C-Suite Network™

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Growth Human Resources Personal Development

Why Training Plays a Critical Role in Hiring and Keeping the Best Employees

Keeping employees from quitting their jobs after only a year or two is becoming a bigger challenge for many businesses across the county. Is it a problem for you?

“The New Reality of Employee Loyalty,” an article that Peter K. Murdock wrote for Forbes, suggests that in order to keep new employees, companies should discuss their career futures with them and have three-year development plans in place. “If you can’t see where your employee will be in three years within your organization, assume they will be working for someone else,” Murdock writes. And he is probably right.

Yet because Tortal Training is a training development company, we know another secret for building employee loyalty . . .

Offer top-notch, comprehensive training for new employees

Why is training a secret for both hiring and keeping new hires? Here are some of the reasons we have seen.

  • Great training convinces new hires that you care about keeping them with you in the years ahead. If you demonstrate your willingness to invest in training employees, they realize that you believe in them and want them to be with you for the long term.
  • Great training sets your company apart from others. When job-hunters are given the choice of working for a company with a comprehensive training program and one that does not, they consistently decide to work for the company that does. It only makes sense.
  • A comprehensive onboarding program that brings in a wide variety of your new hires demonstrates that you are not a company that discriminates on the basis of background, religion, ethnicity, lifestyle or other factors. Your training program can be a vibrant and engaging experience that tells everyone, “This is a company where you belong.”
  • Training that teaches your company history and values increases the perceived worth of working for you. It shows that you are not only training people to perform specific tasks, but to join a company that stands for something. Note that videos that tell the history of your organization and that profile your leaders and customers are a low-cost way to create a compelling, value-added training experience that lays the foundation for employee satisfaction and long-term employment.

Another Way to Use Training to Encourage Retention . . .

As Peter K. Murdoch notes in his Forbes article, it is important to take the extra step of using training as a time to create long-term development plans for every new hire you bring on board. If you offer management training programs for employees, for example, talk about them. If you can identify certain hires for specific promotional tracks, talk about those opportunities during onboarding training. New retail salespeople can enter training programs to become future store managers, for example, and IT technicians can take additional training to join your team of digital marketers.

If you want your new employees to envision a bright future working for you, remember that training is the place to start. To learn more, contact Tortal Training today.

Evan Hackel is CEO of Tortal Training, a leading training development company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. Tortal uses strategic engagement methodologies and specializes in developing mobile training platforms for organizations with distributed workforces. Evan is also Founder and Principal of Ingage Consulting, a management and leadership consulting firm located in Woburn, Massachusetts. Evan is an expert advisor on the C-Suite Network.

 

 

Categories
Body Language Entrepreneurship Human Resources Negotiations Sales Skills Women In Business

“6 Secret Negotiation Tips To Help You Get Better Outcomes” – Negotiation Insight

 

“To reach better outcomes, you must unlock the doors that conceal them.” -Greg Williams, The Master Negotiator & Body Language Expert (Click to Tweet)     Click here to get the book!

 

“6 Secret Negotiation Tips To Help You Get Better Outcomes”

 

People don’t realize they’re always negotiating.

When people negotiate, they want the best outcome. But some people are unaware of how to achieve that quest. They lack knowledge about secret negotiation tips, negotiation tips that profoundly impact the talks. After incorporating the following six negotiation tips into your negotiation repertoire, you will reach better outcomes.

Click here to discover how to get more from every negotiation you’re in!

Remember, you’re always negotiating!

 

Listen to Greg’s podcasts at https://megaphone.link/CSN6318246585  Once there, double click on the one you would like to hear.

 

After reading this article, what are you thinking? I’d like to know. Reach me at Greg@TheMasterNegotiator.com

 

To receive weekly free 5-minute sneak peeks into the brilliant techniques offered by Greg, click here

https://www.themasternegotiator.com/negotiation-speaker/   and sign up at the bottom of the page

 

 

 

Categories
Growth Human Resources Personal Development

Pre-Onboarding Wisdom for Franchises

There is such a thing as pre-onboarding. Let me make this statement about it . . .

If you want your entire franchise to achieve high levels of success from top to bottom, pre-onboarding is something you absolutely have to do.

