Do You Have Clear Objectives?

I like to tell the story about raising money to start Eagle.

I went to see a venture capitalist and talked to him about the concept of them investing in our business. Most venture capitalists invest in "product" companies as opposed to "services" companies, so he spent some time trying to understand our business.

I felt like the meeting was going quite well, I had projections of numbers, a good understanding of the environment, the competitive landscape etc.

Then he asked me how much money I wanted! Well I guess my presentation was only about 90% complete because really I thought I was there to ask if the concept was one worth investigating and I didn't really know how much I needed to get the company going yet. Opportunity lost!

Important lesson: If you are in front of someone who is in a position to help you then you need to know what to ask for!

This morning the same thing happened to a company that was pitching a group of potential angel investors. Deja vu!

The reality is that this scenario can play out in many ways, not just when entrepreneurs are looking for funding.

1. If you are a salesperson looking to break into an account you need to know what you are asking for. Is it information about the company so that you can understand the opportunity? Is it the name of the right decision maker? Is it competitive information? Are you asking for an introduction to the right people?

2. If you have an idea about improving a process at work. Are you asking for permission to implement it? Are you asking for recognition for the ideas ... monetary or otherwise? Are you asking for advice about what comes next?

Often we go into meetings and are not clear about what we want ... not a good idea. Sometimes you only get ones shot, make it count!

Passion

If you watch any of the the 2010 Winter Olympics then you can't help but experience what passion looks like. Part of the wikipedia description for passion says it is ... an intense emotion, compelling feeling, enthusiasm, or desire for something.

Hockey (ice hockey to people outside Canada) could be described as a passion for Canadians.

It can also be said that passion can quite often be the cause of a team winning or losing. A couple of nights a go the Canadian hockey team was beaten the the USA team ... and my feeling was that the Americans wanted that win even more than the Canadians. That extra passion came through in their attitude, their will to win and was embodied by their final goal by Ryan Kesler who outworked the Canadian defence man and, against the odds, scored.

Last night the Canadians played the Russian team. The Russians were said by many to be a favorite for the gold medal, but the Canadian team came out with more passion. They left no doubt about their desire to win this game and in the end a famous victory for Canada.

So what?

Passion can be the difference between winning and losing ... I don't think I'd get much argument there. A few years back I blogged about passion, and how it can change your life, make you feel more alive and energise you!

However in everyday life we don't necessarily need to demonstrate the level of commitment and desire evidenced by Olympians, all we need to do is to demonstrate desire and commitment above that of our competitor!

In the staffing business we often win or lose based upon the attitude of our staff ...

the recruiter who stays a little late to find that great candidate for our client;
the salesperson who goes out of his way to drop off those resumes late on a Friday afternoon or early in the morning, because its important to our client;
the recruiter who builds good relationships because they care about people ... and it shows;
the salesperson who clients always go to first because they know she will deliver;
the team that never gives up before finding just that right person for our clients.

Passion is an emotion that is shown in lots of ways ... a great attitude, a commitment to quality, caring and a desire to do a good job are some of the obvious everyday ways that we see passion.

Winners have passion ... whether its at the Olympics or every day as we do our jobs. Everyone should be able to muster some level of passion for the thing they spend 8 hours doing every day!

Are you a winner?

Company Planning Sessions

I just spent a couple of days with Eagle’s management team in our quarterly planning session.

I have talked about these meetings before … but here are some things that I have learned about sessions like these:

1. By getting away from the “day to day” hubbub you free yourself to look at the business “differently”.
2. By having a number of people involved in the process you harness the “power of many”.
3. Sessions like this give you the opportunity to challenge the “norms” of any business.
4. A session like this NEEDS to have concrete outcomes … a list of action items, resolution of certain business issues or just a commitment to a strategy.
5. You should NOT do the same thing in every session … these should NOT become a "cookie cutter" quarterly management meeting. You need to shake it up a little.
6. Off site meetings can help the management team to get to know each other a little better, in a more social environment.
7. These sessions do not have to be expensive … we have had many of them in our house, you don’t need to go “first class” when all of your time is going to be between 4 walls anyway.
8. Its good to have external input sometimes … but not too often. Outsiders don’t know your business and your culture, so a learning curve can detract from the meetings.
9. Great ideas can come from any of the participants.
10. This kind of planning will result in a healthier company.
11. These sessions also help to train new managers, educate them about company culture and the “secret sauce” associated with this particular company as opposed to their last one.
12. It is VERY easy to determine that these kind of meetings are just additional cost and everyone is so busy they can’t afford the time … big mistake.
13. Regular off site management meetings are needed to ensure that current plans are being met and to develop new and innovative ways of doing business.

I doubt I would still be running Eagle and enjoying the challenges of the staffing industry were it not for these sessions that have shaped our company over the last fourteen years.

February Twenty-Ten - IT Industry News

Three years ago in February 2007 there was plenty of M&A action and the big news was the Oracle purchase of Hyperion for $3.3 Billion. There was also some big layoffs with both Nortel (2,900 people) and Alcatel-Lucent (12,000) announcing layoffs in their ongoing attempts to fix their respective woes. In February 2008 Nortel was still announcing layoffs and the news centred around economic uncertainty. Last year in February 2009 the news was once again all about layoffs and economic uncertainty. Nortel, in addition to their layoffs sold their Alteon asset for less than $18 million, which they had bought for $7 billion nine years previously!

All of which brings us to February 2010. February has not been a busy month for M&A activity in three years now, and this year is no exception. Close to home for me was Manpower’s acquisition of Comsys which will see their US professional staffing capability notably improved, and may have some spillover into Canada. Google continued its moves into social networking with the acquisition of Aardvark in addition to its BUZZ offering. Oracle purchased a couple of smaller entities, now that its Sun purchase is all done. IBM bought a small network software company that focuses on the telco vertical and Sybase bought a company that has a strong foothold in the financial services vertical.

