Tag Archives: success

Jack of all trades or an Expert in a few – which is better.

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Hello, this is Laura Lee Rose – author of the books TimePeace: Making peace with time – and the Book of Answers: 105 Career Critical Situations.   I am a business and efficiency coach that specializes in professional development, career management, time management, and work-life balance strategies.

Today’s question is : What’s more valuable to job force…..jack of all trade or expert in a few? Which is better to stay employed and get promoted.

Once again, it will greatly depend upon your career goals.  Let’s look at some career goals as an illustration.

  • Want to be valued and considered a MVP in my department at my next performance review
  • Want to be valued and considered a MVP in my division within 3 years
  • Want to eventually become a Director or VP in development and research within 8 years
  • Want to own my own consulting business within 10 years.

In all of the above, it’s beneficial to be an expert in your dominant field or role, and very good in adjacent areas and roles.  The degree in which you are proficient in each area depends on your current career path.

If your goal is to be considered a valuable contributor to your department, you need to be ready to step into other people’s positions on an as-needed basis.  The argument of “that’s not my job” is fine is but it also limits your value to your department.  You still want to be an expert in your assigned tasks, but being able to manage other adjacent tasks, functions and areas of your department increases your value.   You will not be able to be an expert in all areas, but if you can be an adequate temporary solution in some adjacent roles (jack of some skills AND an expert in one or two)  to help the team to conquer the current huddle, your value increases.

As you sale up the career mountain, business networking and collaboration becomes more important.

If you want to be the GoTo Person in your division, you need to be well-connected and knowledgeable across departments.  You don’t need to know everything about everything; merely seem that way.  This means you know how to gather the data or borrow the expertise from someone else.  By creating a entourage and support circle of co-workers, mentors, and other experts, you can provide the needed service to both sides of the equation.  You will have become an opportunity agent for both the requester and the supplier.

The higher the stakes, the wider the net of experience.

For instance, if you are interested in receiving an Average Performance Rating, then you only need to do excellent work in your assigned duties (expert in one or two areas).  But the higher the stakes and the higher you rise, the wider your experience net needs to be.  As you rise on your career ladder, you will be depending more on your business relationships, market trending and forecasting experience, business cycles and even human nature.  You will find that the higher the rung, the further away from the technical details you will be traveling.  You will be traveling more toward forecasting, predicting and designing long-term strategies.

 

You will still be knowledgeable in your primary technical skill, but that will no longer by your dominant attribute or value.

 

Conclusion:  If you have your Individual Development Plan (outlined in the IT Professional Development Toolkit program), it will be easy for you to determine which areas to focus on as an expert; which to gain secondary experience and knowledge; and which gaps to fill in with your network of experts, mentors and collaborators.

 

The IT Professional Development Toolkit is covers a comprehensive set of development tools and techniques in less than 10 minutes per practice.  It contains audios, videos, articles, webinars, presentations and practice exercises designed to be less than 5-8 minutes in length.  It can be used as a reference platform or a 12 week course program.

The IT Professional Development Toolkit, goes into the who, what, where, when, why and how to accomplish all of the above.  The toolkit comes in two forms:  DVD and online eLearning program.  For more information, click on the below version.

 

DVD version                                                 elearning version

 

For more information about the toolkit, click on the above buttons or please go to my website at www.lauraleerose.com

 

Or sign up for my weekly Time and Career Management Newsletter at: http://eepurl.com/cZ9_-/

How to handle difficult clients

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How best to manage relationships with clients who can be difficult or trying.

I am a business and professional development coach. My professional website is www.LauraLeeRose.com and my company is Rose Coaching.

Whether you work in the corporate staff environment or own you own business,  you will bump into a dissatisfied customer once and awhile.  Below are some quick tips to diffuse and handle the situation.

1) Understand what your client is trying to accomplish. Most focus on what the thing the client is reporting and not on what the client is trying to accomplish. If you achieve the essence of the client’s goal, he will be appeased – even if the thing he is reporting isn’t fixed.

