7 Ways to Retain Your Best Clients

7 Ways to Retain Your Best Clients 7 Ways to Retain Your Best Clients Without a doubt, it is much more expensive and time-consuming to landseek out new business clients compared to generating new business with your existing clients. Thats why it is so important to your consulting practice to nurture your existing relationships and retain your best clients. By focusing on your best clients, youll increase the value of your services in the eyes of the client and enkoranvers future projects will come your way.Here are a few simple rules of thumb to follow that will help retain your clients1. Understand your clients needs While you may have a wide range of skills and offer a variety of consulting services, it is most likely that your client doesnt need them all. It is critical that you understand your clients goals and deliver only those services that will help achieve those goals. Never oversell. The client will soon realize that the ancillary services you may offer arent impacting the bottom line and may ultimately jeopardize your relationship.2. Set expectations and layout deliverablesIn your proposal, be sure that you clearly describe your services and how they will be delivered. It is critical that you set expectations up front and the client understands exactly what and how you will provide your services. At the end of the day, it is imperative that the client sees progress towards the end goal. And, it is important that you document and report your progress. If there are tangible, measurable objectives, document the numbers.3. Never overpromise, over deliver insteadA bad mistake for a consultant is to make a promise and not keep it. Once youve created doubt in the mind of the client, it is difficult to regain that trust. Its best to keep your deliverables realistic and deliver more than expected. Your client will appreciate your effort to go above and beyond.4. Tie service to the bottom lineBusiness is all about profitability, and like yourself, your client wants to see his/her profits grow. One way to increase profits is to reduce costs, and eliminating your consulting fee might be an approach your client may consider at some point. Thats why it is critical to document how your contribution is positively impacting the bottom line. If you can demonstrate how your service is helping to improve profitability, your client will be more likely to look at cost cutting measures elsewhere. Document and report whenever possible.5. Provide added valueAlways go out of your way to provide more value by going beyond your scope of service. Send a market report you ran across or an article that you know your client will be interested in, even if it pertains to your clients personal vs. business interests. Your efforts will be greatly appreciated and your client will feel he is getting a bigger bang for the buck.6. Build relationships with several employeesWhenever possible, build relationships with others who work with your client. If others can see the value you bring to the table, they are more likely to encourage your client to keep your services and perhaps even request your services as well. If your client changes position or leaves the company, youll have a better chance at keeping the business.7. No surprisesStay organized and focused on your plan. Let there be no surprises like missing a deadline or overrunning a budget. Be prepared for the unexpected, but the more you can keep chaos out of the picture, the more valuable you will be to your client.Tom Ricci is an independent writer.It is critical that you understand your clients goals and deliver only those services that will help achieve those goals.

