What Employees Think of the Company they Work For

I googled a couple companies that I am interviewing with this week and discovered a couple employee feedback sites. For the most part the reviews are written by former disgruntled employees but that in itself gives one an idea about the environment - however, you must take it with a grain of salt and understand that there are 2 sides to every story.

It did get me thinking though, for companies who want to portray themselves as quality places to work these sites are a good tool. They are also a good tool to generate feedback from those who work for you and utilize the feedback to make positive changes. The trick is getting enough quality employees who love where they work to post their reviews.

Business owners should be aware of these sites and what their current and former employees are saying about them. Potential clients and potential employees can access this information and will judge your business accordingly. Who knows your business better than employees? Every prospect is wondering, what is the sales person not telling me? So they google you. Have you googled yourself lately?

Utilize sites like these to promote your online reputation as a quality employer.

Check out these sites:

Job Vent

Glassdoor

Canpage's Gigpark - Are Your Customers Recommending YOU?

What is the best prospect? One that has been recommended by someone else. In today's world of internet and online social networking recommendations don't always come from people we know physically. Canpages has developed a networking site where friends can recommend a business to others, is your business being recommended?.

Do your customers love you? Do they write testimonials saying how wonderful you are? Use Gigpark business account to promote your business with these testimonials.

The great part.... its free! So why aren't you doing it?

Want to know more about how Canpages can help your business or even make life a little easier for you?

If you are a Canadian Business Canpages has developed various platforms for small businesses to advertise.

1. Traditional Print Directory
2. Online Directory
3. Facebook App
4. iphone and Blackberry App
5. Gigpark
6. Twitter

I have to admit I'm a little out of date when it comes to what Canpages been up to. They are always adding some online and social networking service that will help businesses promote themselves. So if you own a business and you want customers to find you easily and quickly then contact Canpages to find out how they can help you.

Advertising so Obvious a 10 Year Old Can See Through It

I'm watching TV with my 10 year old son and a Tide commercial came on which my son saw right through. Tide's ad is showcasing their 2x ultra tide and how their product has less water then the others original laundry detergent (that's in the small print.) The ad shows how much of the competitors bottle is detergent vrs water content compared to their bottle which has twice as much detergent vrs water content. The voice over then states: "When you pay for detergent you get more detergent" Sounds straight forward right?.....

My son turned to me and says "ya except their bottle is smaller so its the same amount of detergent." So if a 10 year old can see through the ad is it effective? Do I really want to spend more money for Tide then another brand because I'm getting the same amount of detergent then the regular brand? Not really.

My Resume Sucks and Getting a Grip on Rejection

I haven't changed to layout of my resume since my first one 20 years ago. So when my employment counsellor told me it sucked I was surprised to find out that I was doing it all wrong. So off to the library to find out what the pros suggest and what do you know I didn't know a thing about writing a resume.

It's not so much that the information was wrong - I can't change my working history, experiences or accomplishments - it was how I laid it out and presented the information that is an issue. I wasn't looking at my resume and cover letters as pieces of marketing literature or sales tools. I always thought a resume was just a chronological list of your past positions and skills.

I have spent hours writing marketing materials and sales tools in the past and yet I only ever spent a fraction of that time on my resume. I mean really how blind could I be? I'm not putting the time in to sell myself.

Selling myself is the thing I hate most about the whole looking for work thing, which is odd in itself since I'm a sales professional. I could blame my mother or the humility teachings of my Christian upbringing but that wouldn't be honest. I have a hard time selling myself because I fear rejection of my "self." Selling someone else, promoting another business, or selling a product is easy - the rejection is not personal. Prospects can say "NO" a hundred times over and I'd still come back with a different angle... but when an employer says "NO" that's harder for me to come back at. Harder for me to pull up my socks and say - ah but did you know this about .......

Business owners have to be confident in their "self" and accept rejection of their business services or product as just that and not a rejection of them. That's the hardest part about owning a business, realizing that when a propect says "NO" its not personal.

Presently, I'm not an expert on resumes or cover letters but I am learning from the many different books on the subject. It's going to take a while sitting here to create slick pieces of salesmanship that will hopefully open doors to me that I have been unable to open before. When the doors do open I have to remember that any rejection is not personal - it only means that the product I have presented is not meeting their needs for one reason or another. It's not about not liking me - its about matching the skill set I have presented through marketing materials and presentations (also known as interviews) with the position the employer needs to fill.

Know Your Competition and Differentiate Your Business

Direct Sales or Multi Level marketing representatives need to know where their customers can get a similar product and how theirs is different. Most direct sales company's products cost more then their competitors that sell through Wal Mart or a retail store so their reps can't sell on price alone. For the most part the direct sales company's goal is for their reps to sell based on relationships, experience and service NOT on price.

Direct Sales Reps need to buy the lower priced competitive products and use them, test them, experience them to determine how their product is different. By doing this they can determine for themselves the compelling reason for others to buy their product. They can sell more effectively when they talk from experience rather than spouting the company's line because they know it, believe it and own it. Top salespeople know their product inside out and how it compares to the competition, they can give a compelling reason to buy from them without thinking about it.

If you find that your product is no better or different from a lower priced, easier to access product, then you should try to find a different company to represent.

Whether your a large corporation, a mid sized company, a small business, or direct sales rep you need to know why customers buy from you and not your competition. Don't assume you know the answer, discover it for yourself and ask your customers why they choose your product or service. This information will help you become more confident in your product and as a result you will sell more of it.