2) Illustrate that you are on the client’s side. Paraphrase what the client is trying to accomplish and acknowledge that he is frustrated with the current situation. Most difficulties arise when you defend your position against a difficult client. It’s a tricky situation because you don’t want to ‘bad-mouth’ your company. But you do want to acknowledge that this is a frustrating situation.

3) Take responsibility for fixing the situation. Handing-off to a manager or someone else exudes a dismissive attitude. If you can not answer the question, include someone else but stay engaged in the solution. The client wants one point-person to see this crisis through with him. Handing-off to others shows that you don’t really care.

4) Ask the client how they would like it fixed. Since every client is a unique person, you may not be able to read his/her mind. Therefore, ask them how they want this situation to be fixed. If they are invited to be part of the solution, they will not be finding more problems. Some clients will get stuck with the “what is” problem. But guide them into “Although this is a regrettable situation, this is where we are now. What can I do from this point to help you get what you need.”

5) Go above and beyond to make amends. When you make a mistake, go above and beyond to make amends. This may include additional products, services or gifts.

An example that ties all this together. Client is there to purchase an advertized a 2-piece product. You have the first piece but ran out of the second piece (which isn’t supposed to happen). This was your store’s inventory mistake. You ask how the client wants you to fix this, and they state, “I want you to honor your advertizing.” You locate another sibling store that carries both pieces. That store is an hour travel time away. You want to keep the commission so you tell the client to pay for the product here, and pickup the 2nd piece at the other store. (Not taking responsibility for fixing the problem).

Understand what the client is trying to accomplish: Client wants the full product but doesn’t want to add the time and travel to receive it. If the client has to travel another hour to pick up the 2-piece product, they are more inclined to give the commission to the 2nd store. They don’t want to pay you for passing them off to someone else. Offer to ship the product to their home with no shipping charge. Put a rush (next day) delivery from the 2nd store directly to their home – with no charge to the client.  You should also include an additional gift for the inconvenience and shipping delay.

How to deal with difficult clients without losing business.

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How to deal with difficult clients without losing business.

For your business to thrive, you need the right client (not just any client). Often times the difficult clients means it’s a poor match. It could mean that you don’t have the right product; the right price; or the right service level for them. In these cases, they are not the right client for you. If you continue to try to provide for the wrong clients, you will loose business for a few reasons:
1) customerserviceThey will never be happy with your service.
2) You will loose money trying to make them happy (which you will never be
able to do).
3) They will tell everyone that they know – not to go to your place
(loosing you more clients).

So – sometimes, trying to keep a client actually loses you business.

Some ways to deal with difficult clients without losing business:

1) Understand the reason the client is asking for this particular item. Sometimes what the client really needs is different from what they are actually asking for. If you take the time to understand the client’s perspective, goal and reason for the purchase (of service or product), then even if you don’t have the exact product they are asking for, you may have a different solution for them. Sometimes people get fixated on one way to fix the problem, when there are multiple solutions. You may have a different product that solves their problem – just not the one they are fixated on right now.

2) Be prepared with a list of affiliated or referred partners. If you don’t have the right solution, be prepared to hand-off to someone in your referral or affiliated program. This way the client stays happy and you get the referral fee.

3) Apologize for the situation and ask the client how he/she would like this situation handled. Try to accommodate as best as you can within the goal of your company. If you are not able to accommodate the client and you have caused them some inconvenience, provide them an in-store coupon or gift certificate that requires them to come back to redeem.

How to keep that new employee

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This is Laura Lee Rose, a business and efficiency coach that specializes in professional development, time management, project management and work-life balance strategies.  The Professional Development Toolkit package covers professional development and real-world IT topics in detail. If you are interested in inexpensive training in these areas,get signed up

I received the following questions about why new employees leave a job:

  • Why do new employees leave?
  • How can a company on-board them immediately and create an environment that makes new employees want to invest in their future with the company?

 

Most new employees leave because of just a few reasons:
  • they are frustrated with the work that they are assigned;
  • they are offered a better job;
  • they are the wrong fit for this company/job.

To avoid some of these issues, do your homework:

1) Make sure you do your due-diligence in the interview process.  Understand their motives and career goals.  As best as you can, make sure their career goals, personalities and work ethic meets and matches your needs.

