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Showing posts with label productivity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label productivity. Show all posts

Monday, April 25, 2011

Business Productivity and Innovation = Employee Empowerment and Happiness | A NOTE FROM THE FOUNDER

Business Productivity and Innovation = Employee Empowerment and Happiness


by Adam J. Kovitz


I was reading the following article from Businessweek:  'Empowered' Workers More Productive, Research Shows and felt it worth reprinting here.  I find it coincidental with another article on CNN.com which I will discuss after the following article...


FRIDAY, April 22 (HealthDay News) -- Workers who feel empowered by their employers are more productive and have higher morale, a review of existing research finds. 
The findings cut across industries, jobs, gender and cultures, according to the study, which was released online in advance of publication in an upcoming print issue of the Journal of Applied Psychology. 
"Empowerment is an effective approach for improving employee attitudes and work behaviors in a broad range of industries, occupations and geographic regions," lead researcher Scott Seibert, professor of management and organizations at University of Iowa's Tippie College of Business, said in a university news release. 
Workplaces that properly promote empowerment can boost job satisfaction while reducing turnover and stress among workers, Seibert noted.The researchers came to their conclusions after reviewing more than 140 studies of "psychological empowerment" at the workplace. 
According to the findings, factors that play a role in effective empowerment initiatives include: giving employees decision-making ability and having decentralized authority; good pay; valuing and recognizing the contributions of employees; support from managers; training opportunities; inspirational managers; and challenging work assignments. 
"Managers in these studies reported that empowered workers were more innovative and more willing to take the initiative to solve problems on their own," Seibert said. "Employees said they were more engaged in their work when empowered, that they felt like they had an influence and an impact on the business around them."

Interesting article, to be sure, but take the findings above and then read "Best Companies to Work For:  Happy Campers".


See any patterns?


To me, it seems that most businesses fall into the trap of boosting productivity and innovation through bottom-line approaches like financial incentives or fear-based tactics.  These two articles indicated that those effective enterprises that eliminate employee obstacles get the most out of their collective.


This also supports the concept of gamification of business (setting up incentive systems based upon game-like infrastructure) and the influx of the Millennial generation into the workplace.  I personally like the idea of gamification as it breaks down the traditional models of "ethical business behavior" and beige-colored cubicle farms and unleashes the inner child within us all.


At the end of the day, it can only do our enterprises better by allowing our employees to play a bit by giving them control over outcome and an environment in which they can thrive.


I am curious to find out which of our member companies are utilizing concepts of gamification - is it working for you?  Have there been any noticeable improvements since you have?


Please send your feedback to me at adam@tnnwc.com and your response may be featured in a future article.

All my best,

Adam


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Monday, March 22, 2010

DOUGLAS CASTLE RANTS: Meetings (gasp!): Kill or Cure? How to Have Great Ones





Meetings (gasp!): Kill or Cure? How to Have Great Ones.



Somebody has called a meeting.


You don't know what to do...

Can you come up with a plausible excuse for not attending? Do you quickly down a double shot of espresso, hold your nose and just go? Have you learned to sleep with your eyes open? Will you know when to go "mmm, Hmm,"? Will you nod your head at the same time? Can you discreetly send text messages and get some "real" work done while some egomaniac drones on? Have you prepared an excuse for why you haven't gotten your project accomplished, in the event that someone asks you about your (gulp) status?

If the meeting is in-person, it's going to be a challenge. If the meeting is done by teleconference, don't lie down on the courch with your phone in the crook of your neck if your prone to bouts of snoring.

Facing facts, meetings can be amazingly productive and energizing, or they can be as pleasurable as oral root canal surgery. The latter is usually the case: everyone generally dreads them, except for the moderator or organizer, who desperately craves attention - sometimes it is because his parents didn't show him adequate love; sometimes, it's because he has learned a witty new joke, and wants to try it out on a captive audience; most of the time it is because he has been taught that "meetings are necessary."
The attendees either participate because a) they have also been taught that "meetings are necessary," or because b) if they don't attend, they're afraid that everyone else will be talking about them, or because c) if they don't attend they will be fired, or because d) they have accidentally wandered into the wrong room at some convention center and have (to their horror) emerged through the door right in front of the podium.

