Determine your unique selling advantage (U.S.A.). What do you offer that’s unique and sellable? For example, if you’re a graphic designer who creates websites, you’re a commodity. But if you create websites that integrate the newest design and SEO practices, then you have a cutting-edge skill.

Therefore, be brutally honest with yourself by answering the following questions:

• What does the future of your career look like?
• What new skills do others have that you do not?
• What are the skill deficiencies that are holding you back?
• What are your strengths?
• What are your weaknesses?
• What do you do (or what can you learn) that others don’t currently do or know?
• What skills are you missing that you are not willing to obtain now?

Once you’re aware of what new skills you need to stay relevant in the current and future work world, and your strengths and weaknesses, you can figure out the ideal way to position yourself so you stand out from the competition.

Leverage your strengths to address your weaknesses. While you do want to work on your weaknesses that may be career-killers, you don’t have to work on every weakness. For example, if one of your weaknesses is a lack of attention to detail and you’re a trainer with a couple of misspellings on a slide, it’s not a big issue. But if you’re writing an opinion for a judge or detailing a contract, a lack of attention to detail is a big issue you need to correct.

After you address the career-killer weaknesses, spend the rest of your time and resources leveraging and improving upon your strengths rather than addressing every weakness. When you build upon your strengths and retraining on those areas, you’ll increase your unique selling advantage and be more in demand in your field.

For more career-building tips, read PCT tomorrow.

Source: Dr. Marty Martin has been speaking and training nationally and internationally for many years. His second book, Taming Disruptive Behavior, was published by The American College of Physician Executives (ACPE). He is currently working on his third book, Do You Have Career Insurance? Martin is the director of the health sector management MBA concentration and associate professor in the College of Commerce at DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois.

1. Market Strategies. Write down the marketing and promotion strategies that you want to use or at least consider using. Strategies to consider:
-Networking: Go where your market is
-Direct marketing: Sales letters, brochures and flyers
-Advertising: Print media, directories
-Training programs: To increase awareness
-Thought leadership: Write articles, give advice and become known as an expert
-Direct/personal selling
-Publicity/press releases: Gain third-party referrals through articles and media coverage
-Trade shows: Selling, awareness
-Digital presence: Online marketing including website and pay-per-click promotions

2. Pricing, Positioning and Branding. From the information you’ve collected, establish strategies for determining the price of your product, where your product will be positioned in the market and how you will achieve brand awareness.

3. Budget. What strategies can you afford? What can you do in-house and what do you need to outsource?

4. Marketing Goals. Establish quantifiable marketing goals. This means goals that you can turn into numbers. For instance, your goals might be to gain at least 30 new clients or to sell 10 products per week or to increase your income by 30 percent this year. Your goals might include sales, profits or your customer’s satisfaction.

5. Results. Monitor your results, test and analyze. Identify the strategies that are working and address those that aren’t working. You can measure results through many tools, including metrics such as customer surveys and tracking sales (leads, visitors to your website and percent of sales to impressions).

By establishing goals for your marketing campaign, you can better understand whether or not your efforts are generating results through an ongoing review and evaluation of results.

Source: Michael Fleischner is an internet marketing expert and the president of MarketingScoop.com, the internet’s biggest source of marketing information and free marketing resources. He has more than 12 years of marketing experience and has appeared on “The TODAY Show,” Bloomberg Radio and other major media.

1. Market Research. Collect, organize and write down data about the market that is currently buying the product(s) or service(s) you will sell. Some areas to consider:
-Market dynamics and patterns including seasonality
-Customers: Demographics, market segment, target markets, needs, buying decisions
-Product: What’s out there now, what’s the competition offering
-Current sales in the industry
-Benchmarks in the industry
-Suppliers: Vendors on which you’ll need to rely

2. Target Market. Find niche or target markets for your product and describe them.

3. Product. Describe your product. How does your product relate to the market? What does your market need? What does it currently use, and how does your product deliver value above and beyond what is currently used?

4. Competition. Describe your competition. Develop your “unique selling proposition.” What makes you stand apart from your competition? What is your competition doing about branding?

5. Mission Statement. Write a few sentences that state:
-Key market: Who you’re selling to
-Contribution: What you’re selling
-Distinction: Your unique selling proposition

By researching your markets, your competition and determining your unique positioning, you are in a much better position to promote and sell your product or service.

Read PCT tomorrow for five more key components to an effective, actionable marketing plan.