      This reduces incidents of  “they are the wrong fit for the job”

2) Have copies of your company policies, orientation materials and task procedures (that they will be responsible for) for them.  Make sure your training and procedures are well documented with steps, the reason for doing it this way, and your success criteria (how they know it’s completed correctly).

     This reduces the incidents of “they are frustrated with the tasks they are assigned”

3) Provide career support.  Partner the new employee with a buddy and a mentor.  The buddy system gives the new employee someone to go-to to ask daily questions.  The mentor (which is a different, higher-level person) helps them stay future career focused.  Also, setup regular one-on-one meetings with the manager.  The meetings can be as frequent as once a week but no less than once every two weeks.  The meetings can be as short as 15 minutes but schedule at least 30 minutes in the calendar.  This gives them a known and regular time to meet with their manager.  This support encourages transparency and open communication.

This reduces the incidents of “they are frustrated with the tasks they are assigned”.  Also – by building a good working relationship with their managers and co-workers, they will see this as “the better job” – reducing the ” they are offered a better job”.

In the Professional Toolkit, I provide worksheet, templates and guidance on how to accomplish these things.    In my Book of Answers: 105 Career Critical Situations, I have 105 work-life scenarios like the above.  The scenarios show how to accomplish your goals in similar situation.
For more information on how to get this toolkit or the “Book of Answers“, please contact LauraRose@RoseCoaching.info

Different Types of Managers and How to Work With Them

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As you have already experienced, there are different types of managers and the different styles of management workers might encounter.  A good manager actually transitions and flows between the different roles as the environment or situation dictate.  But some managers naturally gravitate toward their dominate style and stays there – regardless of their surroundings.   The best advice for working successfully with many of the types is to take full control of your own performance, professional development and career management.

You do this by:

There are 8 text book management styles  ( summary at end of note, posted by Touchpoint in General Business on Jan 9, 2012 9:02:00 AM); but a new type has cropped up recently.  It’s the BUSY Manager.

yesmanSome managers mistaken a “hands-off” approach to mean disengaged.  Most companies are understaffed and overworked.  Therefore, managers often have more work than their employees can handle and more stakeholders/clients to report to and appease.   This often puts the manager in a tailspin – which often tempts them to disengage from their employees.  The Global Workforce environment adds additional complications when individuals are remote and on different time zones.  This also contributes to the manager losing touch in what’s actually going on in his ranks.  In such an environment, most managers are focusing on don-time delivery of current projects.

These busy managers are often impatient with items not directly associated with today’s goal.   There is very little time spent on career management and individual development plans for their employees.  There is little focus on the training on next generation technology to reduce the learning curve to get ahead of the market.  Because of their heavy schedule and budget constraints, managers are often just present focus. They are only focused on what is needed to get them to the next hurdle — but not necessary over it.   They are working to keep their heads above water and not necessarily focused on getting out of the water.   If employees depend upon managers like that – staying only present focus will eventually drown you.

If you recognize that your manager is has a “present-focus” mindset (because he has so much to do, it’s the only thing he can focus on right now) – you need to take control of your own career and professional development.  If you are thinking like the owner or manager (discussed in the Professional Development Toolkit DVD) , you can both appreciate and anticipate need.  In “Knowing How You Boss’ Mind Works video (included in the Professional Development Toolkit DVD), you can better position yourself for that excellent performance rating and promotion.

8 Types of Conventional Managers:

Posted by Touchpoint in General Business on Jan 9, 2012 9:02:00 AM

  • Active leadership: Active leaders tend to lead by example and set a high standard for themselves and their employees. They wouldn’t ask an employee to take on a task they’d be unwilling to do themselves. They are highly involved in the day-to-day work and fully aware of what’s taking place in the office.

 

 

  • Directive leadership: Although less authoritative than autocratic managers, directive leaders do not typically solicit employee input. They often cite a short timeframe, an unpredictable client or an emergency situation as the reason for acting unilaterally. Often this may be true. Other times, they may just have a bit more difficulty letting go of control.

