I have always found it very interesting that people will insure their homes, automobiles, and health, but will fail to insure something as important as their income. They never think what happens to me if I am ever unable to work do to an unforseen injury or illness? How will I ever be able to pay my bills if I am not able to work? The answer is to make sure that your company offers some type of Disability plan. Short Term Disability (STD) typically will cover you for the first 13 weeks, and Long Term Disability (LTD) for the remaining time until retirement. These plans will pay an employee a set percentage of their incomes on either a weekly or monthly basis while they are out of work. Interesting fact to note is that Disabilities will affect 15% of all Americans, and that is more than 41,000,000 people.
Why should my company implement a Disability Plan? – October 11th, 2011
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Plan Design Changes for 2011 – April 1st, 2011
Question: What plan changes can employees expect to see as health care costs continue to climb?
A: With health care costs expected to rise 7% in 2011, companies will now have to budget approximately $11,176 per employee. With this increase in health care costs, you can be sure of one thing in 2011, companies will be looking for ways to change their current health care plans to help control their costs. Employees can expect to see increased contributions for dependents, either through per dependent contributions or spousal waivers or surcharges. Retirees could see their employer-sponsored medical coverage discontinued, or possibly restructured. Companies may begin to focus more on wellness programs, and rewarding or penalizing employees based on biometrics like weight or cholesterol. Additionally, many companies will adopt consumer directed health plans with either an HSA or HRA. These types of plans come with high deductibles, and encourage employees to set aside pretax dollars to fund future medical expenses. Many companies will be looking to make plan changes in 2011 as a way to keep health care costs flat or to reduce their per-employee costs.
Question: What are workplace “Wellness Programs”, and why should an employer implement one? – March 18th, 2011
I’m often asked this question, and my answer is that they should because wellness programs promote healthy lifestyles, and healthy employees are more productive, and their improved health will lead to reduced health care costs down the road. The important thing to remember is that promoting a health wellness program in the workplace is an investment in your most important asset, your employees. Studies have shown the benefits of implementing a wellness program include, attracting the most talented workers, reducing absenteeism, improving employee productivity, reducing turnover, and improving employee morale. This while reducing health care costs for the employer.
Wellness programs have and will continue to be hot topics as employers look to improve employee health and productivity while at the same time reducing their health care costs. There are many different kinds of wellness initiatives such as smoking cessation programs, on-site gyms, educational materials. Stay tuned to my next article as I will go into detail about developing and implementing a successful wellness program for your workplace.
Interviewing 101: What are my Key Strengths? – March 10th, 2010
Knowing what your key strengths are going into an interview can help you to separate yourself from the other applicants. Do you know what it is about yourself that makes you unique? Do you know what it is about you that makes clients want to do do business with you? If you do not know the answer to these questions, how are you ever going to communicate these values to a potential employer?
How do I become more than just a resume, cover letter, and list of references? In other words, how do I make the type of impression during an interview that will elicit the curiosity of the interviewer to want to invite me back to discuss my abilities in more detail?
The answer lies in knowing what your strengths are and incorporating them into a unique selling proposition. This is a defining statement about you as a salesperson. It is at the core of who you are, and it is also the main skill set that you bring to the table. It is that one thing that you do better than anyone else.
Unfortunately, very few salespeople take the time to understand this principle, and revert back to selling themselves by reciting their daily job functions such as cold calling, creating proposals, meeting with clients, and working very hard to reach the number. They completely miss the opportunity to communicate who they really are, and what strengths they ultimately could bring to this new opportunity.
The 360 degree principle is an easy way to learn about your own selling skills, and will also help you distance yourself from your competition. Seek input from those closest around you such as close friends, customers, managers, colleagues and peers. Ask them what they think your greatest strengths are? Or why did they buy from you? Take notes, and soon you will begin to see some common threads. Be open minded and you will find their input most insightful and possibly quite humbling. These are your greatest strengths and should be incorporated into every question that you answer during your interview.
Boost your Optimism – March 2nd, 2010
News flash. There has been a new scientific study linking together a tie between a salesperson’s optimism and their production! Ground breaking I know, but there is now scientific evidence that proves that if you have a good attitude with a high level of optimism, you will sell more, retain more clients, and ultimately make more money for your company!
In reality, any good salesperson worth their weight in salt has known this since they first got into professional sales. In sales its largely all mental. Either you think you can or cannot, it’s the old self fulfilling prophecy that ultimately you get what you expect.
How many time have I gone into a new day, month, or year with little or nothing in my pipeline? Sales professionals call it business as usual, the daily routine, and most importantly, no need to worry. Immediately a different train of thought takes over. Remember, “I’m good at what I do…, “I’ve been here before… ,” and “There is no way that I am not going to reach my goals!”. This is the optimism that a sales professional takes with him into every challenge that he or she faces.
Salespeople are thinkers but not worriers. When a problem arises, they think about it. They do not agonize over it. “How can I solve this for my client?” All thoughts are about solving the problem and ultimately getting the sale. When problems do arise, they become immune from their negative emotions, as these can very easily become contagious. They put on their blinders and think about how their product or service can help their client.
Emotions are contagious, and if we they are surrounded by negativity, then it is up to us to put on the blinders and stay glued to the task at hand.
Gaining an Edge with Social Media – March 1st, 2010
Sales has always been a game of numbers. As such, any successful salesperson masters the ability to work smarter, not harder as their career evolves over time. Working smarter has never been easier and more attainable than it is now, with the advent of social media. These new platforms allow the salesperson to be where their clients and prospects are while giving them the ability to reach out and touch them in a non-threatening way. The successful salesperson is always looking for an edge – either to get in front of a difficult prospect, or to nurture a closer relationship with their client.
Tools such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn take professional networking to another level. Salespeople no longer need to rely on attending every seminar, open house, or networking event since they can interact with their clients directly using one of these social media outlets.
Unfortunately, most salespeople that I have spoken with know little or nothing regarding how to get the most out of social media. Most have a presence on Facebook, but that’s where their knowledge usually ends. By not utilizing these powerful tools, the salesperson is potentially missing easy chances to connect with the very people on whom their success depends.
Social media is the new sales 101 of networking and connecting with target prospects and future clients. The current methods of cold calling and sending out emails are rapidly losing their effectiveness, and those people who continue to insist on using these outdated and increasingly ineffectual tools define insanity: continuing to do the same cold calling and the same emails expecting different results.