The Fact: Meetings can be either fabulous or monstrous. If they are fabulous, they will get your team to its objective in quantum leaps. If they are monstrous, your audience will become de-motivated, unresponsive and resentful.

The Rule: For a meeting to be *fabulous*, it must be purposeful, focused, action-oriented and businesslike. It cannot be one second longer than is necessary.

A Great meeting must be more like a football huddle and less like an 8:00am university graduate-level lecture on organic chemistry. A bad meeting does damage --- in terms of time, credibility and motivation.

The Guidelines: Want great meetings? Here are the necessary ingredients:

1. Have a specified purpose (an objective to be accomplished) for the meeting;

2. Announce the meeting well in advance, with a reminder immediately before;

3. Distribute a bullet-point memorandum identifying the purpose, the time and place, and a specific agenda, with definitive items;

4. Start the meeting promptly;

5. Allocate specific amounts of time for the coverage of each agenda item. The leader of the meeting should moderate the discussion;

6. Stay focused and true to the agenda - any diversions from the agenda must be sidelined for another time or an offline conversation if they are not beneficial to the whole group or if they are not directly relevant to the agenda item under discussion;

7. Maintain order;

8. Assign specific tasks to specific individuals with specific timeframes for their completion and status reporting. Gain each tasked individual's agreement and commitment right then and there, in full witness of the group;

9. End the meeting promptly;

10. Distribute a memorandum (not more than 2 pages, please) which restates each agenda point, each decision, each tasked person, each timeframe, and a "thank you," within two days following the meeting.

Of course, every meeting requires a thorough F.U. ("follow up")

Remember: Meetings, like pencils, are dull when they are pointless.

Remember: Meetings that are informal, feel-good, everybody-meet-everybody-else, "how ya doin'," "whatcha workin' on?" or are "regular" meetings (i.e., mandated but without agendas), should not be meetings at all. They are unnecessary. Have lunches, dinners, parties, pep rallies and networking events instead, where these things are appropriate and can be savored.

Meetings are business tools. Think of them that way and use them that way.

Meetings are either a waste of time, or an investment of time. Think of them and use them that way.

And now, ladies and gentlemen, this meeting is adjourned.

Faithfully,

Douglas Castle


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Monday, August 24, 2009

MAKING IT WORK: Networking and Customer Service Go Hand In Hand

Making It Work with Bruce Newman

I was at McDonald’s of all places (note: I hate McDonald’s), but my daughter wanted to go there, when I had a revelation. My daughter ordered a McFlurry ice cream while I contemplated a much cheaper and lower caloric small cone. Because of the cost and size of the McFlurry, I decided to make that my only purchase. The cashier, however, took note of my interest in the cone and gave me a free small cone anyway. Think about this. McDonald’s did not make an extra sale and it cost them a few cents to give me the free cone. But in that one simple action, they altered my perception of them.

And this made me ask, what do we really need to do to stand out to our prospects and clients?


Companies spend many millions of dollars to brand themselves so we, as the customer (or client), perceive them in a certain manner and yet, by one simple action, a cashier had accomplished more than had McDonald’s entire advertising campaign.


My wife likes shopping at Stew Leonards, an extremely popular and successful chain of four large supermarkets in New York and Connecticut. One of the things she really likes are the free samples they give out while you walk through the store. Not only does it – very successfully - induce her to buy new products, but it also enhances the experience of shopping at their store. This is even more valuable for it is this feeling of goodwill and trust that enables Stew’s to be so successful. Have something to return? No problem. They’ll take it back and refund your money plus an extra dollar – no questions asked.


Stew’s stands out because of the way they treat their customers and the benefits they literally proffer.


A client of mine was recently having a problem with an expensive piece of software. We couldn’t solve the problem because of the software’s internal design and the company that developed it was uninterested in helping us. Instead, we found another company that was willing to modify their existing software to provide the functionality we required. We have since done additional work with that company.


A company that helped us meet our client’s needs – largely at their own expense - stood out and received additional business as a result.


The question: What do you need to do to stand out before your clients and prospects? (Think about this before you answer it.) If your answer is: better customer service, more knowledgeable personnel, or any generalization like that, then you need to rethink your value proposition about what makes you unique.