 

 

  • Participatory leadership: Based on a coaching philosophy, this style focuses on empowering employees to seek their own knowledge and make their own decisions when appropriate. It can be very effective in fluid work environments with shifting priorities. A more advanced version of this style is the flat management style, where different managers take the lead on projects, depending on their expertise.

 

  • Servant leadership: Based on a “people-come-first” philosophy, this style has been made famous by writer Robert Greenleaf. The style is based on finding the most talented people to run your organization and then empowering them to do what they do best. The leader sees him or herself as a “servant” to the customer and encourages employees to adopt the same attitude.

 

  • Task-oriented leadership: Leaders who use this style may have once been project managers. They are experts in planning projects, allocating resources, assigning roles, setting benchmarks and keeping to strict deadlines.

 

The  IT Professional Development Toolkit, goes into the: who, what, where, when and how to accomplish all of the above. I also have a transferable skill worksheet.  For more information about the toolkit,

Blue-StartHere

When it comes time to quit your job, do it without burning bridges.

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The IT Professional Development Toolkit DVD goes into further details on the who, what, where, when, and why of these topics.

When it comes time to quit your job, how can you do it without burning bridges.

Of course this depends upon how you have conducted yourself throughout your career; but if you have been professional and a valued contributor all along – here are a few tips:

1)  Highlight all the positive things that this company has allowed you to accomplish.  Show appreciation for your manager and all the opportunities provided on your behalf.

2) Share your individual career goals and plans.  You should have been sharing this all along with your manager in your regular one-on-one managers meetings (detailed in the Professional Development Toolkit).  Therefore, this will not be the first time your organization hears about your career goals.

3) If you have been sharing your career goals with your manager and mentors; and your current company can not provide your ‘next step’ – there will be no bridges burned.  You are simply continuing your career growth and following your IDP (Individual Development Plan detailed in the Professional Development Toolkit).

4) Stay in touch with your managers/mentors/co-workers.  After you leave, stay in contact with past managers, mentors and co-workers.  Everything changes.  It’s a 75% chance that those people will also move on (change their positions) within the next 5 years.  Continue to network with them to understand how their power of influence is growing.  Continue to share with them about your career plans (as well as understanding their goals).  Continue to help each other achieve those next steps.   Stay on their radar – such that when a great opportunity presents itself to them, you are on their minds.

5) You never know who other people know or what the future will bring.  Make sure you stay LinkedIn.com (or similar) connected so that you easily see who they are connected with.  This way you can more easily leverage your links or network.  Joe may not be in a direct position to help or mentor you; but you see that he knows Dr. Barklette that would be a great mentor for you.  If you had asked Joe if he had any recommendations for a mentor, he may not think of Dr. Barklette.  But because you can see Dr. Barklette in Joe’s circle, you can ask for the specific introduction.  You also know that Dr. Barklette might need a research assistant or project manager on his next program, etc.

Bottom line is that right way to quit your job doesn’t stop when you walk out of the door.  It’s really just the beginning.  Make it a point to continue the business network and build a working relationship with those past relationships.  The biggest mistake that people make is to close the door on those years of collaboration and professional network.

If you would like to know more details, please email LauraRose@RoseCoaching.info

7 Tips to Finding a Mentor

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Hello, this is Laura Lee Rose – author of the business and time management book TimePeace: Making peace with time  and The Book of Answers: 105 Career Critical Situations– and I am a business and efficiency coach that specializes in time management, project management and work-life balance strategies.  Steve Wynkoop and I talk a lot about designing and managing our professional careers on a weekly interview on SSWUG TV.

The IT Professional Development Toolkit DVD goes into further details on the who, what, where, when, and why of these topics.

Most successful people believe having a mentor greatly helps them stay on target and even excel quicker.

But how do you find a mentor, particularly with someone who you might not have a relationship
with yet or resides in another location.

7 Tips to finding a Mentor

1)      Outline the items/areas that you are interested being mentored or coached.  There may be several areas that you are interested in.  So – don’t feel that one mentor has to fulfill all areas.  You can have one mentor for “how to better market yourself in your organization”.  You can have one for “how to increase my technical expertise and influence in the organization”.  You can have one for “how to step more into the spotlight in trade-shows, user conferences, speaking engagements”  You can have one on advice for starting your own business.

