PUBLISHERS NOTE: I was able to find this, that explains how to simply post videos and images. It seems to work pretty well and is self-prompting. It still does’t have the flexibility, of the old SlideShare application, like autostart. I can’t figure out why they are taking this approach after spending $116M on SlideShare, but it’s not my dime….
PUBLISHERS UPDATE – 5.31.13 – Ive just been informed, and sadly confirmed, that the features below are indeed NOT available to all accounts. Although it seemed to be no problem to drop the applications across the whole platform, for some reason LinkedIn is only allowing some accounts to upload files. It has nothing to do with premium status, but I can upload and some of my clients cannot – yet?
BY EMILY PRICE
LinkedIn added the ability to showcase users’ talents in a whole new way Wednesday: pictures and video. Now LinkedIn users can add visual content to their profile pages, giving more depth to the written content already displayed on the site.For instance, a photographer might choose to include several of her best photos, or a copywriter might upload a video of that ad he wrote for last year’s Super Bowl. Architects can upload the blueprints for a building they designed, and musicians can upload videos of past performances.
Visual content can be added to your summary, work experience and education sections on the site, and can come from your computer’s hard drive or from the web.
On the flip side of the equation, people who are browsing profiles on the site can now like or comment on media uploaded to others’ profiles. A sharing option — for sharing content you find interesting with others — is also in the works.
New media-rich profiles are available now for LinkedIn members in English-speaking countries.
To add media to your own profile on LinkedIn click the “Edit” button on your profile page and follow the prompts in the summary, education and experience sections.
What sorts of content will you be adding to your LinkedIn Profile?
I thought all the crashes and “try later” warnings were bad. Just like the “your contact list is currently not available.”
Then we had to deal with the totally random attacks on keyword stuffing by the LinkedIn Trust & Safety team. If you look up any keyword on LinkedIn, I guarantee you that the first 4 or 5 pages of results will be keyword stuffed in the projects section. So you do the same thing, or you can’t compete. I explained this and the fact that they could write a pretty simple algorithm to detect this, not anything like Google, but they never made an effort.
Now, just as I am getting used to my profile supposedly among the top 1% viewed in 2012, we get a total new look: They have changed all the tabs, removed all the applications, stopped supporting blogs altogether, and cannot tell anyone when they will have the “new application” that will allow you to put up your experiences now supposedly in your summary section -all without any kind of announcement or warning.
WTF? I make my living (in part) as a LinkedIn coach. I have spent the better part of a complete day scrambling to read what little documentation they have, and emailing back and forth to other supposed LinkedIn Guru’s (like anyone can figure out what they are likely to do next) to figure out how to work around this latest “improvement.”
Could this have anything to do with their attempts to monetize LinkedIn? To this point it hasn’t really made any sense to upgrade. Keep your eyes and ears open for some sort of suggestion that there are plug-ins and gizmos available to Premium users, like video upload etc.
I’ll keep you posted as I sort this out (another day or two I didn’t have to re-invent the wheel) as it is excruciatingly apparent that they won’t.
Companies in the business of dealing with people know how important customer complaints management is – after all, there are very few companies that do not interact with customers on some level; even if there is no direct interaction.
The rules have changed a lot over the past few years, and they are changing even more just about each and every month. What worked in the early part of the 2000s will not work in 2013 – consumers have a far greater soapbox now for one thing, and the way that we communicate in general has also changed greatly.
What exactly are the ‘new rules’ that need to be considered for our current era, and what should companies be doing to adhere to best practices on complaints management? Here are some important things to keep in mind…
Customers are no longer limited to posted letters, limited email and telephone calls. Now, they have all of those channels, as well as personal blogs, Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, consumer feedback websites, forums AND word of mouth. Worse still, feedback posted online that mentions your company will show up in internet search results when people are searching for your business online.