There are signs around the world that economies are recovering from the depression … Canada gained jobs in January (mostly part-time, but at least growth not more losses), the UK is seeing strong demand for permanent staff and Spherion tell us that US worker optimism is up.

Certainly Eagle is seeing increased activity in most markets and discussions amongst my peers in the staffing industry would support the opinion that the recovery continues in the right direction . and (fingers crossed) no signs of a relapse. How governments cope with their deficits (Canada's is projected at $55.9 Billion) and whether all levels of government will be pragmatic about new legislation (such as the proposed spam laws at the Federal level) will have a big impact on business' ability to keep the recovery going. Just because McGuinty's Ontario government would not listen to industry and have created the "have not" province of Ontario it doesn't mean that Harper needs to make us a "have not" country!

I'm an optimist and the world's economies are recovering ... Canada is right there too!

What Keeps You Sane?

We all have our own ways to "get through" the daily craziness of life.

I thought I would share one of the recent additions to our stress relief program.

Daily walks with our dog!

Here she can be seen checking for squirrels ... but dogs have long been identified as a great stress reliever.

They are also a good way to force you to walk a little more, which is extra healthy.

Looking after yourself is important! Find ways to relieve your stress and to get more exercise.

Dog walking helps.

Nice People

The label NICE has somehow acquired negative connotations ... to be called NICE can be interpreted as boring or "blah", when people like to be thought of as exciting or interesting. Sometimes if I describe someone as NICE they take it as an insult! I think that is a raw deal for the NICE people in our lives ... because it is the NICE people that make things better!

If you go into a store and the person serving you is NICE ... the experience is good.

If you are dealing with a company representative (sales person, executive or customer service rep for instance) and the person is NICE then that experience can be very pleasant.

If you are sitting on a bus, in a coffee shop, in the library etc and your interactions are with NICE people then those experiences are positive.

NICE people are thoughtful, courteous, positive and welcoming.
NICE people do not stress you out.
NICE people smile.
NICE people make you feel better about people in general.

There are plenty of NICE people who are interesting and exciting too!

Don't devalue the label NICE ... its the NICE people who make our lives better!

Commitment

For some people a commitment is like a sacred trust ... if they commit, then they will move heaven and earth to deliver. I LOVE those people.

For others a commitment is something that does not have such a strong connotation ... maybe they will live up to their commitment and maybe they won't. Those people ... not so much love!

Here are some things to remember about commitments ...

1. If you make a promise then generally people are counting on you to deliver.
2. If you deliver on your promise then you have built credibility.
3. You can build credibility by delivering even on small commitments ... I will pick up coffee for you tomorrow morning! I will send you an email response, one way or another, by end of day tomorrow! I will show up to our son's hockey practice! ALL easy to "deliver on" and ALL build credibility.
4. When you make a promise and just don't deliver, then you lose credibility AND get labelled as someone who can't be trusted.
5. It is possible to not deliver, for good reasons and mitigate the "fallout". You try really hard to meet your commitment; you give fair warning that things might not work out; you are contrite. Then you might not get labelled as untrustworthy BUT you still lose credibility!
6. Remember that you can build credibility by making small commitments and delivering ... so you can recover from #5, but you need to want to recover.

Commitment is a great way for sales people to build credibility with clients.

Commitment is a great way for people to build credibility with friends and colleagues.

Commitment is a great way for people to build a career.

None of this is rocket science ... in fact it is very easy.

Having said that, so many people make commitments, don't deliver ... and seemingly don't care. They are not nice people. They are not people that you want on your team. They are not people you want as friends.

Which type are you?

Walt Disney on Success

I like articles that have a number of rules or principles to achieve success or improve sales or in some way make life better. They are never a "silver bullet" but they are certainly ideas that people can grasp and perhaps experiment with.

Some previous such blog entries include:


Steve Jobs 12 Rules of Success.

Ten Reasons to Pursue a Career in Technology.

10 Rules for People New to the Workforce.

This weekend I came across an article in a communication from BusinessBrief.com, that listed Walt Disney's 8 Guiding principles, rules by which he built his empire. Once again, some food for thought ...

Walt Disney was an innovator and a visionary. But he was also one of the most successful business leaders of his time. Here are eight principles that made Walt Disney one of the greatest icons of the 20th century:

