Read more about the article How to Motivate Your Team

How to Motivate Your Team

There is strength in numbers, they say. It isn’t always the case, especially when those part of a group or team are not all motivated. Who do you think will win, a single motivated person or ten uninterested individuals? 

If you lead a team, regardless of the number, it is essential to not only fulfill your financial obligations but also to boost their morale. How do you motivate your team?

  1. Make sure you are motivated first. Being the leader, your team looks up to you and observes everything you do and feel. When they see that you are uninspired, they will catch the feeling.
  2. Provide a clear vision and purpose. When your team members do not know your vision, you cannot expect them to be enthusiastic about what they do. Who wants to move when they’re like being blind, going nowhere?
  3. Provide them with a chance to grow. When a person is always restricted from doing things, they become uninspired and would tend to remain where they are. As a leader, you should learn to provide an environment where they can test their abilities and grow more. This is an effective tool to make them more excited to work every day. 
  4. Express your gratitude regularly. Don’t you feel more excited and inspired to work when people express their appreciation for your service? You do, right? Use that same principle when dealing with your team. They will become more motivated to work when they know and are informed that their efforts are appreciated. They will even be more inspired to think outside the box and do more of what you expect of them.
  5. Celebrate their wins at all times. Remember when you were still in school, and your parents would buy you a present to celebrate your school achievements? You were delighted, right? How about when you aced your exams, but your parents didn’t care? Didn’t you feel sad or unmotivated to work harder for the next exam? So, you have to remember to celebrate your wins and the wins of your team. It is one way to motivate them to work harder. 

These are some of the effective ways to keep your team and make them motivated at all times. A dream team is not only a result of bringing talented or skillful people together; instead, it results from outstanding leadership. A great leader is a good example and a great motivator and inspirator. 

 

 

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Read more about the article What Great Customer Service Means

What Great Customer Service Means

I have always been very particular with customer service. I value how businesses deal and take care of their clients even more than the product or service they offer sometimes. The lack of it or poor performance in that department may cause the downfall of many businesses. 

While big companies can put up an entire department specifically for customer service purposes, it does not mean they can already guarantee excellence on the matter. No, customer service should not only be limited to the department named after it. Every single member of the company should be able to provide excellent customer service and care. 

I have been reminded of this after my recent banking service challenges. Knowing that the customer service of the said bank is only reachable using telephone, I went to a branch nearby and asked a bank personnel for assistance in fixing the issue. Sadly, my time and effort in going there were in vain. Worse than the fact that they cannot fix the issue there, they are unwilling to extend assistance with the reason that I should contact “customer service.” 

This kind of situation is highly frustrating to clients and could cause them to drop the services altogether. So if you are a part of a team, may it be specifically in the customer service or not, you should still provide your clients with support. 

If you cannot fix the client’s problem, direct them to the person who can. Clients appreciate it when you do your best to help them even if you cannot fix the problem. You are not expected to be perfect, but limiting yourself to saying “no, I can’t help you with that” is definitely not what a client wants to hear because you are supposed to give helpful information at the very least. 

Show eagerness to help. Even if you cannot fix the problem, you should not display an attitude of indifference. The client approached you for help with the hope that you can. Despite not being the right person to do it, your eagerness to help them and direct them would mean a lot to them. 

Be polite. Understand that clients become frustrated or disappointed when they encounter issues or problems with the product or service you offer. When they become temperamental, do not take it against yourself. Put yourself in their shoes, acknowledge how they feel, and continue to deal with them with politeness. 

You don’t have to be in the customer service department to give proper customer care. Being part of a team that provides products or services to clients should be reason enough for you to provide great customer service. If you want your company to thrive, do not only do your specific job description, go the extra mile and make the people you serve happy and satisfied, just like how the other bank personnel in another branch made me feel – happy and cared for. 

 

 

 

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Read more about the article Should You Automate Customer Support?

Should You Automate Customer Support?

A business, especially one operating online, can benefit from automated services such as a chatbot, online forms, and the likes. It can address a lot of weaknesses of manual work, such as immediate response. However, when it comes to customer support, human contact should still be available. Here are some of the obvious reasons why:

  1. Comprehension. While artificial intelligence provides us with the means to provide information to our clients in real-time (i.e., chatbots), such technology has limits in comprehending client concerns. Chatbots can only be programmed to address fundamental questions or concerns. More often than not, clients have questions or concerns that are more than that. Most questions cannot be answered by the answers found in FAQs. Some situations need an in-depth understanding of an actual person.  
  2. Probing. As mentioned above, chatbots or answering machines may be programmed to address basic questions or concerns, but these advancements have limits. If the automatic answers do not satisfy the client, the chatbot cannot probe what the client needs. It may even cause more confusion and frustration. Human customer support is required to probe further, assess the situation, and provide the accurate information or solution needed. 
  3. Empathy. When clients experience inconvenience because of the product or service you offer, having customer service personnel is essential to acknowledge such shortcomings and offer help. Automated customer service cannot establish an emotional connection with the client.  
  4. Retention. In connection with empathy, human customer support’s ability to identify how a client feels can offer services that may help alleviate the frustration or inconvenience they think about the product or service. In cases of angry customers, an actual person may still be able to keep the clients from rejecting the product or service your business offers. 

These are only some fundamental reasons why human customer support should not be totally replaced by automation. On the other hand, we should not also totally discount the use of automated customer support. Customer Service will be much better when you utilize both to run your business more smoothly. 

Do you agree that customer support should not be totally automated?

 

 

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Read more about the article Ways to Having Healthy Working Relationships

Ways to Having Healthy Working Relationships

What kind of person wants to work in a toxic environment? Of course, there is no one. I believe that everyone wants to be part of a workforce that is full of positivity. Yes, it is impossible for problems not to arise in the team. However, there are ways that the impact will be lessened. The most important way is to maintain healthy working relationships. 