Customers are more likely to report on a bad experience than a good one. What this means is that even though the past 150 customers who have purchased your wildly popular gizmo via your snazzy online store are thrilled, not all of them will be shouting your praise to the world. The one or two customers who were not too happy about that gizmo (or your store, or even your delivery process) are another story. Those are the ones who will tell everyone they can just how terrible your company, products and store are – often, on multiple channels for good measure.
Customers can not only become happy again, they can even become your number one fans. This is however, provided that you deal with their complaints properly. Complaints should not be seen as a bad thing for starters – this is a chance to improve your services and goods for the better. For another thing, the way that problems are addressed makes a lot more difference than the actual issue in many cases. In order to effectively address the complaint, you first need to catch it early, escalate it properly and route it to the right person though.
As you can see, the rules continue to change pretty much all the time. What doesn’t change however is the fact that response time and reaction are both vital when it comes to making a bad situation into a good one.
Automating the complaints process with a good software tool is one way to improve your overall systems. You may also want to think about other tools such as competency testing for employees who deal directly with customers. Product reviews and preventative measures such as customer surveys, and also making sure that customers can easily air their views should be top of mind too.
At the end of the day you see, it is far easier to handle a small upset soon after it happens, than risk dealing with the public relations disasters that can (and do) happen overnight when customer complaints are left unchecked. Quite an easy choice really when you think about it that way.
Christopher Stainow is actively involved in the streamlining of business quality processes and procedures through the use of quality management tools & document control software. Learn more at lennoxhill.co.uk.
A viral campaign is the marketing equivalent of winning the lottery ticket. A well executed viral campaign can spread on its own, leveraging the power of social media and word of mouth. Viral campaigns can dramatically increase brand awareness, improve sales, and catapult a hitherto unknown brand into public consciousness.
Here, we take a look at five of the best viral campaigns from 2010 and what marketers can learn from them:
1. Old Spice “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like”
No talk of viral campaigns would be complete without a mention of Old Spice’s groundbreaking “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” campaign. As one of the first consumer product companies to crack the viral code, Old Spice (and Isaiah Mustafa, the eponymous ‘Old Spice Man’) benefitted greatly from the campaign.
While the original campaign ad with a barechested Isaiah Mustafa was liked well enough, what truly set the campaign apart (and set the wheels of virality) in motion were the short, funny video responses the Old Spice team created for celebrities, including social media heavyweights like Perez Hilton and Kevin Rose. Tweets from Rose, Hilton and Demi Moore, among others, soon grew into exponential traffic that landed the campaign into the annals of viral marketing history.
Takeaway: While quirkiness and humor were the two key ingredients of the campaign’s success, marketers must also learn how to target the right audience for maximum impact (in Old Spice’s case, it was tech mavens like Kevin Rose who set up the viral platform). A strong voice and easily identifiable image goes a long way as well.
2. Dollar Shave Club
The Old Spice Guy ad debuted at the biggest arena of them all: The Superbowl. Dollar Shave Club, on the other hand, had a much smaller budget to work with. The small startup based out of Santa Monica, USA was one of the viral stars of 2012, netting millions of views for its hilarious marketing video. The result? Millions of customers and a whopping $9.8 million in venture funding, all made possible by one simple video.
Takeaway: You may not have P&G’s marketing budget, but that shouldn’t stop you from being successful. Dollar Shave Club showed how a no name brand with a solid product and a hilarious, honest video ad could disrupt an entire industry and win millions of customers in the process. Men’s razor industry is broken and dominated by a couple of companies. Dollar Shave Club knew it and exploited the fact fully in its ad. Throw in some humor, a price point of $1, and you can almost guarantee success.
3. Invisible Children – Kony 2012
Sometimes, instead of glitz, glamour and humour, all you need is a fistfull of honesty and a good cause to rally an audience. The Invisible Children’s Kony 2012 campaign had that in plenty, which eventually netted them close to 97 million views on YouTube. The Stop Kony movement has an admirable cause: to bring the world’s attention to the genocide by the Lord’s Resistance Army in Uganda. With its heartfelt campaign, it shifted the world’s focus on the region, effecting a real change in the process.
