CMQ Personal Coach

October Wrap-Up

Trick or Treat! The goblins and vampires have all washed their faces. Candy has been winnowed through and set in piles of: eat now, eat later, up for trade, and of course, empty wrappers from the personal favorites. It interests me that one day a year children have absolute permission to go door to door and boldly ask for a treat, pillowcases and plastic pumpkins held proudly in front of them. In preparation for “Creating Wow”, my one day goal setting workshop set for November 25th at the Bare Bones Theatre here in Penticton, I’m re-reading Jack Canfield’s “The Success Principles”. In it, he talks about the power of simply asking for what you want. French writer Jules Renard once wrote “Everything you want is out there waiting for you to ask. Everything you want also wants you. But you have to take action to get it.” Pretty bold statement! So, what keeps us from taking that action, asking, letting people know what we want? It is the fear of hearing the word ‘no’. Two little letters. Rejection. But here are some interesting stats.

Number of sales people who quit asking after the first no: 44%
Percentage of sales that are made after the 4th sales call: 60%

Authors who were told ‘no’ by multiple publishing houses on their first book: Pretty much all of them, but notably Dr. Seuss, A.K. Rowling, James Joyce, Steven King, John Grisham, Beatrix Potter.

You get the picture. The players on the field undoubtedly miss more shots than the fans seated safely in the stands. Let’s take a page from the book of these now famous authors and sports stars. Be bold! The world can’t give you what it doesn’t know you want! You can’t make the sale on the fourth call if you stopped asking after one or two. You won’t be a rock star if you never answer the “bass player wanted” ad. I was reminded of this theory yesterday. I was excitedly telling my brother that I was writing a weekly coaching column for the business section of The Herald. “Do you just think of these things and then they happen?” he asked. “Uh, no… I asked them.” No one is going to show up in your living room and give you what you want. Get out there! Ask for that contract, partnership, opportunity, sale, spot on the team, date, scholarship or job, whatever it is. The world is waiting for you!
"Door of Dreams" by Jesse B. Rittenhouse

"I bargained with Life for a penny,
And Life would pay no more,
However I begged at evening
When I counted my scanty store.
For Life is a just employer,
He gives you what you ask,
But once you have set the wages,
Why, you must bear the task.
I worked for a menial’s hire,
Only to learn, dismayed,
That any wage I had asked of Life,
Life would have willingly paid”

Ask the Coach

Dear Coach,
I own a great business and we are in a position where we could really grow! My challenge is attracting and retaining the right team members. What can I do to stand out as a great employer? Signed – Help Wanted

Dear Help
A recent study by Ernst and Young concluded that recruiting and retaining key
personnel is the single largest concern of fast growing companies. This is especially true locally, where our job market is growing faster than our labour pool. First, let’s take a look at attracting your future stars.

Create a dynamic position. Studies done on employee attraction and retention show ‘interesting work’ as the highest ranking factor
Compensation vs. appreciation: At the lower end of the job scale, base pay is the second factor in selecting a position. Not so higher up the line. Once basic needs are met (your remember Maslow’s Needs Hierarchy from High School) bonus structures, benefits and training opportunities begin to weigh in more heavily. More skilled workers are looking for opportunities to shine, and to be rewarded accordingly.
Great companies attract great people. How’s your corporate image? Do people love your product or service? Are you visible in the community? If you’re top of mind, and you are creating good brand associations with your company name, you’re ahead of the game.

Once you have them, how do you keep them?
Turnover costs you 30-50% of the annual salary of entry-level employees, 150% of middle level employees, and up to 400% for specialized, high level employees! What can you do to ensure your crew will stick with you?

Integrity. Perceived unfulfilled promises ranked surprisingly high on the ‘why did you leave’ list. Be clear what you are offering, and then follow through. This goes for compensation, schedules, open door policies, everything. If you do as you say, your team will know they can trust you. It takes less of a breach than you think for someone to lose faith in your word!
Take the time to consider their input and ideas. A sense of contribution is key in employee satisfaction.
Let them in on your bigger vision. Remember the old tale of the stone workers along the side of the road. A traveler, upon encountering the first worker asked what he was doing. “We’re laying stone” he blandly replied. He continued on to the next worker, who was quickly and happily moving stone after stone. “What are you doing here” asked the man. His face shone as he reported “We’re building a cathedral”.

Carol McQuaid is a Penticton based Business and Personal Success Coach. She can be reached at www.cmqcoaching.com