Why being a temp worker would be a great career move

Why being a temp worker would be a great career moveWhy being a temp worker would be a great career moveTemporary work offers mora than just a way to get by during your search for a full-time position. With the right approach, temporary employment can be a smart career move that gives you, the job seeker, a competitive edge in todays market.Taking an interim role prepares you for entering or returning to the workforce. As a temporary worker, you have the opportunity to size up various employers in different industries to see what best suits your work style and career goals. At the same time, youll be expanding your professional network, honing your skills and adding to your resume - all while receiving a competitive salary. You may even qualify for employee benefits from the staffing agency that places you.In addition, it could put you in the running for a full-time job. Increasingly, managers looking to staff a full-time position are adopting a temp-to-hire strategy - essentiall y, a vetting process. It gives them more time to be sure someone has the necessary skills and will be a good fit with the workplace culture before committing to a formal job offer.Who should pursue temporary assignments?Temporary assignments are ideal for recent grads and those who are changing careers. Once youre on the job, you can start building the work experience that will make you more attractive to future employers.If youve off-ramped for a while to care for a young child or elderly parent, short-term assignments are also a good way to get your career back on track. Temporary work lets you catchup on the latest office technology and software, while you explore your options.How can I get the most out of temporary work?Here are four ways to maximize your experience1. Treat it like a full-time job from day one. Whether the assignment is for one week or an entire year, give it your all. Dress professionally, mind your cubicle etiquette and contribute during meetings. Your goal is to have the company view you as a valuable team member. If a supervisor is suitably impressed, then youve made a greatprofessional contact.2. Step out of your comfort zone. Temporary work gives you a chance to try a variety of assignments and experience industries you may not have otherwise considered. By being exposed to different workplaces, youll broaden your knowledge and may discover a hidden passion. Talk to a specialized recruiter about being placed in a role where you can put your skills to best use and stretch yourself.3. Take advantage of training. Both your staffing firm and temporary employer may offer courses, workshops and seminars. Dont miss these free opportunities to upgrade your technical and interpersonal skills. You want to finish your temporary assignment better trained and with more professional experience in your field than when you started.4. Add each assignment to your resume. Contrary to persistent myth, employers do recognize and appreciate the value of t emporary positions. Just take care your resume doesnt present you as a serial job hopper. Instead, list the staffing agency as your employer, including details about each assignment as bullet points, and dazzle employers with your temporary work experience.A final tip If you are offered a full-time role at the end of your assignment, make sure its a comfortable fit before you accept. Youll know quick enough whether the salary, benefits and job responsibilities are acceptable. Organizational culture, the key to a workers on-the-job happiness, is more difficult to assess until youve spent time in a workplace. Interim work gives you that enviable opportunity to evaluate your interest in a job and the work environment before committing to full-time employment.Michael Steinitz is the executive director of Accountemps and is based in Washington, D.C.Accountemps, aRobert Halfcompany, hasresources, including job search services and the companysblog, can be found atroberthalf.com/accountemps .

Customize this Outstanding Sample Help Desk Resume 1 Sample

Customize this Outstanding Sample Help Desk Resume 1 SampleCustomize this Outstanding Sample Help Desk Resume 1 SampleCreate Resume Emailricharddomain.comOBJECTIVETo obtain a help desk internship with Techies Corporation in order to utilize my motivation and skills.Experience troubleshooting and maintaining PC and desktop applications as a Computer Lab MonitorExperience using customer service skills in a business setting as a Customer Service InternSecond-year computer science major with general understanding of PCs, desktop applications and computer/network architectureEDUCATIONBachelor of Arts, Computer ScienceBoston College March, 2003 3.76 G.P.A. Boston, MAHonors Deans List seven quarters Recipient of 2000-2001 scholarship award based on academic performance and computer science potentialCourse Highlights Introduction to Computer Architecture, Introduction to NetworkingRELEVANT EXPERIENCEComputer Lab Monitor January, 2000 PresentBoston CollegeAssist students with PC and desktop application issuesRegularly perform hardware and software maintenanceFacilitate a weekly one-hour seminar on how to use Microsoft Office applicationsParticipate in special computer lab projects when applicableCustomer Service Intern June, 2000 August, 2000ABC BankAssisted bank customers with account issues using ABC Banks PC-based computer systemSuggested and promoted additional bank services to customersAttended weekly group and department meetings and shared status updatesCOLLEGIATE ACTIVITIESMember Computer Science Student Society 1999 PresentWORK EXPERIENCESales Associate The Gap, Boston September, 1999 PresentCustomize ResumeHelp Desk Resume Questions1. Whats the best resume template to use for a help desk resume?The best resume template is one that provides you with an easy way to input customized information into all sections of your document and has all the formatting built in. ur help desk resume sample is an excellent template that allows you to focus on great content without worrying about leaving something out. You can also use our resume builder to make the whole process even more effortless.2. Whats the best way to list certifications on your help desk resume?When it comes to seeking work as a help desk technician, certifications can increase your likelihood of landing the job. Therefore, its important to list them if you have them. One way to do this is to include them in the education section of your resume, under any degrees and coursework. Simply give the certification and the date you received it.Another option is to work certifications into your skills and qualifications list. For example, Cisco Certified Network Professional communicates a certification well. See our help desk resume sample for additional tips.3. How do you list education on a help desk resume?For your education section, its best to list your highest degree first. For example, if you earned a bachelors degree in computer science and a separate associate degree in elect rical engineering, list the bachelors degree first. (If your associate degree counted as work toward your bachelors degree in the same field, you can just list the bachelors degree.)Include the name of the degree and field of study, the educational institution where you earned it, and the year you graduated. Our help desk resume sample 1 shows how you can add GPA or honors if you are a recent graduate or if you feel like these are particularly relevant, but these are optional.4. What should you include about your accomplishments on your help desk resume?Your accomplishments are what make you shine as a candidate, so showcase them in your document. A great way to do this is to insert metrics whenever possible. For example, on our help desk resume sample 3, the candidate mentions 20 years of experience in customer service and four years of experience working in a help desk environment. This is likely to give a recruiter confidence in the job applicants experience more than if the resu me only said experienced in customer service. You can add metrics to your job experience section as well.5. How do you list references on a help desk resume?In the past, references were commonly given at the bottom of a resume. However, now they are generally left off. You should certainly have references you can provide the recruiter with if asked. (Remember to get permission from your references before giving out their contact information.) An exception is if the job posting specifically requests that you include references. In this case, add your references to a section at the bottom of your document.In our help desk resume sample 2, the candidate has the statement Letters of recommendation available upon request in a section with further information. This is an appropriate option in some cases.

