How To Start Your Own Baby Food Business Part #7: Marketing & Promotion

How To Start Your Own Baby Food Business Part #7: Marketing & Promotion
Marketing is critical to the success of your baby food
business. Here are some of the highpoints of the various
marketing programs that we used during the initial launch
of Sprouts Baby Food Inc. back in early 2006.

Public Relations Campaign
--Vehicle: Email press release; hand-deliver of media kits;
phone calls to key targets.
--Media Kit: Cool box, birth announcement, press release,
profiles, menus, etc.
--Goal: Awareness; Feature stories
--Target: Local newspapers (food editors, business
editors), local TV, local radio.

Doctor Direct Mail Campaign
--Vehicle: Direct mail
--Letter, Brochure, Prescription pad w/ Sprouts info for
patient
--Goal: Awareness; Get docs to refer patients to Sprouts
--Target: Pediatricians and Naturopaths

Midwife/Doula Awareness Campaign
--Vehicle: Email
--Goal: Awareness; Get midwives and doulas to refer
patients to Sprouts
--Target: Area midwives and doulas.

Mommy Network Campaign
--Vehicle: Email
--Goal: Awareness; Drive people to our website; New orders
--Target: Area mommy lists/online communities on Yahoo
Groups.

Baby Diaper Service Bundle
--Vehicle: Flyer inserted into diaper delivery service
bundles
--Goal: Awareness; New orders
--Offer: 20% discount on initial order
--Target: Select zip codes; 500+ individuals

Poster/Flyer Campaign
--Vehicle: Posters, flyers, tear-sheets, etc.
--Goal: Awareness; New orders
--Offer: 20% discount on initial order
--Target: Area parks, playgrounds, community centers,
birth centers, toy stores, libraries, and mommy hangouts.

Summer Festival Campaign
--Vehicle: Flyers & imprinted baby spoon give-a-way
--Goal: Awareness; New orders
--Offer: 20% discount on initial order
--Target: People with babies who attend the target summer
events, street fairs, etc.

Launch Advertising Campaign
--Vehicle: Area Baby/Mommy/Parenting Magazines
--Quarter-page ad
--Goal: Awareness; New orders
--Offer: 20% discount on initial order

Make Your Own Baby Food Classes
--Vehicle: Classes offered at local grocery stores, in
mommy groups, etc.
--Goal: Community Outreach; Awareness
--Offer: n/a
--Timeframe: Starting September

Website Subscriber Campaign
--Vehicle: Our own website
--Goal: Capture email addresses and general interest
categories of people who visit our website so we can market
to them in the future.
--Offer: Sign up for newsletter, promos, gift reminders,
refer-a-friend, forward a page, etc.

Web Directory Advertising
--Vehicle: Google Adwords, Yellowpages.com; Superpages.com;
etc.
--Goal: Drive people to our website
--Offer: n/a
--Timeframe: September

Farmer's Market Campaign
--Vehicle: Area farmer's markets
--Goal: Awareness; small single-unit sales during
pre-launch period

Special Offers/Promotions

Baby Shower Gift Set
--Description: Special gift set for those wanting to give
Sprouts as a shower gift.
--Package: Gift basket containing logo spoon, logo
sippy-cup, logo shirt, mock food containers, and a gift
certificate for X weeks of service.
--Price: $20 + cost of service

Pooper Parties
--Description: At home sales parties (ala Tupperware)
--Details:
oHostess orders party kit which contains 1oz samples of all
products ' one kit per guest.
oHostess takes orders
oHostess gets free food, discounted service, etc. for
subscriptions she secures.

Corporate Mommy Program
--Description: Discounted service for mommies at locally
headquartered corporations. We will deliver their food to
their office.

Register To Win
--Description: Sign up on our website to enter monthly
drawing for one free month of baby food.

Photo Contest
--Description: Monthly contest. People email us photos of
their little cutie eating or in a kitchen setting. Winner
receives 12 4oz containers of baby food.

Customer Referral Program
--Description: A referral (someone who becomes a customer)
earns free food in your next shipment.

----------------------------------------------------
Mischelle (Schelly) Weedman-Davis left her 15-year
high-tech career to become a stay-at-home mom but later
became the founder of Sprouts Baby Food, Inc. She now uses
her talents to support her husband's Seattle law firm, the
Davis Law Group so she can spend more time with her family.
http://www.InjuryTrialLawyer.com . But she remains
committed to infant nutrition and helping others that want
to start their own baby food business.

