Nationally, the average annual employee turnover rate for all companies is estimated to be 12 percent, with the current unemployment rate at 4.6 percent. Since employee turnover is costly, both directly and indirectly, it behooves all managers to create a work environment that encourages people to stay. This means creating and maintaining a work environment that is productive, interesting, motivating, creative, and successful EVERYDAY! Poor performers and difficult people must be "fixed."

Your company deserves the best of the best! Many surveys say the number one issue facing business is finding and keeping good employees. Not only does this help the bottom line, it builds morale and motivation. For example, it costs a law firm approximately $200,000.00 to lose a law associate within the first two years of employment. This figure does not take into account what the loss of a colleague does to morale and/or the motivational drive of people remaining.

The process of keeping employees is easy if you apply the following strategies to overturn turnover:

• Selection: Improve staff and sales force retention by making better choices before you hire. This begins with the selection process. In an environment of low unemployment, it is often tempting to hire the first applicant that seems to fill the bill. You can no longer just hold a mirror under their nose to insure they are alive and then hire them! Stop falling into the "hurry up and hire" syndrome. Poor hires feed turnover.
• Ask the Right questions: Include questions in the interview process to help you understand the strategic thinking and problem solving processes of the interviewee
For Example:
1. What do you see yourself doing five years from now?
2. How do you make yourself indispensable to a company?
3. What's your greatest strength? Weakness?
4. Tell me about a time when your workload was heavy. How did you complete all your work?
5. Tell me about a time when you had to accomplish a task with someone who was a particularly difficult person.
6. How do you accept direction and, at the same time, maintain a critical stance regarding your ideas, ethics, and values?
7. What are some examples of activities and surroundings that motivate you?
8. Tell me about a time when you had to resolve a problem with no rules or guidelines in place.
• Career Development: For many employees, especially for Gen X and Y, managing their own career is often a daunting process, Develop a system that helps them move toward what they want and to what they aspire. Exceptional open communications is the key. Study of organizational communication indicate that important information is often transferred in casual environments, rather than in structured meetings.
• Performance Appraisals: The performance appraisal is an important part of career development. To be effective, however, they must be on going and honest. Too many times managers provide employees with "performance appeases" because they are afraid to tell the employee that the expected work outcomes are not being achieved. Improved communications heightened listening skills and learning to give appropriate feedback can resolve this dilemma. Another issue is that the appraiser has no clue as to the level of performance that has been the standard for the person whom they are appraising. As a result, they give a "gold star performance review" to a sub-standard employee.
• Create a Positive Office Environment: One that eliminates gossip and office politics. The reason there is gossip and office politics is the lack of information. People use these "tools" to fill in the informational black hole that is develops from poor communication and too little information. Keeping an open door means you will answer any questions, anytime, for anyone. If you don't have time for an "open door policy" tell your group that they can schedule time (in person or by phone) anytime. Only change these appointments in extreme emergencies, for example, if your hair is on fire.
• Eliminate "Shocks": Unexpected events that cause employees to begin thinking negatively about their job. The shock might be an industry change, resource supply interruption, or an international business event. These incidents can initiate the turnover processes because most people can "what if" themselves into "I am going to lose my job" disorder. Town hall meetings, news briefs, or whatever mode works for you, must be done. And don't slack it off - people want and need information about how a situation will affect them.
• Create Stars: Help even the most lack-luster employee become a star. Use either in house or external coaching services. Bring in an accomplished speaker to ignite your group. Using assessment tools, an advisor can act as a liaison between the company and the employee(s). They become a "different messenger" indicating the concerns of the company and can:
1. Help the company to rectify a performance issue.
2. Help the employee develop self-awareness that will improve him/her both personally and professionally.
3. Create solutions for the issues at hand.

The results of this connection with the employee can quickly improve performance and help the employee make different choices.

• Apply the "turnover calculator" to determine the effects on your bottom line. The center for community and economic development at the University of Wisconsin has this handy tool on line at: http://www.uwex.edu/CES/cced/economies/turn.cfm#calc

In short, businesses of all sizes face tremendous challenges on a global scale. Knowing how to maximize their employee's human potential is the answer to reduced turnover and improved retention.

Apply these simple ingredients to create emotional connections by cultivating an environment that generates resonance and lets people flourish. Apply these time-tested keys to allow you and your company to thrive amidst chaos, turbulent change, and turnover. Create a climate that fosters creative innovations, all-out performance, and lasting client relationships. Overturn turnover today!

