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    Fields of Study for Careers to Come
    This is a little off-topic, but last week, I was asked what profession I thought a colleague’s teenager should begin preparing for in order to be successful. My friend was looking for a technology or two in information management. However, I found myself going off in a variety of directions, even though I am not so afflicted as to have teenagers yet. I’ll try to recreate, and reduce, my diatribe here…1. What the teenager brings natural talent and interest to. This must be overriding guidance for any of the subsequent directions. There’s nothing wrong with pushing and refining to
    – either face-to-face or over the telephone – bite your tongue. Resist the temptation to talk immediately after they have spoken. Instead, pause for a few moments. Because most people are uncomfortable with silence they will automatically say something. This is a very effective recruiting technique (called the pregnant pause) and it can be used in the sales process as well.

    Here are a few o

    Top-of-Mind Positioning is Center of Your Business Universe
    No matter the size of the company, marketing is one of the key skills that has to be mastered. It continues to intrigue me that people hire accountants and attorneys (as they should) to help them set up and maintain their business, yet seldom budget for help (as they should) in the marketing arena. They may have built a better mousetrap, yet they don’t know how to let the world know they have built it … and continue to build it. Could that be why countless companies never celebrate their first anniversary?Most of us know the standard 4 Ps of marketing: product, price, place (d
    Most people don’t realize how powerful a negotiating tool silence is. I discovered exactly how effective as I recently observed someone discussing a deal with a prospective customer this past week.

    The customer started describing his situation and after a few moments he paused – briefly. It was an opportune time for the sales person to make a comment or talk about her product and service. However, she remained silent, sensing that the customer had more to say. Her intuition proved correct - a few seconds later he continued talking about his needs, and when he had finished discussing his point he paused. The sales person refrained from speaking and her customer began talking again.

    During this last monologue the sales person learned the exact information that she needed to close the sale without resorting to discounting. If she had spoken during those moments of silence, she may still have closed the sale but not as effectively.

    I remember watching my wife use silence as a customer several years ago in a retail store. She had brought a few items to the cash desk and when the sales associate rang them in my wife noticed a discrepancy in price. When she questioned this difference, the employee mentioned that the items in question were not available for the price my wife had thought. Instead of complaining or arguing my wife chose to remain silent. The sales associate immediately began talking to fill up the “dead air” space, and before long, had talked herself into giving my wife the discount she had hoped for. The next time you meet with a client or customer – either face-to-face or over the telephone – bite your tongue. Resist the temptation to talk immediately after they have spoken. Instead, pause for a few moments. Because most people are uncomfortable with silence they will automatically say something. This is a very effective recruiting technique (called the pregnant pause) and it can be used in the sales process as well.

    Here are a few ot

    The Use and Abuse of OEE
    What is OEE for?The simple answer is “Improvement”. OEE is an improvement measure and is used as part of the improvement cycle. Unfortunately, much is made of the 85% ‘World Class Standard’ an arbitrary target found in the original TPM literature. Not only is this target out of date (Nissan in Sunderland are running welding lines at 92-93% OEE) it gives the wrong message. A customer has no interest in your OEE – that is an internal measure, which relates to your efficiency and costs. The customer is far more interested in a measure such as On Time In Full (OTIF) ie did I get my
    wever, she remained silent, sensing that the customer had more to say. Her intuition proved correct - a few seconds later he continued talking about his needs, and when he had finished discussing his point he paused. The sales person refrained from speaking and her customer began talking again.

    During this last monologue the sales person learned the exact information that she needed to close the sale without resorting to discounting. If she had spoken during those moments of silence, she may still have closed the sale but not as effectively.

    I remember watching my wife use silence as a customer several years ago in a retail store. She had brought a few items to the cash desk and when the sales associate rang them in my wife noticed a discrepancy in price. When she questioned this difference, the employee mentioned that the items in question were not available for the price my wife had thought. Instead of complaining or arguing my wife chose to remain silent. The sales associate immediately began talking to fill up the “dead air” space, and before long, had talked herself into giving my wife the discount she had hoped for. The next time you meet with a client or customer – either face-to-face or over the telephone – bite your tongue. Resist the temptation to talk immediately after they have spoken. Instead, pause for a few moments. Because most people are uncomfortable with silence they will automatically say something. This is a very effective recruiting technique (called the pregnant pause) and it can be used in the sales process as well.

