Saleshq.com offers up tricks for telecommuters in this article. There are some solid points like this: 5. Communication It’s very easy to forget the outside world when you work from home. While you do get to avoid the intricacies of corporate politics, it also means that you have to be your own advocate. Make sure there are multiple ways for your boss and colleagues to contact you. Check your email frequently, and respond as immediately as you can. Keep your phone at hand, and make sure you call if there’s an office meeting. An instant messaging service works well for open communication if something changes last minute. For more long… Read More
Continue ReadingDouble Dip
The title of this post is one that brings pause to many people. Are we headed towards a double dip recession? I don’t think we can say one way or another quite yet. However, today’s numbers are not good: The number of Americans filing for initial unemployment insurance surged to just below the 500,000 level last week, and have climbed more than 12% over the past two weeks, the government said Thursday. … The 4-week moving average of initial claims was 473,750, up 6,000 from the previous week’s revised average of 467,750. I have talked to many companies who are in a holding mode for hiring. Thankfully, I have not… Read More
Continue ReadingHiring Time
According to this CNNMoney.com article, 2010 hiring will be steady and growing (emphasis mine): “We see a healthy expansion under way, although it will take time to reduce economic slack and repair damaged balance sheets,” said Lynn Reaser, president of the National Association for Business Economics, which conducted the survey of 48 top economic forecasters in late January and early February. I wonder if those are the same “economic forecasters” who are perpetually surprised by the latest economic news? Nonetheless, I don’t mind a little positive outlook during this recession: The NABE panelists expect that jobs will return slowly this year, forecasting an average monthly increase of 50,000 jobs in… Read More
Continue ReadingSocial Networking Series
I received a PR email notifying me of a 3-part series starting tonight on Nightly Business Report. Here are the details: “Social Networking” Tuesday, January 26, 2010 Wednesday, January 27, 2010 Thursday, January 28, 2010 Similar to the introduction of TV in the 1950’s, social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter are rapidly becoming a core component of many Americans’ daily lives. But where businesses could easily impact the American consumer through TV advertisements, the road map for marketing through social networking is a bit more complex. The rules are certainly different, but as NBR’s Scott Gurvey finds out: the rewards may be even greater. Tuesday 1/26: Pt. 1… Read More
Continue ReadingFastest Growing Employment Industries
I received a press release from IBISWorld with some interesting data about where the employment growth will occur over the next 4-5 years. Of course, I would be a bit skeptical about number 2 considering the recent announcements from the White House concerning the banking industry. Nonetheless, still an interesting picture: Rank Industry Employees 2009 Employees 2014 Annualized Growth 2009-2014 1 Voice Over Internet Protocol Providers (VoIP) 17,110 34,850 15.3% 2 Private Equity, Hedge Funds & Investment Vehicles 35,200 58,700 10.8% 3 Single Family Home Building 435,000 655,000 8.5% 4 Car & Automobile Manufacturing 50,756 73,950 7.8% 5 Environmental Consulting 122,922 176,519 7.5% 6 Multi Family Housing Construction 60,000 86,000… Read More
Continue ReadingLoan Out Your Employees
Now this is something I have not seen yet – loaning out your employees during slow periods. Inc.com provides the article: How it works: On the StaffShare website the “seller” company lists the employee’s skills, daily rate, and availability. The cost is £50 (roughly $81.70) a year per candidate. The “buyer” company searches the database, uses the website’s message system to vet candidates and iron out details with the seller, and then a contract is sent electronically. The background behind the idea: “The companies had these redeployment pools of 1,000 people who needed to find other work within the company,” Flaxton says. “So we thought, ‘What if there was a… Read More
Continue ReadingThe Key Word Is Hiring
You don’t have to look far to find disconcerting news about the present economy. This AP story from one of our local papers lays out numbers that paint a vivid picture (emphasis mine): There were nearly 6.4 unemployed workers, on average, for each available job at the end of November, according to Labor Department data released Tuesday. That’s up from 6.1 in October, and a record high. There were 1.7 jobless people for each opening in December 2007, when the recession began. Job openings fell sharply to 2.42 million in November from 2.57 million in October, according to the department’s Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey. That may sound like… Read More
Continue Reading2010 Unemployment
9.3 to 9.7% That’s right, that is the expectation for the 2010 unemployment rate from the Federal Reserve based on this abcnews.com story. I find that number shockingly high, but it is realistic. Then there is this bit of information from Reuters (emphasis mine): Speaking at American Economic Association’s mammoth yearly gathering, experts from a range of political leanings were in surprising agreement when it came to the chances for a robust and sustained expansion: They are slim. Many predicted U.S. gross domestic product would expand less than 2 percent per year over the next 10 years. The depressed economy combined with the high unemployment numbers has started to change… Read More
Continue ReadingSales Stories Of 2009
I, for one, am ready to say good riddance to 2009. This year was the most difficult I can ever remember in terms of revenue, business and the economy. I suppose the one good thing is that it can only get better! However, it is the end of the year and of the decade so I am enjoying the retrospective stories that permeated the media this week. Saleshq.com offers up the top 5 sales stories of 2009. One of them stood out to me: The sales world lost one of its best this year with the death of Billy Mays. One of TV’s most famous pitchmen, Mays was known for… Read More
Continue Reading2010 Predictions
This is from the Herman Group as they make their predictions each year. I can attest to the first point being valid – I have talked to a handful of salespeople who are waiting out the economy to jump from their current position. These guys have a wonderful grasp of new words and phrases. I always learn about some relatively new word from them. I have taken the liberty of bolding some of them in the pull quote below. 1. Cutbacks and Re-Engineering will continue into 2010 Expect ongoing reductions in force as some employers continue to optimize their workforces and eliminate “redundancy”. We caution these employers to be very… Read More
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