I try to be objective and think that it may be that since most companies let some people go at the beginning of last year; the sales department may be overworked. Maybe they don’t want to listen to the arrogant guy with an accent on the other side of the phone, or perhaps the company I work for doesn’t seem like a big fish; but whatever the reason is, it has started to bother me.

If there is one thing everyone in marketing, sales or the school of common sense learns is that you want to “Make buying easy”, as simple as that. If I’m calling you and leave you a voice mail asking you for a quote, means that someone did part of your job already (you got to love marketing), all you have to do, is either make the damn quote or give me a call back; TODAY. As simple as that, I don’t care if you had to leave early to pick your sick kid at school, you can at least acknowledge me from your blackberry before going to bed that day, or ask a co-worker to return my call, send me smoke signals, anything.

I feel bad for the employers of said sales people. Because I really want to either know more about your product, or I just want to plain buy the damn thing, but the company gets hurt by the incompetence of such people.

What to do about it? I sure don’t want to go and buy an inferior service/product based on the incompetence of the sales department, but I also don’t want to rely on a company that I don’t seem to be able to get in contact with.

I can hear the voices in my head (my brother mostly) telling me, call his boss and get him fired, and a side of fries (discount) while at it; and that sure sounds like the perfect solution, but in my experience, that guys/gals boss already know what kind of employee he has, and hasn’t been “able” to get rid of it, so chances are, the perfect solution won’t work in an imperfect world.

What to do, when I throw money at you and you are too incompetent to pick it up?

-Frank.

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• June 17, 2009 -- Sales – From the Marketing side of the fence (0)

I was never officially diagnosed with OCD, and whether or not I truly suffer from OCD is up for debate. I don’t wash my hands over and over again. I don’t lock the door three times before I am satisfied. However, anyone who knows me will tell you I have obsessive compulsive tendencies. I like things just so. I check my bag over and over again to make sure I didn’t forget something when I leave work. I’ll check my bank account balance four times a week in case someone hacked into my account and stole all my money.  I compulsively make lists. My “to do” lists feature sub-categories and highlighted tasks. That isn’t the crazy part, the crazy part is my need to re-write my lists whenever I’ve accomplished three or four of the tasks or when I’ve added a few new tasks to the list and it is so out of order I can’t keep track of what I should do first.

Although I probably spend an hour a week making to do lists at work, compulsive list making is the least of my OCD problems. You see, I am a worrier. I worry about EVERYTHING. I worry me or someone I care about will get some horrible disease. Then when one of my worries actually happens (I get laid off etc.) I get the crazy notion that my anxiety was actually intuition so I am justified in my worrying. Never mind that most of my worries never come true. This one thing happening vindicates all my worrying.

My OCD can either be a positive in my career or a negative. Which brings me back to the beginning of this post: for the past few weeks I’ve reflected on my career which has caused me to feel down about myself. For some reason I feel my career should be going better than it is. I feel I should be at a more prestigious company or at least have a more prestigious job. When people ask what I do no one says “wow that is cool”. A big part of me felt I am not successful and then I worry I’ll never be as successful as I think I should be. This is probably true, because I am not willing to completely give up my family life for work, yet something in me says unless I am a CEO someday I have failed. I need to be easier on myself but the real problem is I haven’t defined what success is.

And so, I’ve decided to turn this around and use my OCD as a positive driving force in my career. It’s a kind of early New Year’s Resolution and here are the details. I will try not to worry about what has happened in the past in my career. Instead, I will focus on the future and being successful. To do this I must first define career success. What is career success? I think it is different for everyone, but career success for me means having a job that allows me to use the knowledge I’ve gained from past experiences, but also allows me to find new challenges. It will provide me with mental stimulation and the ability to be creative while allowing me to write more often. It will provide opportunities to manage other people, even if they are only interns because I believe in mentoring. It will also provide mentors. Career success will also mean I have the respect of my peers and my superiors as I like being heard and listened to.  

Now that I know what I want I can and will create a plan (a list of steps) to get there. This plan will make ME responsible. I will take charge of the success. I do not need to necessarily find a specific job that will give me all these things. Instead I will work to ensure the any job I have provides these benefits. And lastly, but most importantly, I will stop letting my career dictate my over all happiness. Because when I use my OCD for good and take charge of my life I will be happy no matter what.

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What happens when people lose their motivation at work?

• Less efficient use of resources
• Less creative solutions (at a time when creativity is even more vital)
• Less productivity

And worse, the possibility of security breaches and risks. Some companies learned this lesson the hard way: TMobile in the UK , Greengrocer.com, and the Office of the Attorney General of Maryland.