1. Provide a promise, not a product: The legend goes that Walt Disney was sitting on a bench watching his daughters ride a carousel when he came up with the concept for Disney World. He noticed amusement parks and state fairs were always littered and poorly organized, and the employees were generally rude and resentful.
His wife once asked, “Why do you want to build an amusement park? They’re so dirty.” To which Walt replied, “That’s the point. Mine won’t be.” From day one, Disney has focused on “the experience” as a key component to increasing the value of its parks.
2. Always exceed customers’ expectations: One of the reasons the Disney tradition stands the test of time is that Walt Disney was more critical of his creations than anyone else could ever possibly be. He was a relentless perfectionist with a keen eye for detail, often forcing projects to go over budget and past deadline because he wasn’t satisfied with the finished product.
3. Pursue your passion, and the money will follow: Walt Disney went bankrupt more than once, leveraging everything he had in terms of assets in order to build his studio, his films and his dreams. The more profit one project yielded, the bigger the next would be. His vision was constantly growing, and he used whatever capital he had to allow that vision to evolve. His films and theme parks were labors of love, built to revolutionize an industry, rather than maximize profits.
4. Stay true to your company’s mission and values: Walt Disney was famous for saying, “I hope that we never lose sight of one thing – that it was all started by a mouse.
”Decades later, Mickey Mouse is still the crown jewel of the Disney franchise, representing all the good will and imagination Disney represents. He’s also a constant reminder that the company has strong roots and it embraces American values.
5. Differentiate your offer: Every facet of Disney’s operation is unique. Employees are called “associates,” visitors are called “guests,” creative designers are called “Imagineers.” And that’s just the beginning. The experience of being at a Disney theme park or staying at a Disney resort is all about creating a dream vacation – one where the attention to detail and personal service is just as memorable as the attractions themselves.
6. Lead by example and delegate: Walt Disney was the artist who originally sketched Mickey Mouse, as well as several of the other iconic Disney characters. He even voiced several characters and provided the inspiration for a lot of Disney’s animated classics. But as he built a studio and then an empire, he hired reliable men and women who understood his vision and trusted them to translate that vision to others. By the time Walt broke ground on Disney World, he hadn’t drawn a character for decades, nor was he a daily fixture at creative meetings. He built a strong foundation and developed self-reliant managers who embraced his vision. That allowed him to turn his attention to even bigger dreams, while the company and its employees continued to prosper.
7. Defy convention: So much about Walt Disney’s rise was about bucking the odds and ignoring the critics, whether it was show biz insiders telling him no one would ever sit still for a feature-length animated film, or others saying Walt was crazy for buying acres and acres of murky swampland in central Florida, Disney always trusted his instincts first. Einstein once said, “Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.” Walt Disney was a perfect example.
8. Leave behind something to grow: According to one historian, “The true measure of a man’s greatness is what he’s left behind to grow.” Disney World didn’t even open its gates until nearly five years after Walt Disney’s death. And yet, the tradition continues to evolve, almost 45 years later. While Disney has diversified in a number of ways, it’s still the company that started with a mouse. Perhaps Walt himself put it best: “Disney Land is something that will never be finished, something I can keep ‘plussing’ and adding to. I just finished a live-action picture. It’s gone. I can’t touch it. I want something live, something that will grow. The park is that.”

Best Places for Business Meetings

A recent Robert Half survey of 1,400 Finance Executives (not salespeople) asked the question “Other than in the office, what was the location of your most successful business meeting ever?” Here is what they said ...

> restaurant (36%)
> trade show or conference (25%)
> sporting event (4%)
> golf course (3%)
> in a car (1%)
> on a trip/plane (1%)
> nowhere else (24%), and
> other/don’t know/refused (4%).

An interesting result I thought ... I have long been of the impression that a good breakfast/lunch/dinner conversation can be as (or more) effective as a round of golf, and much more productive (amount of time invested).

Not a popular opinion, and I'll never change the minds of the golf lovers who will always come up with reasons to take prime work hours and spend them on a golf course!


I think the favorite line is "You can't beat 4 hours of one-on-one time with a client on the golf course". I beg to differ ... AND it is never 4 hours, if its a tournament it can be all day, at a minimum its 6 hours with travel etc. That is a big investment of time!

Back in August 2006 I wrote a blog entry called Golf ... Business Tool or Boondoggle. I haven't changed my mind.

February 15th Celebrations

February 15th Celebrations

Family Day (Canada and others)

Family Day is celebrated in the provinces of Alberta, Ontario and Saskatchewan. This holiday falls on the third Monday in February and celebrates the importance of families and family life. It is meant as a day where the whole family can take part in activities together.

In the provinces of Alberta, Ontario and Saskatchewan most people have the day off work and schools are generally closed. Most businesses and organizations are also closed

Family Day was first held in Alberta in 1990. It was supposed to reflect the values of family and home that were important to the pioneers who founded Alberta. It gave the workers an opportunity to spend more time with their families. Family Day was introduced in Saskatchewan in 2007 and Ontario in 2008. One of the main reasons for introducing Family Day was that there was a long period when there were no holidays from New Year's Day until Good Friday.

Around the World:

Family Day is not just celebrated in Canada … for example in Australia the first Tuesday of November is known as Family and Community Day and in South Africa, the day after Easter Sunday is Family Day.

Louis Riel Day (Canada)

Louis Riel was a Canadian politician, a founder of the province of Manitoba and a leader of the Métis people of the Canadian prairies. He led two resistance movements against the Canadian government. He sought to preserve the rights, culture and heritage of the Métis. In the province of Manitoba, Louis Riel Day celebrates Riel's life and achievements and is observed on the third Monday of February.

On September 26, 2007 Manitoba passed a bill establishing the third Monday in February as a statutory holiday; Louis Riel Day. In other areas of Canada, specifically Toronto, Louis Riel Day is observed in November as this was the anniversary month of the execution of Louis Riel in 1885.

Heritage Day (Canada)

Heritage Day is an opportunity to celebrate the architectural heritage and historic places of Canada. The Heritage Canada Foundation promotes the third Monday in February each year as Heritage Day and has long advocated adopting this date as a national holiday.

For Heritage Day 2010, Canada’s Olympic year, HCF is celebrating the Heritage of Sport and Recreation.

President’s Day (US)

Today is President’s Day in the US, also sometimes known as Washington’s Birthday. It's a federal holiday, established to honor the February birthdays of the nation's first president, George Washington, who helped found the country, and the nation's 16th president, Abraham Lincoln, who helped keep the country together.

Summary:

I guess all of the celebrations over the last couple of days just go to show that we will do anything for a holiday!!