Now, we know that people have different personalities, characteristics, beliefs, and values. But, there are ways that each person that is part of a team or organization can do to compromise. Here are the ways to do so:

  1. Respect everyone’s privacy. More often than not, people who work together get very close and familiar with each other, especially when they start to share experiences. While this is not a bad thing, we should never forget to put a boundary. If one party is not willing to share something, we should never force them. 
  2. Avoid any forms of gossip. Cheap talk does not only lead to a waste of time, but it also leads to cracks in relationships. It is a hindrance to creating a harmonious working relationship.
  3. Be a good team player and do your tasks well. Each team member has different roles and responsibilities, yes, but cooperation is needed for the common goal to be achieved. We should always make sure that we are not weighing down the group’s productivity by missing to perform our tasks or refusing to work with others. 
  4. Accept constructive criticisms gracefully. Being able to handle and use feedback is essential not only in improving ourselves and our performance. It is also vital in creating a harmonious and cooperative atmosphere in the workplace.
  5. Communicate your concerns politely. Misunderstanding often occurs when a message is not conveyed the right way. Even when reprimanding someone, the possibility of the other party being offended is less if the message is conveyed nicely or politely. In this way, negative emotions will not get easily triggered.
  6. Follow the rules of the team. Conflicts typically arise when members of a team do not conform to regulations that are in place. Who would be happy when you are religiously following the rules to avoid trouble or problem in the team only to see others not complying at all? 
  7. Maintain a positive attitude in every situation. Being faced with loads of work every day makes people stressed, whether they choose to feel it or not. However, allowing stress to affect your mood and attitude will not only affect you, but it will also affect the people you work with. Therefore, we should always try to lighten our mood to make the environment conducive for working productively.
  8. Be willing to help and support your teammates. Working in a team means helping one another. A team has a common goal. When one member cannot fulfill his or her tasks well, don’t you think you wouldn’t be affected? Helping and supporting a teammate will lead to a great working environment and lead to more productivity. 
  9. Avoid laying blames when a task goes wrong. Mistakes or failures are expected. Committing one can happen to anyone. We should bear this in mind when working with others. Instead of blaming others when something goes wrong, we might as well work together to solve the problem. 
  10. Appreciate everyone’s efforts and contributions. Acknowledging good work creates motivation. When people work hard – especially when they get great results – they become more motivated and inspired to do better when appreciated. This can make them work harder, and they will also become happier to work with and for the team.

Indeed, some things are out of our control, yet we control how we react to those uncontrollable circumstances. It may take us a lot of effort, but we should learn to compromise to have a great relationship with the people around us, whether at home or work. 

Do you think these pieces of advice are helpful?

 

 

 

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Read more about the article 4 Questions to Ask a Prospective Business Partner

4 Questions to Ask a Prospective Business Partner

Have you seen the news about people getting scammed by their so-called business partners? I have heard a lot about this case in the past years, which disheartened me. Seeing others getting cheated and losing their life savings because of it, I somehow become skeptical. However, as I continue to grow in my personal and professional life, I learned that I could prevent such from happening. It really pays when you continue to learn and equip yourself. 

Before starting a business partnership or a joint venture, all parties involved should be on the same page to avoid future conflicts. Besides the financial aspect, there are other essential things to be considered.

For me, it is vital to find out your prospective partner’s goals or mission first. Check if your mission or goals are the same or similar to that of your prospective partner. Not knowing about each other’s goals may lead to a conflict of interest and dissatisfaction. It is also essential to understand why that person is doing it – is it for personal gain, or is it for service? If your mission is to serve others, it would be best to work with people who have the same heart. 

It is also equally important to check the values and ethics of the person if it is similar to yours. Regardless of the kind of business you are in, you should do it to make other people happy or make their lives better. Thus, it would be best if you were doing business conscientiously. If you are to venture into such with another party involved, it only fits to check if they value integrity over income the most. Not securing this aspect before diving into the partnership will possibly compromise your business or your morality in the future. 

So here are the questions you should ask your prospective partner before deciding to collaborate or partner up:

  1. Why do you want to partner with me?
  2. What is your goal?
  3. What is your mission in life?
  4. What is your definition of success?

Their answers to these questions will give you an idea of the other parties’ priorities, preferences, and values. 

Even people who belong in the same family or group of friends have different goals and values, so we should not use kinship or affinity as bases when venturing into something crucial, such as business, with someone. In fact, if that partnership does not work because of the differences you have, it will ruin both your business and your relationship with each other. Therefore, we have to be practical and decide wisely. 

Do you agree with this?

 

 

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Read more about the article Is Rejection a Stop Sign?

Is Rejection a Stop Sign?

Three years ago, when I was still starting my own sales training and consulting company, I personally went to many companies in Cebu City to offer my program and service. Most of them asked me to submit a proposal and were looking for my portfolio or background as a sales trainer. Since I just started at that time and had no portfolio to present, I got rejected 50 times. Most of them did not respond to my email nor contact me by phone, while some declined right away. When I followed up, they told me to just come back once I have the portfolio or training record. It felt just like getting your job application rejected because they are looking for applicants with experience but you’re still a fresh graduate. Then, you’d be left asking yourself how you can get the experience if no one would be willing to give you a chance.

After experiencing those rejections, one would think I would give up because it seemed impossible to get clients to invest in my training programs. Yet, I chose not to give up because I knew everything starts that way. There are many possible reasons why we encounter rejections but there are also reasons why we should not let such rejections stop us from trying again and again.

