Business Journal June 2014

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Business JournalOF WEST CENTRAL OHIO

THE

June 2014

The Region’s Business Publication

INSIDE

• Carpentry jobs

expected to rise ..................... P2

• Sweeney earns Business of the Year .................................... P7

• Protect your business

from identity theft ................... P9

• Much More!

BY ED GEBERTBusiness Journal writer

[email protected]

VAN WERT — Van Wert County, innorthwestern Ohio, consists of just over410 square miles and 28,744 persons. Thecounty has some strong industry accom-panying a traditional agricultural base.There are 246,000 acres of cropland usedby 700 farms in the county, the averagesize farm containing 351 acres on the av-erage. That is 89 percent of used land iscrop ground.

The county seat is the City of Van Wertwith approximately 10,690 persons. Thenext-largest city is Delphos which is situ-ated on the Van Wert-Allen County line at

3,043. The Village of Convoy is the onlyother population center in the county witha population over 1,000 (1,100). Othervillages are Ohio City, Middle Point,

Prole: Van Wert County, Ohio

Willshire, Wren, Scott, Venedocia, andElgin.

School districts within the county areCrestview Local Schools in Convoy, Lin-colnview Local Schools located betweenMiddle Point and Van Wert, and Van WertCity Schools, in Van Wert. Vantage Ca-reer Center is also located in Van Wert.That school draws students from 13 areaschool districts for technical training and

Municipal Building in Van Wert

See VAN WERT, page 2

education.According to statistics compiled by

the Ohio Department of Development,The taxable value of real property in thecounty is $452,852, 400, with $91,858,640 of that in agricultural property. Themedian household income in the county is$44,526. with 69.2 percent of persons liv-



2 TheBusinessJournal June 2014

ing within a range of 200 percent or moreof poverty level.

The median value of a home in thecounty is $88,000, and the median grossrent is $556.

The largest employer in the county is

Eaton Corporation with 1,070 workersmaking hydraulic hose connectors. Nextis oil seal manufacturer Federal-Mogulwith 448 jobs, turkey product producerCooper Farms Cooked Meats with 451workers, and Central Insurance Com-panies with 339 workers at its Van Wertheadquarters. Other major employers inthe county are: Toledo Molding and Die(328 employees), Van Wert Hospital (305workers), the County of Van Wert (300workers), Walmart (265 hobs), Vancrest

of Van Wert and Convoy (242 workers),Braun Industries (195 employees), VanWert City Schools (180 jobs), UnverferthManufacturing (145 workers), and VanWert Manor (133 workers). Several othersmaller manufacturers are located in thecounty making products like soybean,corrugated boxes, metal tool storage con-tainers, and even FFA jackets.

The county is focused on economicdevelopment. Two industrial parks serveVan Wert, one on the north side of the city,

the other on the south. Growth is expect-ed in both parks in the coming months. To

the north, Vision Industrial park is adja-cent to four-lane U.S. 30. It is dotted withmany small to medium-sized operations.On the south, Van Wert Industrial park isalso home to several smaller rms.

On the northeast side of the city of VanWert, a 1,600-acre Super Site is in the cer-tication process to become a job-readysite. Utilities are being readied for thesite to entice a large manufacturer. Thesite has ready access to U.S. 30, then toI-75, I-70 and I-69, and a rail spur has al-ready been constructed. The site is within35 miles of two major population centers— Lima, Ohio to the east, and Ft. Wayne,Indiana to the west.

The Van Wert Regional Airport hasbeen in exisence for over 75 years. Thereis a 4,000-foot runway that is open sevendays a week.

Van Wert continues to enhance its lo-cal business incentives to attract newbusiness. These incentives consist of: aCommunity Reinvestment Area tax ex-emption, a Van Wert Enterprise Zone taxexemption, Tax Increment Financing, aCity of Van Wert free land grant for jobcreation and retention, and a City of VanWert Job Creation Incentive PaymentProgram. In addition to these incentivesVan Wert will continue to assist prospectsand existing businesses secure funding

thru the State of Ohio.