When employees lose motivation, they become less of exactly what the company needs: A creative, productive contributor. Worse, they might become angry and disgruntled, causing a loss or theft of essential company information.

Motivation – I know it when I see it

So what is this abstract concept called “motivation”? Is it like love – hard to define, but easy to recognize?

According to Webster’s, to motivate is to “provide with an incentive, move to action, impel”. Motivation is, put simply, giving others a reason to do something: To do their job well, to be creative, and to be an asset to the company.

Now that we’ve defined it, can we describe it? What are some common motivators? Some things that have found to be effective motivators are:

• Positive reinforcement
• Effective discipline
• Fair treatment
• Satisfying employee needs
• Setting work-related goals

Notice something missing from the list?

If you assumed that “more money” would be a lock, it turns out it isn’t. The Minneapolis Gas Company completed a 20-year study of motivation. They asked 44,000 employees what they desired most from a job and found that, surprisingly, wages were not highest on the list. Job security was, followed by advancement, type of work, and pride in the company.

But even without the study, we all know that providing motivation is a good thing. The challenge is “how?”

I’ve listed some basic concepts of motivation to help you devise a system to give employees what they need, so they can contribute their best work:

1. Be the change

Employees won’t be their most creative, energized selves – they won’t be assets to the organization – unless you are, first. As the Minneapolis Gas Company found, intangibles rank higher than wages, and they start with your attitude and energy. Simple actions can start the process. Ask yourself: “If I were one of my own employees, would I see myself as an asset to the organization? Does the work I do reflect my most innovative thinking?” Some ways you can start being the change you want to see are:

• Welcome challenges. See them as opportunities, not as limitations. After all, without challenges, we don’t get a chance to exercise our skills and talents to their fullest potential.
• Ask if there are better or different ways something can be done. Good innovators practice creativity; they generate solutions, ideas, and concepts in every aspect of their lives.
• Be curious, ask questions, and develop problem-solving skills by practicing them.
• Take action – have confidence in your ideas, and dare to express them. Don’t fear failure; it’s inevitable, and the only way we learn. Above all, be persistent – don’t give up.

Remember, the positive energy and creativity of your team start with you.

2. Size the motivation to the person

Despite what some people might try to tell (and sell) you, there’s no “one-size-fits-all” system of motivating employees. Each person is different, as is each organization. The key to effective motivation is to discover what moves each person to be their best and to be an asset to the company.

How?

Start by asking. Then stop to listen. Watch the quiet moments. Then continue the discussion.

3. Motivation is a journey, not a destination.

People and organizations change; what works for the employee and the company at one point might not be as effective months later. By listening to and observing employees, motivations can be adapted to their needs.

Treating motivation as a one-time event or a destination leads to a situation where it would have been better to do nothing at all. Commit to the journey and reap the rewards (and continue to read Security Catalyst to get ideas and support).

It might be dangerous and harmful to assume employees are motivated by “more money.” The “trick” is to figure out exactly what will move them to become greater assets to the company, then give it to them. In my next article I’ll explore in greater detail how to develop a motivational plan for your employees, and ways to overcome some common challenges in developing such plans.

What challenges have you experienced with motivation? What successes have you had? Share in the comments….

Sources:

• Merrian-Webster’s Online Dictionary: http://www.websters.com
• Accel Team Development: http://www.accel-team.com/motivation/
• The Journal of Extension: http://www.joe.org/joe/1998june/rb3.php
• The Free Management Library: http://managementhelp.org/guiding/motivate/basics.htm)

Original Article HERE

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Loyalty is a great quality to have as an employee. It means you are always looking out for your employers best interest and that you more than likely work hard for your company. But loyalty can have downsides as well. Is it smart to remain loyal to a company that isn’t loyal to you?

Whether you are talking about a romantic relationship or a professional relationship loyalty is a two way street. And while I think it is good to be a loyal employee, someone who wants to work hard for their employer’s long term success and be there for the long run it is also important to realize when your loyalty is hurting you.

At the beginning of the year I had some personal issues to attend to at home. Of course these personal issues came at a time when life at my job was also very hectic. Luckily, my employer was flexible enough with me to let me take some time off and to let me work a flexible schedule so that I could deal with the personal stuff as well as the job stuff. For example, I would go into work at about 7:30 or 8:00 until about noon, then I would leave for a few hours to attend to the personal issue, then around three I would start working again (from home). I’d then stop working around 5 to do more personal stuff and then I would work from around 8 to about midnight and start again the next day.