Takeaway: Sometimes, a real message is all it takes to break down the walls of virality. Strip away the razzmatazz and bare your soul to your audience. The results, as Kony 2012 demonstrates, may very well surprise you.
4. TNT’s “Your Daily Dose of Drama”
“Push to Add Drama” – a seemingly innocuous button placed in the middle of a busy square in Belgium became the focus of a successful ad campaign by TNT. As hidden cameras captured bystanders walking up to and pressing the button, paramedics, policemen, and mafia criminals swarmed out, getting into fights, shooting guns and creating, well, ‘drama’. The reaction of the bystanders – surprise, shock, then joy – matched the TV channel’s message perfectly: “Your Daily Dose of Drama”.
Takeaway: Capturing the reaction of everyday folks (even if they are actors and the footage staged) can not only be a great validation of your product, but lure the audience into the ad experience. Viewers who watched the bystanders giggle with delight couldn’t help but stifle a smile themselves, which is just what a brand wants.
5. Red Bull Stratos
Felix Baumgartner’s jump from space was always going to be a media event, but Red Bull created a clever campaign that milked the event to the maximum. The campaign grossed over 170 million views on YouTube, spread across the main jump video and thousands of user created videos. Brand Red Bull, needless to say, got a major boost from Felix Baumgartner’s death defying jump.
Takeaway: Sometimes, the build-up to the event can be more beneficial than the event itself. Red Bull created a lot of buzz by releasing teaser videos before the jump, and invited viewers to create their own videos. The result was thousands of reaction videos that pumped up the view count, like Felix Baumgartner, to the stratosphere.
Honesty, humour and a bit of daredevilry are proven ingredients for cracking the viral code. You may be working with the budget of a Fortune 500 company, or small startup, but that shouldn’t be any reason to not be successful with your viral marketing campaign, as the examples above show.
This post is brought to you by top London University student and keen blogger Lucas, Lucas studied for a Masters in Public Relations and now enjoys blogging about PR and advertising.
If you’re using social media for marketing, what should you say following a tragedy like the deadly blasts at the Boston Marathon on April 15?
The horrific elementary school shootings in Newtown, Conn.?
The October storm that took lives and devastated communities across the Northeast?
Sometimes, nothing at all.
The age of digital marketing brings with it new challenges, including how to respond during a national tragedy. Remember, as recently as Sept. 11, 2001, we had no MySpace, much less Facebook, Twitter or YouTube. Except for email, no vehicle for delivering instantaneous marketing messages existed. After 9/11, one of the most painful days in American memory, most of us had time to pause, reflect and put on hold print, radio and TV marketing campaigns that might be viewed as inappropriate or offensive.
In recent months, there has been lively debate on this topic in the marketing community, including how and when to tie – or not to tie — a marketing message into the news of the day, a widely used strategy.
Gaffes can occur with the most innocent of intentions in any media content, marketing or not. Earlier in April, a new episode of the musical comedy “Glee” upset and angered parents in Newtown, Conn., because the plot featured a student bringing a gun to school, where it accidentally discharges.
“A lot of people were upset about it and that I feel horrible about,” Jane Lynch, one of the stars, told Access Hollywood Live days later. “If we added to anybody’s pain, that’s just certainly not what any of us wanted. … We’re always rather topical and rather current.”
Usually, however, simply applying your own sense of decency and good taste can help you avoid a blunder. Consider American Apparel’s notorious “Hurricane Sandy Sale – in case you’re bored during the storm,” advertised as tens of thousands of people endured freezing temperatures without power. Most of us wouldn’t have even considered such a ploy!
Here are a couple more suggestions for do’s and don’ts:
• If you use automated posts scheduled through a site such as HootSuite, turn them off immediately. If people don’t find them insensitive and uncaring or silly, they’ll likely conclude your messages come from a robot – not a real person – which is just as bad.
• Can you be helpful? Hours after the blasts in Boston, with cell phone service out in the city and family and friends desperately trying to connect with loved ones, Google.org launched “Person Finder: Boston Marathon Explosions.” There, individuals and organizations could share information about the status of marathon participants and spectators for those trying to find them.