Here are the reasons why we should not always consider rejections as a sign not to pursue our goals:

  1. Rejections are redirections. I believe that sometimes the paths we are trying to tread may not be the best path. Which is why things do not work the way we want them to. For instance, you got rejected from a job that you wanted so you decided to apply somewhere else because you did not have much of a choice. You got accepted and ended up gaining more opportunities than you can imagine. I actually had a rejection experience in the past that have entirely redirected my career path. It was when I was still working in a hotel. I applied to work in Canada but got rejected. If I got accepted instead, I would have been working abroad up to this moment and have not gone to Cebu City, be a salesperson, and eventually a sales trainer. What a redirection indeed!
  2. Rejections are protections. I still remember, when I was still a kid, the many times my parents would say no to a lot of my requests. I also remember them telling me why each request was not granted, and usually, the reason was it would not do me any good. In other words, those kinds of rejections were meant to protect me from anything bad or harmful. Even now that I am older, I realized that some rejections I experienced protected me more than caused me losses. There were those which prevented me from working with people, who later on proved to have completely different principles from me and my company. Needless to say, those rejections were blessings in disguise.
  3. Rejections are opportunities for growth. Imagine if you have been accepted to every job opportunity you applied for, or got a yes from every person you proposed to (personal or business)… would you have learned how to be resilient, resourceful, open-minded, creative, analytical, or strong? With everything easy to get or acquire, I believe not. Yes, we all work the way we do because we aim for approval, for success, or for everything to work the way we want it to. However, these would not teach us the values that rejections do. If I always hit the sales target when I was still starting my career as a salesperson, I wouldn’t have invested in learning. If I wasn’t rejected by the previous companies I offered my sales training service to, I wouldn’t have known what I should improve on to promote my service the right way. Well, “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”

It is said that everything happens for a reason. This is true and definitely applies to rejections. The reality is that rejections are part of life. There is no such thing as a success if one did not overcome challenges, including rejections, in his or her journey towards his or her goal. It is time for us to embrace this fact. It is okay to feel sad about it, but learn to always see the good side of it, find out why it happened, then try again or redirect. But, never stop because, as what Tony Robbins said, “life doesn’t happen to us, it happens for us.”

Continue ReadingIs Rejection a Stop Sign?
Read more about the article 3 Practices That Turn Clients Off

3 Practices That Turn Clients Off

Being engaged in the business of serving people for many years, I have observed what practices make clients disappointed with service providers. Here are three of those practices:

  1. Not honoring the appointed time. Whether you are late for the meeting, or you do not end it at the agreed time, you definitely are making your client disappointed. Why will this turn your client off? Time is too precious, therefore when you do not honor the time they spared to meet you, you are disrespecting them. Who would want to work with a person who does not respect you? This is the reason that I always do whatever it takes to start my training on time and be ready before the time. However, I am still working on the part of ending my training on time because I have the tendency to extend due to my desire to give my clients more value. Although this is unintentional on my part, I am well aware that this should be addressed.
  2. Not honoring promises. How would you feel if someone promised to call you during your lunch break, so you skipped lunch to wait for the call, yet failed to do so? I am pretty sure you would be far from feeling fine because you sacrificed something to wait for the promise made. This is what your clients feel when you fail to do something you said you would do, even if that something is not very important. When you say that you will give an update, call, or email, you have to take note of those little commitments because those are vital in maintaining the trust you have established with your client. If you cannot assure your client, do not make promises. Set the context.
  3. Not following through. One of the reasons that some salespeople are held in ill-repute is their failure to check on their clients after the latter avail the service or purchased the product they offer. This practice tells clients that salespeople are only after the money, and not on helping them. This practice is also one of the reasons that a salesperson does not get referrals.

Product knowledge and selling skills are essential, however, there are also more important values that clients look for when choosing the best person to serve them. Let us be always mindful. Let us respect our clients’ time. Let us not break promises. Let us make sure that they are satisfied with our service. The essence of being a salesperson is serving people. Let us uphold the reputation of our profession.

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Read more about the article The Greatest Investment You Can Make

The Greatest Investment You Can Make

I often get asked why I spend a significant amount of funds to attend international training events when I could use that money for other investments. Some people feel that it is just a waste of resources. I, on the other hand, consider it a much greater investment because it is for my personal and professional development.

Sometimes, what we know does not give us the result we are aiming for. This is because we either lack the knowledge or we do not know the right approach. We have to acknowledge the fact that there are people who already have a lot more experience than us. It is through their experience that they were able to accumulate great wisdom and figure out a lot of life’s puzzles. Some of these people, after gaining a much deeper understanding of life and about success, made it their mission to help those of the younger generation and even those in the old generation who are still struggling. Learning from these people, for me, is priceless as I would save a lot of time and resources than if I will face different challenges without the guidance of experienced individuals.

Even before I started attending live training events, the wisdom of the likes of Tom Hopkins, Zig Ziglar, and Jim Rohn (through their books and videos) guided me in my early sales journey. I have been through a lot of downs in my career, and one of the reasons that always brought me back up was the learning they had willingly imparted for the public to use. This is the reason that I did not hesitate to take a leap of faith when shown the opportunity to be personally trained by some of the world’s great trainers who came after the great people I mentioned above.

When I took the decision, we only had enough resources and we were putting our savings to great risk, but I pushed through it anyway. Now, I never regret that I did because I can really say that I have developed in a lot of aspects of life, have gotten more value than my money’s worth, and have increased my income ten times more.

We should not wait for the right condition before we decide to engage ourselves in this development journey because when we are in a bad situation, we will really do our best to thrive or get out of that situation. It is in this situation when help, such as the wisdom of experienced people, is easy for us to accept since what we are doing is not working at all. More importantly, in situations when we are unsure of what to do next, we need the help of experts on how to turn our personal and professional life around. This is the time when we will be able to strengthen our determination and motivation since we have to make sure that our investment will be worth it.

All the training that I engaged myself in truly elevated my way of life. Without the confidence and motivation I gained from all those training programs, I wouldn’t have gotten the courage to pursue my passion. Indeed, “the best investment you can make, is an investment in yourself”.

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Read more about the article Following My Passion: The Risks and Opportunities

Following My Passion: The Risks and Opportunities

When I was young, I was taught that to have a good life, I must secure a stable job. Because of this, I had always thought that once I would start working, I could do anything I want and would be happy. Well, I was happy but that part where I could do anything was not at all possible since having employee responsibilities deterred me from such. Besides that fact, I realized through my years of being an employee that I need to do what I am passionate about for me to have a good life – happy, fulfilled, content.

With only my immeasurable faith in God and the support of my loved ones, I left my stable and promising job as a salesperson. I currently run my own sales training and consulting company, and I truly enjoy it because this is what I want – to help others grow through my share of experiences and learning. This does not mean, however, that it was easy for me to follow this path because there were risks involved. What were those risks?