How to Spot an ATS - Applicant Tracking Systems

How to Spot an ATS - Applicant Tracking Systems How to Spot an ATS - Applicant Tracking Systems Savvy job landseekers know that their first step to getting an interview is optimizing their resume for applicant tracking systems, or ATS.Hiring managers are inundated with job applications for any online job listing. For many companies, ATS is a necessity that makes it possible to easily collect and filter large numbers of applicants.Read more What is an applicant tracking system?That convenience comes with a price highly qualified candidates are at risk of being filtered out sight unseen. Job seekers who understand ATS and how to strategicallyadd keywords to their resume have a better chance of keeping themselves in play and landing an interview.The first step to beating the system is knowing when youre in one.Here are 4 things that can help you spot an ATSOnline FormsSome systems try to automatically parse your resume into searchable fields. Others will ask you to do it for them.You ca n be koranvers youre in an ATSwhen youre filling out text fields in an online form. Each field contributes to a report that a hiring manager or recruiter can use to search or filter their applicants.An ATS that instructs you to type your info, including your resume, into text fields.Not all online job listings are part of an ATS. For example, some job postings simply instruct you to send your resume to an email address. That will likely be reviewed by an actual person.Easy ApplyJob boards will direct you to any number of external ATS, but many of these sites double as their own. For example, anything marked Easy Apply on LinkedIn or Glassdoor will begin your application within their own ATS.Company Size98% of Fortune 500 companies rely on ATS. The larger the company, the higher your chances of encountering an ATS. Larger companies are more likely tohave a dedicated HR department and the need for hiring softwarebe filling multiple job openings at oncebe on the radar of more job seeke rsneed help proving compliance for government regulations like EEOCCompanies with fewer than 50 employees are less likely to see ATS as a necessity.Get an idea of company size and resources by looking them up on Glassdoor or LinkedIn.That said, a small company could be working with a recruiter. Most recruiters especially recruiting agencies use ATS. If a job posting mentions our client instead of a company name or the company who authored the job posting doesnt match the company discussed in the job description, you know youre dealing with a recruiter.URLThe job listing or application URL is one of the easiest ways to spot a specific ATS.For example, if youre looking for a corporate marketing job at Starbucks, youll navigate through Starbucks careers website to starbucks.com/careers/corporate-careers/marketingYoure still on the Starbucks website, but once you click a link for one of their job categories youre redirected to a new website starbucks.taleo.net/careersection/1000222/job search.ftl?lang=enLOCATION=200000194CATEGORY=200000027src=CWS-11700Based on the URL, you know that Starbucks uses Taleo, the most popular system out there. Some other top ATSJobviteiCimsGreenhouseBambooHRRecognizing an ATS is the first step in beating it. Scanning your resume with Jobscan helps you create a resume that can get through popular applicant tracking systems. Jobscan users can even enter the name of the ATS into their Match Report to get specific tips that increase their chances of an interview.One of the Taleo-specific tips available in the Jobscan Match Report.ATS are easy to spot once you know what youre looking for. When you see one, craft a strategic ATS resume.Learn more about ATSWhat is an Applicant Tracking System?Taleo 4 Ways the Most Popular ATS Ranks Your Resume