    Here are a few o

    Management That Works
    One may ask, what makes two work environments so different even though it may be the same company? Most frequently the answer is management. Have you ever wondered why you may walk into a bank for instance and you have been treated so well that you look forward to going back there. On the other hand you may walk into the same bank, but a different branch and you feel as if the employees forced their smile or their thank you. Management is one of the most important factors in good customer service. Any business that has many competitors will try to focus most of their attention on custo
    the sale without resorting to discounting. If she had spoken during those moments of silence, she may still have closed the sale but not as effectively.

    I remember watching my wife use silence as a customer several years ago in a retail store. She had brought a few items to the cash desk and when the sales associate rang them in my wife noticed a discrepancy in price. When she questioned this difference, the employee mentioned that the items in question were not available for the price my wife had thought. Instead of complaining or arguing my wife chose to remain silent. The sales associate immediately began talking to fill up the “dead air” space, and before long, had talked herself into giving my wife the discount she had hoped for. The next time you meet with a client or customer – either face-to-face or over the telephone – bite your tongue. Resist the temptation to talk immediately after they have spoken. Instead, pause for a few moments. Because most people are uncomfortable with silence they will automatically say something. This is a very effective recruiting technique (called the pregnant pause) and it can be used in the sales process as well.

    Here are a few o

    A Case for Data Scrubbing
    Often maintenance systems don’t reap the benefits that they promise through no fault of their own. How can you expect a system to improve underlying data? The answer is that you can’t. What you need is to have good data in the system so that it can be accessed, processed and used to provide practical information for the organization.Let me illustrate the cost of not having good data with an example. A multi-site manufacturer has four locations, three of which are in fairly close proximity to each other. Each site has its own autonomous storeroom with inventory parts. At e
    s difference, the employee mentioned that the items in question were not available for the price my wife had thought. Instead of complaining or arguing my wife chose to remain silent. The sales associate immediately began talking to fill up the “dead air” space, and before long, had talked herself into giving my wife the discount she had hoped for. The next time you meet with a client or customer – either face-to-face or over the telephone – bite your tongue. Resist the temptation to talk immediately after they have spoken. Instead, pause for a few moments. Because most people are uncomfortable with silence they will automatically say something. This is a very effective recruiting technique (called the pregnant pause) and it can be used in the sales process as well.

    Here are a few o

    Relationship Building for Long-term Repeat Business
    Most business owners, along with most salespeople, understand the value of relationship building in securing customer loyalty and consistent long-term repeat business. Unfortunately, many are not aware of the 'cornerstone technique' that must be present to sustain this ongoing loyalty.It forms part of, the all important, integrity issue. I am not referring to what most people consider when the think of integrity, which is often equated with 'honestly'. However, it is very closely related. I am referring to 'consistency of behavior' – either face-to-face or over the telephone – bite your tongue. Resist the temptation to talk immediately after they have spoken. Instead, pause for a few moments. Because most people are uncomfortable with silence they will automatically say something. This is a very effective recruiting technique (called the pregnant pause) and it can be used in the sales process as well.

    Here are a few other situations when biting your tongue will benefit you: 1. After you ask a question. I’ve seen more sales people answer their own questions instead of holding back and allowing their customer to talk. Let a customer tell you what’s on their mind and encourage them to give you more information. This is extremely easy to do when you refrain from talking after asking someone a question.

    2. Anytime you ask for the sale. When you ask a person to make a financial commitment (aka a buying decision) you need to give them time to think about their decision and to respond. Too many sales people talk themselves out of a sale by continuing to speak afterwards. I recall one sales person telling me he would give me time to make a decision even though I had told him I wanted his product.

    3. When you are not sure what to say next. From time to time, I have found myself unsure of what I should say after a comment made a prospect or customer. In these situations, an effective approach is to remain silent. It takes patience and a lot of control. However, in most cases, the other person will fill up that dead air space and give you information you would not have learned otherwise.

    4. When people express disappointment. In situations of conflict our natural tendency is to explain why something went wrong or to immediately offer a solution. However, allowing people the opportunity to vent gives you the chance to offer the best possible solution. Many years ago I had a disgruntled employee and I gave her time to express her opinions. After several minutes of heated words and ang

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