First was the uncertainty if the kind of service I offer was something that anyone would want to avail, even though I was confident that it is especially beneficial. The second was momentarily losing stability owing to the fact of leaving the comforts of employment, wherein I was only accountable for producing sales and performing a few tasks. Third, which was the effect of resigning from my full-time job, was the possibility of exhausting our life savings before I could even start to earn from this venture.

Clearly, there was much at risk when I followed my passion(heart). Nevertheless, I committed to pushing for it with my unwavering faith, the support of my family, and the motivation of my mentors. Instead of fearing for the future, I focused my energy on how I can achieve the goals I had set to fulfill my vision. When I totally embraced this new journey, I instantly recognized the opportunities that come with it.

One of the opportunities that following my passion brought me was personal growth. On account of having to adjust to my new situation, and of being accountable for everything that involves my venture, I learned new skills and knowledge and developed new qualities. Other than that, I also got all the time to develop myself professionally by attending all the relevant training beneficial to my company. Moreover, following my passion and starting my own company provides me endless possibilities and more opportunities.

Therefore, regardless of the risks that, in one way or another, made me a bit anxious before, I am extremely glad that I took a leap of faith in this venture a few years ago rather than be filled with what-if thoughts.

So if you think that following your passion is too much of a risk, I encourage you to identify if such risk outweighs all the opportunities that can come with it. Why wouldn’t you give it a try if it means obtaining a good life – happy, fulfilled, content?

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Read more about the article 3 Major Reasons to Have a Team in Your Business

3 Major Reasons to Have a Team in Your Business

A few years ago, when I started my own sales training company, I ran and managed it all on my own. What I had with me were passion, determination, and motivation to start working on my mission. The enthusiasm I had (and still has) had driven me to think that I could manage all aspects of this venture single-handedly. Not to mention, I deemed it impractical that time to employ other people to work with me.

At first, I didn’t feel the strain of all the tasks I had to do since my mind was preoccupied with how to make the service I offer known to prospective clients. However, when I started to travel to some parts of the country to conduct sales training, the downside of working alone took its toll. All the little time in between work schedules, which was supposed to be allotted for rest, was spent on doing other tasks. This system caused me to easily get drained physically and mentally afterward. There were even times when I’d get sick because of it.

Fortunately, with the constant advice of mentors, family, and friends, I decided to partner with a few people to do some work that need not be done personally by me. Recently, I even implored my wife to help me full-time, and her involvement really made a big difference. This level of partnership between us really worked for the company. (Read: Should I Work With My Spouse?) In addition to that, I am also partnering with some of my friends who graduated from my training to help me teach some of my programs. Through this partnership, I can see that my mission, to transform the lives of sales professionals and how they view their profession, will be achieved sooner.

Having a team, even if most of them are not full-time, really helped my training company. Here are three main reasons behind it:

  1. I do not know everything. Yes, I may have the knowledge, skills, and experience needed to serve my valued clients, but I am not really savvy with technology. If I would force myself to do the tasks which require skills that are not my strength, I would waste time and resources. When I delegate such a task to a person who is a pro at it, the task is accurately and speedily completed.
  2. Two or more heads are better than one. If I work alone, my mind would be bombarded with so much information – reminders, tasks, schedules, etc. This situation could lead to a lot of missed details and rushed decisions. Having another person monitor and analyze particulars with me significantly minimizes untoward happenings.
  3. Ideas can come from anywhere and anyone. The fact that people have different inclinations makes me conclude that each person can have unique ideas. Having a team helps me come up with innovative solutions that help the company to adapt to changes especially the sudden ones.

Evidently, any venture really requires a team to thrive. If you decide to pursue it on your own and do all the hard work, you will more likely lose your energy and drive before you even reach the end of your journey. In addition, you will also risk the quality of your service. In this case, you do not only sabotage yourself but you also lose the trust of the people you serve.

Thus, if your goal is to make your venture last long and fulfill your mission, create a team. Grow that team. Enrich that team. Embrace that team.

Reasons to have a Team

Continue Reading3 Major Reasons to Have a Team in Your Business
Read more about the article Going Virtual: How Did I Cope?

Going Virtual: How Did I Cope?

As we all know, the CoVid-19 pandemic caused many changes in how we live life on the daily. Not a single person would claim to not be affected by this crisis in one way or another. On my end, as I am in the service of providing training, coaching, and consulting, scheduled and booked training in different parts of the country was canceled due to the travel ban, and the prohibition of physical events.

At first, I thought of using this time to have a break from work, and complete one of the training courses I enrolled in. However, after a few days of not conducting any training, while continuously enhancing myself with new knowledge and skills, made me think of an alternative way to continue my mission. And that turned out to be a good decision seeing that it has been 5 months now since the quarantine started. I decided to launch the online program – Closing the Sales Mastery training, which, to date, has helped more than 600 hundred sales and business professionals.

Going Virtual

 

Providing online live training is not as easy as it seems. It also needs a considerable amount of preparation before you can start. And by then, you’d discover that some things are still amiss. It is fun, nonetheless. I am blessed to declare that our online training is successful. How did it work? Here are 5 factors that made this venture successful.

  1. Stable internet connection. I am aware that this has been a cause of most people’s headaches these days because they normally experience intermittency in the connection. That is why I feel so blessed that I seldom encounter any issue with this factor, given that it is being used in all of our waking hours.
  2. Conducive home office setup. I find it very necessary to allocate a space where you do all your work to help condition yourself to be in work mode. This is important especially for people who get distracted easily. I also made sure that my workspace is well lit, ventilated, and as noise-free as possible.
  3. Better technology manipulation. Although I am not exactly what is called a tech-savvy person, I always see to it that I research or ask experts on how certain technology works. Since we do not know until when we will be in this condition, we have to adapt and make ourselves ready to embrace advancements that would help us overcome such conditions.
  4. Continuous improvement. To make sure that my training is effective, I continuously improve my virtual set up to address any issues. I always make sure to assess my materials if it improves the quality of my service, or if something can still be done about it.
  5. Continuous learning. I am very grateful that when the new normal arose, my training course with one of my mentors is still ongoing. It has been one of my motivations to transition my training online. Through it, I have discovered a lot of tools that proved helpful in my own training. More importantly, I have found an additional support group that motivates me to keep going.

