In today’s highly competitive marketplace, no business can survive if it alienates its existing customers through poor customer service. Depending on the industry involved, getting a new customer can cost 5 to 10 times more than keeping an existing customer happy. Keep in mind that every customer lost is a customer gained by the competition. Can your employer afford to aid the competition because of poor customer service skills? Definitely not! So how do you go about keeping customers happy? First of all, you have to be happy yourself. Activity Titles

1. Who is a Customer?
2. Know Your Customers
3. Customer Wants
4. Think Like a Customer
5. Lines
6. Tiresome Waits
7. Service and Satisfaction
8. Serve and Satisfy the Customer
9. Is It Really Service?
10. Market-Driven or Customer-Driven
11. Not Over ‘Til the Fat Lady Sings
12. Make Success Happen
13. A Customer Service Audit
14. Is the Customer Satisfied?
15. Don’t Blame the Competition
16. Set Standards
17. 99.9% or 100%
18. The Company Image
19. A Gold Standard
20. Appearance
21. First Impressions
22. Improve Quality Products
23. Prejudiced Feelings
24. Value the Customer
25. Silk Purses and Sows’ Ears
26. It’s a Jungle Out There
27. Exceed the Customer’s Expectations
28. Surprise the Customer
29. Names
30. Playful Humor
31. Appropriate Humor
32. Know the Customer Personally
33. Bad PR

The sales profession is an important part of the free enterprise system that supports our nation’s economy. It can be a satisfying and financially rewarding occupation that offers unlimited opportunity. Many salespeople are selling goods and service every day, seven days a week. Some salespeople are bad and some are good. If you are entering the sales profession or are already in sales, this section contains a few things you need to know to be an effective seller. Activity Titles

1. The Right Sales Job for You
2. Selling Styles
3. Personality Style Motivation
4. Clues
5. Buying Styles
6. Some Ways People Learn
7. Adjust Your Selling Style
8. Know the Product
9. Believe in Your Product
10. Read
11. Be Green and Educate Yourself
12. Go to School
13. Know the Competition
14. Smell Like a Rose
15. Dress Well
16. Put on Your Face
17. Time Is Money
18. Use Time Wisely
19. You Win Some, You Lose Some

How businesses handle their customer complaints affects their reputation and profits. According to the United States Office of Consumer Affairs, a dissatisfied customer will tell at least nine other people about his or her bad experience. Losing one customer may be a loss of hundreds or thousands of dollars a year. A customer whose complaint is resolved satisfactorily will recommend the business to an average of 15 other people. It pays to satisfy customers. Activity Titles

1. Customer Wants and Don’t Wants
2. Blaming Others
3. Listen Intently
4. Don’t Interrupt
5. Ask, Then Listen
6. Telling the Customer Too Much
7. Irritating or Calming?
8. Spoiling for a Fight
9. Don’t Accuse the Customer
10. May I Help You?
11. Words to Avoid
12. Okay?
13. Empathize, Calm, Make Restitution
14. Give the Customer a Choice
15. Escalation
16. Upset Customers
17. Abusive Customers
18. Dress Rehearsal
19. Stay Emotionally Detached
20. Non-Complainers
21. When to Refuse Service

The interview gives you the opportunity to sell yourself by communicating your personality and qualifications to the interviewer. The impression you make in a job interview determines whether or not you are hired. If you make a good impression, you will increase your chances of being hired. If you make a poor impression, your job application will be filed in the wastepaper basket. Activity Titles

1. When the Company Calls
2. Know the Law
3. Managing Stress
4. What Color is the Interviewer?
5. The Interviewer’s Name
6. Phony or Real?
7. Revealing Yourself
8. Tell It Like It Is
9. Eliminating Yourself
10. Describe Yourself
11. Qualifications Briefly Stated
12. No Rambling Rose
13. Preparing for Stressful Questions
14. Tough Questions
15. Dead Meat Questions
16. Trophy Questions
17. Tired Out Expressions
18. Writing: A Basic Skill
19. Interviewed by a Group