So, what is this activity that I am recommending so strongly, pre-onboarding? It is a process in which you enroll serious potential buyers in a program that teaches them everything about your franchise that you possibly can. You give them a complete onboarding experience, omitting only the signing of final agreements and legal papers.

Why Is Pre-Onboarding Essential Today?

In the old days, individual owners often had an imperfect idea about what they were getting themselves into when they bought franchises. They went ahead and bought anyway. Many had high expectations, became disillusioned, and got out fast.

In today’s more competitive climate, franchises realize that allowing that to happen can cause irreparable damage to the entire franchise at every level, because . . .

  • It becomes dramatically more difficult to sell franchises, because potential buyers won’t consider buying one where there is a known chance of failure. And if individual franchises are failing, make no mistake about it, potential new owners will find out.
  • Customers stay away if they see one location close, and stop shopping at franchisees that are not well run. The strength of the entire franchise brand erodes.
  • The owners of failing franchisees sell their locations at low prices, or at the bottom of the scale, their franchise agreement requires. That devalues the entire franchise, with crippling results.
  • Unskilled, ineffective franchise owners become the norm in a franchise. Again, the results of that are crippling. Poor sale revenues, low customer loyalty, high employee turnover, and other problems become the norm.
  • Communications between the franchise company and individual owners are weak because they were not established early on. In your franchise, you want to make sure that your relationship with every franchisees is strong, positive, and ultra-effective. That can’t be an afterthought. It is something you need to establish and cultivate with your owners through pre-onboarding, even before they become owners.

Some Keys to Effective Pre-Onboarding

Have your strongest potential buyers . . .

  • Visit and spend a few days working in successful franchise locations, so they see first-hand how your franchise works, what makes it successful, and more. 
  • Enroll in the same training programs that you offer do your franchise owners. 
  • Attend your annual franchise convention, where they can take part in seminars, hear talks from successful franchisees, and get an informed inside perspective on what their experiences as owners will be like. 
  • Get to know with your current owners, become part of their community, and share information and insights. This helps assure that new owners come on board with realistic expectations, and helps build a community in which all your franchisees are part of something that they see are critically important to their success and to their lives.
  • Sit down with members of your franchise’s leaders, with successful franchisees, with members of your sales team, and other important people in your enterprise.

Does offering a great pre-onboarding program take time? Yes, but in the end, it saves time because your franchise owners are more knowledgeable, more enthusiastic, more skilled, and much more likely to succeed. Plus, a great pre-onboarding program makes each of your franchise locations more profitable.

So as I close this article, let me offer one final word of advice about pre-onboarding. If you do it, and do it well, it will completely transform your franchise.

About Evan Hackel

Evan Hackel is a 35-year franchising veteran as both a franchisor and franchisee. He is CEO of Tortal Training, a leading training development company, and principal of Ingage Consulting. He is a speaker, hosts “Training Unleashed,” a podcast covering training for business, and author of Ingaging Leadership. To hire Evan as a speaker, visit evanspeaksfranchising.com. Follow @ehackel or call 781-820-7609. Why not have Evan Hackel address your group about franchising success?

 

 

Categories
Entrepreneurship Human Resources Negotiations Skills Women In Business

“Negotiating A Salary Increase — How To Do It Properly And Persuasively” – Negotiation Tip of the Week

“To negotiate salary increases successfully, you must know the perception of value and how to use it.” -Greg Williams, The Master Negotiator & Body Language Expert (Click to Tweet)

 

 

Click here to get the book!

 

“Negotiating A Salary Increase — How To Do It Properly And Persuasively”

 

People don’t realize they’re always negotiating.

Whether you are a fresh graduate or a seasoned professional, you have probably given some thought to the tricky salary negotiation process. That is because negotiating a salary increase can be fraught with opportunities and disappointments. Thus, like in any negotiation, the better prepared you are for the coming interactions, enhanced will become the probability of getting what you seek.

What follows are insider thoughts and ideas about how you can become more successful in your salary negotiations and enhance your negotiating salary increases.

Click here to discover more!

Remember, you’re always negotiating!

 

Coauthor Reese Jones

 

 

Listen to Greg’s podcasts at https://megaphone.link/CSN6318246585  Once there, double click on the one you would like to hear.