All of these, with the support of my family and especially with the guidance of God, helped me cope with the sudden change, and adapt to the new normal of virtual event/training. Also, I believe that if we are so impassioned with our mission, we let nothing stop us from getting on with it.

Continue ReadingGoing Virtual: How Did I Cope?
Read more about the article Should I Work With My Spouse?

Should I Work With My Spouse?

My wife and I first met each other in the company where we both worked before. After we got married, we continued working there together for two more years. Did we have a hard time working with each other? I would say, not really. We saw to it that we would remain professional when dealing with each other at work. When we had misunderstandings, we always made sure that we would not let such to affect our work relationship. Could that be because we respect our bosses and our workmates? Of course but also because we wanted to promote professionalism. More than anything, we wanted our relationship to bless others and not be a burden.

When I decided to give up my sales career in the year 2018 and start my own training company, my wife supported my decision. She continued working in that company until she also decided to take another path. Now that the operations involved in my training company are getting too much for me to handle alone, I asked my wife for help to which she agreed.

Now, working together in our own business is different than working together for someone else’s business. My wife has a mind of her own and thinks differently sometimes. Since both of us can contribute ideas, arguments sometimes take place when these ideas are not entertained nor accepted.

Work with My Spouse

Indeed, there are disadvantages when you work with your spouse, but the following advantages outweigh these disadvantages.

First and foremost, your spouse knows your vision and mission by heart and no one else badly wants you to achieve those more than him/her. Although not very expressive, my wife shows me her support in my endeavors by allowing me to join training programs which are not only expensive but also entails me being away for many days. This is so I can enhance myself to become an effective trainer and coach. She religiously does her part in the operations of the company not only to ease my duties but also to fulfill our goals.

Work with My Spouse

Second, your spouse would understand you better now that he/she knows the nature of your business. When we were not working together, we often experience misunderstandings because of our different tasks and challenges. In our minds, we are more burdened than the other. It was because we did not understand the challenges that come with our work. Now that my wife and I are finally working together, this kind of misunderstanding is no longer an issue for us.

Third, you will have more time together than before. I think it is safe to say that having less to no time for each other is a common complaint among many husbands or wives. This problem will be addressed when spouses work together instead, either as employees in the same company or as business owners and managers. Even though my wife and I have different daily tasks or assignments, we still get to talk a lot more than before because we are physically together, we talk about our common goals, and we collaborate to create projects for our company. Plus, we can now take breaks together.

Work with My Spouse

Fourth, you have someone who will serve as the voice of reason when you make major decisions for the company. This person is vital because sometimes, no matter how we equip ourselves with new knowledge and skills through various training and self-development programs, we still tend to make bad decisions. This is the tendency when we do it on our own. Since my wife started working with me, I was able to see things from another person’s perspective. Hence, my decision-making ability improved.

Fifth, you grow together in all aspects of life. When spouses work together, both can discover new learnings together that will result in the growth of their business and their relationship. My wife and I found ideas that helped us become better in handling our business, and in making it grow. We learned how to use our unique strengths for the better, and how to deal with our weaknesses. More importantly, we were able to understand each other’s personalities now more than ever.

Work with My Spouse

I agree that working with your spouse will not always be a smooth journey, but it is the best way to strengthen not only your business but also your marriage. At least for me.

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Read more about the article Social Media Marketing: What We Need to Know

Social Media Marketing: What We Need to Know

Since social media started, it has already become one of the most effective means for marketing different brands’ products and services. Nowadays, even small business owners and new entrepreneurs utilize it to find a bigger market for their businesses.

With the use of social media, awareness about the products and/or services of an entrepreneur physically located in Cebu City, for example, will reach anywhere in the Philippines, even abroad. If there is an awareness, demand is possible especially if that certain product or service is not available in the consumer’s area. The market will no longer be limited to the business location.

What is Social Media Marketing

In connection to the aforementioned, without having to shell out an amount to advertise (such as when employing print ads), entrepreneurs can showcase their products and/or services the way they want because there are usually less to no limitations when creating contents on social media. Plus, interested buyers can also directly communicate with the entrepreneurs if further information is needed regarding the product or service. Thus, if there are any apprehensions on the side of the prospective buyers, it can easily be addressed by the entrepreneur. In addition to this, social media also has paid features that allow entrepreneurs to reach prospects who are most likely to avail the specific products and/or services they offer. With this, the fund used for advertising would have a higher possibility of more conversion than with other modes of advertisement.

Another advantageous factor that makes social media a great platform for marketing is the feature that allows customers to give feedback on the quality of one’s products and services. This will enable entrepreneurs to evaluate themselves and make improvements as necessary, as well as know their strengths. This can be treated as a customer service feature that entrepreneurs can freely utilize to their advantage. Aside from this, the positive feedback that satisfied customers leave will help assure non-customers, who are still thinking to get products or services, to decide. This is a virtual version of the proverbial word of mouth. How convenient, right?

While the advantages of marketing through social media are really great, it is also very important to note the disadvantages. Yet, this is not to discourage but to remedy these downsides.

As mentioned above as one of the pros, social media has a feature that allows customers to give their reviews of one’s products and/or services. This can sometimes be used against the entrepreneur if the customers are unsatisfied of either the quality of the product or the service of the seller. Needless to say, this will affect the trust of current customers and negatively impact the decision-making of non-customers. When people can’t physically see and scrutinize a product, they will really do a lot of research prior to buying to avoid regrets, so even one negative comment will be taken into account when they decide. The good thing is, this also has a possible solution. Entrepreneurs can address the negative feedback and offer solutions just like how customer service personnel of companies address complaints.

Moreover, it may seem easy to create a page or an account for products and services on social media, but creating contents and advertisements will really take a lot of time and posting new ones should be done daily if possible in order for entrepreneurs to show how active and updated they are. One may also feel disheartened if there are less to no reactions to a post or advertisement that has been painstakingly created for many hours or days. Well, yes, this experience might sting a little, however, this is a situation that any entrepreneur experiences if he/she is still new in business. Disinterest in a product or service is not new even to those who are not using social media for marketing. Therefore, this fact should just be accepted and dealt by finding ways to make the posts more interesting and attractive social media users.