If you added up the hours I worked that week it was probably way more than the normal 50 I usually do. However, I didn’t mind, my boss and my employer was being flexible with me, the work needed to be done and being a loyal employee I thought that is what mattered. Then right after the “big project” was complete I was laid off. I don’t believe for a second that it had anything to do with the time I needed to take off for my family. Layoffs were happening all over the country at the time and our department was being restructured. But that is logic talking. My emotions told me that I was loyal to the company and they should be loyal to me – but now they were getting rid of me.

I learned something from this experience. I learned that I owe a company to do my best and work my hardest while I am employed, and they owe me a paycheck and opportunities to learn and grow. This is loyalty. Laying me off was not being disloyal; it was doing what was best for the company at that time. Leaving one job for another that will offer career advancement, additional opportunities to learn or even more money is not disloyal, it is doing what is best for you. Staying in a job that no longer offers these things (with the exception of money, money isn’t everything!) isn’t being loyal it is being stupid, or not caring about your career advancement. Perhaps career advancement isn’t what is important to you. And in that case staying isn’t stupid, it is perfectly fine. But don’t stay in a job simply out of loyalty, stay because it offers you something you need, a paycheck, fulfillment, a short commute, a flexible work schedule or whatever it is you need.

That said, leaving job after job for a bigger paycheck or other small reasons and having absolutely no loyalty is stupid as well. As one person commented on my last post: this will make potential employers question your commitment to your job, and will prevent many employers from hiring you. You should remain loyal to any company that continues to offer you what you require from a career (again whatever that is for you).  And you do owe it to your current employers to help them provide what it is you need.  For example, you want to learn more about graphic design, ask to be a part of a graphic design project (in addition to your normal responsibilities). The point is let your boss know what your goals are. Chances are they will want to help you meet them, because that is a company’s way of being loyal to you.   You work hard and share your goals, they pay you and help you achieve your goals (with training etc.)

But I must reiterate; do not reject new opportunities that will provide you with more of what  it is you want if you can no longer get what you need out of your current employer. They will get rid of you if it is best for the company, you shouldn’t hesitate to leave if it is really what is best for you.

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When you enter a new job you bring with you all the skills you’ve obtained throughout your career. When you are young and trying to build your career you need to build your skills and there is no better way to develop a diverse skill set than to try different jobs and often times this means at different companies. This is why some great companies like Gilbane and IBM offer management training programs. They allow you to try different jobs and to build your skill set while remaining at one company. But most companies aren’t looking for long term employees anymore. Instead they need an employee who is productive at their job now.  So you take a job at a company, work hard, learn new things and then move on to a job that is a little more challenging, that pays more and where you can learn more. There is nothing wrong with this. In fact it will help you develop a better career.

But what about all those warnings about job hopping? Well, yes, if you leave a job every 6 months at some point employers are going to look at you as a flight risk. But at the beginning of your career when you have the most to learn most employers will accept that you’ve had 4 jobs in 5 years. As job hopping becomes more and more common for younger workers employers will be even more willing to accept this.  At some point you’ll have to keep jobs for longer than a year but to be honest I am not sure when that point is. Perhaps it is when the learning curve starts to straighten out and you won’t learn that much more at a new job. Perhaps it is when you decide you need more stability. Perhaps it is when you are at a company you really enjoy and you can see yourself there for a long time. Or, perhaps it is when you decide you want to have kids, I’m sure it is easier to have children and a career when you’ve been at one company for some time (you’ll be able to get more flexibility if you’ve already proven to be a great employee). The point is only you will know when it is time to slow down your ‘job hopping’ and look for long term jobs that will benefit your career.

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Much like marriage, the first few years of your professional career can be exciting and stressful at the same time. You’ve probably completed a few internships and are ready for some more serious responsibilities, yet you are asked to proof read other’s work or do other tasks you feel you have outgrown. Well as much as I wanted to think I could run my own department right out of college I have to admit that nothing trumps experience. You can be smart, hard working and ambitious, and all these things will help your career but until you’ve worked in the professional world for a few years you still have to prove yourself. And that is where the conflict between your professional life and your personal relationship comes in.

In the past young employees were expected to be the ones who stayed late to finish projects or to travel because they didn’t have families at home that depend on them (let’s leave the mommy tracking topic for my next post). But what if you do have a family – just because you don’t have kids does not mean you don’t have a family. And what if, you are (gasp) one of those people who actually enjoys spending time with your significant other? This is where the proverbial work-life balance dance that so many of our older colleagues talk about becomes important.  You have to figure out what your own balance is and what works for your family and a lot of that depends on how far you want to go in your career. Now that isn’t a judgment at all, not everyone wants to be a VP or a CEO and there is nothing wrong with that (I tell myself more than anyone). When I first graduated college my goal was to someday be a CEO. I didn’t care what the company was, but my personality dictates that I be the best at everything I do. I don’t like the idea of not working to be at the top. This is one of the reasons I got such good grades in college, it is also the reason I give myself anxiety stomachaches.

