Turning the Cycle of Failure to the Cycle of Success Even in a down economy keeping employees satisfied can pay big dividends. by JoAnna Brandi While talking with a friend recently the subject turned to management skills and motivating people. I had just returned from a conference that covered that topic so I began talking about some of the successful motivation programs that had been ...

When the Boss is Away… What you don’t know about your employees, but should. By Danielle Lavallee Wasson and Jaden Kemp You have carefully designed your store and chosen the right product mix. You have painstakingly interviewed, selected and trained your staff or, for many of you, your staff is part of your family. Your doors are open for business and it is your day off. ...

Seven Tough Customer Service Questions How to defuse explosive situations with customers. By Leonard Buchholz Answering tough questions is the easiest way to get noticed at your job. Maybe that’s good, if you do it well, and maybe that’s bad if you don’t do it well. If you want to brush up the tough questions answering skills, start here. “Why don’t ...

Banish Burnout Don’t let your job become something you dread, consider these tips for conquering burnout in the workplace. Tired? Stressed? Overwhelmed? These all could be signs that you are experiencing burnout. Manifesting itself physically or mentally, burnout is one of the ways our bodies tell us that we are doing too much and it is time to take a break. Easier said ...

Bonuses in a Down Economy Explore fresh or traditional options for rewarding your employees for their hard work this holiday season. The end of the year often brings about expectations of extra compensation for employees, specifically in the form of bonuses. Whether it is a year-end bonus or one to celebrate the holiday season, employees are always appreciative of the gesture. But ...

Hiring a Tech You wouldn’t ask a salesman to go out and change a pump, but why are you asking your service technicians the salesman interview questions? It is always best to have an idea of who you will hire before you have an opening. Think carefully about what you are going to ask the potential candidates before they walk through the door. It’s easy to get caught up in ...

THE GOVERNMENT PROGRAM HELPING YOU HIRE ELIGIBLE EMPLOYEES. DUE TO NEW REQUIREMENTS for validating an employee’s citizenship status, it’s important to check if the person you are hiring is actually allowed to be a part of your work force. The E-Verify program – run by the Department of Homeland Security in partnership with the Social Security Administration – can help you take ...

WANT A PRODUCTIVE EMPLOYEE? HIRE THE RIGHT ONE. BUT DON’T STOP THERE, TRACK RESULTS TO ENSURE PROPER MANAGEMENT. BY SARAH PROTZMAN WITH THE ECONOMY IN HOT WATER, it’s more important than ever for hot tub retailers to manage their money and their people effectively, says Mike O’Brien, vice president of The Omnia Group, whose personality profile has helped scads of sales companies ...

Are your employees engaged in their work or are they estranged from your company’s mission and their role in making it happen? Mounting evidence suggests that the more engaged employees are in what they do, the better their performance and the higher the rewards for everyone. The key is to have managers who are skilled at creating employee engagement. This article offers tips for giving employees what ...

It’s the bane of every spa dealer’s existence: employee turnover. Some attrition is inevitable, but there are things you can do to minimize the revolving-door-syndrome and the turmoil that can cost your business thousands of dollars each year. In surveying business owners from a number of industries, several themes recurred. First, people’s lives and priorities have evolved and so ...

Beth Smith admits he might have made a great employee. But after watching the young man emerge from his car with his pants "down around his thighs," Smith knew there was no way she would ever hire him. "While some may consider this fashionable, I always want to yank their pants up and hand them a rope," says Smith, president of Spa Kingdom Inc., in Fruitland Park, Florida. To Smith’s surprise, ...

At a recent sales conference, achievement awards were being given to the people who had sold the most. I’ll never forget the woman who received the highest award. She had performed superbly, made a great deal of money, but gave all the credit to her sales manager. As she stood before the crowd of 3,000 people, clutching her award as the top producer of the year, she talked about the slump ...

Given the choice of dealing with a positive, upbeat employee with a can-do attitude, or dealing with a disgruntled, distracted, uninterested one, which would you choose? No contest. Customers always want the best experience possible; they want it to be easy and pleasant to do business with your company. Enter the real challenge of business: relationship management. Until all of our business is done electronically, ...

It’s safe to say that all business owners try to hire people who are easy to work with, smart, friendly and contribute positively to the overall environment of the company. But sometimes, despite the best intentions, a person who comes across as all of these things during the interview turns into a difficult and negative employee once he or she is on the job. From showing up late to being lazy ...