Think back five or 10 years ago. Who would have predicted people would pay $4 for a cup of coffee? Fast-casual? Full-service restaurants offering carry-out? Salads and low-carb meals as a large portion of quick-serve restaurant menus? People paying $2 for “breath strips”? Consider that last one. The company didn’t try to make their mouthwash 1 percent better than the competition—they created a new market for their product.

The key is the employees. You can’t treat them like mushrooms (in the dark and fed manure). Take a new approach—use new methods and incentives to add shelf-life to the effectiveness.

As I wrote last month, my high school let us skip finals if we had a C average or better and one or no absences the second semester. In an effort to help people graduate more quickly (and try to keep tuition down), colleges have come up with some interesting ideas to solve some of their issues:

• Take more than 12 hours in a semester and pay no additional cost for the extra hours. An industrious student could take 15 or 18 hours and pay the same tuition as those taking 12 hours (and graduate more quickly).
• Maintain a B average or better and receive a discount on your tuition. Colleges are rewarding things that should already be occurring (but in reality aren't). Will these incentives change everyone's behavior? No, but it will impact those with the potential to get done more quickly and less expensively. These are out-on-the-edge ideas to try to solve their problems.

What about the education of our workforce? Today's kids, our employees, think DVD—random access to any portion of a movie, with plenty of bonus material. VHS? Boring, static, and not controlled by the user. Is your training program T.O.D. (Training on Demand)—access to what is needed right now? Here are some ideas to help get out on the edge…of success:

• Think like Pokemon. Kids today use silly cards to learn how to play a game. Companies from Carvel Ice Cream to McAlister's Deli use color cards with specs, recipes, and presentation standards within an employee's reach. Why? Quick-reference while assisting guests or preparing products, as well as being able to quiz employees during lulls in the business. Constant reinforcement breeds habits. Good habits breed success. Easy to create and inexpensive, but effective.
• Screen-capture software to create narrated, full-motion help files for POS and management back-office functions. Most people won't read a manual to figure out how to use software (and forget things taught to them long ago if not used daily). Paper is 2-D and we live and learn in a 3-D world. Place these help files on the register or the back-office PC. Cashier or manager can't remember how to do a particular function? Open the file, hear and see how it's done. Problem solved by T.O.D.
• Move your videos to DVD. Chains from Hard Rock Caf? to Chick-fil-A have made the move. It's still essentially video, but it allows you to break up a video into short two- to three-minute segments. Watch the short video clip then practice the skill. Return to watch the next section, practice, and so on.
• Create incentive systems and contests to encourage on-going learning and development as well as rewards for desired behaviors like suggestive selli
  Medical Billing - Software Manuals
  Medical billing is complicated enough without having to know every inch of your billing software by heart. Because of all the complexities involved, medical billing software manuals are not only critical but they're also enormous. As a matter of fact, most medical billing software manuals are shipped in parts. So you have a decent chance of finding what it is you're looking for, we're going to give you a general breakdown of how a DME software manual is put together.The first section of the manual is usually where you will find your installation instructions.
  t for their product.

  The key is the employees. You can’t treat them like mushrooms (in the dark and fed manure). Take a new approach—use new methods and incentives to add shelf-life to the effectiveness.

  As I wrote last month, my high school let us skip finals if we had a C average or better and one or no absences the second semester. In an effort to help people graduate more quickly (and try to keep tuition down), colleges have come up with some interesting ideas to solve some of their issues:

  • Take more than 12 hours in a semester and pay no additional cost for the extra hours. An industrious student could take 15 or 18 hours and pay the same tuition as those taking 12 hours (and graduate more quickly).
  • Maintain a B average or better and receive a discount on your tuition. Colleges are rewarding things that should already be occurring (but in reality aren't). Will these incentives change everyone's behavior? No, but it will impact those with the potential to get done more quickly and less expensively. These are out-on-the-edge ideas to try to solve their problems.

