple, simplistic even, but the keys to hotel HR happiness include: hearing what people are saying, understanding how to separate the learning kernels from the whining chaff, and learning how to act and re-act to what you hear. |
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How to motivate your employees by Jane-Michèle Clark Surprisingly, you’ll find that money doesn’t always talk – or at least not the loudest. Money was # 8 on a list of 10. Input from over 700 companies showed us that employees are most likely to want to give that extra 10% or more when they feel they are an important part of the corporate puzzle – when they feel that what they do does matter. What else beat out money as a motivator? Good communication, appreciation, respect, good examples and role models, belief in the employee, acknowledging progress and not demanding perfection. |
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Taking action on procrastination by Jane-Michèle Clark Chronic procrastinators (and if you haven’t admitted to it, maybe that’s something else you are procrastinating about? Smile) often ask me if there is any hope of being able to change this destructive habit. The simple answer is, “Yes, you can become a ‘do it now’ person. Below you will find are a few suggestions from a semi-reformed procrastinator (I, too, am working on changing this habit). |
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