Henry Thomas is President of Creative Sales Training, LLC. He is available to assist your company in their sales training and marketing. Henry has a new program – Business Management for the Modular Builder. While building experience is essential when starting a building business, successfully staying in business and making a profit requires using basic management skills.

Conventional wisdom says that the Christmas season is a bad time to sell big-ticket items. Sales slow down because people are only thinking about holiday purchases. Given that, maybe you should take a three-month vacation. Right? Wrong! Wrong! Wrong!

If this is the way you think, then your sales certainly will slow down. Stop thinking you can’t sell high-priced products during the winter months and certainly not during the holidays. Selling isn’t a seasonal occupation! Statistics show that December is a great month to sell houses, autos, and other high-ticket items. I suggest adopting the AAA method of sales and marketing, otherwise known as changing your Attitude, your Action, and your Advertising. Let’s look at each of these more closely.

What usually happens at the end of the year?

• Prospects receive their holiday and end-of-year bonuses—money they can use for a down payment. They’re already in the mood for buying.
• Children are out of school for an extended period of time, so they’re ready to go back to school after the break.
• People are buying gifts for others and sporting an “I want to buy” attitude. Capitalize on all of these and use them to your selling advantage.

The winter holiday season is when most retailers traditionally gear up for their largest number of sales. Why not expect the same in other areas of sales? Remember the cliché: You usually get what you expect.

Actually, there are many reasons for prospects to buy homes, boats, or automobiles during the months of December to March. Use your imagination and change your attitude about their attitudes. Think how wonderful it would be if everybody lived in an energy-efficient home, drove a new automobile with the latest technology, or had the time to help design and/or order a new boat or yacht; and you made it possible.

Also during the winter months, most financial organizations look for deals to reach their monthly quotas. Now, I’m not suggesting you sell to prospects having bad credit, but the reality is that during this time, lenders will go for marginal deals.

Realize that to be successful in sales, as noted earlier, you have to change your conscious mindset. Remember the old axiom: “If you don’t believe that the prospects will buy, they won’t.” Lack and limitation can exist only when you make room for them in your mind.

Do not forget that everything you have or do is preceded by an image in your mind. Therefore, program your mind to think positively about selling products or services during the winter months.

Even though the winter holidays may be a season of miracles, you still have to ask for the order! And what about listening? Don’t be in a hurry. Listen to your prospects with empathy. Assist them in making the decisions they want to make. Help them determine the best choice for them. Encourage them to buy today and not wait for spring.

Experienced salespeople use their intuition to discern a prospect’s needs and wants. You’ll be surprised how many unexpected selling situations occur when you keep your eyes, ears, and attitudes open.

And let’s not forget prospecting during the holiday months! Are you calling prospects who have visited you before? Keep looking for reasons to make sales. Keep laying the groundwork for people to buy from you, possibly using tax refunds as their down payments. Always put into practice the basics of good selling.

Yes, the housing market is going through some difficult time. Now is definitely not the time to reduce your advertising or your sales training budget. Those who sell high-ticket items can put themselves out of business thinking that everybody has bad credit, lacks funds for a down payment, or both. Remember a universally accepted principle of advertising: You’ll attract the people to whom you advertise. So if your advertisements say: Low down payment, lowest price in town, or we get everybody qualified, you’ll probably get exactly that—a prospect who can’t qualify for your product or service in today’s market.

Contrast this with advertising that depicts the ambiance of your office or organization, your positive attitude and the benefits of “buying from me today!” How about increasing your advertising spending during this period instead of thinking about taking a month off?

Get creative. Decide what you have to do to make the winter holiday season a selling season. Let your mind expand. Make this the most profitable one ever. Remember, the average salesperson lets things happen; the professional salesperson makes things happen.

Henry Thomas is president of Thomas & Associates DBA as Creative Sales Training, LLC. He is available to work with your sales staff on methods that will increase your sales. Henry is also a motivational speaker and will speak at your sales meeting.

Your voice is a major selling tool. The first impression you make is often based on your voice. When you call for an appointment, your voice is all you have for communicating. A voice that is pleasing and confident is a great asset. Your voice and how you use it play an important part in your success in selling. Several basic components of verbal communication deserve your attention.