 

After reading this article, what are you thinking? I’d like to know. Reach me at Greg@TheMasterNegotiator.com

 

To receive weekly free 5-minute sneak peeks into the brilliant techniques offered by Greg, click here

https://www.themasternegotiator.com/negotiation-speaker/   and sign up at the bottom of the page

 

Categories
Culture Growth Health and Wellness Human Resources Leadership

3 Steps to Defuse Any Fight with Your Kid

Has your home turned into a warzone? For many parents, after long months of being stuck indoors—sharing the same space for work, school, home, and recreation—the pressure might be building to a boiling point. Add in the worry and stress many families are feeling this holiday season, and you’ve got a recipe for disaster.

When a disagreement hits the boiling point, things get ugly. There’s screaming, crying, swearing . . . and that’s just the parents. And after it’s all over, we often feel ashamed and regretful. It’s only then that we remember we’re supposed to be the adults in the room.

That “out of control” feeling isn’t your fault. In the moment, when your child’s just done something that drives you nuts, your emotions get the best of you. But when you’re running hot, you don’t act like the parent you want to be. And that’s because you may not have the right tools to be able to respond instead of react.

First, take a breath. Find some compassion for yourself, and forgive yourself for that behavior you’re not proud of. None of us are perfect. When you show kindness to yourself, you model that kindness for your children, too.

Then, follow this 3-Step ACTion Plan next time you find a discussion going south. It can help you prevent a difficult situation from accelerating into a full-fledged meltdown.

Acknowledge your kid’s feelings and needs

Children often have a hard time naming the emotions that they’re feeling. Ask them leading and compassionate questions. If your kids are fighting over a toy, for example, ask: “Are you feeling angry that your sister took your toy without permission?” Their answer will help you understand their response and give clues about how to remedy the situation.

Communicate

Once you validate their feelings and identify the unmet needs that drive the feeling, check in with them to be sure they feel understood before switching to wanting to share your perspective and expecting them to hear you. Failing to do this may result in them tuning you out!

We all want to turn it into a teachable moment and explain why certain behaviors are not acceptable with more depth than “Because I said so.” Knowing that the teachable moment is NOT at the time of the issue is VERY important. It is okay to explain to your child that hitting their sibling is hurtful and doesn’t fix the problem of the swiped toy—or resolve the anger they’re feeling.  AND you get that it would really help them to practice some skills before these kinds of flashpoints occur so that there is more choice for them to respond differently.

My experience is that the key is to teach the skills for self-regulation in heated situations more than lecturing them; most kids know already that hitting isn’t okay. The issue is more about tools for impulse control when they are experiencing high emotions.

Target another option

Ask your child to help identify a solution to the problem at hand. Maybe your children can agree to take turns sharing a favorite toy. If you catch your teenager sneaking out to meet their friends, maybe you help them find a safe space for a socially distant hangout instead of sending them straight to their room. The goal is to build your child’s ability to objectively problem-solve and to let them know that the two of you are on the same team. Solo problem-solving is rarely effective. Collaboration sets the tone for your child to feel that you’re invested in them meeting their needs and want to find a solution that meets your needs too—but not at their expense of getting to meet theirs.

Learning to defuse disagreements is challenging, and it requires commitment and effort to overcome your own emotional response. But the 3-Step ACTion plan can help both parents and children learn to treat each other with love and respect.

If you’re looking for more tips on maintaining a peaceful household, download my free ebook, 7 Strategies to Keep Your Relationship with Your Kids From Hitting the Boiling Point.

Feel free to download the ebook here: www.consciousparentingrevolution.com/products/ebook

P.S. If the 3-Step ACTion plan resonated with you, be sure to grab the ebook for even more parenting advice!

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Entrepreneurship Human Resources Management Marketing Negotiations Sales Skills Women In Business

“How Disqualification Can Quickly Improve Winning Negotiation Strategies” – Negotiation Tip of the Week

“Disqualification can be a disguised blessing that reveals unforeseen opportunities.” -Greg Williams, The Master Negotiator & Body Language Expert (Click to Tweet)     Click here to get the book!

 

 

“How Disqualification Can Quickly Improve Winning Negotiation Strategies”

People don’t realize they’re always negotiating.