As the cliché goes, the world is fast changing, so we should learn to adapt to the changes. Social media marketing is one of these very many shifts. In fact, it keeps on changing or updating itself with new technologies. In order to thrive in the world of business, entrepreneurs must always keep up with what’s new. The principle of continuous learning should be applied to this.

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Read more about the article Training and Development: Why is it Essential in an Organization?

Training and Development: Why is it Essential in an Organization?

According to 42nd US President, William J. Clinton, “education no longer stops on graduation day.” Since change is the only thing that is constant, we humans should learn to be able to adjust in order to cope. Completing a degree should not be seen as the end of learning and be used as an assurance or basis for a person’s excellence in the field that will be pursued. The fact that learning needs to be continuous in order to achieve excellence in career should be embraced. This is very important to be realized by not only the individual but also by business owners or leaders of organizations. Employers just can’t expect that since they chose to hire applicants with great credentials, they’re good to go. Leaders should bear the responsibility to afford training and development for their team.

Training should not only be done as a sort of orientation to the nature of the job before starting – it should be a constant thing. What aspects should be trained and developed in every individual then? All individuals and companies need training in personal development, leadership, customer service, and business skills.

photo by fauxels from pexels

Personal development involves training and activities that would help develop the character of a person, bring out one’s full potential, learn to work effectively with others, and strive for excellence as a mission not only for oneself but for everyone in the team. A true leader knows that this aspect is very important when aiming for a bigger vision. If only the leader knows the organization’s vision and mission by heart, that leader is just like leading a group of blind mice whose main purpose is just to survive. The seed of passion must be planted in them to make them realize the importance of what they are doing. Personal development training will lead them to realize their why, their true potential, and their accountability in the organization’s achievement of its vision and mission.

Having established the importance of a leader in an organization, it is therefore necessary to point that leadership training is equally necessary. The role of a leader is very crucial in ensuring that the organization is on the right path towards its goals. A leader does not only direct the team on what to do, but he/she should also set a good example to them. It is also important to note that every person has a different personality and different views, thus, a leader should learn various ways that can be employed in dealing with these differences within the team. These ways can be only learned through leadership training.

On the same hand, customer service training is equally important. In our first article, the need for a great customer service was thoroughly discussed. Not everyone has it in their nature to have people skills due to different factors. This does not mean, however, that some people are not capable of providing good customer service. Everything is learnable. Thus, leaders should make it a point to invest in customer service training for their team. Standards in this aspect should be properly set in order for the organization to be on the same page when dealing with clients. Customer service training will be able to solve any gap in execution. Why is customer service training important? Well, customer service has a big impact on the retention and loyalty of clients that produces good numbers in sales and great return in general. That is a big enough reason to invest money and time on it.

Another important training that leaders should engage their team in is business skills’ development. Prior knowledge and skills acquired from school, and early training can propel one towards a certain point of one’s career. This is true. However, as was said, change is constant. A lot of knowledge and skills which were previously thought to be indispensable are now considered obsolete due to recent discoveries and innovations. If the knowledge and skills of the team will not be enhanced to fit these changes, it will lead to not only their downfall but to the organization’s as well.

photo by fauxels from pexels

Some may say that it’s okay not to invest in the development of the old team members because new and advanced ones can replace them anyway. Yet, will the vision of the organization materialize if there is no loyalty between leaders and their team? I believe not. Once a team is built, make that team grow in knowledge, skills, strength, dedication, passion, discipline and attitude. Surely, success will follow.

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Read more about the article Are You Suited for Online Business?

Are You Suited for Online Business?

The impact of the CoVid-19 pandemic is felt not only because of the overwhelming increase of mortality rate but, is also felt in the sudden drop of the economy – business closures and unemployment. Within the past five months, countless businesses big and small declared bankruptcy and either let go of the majority of their employees or closed down for good. Even before this pandemic, employees are always at the mercy of their employers. It just took some of us to realize that employees will be the first to be sacrificed when things go haywire.

If you are one of those who lost their job, it’s time to do something. Why don’t we go back to the concept of trading? Early human civilization started that way. The advantage that we have at the moment is technology. Since most people are bound to stay indoors, they spend the majority of the time on their phones, specifically on their social media platforms. Instead of being just a consumer of social media, why don’t you take advantage of it to earn a living? Build your own business online. One can sell products and services online. We are only limited by our own beliefs which result in our incapacity to see possibilities and lack of self-esteem.


Probably bugged by your cautious mind, you will find a lot of excuses not to engage in online business. Questions like, “do I have something to offer?”, “who would buy from me?”, or “aren’t there a lot of online sellers already?” will possibly plague you when you think about the idea. These are normal. Anyone who started something new all had their share of uncertainty and fear. However, this should not be used as an excuse not to even try. Remind yourself why you need to do it. Now, let us start addressing the possible questions in your mind that can more likely stop you from taking a step.


First is the question of not knowing what you can offer to consumers. Why don’t you start by identifying what you are good at? If you are an amazing cook, then sell your homemade specialty. If you know a supplier of essential or other products, strike a deal and be a retailer. You can even offer services such as tutorials now that schools are adopting distance learning, and parents need help in ensuring the quality of their children’s education. There are a lot of possible products and services that one can offer online nowadays. You just have to use your imagination and think outside the box.


Second is the questions of who would avail your product or service. Well, we cannot answer this unless we show what we can offer. In the past, we did not realize that we need food delivery services until a food business owner thought of offering it. We did not realize that we like to be able to shop without needing to go out of the comfort of our home until online shops became a thing. So you see, people actually develop particular needs and wants when they see it and realize it is possible. That product or service you are thinking of might be available in other far off places but not in your community yet. Your neighbors are just waiting.

Third is the question of competition. This is not a question because competition is a part of the business. You can address this by ensuring that the quality of your product or service is exemplary and incomparable. Make sure that you have excellent customer service even if you consider your business small-scale.