If your community has suffered a tragic event, perhaps you have helpful information to share. Here in Florida, which is affected by hurricanes, people use social media to help evacuees and their pets find shelter, and to alert others to danger, such as downed power lines. Depending on your area of expertise, you may be able to provide more general information or commentary. For instance, an educator can share tips for answering children’s questions about the event. Philanthropists might comment on those selflessly step up to help.
• Of course, social media is also about reactions and, for many, that’s a sincere expression of sympathy for and unity with those affected.
If you want to post something and you’re unsure about what to say, take a look at what businesses and other brands are sharing, and how online users are reacting. You may decide to just say nothing for a day or two, or whatever time seems reasonable given the nature of the event.
Sometimes, saying nothing at all speaks volumes.
About Marsha Friedman
Marsha Friedman is a 23-year veteran of the public relations industry. She is the CEO of EMSI Public Relations (www.emsincorporated.com), a national firm that provides PR strategy and publicity services to corporations, entertainers, authors and professional firms. Marsha is the author of Celebritize Yourself and she can also be heard weekly on her Blog Talk Radio Show, EMSI’s PR Insider every Thursday at 3:00 PM EST. Follow her on Twitter: @marshafriedman.
Networking remains one of the best ways to get your name out into the professional world. Even with social media, personal contact and meetups with new consumers, clients, or business partners is essential. Having a business card in hand can provide these potential contacts with all your personal information. However, for each contact you make, the ore your name is competing with other potential customers or clients. Here are tips to make your business cards stand out from others.
Visual Stimulation
A simple business card with your name and contacts does not stipulate people enough to remember you in a large stack of business cards. Try to add style to your card with graphics, a picture of yourself, or a picture that can start a conversation. In addition, the business card could show examples of your brand, the goods you sell, or the services you provide so a contact can associate you and your card with your specific niche. Using bold colors and having a good finish and feel to the material of the card will also help.
List all Pertinent Contacts
Do not bombard the contact with a business card that has dozens of ways to contact you. Do not list your cell phone, several e-mail addresses, your website, your social media accounts, your blog and your fax number. Instead, only list all the platforms you use the most for communications. Also, try to list contacts that might get potential clients or consumers interested in your brand. Your blog or video channel might be more interesting to put on the card since these websites can help the client see what your brand or business is all about.
Social Media Connections
A good business card should list the pertinent social media accounts you are on. Since social media is becoming a prominent vehicle for business, showing any contact that you have a social media presence shows that you are maintaining unique business communications with consumers. Examples may include a Facebook page address for your brand or business, a Twitter account for your tweets, a YouTube channel for your videos, a Pinterest board for all your media, etc. Try not to list too many social media connections on the card since there is not enough space. In addition, only list business social media accounts, especially if you want to keep your personal profiles private.
Craft Cards for Events
Instead of having a pile of business cards to provide at any encounter, you should have a set of cards you provide for specific events. More casual, networking events can include more relaxed cards that are graphics rich. More professional events may require cards with staple attributes, like a business logo, professional fonts, and strong logos.
Create Unique Cards
Sometimes a plain old business card does not cut it. To really stand out from others, many professionals craft unique packages with contact information. You can create little brochures or tiny notebooks that explain yourself and your brand. In addition, you can provide clients office goods that have your brand and contact on them, like a notepad or post-it-notes with your brand name and contact information.
John Lucas, is an aspiring business entrepreneur. For his social events, he relies on http://www.eprintfast.com/ for affordable online printing service.
4 ‘Bad Leader Behaviors’ That Affect Productivity, Profits
What can business leaders and managers learn from watching the earnings of publicly traded companies?
“Plenty,” says Kathleen Brush, a 25-year veteran of international business and author of “The Power of One: You’re the Boss,” (www.kathleenbrush.com), a guide to developing the skills necessary to become an effective, respected leader.