Before you negotiate, what winning negotiation strategies do you create as part of your plans? Do you consider how you might use the ‘disqualification’ tactic as part of your strategy? Disqualification negotiation is somewhat akin to the takeaway tactic – the latter being where you reclaim something you conceded to use for leverage.

The disqualification tactic can invoke greater compliance than the takeaway, especially if you have less power in the negotiation. Because when used right, the last thing an opponent expects when you have less influence is them being disqualified by you. Here is how you can use the disqualification tactic to create more winning negotiation strategies.

Click here to discover how you can become a better negotiator by using the disqualification tactic!

 

Remember, you’re always negotiating!

 

Listen to Greg’s podcasts at https://megaphone.link/CSN6318246585  Once there, double click on the one you would like to hear.

 

After reading this article, what are you thinking? I’d like to know. Reach me at Greg@TheMasterNegotiator.com

 

To receive weekly free 5-minute sneak peeks into the brilliant techniques offered by Greg, click here

https://www.themasternegotiator.com/negotiation-speaker/   and sign up at the bottom of the page

 

 

 

 

Categories
Best Practices Entrepreneurship Human Resources Management Negotiations Sales Skills Women In Business

“Bargaining Power Dynamics Beware How To Triumph In Negotiations” – Negotiation Insights

“To enhance your bargaining power in a negotiation, you must know your power source.” -Greg Williams, The Master Negotiator & Body Language Expert (Click to Tweet)    Click here to get the book!

 

“Bargaining Power Dynamics Beware How To Triumph In Negotiations”

 

People don’t realize they’re always negotiating.

Bargaining power in negotiations can be elusive. In part, that is due to the shifting dynamics that occur. There are also the ever-changing perspectives that negotiators have per their interests versus their position.

So, with fluctuating dynamics altering a negotiator’s viewpoint throughout a negotiation, how might you enhance your efforts to increase your bargaining power? The answer to that question may not be that elusive.

Once you begin using the following negotiation techniques, you will increase your bargaining power. And your negotiation dynamics will allow you to triumph in more of the negotiation sessions in which you find yourself.

Click here to discover more!

Remember, you’re always negotiating!

 

Listen to Greg’s podcasts at https://megaphone.link/CSN6318246585  Once there, double click on the one you would like to hear.

 

After reading this article, what are you thinking? I’d like to know. Reach me at Greg@TheMasterNegotiator.com

 

To receive weekly free 5-minute sneak peeks into the brilliant techniques offered by Greg, click here

https://www.themasternegotiator.com/negotiation-speaker/   and sign up at the bottom of the page

 

 

 

 

 

Categories
Culture Growth Health and Wellness Human Resources Leadership

Are You Raising a Spoiled Child?

When your child is giving you a particularly rough time, you might be tempted to compare them to the infamous Veruca Salt:

In the beloved children’s book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Veruca Salt embodies the cautionary tale of a spoiled child. One pony is not enough — she wants another one. As the Oompa Loompas sing:

Who do you blame when your kid is a brat?

Pampered and spoiled like a Siamese cat?

Blaming the kids is a lion of shame

You know exactly who’s to blame:

The mother and the father

Yikes!

Many parents I work with are very concerned about somehow turning their kids rotten. But can being generous or indulgent to our kids really affect them negatively?

In order to tackle the issue of “spoiled kids,” we need to deconstruct the idea of a spoiled child. Here are some of the beliefs that often give parents the wrong impression about their own children:

  1. Children are inherently bad. When a child has a strong reaction to not getting their way — stomping, crying, screaming or giving you a whole lotta attitude — a parent will often reflexively call them ungrateful, disrespectful, or even spoiled rotten. While this behaviour is something parents should consciously address, calling a kid spoiled feeds the notion that kids are somehow evil in nature, which is absolutely untrue!
  2. The myth that kids + money = spoiled. Parents across varying income brackets, refuse to let their kids handle their own money because they’re afraid their kids will make bad choices or end up “spoiled.” On the contrary, allowing your kids some autonomy over their money can actually teach them valuable lessons about handling their finances in a healthy manner! Yes, they may make mistakes and spend some of their cash on a frivolous purchase — but that’s how they learn. Children are worthy of our trust and will only mirror what we teach them.
  3. Children will take advantage of your generosity. Again, are our kids human beings we love or little gremlins out to get us?! Children respond to what they receive from their caregivers. If we shower them with love, they’ll learn to shower others with love in return. Of course, parents need to understand that sometimes loving your kid means helping them set boundaries! Being truly generous means you know when something is no longer good for your child (i.e. too much candy, too much screen time, etc.) — and helping them hone healthier habits.