Anyway, as I gained more experience and saw more of the corporate world I realized I didn’t want to be a CEO. My family is important to me and I noticed that CEOs have to work – A LOT. That isn’t what I want. I want a successful fulfilling career, and I think I can have that by getting to a level that has a good amount of responsibility but without being the boss of an entire company.

The other thing you need when trying to balance career advancement and a happy relationship is an understanding spouse. It is going to be difficult to discuss having to work late several nights in a row to a  husband who doesn’t value your career. A big part of having a supportive spouse is also having a spouse who not only cares about you but has his or her own interests. That way while you are working late he or she can be doing something they enjoy. This will also create a more rewarding relationship because you will have things to talk about other than work! (I think you should have your own hobby as well, it is important that your life isn’t all about work and your relationship).

At the beginning of this post I said that I never regretted getting married when I did, and I meant it. So you have to ask yourself if being married young makes it difficult to grow your career than how is it possible that I never even for a second regretted it. Well the truth is there are advantages to being a young married professional – the largest of which is being able to relate and have something in common with your older co-workers. Traditionally this benefit only existed for men who could complain about the old ball and chain with the other guys at work. Also, employers view married men as valuable because they have families to support, while married women are probably going to just have a baby and they have to get home to make dinner anyway. Well I’ve noticed this isn’t as true as it once was. Most of my bosses have been married women, and there is something about being married that makes people assume you are either a)older than you are or b) mature for your age. I’ll take either of those assumptions in the workplace any day.

How about you? Does anyone have any thoughts on why it is difficult or helpful to your career to be in a serious relationship?

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“A: You cannot change careers without taking a pay cut. It is childish to ask this question. So stop asking it.”

As my co-writer and friend Jess presented in her last blog: “What if I want to change careers?”, everyday more and more people look at other’s success and think: “crap, I’m in the wrong business!”  Well, guess what kiddo, you are, and so am I, and so is the Lawyer making 200K a year.  I believe that its natural human behavior to feel unsatisfied for working for others.  It may be because the challenge fades away, or because you think you could do better, or maybe  you don’t get paid what you KNOW you deserve; for whatever the reason, we need to move on.  But, expecting to re-start your career and not re-start your paycheck, sounds quite childish.

Think back to the time where you got out of college or high school, and count how many years it took you to make what you make now, or how many different jobs did you have to move through, how many bosses you needed to get to  know and so on and so forth; now, keep that memory and crush it.  You will have to do exactly the same thing all over again.

Back in the day of my youth, I went to Music School, and became a professional musician (no, it’s not an oxymoron), and once my childish dreams of stardom were fulfilled, I found myself with an over inflated ego and a really skinny wallet, so I decided to go back to school and get a masters.  Stupid me thought that thanks to my masters I was going to start making the big bucks; I was wrong. But after a lot of work, a lot of experience and jumping around through different aspects in my career, I keep on increasing how much I feed my wallet.

My brother, after reaching his potential at corporate America decided to go on his own and start his own company… guess how much he was making?  NOTHING.  He is extremely successful now, but he had to start from the beginning and work his ass off to get there; so could you.

The ugly truth is that if you got laid off or are about to, Those Jobs Will Never Come Back – New Ones Will, and you may have to change careers and start again, but there is nothing bad with that.  If you are afraid of making a change in your life, because you may need to make some adjustments in your life, you are a fool. And since I don’t want to be telling my audience how much of a fool they are, I will leave you with a quote from Penelope Trunk:

“You are saying that it’s more important to buy all the stuff you’re buying than it is to be engaged in your most rewarding work. In most cases, really, you get more bang for your buck by switching to a career you like than staying in something else for 20 years just to live what is your fantasy of adult life. Because really, adult life is not about getting all the things that make you look stable and successful. Adult life is about constantly making difficult decisions about what you are going to give up.”

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A recent post yielded a comment asking about career changes with some specific questions on this topic. I responded that I would write a post about this topic but other issues came up that spurred posts on different aspects of careers. Then, on Friday I received an email about a friend who was thinking of changing careers and wanted some advice. With so many people unemployed or underemployed (now I sound like a RETS commercial) this is the perfect time to discuss how to go about changing careers and what this means for your career (re: earning) potential.