“When looking at the corporations reporting lower-than-expected earnings, you need to read between the lines. They are not going to admit that the reason is a failure of leadership, but 99 times out of 100 that’s what it is.”
She cites Oracle, the business hardware and software giant, which recently reported a quarterly revenue shortfall based on a decline in new software licenses and cloud subscriptions.
The company is “not at all pleased with our revenue growth this quarter,” Oracle co-president Safra Catz told analysts. “What we really saw was a lack of urgency that we sometimes see in the sales force …”
They are pointing the finger at the employees, but they are really admitting a failure of leadership, Brush says.
“Do you know how simple it is for managers to motivate sales people? If indeed the lack of sales urgency is the problem. There are dozens of bad leader behaviors that can cause sales to decline,” she explains.
In her work for companies around the country, from restructuring operations to improving profitability, Brush says she sees an epidemic of bad leader behaviors.
“When I point them out, most leaders downplay, or refuse to acknowledge, the impact their behaviors are having on their bottom line. But, in companies where leaders change these behaviors, employees become engaged and motivated. It is really that simple to increase productivity, innovation, and the bottom line,” she says.
“If you’re a boss examining your own lower-than-expected performance, instead of wasting time searching for scapegoats, look in the mirror. Most bosses unwittingly exhibit bad leader behaviors daily that cause their businesses to suffer.”
Here are four increasingly prevalent and damaging behaviors:
• The unethical boss: This is a category that doesn’t just annoy employees, it appalls them. As such, it’s a powerful demotivater. When a boss breaks or fudges the rules, cheats, lies or indulges in behaviors that reveal a lack of moral principles, he or she loses employees’ respect. Without their respect, a boss cannot lead. In addition, when a leader indulges in unethical practices, he gives his employees permission to do the same. Padding mileage reports, splurging on business travel expenses, failing to take responsibility for mistakes – they all become endorsed activities by the boss – the role model.
• The unfair boss: Our current societal efforts to treat people equally – think gay marriage, health care reform, the children of undocumented immigrants – have led to confusion among some leaders about “equality” versus “fairness” in the workplace. “I talked to a manager who gave all his employees the same pay raise because ‘he wanted to be fair,’ ” Brush recalls. He then seemed mystified that the productivity of his best employees declined to that of an average worker. “Rewards can be powerful tools of motivation, but they must be administered fairly.”
• The buddy boss: Bosses can never be buddies with their employees. Ever. Friendships neutralize the boss’s authority and power. They can also cloud a leader’s objectivity and hinder her ability to correct behaviors, to delegate, and to hold employees accountable. When friendships compromise output, it’s the boss who will be accountable. “Be friendly to employees, but do not cross the line that muddies the relationship between boss and friend. It could cost you your job.” Brush says.
• The disorganized boss: Workplaces are filled with employees who lack direction because disorganized leaders don’t deliver and manage plans and strategies to guide their teams. What’s the chance of an unguided team maximizing its productivity to create competitively superior innovative widgets? “What’s the chance of employees being inspired by a leader who leads like a doormat or by random thoughts?” says Brush.
“As a manager, you wield a tremendous amount of power,” she says. “You can be an incredibly negative power or a positive one who’s looked up to by both peers and employees.”
“For the latter, bosses have to purge the bad behaviors.”
About Kathleen Brush
Kathleen Brush has more than two decades of experience as a senior executive with global business responsibilities. She has a Ph.D. in management and international studies. Brush has been teaching, writing and consulting on international business and leadership for companies of all sizes, public and private, foreign and domestic.
Is Your Leadership Hurting the Bottom Line? 4 ‘Bad Leader Behaviors’ That Affect Productivity, Profits
What can business leaders and managers learn from watching the earnings of publicly traded companies?
“Plenty,” says Kathleen Brush, a 25-year veteran of international business and author of “The Power of One: You’re the Boss,” (www.kathleenbrush.com), a guide to developing the skills necessary to become an effective, respected leader.
“When looking at the corporations reporting lower-than-expected earnings, you need to read between the lines. They are not going to admit that the reason is a failure of leadership, but 99 times out of 100 that’s what it is.”