Here’s a final example. I make a non-technical product called PC Mirror and have sold tens of thousands of them to both small business and Fortune 500 companies. Simply put, it’s a well-engineered mirror with a hinge that attaches to any computer monitor. Each mirror is individually packaged in a 4mm polybag (i.e. thick plastic bag). The company where I had bought the bags went out of business so I contacted several other companies for samples. Only two of them followed after sending the samples. When I called back the first company, the salesperson I had dealt with was out and no one had any idea what they had sent me. When I called back the second company, a different salesperson also picked up the phone and said, “Hello, Mr. Newman. How did you like the polybag samples?” They got my business despite being slightly more expensive. (I received my order one day after making the purchase.) On a side note, if your company does not use a CRM (customer relationship management) system, you might want to consider it.


In all these examples, you can readily discern which action(s) makes these companies stand out. Think about your life every day. Focus on a few things that stand out and why they stand out. Make a list of the reasons. You’ll be amazed with what you come up with. Then, apply that thinking to your business – and your networking.


It’s much easier to be a successful networker if your product or service stands out in some noticeable manner that you can readily explain to your target audience. Knowing this will help ensure that your networking and support go hand-in-hand and that you have a happy and growing customer base.

Bruce Newman, an expert on consulting, is a columnist for The National Networker and the Vice President at The Productivity Institute, LLC. Speak to us about our nine years of success stories increasing clients’ productivity and profitability. Imagine how even a 1% improvement in your bottom line can aid your financial flexibility. How can we help you? Just contact us. P.S. We also bathe dogs. Subscribe to our informative and free newsletter (circ 7,500+) and read our blog. Bruce can be contacted at bnewman@prodinst.com.

For more information, please visit Bruce's TNNW Bio.

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Saturday, May 30, 2009

U.S. MID-ATLANTIC: The Power Of Dedicated Individuals - the 23rd Street Association

by Bruce Newman
U.S. Mid-Atlantic Bureau Chief

(New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Washington, DC)

Having received weekly notices from the 23rd Street Association for several years, I decided to interview Miriam Cohen, its secretary and board member and Robert Schwartz, its managing director to examine this organization in greater depth. Both Miriam and Robert are very passionate and committed towards this association. This association is truly a terrific example of how a small group of dedicated individuals can create a growing and vibrant community.

Can you please provide a little background about the 23rd Street Association?


The Association consists of both business and residential members. Its footprint extends across Manhattan from river to river and between 17th and 32nd streets. We are committed to both businesses of all sizes and area residents, although our primary focus is towards the business community.

We have 3,000 people and 100 organizations as members. Our relatively small size has allowed us to remain focused and to concentrate directly on the needs of our members. In fact, we are about to distribute a new survey that will help us maximize our abilities to service the small business marketplace, particularly by refining our networking events to concentrate on the issues and areas most relevant to our potential attendees.

How long has the 23rd Street Association been in existence?

We are currently celebrating our 80th year. The reason we have survived for such a long period of time is largely due to our commitment to community. We’re a voice in the district for our members as well as an important outlet for those outside who want to do business within our footprint.

How have you been supportive of the business and residential community?

Our weekly newsletter informs business owners and residents of events in the community including opportunities to hear local government leaders like Manhattan Borough President Scott Springer and the wonderful happenings held in Madison Square Park. We also lend our voice on local issues. Right now, for example, landlords in the Chelsea area are forcing out many artistic and cultural groups so they can bring in renters who can afford higher rents. The Association is working with our sister group, Destination: Chelsea, and the community board to find a working arrangement for all parties.

We also represent the role of ombudsman for people within our working area. The parking problems in our area are enormous and there are traffic issues that grow worse each day as new buildings bring more cars and users of public transportation. The Association is an advocate for the needs of residents, real estate owners, and small businesses who suffer from these problems. We are working very closely with the Manhattan.Chamber of Commerce, the Greater New York Chamber, The Flatiron/23rd Street BID and other New York organizations to find the necessary solutions.

How frequently do you hold events? Are they often networking events?

We have regular networking meetings 4 to 6 times a year. We’re big on exchanging business cards through events that afford business owners the opportunity to introduce and promote themselves and their services while generating relationships between our members. Occasionally, we also invite guest speakers to these meetings.