You may encounter a lot of struggles in establishing your online business but didn’t you face the same level of difficulty in other areas of your life? Embrace the challenges that come with it and always go back to why you need to engage in the business. Ask yourself these questions: “If I wouldn’t do something to earn, how will I survive? How will I feed my family? Is it right for me to just depend on the government?”. We face a crisis that causes uncertainty to anyone – even the most powerful people on the planet. We do not know if we still have work to go back to after this. We should learn how to survive and thrive no matter what challenges we may encounter. In times when we can only be at home, going online is the key. Don’t wait for the storm to be over. Don’t wait for the clouds to be clear. Don’t wait for help. Do something before it’s too late for you to act.

Continue ReadingAre You Suited for Online Business?
Read more about the article Don’t Sell Your Product or Service Until You Read These Facts

Don’t Sell Your Product or Service Until You Read These Facts

Do you agree with the notion that sales is the most important role in a business? According to Henry Ford “nothing happens until someone sells something”, and I believe this to be true. People would not know that they need a product or service unless someone shows it to them. This is the reason for a salesperson job to exist. I could imagine how people loved salespeople before because of the new products and services they introduced that brought convenience and comfort to their lives. Nowadays, however, I have observed how salespeople are avoided or criticized. Why?

Let us identify the different kinds of salespeople that we normally see or encounter today whom I think are needing change in their way of selling. First, we have the pushy ones. This kind of salesperson tends to pressure the client into buying the products or services he/she is offering. This can be because he/she is also pressured and is focused too much on the quota or numbers he/she has to reach – daily, weekly or monthly. The worst part is they assume that their clients understand why they are doing it. Second is the manipulative type, who lies or manipulates the process or people just to make a sale. This puts an unfair advantage to the client. This salesperson doesn’t care about the feeling of the clients after the product is purchased or the service is availed. He/She just obviously cares about the satisfaction of having a sale. Third is the one who overpromises. This type of salesperson loves to over promise but tends to underdeliver. This tendency is the result of one’s negative mindset that it is the only way to get the sweet yes of the client. Unknowingly though, they give themselves a negative reputation. Consequently, unsatisfied clients avoid him/her and don’t give referrals because of the bad experience. Fourth is the non-listener type. This is the type who believes that if he/she talks a lot about the offered products or services, he/she can convince the clients to move forward. The truth is, he/she is actually forfeiting the idea of helping because he/she does not hear the clients out on what they really need or want. The fifth one on this list is the type who keeps on talking on the details but lacks emotion. This is the type of salesperson who is so knowledgeable about the product including the benefits and features. While being well-informed about the product or service is important for a salesperson, flooding clients with information that has the tendency to be easily forgotten will affect their decision-making later on. This type of salesperson does not fully acknowledge the value of storytelling to a buyer’s decision-making.

If we ponder on these, we realize why people choose to retrace their steps when they see a salesperson from afar. In truth, there are different ways to sell but before we can use such ways effectively, we first need to understand the real goal of sales – to lead people in getting what they want and need. How is this possible? A salesperson must take on the following five roles:

  1. Relationship Builder – this should be the very first role that a salesperson masters. He/she must make sure that the client trusts him/her first. One must always remember that if he/she offers the products or services to his/her customer first and builds relationships after, the customer will most likely say “no”. But, if a salesperson builds relationships first and offers the products or services after, customers will most likely say “yes”. Trust is the key, everything follows.
  2. Master Asker – in order to assess clients’ wants and needs, a salesperson must know how to ask questions and what questions to ask. One can’t possibly know what the clients are exactly looking by just looking at them and assuming what they need. You want to help your clients get what they need and want? You ask!
  3. Master Listener – a master asker should also be a master listener. It is important that a salesperson listens to what clients say when questions are asked. Clearly getting the important details from them will allow one to identify the right solution, product or service to offer to them.
  4. Storyteller – storytelling is the best way to drive a point, identify a lesson and relate to the clients. As they say, Fact tells,story sells.
  5. Master Closer – once a salesperson knows what clients need or want by being a master asker and master listener, he/she must not be hesitant in leading them to what they need to do, be and have in life. One must remember that we are not in the business of giving information to people, but we are in the business of moving people to take action and get what they want. Inspire people to take action.

In addition to taking on these roles, a salesperson should use the appropriate terminologies in sales that sell. Average salespeople don’t care about the words they use on their daily transactions or business. In every transaction or conversation we have with the people we serve or even our family members, the words or phrases we use generate positive or negative feelings. If we want to have successful careers or businesses, we need to be extra sensitive with the use of words. We need to know that there are disadvantage or rejection words that create fear or walls between us and the people we serve. On the other hand, there are also advantage words or go-ahead terms that help people make the best decision. So, a salesperson should learn to replace his/her disadvantage words with advantage words.

Moreover, a salesperson must always be passionate, disciplined, and have the right attitude. Without these values, one would find it hard to thrive in the sales industry regardless of the techniques he/she uses.

According to Tom Hopkins, “selling is the highest paid hard work and the lowest paid easy work there is.” Thus, if a salesperson only learns the knowledge, skills and art of selling and apply those religiously, he/she will surely be on top.

Continue ReadingDon’t Sell Your Product or Service Until You Read These Facts
Read more about the article ERTC’s Online Program: Is it helpful?

ERTC’s Online Program: Is it helpful?

When CoVid-19 pandemic hit, ERTC’s scheduled live trainings were automatically cancelled. Yet, this did not stop us from continuing to serve others. It even motivated us to help professionals in the sales industry to continuously rise up and prevent the effects of the ongoing crisis. Hence, we came up with a program that can help sales professionals through a different medium. This program, which is delivered via Zoom, is called Closing the Sales Mastery (CSM).