She cites Oracle, the business hardware and software giant, which recently reported a quarterly revenue shortfall based on a decline in new software licenses and cloud subscriptions.
The company is “not at all pleased with our revenue growth this quarter,” Oracle co-president Safra Catz told analysts. “What we really saw was a lack of urgency that we sometimes see in the sales force …”
They are pointing the finger at the employees, but they are really admitting a failure of leadership, Brush says.
“Do you know how simple it is for managers to motivate sales people? If indeed the lack of sales urgency is the problem. There are dozens of bad leader behaviors that can cause sales to decline,” she explains.
In her work for companies around the country, from restructuring operations to improving profitability, Brush says she sees an epidemic of bad leader behaviors.
“When I point them out, most leaders downplay, or refuse to acknowledge, the impact their behaviors are having on their bottom line. But, in companies where leaders change these behaviors, employees become engaged and motivated. It is really that simple to increase productivity, innovation, and the bottom line,” she says.
“If you’re a boss examining your own lower-than-expected performance, instead of wasting time searching for scapegoats, look in the mirror. Most bosses unwittingly exhibit bad leader behaviors daily that cause their businesses to suffer.”
Here are four increasingly prevalent and damaging behaviors:
• The unethical boss: This is a category that doesn’t just annoy employees, it appalls them. As such, it’s a powerful demotivater. When a boss breaks or fudges the rules, cheats, lies or indulges in behaviors that reveal a lack of moral principles, he or she loses employees’ respect. Without their respect, a boss cannot lead. In addition, when a leader indulges in unethical practices, he gives his employees permission to do the same. Padding mileage reports, splurging on business travel expenses, failing to take responsibility for mistakes – they all become endorsed activities by the boss – the role model.
• The unfair boss: Our current societal efforts to treat people equally – think gay marriage, health care reform, the children of undocumented immigrants – have led to confusion among some leaders about “equality” versus “fairness” in the workplace. “I talked to a manager who gave all his employees the same pay raise because ‘he wanted to be fair,’ ” Brush recalls. He then seemed mystified that the productivity of his best employees declined to that of an average worker. “Rewards can be powerful tools of motivation, but they must be administered fairly.”
• The buddy boss: Bosses can never be buddies with their employees. Ever. Friendships neutralize the boss’s authority and power. They can also cloud a leader’s objectivity and hinder her ability to correct behaviors, to delegate, and to hold employees accountable. When friendships compromise output, it’s the boss who will be accountable. “Be friendly to employees, but do not cross the line that muddies the relationship between boss and friend. It could cost you your job.” Brush says.
• The disorganized boss: Workplaces are filled with employees who lack direction because disorganized leaders don’t deliver and manage plans and strategies to guide their teams. What’s the chance of an unguided team maximizing its productivity to create competitively superior innovative widgets? “What’s the chance of employees being inspired by a leader who leads like a doormat or by random thoughts?” says Brush.
“As a manager, you wield a tremendous amount of power,” she says. “You can be an incredibly negative power or a positive one who’s looked up to by both peers and employees.”
“For the latter, bosses have to purge the bad behaviors.”
About Kathleen Brush
Kathleen Brush has more than two decades of experience as a senior executive with global business responsibilities. She has a Ph.D. in management and international studies. Brush has been teaching, writing and consulting on international business and leadership for companies of all sizes, public and private, foreign and domestic.
Before you know what to expect from any consultant, you first need to know what qualities to look for. There are at least 6 crucial qualities that should be found in the consultant you choose, without them, you may be setting yourself up for a hard time. These mostly occur when communication breaks down, but trust in your consultant, in the end is a big part of it.