Things You Wont Like About I Need a Resu.me and Things You Will

Things You Wont Like About I Need a Resu.me and Things You Will The Nuiances of I Need a Resu.me There are a lot of things that you ought to know about the corporation. The first thing which you will want to think about is how your resume will look. If its a quick list you may actually have some experience gaps that isnt likely to work in any situation. If youre thinking about how to create a resume, youre in the correct distributions-mix As you go to compose your resume, the first thing youre likely going to run into are a couple of experience gaps. There are lots of possibilities to get involved with work areas one may be interested in for the future, but which arent advertised. Be certain to highlight people skills and that you understand how to close a deal. Spend a while in the great world of resume writing, and you will see that its a far more intricate place than most men and women realize. I Need a Resu.me Features Something that you truly want to be on the lookou t for is the dreaded resume gap. There are a couple things which you will have to remember if you are going to create a decent resume. The absolute most important thing here is to select a font which not only appears good, but is actually readable. The last check is extremely important Number 2, locate a way to be noticed. A resume doesnt need to be boring. Ask yourself how you wish to be remembered. You may choose to figure out how. A functional resume is a superb means to prove to a possible employer that youve got the abilities and experience needed to do the job. Possessing a strong resume will enable you find quite a few great jobs. The resume template you pick is largely based on your own personal preference and the impression you wish to give to hiring managers. It is essential that anything which you put on your resume is related to the job for which youre applying. A superior first place to search for help is online job search websites such as career builder or monster.com. Cost-free resumeexamples and sample resumes can be found in every employment niche possible and you may view dozens of certain examples free of charge. They are available in every employment niche imaginable and you can view dozens of specific examples for free so you can improve your resumeand have greater success getting hired. Possessing a crystal clear and professional resume is essential in the medical field. There are lots of techniques you can readily utilize to have businesses to grab the telephone and phone you straight away. Understanding how to tailor your resume will obviously provide you an advantage. The majority of the books out there have excellent strategies and advice that is going to be quite helpful your resume development efforts. Last, you might want to look at including a third paragraph that ties up everything. The very first thing of course being that you must create a good titel letter. There are a lot of steps that youll need to tak e if you prefer to execute effective resume writing. To get the business done, they may reject resumes which are too long or are missing a cover letter. The Secret to I Need a Resu.me A skills summary is significant because the recruiter is going to have a couple minutes to analyze your resume, hence the skills section must capture his attention. Writing a strong application is a challenging procedure and we would like to make it simpler. Not only are you able to learn to increase your interview skills, you might also learn more on the topic of hot careers. You can also locate help distributing resumes. Top I Need a Resu.me Choices There are instances when you reach a plateau and will need to modify your career path if youre to accomplish your dreams. You also have to speak about past experience. Something to note if youre an older worker is that you will need to be sure you list your newest experience first. As with any other portion of the body, the brain also has bloo d vessels that may tear and bleed. I Need a Resu.me Secrets That No One Else Knows About On-line job search sites have numerous sources that you are able to use for your career search. There are lots of places where it is possible to see what a Functional Resume Format looks like, for example, site given below. When youre finished, youll want to find the resume out of Google Docs. If you believe you require a template and dont wish to pay 30 or 40 bucks for it, then just visit the library.