2)      Once you have your areas outlined – talk to your manager about wanting to improve these specific areas.   Ask your manager’s advice on who in the organization would be good mentors in those areas.  Ask your manager if he/she would provide a warm-introduction (simply touch base with that  person to see if they are open to something like that).

3)      Do the same with your HR representative.  Share your desire to get a mentor with your HR representative.

4)      Ask co-workers and friends if they have been a mentor, have a mentor or have a recommendation on one.

5)   Attend your professional association meetings, networking groups and subscribe/read your industry magazines.  Be on the lookout for people giving relevant presentations/talks at your professional networking groups OR authoring articles in your industry journals.   Introduce yourself by telling them how much you enjoyed their presentation or articles.  Discuss various points that you really connected with.  These are great ice-breakers.  Tell them that you would like to interview them for your article, blog or newsletter. During your interview, share your professional goals – and ask their advice on how to find a mentor in their specific area.

6)   Repeat the above for other experts in your areas of interests. Start adding these contacts to your LinkedIn or Facebook space.  Reciprocate and ‘Like” and provide positive comments on their businesses.  Go out of your way to give them testimonials and endorsements on their pages.  This helps keep you on their radar.

7)      Make use of your facebook and  LinkedIn.com connections.  Do a search/review of your network to see if they have the qualifications necessary to be a guide.  You mentor doesn’t need to be in your current organization or company.  It is actually beneficial to expand your reach beyond your current company.  When you find someone that you want to reach out to – simply state your goal, and that you admire their accomplishment.  Be specific on what you really like about their background and achievements, highlighting any commonalities between you and them.  Admit that they seem to be in the perfect position to suggest a possible mentor.  This gives the person an “out” without alienation.  If they want to mentor you, they will often suggest themselves and a meeting time.  Otherwise, they may offer to connect/introduce you to someone else.  Either way you win.

This last point is MOST important.  Reciprocate either by paying them for their time and expertise; gift their family dinner/theater/entertainment tickets; offer your services in the areas of your expertise, etc.  Avoid taking without giving back.  Otherwise, you run the risk of over-extending your welcome.  And you really want to develop a long-term working relationship with these masters.

In my IT Professional Development Toolkit, I go into the: who, what, where, when and how to accomplish all of the above.   For more information about the toolkit, please contact

 

vConferenceOnline.com/Bits on the Wire, Inc.
6420 E. Broadway, Suite A300
Tucson, AZ 85710
520-760-2400 or (877) 853-9158
info@vconferenceonline.com

 

 

Or sign up for my weekly Time and Career Management Newsletter at: http://eepurl.com/cZ9_-/

 

How to attract the clients mostlikely to pay your price for your products and services

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How can small companies  reach the types of customers most likely to be willing to pay their  prices for their products and or services.
Individuals normally hang-out with folks that  are within 20% of their own salary range.  If we want to improve  our social-economic standing, we need to associate with the same income level  that we want to achieve.
We can use this knowledge in attracting the clients  that you want. 
1) Be clear and explicit in your target client  description.
    Include in your description: 
  • yearly income
  • type of neighborhoods they live
  • the size and price of the homes that they would   typically live in
  • types of hobbies
  • types of charity events
  • type of cars, boats, premier   service they use
  • type of transportation that they normally   use
  • type of events and meetings they attend
  • type of restaurants, parks, activities that they   take advantage of
  • type of magazines that they normally subscribe   
2) Then start networking and showing up at the same  places.
  • Volunteer at the charity events that   your target clients normally attend.  Pick a position that allows you to   connect and interact with your target client.  Don’t accept a position   that keeps you in the background. Since you are volunteering your   time,make sure that the ROI is to your advantage.
  • Become the program committee chairman at some of   the associations and events that they atend.  Being the program chairman   of these types of associations gives you an easy ice-breaker.  You can   then invite them to speak or attend these gathering as a way to introduce   yourself and your service.
  • Get in the position to invite some of your target   clients to speak or present at a special and prestigious event
  • Attend some open-houses of the type of homes they   would buy
  • Put on a free event in the club-house of their   neighborhood or resort/golf-club that they would normally attend
  • Get in the position to speak (or even just   introduce/MC) at some of the events and meetings that they normally   attend
  • Facilitate or organize the type of charity   event or catalyst event that they normally would attend.
  • Attend boat shows and car shows that they would   normally attend
  • Advertise in magazines that they would normally   purchase.
  • Write articles or columns in magazines or   electronic magazines that they normally read
  • Write “letters to editors” and comment on articles   that would interest your target client
3) Where ever you show up, make sure you are adding  value to the interchange
4) After you have built a relationship  with a few of your target market — ask for referrals. Even though  they may not need your services at this time, they may have friends and  neighbors that would be interested.  Remember, they will also hang-out with  folks that are in their same social-economic standing.

