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Alternative Compensation

I once walked into an interview
and the HR rep starting talking about
alternative compensation
immediately.

My first question was
“This is my desired pay range.”
I slide over a piece of paper.
“Does this position fall within it?”

“Ummm… no”
was the answer.

Of course not.
You see,
when employers begin the negotiations
with alternative compensation
(flexible hours, pension, etc)
then you can bet
the financial compensation is not there.

And since I could have both,
I wasn’t there either.

Sexism In The Office

Sexism still exists in business,
especially the higher up
in the corporate rankings you move.

That isn’t necessarily a bad thing
for the savvy businessgal.
Sexism, as with any ism,
is weakness
and weaknesses can be exploited.

It is very easy to manipulate someone
when you know what
their hot button is.
An obvious example of this
is the 2 on 1 pitch.
A male buddy and I
will walk into a pitch to a sexist V-P.
The male buddy will pitch
my preference,
I’ll pitch the alternate
(I always give execs a “choice”).
An easy sale.

Bonnie Fuller On Waiting For Success

Magazine Editor
Bonnie Fuller,
responsible for the relaunch of
the former tabloid Star
as a glossy magazine,
told Careerstv

“No one is going to give you success
on a silver platter.
You have to reach out
and grab it.”

We all know people sitting back
and waiting for success.
Not going to happen.
We have to work for it.

How To Make A Favorable First Impression

Harry Mills in The Rainmaker’s Toolkit
shares how to make a favorable first impression.
Smile to ooze warmth
Open stance, standing with your legs apart and arms loose
Forward leaning towards the prospect,
moving your weight forward onto the balls of your feet
Tone, varying your voice pitch, rate and rhythm
Eye contact, focus your gaze
on the prospect’s forehead and eyes
Nod, punctuating your speech with nods and gestures

As you can see,
making a favorable first impression means
using your entire body to do so.
Selling is VERY physical.

Linking Issues

A friend was buying a resale home.
The negotiations came down
to price and appliances.
It was understood that
the two were linked.
No appliances, lower price.
Appliances included, higher price.
That understanding made the deal making easier.

When negotiating,
link the different issues as closely as possible,
then ensure that concession on one issue
means concession on the others.
Bundling them will increase
speed of resolution.

Top Client Profiles

In Breakthrough Business Development,
Duncan MacPherson and David Miller
reco building profiles on all your top clients.

These profiles should include information about;
F(amily)
O(ccupation)
R(ecreation)
M(essage)

Message or the product you deliver
comes last
because without the trust and relationship built up
with the first three,
your message becomes a commodity
competitors can copy and lower price on.

Does this work?
Yes

When my novel released,
a headhunter buddy was
one of the first to mention it.
My novel had nothing to do directly
with our professional relationship
yet him remembering it
secured my loyalty.

The Job Applicant Integrity Test

In May’s Men’s Heath,
FBI Profiler John Douglas shares a brilliant way
to test a job applicant’s integrity.

“Employees are 15 times more likely
to steal than customers are.
So set up an integrity test.
Leave a file marked “confidential”
on the waiting-room table
or a $50 bill under a magazine.
Then ask the receptionist
to watch if he bites.”

Well worth the $50 lost.

Share The Research

I’m writing the my fourth novel right now,
doing a lot of research for it,
research ranging from how to throw knives
to how to walk a tightwire.

Years ago,
writers hoarded their research sources.
Having that knowledge made them special.

Today,
everyone with internet access
has that information.
Having that information
doesn’t make the author special.

Providing it in one place
for readers to reference to
as they read the book
does.

I made an error.
I didn’t post it with my first book immediately.
I received emails about it
and am only now sharing my sources.

A lost opportunity.

The Public Thank You

I like thank you’s.
Thank you just might be
the two most powerful words available.
You thank me for buying your product
and mean it
and you have yourself
a customer for life.

Why?
Because it shows you care.

For some strange reason,
people and companies don’t say thank you enough.
They certainly don’t say thank you in public enough.

I don’t know why
especially since, with blogs,
public thank you’s
are both easy and free.

Have you thanked someone publicly today?

Workaholics

After working through yet another long weekend,
I got accused by a former coworker
(whose BBQ I dodged)
of being a workaholic.
I prefer to call it passion
(and smart evasion tactics).

I don’t work for work’s sake.
I am, actually, quite lazy.
I work because I am passionate
and have purpose.

Working on my projects makes me happier
but overall,
workaholics are no happier
or unhappier
than the average person.

If you look at the twenty questions
of whether or not you are a workaholic,
it is all about balance
and purpose.