The Define Resume Writing Cover Up

The Define Resume Writing Cover Up A Secret Weapon for Define Resume Writing Hiring managers only devote a couple of seconds looking at your resume so you would like to make sure your resume is neatly organized. My purpose is to find the job. Be certain to tailor your resume to the particular industry or job type that you are looking for. 1 advantage for employers to internet resumes is the substantial cost saving in contrast to traditional hiring methods. Want to Know More About Define Resume Writing? A lot of people feel overwhelmed at the thought of writing their resume. If youre fighting to think of any, you can attempt utilizing the job descriptions of ads inside your industry, and looking at LinkedIn profiles of individuals working in similar roles. Experience is provided in a style that will show knowledge in the area of consumer assistance, without giving a complete work history. Your professional experience has become the most important portion of your resume. Empl oying action verbs in resume writing is as simple as any other type of writing, so long as you know what things to include and what things to look for. If youve got many abilities, the previous skill paragraph may be called Additional Skills. Learn about the three kinds of skills you may highlight and the way it is possible to incorporate them into your resume. On occasion the Skills and Accomplishments section is an individual section. The Ultimate Strategy for Define Resume Writing Resume objectives can be a little controversial. When youve reviewed resumes in your field, peruse resumes across fields to learn how to vary using action verbs and receive a feel for what makes an effective accomplishment statement. Your verbs ought to be active and strong, and your adjectives should help to strengthen the value of your prior job roles. Utilizing action verbs and active voice makes a big difference in your resume, therefore its well worth the additional effort. The Principles of Define Resume Writing You Can Learn From Starting Right Away In times past, the objective section proved to be a conventional choice in most resumes. In some instances, folks ask for skilled help when assembling a resume. These templates will allow you to compose a combination resume from scratch. Each resume format has their own platzset of benefits and disadvantages for various kinds of job seekers, so make sure to select wisely. Alas, many job seekers become overwhelmed before they even begin. On the flip side, the moment the work applicant has strong experience, there isnt any need to require the academic training any longer and it doesnt need to get mentioned. Its also important to think about the type of work you really are interested in being hired to do. If its a previous job be sure to write your bullets in past tense. The Lost Secret of Define Resume Writing Below, you will locate a list of resume examples that may assist you with your work search. One of the absolute most important and intimidating actions in the work search method is writing a solid resume that gets the attention you need and need. Strong resumes dont need to be lengthy. The Advantages of Define Resume Writing The fitting important phrases have to be utilized in formulating the curriculum vitae. The absolute most important skill for the job which you are applying to should go first. You also ought to touch on the skills you possess, but you wish to chat about how you are going to use them. It is better to list your abilities and achievements in bullet points.