Source: Michael Fleischner is an internet marketing expert and the president of MarketingScoop.com, the internet’s biggest source of marketing information and free marketing resources. He has more than 12 years of marketing experience and has appeared on “The TODAY Show,” Bloomberg Radio and other major media.

Check the speaker’s background. Look for industry experience in the speakers’ bios. What did they do (or what are they still doing) in their life aside from speaking? If specific experience isn’t apparent in the speaker bios, don’t be afraid to ask candidates specific questions about how they came to be an expert in the areas on which they speak.

Listen to the speaker’s stories. Watch a few of the speakers’ video clips or preview the candidates in person. Listen for stories where they share examples of things they were involved in, rather than only re-telling other’s stories. Additionally, find out if the speaker has a compelling personal story. Many experts have a signature story or experience they share that has been polished to perfection and can help carry the message.

Make sure the speaker goes beyond the “canned” presentation. An expert who speaks goes beyond what he or she thinks is relevant and focuses on what your audience deems relevant. So not only will the speaker get to know your attendees, but he or she will also tailor the presentation to your group’s needs.

Know what you really need. Realize that the expertise you want from your speaker isn’t always technical or industry specific. For example, if you’re trying to get a group of banking professionals through a time of tough change, it may be better to bring in a change expert rather than a banking expert. Often, you’ll find that the speaker’s personal life story can do as much to inspire your audience toward the goals of the meeting as the specific “how-to” oriented words they offer.

Experts come in all flavors: Some speak, some are authors, some are CEOs or entrepreneurs, and some have navigated a major life or business challenge. When you make a conscious decision to hire an expert who speaks rather than an expert speaker, you’ll be bringing in someone who can engage your audience and carry the message with enough force to allow for real improvement in your attendees’ lives.

Read PCT tomorrow for a marketing plan refresher.

Source: Joe Heaps and Dave Reed own eSpeakers.com, a 14-year-old technology and marketing company providing the speaking industry with the tools to do business online. Their newest product, eSpeakers Marketplace, launches this summer and will be the largest directory of professional presenters available online.

Yesterday, Promotional Consultant Today discussed two ways to prepare for the unexpected: Value the experience of others and rethink training. We looked at the example of the US Airways flight that, upon colliding with a flock of Canadian geese mid-air, made a safe landing in the middle of the Hudson River. It was the dedication of the pilot, Captain Sullenberger, that led the crew and passengers to safety.

Today, we share two more important steps to make sure you minimize risk.

Educate Everyone: It is important to remember that Capt. Sullenberger was not selected for singular education in flight safety but was included in a number of flight safety training programs held throughout his career. What if his age, background or previous educational experiences had disqualified him from training, or what if he had decided it was unnecessary at his level of experience? Safety is everyone’s business and training everyone is in the best interest of every business.

Make regular deposits: Every day your business has an opportunity to train, motivate and recognize your employees. Helping everyone do the best in whatever job he or she is doing ought to be the function of every manager. Unexpected events do not always occur when leaders are around to make decisions. They can occur on the line, on the shipping dock, when the raw material is delivered, when a tiny flaw in the manufacturing process becomes apparent, and that’s often the place and time to act. It is those everyday occurrences where the confident and prepared have the opportunity to make a difference in the outcomes that affect employees, shareholders, management teams, clients, products and the well-being of your business.

The unexpected can come from anywhere, at any time. Taking care of the little details, learning to be observant, openly discussing problems and issues without any fear is a trait of being successful. Training and experience helps everyone prepare for the unexpected so that when a major crisis comes, a safe landing can be made.

Source: Stan Craig, the founder of the ForeTalk Seminar, is an accomplished financial planner, executive coach and keynote speaker. He is also author of ForeTalk: Taking Care of Tomorrow Today. As a finance professional, Craig enjoyed a 27-year career at Merrill Lynch, which included positions as national sales manager, director of global sales for defined asset funds and the first vice president and senior director of the office of investment performance.

1. Value Experience: Every business has a number of experiences, personal and corporate, positive and negative, in its history. It is impossible to run a business without facing and overcoming difficulty. The collective wisdom learned ought to be shared. Rather than forgetting and burying past mistakes, those who are wise will take the time to review and discuss past solutions and new ways to confront problems should they, or any similar problems, come again. This exercise is not about assigning blame but about discovering what went wrong and why. The corporate memory of senior employees to review problems in the past can help prevent them in the future. The experience of Capt. Sullenberger made the difference in the lives of everyone on board.