Whew! The interview is over. Now you can sit back and wait for the company to call. Wrong! There is still work to be done to cinch the job. Follow-up is a vital part of the job-seeking process. Activity Titles

1. Job Applications
2. Following Up
3. Creating a Sample Letter
4. The Follow-up Call
5. Keeping Track
6. You Can’t Win Them All
7. Was It My Fault?
8. I Blew It
9. Words to Know
10. The Company’s Expectations
11. A Tour of the Place
12. Safety First
13. A Basis for Wages
14. What Salary Do You Have In Mind?
15. Your Price Tag
16. Pushing for More Pay
17. Negotiating for Benefits
18. A Work-At-Home Job Offer

Athletes must prepare for competitions, performers must prepare for concerts, and job applicants must prepare for interviews. Handling yourself well will help you obtain the job that you desire. Activity Titles

1. Job Etiquette Do’s and Don’ts
2. Making a Checklist
3. Arrive Sober
4. Clothes for the Interview
5. Dress Up or Down?
6. Appropriate Dress
7. Conservative Dress
8. Conservative Dress for Success
9. Dress for Success
10. Go Alone
11. Be Punctual
12. Arrive Early
13. The Early Bird Catches the Worm
14. Burning Your Bridges Behind You

Many people go about job hunting as if they were looking for the worst job stead of the best job. They don’t prepare themselves, they don’t know where to look for work, and they sloppily fill out job applications. They fail to understand that finding a satisfying position with opportunity, benefits and a future is a full-time job in itself. If finding a good job is left up to luck, chances of finding one are pretty slim. No one wants to “beat the bushes” and “pound the streets” looking for work for very long. It is helpful to understand effective and ineffective job hunting methods to minimize the time it takes to find employment. Activity Titles

1. Finding Gold and Striking it Rich
2. Best Job or Worst Job
3. Job Hunting: A Full-Time Job
4. Why So Much Fuss?
5. Effective and Ineffective Job Hunting
6. The Largest Job Market
7. The Job Market of the Future
8. Being Self-Employed
9. Owning Your Own Business
10. Flextime
11. What Is a Network?
12. Networking Skills
13. Talking to a Contact
14. Contacting a Referral in Person
15. Leaving a Good Impression
16. Contacting a Referral by Phone
17. Who Does the Hiring?
18. Reviewing the Facts
19. A Networking Club
20. Reading the Help Wanted Ads
21. Help Wanted Ads
22. No Stone Unturned
23. Uncommon Sources of Information
24. Corporate Personality Styles
25. Do Your Homework
26. Gain an Edge

Looking for employment is hard work! It takes patience and perseverance. Competition is keen because every day hundreds of people with good skills are looking for employment. Some people think that getting a job only involves going into a place of business and filling out an application. Looking for employment involves much more. To gain an edge over the competition requires preparation. Part of this preparation includes:

1. Having a positive attitude
2. Analyzing your weaknesses
3. Setting goals
4. Identifying your interests
5. Making sacrifices
6. Identifying your strengths
7. Brushing up on skills
8. Soliciting a coach
9. Preparing a resume
10. Researching your occupation

1. A Prescription for Unemployment Blues
2. When You Are Feeling Down
3. Mixed Feelings
4. Roller Coaster of Emotions
5. Tightening Your Belt
6. Feelings About Work
7. Attitudes About Work
8. Wear Out or Rust Out
9. An Attitude of Success or Failure
10. Work and School
11. Choosing a Career
12. Taking Control of Your Career
13. Reading: A Basic Skill
14. Like, Ya Know
15. I’m Sorry
16. I Wasn’t Listening
17. Strengths and Weaknesses
18. Analyzing Interests
19. Likes and Dislikes
20. Uniqueness
21. My Skills
22. Identifying Strengths
23. Shooting Yourself in the Foot
24. Blow Your Own Horn
25. Money or Job Satisfaction
26. A Look at Job Satisfaction
27. You Couldn’t Pay Me to Do That!
28. Sacrifices
29. The Night Shift
30. Shift Work
31. Long Hours
32. Are You Willing to Pay the Price?
33. Fired!