Van Wert(Continued from Page 1)

The Niswonger Performing Arts Center is a premier entertainment facility in VanWert County.

Braun Industries employs 195 workers.

Vancrest of Van Wert and Convoy employs 242 workers.

Central Mutual Insurance employsnearly 340 workers in Van Wert County.

Wind turbines dot the rural scene inVan Wert County.



June 2014 TheBusinessJournal 3

BY STEPHANIE GROVESBusiness Journal Writer

[email protected]

In 2012, carpenters held approximately901,200 jobs in the U.S. and close to 36percent were self-employed. Most carpenters

work in the construction industry, where theyaccount for the largest share of the buildingtrades occupations.

The residential building constructionindustry employed the most carpenters (19percent), followed by nonresidential buildingconstruction at 12 percent, building finishingcontractors at 10 percent, and foundation,structure, and building exterior contractorsrounding out the bottom with seven percent.

According to the U.S. Bureau ofLabor Statistics Employment Projectionsprogram, the employment of carpenters is

projected to grow 24 percent through 2022,which is much faster than the average for alloccupations. Population growth will resultin new-home construction — the largestsegment employing carpenters — and willstimulate the need for many new workersand home remodeling needs.

Currently, the national median annualwage earned by a carpenter hovers around$41,000. Salaries for entry-to mid-levelpositions fall 20 and six percent lower thanthe median wage with experienced andlate-career carpenters earning three and20 percent (up to $70,000) more than themedian wage.

Residential carpenters specialize innew-home, townhome, and condominiumbuilding and remodeling where they mightbuild and set forms for footings, walls, andslabs, and frame and finish exterior walls,

roofs, and decks. They also frame interiorwalls, build stairs, and install drywall, crownmolding, doors, and cabinets.

Commercial carpenters remodel and helpbuild commercial office buildings, hospitals,hotels, schools, and shopping malls. Somemay specialize in working with light-gaugeand load-bearing steel framing for interiorpartitions, exterior framing, and curtain wallconstruction. Others specialize in workingwith concrete forming systems and finishing

interior and exterior walls, partitions, andceilings.

Industrial carpenters work in civiland industrial settings where they buildscaffolding and create and set forms forpouring concrete. Some build tunnel bracingor partitions in underground passagewaysand mines to control the circulation of airto work sites. Others build concrete formsfor tunnels, bridges, dams, power plants, orsewer construction projects.

In January 2014, USA Today reported thatnationwide, some of the fastest growing jobsare those in the construction field. Floridais expected to add more than 176,000 jobsnext year — cement masons, constructionproject managers and carpenters — all dueto a surge in construction and increased

tourism. Road and bridge replacement andrepair should also increase employmentof carpenters. The majority of this growthdepends on government spending and theattempt to upgrade existing infrastructures.Factory and power plant construction mayalso result in new jobs.

The use of modular and prefabricatedcomponents — roof assemblies, walls,stairs, and complete bathrooms — willbe on the rise. These components will bemanufactured in a separate facility andassembled on site by carpenters. Installation

of these types of components replaces themost labor-intensive and time-consuming onsite building activities.

Even though job prospects will varydepending on geographical location,positions for carpenters should improve overthe next eight years as construction activitycontinues to rebound. Since constructionactivity parallels the movement of people andbusinesses, areas with the largest populationincreases will require the most carpenters.

Carpentry jobs expected to rise 24 percent by ‘22

of West Central OhioVolume 23, No. 6

Contributing Writers

Jeffrey Gitomer The Business Journal is mailed to the top

business leaders in the 13-county regionof West Central Ohio. Although informationis gathered from sources considered to be

reliable, the accuracy and completenessof the information cannot be guaranteed.Information expressed in The BusinessJournal does not constitute a solicitation for

the purchase or sale of any products.