Since the lessons that are taught in all of ERTC’s training are based on the experiences of the founder/trainer in his years of being in the sales industry, one can be sure that the learning are applicable and practical. As the program name suggests, CSM is focused on equipping a salesperson with the skills and art of selling that are proven to be effective in handling different types of objections and closing more sales. Yet, just like the other programs of Elevate Results Training and Consulting, Closing the Sales Mastery is designed to enable salespeople to see that this industry is established to serve other people. More than a means to earn money, sales is about building relationships and helping people get their needs, wants – to their dreams. The founder believes that if salespeople offer their products or service to the customers first and build relationships after, the latter will say ‘no’, but if salespeople would build relationships first and offer their products or service after, the customers will say ‘yes’. This and Zig Ziglar’s statement that, “you can have everything in life you want, if you will just help enough other people get what they want”, are two of the principles behind CSM and the other programs of ERTC. We aim to build sales champions in the country who have credibility, integrity, passion, discipline and attitude. Thus, in this program, we ensure that sales professionals will learn the following:

  • how to transfer ones feelings about the offered product or service to potential clients/buyers
  • how to increase self-confidence and earn more trust from potential clients/ buyers.
  • the right questions that build good relationships leading to paperwork approval.
  • the words that kill sales and the words that sell in any industry.
  • the color that kills sales and the colors that sell.
  • the three effective ways to follow up prospects and clients without annoying them.
  • the tested and proven template in handling different types of objections that inspires prospects to give small YESes leading to big YESes.
  • the different types of closing that can be used anytime and anywhere.
  • how to close more sales naturally and become a champion in the industry.
  • the attitudes and habits of a champion.
  • how to be and stay on top, and be a blessing to others who need help.

 

We have already conducted this training for the 10th time since May of this year, and it has been proven to be very effective by our valued clients who have completed it.

 

Countless positive feedback is being sent to us every time our participants get to apply their learning. Here are some of the reviews we got for Closing the Sales Mastery:

Salespeople are sometimes avoided by people because of their approaches and practices that are quite pushy, aggressive or manipulative. If you want to help break this stigma and become a champion not just in sales but also in life, equip yourself and be part of our training.

Continue ReadingERTC’s Online Program: Is it helpful?
Read more about the article Your Way to the Top

Your Way to the Top

Passion. Discipline. Attitude.

These are the main values that serve as the foundation of Elevate Results Training and Consulting (ERTC), a Cebu-based sales training company that serves everyone and anyone in the Philippines. This firm has the mission of serving sales professionals, entrepreneurs, organizations, and other individuals by inspiring and helping them to achieve excellent results in their respective fields. It envisions itself as a company that would bring a positive and significant difference in the lives of salespeople, other individuals, and organizations through effective training and lasting solutions for success.

For Elevate Results, sales and overall performance of a salesperson is dependent on the skills and art that he/she equips himself/herself with and not merely on the innate qualities he/she already possesses. To materialize its vision, Elevate Results created different programs which could help sales professionals and even business owners be equipped with the skills necessary for the achievement of excellence in the sales and business industry. The programs that this company currently offers are the following:

  • Advanced Sales Training
  • Motivational Sales Training
  • Negotiation Skills Training
  • Seal the Deal Program
  • Closing the Sales Mastery
  • Sales and Service Excellence Training
  • Elevated Presentation Skills

Elevate Results Training and Consulting was established by me, Elvenril “Elven” Camus. I started this firm to help create sales champions who are far from the pushy, aggressive, and manipulative type that buyers tend to avoid. Being a salesperson myself, I dream to turn the sales profession into a highly-respected one. I had 14 years of customer service and sales experience which enabled me to get accustomed to the highs and lows of working in this field. I experienced working as a housekeeping staff in one of my hometown’s hotels. I worked my way towards the front office of the same hotel before having been recruited to be a front desk officer in a visa consultancy firm in Cebu City.

Your Way to the Top

I continued to work harder, took leaps of faith, and became a competent sales representative then sales trainer. It had not been easy for me but, driven by my passion, I sought guidance from personalities who have achieved success not only in sales but in many aspects of life. I learned with an open mind and heart from the examples of my colleagues, guidance of my mentors, and teachings of world-class trainers and motivational speakers. Aside from learning from the likes of Zig Ziglar, Tom Hopkins, Jim Rohn, Warren Buffet, Robert Kiyosaki, T. Harv Eker, Tony Robins, Blair Singer, and Mac Attram through their books, audio recordings, videos, and live training, I invested time and resources in attending world-class training such as T. Harv Eker’s Train the Trainer and Making the Stage among others. I am also now a part of a global tribe under Blair Singer Training Academy (BSTA).

Your Way to the Top_2

Needless to say, Elevate Results Training and Consulting is founded by my experiences, guided by the principles of successful personalities in the world of sales and business, and strengthened by my passion, discipline, and attitude making it a revolutionary training company. Elevate Results Training and Consulting is indeed your way to the top.

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Read more about the article Why Excellent Customer Service Matters?

Why Excellent Customer Service Matters?

One of the most important aspects that anyone offering a product or service should have is excellent Customer Service. It can make or break a company. This is because through it, product or service buyers determine the sellers’ heart to serve and not just sell for the sake of profit. This is one of the ways how a seller can make the buyers feel good and secured.

Who is part of the customer service team in a business or company? Is it the front desk officer, the sales representative, or the chat support? In reality, every single member of the company is part of customer service. In one way or another, a customer will have an encounter with any member. If everyone understands how to value customers, they will make sure that they do their specific tasks in the company with accuracy and care.

It is very important for business owners to invest on the development of the customer service skills of its employees as much as it does in other aspects. The popularity and quality of a product and service are what attracts customers, but excellent customer service is what will make them patronize the brand.

How can a seller ensure good customer service then? First is to learn from the customer service of successful businesses. It is best to know from experienced people what works and what does not. Make sure that everyone in the company is aware of the company’s mission and vision, code of honor, and is accountable in upholding them.

At the end of the day, when the clients feel the seller’s care by giving them excellent customer service, they will take good care of the business in turn. They will not only become loyal customers, but they will also spread the word about the quality service of the company. Always remember that it is not about the number of goods sold – it is the number of satisfied customers that matters. In a nutshell, excellent customer service is the key to a long-term business success.

Continue ReadingWhy Excellent Customer Service Matters?