This list of 6 points should always be kept in mind when shopping around for a consultant of any sort. You have to remember that they are the experts, and because of that expertise and understanding, they should without a doubt be able to explain to you, in layman’s terms, how things are supposed to be done. Don’t allow yourself to be bamboozled by technical or industry jargon. Ask questions to anything you are uncertain of, and be sure those questions are answered. If you feel the answer wasn’t specific enough, or truly answer your question, don’t let it slide. There is nothing they should not be able to explain to you in regards to their industry. It’s known that there are a lot of so called “consultants” out there who really do nothing but sell snake oil. So remain diligent, and stay wise. So without further ado, let’s get into the meat of what you should look for in a consultant.
Listens
It does not bode well if you notice that when you speak to a consultant, their eyes glaze over and it appears as though what you are saying is not being heard. One of the most important characteristics to look for is that when you speak, they are attentive and taking in all that you are saying. If they don’t, something important may go unheard, only allowing problems to develop in the future.
Open Discussion
You should never feel as though your consultant is not telling you something. You hired them, and as such, any information that is relevant to you should be known. Every success as well as hiccup throughout the process should be known. You should also feel that you can contact them at any time without it seeming as though it’s a burden. An open discussion is paramount for developing trust, and feeling secure in your decision to use a consultant.
Includes You With The Design
Now it’s understood that you are using a consultant because you are not an expert yourself, however, that does not mean you lack any meaningful input. Again, and this cannot be stressed enough, there should be no part of the process where you feel you are left out. This includes even technical aspects of the process.
If this point seems to be redundant than good, that means you’ve remembered what was said before. Because what is being purchased, and where it is being purchased from is, in the end, one of the reasons you hired a consultant. If you knew what to buy and where to get it, you probably wouldn’t need one to begin with.
General Overall Cooperation
You should always be sure to ask in what way you are going to be included in the decision making process, and how communication is going to take place to make that easier. Even though you are not the expert, your insight into your specific business as well as what you expect to receive should be known. This will help tremendously in allowing your consultant to provide the absolute best service they can, and cooperation on their part should be expected.
You wouldn’t trust a car salesmen who only sells the used cars of his close friends and family. The reason, obviously, is because they are more obliged to oversell and even sell things that are not needed. The same holds true for consultants of any sort. If you suspect your consultant to be in cahoots with a systems provider of any sort whom you may be purchasing from, proceed with caution. It may not be that they are selling snake oil per se, but that should definitely raise some concerns.
Hopefully this list will help to highlight exactly what every person should be looking for when shopping around for a consultant. Just remember, again, that you are shopping for a consultant who is an expert in their industry. As such, they should be able to explain any technical or difficult aspect of the process in a clear and concise manner. You should always be wary if after being given an answer, you’re left with nothing but more questions. If they can’t explain it, chances are they don’t know what they are talking about.
The author of this article is Damien S. Wilhelmi. If you enjoyed this piece you can follow me on Twitter @JakabokBotch. Hiring the right consultant can seem daunting, but if you are looking for the best Public Safety Consulting company available, be sure to check out Elert.com.
Most crimes occur after business hours. If you have a retail store and you don’t have a manned guard, you can do these steps to protect your store after business hours.
Lighting
Your entrance and exits should be well lit after hours. This will deter robbers from loitering around your doors as the passersby can see them.
Always check your doors if they are in good condition. Check if there are signs of tampering. Back doors should be made of heavy, solid material. Don’t put any windows on these doors. Put a peephole instead. If you open the rear door during business hours, make sure you have a lockable security screen in place. Don’t forget to lock them up after business hours.
Secure all windows and make sure they cannot be tampered with from the outside. Check all windows are shut and locked before you go home. Aside from the front door, windows are usually the entry points of burglars.
Locks
Regularly check your locks for signs of tampering. Invest in a heavy duty lock to deter criminals. The harder it is to break your locks, the longer it is for the criminals to stay in your place and they don’t want that. They want to be in and out as soon as possible.
Roof
Do not provide access to the roof. Keep all ladders and trash bins away from this area. Keep the skylight closed and locked at all times.
Alarm System
Invest in a good alarm system and install them in all entry points. Put up signs that say your establishment is protected by an alarm system.
Keys
Limit key access to people you truly trust. Only selected people should have access to your computerized records, safe and alarm codes. Change locks and keys, alarm codes, etc. after terminating an employee.