Copyright, The Business Journal of WestCentral Ohio, 2006, All rights reserved.Reproduction or use, without written permissionof editorial, photographic or other graphic con-tent in any manner is prohibited. The BusinessJournal is published monthly at 405 N. MainSt., Delphos, OH 45833

Contact Us

Cynthia Yahna 419-695-0015 ext. 129

cyahna @ delphosherald.com

Peter W. Ricker 419-695-0015 ext. 130

[email protected]

Toll free 800-589-6950

Mail 405 N. Main St., Delphos, OH 45833-1598

For information concerning news,

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Dickman Supply receives National Innovation AwardNAED and UnleashWD de-

veloped the Unleashing the Spiritof Innovation award to encourageand recognize a distributor and amanufacturer with a culture ofinnovation in the electrical indus-try.

Doug Borchers, DickmanSupply Vice President, proudlyaccepted the distributor award atthe NAED National Meeting held

in Chicago, Illinois. According toBorchers, receiving this honor“is a testament to the innovative,creative, hard-working people atDickman Supply who get the jobdone for customers every day.”

Dickman Supply President,Tim Geise, has been telling as-sociates to “Just say yes” tocustomer requests for 25 years.The beauty of this is a naturallyoccurring culture of innovation.Custom electrical controls andwire harnesses, the award win-

ning Green Energy SolutionsDivision, a Happy Hour deliveryservice, emergency services, andcomplete Inventory Managementsolutions are just a few of theprograms with their beginningsin the simple act of saying yes to

a customer in need.The National Association of

Electrical Distributors (NAED)is the voice of electrical dis-

tribution, providing memberswith the best in tools, informa-tion and assistance to help themthrive financially and to improvethe electrical distribution chan-nel. The four basic pillars of theNAED mission are to provideto members - Networking, Ad-

vocacy, Education, and DefinedStandards and Research.

UnleashWD brings togetherthe world’s most innovativeminds, creating an environmentwhere distributors are immersedin innovative thought. There aremore than 300,000 wholesale dis-tribution companies generatingeconomic growth and creating 1out of 20 private sector jobs in the

United States. In this changingeconomy, leaders in the industrymust shift ideas from outside thecommon distribution model intotheir operations to continue togrow and develop. The Unleash-

WD Innovation Summit is a one-of-a-kind conference promotingoriginal, creative, and disruptivethinking in the wholesale distri-bution industry.

Dickman Supply, Inc. is anelectrical and industrial whole-saler, headquartered in Sidney,Ohio with branches in Green-ville, Celina, and Marysville.Representing over 400 manufac-

turers, they provide solutions forindustrial and electrical productapplications for commercial / in-dustrial facilities and contractorsthroughout Western & CentralOhio and Eastern Indiana.

419-224-6980visit us at www.tjpaintingandrepair.com

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Doug Borchers, vice presidentof Dickman Supply, received theprestigious distributor award re-cently during the NAED Nationalmeeting held in Chicago, Illinois.

THE

BusinessJournal


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937.498.2381 • www.ferguson-construction.com

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UNOH students place at National BPA contestInformation submitted

LIMA - Seven University of Northwestern Ohiostudents and their advisor traveled to Indianapolis, In-diana for this year’s Business Professionals of Amer-ica’s National Contest held April 29ththrough May 3rd, 2014. More than

5,000 students from across the nationcompeted at this year’s BPA NationalConference. Two UNOH studentsplaced within the top 3 in the nationin individual events. Overall, UNOH had finalists in13 of 17 competitive events. All seven members wonor placed in State level events which qualified themto participate at the National Leadership Conferencein Indianapolis. The National competition results in-clude:

First Place:

Fundamental Word Processing: Niki Holcomb –Gomer, Ohio

Legal Office Procedures: David Hites – Elida, Ohio

Business Professionals of Americais a not-for-profit, co-curricular educa-

tional association of student memberspreparing for careers in business. TheBusiness Professionals of America or-ganization, formed in 1966, seeks to

contribute to the preparation of a world-class work-force through the advancement of leadership, citizen-ship, academic, and technological skills. Currently,there are more than 600 BPAchapters nationwide at theCollege/University level. Tenchapters exist in the State ofOhio.