There are jobs and there are careers. A job should be a rung on the ladder to a specific career instead of just a way to earn subsistence. Working toward a career gives you a positive, hopeful outlook. It is like a carrot dangling in front of a donkey to keep him going-he keeps running to catch the carrot and hopes to eventually get it. Your carrot is the hope of having established a career by the time you reach the top of the ladder. You do many different jobs on the way up, each one increasing in skill and responsibility. Activity Titles

1. A Career Attitude
2. Shouting Attitude
3. A Winning Attitude
4. It’s No Dream Job
5. Making the Best of Things
6. Self-Motivation
7. What Motivates You?
8. Burned Out
9. Great Expectations
10. Wearing the Company’s Shoes
11. Ideal Employee Qualities
12. A Job Well Done
13. Standards of Excellence
14. Adjusting to the New Environment
15. Start With Humility
16. Unwritten Rules
17. Trying Too Hard
18. An Honest Day’s Work
19. Working Overtime
20. Getting Organized
21. Good Work Habits
22. Remembering to Follow Up
23. Taking Messages
24. Contributing to the Meeting
25. Pros and Cons
26. Increase Your Worth
27. Unsafe Conditions
28. Your Worth
29. Asking for a Raise in Pay
30. Are You Worth a Raise in Pay?

The position of Manager can be divided into two parts: Leadership and the mechanics of getting the job done. Leadership skills shape the behavior and attitudes of the workers. Building team spirit, creating enthusiasm, sharing vision for the future, and developing camaraderie are all leadership skills necessary for building morale and excitement within a group. The mechanics of getting the job done include organizing, planning, providing, coordinating, distributing materials, training, making assignments and meeting deadlines. Activity Titles

1. A Position of Responsibility
2. Too Marvelous for Words
3. Noting Your Leadership Style
4. Leadership Styles that Boomerang
5. Important Criteria
6. Organizing Things
7. Concepts of Time
8. Mismanaging Time
9. Meetings, Meetings, Meetings
10. Bored to Tears
11. Planning a Meeting
12. Making an Agenda
13. Other Points of View
14. Friday Afternoon at 4:00
15. Enjoyable Meetings
16. Conducting a Meeting
17. Skillfully Handling Conflict
18. Reprimands
19. Praise and Encouragement
20. Here’s the Door
21. Employee Gripes
22. Hiring Retired Folks
23. Motivators
24. Motivating Employees
25. Satisfy Personality Style Needs
26. Voice Inflection
27. Evidence of Job Dissatisfaction
28. The Company Owes Me
29. Alarming Facts
30. Employee Theft
31. Whistleblowers

According to Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary, an entrepreneur is “one who organizes, manages, and assumes the risks of a business or enterprise.” An entrepreneur also can be described as someone who is self-employed, creates his/her own earnings and opportunities in the form of a business, contract or freelance work. You’ve probably heard stories of someone starting a business and becoming filthy rich. These stories are exceptional cases, not the norm. Starting up a business and making it a success is hard work. It usually takes three to five years before a business reaches cruising speed. The business owner works like a dog before this happens. Not everyone is suited for self-employment. Some people are happy working for others. They don’t have to worry about the responsibilities of business ownership and all that goes with it. They are perfectly satisfied to let someone else deal with the stress. Those who like being their own bosses prefer the freedom of working at their own pace and making their own decisions. They find risk exciting and challenging. What is your preference? Do you have the right stuff to be your own boss? Do you think it would be easy to work for yourself? Activity Titles

