Spring Schedule for the No Frills No Fluff Management Skills Program is here! Sessions start on May 1, 2009. Register today before these popular sessions fill up!

The Assessment Guru Hour is Now Offered Quarterly: Join us on February 25 at 8:30am (EST) for the Q1 session. This quarterly one-hour conference call is offered to all J.Ferm assessment-buying clients. It is a great opportunity for assessment users to ask questions of various "gurus" about how to launch, implement, and maximize the use of assessments within organizations. To join or to learn more about producing organizational ROI using assessments, email us.

You've heard that using social networking groups is a "must do" for business and personal reasons. So where do you start? These quick tips and resources will help you get started:

Twitter: A free social networking and micro-blogging service that allows its users to send and read other users' updates (otherwise known as tweets), which are text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length.
Do: Post messages with useful information and resources that position you as an expert in a specific field.
Don't: Use Twitter to list trivial information like what you are eating for dinner or what you are wearing. People who follow you are looking for your expertise, ideas, and thoughts. For "what not to do," read this blog (which I received from a "Twitter" I am following). Our Twitter name is: @jferm

LinkedIn: A business-oriented social networking site mainly used for professional networking.
Do: Create a professional profile and invite business colleagues and clients. It is a great way to keep your information organized and updated.
Don't: Invite random people to link with you and make sure you are selective when asking for testimonials. Click on the link to connect to my LinkedIn profile.

Facebook: A popular social networking website where users can join networks organized by city, workplace, school, and region to connect and interact with other people.
Do: Connect with friends and colleagues but be careful about what you post. Remember that everything posted (including pictures of yourself on spring break in 1982) can be retrieved online. Forever. If you haven't heard about Wayback Machine, check it out. This site tracks and stores website content from 1996 to date of almost everything posted online (even when you think you have deleted it).
Don't: Assume that Facebook can substitute for a professional site like LinkedIn. Some clients and prospects want to keep things professional rather than personal. Inviting them can cause unnecessary discomforts. So, if you are interested in connecting with me, LinkedIn is the way to go unless you are a long-lost childhood friend looking to reconnect, in which case send me a Facebook invite!

If you are unsure of where to start or what the best strategy is for you, send us an email at: jessika@jferm.com.

4 Tips for Moving You and Your Clients from "Surviving to Thriving" During Challenging Times

As the news and media bombard us with negative information about the economic climate and the doom of big business, it is all too easy to let fear lead the way. While we may be seeing the end of mega stores popping up like mushrooms, these challenging times can be exciting for entrepreneurs and business owners who are determined to find ways to thrive in the new environment.

These tips will help you stay on track and focus on positive strategies and outcomes:

1. Identify three industries, markets, or countries that are thriving at the moment. Even during the most challenging times, someone someplace has figured out how to take advantage of the situation. Once identified, list three ways that your product or service can assist, benefit, or add value. Lastly, create a marketing strategy to tap into that industry or market and move into action.
2. Create proactive proposals to current clients sharing that you know how to help them thrive. When things are good, clients and prospects are more likely to be proactive in getting help. In a challenging economy, you must take charge. Research exactly how this economy hurts them and how specifically if affects their particular niche. Then, prepare proposals that demonstrate what you know about their current business state, challenges, and opportunities. Create a proposed plan showing how, with your help, product, or services, the client/prospect will be able to move out of "fear-mode" and into "strategic-growth mode."
3. Offer free advice and expertise. During challenging times, the gift of free advice and expertise can make the difference between keeping and losing the relationship. Great examples of "free expertise" include: complimentary consultations or seminars that offer information valuable to your clients and prospects, free tips and tools that give your clients and prospects new information (online resources are great), articles and books that address specific business challenges. Remember not to "sell" your expertise. Offer it freely without strings attached.
4. Keep a "Positive Mojo" file with information about trends and ideas that help your clients/prospects stay energized. While we may be fascinated by catastrophic events or doom and gloom news, most of us prefer positive information and hope that we won't be affected. Clients/prospects look to us to help them solve problems and offer solutions, not harp on how bad things are or will get. Keep a "positive mojo" file and periodically share positive information with clients and prospects. You will be viewed as a resource and a positive business partner.