2. Rethink Training: In the archives of every business, whether it is entrepreneurial or corporate, big or small, events have occurred that need to be discussed and reviewed with an emphasis on discovering answers to past problems. This is exactly what Capt. Sullenberger’s training was all about. He had investigated accidents in the past and understood the fatal flaws that resulted in tragic consequences. Training is not just a special class or attending a seminar. Training takes place every day in how we view and carry out our tasks and responsibilities. Safety training is not simply where to find the fire extinguisher, but what caused fires in the past and why.

Look for PCT tomorrow to learn the next two tips to safeguarding your business.

Source: Stan Craig, the founder of the ForeTalk Seminar, is an accomplished financial planner, executive coach and keynote speaker. He is also author of ForeTalk: Taking Care of Tomorrow Today. As a finance professional, Craig enjoyed a 27-year career at Merrill Lynch, which included positions as national sales manager, director of global sales for defined asset funds and the first vice president and senior director of the office of investment performance.

A recent ExpertHR article by Noel O’Reilly reviewed a global HR study of chief executives that discussed the generation shift in leadership. In this report, 58 percent of the respondents said they believe that a different leadership style will be needed to motivate future employees–specifically the Generation X (1965-1979) and Generation Y (born after 1979) who stepping into today’s Baby Boomer leadership roles.

Specifically it pointed out that while Baby Boomers often lack the technical skills that come more naturally to the later generations, Gen X and Gen Y leaders tend to be “underdeveloped” when it comes to leadership skills and emotional intelligence.

The report suggested that in order to transition the next generation of leaders, Baby Boomers should consider “mentoring up” and preparing the next generation. Future leadership will need to have the following characteristics:

-More collaboration
-More diverse cultural and ethnic awareness
-A shift away from traditional leadership to less hierarch and formality.

How can you prepare for this shift at the helm? The report recommends you re-evaluate how you recruit and retain talent (including a review of current incentive, compensation and organizational structures). It also suggests developing programs that build awareness of a cultural and ethnically diverse workforce.

Are you developing future leaders with the right skills? Start preparing for the future today.

PCT will return to your inbox on Monday. Until then, have a great weekend.

Source: Noel O’Reilly is editor of Occupational Health and Employers’ Law magazines and a contributor to PersonnelToday.com. He was also conference adviser for XpertHR Events, where he had responsibility for programs and content for a wide range of HR and employment law conferences and master classes.

There is a huge difference between selling promotional products and operating a business that sells promotional products. The former requires a focus on sales and marketing. The latter requires a focus on finding and recruiting sales reps: Hiring, firing, training, motivating, managing and retaining.

Some promotional products distributors start out by doing the selling themselves, intending to add salespeople later. However, in practice, they often find out that once they have built a solo sales organization with themselves at the center, it can be very difficult to escape. For that reason, if you intend to grow your company by hiring salespeople, you should focus the bulk of your time on:

-Identifying and targeting the right people.
-Hiring them into your organization.
-Training them on the way you do business.
-Motivating them to stay engaged with your company and clients, then…
-Keeping your best recruits with you, so they don’t wander off in search of a better deal (while taking a healthy portion of your client base with them)

In order to keep your best recruits with you, you have to determine who they are. This means constantly evaluating the performance of your team members and helping them to improve.

It also means “pruning the branches,” by removing any poor performers who cannot be helped. This is rarely pleasant, but it is absolutely necessary to the health and well-being of your organization. When you make a wrong hiring decision, recognize it as soon as possible and fix it immediately before it negatively impacts your whole team.

PCT returns to your inbox tomorrow with more sales insights.

Source: Business growth expert David Blaise has been involved in the promotional products industry since 1988 as a salesperson, sales manager, marketing manager, sales trainer and coach. He is the author of Top Secrets of Promotional Products Sales and Top Secrets of Customer Acquisition. Download a copy of David Blaise’s free report: The Promo Sales Hiring Guide: How to Recruit, Hire, Train, Motivate and Keep a World-Class Promotional Products Sales Team.

Here´s an example: Your marketing department has put together a hot, new program. You call the sales force together at your monthly meeting and lay out the program. You let each salesperson know that you expect them to present the program in each of his or her top 20 accounts in the next 30 days. What´s the likelihood that they actually will do that?

