Business Goals

What is the Benefit of Utilizing Virtual Employees? With today’s market taking advantage of technology, more employees are working from home. The benefits for an employee working remotely can include the following: • Minimizing gas expense to get to and from work as well as parking expenses. • Minimizing the dress expense. • Potentially the ability to flex around family and appointments. • A more balanced lifestyle. • Generally a higher morale. The benefits to an employer: • Doesn’t have to rent office space for employees. • Has the ability to recruit for a position nationwide rather than geographically which gives the employer a bigger talent pool. Here are a few tips to ensure success with virtual employees: 1) Performance-based goals: Micromanagement with virtual employees does not need to occur. Getting a better understanding of how an employee will structure their day working from their remote offices as well as setting up performance-based goals can eliminate micromanagement and set up an employee for success. 2) Frequent and regular communication: The employee needs to know they are part of the organization. Include the employee in conference calls as well as set up a weekly time to touch base will help an employee feel they are part of the organization. 3) Adequate tools: A broadband connection is a requirement these days. Is a video camera needed for conference calls? Not all cell phones provide solid connections, so make sure the communication path is a good one! Does the employee have a company platform that needs to be used? Is a webinar platform required for the...

Branding and Customer Loyalty – Retaining Clients   How important is a formal branding/marketing strategy? A marketing plan helps you define your market, establish your message and measure results. Make adjustments if needed. Without a marketing plan it’s like throwing spaghetti against wall & hope something sticks. Don’t confuse the market. your marketing should be concise and consistent. You can’t be all things 2 all people. Brand should project your company’s value proposition. and your marketing messages should be consistent with UR brand. An absolute must. you have a brand either by design or default. be in control. Your brand defines your biz. What should I do to retain customers ? Realize complaints are opportunities to turn a dissatisfied customer into a raving fan. Deal with it professionally. Say thank you. sometimes we forget those two little words. always let them know how much you appreciate their biz. Make customers feel like a vip not a number. respond quickly. remember names, birthdays, personal info. Under promise & over deliver is First thing. And a communicate if something goes wrong. customers appreciate honesty. Don’t forget customer loyalty programs. reward them for their business. E-newsletters that R informative R good way to keep connected. & once again Social media keeps communication open. I think face-to-face contact is important. Lunch, coffee, Make it about building rapport not selling. Build the bond. Customer advisory councils also good way 2 learn what customers think & how U can enhance service even add new products. There are survey resources online. Some free, but my favorite is Constant Contact. Offer an incentive 4 participating. Customer surveys are an excellent way to understand and connect to your customers. Learn what they are...

Webinar Schedule – June 2015 CLICK here for the List and to REGISTER http://thealbertinstitute.com/109612.html Click any title for registration details! Webinars for career growth. A portion of the profits from all webinar sessions will benefit Building Bridges for Business, a 501c3 that provides career awareness education for students grades 7-12! Rap Sheet Cleanup Friday, June 5th @ 10:00 AM EST Rap Sheet Cleanup Topics will include How to Interpret a Criminal Record, Process for Making Corrections, Filing Expungements and How to Access National… Databases for Assistance! Networking 101 Wednesday, June 10th @ 10:00 AM EST This workshop will provide job seekers and career counselors tips for building contact lists, using social media and creating a branded message that will help generate better job leads. Very practical and applicable information. Participants will leave this webinar with actual tools and strategies that can be put to use same day! This webinar is esential for career growth. Job Club 1-2-3! Friday, June 12th @ 10:00 AM EST Job Club 1-2-3 is a step-by-step guide for setting up and carrying out successful Job Clubs. This workshop is ideal for job developers and career counselors who want to improve program outcomes. Topics will include Job Club History & Effectiveness, A Typical Job Club Agenda and more! Using LinkedIn for Job Search Friday, June 19th @ 10:00 AM EST Social Media can be a powerful tool in the job seeker’s toolbox. LinkedIn is sort of the professional’s version of Facebook. If utilized correctly, LinkedIn can help job seekers connect with employers. This webinar will focus on LinkedIn profiles, tips for following potential employers and the ways of tapping into passive job leads! Participants will leave this webinar with practical tools and strategies that can be put to use same day! Upcoming Sessions! Offender Workforce Development Basic Skills – Online! g-CDF Pittsburgh – September of...