In addition, we have done several special events including cinema nights and wine and cheese gatherings for our residential members. We also participate in events in conjunction with other organizations, one such example being our support of holiday celebrations in Madison Square Park.

What are some of the services available to members?

First, we publish a weekly newsletter to over 4,000 subscribers about happenings in the neighborhood. We have worked hard to make the newsletter informative and to incorporate many ideas from our members. We also make sure that the Association’s website is up to date, reflecting upcoming events on our calendar, keeping up an archive of full articles continued from our newsletter and perhaps most importantly, making certain that member-to-member discounts are current. These include promotional pricing for copying services, reduced rates for restaurants, car rental discounts and reduced prices on goods and services at local retailers.

One critical service that we’re still working on is obtaining a group discounted rate from health care providers. Since many of our members are small businesses, the premiums are likely to represent significant savings over their current plans or will help insure employers and employees who have previously not had any coverage at all.

Member benefits also include free advertising in our newsletter and a listing on our website. Furthermore, some of our networking events are only open to members.

We have also begun to do some training for members. Baruch College, one of our active members, has held seminars and supplied speakers in a number of business subjects.

It seems like you have a tremendous amount on your plate. How do you generate income?

Generating income is a big problem, especially in this economy. We currently have very limited funds – mostly from membership dues - and a lot to accomplish. All of our board members serve on a volunteer basis. Robert, for example, puts in on average over 25 hours of work per week and receives no remuneration.

We also generate some income from our events although the funds net very little and, given the current economic downturn, we have not asked for or received significant contributions despite being a 501C non-profit organization.

To achieve our many accomplishments requires an extremely proactive and passionate board of directors. This commitment is one of the major differences between our organization and many others. Our business model reflects our ability to reach out to small businesses and channel our passion towards helping them.

Our very reasonably priced membership is based on the size of an organization and provides access to a wide range of discounts, as well as free advertising and a listing on our website for businesses.

Yearly membership rates are:
Residential members: $95
One person businesses: $195
10 person businesses: $595

Our Soles4Souls nights are great events we hold twice a year. The price of admission is a pair of gently worn shoes that is then distributed to people who really need them. Actually, Robert runs these charity events through Eneslow and brings the 23rd Street Association in as a sponsor. It’s all about helping and empowering people.

Soles4Souls is a great idea. Do you do other charity events?

Through Eneslow, one of our sponsoring members, we support a number of great causes such as the American Diabetes Association and Hereditary Neuropathy Association, and the Arthritis Foundation.

Finally, why should people join or create an association such as yours?

Consider how a group of passionate and focused people can make a difference. We have helped both businesses and residents in our association. Through our efforts, people promote their businesses, take classes, network, receive ombudsman help and support a variety of social causes. It only takes a small core group of people to achieve terrific results.

The 23rd Street Association: email: info@23rdstreet.org, web: http://www.23rdstreet.org/ .

Miriam Cohen is the Secretary and serves on the Board of Directors the 23rd Street Association. She can be reached at: 212-255-3037.

Robert Schwartz is the president of the Eneslow The Foot Comfort Center and the Managing Director of the 23rd Street Association. Bob can be reached at 212-477-2300.


If you know of a networking group or association you would like to recommend for one of my articles, please contact me by email. - Bruce


Bruce Newman, an expert on consulting, is the mid-Atlantic editor for The National Networker and the Vice President at The Productivity Institute (PI), LLC. The Productivity Institute locates, evaluates and supplies outstanding consultants, matching their expertise to the specific consulting requirements of any company. In addition, PI also provides a Critical Factors Needs Analysis (CFNA) that identifies a company’s productive and non-productive costs, thereby increasing their positive cashflow and financial flexibility. Subscribe to our informative and free newsletter (circ 7,000+), receive our RSS feed, and read our blog. Bruce can be contacted at bnewman@prodinst.com.

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Monday, May 04, 2009

U.S. MID-ATLANTIC: Social Networking – Training the Next Generation

by Bruce Newman, U.S. Mid-Atlantic Bureau Chief
(New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Washington, DC)

I was watching my son interact with his friends on Xbox 360 live last night. Playing in advanced mode, they had to coordinate all of their actions to win their game. There was my son telling his friends where they should move and who should protect whom. It was truly impressive to watch how they worked as a team. In fact, even when they completed their very intense game, my son still talked with them as he walked into our kitchen to get something to drink.