February 14th Celebrations

February 14th Celebrations

Yesterday was a day of celebration in many ways … it was

1. Chinese New Year, with 2010 being the Year of the Tiger;
2. Valentines Day; and
3. My big brother Chris’s birthday … Happy Christmas big brother, hope you enjoy the scotch :-)

While Chris’s birthday is a big deal for him (especially given it’s a special number he has reached) I thought a little background on the two bigger events of the day would be interesting.

Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year is the most important holiday in the Chinese culture. It is sometimes called the Lunar New Year. The festival traditionally begins on the first day of the first lunar month in the Chinese calendar and ends on the 15th. This day is celebrated as the Lantern Festival. This year it will be celebrated on February 14th 2010 and is the year of the Tiger.

TRADITIONS

Red envelopes or red packets are passed out during Chinese New Year celebrations from married couples or the elderly to children. The red envelopes contain money varying from a few dollars to hundreds. However the amount given in the envelope is always of even numbers, as odd numbers are associated with cash given at funerals. Within the Chinese culture, the number 4 is considered bad luck and the money in the envelope should never add up to 4. The number 8 is considered good luck, and most often 8 dollars is found in the envelopes.

FESTIVITIES

The Chinese New Year celebrations are marked by visiting friends and relatives and new clothing is worn to signify a new year. The colour red is used in all decorations. The last day of the New Year, the fifteenth day, is celebrated with a Lantern Festival, where families walk the street carrying lighted lanterns. This marks the end of the Chinese New Year festivities.

Valentines Day

Every February 14th all across the country and the world, candy, flowers , cards and gifts are exchanged between loved ones all in the name of St. Valentine.

There are many legends of the way that Saint Valentines Day originated. Many date back to as early as 270 A.D. One legend goes like this. the ruler of the time, Emperor Claudius II, thought unmarried soldiers would make better soldiers, and so he forbade them to marry. A bishop named Valentine who was stationed at the Roman Empire at that time took pity on the soldiers and young lovers and began to perform secret marriages. He was soon found out and jailed. Another part of the legend states that while in jail, Valentine fell in love with his jailer's daughter. Just before his death, he sent her a note and signed it "from your Valentine," An expression that is stilled used today.

After his death, Valentine became a Patron Saint. Some considered him the spiritual overseer of an annual festival in which young Romans would distribute cards of affection to those they wished to see. The festival was held each February 14. Some valentine cards can be found in museums that date back to 1415.

Today, Valentines Day has become one of the most popular holidays. After Christmas, it is the largest card-sending holiday of the year. Common symbols of Valentines Day today are hearts, cupid, roses, teddy bears, and bow and arrows. Cupid with bows and arrows represent Roman mythology. Cupid was the son of Venus, the goddess of love. The shot of the arrow would strike the unsuspecting desired person or god, making him fall in love.

Ten Attributes of a Super Successful Sales Person

I saw a post on the CPSA LinkedIn page where someone was trying to come up with a list of attributes that would define a successful salesperson. I thought I'd generate my own thoughts on the subject ... here is what I think.

1. A strong work ethic ... focuses on work during the work day (not cooler chat or personal stuff) and works a little longer than the competition!
2. Empathy for people … likes to listen, wants to hear.
3. Excellent communication skills … written and verbal.
4. An interesting person … well read on a variety of subjects, reads a lot.
5. Self motivated ... requiring very little pushing to achieve success.
6. Ability to accept rejection and not get de-motivated.
7. Excellent organizational skills.
8. Plans and sets goals.
9. Wants to learn and keep learning … about the product/service they sell, about the way clients use those services, about selling, about their industry, about everything.
10. An ability to focus all of these skills where they will generate the best return ... doesn't get side-tracked by time wasters, low return projects etc.

Don't Burst Balloons!

People with a positive attitude generally look for ways to get things done, rather than looking for reasons NOT to do it!

There is a role in life for the "devil's advocate", BUT it is often way too easy to be focused on the reasons why something won't work, or why something is wrong. It is much harder to be the person solving those issues and helping to make things work.

In my experience it is the people who "make it happen" who (a) have more fun; (b) are in demand and (c) find the most success.

It is also my experience that those people are not all "optimists", not all "extroverts", not all "intellectuals' ... in fact they are a "type" unto themselves. I believe that anyone can learn to adopt a "can do" attitude, and if the world were populated with more of them then we would be in a better place.

The typical reactions of the "naysayer" to a good idea, or a different/better way of doing things is:

"It'll never work"
"We've done it this way for the last 10/20/30 years ... there's a reason for that"
"You are underestimating the politics/infrastructure needs/technology hurdles etc"

The typical reaction of the "make it happen" kind of person is:

"I can see a few hurdles, but let's battle through them and make this thing fly"
"Its about time we started to look at things differently ... let's push this".
"Great ideas ... I think we need to bring in some expertise in a few areas to help smooth out some potential issues, but its a great start.

If you are an entrepreneur you will have had the "pleasure" of meeting all the people who tell you the many reasons why your company won't work. If we all listened to them there wouldn't be any new companies.

Next time your instinct is to shoot down someone's idea, stop for a moment and try to look at it through their eyes. Better still pretend it is your own idea and find ways to make it even better!

The same principle applies to believing in your (or someone else's) ability to sell a solution; or make a team; or pass an exam; or learn something new etc.

Think about the times in your life when perhaps a bit of positive support might have made a difference ... don't be "that person" who shatters someone's dream or even just bursts their balloon.

CANADIAN IT JOB MARKET – Mini update January/February 2010

General Observations:

Things appear to be headed in the right direction. Often our industry (staffing) is the first to see a recovery, as companies bring in contingent labour rather than take a risk on hiring full time. The big indicator for us is that in January we had more orders than in any month last year, and currently most offices are extremely busy.