1-866-699-8665

Call the Pros

www.limaelectricalprofessionals.org

Why Chance it?Get a QualifiedElectrician


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The BusinessJournal

Distributed in

13 counties

Allen, Auglaize, Defiance,

Hancock, Hardin, Henry.

Logan, Mercer, Paulding,

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and Wood

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Serving clients since 1953

Insurance agent Devin Sheets earns certification

Information submitted

MADISON, Wisconsin— Devin Sheets, an Ameri-can Family Insurance agentin Van Wert, has been rec-

ognized for providing out-standing customer experienceunder the American Star Ex-cellence in Customer Expe-rience Certification. Sheets joins other American Fam-ily agents who have demon-strated the highest level ofcommitment to outstandingcustomer service.

Sheets has been an agent forAmerican Family since Octo-ber 2003. His office is located at 118 S.Washington St., Van Wert.

“There are manychoices out there in theinsurance marketplace,”said Dan Schultz, Ameri-can Family Insurance’spresident and chief oper-

ating officer. “The Ameri-can Star Excellence inCustomer ExperienceCertification lets consum-ers know these are agentswith an established trackrecord of excellent cus-tomer service.”

The service excellencedistinction was deter-

mined through an evalua-tion process conducted un-

der guidelines established through theAmerican Star Excellence in Customer

Experience certification. The processconsists of a customer satisfactionsurvey which measures customers’overall experience with their currentAmerican Family agent. Only agenciesthat perform in the top 20 percent

of all insurance agencies nationwide,based on customer satisfaction surveys,are eligible to become American StarExcellence in Customer Experiencecertified.

Based in Madison, Wis., AmericanFamily Insurance offers auto, homeown-ers, life, health, commercial and farm/ranch insurance in 19 states. AmericanFamily is the nation’s third-largest mutu-al property/casualty insurance companyand 14th-largest property/casualty insur-ance group.

Devin Sheets

Pfleger elected as new

NAWIC Region 4 directorInformation submitted

COLUMBUS — The National Associa-tion of Women In Construction (NAWIC)recently elected localLima Chapter Presi-

dent Ann Pfleger asthe 2014-16 Region4 Director duringthe region’s annualForum membershipconference at the Hil-ton Downtown Co-lumbus.

NAWIC is gov-erned by a 20-personBoard of Directors.The Association isdivided into 14 geo-graphic regions, andeach region elects a Director to serve as itsrepresentative for a two-year term. The 14region Directors serve along with the Presi-dent, President-Elect, Vice President, Secre-tary, Treasurer and Immediate Past President.The Board of Directors holds three boardmeetings annually to conduct Associationbusiness, including a Mid-Year Board Meet-ing in the spring and two board meetings atNAWIC’s Annual Meeting & EducationalConference.

“As the new Director of NAWIC Region4 it is my goal to build the region for the fu-ture and support NAWIC’s core purpose of‘enhancing the success of women in the con-struction industry’,” Director-Elect Pflegerstated.

For more information about NAWIC orthe local chapter, visit LimaNAWIC.com.

Ann Peger




Sweeney earns woman-ownedBusiness of the Year award

www.businessjournal.com

By Cynthia YahnaBusiness Journal

[email protected]

LIMA - Bev Sweeney, owner and broker of Cowan Real-tors, was presented the award for Woman-Owned Business ofthe Year at the 12th Annual Awards Gala presented by theAllen County Chamber of Commerce on May 7 at the UNOHEvent Center.

Early in Sweeney’s career, she listed and sold real estatefor another broker but it did not take long for her to decide tostrike out on her own.

“It was my goal to start my own business,” she told theBusiness Journal. “Real estate to me is a total passion. The

advantages to being a business owner is that I can determinethe direction of my business. When I make the decisions, I amconfident it is the best direction for the company and my staff. Ienjoy helping people, watching my agents succeed and the pride of ownership.”