Bust Out of "Stuck" 3 Steps That Keep you On Track

Bust Out of "Stuck" 3 Steps That Keep you On Track
Is this you? You have customers to satisfy, professional
goals to deliver on and your personal goals shoved to the
back burner... and you and your friends, colleagues,
clients and vendors are already talking about 'this' year.
Decisions aren't getting made because too many of them feel
like they're all the top priority... and you find yourself
with a task list that is incomplete, messages unreturned,
and lists growing longer.

"HELP ME STAY ON TRACK!"

I had a call from one of my clients this week. She was
overwhelmed and anxious. And she was sitting at her desk
getting nothing done. Her deadlines were looming and her
team was clammering for her attention. As we spoke it
became clear that her stress was triggered by her chewing
on last year's results, her uncertainty of the results
she's targeting, and her frustration over results that have
slipped away. ALL at the same time! It probably sounds
familiar?

The truth is, you will always be bombarded by more
information, more ideas and more opportunity than you can
follow through on - that's success!

I'll admit, I've had a few of those pauses that stretched
to days with my foot jammed down on the break. I found
myself sitting in overwhelm last month, as I was trying to
get my newsletter launched, I got in the same old black
magic state of overwhelm... and pulled out my 3-step
process to bust out of being stalled.

If you cannot get a handle on the tug of war for your
attention, your future is at risk!

I don't want you to spend even one more day sitting at that
red light. So how do you get out of overwhelm and back on
track? Here are 3 steps I use that are guaranteed to work
for you personally, for your team, and for your
organization:

1. List EVERYTHING That's Incomplete

Rather than trying to decide anything, sit down and make a
list. That's all, just make a thorough, complete list.
Scientists have shown that people cannot make decisions
when their heart rate is over 90 beats per minute. So the
first order of business is to get your heart rate down, and
as you focus your attention on a task, your heart rate will
drop. In this instance the task is making a list of every
single thing that is incomplete. You can do this in writing
or on your computer, in a program that will let you list
each item on a separate line. The items may be on other
lists, on Post-It notes, in your PDA, on scraps of paper on
your desktop, on the bottom of meeting agendas, in your
wallet. You might find them on phone messages you've
"saved" in your voicemail, on receipts you put in your
"in-basket" or pinned to your bulletin board. And don't
forget to look on the white board!

2. Sort Them and Tag Them

Your next task is to sort out your list and identify the
key reason each item is incomplete. The question you'll ask
yourself is "What is the single most important reason this
is incomplete?" Some quick and easy sorting criteria to
use include: 1 - I don't have the information I need to
make a decision 2 - I have the information but I don't
like the form the decision will take 3 - I have the
information and I like the form, but not the timing 4 -
This conflicts with another item on the list Create YOUR
list of criteria, and then tag each item on the list with
ONE of those criteria. Once they are tagged regroup the
list so that all the items that need further information
are listed in a single group, and so on.

3. Prioritize Them and Act on the 1st One

Within each group, put a priority on the items in your
list. This is another form of sorting, but this time it's
within a group that already has a common characteristic.
You'll want to use a new set of criteria for sorting this
time. The criteria might be "easiest to get done" or
"easiest to delegate" or "needs to be completed in order to
do other things on this list." Set your criteria and sort
away! Once you've sorted all the groups, select one group
and the top item in that group and take action on just that
one thing. Here's a hint - you might want to start with the
"Delegate This" list if you created one. As you
systematically turn those incomplete items over to others,
they become a list of things you'll follow up on, rather
than things you need to "Do!" and you'll have even more
attention left for the things you've kept on your own list.

As you keep your attention focused, you'll retain control
over your attention and find each item is dealt with much
faster than you had anticipated. In turn, you'll find the
sensation of overwhelm and being 'stuck' will be gone!

----------------------------------------------------
© 2007 Linda Feinholz Management expert, consultant,
and coach Linda Feinholz is "Your High Payoff Catalyst" and
publishes the free weekly newsletter The Spark! and
delivers targeted solutions, practical skills and simple
ways to boost professional and personal results. If you're
ready to focus on your High Payoff activities, accelerate
your results and have more fun, get your FREE tips at her
site http://www.YourHighPayoffCatalyst.com

Going Green is Not Just for Big Business-You Can Grow Eco-Profits, Too!