1. Are You Orange Enough?
2. Are You Gold and Green Enough?
3. Dream Chasers
4. Weigh the Good and the Bad
5. Bad Breaks
6. From the Horse’s Mouth
7. Freedom or Bondage
8. Motives for Going Into Business
9. In the Right Business
10. Get Rid of Self-Doubts
11. Entrepreneurial Spirit
12. Business Terms
13. The Product’s Future
14. Research and Prepare
15. A Trip to the Library
16. A Prototype
17. Test the Water
18. A Business Plan
19. Pricing
20. Deception Doesn’t Pay
21. Recordkeeping
22. Play It Safe
23. Protected by Laws
24. Find Capital
25. Where to Find Money
26. Setting Up Shop
27. Make a Trade
28. Money Grows on Trees
29. Working Out of Your Home
30. Incubators
31. Expenses of Hiring
32. Effective Personnel Management
33. A Target Market
34. Advertising is an Investment
35. Create Publicity
36. Promoting Your Business
37. Global Marketing
38. Personality Styles of Countries
39. Repetition in Advertising
40. Indirect Advertising
41. Reach the Target Market
42. Golden Arches to Golden Crowns
43. Buying an Existing Business
44. Failing Businesses
45. Rescue a Sinking Business
46. Taking Stock – Failures

Selling effectively is the art of persuasion and helping customers get what they want. Selling skills incorporate many techniques that must be practiced and experimented with until they become fined tuned. Below are some basic selling strategies for effective selling. * Get revved up. * Assume the customer will buy. * Never prejudge a customer. * Develop rapport with the customer. * Establish eye contact. * Listen to the customer and do less talking. * Develop a sales pitch. * Ask questions that require a “yes” answer. * Use credentials and testimonials. * Give good service. * Give free samples. * Prepare for customer objections. * Fearlessly close the sale. * Never annoy or embarrass the customer. * Observe the customer’s body language. * Be careful of hand gestures. * Be persistent. * Use simple language. Activity Titles

1. Establish Rapport
2. Listening Techniques
3. Show Empathy
4. Accept Hospitality
5. The Customer Is a Person
6. Get Revved Up
7. Put Your Heart Into It
8. Confidence
9. Making Appointments
10. Rev Up The Customer
11. Use the Five Senses
12. The Customer’s Eyes
13. Walking and Sitting
14. Hand Gestures
15. Good Eye Contact
16. How Do You Sound?
17. Mirroring Body Language
18. Good Timing
19. Be Perceptive
20. Too Much Information
21. Customer Wants and Needs
22. Create a Desire
23. Be a Good Neighbor
24. Over Promising
25. Why a Sales Script?
26. A Sales Script Outline
27. Opening Lines
28. Use Metaphors
29. Close the Sale
30. The Power of a Good Joke
31. Magical Words
32. Rehearse Your Sales Pitch
33. Visualize the Sale
34. Customer Objections
35. The Customer Objects
36. The Real Objection
37. Quickly Fix the Problem
38. The-price-is-too-high Trap
39. Accepting “No” for an Answer
40. Objection Logs
41. Empathize
42. In the Face of Fear
43. Hook the Customer
44. Watch for Signs
45. Know When to Fold
46. Facial Expressions
47. Assume the Customer Will Buy
48. Recommend
49. Review the Benefits
50. Never Do
51. Closing Too Early

You probably spend more time with the people you work with than you do with your family. Since you spend eight or more hours a day with your coworkers, it is best to have good relationships with them. You want to be able to get along with everyone you work with regardless of his personality type. You also want to establish a good reputation for yourself. In order to accomplish all of this it is helpful to understand personality styles and out-of-esteem behavior to know how to handle difficult individuals. It is also helpful to understand some ethical and unethical office practices. Activity Titles

1. Out of Esteem
2. Work for the Boss, Not Against Him
3. How to Please the Boss
4. What to Expect from the Boss
5. A Difficult Boss
6. Varieties of Bosses
7. Building Relationships
8. Communicating With Others
9. Offending Another Personality
10. Conflict at Work
11. Ethical Office Politics
12. Good Office Politics
13. Listen to the Company Grapevine
14. Bad Office Politics
15. Prejudice and Discrimination
16. New “Friends” at the Office
17. Dirty Office Politics
18. Romance in the Office