First of all, before you decide to change careers you have to ask yourself a question. Do I need a new career or a new industry? My desire to be a nurse made me realize I didn’t need a career change, I just needed to do PR for a company or in an industry I really believe in. Secondly, you have to ask yourself why you want to change careers. Is it to do something you really love, because your job won’t exist in 5 years, or is it because you just broke up with your girlfriend of 4 years and you think you need to change something big to be happy again? Then ask yourself what it is you really want to do. I can’t answer those questions for you, only you can.

Let’s start with transferable skills. When I began my first semester as a college freshman one message was consistent throughout each of my communications classes: “communications is the most important skill you can learn.” At the time I thought my professors were merely exaggerating the benefits of their class but now that I’ve been part of the workforce for some time now I know they are right. It doesn’t matter if your job is marketing or astrophysics and it doesn’t matter how good you are at what you do, if you don’t have oral and written communications skills you can only go so far in your career. Every single job I have ever applied to, thought of applying to or sent to a friend to apply to lists “communication” among the necessary skills. If you hone your communications skills you will be able to stand out as an employee in any field.

As for other transferable skills, let me say this – unless you are looking to get into the medical profession there are very few jobs out there that really require a specific major. Could an English, History, Culinary Arts major do my job – you bet. I might have a slight advantage as my resume says “Corporate Communications” but the important thing is to highlight the skills and experiences in your past jobs that will help you in the job you are applying for. What’s the easiest way to do this? Look at the job description, they tell you exactly what you need to be successful at this job!

Now say I wanted to get into human resources. I would just tweak this opening paragraph to say something like: Corporate Communications professional looking to transfer experience and skills acquired during internal communications, public relations, marketing and community relations positions to contribute to a corporate human resources department….”

Now I just wrote that in about two seconds, imagine if you really thought about what it is you want and then wrote it out like this? That would catch any employers’ attention.

One question I was asked in both the email I received and the comment on the earlier post was about changes in pay that come with changes in careers. I think this is a very common question. Ultimately, it depends on how you are switching careers. Some journalists switch to PR to make more money! But for the most part, if you are completely starting over or if you were in a high paying field (ex: sales, engineering) and you are looking for a lower pressure more rewarding position you are probably going to take a pay cut. That is part of the trade off, very few people find a job that never requires working more than 40 hours a week, has a remarkably flexible work environment, is extremely fulfilling personally and pays enough for you to take vacations to France every year. There is a reason it pays more to be a doctor or a VP of a department, more responsibility and more work.

I hope some of this insight helps. This is a very broad topic so if anyone has any thoughts or other areas of career changes you would like me to address let me know.

I would like to end with one final note. The comment I received asked if the reader should “suck it up with the job they have because at least they have a job.” I can tell you with complete confidence the answer to this question is: NO! We spend too much time at work and with the people we work with to dislike what we do, where we are or who we are working with. If your job doesn’t make you happy find another one that will. (Just remember not to tie your overall happiness to your job!) Plus, if you like what you do and are happy you will do a better job and that will almost always lead to more money!

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Someone gave my name as a reference for a service I use as part of my marketing efforts (not to mention that I made some profit out of it) and I managed to turn the call into what seems to be a great opportunity in disguise.

It took me 10 minutes on the phone to learn that everything I’ve heard about the Research Triangle Park in N.C. is true, and at the same time I managed to make a contact in the Marketing world over there, someone nice to talk to and who could open some doors for me.

We have all heard about Networking activities, dinners and such, but could it be that just having your eyes open for the right kind of people would prove more successful than walking around with your resume in one hand and a martini in the other to one of those networking cocktails?

I would like to hear some networking experiences.  How do you network your professional career?

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This weekend I had the misfortune of breaking the rear glass of my Mustang Convertible (yes, I’m bragging), and spent some time this morning trying to find someone to replace it.  It ended up being almost an adventure to find someone who seemed at least willing to do the work.  From voice mails, to angry operators that obviously didn’t know that the Mustang was made by Ford, it seemed like I would have to wait almost a week and a few trips to adjacent towns to have the damn glass replaced.  That until my brother shared some of his experience with me and steered my search into the right direction.

JN Phillips website has an easy to fill out form that was followed by a call immediately; the conversation was literally shorter than 2 minutes:

“Hi Mr. AAA, this is BOB from JN Phillips.  Would Wednesday morning be ok for you?

“Sounds good”

“Alright Mr. AAA, we will call you when we get there, have a good day.”

THAT WAS IT!  I couldn’t believe it.  At this point I cant review on their  quality of work, but so far this customer is already impressed and will keep them in mind whenever I or others need some glass replacement.  Kudos to this company and others like it, that engage in such great practices.  I sure will keep it in mind in my future business and marketing ideas.

Hope you all do the same.

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