Going Green is Not Just for Big Business-You Can Grow Eco-Profits, Too!
The world of big business is making daily headlines by
"going green" after discovering that what's good for the
planet is also proving good for business.

IBM recently announced "Project Big Green," a $1 billion
initiative to reduce energy consumption by offering new
lines of energy-efficient IT products.

Wal-Mart is adding solar power to more than 20 stores.

PepsiCo is buying renewable energy certificates to offset
its carbon footprint. Even major banks and energy firms are
being asked by shareholders to prove that they, too, are
going green.

It's not just the biggest businesses that are attracting
new customers and shareholders and reaping huge profits by
"going green." Small businesses also are growing
eco-profits by embracing surprisingly inexpensive
strategies to add value to their products, services and
brand.

Consider these innovative examples:

- Bob Smith of Mad River Brewing Company in Blue Lake,
California, has attracted positive publicity (and new
customers) by promoting his efforts to reduce his small
firm's waste output and take other environmentally
conscious steps. In turn, he has received welcome positive
publicity from the press. "What PR budget? That is our PR
budget," he told the Albuquerque Tribune about "going
green" to market his business.

- In Florida, Natalie Kelly formed Home Therapy Cleaning
Services, which uses only nontoxic, all-natural cleaning
products for her home cleaning business. She used to sell
aromatherapy candles from her home, she told the St.
Petersburg Times, but today uses an aromatherapy baking
soda blend to freshen carpets.

Here's what you can do:

- Two inexpensive ways any small business or solo
entrepreneur can go green are to change light bulbs to
energy-efficient bulbs and use biodegradable cleaning
products.

- With that done, tell your customers and the media about
these simple ways to go green. You will have just earned
instant credibility as a green business, and also as a
media resource for simple, effective ways to "go green."

- Many communities online and offline are forming networks
to exchange energy-saving ideas for home and business. Form
your own energy network, enlisting neighborhood businesses
that will welcome another opportunity to show they're going
green, too. The plus for you is that you will have just
positioned yourself and your business as a community
environmental leader.

- Copy what the New York Times called "Phase 2" of the
corporate response to global warming. Partner with an
environmental group. Travelocity invites customers to
donate an extra $10 to $40, which goes to the Conservation
Fund to plant trees to offset the carbon used by a client
to take a trip. Whole Foods invites customers to buy a $5
"wind power card" that goes to Renewable Choice Energy to
build wind farms. What local environmental group can you
partner with to promote on your Web site (and vice versa),
to set aside a day that a percentage of profits will go to
that organization or to make their fliers available at your
business?

- Make use of readily available, free information to hand
out with your business literature or to make available in
your office. For example, create a one-page flier on your
letterhead inviting clients to calculate their own carbon
footprint by visiting
http://multimedia.wri.org/safeclimate_calculator.cfm.

- Go deeper green! Attend a "green" conference in your
community or region, and promote your attendance. (Go to
Google.com and type in "green" and "conference" and your
area to find out when and where they are scheduled.) Write
a "green" article on simple ways you are going green and
submit it to one of the dozens of "green" Web sites and
blogs that invite reader contributions. It's a great way to
market your smart ideas and your business!

----------------------------------------------------
Ruth Klein, the De-Stress Diva (tm) and Branding Guru, is
the proverbial Woman About Town. Holding a Master's in
Clinical Psychology, consulting with renowned businesses -
small and large. Ruth is a consultant, author, speaker,
radio show host, branding strategist and productivity
coach. http://www.ruthklein.com .

7 Easy Ways to Ease Ezine Writer's Block?

7 Easy Ways to Ease Ezine Writer's Block?
If you publish an ezine regularly, inevitably there are
times when you get stuck and can't quite come up with the
perfect article for your issue. Sometimes just taking a
break and coming back later will give you a fresh start.
But other times you need more of a "writing prompt" to get
you going.

The following 7 ways should help you get unstuck and get
writing:

1. Write a Tip Sheet

Sometimes it's easier to get started by creating a list of
tips: How to _______; The 5 Ways to ____________; Top Ten
Tips to _______________; Write a couple of sentences for
each tip, and before you know it, you have a completed
article full of practical information for your readers.