There are so many social media channels: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, Tumblr, just to name a few. They are always changing, growing, updating, expanding. And there are always new channels to learn. How can your company keep up with the ever changing landscape that is social media? Here are a few social media tips to get you started. • First of all, don’t try to post on every single one of them. Pick two or three that your company would benefit from the most and hit them hard. Post as often as you can so you get the most views from the largest amount of people. • Time is critical. If you have an in-house employee handling your accounts, make sure he/she has the time to do the job properly. If they have other responsibilities, they might not always get to their social media activities in a timely manner. • Social media marketing demands constant attention. If someone comments negatively on one of your posts, you need to react instantly. You want to take care of the problem as fast as possible to insure your customer relations reputation. • Your business has its own personality and you want to make sure your social media marketing reflects that. Make sure the person who is handling your accounts knows your firm and can post in a tone that conveys that personality. • Social media is always changing. Make sure you keep up with the times. Take training classes and refresher courses so you know what it new and relevant to the platforms you are working on. • Consider the benefits of outsourcing your social media. Make sure you hire someone who has marketing experience. Remember that social media is not really about being social. It is entirely about marketing your business. You do want to be social and build relationships, but you need to do that in a marketing atmosphere. • When looking for a marketing firm, make sure you check out other clients they have worked for. Do you think their marketing reflects their business? Are you happy with the amount of posts you are seeing? Social Media marketing is an ever changing technology. In order to get the most out of it you need to plan your actions. Take the time to do it right, get the best person for the job, know what is new and relevant, and make those connections that...

Having motivated employees should be at the top of your priority list if you want your business to succeed. If your employees don’t feel that they are part of the team, if they feel that you don’t value them or their opinion, if they feel that they can be replaced at the drop of a hat, you have a big problem. Your employees needs to work together as a team in order to be productive. They need to know what the other employees are doing in order to do their job in a timely manner. Everyone needs to feel valued so they will want to work and do a good job for the business. So how do you go about motivating your employees? Here are a few suggestions to get you thinking. • A simple pat on the back can go a long way. If someone in your organization does a great job, thank them for their efforts. They are working hard for you. Make sure they know you appreciate it. • Don’t draw lines between the employees. It is not you and us. It is we. One is not any better than the other. Management and “worker bees” need to know that they are on the same team, working for the same goal. • Training is very important for everyone. Make sure you hold meetings or seminars when new products and services are introduced. Send your employees to workshops to better their skills. Not only will it help you because your employees are equipped to do their job properly, but it will help strengthen the self-esteem of your employees. • Host a summer picnic or holiday party to bring everyone on the team together. All business and no play is not fun. Letting your employees get to know one another in a social setting just brings everyone closer as a team. • Listen to what your employees have to say. Showing your value their opinion will only want them to do better at their job. You never know who will come up with the next best product or service. • Be flexible when it comes to personal situations. The work-life balance is getting harder and harder. Try to give your employees the time they need to take care of personal situations. They will appreciate knowing you care. It takes time and money to acquire and train new employees. Do what you can to motivate your staff so they want to stay with you as long as possible. You and your business will grow in the...

Kelly Collier, the most recent Coffee With… guest, was a young, healthy, athletic student at Carnegie Mellon University. But she suffered from severe lower back pain. As a senior engineering design project she and her classmates were tasked with designing something – anything. As others in her group had also suffered from back pain, the idea of designing a posture training shirt to help rehabilitate back pain was discussed. Getting an A on the project helped her secure a spot in the 2012 AlphaLab accelerator program. After graduating from the program and collaborating with biomedical engineers and a practicing physician, ActivAided Orthotics was born. ActivAided Orthotics is dedicated to supporting active lifestyles and keeping people of all ages strong, healthy and pain free. Their products are based on a unique treatment philosophy that remedies pain by encouraging self-correcting habits. Their posture training shirt teaches people how to use their body and posture in a proper way so they can pursue their passions without limits. Kelly talks with Christopher Evans on Coffee With… about her business journey. Local Pittsburgh resources were a big part of her beginning. Even though ActivAided Orthotics is now a national company with other user friendly innovated products in development, she still counts on her Pittsburgh resources for her business growth. Coffee With… is an informal interview with prominent business, community and government leaders covering a wide array of issues from business planning to entrepreneurship, and business challenges that affect the economic landscape of the region. Watch the latest installment to see more about Kelly Collier and ActivAided...