How to Hire Friends or Family Members

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Hello, this is Laura Lee Rose – author of TimePeace: Making peace with time – and I am a business and efficiency coach that specializes in time management, project management and work-life balance strategies.  I recently received the questions “What is your #1 tip on hiring friends or family members?”

Small business owners may look to family and friends for staffing assistance.  Even if you are not a business owner, you may feel obligated to recommend a friend or family member.   Though you may know and trust these people more than a stranger, there are several things to consider up-front.

There’s always a high risk of losing the friendship or creating bad feelings with the family member or friend. It’s just a risky business proposition. If you are still going to do it, here are 5 tips to implement to make is a smoother experience.

1)     Have the right reason for hiring your family or friend.

Example of the wrong reason:  Simply to help them get on their feet and you feel obligated because they are ‘family’.  This isn’t the best reason to invite a friend or family member into your business.  If you want to help them out, help them with their resume, forward job leads their way, pay for their skills training or certification course, coach them in other attributes that you feel is keeping them from success, etc.   There are many other ways to help them get on their feet, other than having them affect your business and your quality of life.

Example of the right reason:  They have the right skills, personality, work ethics, business reputation, professionalism, exceptional work experience in relevant industry, you have successfully worked with them in the past, and you would love to work with them in the future.  They are also mature and feel that your relationship will not be affected if the business relationship does not last.

2)     Documented detail expectations and work contracts.

In the interview and hiring phases, get everything in writing.  It’s especially critical to have formal contracts when working with friends and family.  This assures everyone is on the same page and that you have a ‘meeting of the minds’ before you start. Have the contracts and documented approved and signed by all the appropriate stakeholders.  Any modification of these agreements must also be documented, approved and signed.

These documented expectation and work contracts should be instituted for all employees; but critical for family and friends that you hire.  Follow-through on any consequences or rewards documented in those signed contracts.

3)     Avoid being their direct report on the job.

To eliminate daily conflicts, it might be good to assign your family or friend to an experiences and high-performing manager or mentor.  Share the particulars with your manager to assure him/her that your family member should not be treated any differently than any other employee.  Share the PBC and IDP documents with the manager (Sign up for the Professional Development Toolkit to learn more about PDB and IDP documents).  Also, tell your family or friend that they need to go through the manager or mentor – and not directly to you regarding work issues.

4)     Proactively eliminate venting to other family members.

Because this is your friend or family member, you will have mutual family and friends in common.  And they might have a particularly hard day and vent to mutual friends and family members.  Realize that it is very possible that you might hear “through the grapevine” some grievances and complaints; and friend in common might feel obligated to take a side in the conflict. This will not only cause strain on your relationship with your employee but with the family and friends you have in common.

Before you hire your friend or family member, outline your grievance policy and procedures.  Make it very clear that you expect him/her to take any grievances directly to his/her manager.  If the issue is associated with the manager, they should follow-up with their 2nd line manager.  Make I clear that you will not tolerate any side-routes through family members.  There will be consequences to not following this grievance policy that could include probation or lose of position.

This grievance policy should be abide by all employees – but especially critical for employees that share family and friends.

5)     Be over-diligent in equal treatment to all employees.

