Best Practice Implementation

For every industry there are tried and true methods and principles that can help you drive revenue and achieve your goals.

Washco Consulting can assist in identifying and implementing these best practices in sales while weeding out methods that are traditional, but ineffective, and costly in today's business environment.

From existing companies to new business start-ups, David can advise you on how to develop an effective sales effort based on your situation.

From new product launches to sales department refinements, he provides a phased plan approach complete with time proven principles and effective outcomes.

Call Washco Consulting today 828-234-8378 for a free consultation to indentify and implement your best practices. 

Effective this week, the company is adopting Fridays as Casual Day. Employees are free to dress in the casual attire of their choice.  

Memo No. 2: 

Spandex and leather micro-miniskirts are not appropriate attire for Casual Day. Neither are string ties, rodeo belt buckles or moccasins.  

Memo No. 3:  

Casual Day refers to dress only, not attitude. When planning Friday's wardrobe, remember image is a key to our success.

Memo No. 4:  

A seminar on how to dress for Casual Day will be held at 4 p.m. Friday in the cafeteria. Fashion show to follow. Attendance is mandatory.

Memo No. 5:  

As an outgrowth of Friday's seminar, the Committee On Committee's has appointed a 14-member Casual Day Task Force to prepare guidelines for proper dress.

Memo No. 6:  

The Casual Day Task Force has completed a 30-page manual. A copy of "Relaxing Dress Without Relaxing Company Standards" has been mailed to each employee. Please review the chapter "You Are What You Wear" and consult the "home casual" versus "business casual" checklist before leaving for work each Friday. If you have doubts about the appropriateness of an item of clothing, contact your CDTF representative before 7 a.m. on Friday.

Memo No. 7:  

Because of lack of participation, Casual Day has been discontinued, effective immediately.

 "The competitor to be feared is one who never bothers about you at all, but goes on making his own business better all the time."

- Henry Ford

 

Aspiration and Overcoming  

Obstacles: Is there a link?

Aspiration  is  the  fuel  injection that ensures an  individual's best chances of overcoming an obstacle. I believe  that  a person  is  either born  hard-wired  with a propensity for aspiration or  like software; it can be downloaded, learned, and adopted. Regardless of the origin, an individual ultimately chooses to act on aspiration or suppress it.

Is it a necessity to have aspiration to overcome an obstacle? No, aspiration results in a strong desire to achieve. It ensures that an individual will leverage every resource at their disposal before allowing themselves to modify their original aspiration or to abandon it altogether.

Everyone experiences obstacles in their daily lives. These barriers can range from seemingly minimal to extraordinary. The desire to overcome these obstacles is typically driven by fear, passion, concern, etc. 

This question reminds me of Zig Ziglar's response to having been asked, "Will having a positive mental attitude (PMA) allow you to achieve goals?" His response was, "No, but it will allow you to get farther than negative thinking will." In other words, if Shaquel O' Neal aspires to be a professional jockey he can certainly train and ultimately realize his goal at some level. However, it does not matter how positive-minded Shaquel O'Neal is, the fact remains that due to physical genetics he will never win the Triple Crown.

Are you on track with your aspirations?

1. Be sure you have a system of checks and balances. Do you have a mentor who you trust and with whom you can be open and vulnerable? Can they be open and honest with you? In today's immediate gratification world, we have seen too many examples of people with genuine aspirations who fall short because they are in denial or do not have credible mentors in their lives. A great example would be American Idol contestants - Have you heard and seen some of the people who think they can sing?
2. Be willing to listen. In addition to being brave enough  to give someone you respect permission to be honest with you, you must be willing to listen. Does your mentor believe your aspirations are viable? Listening has become a lost art in our society.
3. Do your aspirations align with your values? I was blessed to find the right mentor when I aspired to become the number one ranked martial arts breaking champion in the U.S. In one year, with hard work under his tutelage, I became the U.S. Breaking Champion. I was honored to be invited to the world championships which were held in a different country during the Christmas holiday. To pursue the world title would have meant missing time with my family during a season that we cherish. Ultimately, I decided that this accomplishment was not worth the financial investment nor the loss of memories of watching my daughters come down the stairs on Christmas morning.

In today's times of high unemployment, slow housing market, and uncertainty of healthcare benefits it can be easy to lose focus and stray away from our hopes and dreams. While our country is in the midst of determining its future direction, we need to remember the incredible freedoms we experience daily. Possibly none of these is greater than our freedom of choice. We wake  each morning faced with the decision of how we choose to respond to the day before us. Will we be bitter or better?

We all know people who have great ideas or dreams but never act on them for a variety of reasons. On the flip side, there are people all over the country who have decided that if they are going to face tough times and tough challenges, why not pursue their dreams versus a dead-end pay check?

As you assess your aspirations and or continue the search for your purpose in this life remember, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Phil. 4:13. 

More than 6,000 baby boomers turn 65 years old everyday. This new group of retirees is now looking for a way to make a difference, find their purpose, and establish their legacy.

I recently had the opportunity to attend a conference that focused on capital acquisition for non-profits. As a participant, I was impressed with the content of the conference and wanted to share key take-aways. 

In my opinion, many business people believe for-profit businesses and non-profit charities have completely different business models for success. What is surprising and interesting to me is the incredible amount of similarities the two business models share.

In this age of autonomy, mastery, and purpose, charitable organizations are focusing on individuals who are looking for a purpose in their lives. While capitalism is a mainstay for America, now more than ever there is a great opportunity for growth and prosperity in the non-profit sector. On a local level, one success story that comes to mind is Safe Harbor Rescue Mission.  This organization has demonstrated incredible success in the areas of identifying blessed donors who are desiring to find greater purpose in their lives and the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of "second chancers."

If you work in a non-profit and are looking for charitable donors or are interested in becoming involved with a non-profit, Washco Consulting can help. The difference you make, makes all the difference.

A special "thanks" goes out to Spectrum Financial for inviting me to this conference.

Employee Assessment

By now you are well into first quarter and should be keeping an eye on trends to see if you will meet and hopefully exceed the metrics or goals you have in place. If your company numbers are not matching your forecast this may lead you to consider an employee or department assessment.

Things to consider:

1. Are you doing a bi-annual assessment? End of the year evaluations are too late to turn the ship.
2. A comprehensive assessment should include objective and subjective criteria. This will shine the spotlight on any areas that might need to be addressed or upgraded including marketing, communication tools, technology, incentive programs, etc. 
3. Have employees complete their own assessment first for comparison.
4. Consider a third party assessment. This keeps feedback anonymous and free of bias.  

Once the information from the assessment is obtained, be brave enough to make the necessary adjustments and changes in personnel or the department. This exercise is an investment in the future success of your company. For assistance with third party employee assessments, contact Washco Consulting.