It made me wonder; is this the future of networking?

And I would have to say, yes. Kids - Generations Y and Z (Millennium) have embraced instant communication, remaining in constant contact through a multitude of modalities – all of which appear as natural extensions to them. Even their socialization is more group oriented than in previous generations. Going out in groups instead of one-on-one is now the accepted norm. They are constantly instant messaging each other, writing on each other’s Facebook walls, text messaging and sometimes even speaking with each other face to face.

So, how does this affect business networking?

Do you have a Twitter account? Or Facebook? Or LinkedIn or any other social account? Do you have a blog? Most people have at least one and should have more. Relationships are built, nourished and grown through these applications. There are a number of people on my various networks that started out as contacts and whom I can now truly call friends and business partners.

Would you have even considered creating a MySpace account five years ago? (Be honest.) Few people did. Today, there are many social websites and many more under development. Whether or not they add value depends on both their capabilities and the quality and use of the relationships constructed by their subscribers. Increasingly powerful tools such as Google Friend Connect allow people to connect through any number of social media sites. Gmail and Google Latitude allow us to locate and visually communicate with people on our network by literally, the click of a button.


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Networking is more than just attending events and passing out business cards. It’s about interacting with people. It’s quality versus quantity. The days of having a Verizon representative merely collecting as many business cards as he can at an event are rapidly ending, being replaced by a medium that is fast-moving and based on the development of quality relationships.

Which brings me back to my son and his video games. Many behavioral experts decry the violence of video games – which I certainly don’t deny. Yet, while advocating their position, they overlook one key benefit: the ability to develop and maintain social interactions through this medium. When I see my son get up in the morning and check his Facebook account, sometimes discuss what he and his friends accomplished the previous night or text a friend, I realize how interconnected this world is and how adept and socially networked is this new generation; no training required.



Bruce Newman, an expert on consulting, is the mid-Atlantic
editor for The National Networker and the Vice President at The Productivity Institute, LLC. The Productivity Institute has provided consultant and client-centered solutions that significantly increase productivity and profitability to small and mid-sized companies since 2000. Subscribe to our informative and free newsletter (circ 6,000+), receive our RSS feed, and read and comment on our blog. Bruce can be contacted at bnewman@prodinst.com.






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Tuesday, March 24, 2009

VIEW FROM THE C-SUITE: Why Does Self-Management Matter For Leaders?

View from the C-Suite with Joyce Grillo

Recently I witnessed a leader lash out at his staff in an outburst of frustration and anger. Needless to say, this did not have a positive effect on his team’s motivation and productivity. The business world is going through tough economic times. As pressure increases for leaders to navigate through on-going complexity, volatility and risk so does their level of anxiety. Leaders are unaware of how their mood and its resultant behaviors create a toxic environment that ultimately affects performance.

What is needed now more than ever are leaders who are self-aware and good at self-management – the ability to regulate their emotions. We need leaders who do not impulsively act on their disruptive feelings and emotions but who finds ways to channel bad moods and direct them in more constructive ways. Effective leaders choose their words carefully, avoid hasty judgments and step back to consider mitigating factors and ramifications. It is human nature to be in a bad mood. We all have those moments. However, emotionally intelligent leaders don’t let bad moods control them. They control their bad moods.

Why does self-management matter so much for leaders? People who are in touch with and can control their emotions create a climate of trust. Employees who work for such a person realize that they work for someone they can count on and whose behavior is consistent. This has a cascading effect to all employees. Calmness at the top means calmness at all levels leading to lower anxiety and higher productivity.

Needless to say, controlling disruptive impulses is essential to one’s ability to effectively lead others. So, how do leaders stay calm, think clearly and not be overwhelmed by anxiety? They do so by being aware of what triggers their emotions. One way to do this is by keeping a journal. This helps us to monitor our emotional upsets so we can prepare for them and not be caught unaware. I always recommend to clients that they spend a minimum of 15 minutes a day writing down their deepest feelings and emotions and understanding the consequences of acting on them. In other words, recall a situation when you lost control and then ask yourself: What or who was the trigger? What was the outcome? What could I do differently in the future?