Two months ago, when I wrote this report, the TSX was at 11,600 (which was a 52 week high) and today it’s at 11,200, so we are up and down, but generally trending up (despite this blip down). It’s again a sign that there is no boom to this recovery, just a 2 steps forward, one step back kind of steady positive progress.

The current activity levels at Eagle are echoed when I talk to my colleagues across the industry, so after an extremely quiet December (lots of vacation time) we are seeing Canada start to “put the pedal to the metal”.

Canada gained 43,000 jobs in January, all in part time, pushing the unemployment rate down 0.1 percentage points to 8.3%. We have still lost 280,000 jobs since October 2008. This means that there are still very few “skills shortages” across the country, but that will come as the jobs come back.

The deficit is still a concern, at a projected $55.9 Billion, particularly because the government is proposing a 5 year plan to basically reduce it to “acceptable levels”. That typically means reduced spending and increased taxes, neither of which will be good for the average Canadian business! Couple that with Canada’s first trade deficit since 1975 and we still have some way to go in this recovery!

More Specifically:

The GTA (Greater Toronto Area) continues to be one of our hottest markets, with the order flow as high this month as it has been in a long time. The increased activity now seems to be fairly widespread across most sectors, although we are certainly not seeing the kind of “craziness” we saw through the boom times. Provincial and municipal governments also seem to be moving on a number of fronts after a bit of a quiet time … so that is good too.

Western Canada is starting to pick up again now too, with Calgary in particular getting quite busy. Vancouver has the Olympics pending which will likely have a dampening affect on our business, as the focus shifts to the games themselves as opposed to the “business” of preparing for them. It is anticipated that the sheer numbers of people in and around Vancouver will cause disruption to work days, with as many people as possible working remotely and plenty taking time off to escape the madness. Edmonton is suffering still from the affects of a provincial deficit that has seen a focus on cuts, but there are still signs of life in a city that has been growing at a very fast pace for the last five years.

Eastern Canada is warming up, we are seeing more activity in the Montreal marketplace than we have seen in some time and the Feds are continuing to spend on adding resources to help them on their projects. The large government initiatives have still not moved along, but the feeling is that there is an appetite for change and so companies need to understand where they will fit into that new agenda. Could be fun!

The following are some facts/indicators we are watching as of time of writing:

> The price of oil is a little over $72 a barrel … not so low as to affect existing projects, but not high enough to create a “boom”.
> Natural Gas prices are little higher than this time last year, having overcome a seven year low back in September.
> The TSX seems to be doing well, currently around 11,200 … a positive sign.
> The Canadian dollar is strong, currently about 93.5c US. Not always a good thing for Canadian business, but a positive economic indicator.
> Prime remains at 2.25%, making borrowing inexpensive. This is good for when companies feel optimistic enough to invest!
> Canada added 43,000 jobs in January, all part time … which I believe demonstrates the value the staffing industry brings to the Canadian economy.
> Alberta’s provincial government continues to grapple with its unusual situation of a $7B deficit, and the requisite cuts that go with that.
> We are seeing a pickup in activity in most sectors … banks, oil companies, and telcos in particular. There is also some pickup in Municipal, Provincial and Federal Government activity.
> Canada announced its first trade deficit in 34 years … a deficit of $4.8 Billion in 2009, as opposed to a trade surplus of $47 Billion in 2008.
> The Canadian government is on hiatus (prorogued) … but given their impending spam legislation, maybe that’s a good thing. When are governments going to back off and let the economy recover before they implement more legislation that lacks “common sense”?

In Summary:

There has been, and will continue to be, the concern that this “recovery” is a bubble, and we could suffer a second recession … but fingers crossed we are tracking well. The recovery was forecast to be long and slow, and that is exactly what we are experiencing.

The staffing industry tends to see economic changes early and we are seeing a spike in demand, in some markets (GTA) that has been steadily growing for some months now.

I would have preferred not to suffer the recession of the past 12 to 18 months, but given reality I am very optimistic that things are getting better.

The Need for Speed in The Hiring Process

The staffing industry, like many industries has changed over the last decade. There have been many technological advancements, clients have become very knowledgeable and like most industries our clients have had a big focus on cost. Having said all of that, at the end of the day our clients still want us to find them QUALITY candidates at the BEST PRICE … and they want us to do that FAST!

Lets talk a little about FAST … because in the staffing industry speed is a big factor in success and failure. In fact speed throughout the full hiring cycle can make a huge difference … I can remember being told by one client that they really liked our candidates (good quality), our prices were good (competitive) but we always seemed to be beaten in speed (not by much, just enough to lose!)

If you are a staffing company looking for the best candidates for specific roles then you must have a sense of urgency or your competition will find them first. Once the best people have been “locked down” by the competition your chances of success are minimal.

Even in proposal situations I sometimes have heard people say that the bid isn’t due for a few days yet so I’ll call tomorrow … forget it, the competition will have them locked down tonight! Take your time writing the proposal, but make sure you get the right candidates on your team NOW!

In a hot market … and we are not there yet, but it is not too far off … I have seen clients take their time to make decisions and lose the best candidates because they have offers from other companies. Contractors will try to get the best paying and most interesting jobs … BUT their primary motivator is having a contract in hand! So the "other guys" might scoop your contractor because they make the first offer .. even if your job pays more or is more interesting!

The same message goes to any organization that is hiring people … you need to have a well oiled, FAST process for identifying, qualifying and closing candidates. If you can get that process in place you will have the best chance of success in hiring the best people … if your process is slow and cumbersome (too many interviews, too long between decision points) then you will likely lose the best candidates to other organizations who really want them.