Clarity or Articulation – Do you recall the device Professor Higgins used in My Fair Lady to help Eliza Dolittle improve her speech? He had her talk with marbles in her mouth. To be understood at all, she was forced to form her words very carefully. As a result, her articulation improved. When you speak, do people hear separate words and syllables of doyourwordsallruntogether? If you have studied a foreign language, you may have listened to audiotapes in the language lab. At first, all the words seem to run together. Even though you have learned the assigned vocabulary, the normal speed of speech in the new language seems too fast and blurred. After a while, you become accustomed to hearing these new sounds, and you begin to understand. A salesperson with poor articulation leaves prospects as confused and bewildered as you felt at your first language lab session. No, I am not saying that you should make all of your sales people talk with marbles, but they should learn to speak clearly.

Volume – The normal volume of the speaking voice varies during conversation. The same is true of a sales presentation. Stressing a benefit may call for increased volume. Lowering your voice, sometimes almost a whisper, may produce quite a dramatic effect. It causes the prospective buyer to lean forward (a body position that signals agreement or approval) to avoid missing your words. Variation in volume should enhance the message. It must not be overdone to the point of melodramatic insincerity.

If the prospective buyer changes voice volume, notice the direction of the change. Boredom and sadness, as well as indecision, cause a downward shift in volume, and increased volume suggests joy and enthusiasm. Of course, anger also shows up in increased volume. Be sensitive to changes – yours and the prospective buyer’s – and the accompanying verbal and nonverbal clues that can help you interpret changes correctly.

Silence – Silence is a powerful selling tool. Use it to give the prospective buyer time to absorb the full impact of what you have said. Slight pauses between major points in the presentation suggest that you are thoughtful, intelligent, and analytical. Pauses also give the prospective buyer an opportunity to comment, as a question, or think about how the idea you have presented can be applied to an existing housing need or problem. Avoid becoming so enamored with the sound of your own voice that you must talk all the time.

Rhythm – The rhythmic pattern of your speech comes from your basic personality style and your emotions of the moment. Some voices seem to flow in long, continuous sentences, and others come in short, choppy chunks. Just as the rhythm in music changes to indicate that something new is happening, the same happens in speech patterns. Be alert to any changes in your own or the prospective buyer’s speech patterns. Changes are even more revealing than initial patterns. If the prospective buyer suddenly shifts to a more drawn out rhythm, for example, the message may be “Let me think more about that” or “I don’t believe what you are saying.” This is the time to ask a nail down question. If they do not agree with you at least you can get them to talk about it. As long as you can keep the prospective buyer talking you have a chance of making the sale. Please note, that I very clearly said, “Keep the prospective buyer talking.” Not you.

Rate of Speech – The tempo of your delivery should be comfortable for you as a speaker and for your listener. Speaking too rapidly may cause you to lose a prospect buyer who customarily speaks more clearly and feels that your fast pace is pushing for a decision without allowing time for thought. Your fast pace speaking may either make you skip a benefit that they are asking for and would possible close the sale. Also, just like typing, going too fast you will make mistakes. Speaking too slowly make the prospect want to push your fast-forward button. A moderate pace allows you to enunciate clearly, establish natural rhythmic patterns, or speed up or slow down for proper emphasis of some point.

The words we use and the manner in which we use them are seeds for other people’s feelings.

Different people have different levels of competence in verbal communication skills, and some professions require more skill than others. The success of a professional gambler depends on the ability exercise strict control of voice inflections to disguise a bluff. However, a professional salesperson must possess tremendous verbal skills.

Next month we will talk about using non-verbal sales skills.

Many of you have called or e-mailed me concerning purchasing my latest book. It will be in your favorite bookstore after February 19. You can purchase it before distribution by contacting the publisher. http://www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=978-1-60247-928-9 The title is Making it Happen in Sales. Thanks!

Henry Thomas is President of Creative Sales Training. He offers specialized training for the house industry. Henry is also a professional member of the National Speakers Association and is available for your next sales conference.

Different people have different levels of competence in nonverbal communication skills, and some professions require more skill than others. The success of a professional gambler depends on the ability to exercise strict control of nonverbal messages to disguise a bluff. A mine depends exclusively on nonverbal skill to deliver a message. However, the consultative sales person must possess skill in both verbal and nonverbal communication. Two particularly important components of nonverbal communication for sales people to understand are body language and use of space.

Body language can be portrayed as messages sent without using words. The essential elements of body language include shifts in posture and stance (body angle), facial expressions, eye movements, and arm, hand, and leg movements. It includes every movement from the subtle raising of an eyebrow to the obvious leaning forward of an interested listener.

Through body language, Prospective buyers express their emotions, desires, and attitudes. As a result, body language is a valuable tool for the sales person to use in discovering what the Prospective buyer is really saying. When body language and verbal behavior coincide, the verbal and nonverbal signals transmitted are said to be congruent and the climate is ideally suited for optimum communication. When you can read the prospective buyer’s body language and, in addition control your own body signals to add impact to your words, you are likely to be understood.