That´s a measure of directability. If your “plateaued” salesperson nods “yes” to you at the meeting, and then does just what he/she wants to do without giving serious consideration to your expectations, you have a problem. If, however, that same plateaued salesperson follows through on your directions, and can be counted on to do so consistently, then there is no problem of directability.

If you see a deficiency in either area, what do you do? Your job is to put the problem squarely on the salesperson: Clearly explain your expectations and provide specific and clear direction to the salesperson.

Here´s how to intervene in order to accomplish this:

1. Prepare your case. Meet with the salesperson, in person, to clearly explain the problem whether it’s profitability or not being able to take direction. Be detailed and specific. Prepare the numbers and outline your perceptions.

2. Communicate specifically, clearly and non-emotionally. Explain the problem and your expectations for the kind of changes that you need to have this person make. Provide a time frame. Make sure your salesperson understands. You may even ask him/her to summarize the conversation.

3. Let the salesperson know you are on his/her side. You want him or her to be successful. You’re here to help. Toward the end the meeting, ask this question, “How can I help?” There may be some things that you can do or some changes that you can make that will help this person achieve at higher levels.

4. Schedule the next meeting to follow up and review progress. This establishes the seriousness of the situation and interjects some urgency.

5. After the meeting, consider documenting the meeting in writing. If it goes well and you feel like the salesperson will rise to the task, you may want to skip this. If, however, you sense that this meeting may eventually lead to the salesperson parting from your company, you may want to capture your notes while they are fresh in your mind. You may also want to summarize the meeting in a memo to the salesperson, to add to the seriousness of the event.

Now, the problem is squarely on the salesperson to improve his or her performance. You can sleep at night and get on with other issues. At some point, probably on the date of the next meeting, you will have some decisions to make about the future of this salesperson now that clear expectations and measurements are in place to make a sound judgment.

Source: Dave Kahle is a prolific and highly respected author who was once the No. 1 salesperson in the country for two different companies, in two distinct industries and selling situations. He has been published more than 1,000 times, and has authored nine books. He authors about 10 new articles per year. His latest book, How to Sell Anything to Anyone Anytime, is now available.

First, verify that the problem exists. It may not be a problem at all. On the surface, there is nothing wrong with a salesperson becoming comfortable at a certain level of performance. Aren´t salespeople allowed to become comfortable in their jobs? Isn´t your warehouse manager comfortable and competent? What about your customer service managers or your CFO? Don´t you expect them to perform, year in and year out, in a predictable manner? Are salespeople any different? For a lot of people, the answer is, “Yes, salespeople are different.” We really do have a different set of expectations for our salespeople than we do for other job titles. Salespeople are supposed to sell, and sell more each year. On one hand, it may be perfectly acceptable to have a salesperson that has leveled off. On the other, it may be a problem. Before you rush to judgment on this particular person, you need to ask, and answer, two important questions about this salesperson´s performance. First, “Is the salesperson appropriately profitable?” Second, “Is the salesperson appropriately directable?”

Is this salesperson appropriately profitable? Don´t be fooled by looking at net sales or even total gross profit produced by the salesperson. Profitability is a function of the difference between costs and revenues. In order to answer this question of profitability with any degree of objectivity or accuracy, you need to compare the total direct cost of this salesperson with the total absolute dollars of gross margin this salesperson has generated.

Once you arrive at either a percentage (relationship of cost to revenue) or an absolute dollar amount (total margin contribution) that describes the profitability of this particular salesperson, you need to compare that with the rest of the sales force. Now you can answer the question, “Is this salesperson appropriately profitable?” Compare this salesperson´s number with the rest of the sales force. Let´s say the median productivity number is 20 percent. That means that half of the sales force costs the company more, as a percentage of margin, than this sales person does.

If this salesperson´s profitability rates him or her in the upper half of your sales force, then that is acceptable. It´s not a problem. If, however, his/her profitability is in the lower one-third of the sales force, you clearly have a problem. Anything in between is a judgment call on your part.

Read PCT tomorrow to determine what you can do to help salespeople address a slump in sales.

Source: Dave Kahle is a prolific and highly respected author who was once the No. 1 salesperson in the country for two different companies, in two distinct industries and selling situations. He has been published more than 1,000 times, and has authored nine books. He authors about 10 new articles per year. His latest book, How to Sell Anything to Anyone Anytime, is now available.