(I am not a big American football fan but an interview this weekend revealed that the quarterback for the Superbowl winning New Orleans Saints chose to join that team over other offers, because he felt they really wanted him … a sense of urgency will convey that feeling!)

So lessons learned:

1. In staffing NEVER WAIT to contact the candidates … the early bird gets the worm.
2. In any hiring organization develop a hiring process that (a) identifies the best candidates early and (b) moves them through a process very quickly arriving at a quick decision.

How to Behave in the Workplace

When I try to explain to someone new to the work place, or about to leave school how they should behave in the workplace I try to keep it simple ... but the reality is that it is not simple.

I am actually probably not a great role model for behaviour in the office, because as a bit of a joker I can play tricks on people that would in many places be deemed to be unprofessional. the difference is that as CEO and owner I have more leeway than most when it comes to behaviour. More on that later.

Let me try to give examples of different characters, some of whom are welcome in the work place, some are not ...

Try this on for size ....

1. I grew up in inner city Liverpool during an era when skinhead gangs were fairly prevalent. The demeanor I portrayed growing up was designed to give off a "I can take care of myself" message ... it was aggressive, cocky and not at all friendly to those who I did not know.

So "Liverpool Kevin" would not be a character who would be welcome in the office environment.

2. I played soccer my whole life. I played it with a passion and a determination to win that sometimes came out in an aggressive way.

So "Soccer Kevin" might actually have some positive traits (desire to win and passion) that would do well in the work place. However the physical or verbal aggression are never welcome in the workplace.

3. When I relax with my family at home I will discuss all of the personal and normal life things one discusses with one's family. It really isn't appropriate in the workplace to be discussing all of your personal "stuff". My colleagues do not need to be bored or distracted by details of a messy divorce, or a wild night on the town.

So ... "Personal Kevin" needs to be more guarded in the workplace.

4. When I am on my best behaviour to impress someone ... maybe it was a date's parents, or it could have been a job interview or some authority figure that I respected ... I am much nearer to the "Professional Kevin" that I want to portray.

5. When I am with acquaintances I let my guard down a little, have some fun and perhaps tell jokes etc. I still don't tell them all about the details of my personal life, but the situation is more relaxed than when i am on my bets behaviour. This sort of behaviour is acceptable as "Professional Kevin". I do also have to be guarded and know just where the barriers are, so that I don't cross them.

6. When I am discussing political arguments with friends, or contentious issues I will perhaps be passionate with my opinions and sometimes the arguments can get loud, but not aggressive. Some people think that "Argumentative Kevin" is OK, but I think that any time you "get loud" you are crossing the line into unacceptable behaviour ... certainly it does happen, we are all human but that doesn't make it right.

"Professional Kevin" will be passionate but reasoned, he will dress appropriately for his environment and he will focus his efforts on the work he is paid to do. He won't distract his colleagues with personal "stuff", he will treat all of those around him with respect. He will learn to bite his lip and listen more than he talks. He will have the best interests of his employer at heart, knowing that by always doing his best he is becoming ever more valuable to his current and future employers.

Back to the real me ... yes I joke in the office and in the strictest terms it probably is not very CEO-like. Having said that, I am comfortable that during my career I have established enough professional credibility to get away with a few personality quirks. I also feel that we spend way too much time at work for it to be all dull and no fun.

I wouldn't advise new employees to rock that boat until they are a little more established and have had a chance to "get the lay of the land". Model your behaviour on the leaders around you and slowly introduce your own character into the workplace ... just make sure it isn't "Obnoxious You" :-)

Experience

I recently finished watching the mini-series "The Shield". One of the things I liked about the show, and many of those kinds of shows, is that the characters are never "black and white". The good guys can actually do some bad stuff, or the villains have some charming characteristics (such as Tony Soprano for instance ... a nasty gangster whose character we got to know and even empathise with in his everyday life through the show "The Sopranos"). In the Shield, Detective Vic Mackey is the very effective, but corrupt, police detective and central character.

What has that got to do with anything?

It is my belief that we don't live in a black and white world. Things are not all good, or all bad ... they are not even right or wrong. They are shades of grey, mostly good or mostly bad, right-ish or wrong for this occasion!

That is a very hard thing for people to grasp and it applies almost universally!

Today I want to talk about experience as an example.

The Good about hiring people with experience:

Education and training are useful, sometimes necessary, sometimes essential ... but experience will almost always "trump" education. If you can find someone who has been there and done that", has a track record of success, can demonstrate they understand the job/project/issue etc based upon real life experience, then you will almost always be better to hire that person.

So in a choice between the MBA student with a couple of work terms, versus the sales professional who has beat their numbers consistently through their career but left school after high school very often it will be the experience that wins the day.

The Bad about hiring experience:

Just like those mini-series, the world is not black and white. We all know "superstar" sales people who jumped to a new company and struggled to deliver. Those experienced people don't always come through for you ... and for lots of reasons.

Sometimes (often?) people with lots of experience don't want to continue learning, they feel they have all the answers. Sometimes the experienced people forget that one of the reasons for their success was a strong work ethic and they don't want to keep working hard. Sometimes the support structures and business processes in their new company just don't mesh with their way of doing business ... and they struggle. Sometimes the new "experienced" resource can cause more disruption than they are worth! So, experience doesn't always win out.

Sometimes the young, smart, well educated "keener" who is willing to "do what it takes" is exactly the right answer. Sometimes the less experienced but willing to learn resource will fit better in your organization. Sometimes the investment to get a more experienced resource is just not worth the difference in performance!

So, coming back to my earlier point. We live in a world of shades of grey, and we do the best we can in every given situation. We learn from past mistakes and try to anticipate opportunities into the future. We have to keep trying new things or else we will be left behind ... but there are no cookie cutters to give us the answers. It all depends ... and oddly enough, we use our "experience" to guide us! Now THAT is something to think about!