Sweeney believes the credit for winning the award was really determined by thespirit, drive and dynamics of her agents and staff, as well their involvement in thecommunity.

Every business faces challenges when they start, but a woman-owned businesssometimes faces unique issues. Sweeney grew her company over two decades whilealso nurturing a family. She realized that help raise the glass ceiling for women in allworkplaces and set a meaningful example for those who face difficult decisions re-garding the balance between family responsibilities and professional life.

What advice would she give to someone who has the desire to start his or her ownbusiness? “Have a dream, plan, plan, plan. I had the plans in place before I started mybusiness. You have to really enjoy what you are doing.”

By Business Journal Staff

LIMA - Hard work and determinationwas recognized on May 7 as the Lima/Al-len County Chamber of Commerce hand-ed out their awards for 2014 at the UNOHEvent Center.

Now in its twelth year, the gala took

on the 1920s theme of “Puttin’ on theRitz” and welcomed in a large crowd tocelebrate local small businesses and theirachievements. Awards were given forthe Young Leader of the Year, Emerg-ing Business of the Year, Woman-OwnedBusiness of the Year, Non-Profit Agencyof the Year, ATHENA Award, and theSmall Business of the Year. As was point-ed out several times during the evening,however, just being nominated as a final-ist made all of the businesses winners.

2014 Award Finalists (Sponsored by)- Small Business of the Year (Citizens

National Bank)

Winner - Sign Pro ImagingT&D InteriorsYocum Realty

- Non-Profit Agency of the Year (TomAhl Family of Dealerships)

Winner - Lima/Allen County Councilof Community Affairs

Our Daily BreadWest Ohio Food Bank

- Woman-Owned Business of the Year(The Union Bank Company)

Winner - Cowan RealtorsWomen’s Health for Life, Inc.Xpressions by Heather

- Emerging Business of the Year (TheState Bank and Trust Company)

Winner - Crankers CyclingModo MediaState Farm Insurance - Ben Anderson

- Young Leader of the Year (St. Rita’sMedical Center)

Winner - Kurt NeeperMichael LeyJessica Phillips

- ATHENA Award (Lima Auto Mall)

Winner - Karen GrothouseWendy BaxterTammie Colon

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Addressing a new era in security: how toprotect your business from the inside out

(BPT) - During the first 43 days of 2014,the Identity Theft Resource Center said 91data breaches were reported by companiesacross the country, and the full list doesn’t

just show household names of big brandretailers - many of these companies weresmall businesses, family medical practic-es or local restaurants that never thoughtthey’d be cybercrime victims. For instance,the most high profile breach of 2013 - Tar-get - was actually set into motion when oneof its much smaller regional contractorswas hacked.

Undoubtedly, businesses of all sizes arepotential targets for cyber criminals, butwhile the “big boys” often have the finan-

cial means to rebound relatively quickly, forsmall business owners, one attack can meanlife or death for the future of their business.In fact, according to the National SmallBusiness Association, a single cyber-attackcosts a small business an average of $8,000to recover from (and this figure does not in-clude the incalculable damage done to thecompany’s reputation).

Historically, small business owners havefocused their security prevention on theirphysical domains, but, with the lines be-tween physical and digital security having

blurred over the last decade, it’s critical forsmall business owners to rethink their 21stcentury security strategies.

ADT offers these helpful tips for smallbusiness owners in order to more effec-tively protect themselves, their assets, andtheir loyal customers from the wide rangeof physical and digital threats:

* Make sure your employees are in-formed. Whether you’re concerned aboutdigital security or physical security, youremployees are your first line of defense.Your employees should be up to date on all

company security measures and aware ofthe vulnerable digital and physical areas inyour business. Keeping them informed en-sures they know how to protect your busi-ness and alert you should a problem arise.

