Perhaps you haven’t learned skills to discover how to meet the Company’s needs and you’ve been thinking about your own needs. Probably you’re in survival but there’s a difference between what you’re feeling and the success you can have. It’s possible for you to love working for a company and also have corporate love having you there!
Have you noticed that the most successful people at any company have made the Corporate Culture their own culture? Have you thought that they were born that way; probably not! If you tell me you’re having challenges at your company, either with your boss, the middle management or with other employees; there are 5 Tips you want to understand and follow to have success now.
Tip 1, First you need to carefully and effectively evaluate the Corporate Culture or did you think you could do things the way you did them at your previous job? Or perhaps you decided that your ideas would work for the company and maybe you feel hopeful that everyone will agree down the road when you have created results? Most hires never get the chance to do things their own way with the hope of showing great results months in the future.
Tip 2, You’ve been holding your breath until I mentioned GETTING YOUR OWN NEEDS MET, right? If you really are interested in BIG success it will only come after you’ve mastered thinking about other people’s needs before your own, whether they are employees, customers or both. If you want a long-term relationship with a person or company, your own needs must come 2nd. And for entrepreneurs who hope that they can start their own company to meet their needs first, this is rarely true because they need repeat customers and steady employees to retain their autonomous entrepreneurial business. So think about your own needs:
Income and benefits
Respect and your job title
Job stability
Creativity and fun
Great co-workers
Vacation time
Geographical convenience
Tip 3. Every company’s success and its survival, too, is based on reaching clear quantifiable goals. For most companies you need to consistently prove that your value is many multiples of your salary and benefits package. You’re always competing for your job with people who have strong focused goals and want to convince your boss or HR department to give them a chance. Depending on what you do and the ratings your company may have there could be 100 or more people ready to pitch to get your job. And there are more great employees than great companies in the current job market so once you have a great job you want to ride it like a bronco and hang on until you have nailed a new challenge elsewhere.
Tip 4. Get clarity on what the corporation’s needs really are and be logical and not emotional when you work on this.
Most corporations need these 5 areas of success:
*Finance- ensuring that there is enough operating capital at all times which may be the result of investor funding and collecting all the Accounts Receivables. This is usually considered the #1 position in the company because it all starts with having the money that’s needed.
*Product Development – whether your company sells products or services if this is your department then you have the power to create or improve what they offer and with this position goes a lot of power if you know how to handle it. If you’re very creative there is a lot to remember; like the company’s employees need job stability to pay their mortgages so don’t be too creative unless you can verify in advance that it will sell.
*Sales – most companies will pay a lot for sales because they need it to keep growing the company. A great sales team can sell more of a mediocre product than a mediocre sales team selling a fantastic product so keep that in mind and always hit your numbers so you keep your position secure. If you miss your target in sales for 3 consecutive months you have two choices; close a BIG deal or look for another job.
*Operations- if this is you; then you may feel disappointed that first the money people and then the sales people and then the product people get acknowledged and you’re probably the last to get a big “Thank you”. However, remember that if you are a brilliant planner and if you look and sound amazingly organized then you have job stability for a long, long time. And like the tortoise compared to the hare in Aesop’s fable, many quick starters will burn rubber and burn out.
*Marketing and PR are essential if you’re going to build your business. Most companies know that if the public doesn’t know about their product and service they can’t grow. However, with social media marketing taking over so much of this area at an average salary of $10 per hour, this is not your goal. Instead become camera-ready and if this is your field have as many YouTube videos as I have- 165 and regularly appear on local TV each and every month to promote and that will also give you enhanced value to any employer or to your own company.
Tip 5. Here are examples of how your Corporate Culture may work:
*Financial products and services and wealth management - if you are in this field, guess what- PROFIT is KING! You may be convincing yourself that as the Office Manager or the HR director or the marketing person here that makes you indispensable but that thinking is very risky.
And remember the people in sales make most of the money even though they are called “wealth managers”.
* If you’re with an NGO or nonprofit or government agency - you may believe that all that counts is the good work and services you provide to the public and your strong people skills but please guess again- it’s about business, too. So the good you do has to balance with the company’s results if they want to keep going
And remember the people in sales make most of the money even though they work on “donation development”.
* Creative fields like entertainment, fashion, event planning and all the current hot aspects of culinary arts may excite you and you may love the word “creative” yet you are successful here only if you keep the P & L statement in black ink every quarter. So after my own very successful 20 year career in fashion please know that as creative as you may be, if “they” aren’t selling your designs and ideas then you have to sell them or you’ll be looking for another job soon.
And remember the people in sales make most of the money even if they are called “designers” or “chefs” or “Account execs”.
* Internet Products including software and Apps- this is the current sweet spot and like culinary arts 10 years ago this field is still in growth and more to come. However, the jobs that are usually available unless you’re developed your own incredible App are for sales people and there are lots of great jobs and enormous amounts of money
And remember the people in sales make most of the money!
I speak with people all over the world and offer a 1 hour complimentary session. Please let me answer your questions either about how to keep your own job safe or how to motivate your employees to understand what they need to do to keep the company growing and thriving AND also keep their jobs!
[email protected] The Sales Forum