The Customer is King

In 2006 Fortune magazine made the astounding claim that the rules were changing ... where previously the shareholder was most important, in the new world the customer was king!

A year before that article Thomas Friedman produced his book The World is Flat, which talked about our changing world and the affects of forces such as globalisation.

I have blogged myself about our changing world and the fact that we need to understand the forces at work, and adjust to fit ... or risk becoming obsolete.

One of the biggest drivers of change has been increased competition through globalisation, and thus the need to compete where the competition may well have a different cost model. The manufacturing base in Canada, particularly Ontario has been a classic case. What once was a vibrant part of the Canadian economy was severely impacted by the low price competition from countries like China.

As time goes by many industries are feeling the affects of such competition and they need to react in order to remain competitive.

What the customer is saying is, " This is my price point, and if you can't deliver a product/service then I can get it elsewhere".

Don't forget ... the customer is King!

Many businesses don't believe that this will happen ... how can anyone deliver a comparable product/service for significantly less? I have been doing this for 20 years, the client can't live without me.

They forget that there are valid reasons that your client is doing this ... THEY are getting the same kind of pressure from their clients. Who would have thought that the big three automakers would be in trouble back when they could do no wrong (even though their product was not great). When competition can employ cheap labour, use more automated processes and be more reactive to consumer demand the it is going to have an affect. Compound that with rising labour costs, aging plants and a huge infrastructure and you have a recipe for disaster.

Many years ago you could find small family businesses in cities and towns. They had existed for years, provided a service to a loyal base of customers ... they might have been paint shops, camera shops, small grocery stores etc. Then along came big box stores ... it took time but eventually the consumer will go because of convenience, greater variety, cheaper price, relentless advertising or any number of reasons.

The customer is king.

So, what do you do when your business is being squeezed by your customers and aggressive competition.

a. Hang on as long as you can ... eventually you will lose!
b. Make a decision to sell, and get the best price that you can.
c. Develop different strategies for survival.

The bottom line is that if you cannot deliver your service/product for the amount your customer is willing to pay then you have a problem ... because someone will!!!

You MUST align your costs to be in line with your revenues, in order to survive.

Some thoughts:

• Learn from others that have been successful.
• Rethink your business from the ground up.
• valuate other ways to do business.
• Evaluate whether you can do different things.
• Choose to be a niche supplier ... smaller, higher quality and higher value but recognise that you need to be able to sell it ... so be realistic about your chances!

If you don't think others can do it think about the Tata Nano. Tata is a very successful Indian company that challenged a group to develop a car that could be sold for around $2,000 and would be a viable choice for a consumer. That was an incredible challenge, but they did it.

The customer is King ... you can never be complacent in business.

A Good Sales Article from CPSA

Whether your profession is selling, or whether selling is just a part of your job (isn't it every body's?) I think there is a lot of value in the Canadian Professional Sales Association (CPSA). In addition to the educational value of the articles, access to sales tools and resources, and access to a sales focused job board there are the money saving benefits of membership such as hotel discounts (I generally more than pay for my membership with these alone). I have written about this organization previously ... so clearly they impress me!

In the latest newsletter is an article from David Kahle who operates a company called DACO Corporation ... a sales training company. Once again it is a down to earth, common sense article that could only be written by someone who has been there, done that! If you have any responsibility for sales you will definitely recognise these scenarios ... and education is the first step towards correction.



Share this with your salespeople and challenge them to see themselves in this article, and to self correct.



Biggest Time Wasters for Salespeople
David Kahle, for CPSA magazine


Over the years, I've seen some regularly occurring patterns develop— tendencies on the part of salespeople to do things that detract from their effective use of time. Here are the four most common time wasters I've observed. See if any apply to you.


1. Allure of the urgent/trivial.



Salespeople love to be busy and active. We have visions of ourselves as people who can get things done.


A big portion of our sense of worth and our personal identity is dependent on being busy. At some level in our self image of ourselves, being busy means that we really are important. One of the worst things that can happen to us is to have nothing to do, nowhere to go, and nothing going on. So, we latch onto every task that comes our way, regardless of the importance.


For example, one of our customers hands us a very involved "Request for Quote." "Better schedule a half-day at the office," we think. "Need to look up specifications, calculate prices, compile literature, etc." We become immediately involved with this task, working on this project for our customer. In retrospect, couldn't we have given the project to an inside salesperson or customer service rep to do the leg work? Couldn't we have just communicated the guidelines to someone and then reviewed the finished proposal?


We are so enamored with being busy and feeling needed that we often grab at any task that comes our way, regardless of how unimportant. And each time we do that, we compromise our ability to invest our sales times more effectively.


2. The comfort of the status quo.



A lot of salespeople have evolved to the point where they have a comfortable routine. They make enough money and they have established routines and habits that are comfortable. They really don't want to expend the energy it takes to find a better way, or to become more successful or effective.


However, our rapidly changing world constantly demands new methods, techniques, habits and routines. Just because something has been effective for a few years doesn't mean that it continues to be so.


If you haven't changed or challenged some habit or routine in the last few years, chances are you are not as effective as you could be.


For example, you could still be writing phone messages down on little slips of paper when entering them into your contact manager would be more effective. This is a simple example of a principle that can extend towards the most important things that we do. Are we using the same routines for organizing our work week, for determining who to call on, for understanding our customers, for collecting information, etc?


Contentment with the status quo almost always means salespeople who are not as effective as they could be.