Understanding the Language of Gestures. Important signals involve body angle, position of the hands, arms, and legs, and the face – especially the eyes and lips. All of these should be observed as a cluster of gestures that together state a message. A prospective buyer sitting with arms crossed may be communicating doubt or rejection or may simply be sitting comfortably. In this case, you must also observe whether the legs are crossed, the body withdrawn, eyes glancing sideways, and an eyebrow raised. All these signs taken together surely suggest doubt or rejection, but one of them in isolation is inconclusive.

Body signals. A hunched figure, rigid posture, restless stance, or nervous pacing may contradict what a person says verbally. Prospective buyers allow you to sit closer if they feel comfortable and lean toward you if they like what you are saying and are intent on listening. Several of my clients use videotape to record the behavior of both their successful and unsuccessful behavior as a training program. One mannerism difference noted was the relative calmness of good sales people in comparison to those who were less successful. Their body movements were smooth, to those who were less unsuccessful. Their body movements were smooth, unhurried, and without jerky motion, particularly when handing a contract or a pen across the table. Every movement was gradual. Less successful sales people exhibited jumpy, nervous movements that were picked up – perhaps unconsciously – by the prospective buyer.

Look for the prospective buyer’s changes in body posture and gestures. For example, one who is ready to buy shows signs of relaxation – nodding in agreement, mirroring your movements, moving to the front of the chair, extending the palm of the hand outward toward you, and uncrossing legs or ankles. Your posture and gesture also communicate your feeling to the prospective buyer. If you sit in an open, relaxed position, you are likely to be more persuasive and better liked than if you sit in a tight, clo9sed posture.

Hand Movements. Rubbing the back of the neck may indicate frustration, but it can also indicate that the prospective buyer has a sore or stiff neck from painting the bathroom ceiling over the weekend. Evaluate these hand gestures in the context of other nonverbal clues.

1. Other gestures of hand and head
   Tugging at the ear suggest the desire to interrupt. Pinching the bridge of the nose and closing the eyes suggests that the matter is being given serious thought.
2. Posture
   Leaning back in the chair with both hands behind the head communicates a sense of superiority.
3. Involuntary gestures
   Involuntary hand gestures that contradict a facial expression are likely to reveal true feelings. Tightly clasped hands or fists indicate tenseness.
4. Steeping of the hands
   Fingertips together forming what looks like a church steeple commonly indicates smugness, self-confidence, or perhaps superiority.

Facial Expressions. Eyebrows, eyelids, eyes, lips, and jaw, mouth, and facial muscles all work together to communicate feelings and emotions. Research attributes as much as 70 percent of nonverbal message sending to the muscles of the face. Most people have developed some degree of skill in both message-sending and message receiving by means of facial expressions. When you smile, frown, smirk, scowl, or even wink in reaction to what others say or do, you are involved in a most sophisticated element of nonverbal communication.

The face is a highly reliable indicator of attitude. A person may avoid eye contact when trying to cover up true feelings. Increased eye contact signals honesty and interest. Be sure to maintain eye contact at critical moments of the presentation. For example, when describing technical characteristics of your houses, direct the prospective buyers eyes to the product itself, the brochure, or the specification sheet, but when stressing the benefits of living in one of your homes maintain eye contact. Lack of eye contact sends a negative message and neutralizes the impact of the intended benefit. Good eye contact makes a positive statement that words cannot.

Suspicion and anger are shown by signs of tightness around the cheeks or along the jaw line. Muscle movement at the back of the jaw line just below the ears indicates an angry gritting of the teeth. A sudden flush of facial redness may warn that the situation has taken a bad turn. Embarrassment of hostility may be radiating under an apparently calm exterior.

An isolates gesture or posture is seldom a reliable indicator of attitude or feeling. Obviously you have to take a look at the buyer in context of the whole situation. The buyer may fold her arms just to be more comfortable. Generally, if there is an objection then the whole body will become more rigid. And you will see signals: skin texture will tighten up; voice tone will change. They may even have frustrated looks on their faces. When a cluster of gestures is consistent with verbal messages, accepting their validity is relatively safe. Never lose a sale worrying about one or two gestures. Watch for a series both in your prospective buy and yourself.

Making it Happen in Sales is now available at your favorite booksellers.

Henry Thomas is President of Creative Sales Training and is available for your next sales meeting or seminar.