Build your business in a slow economy! Part 5

Part 5 focuses on boosting employee morale quickly & KEEP IT UP!

How's your morale? Are you getting the most out of yourself and your co-workers? Implement these quick and affordable tips today and watch morale increase instantly!

Morale Boosting Tips:
1. Celebrate! Reward! Recognize! Everyone wants to be appreciated. Catch your employees doing something right. Did they go the extra mile? Did they handle a difficult situation well? Did they make one of your customers feel special? As soon as it happens recognize it, celebrate it and reward it. Don't wait, acknowledge it in front of co-workers and it will be infectious. If you reward the act with an item that can be displayed everyone will get on board and it will become a competition. Everyone will want to "be caught" doing something right so they get the most awards. Go a step further and at the end of 6 months tally the number of awards that each person received and the employee with the most awards receives a grand prize.

2. Positive Motivation! Nothing is more contagious than the energy of a happy and upbeat person. Stay positive and those around you will become positive too. Motivate your employees to give their best. They are apart of your company and they do affect everyone's attitude around them. Your employees and customers want to work with energetic and positive people. Have a contest. Every month the office nominates a person to receive the "Happy Award" that they proudly display on their desk. On the last day of the month have an office lunch and present the award.

3. Honest Communication! Employees are worried about their jobs, their bills, their families. If they come to work everyday wondering "Will I be laid off today?" you won't get the most out of them. They are too stressed and distracted to give your company and your clients 110%. Tell your employees the truth and you will gain their respect and ease their minds. I believe everyone will agree that the unknown is the hardest to deal with. Don't let their minds make up situations that they will need to deal with. Lay the real picture out for them and get them on board with your vision and how you will continue to be successful during this new economy.

4. Exciting Workplace! Can you give your top performers a larger workplace? Can you expand their cubicles? Can you swap out their boring furniture for something nicer? If you've done layoffs you can probably say "YES!" to atleast one of these questions. You may already have the furniture at your office. Or you can save money and purchase used furniture. It will show your employees that you appreciate them and will get them excited to come to work.

5. Empower and Reward! Now is not the time to micro-manage your employees. It justs brings morale down. Instead tell them that you respect them and know they have the skills and critical thinking necessary to do the job. When they achieve the result you want, REWARD IT! Give them a gift certificate, paid time off, a cash bonus, etc. It doesn't have to be a large monetary value, just something that, that person will appreciate and use.

You lead by example. If you are passionate about your job, your employees will be too. If you are optimistic about your company's future so will your employees. Take the time to take care of your employees and they will take care of you. Try it and it will work.

Promotions that get results!
Shana Anderson
Complete Workplace, Inc.
Milpitas, Ca

Build your business in a slow economy! Part 4

This one is important whether you are in a good economy or bad, but it's vital during the bad. Guard and cater to your current customers! Everyone is looking to increase their client base for several reasons. Clients are cutting back their spending, going out of business, or they are price shopping and going with whomever will give them the best deal. Now is the time to make sure you are guarding your clients and catering to their needs!

Here are the top 5 ways to insure that you don't lose their business:

1. Find ways to constantly touch them without marketing to them. Send them a card on the holidays and their birthdays. Send them a "I've been thinking of you" e-mail, or an interesting article that relates to them or their business. Make it personal and show you truly care about them.

2. Talk to your clients. If you have a good relationship with them you will be able to ask them what you can do to help them. What you can do better and what you excel at. Then brainstorm and implement the ideas. Follow up the talk with a thank you card expressing your attitude for their honesty and openness.

3. Profit margins are going down and your clients are shopping around. What better way to entice them into spending some money.....implement a "24 hour customer appreciation" sale! Make sure the item(s) you put on sale are good quality and items that they want.

4. Always be available. If your clients normally call your office phone from 9am-5pm. Send your clients a personal note with your cell phone number and tell them that you want to be available when they need you so feel free to call at night or on the weekends. This will help build the relationship and loyalty with your clients.

5. Keep marketing to them. If you stop your marketing efforts you will be forgotten. Mix it up. An e-mail followed by a direct mail piece followed by a fax then a phone call. Keep it interesting. Do things that noone else is doing.

Keep things personal. It's your personal relationship with them that will keep them coming back to you and will prevent your competition from stealing your clients. Make your clients feel special because they are. Do things that noone else is doing. Your clients will notice and thank you for it.

If you would like help putting a promotion together to "touch" your clients contact me and I would love to help.

Promotions that get results!
Shana Anderson
Complete Workplace, Inc.
Milpitas, Ca