3. Lack of trust in other people in the organization.



Salespeople have a natural tendency to work alone. That's generally a positive personality trait for a salesperson. Unfortunately, when it extends to those tasks that could be done better by other people in our organization it turns into a real negative.


Instead of soliciting aid from others in the organization, and thereby making much better use of our time, many salespeople insist on doing it themselves, no matter how redundant and time-consuming the task is. The world is full of salespeople who don't trust their own colleagues to write an order, to source a product, to enter an order in the system, to follow up on a back order, to deliver some sample or literature, to research a quote, to deliver a proposal, etc.


The point is that many of these tasks can be done better or cheaper by someone else in the organization. The salespeople don't release the tasks to them because they, the salespeople, don't trust them to do it. Too bad. It's a tremendous waste of good selling time and talent.


4. Lack of tough-minded thoughtfulness.



Ultimately, time management begins with thoughtfulness. I like to say that good time management is a result of "thinking about it before you do it."


Good time managers invest sufficiently in this process. They set aside time each year to create annual goals, they invest planning time every quarter and every month to create plans for those times, they plan every week and every sales call. Poor sales time managers don't dedicate sufficient time to the "thinking about it" phase of their job.


Not only do good sales time managers invest a sufficient quantity of time, but they also are disciplined and tough-minded about how they think. They ask themselves good questions, and answer them with as much objectivity as they can muster.


"What do I really want to accomplish in this account?""Why aren't they buying from me?" "Who is the key decision maker in this account?" "Am I spending too much time in this account, or not enough in that one?" "How can I change what I am doing in order to become more effective?"


These are just a few of the tough questions that good sales time managers consider on a regular basis. They don't let allow their emotions or personal comfort zones to dictate the plans. They go where it is smart to go, do what it is smart to do. They do these things because they have spent the quantity and quality of thought-time necessary. There are hundreds of other time-wasting habits. The above four are the most common. Correct them, and you'll be well on your way to dramatically improved results.


About the Author:



David Kahle, President of DaCo Corporation has published over 300 articles, three books (The Six-Hat Salesperson, How to Excel at Distribution Sales In The New Millennium and his latest title 10 Secrets of Time Management for Salespeople) and numerous multi-media training programs.

Today is Groundhog Day

Here in Canada Groundhog Day is watched with interest ... given the length and severity of our Winters (the US always blame us when they get cold weather "blowing in from Canada") we want ANY sign that there may be a reprieve earlier rather than later!

Groundhog Day is celebrated in Canada and the United States on February 2nd. According to the legend of Groundhog Day, the groundhog emerges from his winter hibernation. If the day is sunny, the groundhog will see his shadow and be frightened by it and he will return to his hole to sleep for six more weeks, which means we must suffer with an extended winter. If it is cloudy, he won't receive the sleep-inducing fright and we will be due for an early spring.

In northern Europe they have a similar tradition in which snow and overcast skies signal an early end to winter on a day called Candlemas Day which is also on February 2nd. In some areas this marks the beginning of spring planting.

Fingers crossed for a cloudy day ... no shadows!!!

January 2010 - IT Industry News

Three years ago in January 2007 there was no talk of recession, and worker confidence was relatively high. The big news was Microsoft’s launch of Vista and AOL paid $1 Billion for Tradedoubler. Two years ago, in January 2008, there was much talk about an impending recession but IDC was still bullish that Canada’s tech industry would flourish in 2008 and Gartner was predicting huge growth in the Indian IT Services Market. Dell, Palm and Yahoo all announced layoffs, while Oracle paid $8.5 Billion for BEA, Microsoft paid $1.2 Billion for FAST and SUN paid $1 Billion for MySQL. January 2009 was a different story altogether with many impacts from the economic meltdown! There were no blockbuster deals to announce, with one of the few sizeable deals being the $775 million purchase of Interwoven by Autonomy. Confidence with IT workers and CEOs alike was at an all time low, and there was a long list of (significant) companies announcing layoffs. Satyam announced a major financial accounting scam, DELL moved a production facility from Ireland to “low cost” Poland and former Canadian “tech star” Nortel, filed for bankruptcy protection.

So … here we are in January Twenty-Ten and there is cautious optimism in the air, but not much in the way of blockbuster M&A deals! There were several positive indicators in January particularly in the US … US GDP grew at an annual rate of 5.7% in the latest quarter; the ECRI weekly measure of the US economy reached an 18 month high; the number of lost jobs was the smallest decline since March 2008; and, CEO confidence was up. Forrester are bullish on tech spending expecting strong growth in 2010. Here in Canada unemployment was pretty steady at 8.5% although 2,600 jobs were lost in December. Having said that, Eagle’s experience has been a steady increase in activity of the last few months and January was one of our busiest months in a long time!

As mentioned, no blockbuster M&A deals but Oracle, Apple, EMC, and Cisco continued their fairly steady acquisition pace. Perhaps the most interesting acquisition saw PWC here in Canada return to the IT consulting business with the acquisition of Allstream’s non-telecom consulting business, several years after exiting the business by selling it to IBM.

Apple released the much anticipated (and curiously named) iPad which has received mixed reviews and received its share of humour around the name. CA also announced a replacement for John Swainson, with ex-IBMer William McCracken taking the top job.

It looks to me like 2010 is shaping up to be a good year, we need this recovery to keep happening and before we know it we’ll all start smiling again! Or maybe I have rose coloured glasses, because I also expect 2010 to be a year of big change as all companies continue their relentless pursuit of the cheapest possible solution to everything that they do. We can anticipate more offshore solutions, more creative use of the web and if the employee satisfaction surveys are to be believed a mass game of musical chairs as the whole world switches jobs … maybe it’s a great time to be in the staffing business?

Walk Fast and Smile!