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Another way is by receiving feedback from superiors, colleagues and direct reports. I had a client who received feedback from her staff that she was always in a bad mood on Monday mornings so they avoided her at that time. She literally bit their heads off if they came anywhere near her. She was unaware of her disruptive behavior until she received the feedback. The trigger for her was the end of the weekend. The outcome was alienating her staff and by being aware and modifying her behavior - do differently - she became more approachable. Ultimately, the more aware you are, the more in control you are.

Keeping a journal and receiving and acting on feedback work but requires reflective time built into each day. This isn’t always doable when you work 24/7. Companies are doing more with less and expecting their employees to continue to produce high quality results. Without building reflective time into your day you are at risk of not being in control of your own state of mind. A leader’s ability to regulate their moods is contagious and goes a long way to improving performance. If you can’t manage your emotions, it is likely that you can’t effectively manage for business results.

This is second in a series of articles on Emotional Intelligence. Stay tuned for next month’s article on Leadership and Motivation.

For more information contact me at Joyce@GrilloLeadership.com or visit my Web site www.GrilloLeadership.com.

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Monday, February 23, 2009

U.S., MID-ATLANTIC: Transforming Contacts into Leads and Clients

Bruce Newman
Mid-Atlantic Bureau Chief
(New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, Washington, DC)

Networking is an ongoing process that transcends the common practice of merely attending an event and distributing (and receiving) business cards with little, if any, follow-up. While attending events and making personal contact is important, what is arguably the most important part is the next phase of the process: what to do with this list of contacts and how to turn them into potential clients and leads. One way of achieving this goal is through the use of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Contact Management (CM) software which are specifically designed for this task.


For this article, I posed a series of questions about CRM/CM software to LinkedIn users and to my personal networks outside of LinkedIn. I received many responses, the largest percentage (relative to the group size) being from ETP Network. The willingness of its members to respond speaks highly for that organization.


Depending on the size of the company, people handle their leads very differently. Although both groups frequently use their CM/CRM software throughout the day, larger organizations also use it for a wider variety of reasons, often integrating it into different departments including marketing, accounting and other areas. They also require significant report generation.


Most importantly, on a scale of 1 (most helpful) to 5 (no help) when assessing the importance of CM/CRM software, the average rating was 1.2 – most helpful. This acknowledged importance was across all respondents who almost unanimously rated this type of software as most helpful. Several people noted that they had unsuccessfully tried other methods – from notepads, to writing on cards to spreadsheets - prior to moving to this software solution. Respondents also expressed little concern about the amount of startup time required to learn how to use the software effectively – which varied from one to five days.


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Key necessary features included: contact data storage, setting action items, target companies, and associated notes for both contacts and companies. The ability to document everything was also strongly noted. Facets of this documentation included: dates, notes from conversations, whole email text saving, calendar and reminders. The ability to form groups and sort by industry was also mentioned and strongly endorsed by several respondents.


Interestingly, some individuals and small businesses preferred hosted systems as opposed to programs they could load locally on their computer or server. The advantage of a hosted system is that someone handles all the dirty work for you including software updates, computer problems and backups. The disadvantage is the cost and the remote location of the data.

So, let’s summarize the key points of this ongoing networking process step:



  • 1. A rating of 1.2 – most helpful; almost universal agreement among users of CM/CRM software.

  • 2. If you’re not using software to track your contacts, companies, clients, and prospects, you’re probably working inefficiently and losing potential contacts and business.

  • 3. Whatever system you do use should include the following basic functionality:


    • a. Allow you to make notes

    • b. Track all communications

    • c. Provide a calendar and reminder system

    • d. Offer the ability to form and sort by any number of groups

Remember, good networking is a process that needs to be effectively managed and nurtured. When successful, the results can be outstanding.



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Bruce Newman, a consultant guru is the Mid-Atlantic Bureau Chief for The National Networker and the Vice President at The Productivity Institute, LLC, a 100% woman-owned company that matches the consulting needs of companies to the expertise of rated outstanding consultants. Finding consultants can be a very time consuming job and once you find one, how do you know how good they are? At The Productivity Institute, we do the work for you - at no cost to you! We find and constantly rate our consultants to ensure that their work remains outstanding.


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