5 Green Technologies the U.S. Has Not Adopted

5 Green Technologies the U.S. Has Not Adopted 5 Green Technologies the U.S. Has Not Adopted 5 Green Technologies the U.S. Has Not AdoptedThere are more roofs lined with solar panels than ever before, more electric cars driving our roads than ever before, and more wind turbines powering our grid than ever before. At the large scale, American technology gets greener every year and holds its own when compared to other countries. But when it comes to smaller advancements, at the individual, household, and municipal level, many eco-friendly technologies that have blossomed overseas have yet to take hold in the U.S. Here we examine five that could thrive in the U.S. with the support of the people and the powers that be.1) ThermosiphonsTravel China by rail or road and youll see, on roofs in every city and village, a series of parallel pipes angled toward the sky with a cylindrical water tank sitting on top. These ubiquitous thermosiphons provide hot water to the residents below, at virtuall y no cost beyond the initial outlay and the initial outlay isnt much. They werent uncommon here, once upon a time. Around 1900, the U.S. actually had a huge industry of thermosiphon hot water systems in houses, says Dan Fink, a renewable energy instructor at the Ecotech Institute. But that was before electrification and before gas was discovered in California. Now, with interest in sustainable power on the rise, people are turning to photovoltaics before thermal heating, partly because Thermosiphons are less efficient in cold climates (though with glycol they can still work), and partly because bedrngnis all roofs can support a water tank. But thermosiphons have many advantages they dont need batteries, they keep working when the power goes down, and they start paying you back a lot sooner.Thermosiphon units in Weihai, Shandong province, China. ruf Wikimedia Commons2) Cogeneration UnitsThe modern human depends on electricity to be sure, but heat continues to be a basic necessity as well. So it seems a bit odd that our power stations send the heat they produce up the smokestack. Now, thanks to the low price of natural gas, you can make your own electricity and keep the heat too, with a micro-cogeneration unit. More than a hundred thousand homes are using them in Japan. Instead of wasting heat, you use it as preheating for your house, says Joshua Pearce, a professor at Michigan Techs Open Sustainability Technology Lab. Efficiencies can get really high, over 85 percent. Its a very nice, elegant technology. The U.S. has yet to adopt them on the household scale largely because no one has heard of them, but also because of the low cost of fossil fuels. For those pioneers wanting to reduce their footprint, or go off the grid, ponying up for a system is a no-brainer.Jetson Adventure electric mountain bike. Image Jetson Electric Bikes3) Electric BikesIt wasnt so long ago that in any Asian city, great or small, dawn brought the buzzing. The noise of gas-powered scooters filled all waking hours with their unique form of noise pollution. Now things have changed. The scooters are silentand electric. In China alone there are more than 200 million electric bikes, while in North American theres a mere 125,000. Their popularity in the East has less to do with the relative quiet they offer and more to do with cost. For a bike, electricity is cheaper than gas. The fact that there are no emissions is a side benefit. So why is the U.S. lagging? In China the priority is efficiency, says Josh Sultan, CEO of Jetson Electric Bikes. They dont mind how it looks. Its more about how it functions. Sultan founded his company to try to bring western aesthetics to the electric bike. By appealing to the American sense of cool, Jetson, and companies like it, may quietly save the planet, one bike at a time.4) Virtual Power PlantsAs renewable energy sources proliferate, so do questions about how to handle them. What do you do when the wind doesnt blow and the sun doesnt shi ne? What do you do when they provide an excess of energy? The answer is the virtual power plant. If you have 100 one megawatt plants out therewind turbines, or biomass plantswhen you add them up it looks like one 100-megawatt plant to the grid, says Doug Taylor, vice president of industry solutions for Europe for AutoGrid. It allows them to be operated in concert, to act like one large plant. Taking advantage of todays interconnectivity, Autogrid can track and control both the sources of electricity and where it goes, in real time. If theres a large industrial water pump that needs to fill a tank over an extended period, or an electric car that can be charged in three hours anytime during the night, a virtual plant can modulate them so they get their electricity when its most healthy for the grid. Why havent virtual power plants taken off in the U.S.? Regulations take part of the blame. But the biggest reason is that we simply dont have enough renewables on line.5) Seawater FlushWat er-challenged areas of the U.S. go through considerable expense to offer residents clean drinking water. Then that same drinking water is used to flush away bodily waste. Few things upset me more than the use of quality drinking water to flush toilets, says artist, designer, and futurist Pablo Solomon. Other parts of the world with scarce fresh water do things differently. Eighty percent of the population in Hong Kong flushes its toilets with salt water. Doing so not only saves water, its better for seestreitkraft life at the disposal end of the stream. Of course, it also requires an entirely separate plumbing system. The big problem here is that retrofitting and setting up the seawater-specific waste-processing plants is both expensive and can be a nightmare in terms of getting permits, studies, meeting regulations, dealing with the establishment politics, et cetera, says Solomon. But new developments on either coast could easily take advantage of the plentiful salty stuff.Michael Abrams is an independent writer. For Further Discussion If you have 100 one-megawatt plants out therewind turbines, or biomass plantswhen you add them up it looks like one 100 megawatt plant to the grid. Doug Taylor, AutoGrid

No room at the bar

No room at the barNo room at the barIf endurance were the measure of ones fitness to practice law, then Robert Bowman would seem to be a solid candidate for the bar. As The New York Times recounts, all Bowman ever wanted to be was a lawyer, and it seems hes spent a good part of his life trying to do just thatovercoming a difficult childhood, ten years of college, four years of law school, two debilitating accidents and three unsuccessful attempts to pass the New York State bar exam. Having finally passed on his fourth try, Bowman was interviewed and recommended for admission to the bar by the Committee on Character and Fitnessonly to be deemed unfit by a panel of appellate judges based on the size of his student loan debt.To be fair, the judges decision was leid based solely on the extent of Bowmans debt (some $430,000, including penalties), but also on the fact that, over the last two decades, hes not made a single payment to reduce it.Nevertheless, as Elie Mystal observes in an ATL post Bowman has racked up all of this debt in order to become an attorney how does he have any chance of paying back the money if he is not allowed to become an attorney? Apparently thats not the courts concern.One might question the judgment of someone whos so determined to become a lawyer that he sits through the bar exam four times and racks up hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt, but is that really a fair, or consistent, way to measure a persons character and general fitness requisite for an attorney and counselor-at-law? After all, as the Times notes, New Yorks courts have overlooked misconduct like lawyers solicitation of minors for sex, efforts to deceive judges and possession of cocaine. Those instances have led merely to temporary suspensions from practice.Why not give Bowman the same shot to be a bad lawyer?- posted by vera