2. Answer Your Most Frequently Asked Questions

As your clients interact with you, you'll likely get the
same kinds of questions over and over. Take one or two of
your most frequently asked questions and answer it in an
article.

3. Use a Client's Scenario

Protecting your client's privacy (or not, if they give you
permission), use their scenario as a case study. Explain
the client's situation and what recommendations you gave,
as well as what the results were. This will help build your
credibility in your prospect's eyes as well, as this gives
them the chance to see you "at work."

4. Comb Through Your Reading Box

Do you have a Reading Box (or tray, file, pile)? If you're
like me, I get a ton of info via email everyday that I
really do want to read, so I have a box where I toss all
the stuff I print into (actually, it's now two boxes!). Go
through your own pile, and see what ideas pop up for you
from there. (I do this often when I'm trying to switch from
mommy-mode to businesswoman-mode.)

5. Learn Something New and Pass It Along

Did you learn something new recently that you can share
with others? Or is there something you want to learn more
about? Go and do some preliminary research and share your
findings with your readers.

6. Interview an Expert

I love this one, but don't overdo it. Your readers want to
hear from you, which is why they are reading YOUR ezine.
But once in awhile, having an interview as an article, as
long as it provides valuable content for your readers, can
be a nice change and even fun.

Send your expert 3-5 questions to answer, and turn the
interview into an article by adding an introductory and
concluding paragragh. (I enjoy giving these kinds of
interviews myself, so if you'd like to interview me for
your ezine, shoot me an email at alicia@clientabundance.com
and let me know.)

7. Get Back to Basics

Think back to when you were just starting out in your
business. What were the things you found most challenging?
Choose one or two and offer your advice on how to get
beyond those stumbling blocks.

Any of these ideas should get you started, and then the
words will start to flow. I know when I'm writing
sometimes, I'm thinking "ugh - not in the writing groove
today at all" but once I get going, I'm usually pretty
happy with the end result (but I do LOVE to revise, and
revise, and revise... :)).

----------------------------------------------------
Alicia M Forest, MBA, Multiple Streams Queen & CoachT,
founder of ClientAbundance.com and creator of 21 Easy &
Essential Steps to Online Success SystemT, teaches
professionals how to attract more clients, create
profit-making products and services, make more sales, and
ultimately live the life they desire and deserve. For FREE
tips on how to create abundance in your business, visit
http://www.ClientAbundance.com .

How To Start A Niche Affiliate Marketing Program That Attracts The Super Affiliates!

How To Start A Niche Affiliate Marketing Program That Attracts The Super Affiliates!
One of the most cost-effective ways to build a profitable
business is to create a niche affiliate marketing program.
However, while it is reasonably easy to create an affiliate
program, it is much more difficult to operate it properly.
Most affiliate managers and merchants fail miserably when
running their affiliate programs.

The majority of affiliate programs merely offer affiliates
a commission. Unfortunately, that is where most merchants
stop. They seem to believe that affiliates will flock to
their doors, begging to promote their products simply
because they exist. But, there are ways to make an
affiliate program several times more effective for the
merchant and for the affiliates. This article will provide
a few tips that you need to consider in making your niche
affiliate marketing program the one the heavy-hitting
affiliates seek.

Tip #1: Give Them Tools

There are dozens of ways to promote a product or service.
Super affiliates realize this and often seek affiliate
programs that provide tools that make their jobs easier.
For example, some affiliates drive traffic through
pay-per-click advertising.

Offer them keyword lists and potential ads that they can
use. Other affiliates publish newsletters. Offer them
useful content that they can send their lists.

Still other affiliates have successful blogs. Offer them
various banner ads they can put in their sidebars. Also,
give them blog topic ideas that will spark their creativity
in promoting your products.

Tip #2: Coddle Top Performers With Cash

The top-performing affiliates follow the money. If an
affiliate has proven that he can drive a lot of sales,
consider giving him a bump in pay to keep him aboard your
affiliate program. If you don't, you risk losing that
affiliate to a competitor who is willing to offer more
money for the affiliates help. This does not mean waiting
for an affiliate to prove himself with your program. If an
affiliate is already a major player in another niche,
consider offering him a bump upfront to attract his help.