If you feel you need to institute a new policy, procedure change, rewards, bonus, advance pay or improvement plan, you need to institute, document and announce the change for the entire company.  You need to avoid the perception that your family member is receiving special treatment (either positive or negative treatment).  You can do this by being over-diligent in your documented company policies.  You also need to document all your employee interactions regarding performance reviews, rewards, performance improvement needs, reasons for pay increases or decreases, etc.  Error on the side of too-much proof regarding all employee interactions and performance issues.

Bottom line:  I am not recommending anything that should not already be done for regular employment and company policies.  The key is not to deviate these procedures based upon a personal relationship with the potential employee.  If you friend and family member feels uncomfortable with the level of professionalism of your business, then your company is simply not a good match for them.  It’s best to find out at the interview stage.

 

In my IT Professional Development Toolkit, I go into the: who, what, where, when and how to accomplish all of the above. I also have a transferrable skill worksheet.  For more information about the toolkit, please contact

 

vConferenceOnline.com/Bits on the Wire, Inc.
6420 E. Broadway, Suite A300
Tucson, AZ 85710
520-760-2400 or (877) 853-9158
info@vconferenceonline.com

 

 

Or sign up for my weekly Time and Career Management Newsletter at: http://eepurl.com/cZ9_-/

Where does ‘hackling’ fit in today’s digital world?

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Where does ‘hackling’ fit in today’s digital world?

This is Laura Lee Rose, a business and efficiency coach that specializes in professional development, time management, project management and work-life balance strategies.  In my Professional Development Toolkit package , I go into professional development and real-world IT topics in detail. If you are interested in more training in these areas, get signed up

In business – a successful business person acknowledges the consumer trends/human behavior and adjusts.

A business and finance expert Kevin Price of Price of Business recently asked me the following question:
It seems that in recent years people have become less communicative in spite of all the tools available to interact with others. Or do those tools — smart phones, tablets, etc., make people become weaker in communications? In particular, it seems people have a hard time communicating about deals; they no longer have the skill to negotiate prices (hackle).  Haven they fallen off the face of the earth?

I have a theory about the statement: “people now have a hard time communicating about deals”.  It’s an auxiliary to the “supply and demand” rule.  People are more inclined to hackle or negotiate when there is a “one-of-a-kind” item of their desire.  For instance, if you find your dream home and you are convinced that there isn’t another house in the right neighborhood, near the proper schools, with the right lawn-size, etc. you are more apt to take the time to go back-n-forth on the price.

But, if there is an over-abundance of supply, people will just go elsewhere for an item of similar content.

In today’s digital and internet world, there are a wealth of ebays, craiglists, amazon.com, and various other e-commerce sellers on the internet.  There are also free apps that does the price and feature comparisons for you.  Therefore, instead of taking the time to negotiate and hackle, people tend to walk off and search the internet for a better offer. Most buyers now have an overabundance of suppliers at their finger tips. They no longer feel the need or pressure to negotiate for a better price, because they understand the abundance of world-wide sellers. Buyers are no longer restricted to local retail shops because they have the global market at their command.  Even the conventional ‘brick and mortar” shops understand the need for website and online ordering.

This switches the responsibility for the sale back onto the seller. Because of the abundance of the global competition he faces, it is the seller that needs to make the greater effort for the sale. It is the seller that needs to make the offer more attractive by offering additional training, onsite installation, local support, no shipping costs or delivery charges, personal support etc.  It is the seller that needs to improve their interpersonal communication skills.

Today is it the business owner that needs to better convey their differentials to the buyer. It is the business owner that needs to set themselves apart from the pack. It is the business owner that needs to take better advantage of the digital and internet bargaining propositions.

Once again, it is not the tool’s fault. The tools are simply impacting the way people do business. And successful businesses recognize the impact of tools on human nature and adjusts to the new consumer MO.

In my Professional Toolkit, I provide worksheet, templates and guidance on how to accomplish these things.    In my Book of Answers: Companion piece to the Professional Toolkit, I have 100 work-life scenarios like the above.  The scenarios show how to accomplish your goals in similar situation.
For more information on how to get this toolkit or the “Book of Answers”, please contact:

vConferenceOnline.com/Bits on the Wire, Inc.
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Tucson, AZ 85710
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