* Increase the strength of your pass-words. Creating strong passwords may atfirst be inconvenient for you and your staff,but stronger passwords can greatly improvethe security of your business. Using yourname or the company’s name or addresswill not deter a hacker for long, but com-plex passwords have a significantly greater

chance of tripping up hackers.* Improve the traditional security sys-tem. A security system is a must for a busi-ness of any size, and an interactive solutionlike ADT Pulse can help mitigate threatswith all-in-one security and automation ca-pabilities that combine video surveillance

with activity-triggered alerts. This allowsyou the freedom to monitor and controlyour business with a web-enabled devicefrom any location.

* Erase old hard drives. You’ve heard thesaying “One man’s trash is another man’streasure,” and that is certainly true whenit comes to old hard drives. While yourbusiness may not have any use for theseoutdated systems, the information storedon the hard drive is valuable to would-becriminals. Before you throw out that oldcomputer or copy machine, be sure to erasethe hard drive.

While many small business owners maythink cyber criminals aren’t interested in

businesses their size, the reality is smallbusinesses require the same strategic physi-cal and digital protection as major corpo-rations, and following the above steps canhelp you to prevent the significant financialand reputational damage that comes with asecurity breach.

In order to learn more about how ADTcan help protect your small business, visitADT.com/business.

Jane Birckhead, CPCU

Executive Vice President

Trustee - Stepping Stones Center

Life • Home • Auto • Business • Income

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(BPT) - Tax season is a headache formost people, and small business owners areno exception. In fact, nearly six out of 10small business owners in America say tax-es are one of the top factors affecting theirsuccess, according to the Bank of AmericaSmall Business Owner Report.

Yet the potential of a tax refund can bethe light at the end of the tunnel.If you do expect a refund, tax season is

a good time to reflect on your business. Re-ceiving a lump sum of money can provideyou with the incentive you need to take note

of the ways you might invest in your busi-ness to make it better, and can spur you toask some new questions about your growthstrategy.

There are a number of sources you canturn to if you aren’t sure of the best courseof action for your business. “A first step you

should take is to speak with your banker,”says Robb Hilson, small business executivefor Bank of America. “A dedicated small-business banker who knows you and yourmarket can help you make the best decisionsfor your business - not just during tax sea-

son, but all year round.”For those expecting a tax refund, here

are six tips for small-business owners toconsider in order to get the most bang fortheir buck:

* Invest in technology. Purchase newtechnology that will make your business run

more smoothly. For example, replace tradi-tional cash registers with tablets that allowyou to check out customers from anywherein the store, or switch to electronic invoic-ing so you get paid faster. Technology thatmakes your life easier will allow you to fo-cus on doing what you love instead of tak-ing care of the books, filing paperwork ortrying to fix old equipment.

* Upgrade your environment. Is youroffice space getting a little run-down? Con-sider sprucing it up a bit. According to TheAmerican Society of Interior Designs, em-

ployee satisfaction and productivity rise inaesthetically appealing workplaces. Youdon’t have to spend much - even the colorof the walls can make employees feel moreinspired or more compelled to collaborate.

* Get the word out. Help get the localcommunity buzzing about your business byreinvesting your tax return into a strategicmarketing campaign. There is a lot you cando to reach new customers - from traditionaladvertising in the newspaper and on your lo-cal TV channel to marketing yourself in in-novative ways online. Consider purchasing

a software tool such as ExactTarget, whichallows you to develop a targeted email mar-keting campaign, or hire a local videogra-pher to create some interesting content foryour Facebook or YouTube page.

* Invest in your staff. Put the money to-wards one of your most important assets -your people. Pay for training courses to helpthem better their existing skills or to learnnew skills. Or reward them for their hardwork with a small bonus or gift. By foster-ing an environment of employee value andappreciation, you’ll likely get back what

you put in.* Start thinking about growth. Have you

been looking for some seed money to pur-chase more property or hire additional staff?