Tip #3: Communicate Often

Most merchants do not communicate with their affiliates
often enough. Once an affiliate joins their program, they
often leave the affiliate on his own to promote the
products. This usually leads to inactive affiliates.
Instead, get each affiliate to join your list. Then, e-mail
them at least once a week.

In the e-mail, you can tell them about updated tools that
you have created for them. You can let them know about new
content they can use. You can let them know about
short-term contests through which top sellers can earn
prizes.

You must communicate with your affiliates regularly and
often. Encourage them to ask you questions. That is the way
to motivate them to continue promoting your products.

Tip #4: Keep Recruiting

The best affiliate programs experience affiliate attrition.
Whatever the reasons, some affiliates simply stop producing
sales. You need to keep bringing new affiliates into your
program. There are a number of ways to do this.

Approach list owners. These affiliate marketers have an
audience that likes and trusts them. A promotion from this
marketer to his list will likely yield a healthy level of
sales.

Approach owners of popular blogs. Popular blogs are read by
fans. Many of that blog owner's audience will likely buy
what the blog owner promotes.

Approach forum owners. Usually well-respected within their
forums, other members are likely to take their advice.

Building an effective niche affiliate marketing program
takes a lot of work, preparation and ongoing attention.
But, doing so can result in a business that continues to
grow practically on its own. By giving your affiliates the
tools they need to promote your products, coddling the
top-performers with a bump in pay, communicating often and
constantly building your affiliate army, your business and
sales can skyrocket.

----------------------------------------------------
Find out how you can profit with your own niche affiliate
marketing program in my free e-course "List Building in a
Niche Market". http://www.cyber-marketing411.com/niche11

National Sales Meetings that are 6 Months Long?

National Sales Meetings that are 6 Months Long?
That's right. National Sales Meetings, Sales Kickoffs,
Annual Meetings of any kind have the opportunity to be 6
months long! At least in the hearts and minds of your
attendees. Sales Meetings, for most large corporations, are
in the neighborhood of 3 days long. Often consisting of
morning plenary sessions (or general sessions), with
breakouts or district/regional meetings in the afternoon
and maybe an Award Ceremony on the final evening. They
often use a "Sales Meeting Theme" to help get their message
across. In the scheme of things, and in the life of your
typical, hard-driving sales rep, it's flash-in-the-pan.
Merely a moment in time. You'll have to really impress her
to make the take-home value stand out. I've heard many,
organizers and sales executives ask "How do I get better
sales meeting ideas?"

It doesn't have to be that way. I know, you're saying to
yourself, "How can I possibly keep them out of the field
any longer? You don't. One of the most-overlooked
opportunities for communication is the maximizing of the
National Sales Meeting.

This moment in time exists in the reps mind as a meeting
concept, or a destination. "Oh, yeah, I remember that one,
wasn't it the Space-Race meeting?" Or "That was when we
were in Phoenix, wasn't it ' and we did those goofy
Olympics?" Typically, your sales people forget the
"message" of the meeting, or what they are supposed to do,
fairly soon after the event.

The way to avoid making your meetings a "moment in time"
that exists for a long weekend in November, or for 3 days
in January, is to begin to build excitement and enthusiasm
for the event a few weeks, or even as much as 3-months
earlier. And not in just any-old way. Make sure that you
do this with a purpose. What's that? "I just want then to
sell more!" you say? Of course, that's always the goal.
So let's look closer at the opportunity. If your sales
team has been kicking butt for the past year (or most of
it, remember, you are starting out 3-months early, plus a
month or so of planning), and they have significantly
increased the bottom line, and your stated plans require
that they keep up the growth for another year. Further, if
you have determined that with greater customer focus, you
will retain more customers ' which costs less than
developing new ones, then that becomes the message for your
meeting ' and your Pre-Meeting Communication Campaign.

Create a lasting impression. Plan your meeting,
thematically, several months out. Devise a backdrop for
your current scenario that embraces the idea that Customer
Focus is critical. 3 months prior to the National Meeting,
you send out a communication to the field in the form of a
flash-email, or postcard, or even a voice mail from your VP
Sales that sets up the theme of your National Sales
Meeting, and the concept of Customer Focus in a fun and
creative way. You've just started your meeting. Over the
next 3 months, send another communication every 2-3 weeks
setting up another concept or take-away you would like them
to have. If these talk about, "The Customer is Always
Right" and "Customer Focus Keeps Business", and "Success
Begets Success", you begin to show your reps that you mean
business in this Customer Focus thing.