Safe
Do not leave money in the safe after business hours. Deposit cash immediately to the bank. Put up a sign that says no money is left in the premises overnight. Secure your safes to the floor and hide them.
CCTV Camera Systems
It’s also a good idea to invest in a good video surveillance system. CCTV systems are the number one deterrent against crimes. Burglars don’t want to bother with an establishment protected by a CCTV system because they don’t want the police to have a record of their images. Place your cameras near the entrance and near all doors. These places should be well-lighted so that the camera can take clear videos. Your camera should also be vandal proof and choose a camera that gives clear images so you can identify the crooks. These can be valuable evidence in court.
If crooks really want to break into your store, they will do it no matter what but having these security measures in place will make them think twice about actually doing it.
Hi, my name is Keith S. I’m an avid blogger and a businessman. I have a site that features the best CCTV for offices.
“What do you do?‘ is a common enough question, yet it always seems to take some people by surprise. The question either puts people on the spot and they freeze, or it engenders a lengthy discussion on the process of what they do rather than the essence of their job or career. Either response will lose the attention and even respect of your audience. Classes, coaching, or just a couple of tips can help.
Plan Ahead
You know the question, prepare the answer ahead of time. Think of ways to relay your message beyond the “I do this, then I do that.” There are various tools that can help expand and focus what you do and how you describe it. Maybe you need more descriptive words, maybe better diction so your are more easily understood, maybe you are painfully aware of the dreaded vocalized pause – that umm. A personal communication coach can get you started and give you the tools you need to improve your vocabulary, practice voice diction and take a moment to pause and regroup before you continue on with your thoughts. They can also teach you ways to convey what you are saying confidently and with purpose. Come on, Smile
In order to come across professionally, you need to be in control to capture the attention of the person or group that you are speaking with. Learn to engage your audience (from a small cocktail group to an auditorium size audience). Control includes taking charge of the tone of your voice, inflection, pitch, emotions and body language. Remember how your mother nagged you to stand up straight? Still applies. Stand up, loosen your arms and gesture rather than cross your arms or flail around too much. And yes, smile, it actually goes a long way in audience engagement. Be Succinct
If you have something to say, come right out and say it. Getting too caught up with details of your work can be boring to others and cause them to tune you out. A coach from sites like Noomii life coach directories can help you pinpoint what is important and special about your work and convey your passion clearly and objectively. Eye Contact
Whether you’re talking to one person or a thousand, making eye contact with your audience is crucial. Often, engaging audience members with your eyes is just as important as the words you speak, so you want to practice addressing the individuals personally as you talk. If you can’t bear the thought of looking anyone in the eye as you talk to a larger group – simply focus on foreheads. It looks like you are making eye contact, but you are not, and that can help as you get used to delivering your message. Slow Down
You may be excited and in such a rush to get your point across that you talk over the other party or parties in your group. Everyone gets to have their say and being a respectful conversationalist comes with being a good listener. it’s okay if you don’t make your point right away. Even if you miss the chance to say your briliiant respote, it’s better to be considered a good listener. If you still have something to add to the conversation, you can do so once they’ve finished. Be Compelling Look at what you do as a part of a bigger picture. For instance a DMV employee may grouse that all she does is process papers. Or she can look at the bigger picture of what she is involved in. Suddenly she is instrumental in getting new drivers on the road – an American rite of passage. A communication coach can also help you address a room full of executives and give you tips on how to relay a story in an interesting way. Emotion, certain inflections in your voice and solid material can engage and motivate your audience. As you go about your busy life between work, home and social functions, really think about what you are doing; make mental or real notes, create your story. So when someone asks what do you do? You not only have the answer, you may even convince them that you have a really fabulous career.
As a corporate trainer in speech and writing, Catharine Bramkamp tries very hard not to correct people during their overly long elevator speeches. To enhance your own abilities there are groups to join like Toastmasters, or you can find help through the Noomii life coach directory.
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