Think about how this money could jumpstart a bigger investment you’ve been wait-ing to make. A little extra capital can go along way when making a larger investmentthat you would have otherwise needed morefinancing for. This money could be justwhat you need to get your loan started.

* Put it away for next year. What if youdon’t receive a tax return next year? Storeyour return away and save it for your 2014taxes, just in case.

“Getting a lump sum of money from a taxreturn is really a unique opportunity to re-

invest in your business,” says Steve Strauss,a small-business specialist and columnist.“The best small-business owners have a fewthings in common, and a main one is this:they know that business opportunities don’tcome along every day, and so when they seeone, they work hard to take advantage of it.This tax season, getting a refund is one ofthose opportunities. Don’t let it go to waste.Be smart with your money and use it strate-gically to grow your business.”

This article is for informational purposesonly. Please consult your tax advisor be-

cause neither Bank of America, its affiliates,nor their employees provide tax advice.

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Calls not getting returned?Prospects telling you your price is too

high?Prospective customers

asking for three bids?Unable to get to the real

decision maker?Do you think you’re theONLY salesperson facingthese issues? Come on, re-ally now?! My bet is everyone of your colleagues hasexactly the same issues. So,eh, why are they reoccur-ring?

Why aren’t your callsgetting returned? Why isyour price continuing to betoo high? Why are you hav-

ing major blockage to getto the decision maker? Huh?Why?

Another bet: there are a few people onyour team who are able to get through.There are a few people on your team thatare able to get their price. But in spite ofthat or them, you go out every day bang-ing your head against the wall and theworld, trying to make your sales and yourquota.

Here’s how to have a better, easier,

more fun, more productive, less frustrat-ing (sound good so far?), more bountiful,and more profitable sales life: Create aninternal sales mastermind.

One of the most powerful principlesNapoleon Hill wrote about in Think andGrow Rich is the ninth step: Power of theMaster Mind. He defines mastermind asa “Coordination of knowledge and effort,in a spirit of harmony, between two ormore people, for the attainment of a defi-nite purpose.”

In other words – people working to-gether in harmony to get to “best answer”or “best response.” In your case: salesbarriers or objections in common.

Take one objection at a time and havesingle subject meetings…

• Everyone has two to five minutes todiscuss their issues and whatever form ofsuccess they have had.

• Everyone takes notes.• No one interrupts.• Everyone has a chance to have two

minutes to share their best idea based on

their homework, their past experience,and what they’ve just learned.

• Everyone takes notes.• No one interrupts.• Each person in the group shares their

personal opinion of what they believe will

work best, either by what they’re doing inthe field, or what they have just learned.

• Everyone takes notes.• No one interrupts.• One or several an-

swers and strategies are

agreed upon, and all par-ticipants agree to try them – and RECORD them asthey’re being executed.

The next mastermindsession (one week later)should begin with “whathappened” in the pastweek…

• Everyone has two tofive minutes to discusstheir application, whathappened, and what form

of success they have had.• Everyone takes notes.

• No one interrupts.• Everyone gives their refinements

based on actual circumstances, applica-tions, and results.

• Final tweaks are offered and agreedupon.

• The entire sales force now has a setof answers they can use.

When applying new strategies in thefield, or on the phone, do them a few

times to get familiar. Depending on yoursituation, and who you’re talking to,wording may be critical. Make certainyour language is positive. Make certainall language is non-manipulative.

For example, if you’re trying to findthe decision maker and you ask, “Are youthe decision maker?” it will breed incon-sistent answers and half truths. But if youask: “How will the decision be made?”followed by asking, “Then what?” a fewtimes, it will bring real results.

Pretty cool, huh?If you wanna make certain to get the

best results, follow these rules and guide-lines:

MASTERMIND GROUND RULES:• A mastermind is NOT a corporate

meeting.• A mastermind is not a politically cor-

rect meeting – it’s wide open.• A mastermind IS a real-world

meeting designed to generate answers inless than 60 minutes – and those answers

are to be taken out into the field, or de-livered over the phone, the same day orsooner.