Then, your folks arrive in Phoenix (or Orlando, or Chicago)
for your event. It is all geared round the message of
customer focus. They have been hearing about it from
"corporate" for 3 months, now, and in fact, you are
beginning to see it show up in the numbers. Your
opportunity at the meeting is to celebrate! This does not
mean to party, and forget the business, but you can give
everything an air of celebration ' with more...

During your event, announce a contest that runs for the
next 3 months. Have reps contribute their stories of
Customer Focus and their successes. The best story wins.
The prize can simply be a gift certificate to dinner, or an
i-tunes gift card. Sales reps love to compete. Use it to
your advantage! In the meantime, you publish the best
stories every month to keep it top-of-mind for everyone!

There you have it. A 6-month long sales meeting that your
people will remember long after it is over as "The one
about Customer Focus". The message stays in their minds,
and, more importantly, in their actions. Over this time,
you have established terrific new habits that will serve
your sales people and your company for years to come.

----------------------------------------------------
Jeff has been communication professional for over 20 years.
He has helped some of the largest corporations in the
world to identify and clarify communication goals and
tailor messages and media to target and influence their
audiences. Jeff is married and the father of three and
lives in Santa Monica. He is founder and President of
Youngs Communication, Inc., a Creative Communication Agency.
jeff@youngscom.com.
http://www.youngscom.com

How to build better negotiations with your clients

How to build better negotiations with your clients
Here is the scenario - a client has called you for a review
of your service to negotiate a revised fee for the next
three years. The client has opened the meeting by stating
that although they were generally happy with the
relationship they wanted to change the project manager and
negotiate a discount of 15% for next year's fees.

You have two ways of responding - co-operative discussion
or competitive challenge.

Unfortunately you choose the latter. You feel confident
about the work you have performed to date and the quality
of the project manager and don't see why they should want
to change or indeed why they should get a 15% discount
despite spending more than £100,000 per annum annually.

After an hour and a half of mud slinging, the client
advises you that not only are they going to cancel the
existing project they will cease working with you for the
foreseeable future. What has gone wrong?

This hypothetical scenario demonstrates what can happen
when we assume we know where the other party is coming from.

What you don't know is that your client is about to undergo
a major restructure, downscaling its existing business and
acquiring a new business in a related industry. The
managing director simply wanted a new project manager who
had a deeper understanding of the new industry segment the
client was buying into and the discounted fees were to
reflect the significantly smaller business in the short
term.

The harsh reality is that sustaining a healthy client
relationship is an ongoing exercise that requires hard
work. How often have we celebrated winning a large tender
thinking that the relationship is 'in the bag', believing
that as long as we deliver the technical content the client
will be happy and we'll get more work. Consultants cannot
rely on technical (subject matter) expertise alone to
manage the ups and downs of a relationship.

Consultants who adopt a consistent and systematic approach
to building and sustaining a client relationship will build
more resilient client partnerships which will overcome
turbulence and survive through the difficult times.

So how can consultants build and maintain these effective
client relationships:

1. Focus on process - avoid getting bogged down in the
technical detail, your subject matter expert can handle
that. Focus on the process by asking "What is really
happening here?" "What are these clients really saying?"
"What are their real, underlying needs?"

2. Influence behind the scenes - research suggests that up
to 80% of the outcome in any formal negotiation is
determined prior to the actual face-to-face meeting, so use
the time leading up to any meeting or planned interaction
wisely. Get the facts, safely test the likely positions
with client representatives (maybe colleague or direct
report of your major client contact) and work through the
optional scenarios of each other's desired outcomes.

3. Find common ground - no matter how difficult
relationships become, there is always some common ground on
which to build a solid foundation. Look for common ground
at every client interaction. The more common ground you
can establish, personally and professionally, the more
resilient the relationship will be. Keep asking yourself
"What do we both want?"

4. Uncover the real needs of the other party - expert
negotiators distinguish themselves by exposing the true or
underlying needs of the other party early in any
relationship, allowing a more open discussion of the issues
and, ultimately, a better outcome. Ask open-ended questions
to elicit deeper responses from the client. By continually
asking questions rather than making statements, you will
learn even the most hidden of agendas of disgruntled or
even happy clients.

