Blind Auction Fundraising
February 23rd, 2008
Consider raising funds for your special cause with a Blind Auction fundraising event. They are fun, exciting and easy to organize. In fact, there are several ways to organize a blind auction.
In a typical blind auction fund raising, people are invited to donate items for the auction. Each of the items is wrapped, by the donors or volunteers, so that bidders cannot tell what they are bidding on. Hence, "blind" auction.
The items are given a number and put on display some time before the actual auction. Guests have fun trying to guess what each item is. At some blind auctions, items are tagged with helpful hints. Guests then bid on the item numbers that interest them.
Blind auctions fundraisers are usually part of a larger event, such as a charity dance, dinner or fair. The items make an attractive display and the auction itself usually takes place towards the end of the event, as a grand finale.
Regarding donated items, it is a good idea to set guidelines regarding the type of items that can be donated. This will ensure that items are not inappropriate or dangerous to your guests. You can also suggest a minimum value so that all winning bidders will get a worthwhile item.
Local business and individuals may wish to donate high-value items to your blind auction fund raising event. If so, you can put them into a separate "premium" auction, for an exciting grand finale. Alternatively, you can mix the expensive donated items with the others for added excitement as everyone tries to guess which ones they are.
Sales Manager Coaching
January 23rd, 2008
If you’re not satisfied with your sales status looks to the coach of your team - your sales managers. Here’s a way to check how good they are.
First, does your sales manager know where his/her sales will come from by account, by product / service for 2008? Or is it about, “Here is my number, let’s go out there and sell, sell, sell.” Ask each one to explain where the sales for 2008 will come from.
Second, does your sales manager know how to motivate each of his/her people? Yes, the key is money, but money goes to the family. Money is about survival but, what really gets the sales person going? See if your sales manager can answer this question about his people.
Third, does your sales manager coach and mentor. Coaching is telling his people what to do, i.e. get to the ultimate decision maker. Mentoring is showing them how to do it, i.e. show how to use your main contact to network you to the ultimate decision maker.
This requires discussing sales call plans and pursuit strategies. Then making calls together - not for the sales manager to sell, but to observe, give feedback and lay-out a behavior modification plan. How often does your manager do this with each sales person?
Fourth, does your sales manager turn-over and recruit effectively and timely? In other words does he purge the bottom 10% each year and constantly seek new recruits. Most managers are reactive. When someone leaves, they then seek a replacement. Unfortunately, because of 1-3 above, the better people (maybe not the best) leave and then the manager starts recruiting. This leaves you with the poorer performers and the new hire becomes whatever was available.
Like a college football coach, your sales manager must be good at recruiting good talent and then showing this raw talent what to do and how to do it. Don’t ever get sucked into the “experienced sales person”. Experience only means someone has been doing it before. It says nothing about how good one is, especially selling your products and services. That’s where the coaching and mentoring becomes critical. As in football and all sports, coaching and practice is critical and ongoing.
How to Manage Motivation and Performance
January 20th, 2008
The relationship between motivation and performance is often mentioned, but not many organizations, efforts to study in detail, and ends up in the cul-de-sac, instead of the decision, on the basis of the findings and instigators.
Manager believe that the motivation of students is just psyching employee to give excellent performance. It is not greater than the old method of continuous monitoring, after a time that is no longer a worker is very pleased with the prep talk about the carrot dangling for histrionics or strengthen incentives, such as the organization makes the World to their future career.
The tools for measuring the relationship is also rudimentary, most organizations believe their strategies motivation to work when there are fewer dis-satisfaction of employees and a high turnover rate.
Choosing Small Business Software
January 16th, 2008
Maybe you the best and the detailed business plan, but unless you have the right software for small business, your business is the lack of profitability and productivity.
Take the example of accounting. Try to you and to all of your accounts and records in hand, and you know, as long job can be. I am not saying that it can not be done. Only in this way that we will succeed in time and requires a lot of discipline.
Contrary to what most people believe, accounting software is not difficult to use. It is also economical. So why should not small businesses in your accounting software?
I heard all kinds of answers to this question. Some say it is too small to choose confusion business software. Others say they do not want investment in staff training on how to use the software.