• A mastermind is all about what CANBE DONE.

• If a member acts like a jackass, toss

them IMMEDIATELY.• Keeping the focus on ONE SUB-

JECT PER MEETING cannot be stressedenough.

• At least three consecutive meetingson each topic.

• Let the laughs flow; the answers andideas will follow.

CHALLENGE: If you have balls, in-vite your CEO to attend your mastermind.He or she will not only be impressed, theywill get to see how their paycheck is cre-ated.

Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of TheSales Bible, Customer Satisfaction isWorthless Customer Loyalty is Priceless,The Little Red Book of Selling, The Little Red Book of Sales Answers, The Little Black Book of Connections, The LittleGold Book of YES! Attitude, The LittleGreen Book of Getting Your Way, The Little Platinum Book of Cha-Ching, The Little Teal Book of Trust, The Little Bookof Leadership, and Social BOOM! Hiswebsite, www.gitomer.com, will lead youto more information about training, semi-nars, and webinars - or email him person-ally at [email protected].

Creating an internal sales mastermind to make more sales

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(BPT) - Some of the latest changes in

technology are making it easier for employ-ees to connect with clients and conduct busi-ness both day and night, which makes it eas-ier for small and medium-sized businesses tocompete against larger companies.

Just a few years ago, unified communica-tions (UC) systems were commonly found inlarge enterprises, however with the growthand wide-spread availability of the Internet,this technology is now becoming a competi-tive edge for small and medium-sized busi-nesses. UC allow employees to interconnectanywhere at any time, helping to increase

productivity and collaboration. From onlinemessaging to Internet protocol telephony (IPtelephony), businesses of all sizes can takeadvantage to connect with clients, partnersand coworkers at all times of the day.

Since 2012, the actual and planned useof UC has risen 54 percent, according to aNovember 2013 poll commissioned by Plan-tronics. The company, in partnership withSpiceworks, released an infographic to visu-ally show the growth in UC product usage.

Two technologies experiencing the greatest

increase are mobile extension integration -which allows a company to connect employ-ee cellphones with the company's landlinefor purposes of forwarding calls when theemployee is on the road, and for identifyingcalls made from the employee's cellphone ashaving come from the company line - andIP telephony - which allows companies toconduct voice, video or fax connections viathe Internet. Companies are also planning toboost the usage of Web and video conferenc-ing, instant messaging with presence andsoftphones - which allow employees to make

telephone calls over the Internet.The use of UC helps remote and mobileemployees to stay connected with headquar-ters and can improve customer service, too,because it makes employees available whencustomers need them.

Plantronics identified the following fivefeatures as necessary parts of a UC systemthat employees will love:

* Unified messaging - All messages fromemail, voicemail, video, text and all otherforms of communication will be gatheredin one inbox, making it easy for employeesto check and review all messaging in one

glance. The phone messages can be accessedwith a mobile Bluetooth headset like theVoyager Legend UC, transcribed for reading,or even forwarded to a colleague.

* Presence - With many workers now onthe road or working remotely, it will be easyfor employees and management to see ifsomeone is available with this feature of UC.

* Integrated conferencing - A blend ofWeb and audio conferencing, integrated con-ferencing allows all employees to participatein meetings, training activities and lectureswithout having to come into the office.

* Instant messaging or chat - All employ-ees can quickly connect and hold a discus-sion about the latest company news with IMor chat capability. These UC tools also allowfor the sharing of video or a desktop screento enhance the communication.

* One-number reach - This system givesclients direct access to employees, improv-ing customer relations. One number is pro-vided to clients. When called, this number isrouted to all the telecommunications devicesselected by the employee, such as their officenumber, mobile number and home phone,

for example. The employee can set it to callall numbers at the same time or sequentially,and if the call is not answered, the systemwill deliver the caller to the employee'svoicemail.

View the full how-to guide at www.plantronics.com/media/smb/how-to-guide/SMB_UnifiedCom.pdf.

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Business Journal June 2014

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