So what can we do to raise empathetic, loving children?

  • Cultivate an environment of gratitude. An attitude of gratitude starts with you. Make it a habit to go around the dinner table and ask everyone to name one thing they’re grateful for.
  • Expose your kids to different perspectives. If you’re worried that your kids might grow up entitled, expose them to different cultures and backgrounds. Understanding unfamiliar mindsets and upbringings is crucial to developing empathy in children.
  • Encourage them to give. Finally, let them experience firsthand the fulfillment and joy of giving. Ask them to make cards or cookies for friends or family, or have them help you drop off items for donation at a local charity.

Showering your child with love and real generosity cannot bring them harm. If you model healthy, generous, and loving behavior to your children, you’re doing the best thing you can for them: helping them grow up to be healthy, generous, and loving in turn.

Categories
Entrepreneurship Human Resources Management Marketing Negotiations Sales Skills Women In Business

“How To Negotiate More Effectively Against A Black Swan” – Negotiation Insights

“Negotiating against a devious black swan negotiator can be dangerous. But worse, is not recognizing the degree of his depravity.” -Greg Williams, The Master Negotiator & Body Language Expert (Click to Tweet)     Click here to get the book!

 

“How To Negotiate More Effectively Against A Black Swan”

 

People don’t realize they’re always negotiating.

When you negotiate, more than likely, you assume that you are dealing with someone that will abide by what he says. If he gives his word, your assumption is, it is good. But what happens when you are negotiating against a black swan, someone so devious that he will be manipulative and lie to sway you to adopt his will? You wonder, is negotiating with the devil any worse?

You can overcome the dastardly deeds of black swan negotiators in your negotiations. That is if you are so unfortunate to encounter one in the first place. And here is how to do that.

Click here to discover more!

Remember, you’re always negotiating!

 

Listen to Greg’s podcasts at https://megaphone.link/CSN6318246585  Once there, double click on the one you would like to hear.

 

After reading this article, what are you thinking? I’d like to know. Reach me at Greg@TheMasterNegotiator.com

 

To receive weekly free 5-minute sneak peeks into the brilliant techniques offered by Greg, click here

https://www.themasternegotiator.com/negotiation-speaker/   and sign up at the bottom of the page

 

 

Categories
Body Language Entrepreneurship Human Resources Management Marketing Negotiations Sales Skills Women In Business

“Uncover Hidden Information 3 Safe Ways To Win In Negotiations” – Negotiation Tip of the Week

We can forgive those that conceal information. But we should not forgive ourselves for lacking the skills to uncover it. -Greg Williams, The Master Negotiator & Body Language Expert (Click to Tweet)   

Click here to get the book!

 

“Uncover Hidden Information  – 3 Safe Ways To Win In Negotiations”

People don’t realize they’re always negotiating!

During negotiations, information is king. Meaning, the more information you have, the more significant the options you can select to progress the negotiation. So, negotiators should always ask themselves, how can I uncover hidden information that might benefit my negotiation efforts?

Knowing how to extract concealed information gives you a distinct advantage during negotiations. And that is why you should add this skill to your negotiation repertoire. What follows are three ways you can uncover hidden information, along with how and when to use it.

Click here to discover three ways you can uncover hidden information!

Remember, you’re always negotiating!

 

Listen to Greg’s podcasts at https://megaphone.link/CSN6318246585  Once there, double click on the one you would like to hear.

 

After reading this article, what are you thinking? I’d like to know. Reach me at Greg@TheMasterNegotiator.com

 

To receive weekly free 5-minute sneak peeks into the brilliant techniques offered by Greg, click here

https://www.themasternegotiator.com/negotiation-speaker/   and sign up at the bottom of the page