What Low-Hanging Fruit Means in Business

What Low-Hanging Fruit Means in BusinessWhat Low-Hanging Fruit Means in BusinessThe parole low-hanging fruitrefers toeasy-to-accomplish tasks or easy-to-solve problems in a particular situation. Itsa clich often uttered in business tischumgebungs that are widely used and occasionally abused. Tasks described as low-hanging fruit are inconsequential to the larger challenges. Much like the easy but low priority items on your to-do list, they mightbe quick for you to dispatch but relatively insignificant given your larger challenges. And just as time management experts suggest, focusing on the most important priorities will yield the best results. Business professionals should avoid preoccupying on what they deem as low-hanging fruit. The Original Meaning of Low-Hanging Fruit The phrase low-hanging fruit references the sweet, easy-to-reach fruit at the lower end of a trees branches. Orchard workers and homeowners appreciate the ease with which this fruit can be picked, in contrast to the effort required to reach the fruit found higher in the tree. Low-Hanging Fruit in Business Some of the goals you set for your organization will be easier to achieve than others. For example, ifyouve completed acustomer satisfaction survey thatshowed that customers are dissatisfiedwith your telephone support service, you might set a number of goals designed to fix the areas they critiqued. You might set one goal to answer all incoming calls within a certain period of time, and another goal might be to resolve ninety-percent ofcustomer support issues on the first call. The first goalis considerably easier to achieve.Improving the time-to-answer can bemanagedquickly by hiring more telephone representatives and buying any necessaryadditional equipment. Of course, adding staff and equipment requires access to capital, but this goal would still beconsidered the low-hanging fruit. The second goal is more challenging than the first, potentially requiring you to increase the technic al know-how of the customer service representatives as part of improving the overall customer experience. It involves employee evaluation, training, potentially eliminating some workers and hiring new ones, and a variety of other activities. Value in Low Hanging Fruit The low-hanging fruit is tempting, easily remedied, but potentially significantly less valuable than these latter, more challenging issues. Other examples of low-hanging fruit might include Customers who regularly re-order a product, requiring little more than an occasional reminder call from a schlussverkauf representative.Quality defects in manufacturing that are easily identified and repaired.Boosting employee morale through positive feedback and recognition.Remedying performance problems with constructive feedback.Satisfying a customer by accommodating a return request.Casual employee goal setting where the goals do not directly tie to the firms strategies.Process improvement initiatives where the simpler proce sses are attacked and improved before more complicated processes are evaluated. Ideally, those items we designate as low-hanging fruit are easily handled in the normal course of business by all associates. However, when we simplify our goals to focus on these simple items, we are potentially short-changing the firm. Remember great time management much like goal achievement focuses on the big priority items. Goal Selection and Low-Hanging Fruit Goals shouldntbe selected and pursued because theyreeasy. They should beprioritized in terms of overall importance toward achieving theorganizational strategy. Proper goal establishment includes linking the goals to key strategic priorities and building the mechanism for measuring and monitoring performance. If the goal does not directly connect to a firms key strategy, it likely should not be pursued. Low-Hanging Fruit Beyond Goals Low-hanging fruit doesnt only refer to goals. It can also refer to targets. Sales professionals will te ll you that its easier to get an existing customer to buy more than it is to gaina new customer. Some salespeople targetrepeat sales to existing customers because they consider themto be low-hanging fruit. However, if a firms overall health is predicated upon regularly capturing new customers, preoccupying on this easy-to-access business can be dangerous. Astute sales managers will ensure that their representatives strive for an appropriate balance of the low-hanging fruit with repeat customers and hard-to-reach fruit with new customers. The Bottom Line Beware the easiest goals. While the low-hanging fruit may be tempting, the true rewards oftencome from climbing higher and stretching for the real treasure in the higher branches. Updated by Art Petty