5. Manage your style - in our example we had two choices
of style to respond to the client's issues - co-operative
or competitive. The problem was we chose our default or
emotional reactionary style - to get angry and defensive.
But the skilful professional recognises that a negotiating
style is very powerful when you can adapt to the situation.
Some situations require you to "act" in a contrary style to
your personality - for instance, naturally co-operative
consultants may have to become more competitive to assert
their authority, for better results. So be aware of your
style of negotiating and be prepared to flex your style
muscles to suit the climate of the relationship.

6. Have a plan - how often do professionals plan and write
down their approach to managing interactions with clients?
Our evidence suggests rarely. Every negotiation of any
timeframe, from three minutes to three years, goes through
systematic phases of introduction, differentiation,
integration and settlement. Once you understand the
timeline of any negotiation you will become a skilful
negotiator in defining the action and asserting your
position more accurately.

Expert client relationship managers know and understand
that managing expectations is a daily ongoing skill and
that every interaction with clients is an opportunity to
positively influence clients' perceptions about your value
as a trusted adviser.

----------------------------------------------------
Pam Kennett and Crispin White are Directors of Chiswick
Consulting Limited, a management consultancy which provides
advice and direction to clients in marketing and human
resources. They have particular expertise working with
professional service companies. Contact them at
crispin@chiswickconsulting.com or
pam@chiswickconsulting.com or visit
http://www.chiswickconsulting.com for more information.

How Your Listening Skills Can Help You Get The Job You Want

How Your Listening Skills Can Help You Get The Job You Want
It's In The Ears

If you thought interviewing was only about answering
questions, you've been missing the point. You've also been
missing an opportunity to gather valuable information.
Listening is one of the skills most underutilized by
candidates. Most people go into the interview thinking and
worrying about how they will answer the questions, and they
forget that they are there to find out about the job and
the company. They forget to listen, observe and read
between the lines.

Ready to Answer Questions

The first candidate, Reena sat answering questions and
waiting for her turn. When asked, "Do you have any
questions?" she was ready and took out her list of
questions.

Sounds like she did everything perfectly. Right? Not quite.
She forgot one thing, and that was to listen. If she had
been listening, she would have heard the emphasis placed on
retention. There were at least three questions asked about
her plans for the future; how long she planned to stay with
the company; why she had only stayed with her last company
two years. If she had been listening, she might have been
struck by the focus of these questions.

"I've heard some concerns about retention in the questions
you've asked me. Could you tell me the turnover rate for
this department/company?"

If she had asked that question she might have found out the
turnover rate was quite high. In fact, that was a big
problem for the company. If she had been listening, her
next question should have been, "Is there a specific reason
employees leave?" She may, or may not, have a gotten a
forthright answer, but she would have been able to make her
own judgment, and observe the interviewer for signs of
discomfort with the question. Observing is another way of
"listening" or taking in information.

Turn up your Intuitive

Another candidate, Jerry, listened when he interviewed, and
picked up the thread of questions pertaining to stress and
long hours.

He asked, "On a scale of one to ten, with ten being high,
how would you rate the stress and pressure levels in this
department?" And then, "Is this the norm, or a seasonal
level workload?"

He had already worked in a "sweat shop" where he was
expected to work 60 plus hours a week. He isn't about to
walk into that situation again. He noticed the two
interviewers look at each other when he asked this
question, and they agreed it was a six. Jerry figured that
must mean an eight or ten, and continued to ask more
questions about the subject. He listened carefully –
reading between the lines. He gathered information he
wouldn't have gotten had he not been on their wave-length
– tuned in and listening. He now had enough
information to make a decision as to whether he wanted to
work for this company, in this department.

Rewards of Listening

When all you can think of is the answers that you will be
giving, you miss a premium opportunity to garner
information about the situation you are about to enter, if
you take the job. The bonus of listening is that you
impress the interviewer by the fact that you have heard
what was said, and sometimes what was not said. The best
questions you can ask come as a result of listening. Turn
up your listening and intuitive skills. Read between the
lines! You'll be surprised at what you hear.

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Carole Martin, America's #1 Interview Expert and Coach, can
give you interviewing tips like no one else can. Get a copy
of her FREE 9-part "Interview Success Tips" report by
visiting Carole on the web at http://www.interviewcoach.com