  What about the education of our workforce? Today's kids, our employees, think DVD—random access to any portion of a movie, with plenty of bonus material. VHS? Boring, static, and not controlled by the user. Is your training program T.O.D. (Training on Demand)—access to what is needed right now? Here are some ideas to help get out on the edge…of success:

  • Think like Pokemon. Kids today use silly cards to learn how to play a game. Companies from Carvel Ice Cream to McAlister's Deli use color cards with specs, recipes, and presentation standards within an employee's reach. Why? Quick-reference while assisting guests or preparing products, as well as being able to quiz employees during lulls in the business. Constant reinforcement breeds habits. Good habits breed success. Easy to create and inexpensive, but effective.
  • Screen-capture software to create narrated, full-motion help files for POS and management back-office functions. Most people won't read a manual to figure out how to use software (and forget things taught to them long ago if not used daily). Paper is 2-D and we live and learn in a 3-D world. Place these help files on the register or the back-office PC. Cashier or manager can't remember how to do a particular function? Open the file, hear and see how it's done. Problem solved by T.O.D.
  • Move your videos to DVD. Chains from Hard Rock Caf? to Chick-fil-A have made the move. It's still essentially video, but it allows you to break up a video into short two- to three-minute segments. Watch the short video clip then practice the skill. Return to watch the next section, practice, and so on.
  • Create incentive systems and contests to encourage on-going learning and development as well as rewards for desired behaviors like suggestive selli
    Brand Identity and the CEO
    This week I spent a few hours with a highly successful CEO discussing his brand identity questions and concerns. “What do the most successful brand initiatives have in common?” he asked. I shared an observation with him based on many years of having similar conversations and being involved in successful (and not so successful) branding programs.There are a lot of reasons to embark on a major corporate branding program, but from the point of view of a CEO, most of them are simply not compelling. For many years I have watched marketers and design managers struggle
    .
  • Maintain a B average or better and receive a discount on your tuition. Colleges are rewarding things that should already be occurring (but in reality aren't). Will these incentives change everyone's behavior? No, but it will impact those with the potential to get done more quickly and less expensively. These are out-on-the-edge ideas to try to solve their problems.

  What about the education of our workforce? Today's kids, our employees, think DVD—random access to any portion of a movie, with plenty of bonus material. VHS? Boring, static, and not controlled by the user. Is your training program T.O.D. (Training on Demand)—access to what is needed right now? Here are some ideas to help get out on the edge…of success:

  • Think like Pokemon. Kids today use silly cards to learn how to play a game. Companies from Carvel Ice Cream to McAlister's Deli use color cards with specs, recipes, and presentation standards within an employee's reach. Why? Quick-reference while assisting guests or preparing products, as well as being able to quiz employees during lulls in the business. Constant reinforcement breeds habits. Good habits breed success. Easy to create and inexpensive, but effective.
  • Screen-capture software to create narrated, full-motion help files for POS and management back-office functions. Most people won't read a manual to figure out how to use software (and forget things taught to them long ago if not used daily). Paper is 2-D and we live and learn in a 3-D world. Place these help files on the register or the back-office PC. Cashier or manager can't remember how to do a particular function? Open the file, hear and see how it's done. Problem solved by T.O.D.
  • Move your videos to DVD. Chains from Hard Rock Caf? to Chick-fil-A have made the move. It's still essentially video, but it allows you to break up a video into short two- to three-minute segments. Watch the short video clip then practice the skill. Return to watch the next section, practice, and so on.
  • Create incentive systems and contests to encourage on-going learning and development as well as rewards for desired behaviors like suggestive selli
    Sales Mindset vs. Sales Training
    Picture the announcer in the middle of the ring broadcasting - "In this corner, wearing the red shorts we have the challenger, weighing 217 pounds, winner of this year's collegiate championship, introducing Sales Mindset. Defending the long-standing domination of this event, winner of 35 title bouts, defending heavyweight champion, weighing 224 pounds, in the black shorts, please welcome Sales Training."Can you imagine two heavy weights like Sales Training and Sales Mindset squaring off in the ring? It might be one exciting sparing match. Both are critical to ens
    e…of success:

    • Think like Pokemon. Kids today use silly cards to learn how to play a game. Companies from Carvel Ice Cream to McAlister's Deli use color cards with specs, recipes, and presentation standards within an employee's reach. Why? Quick-reference while assisting guests or preparing products, as well as being able to quiz employees during lulls in the business. Constant reinforcement breeds habits. Good habits breed success. Easy to create and inexpensive, but effective.
    • Screen-capture software to create narrated, full-motion help files for POS and management back-office functions. Most people won't read a manual to figure out how to use software (and forget things taught to them long ago if not used daily). Paper is 2-D and we live and learn in a 3-D world. Place these help files on the register or the back-office PC. Cashier or manager can't remember how to do a particular function? Open the file, hear and see how it's done. Problem solved by T.O.D.
    • Move your videos to DVD. Chains from Hard Rock Caf? to Chick-fil-A have made the move. It's still essentially video, but it allows you to break up a video into short two- to three-minute segments. Watch the short video clip then practice the skill. Return to watch the next section, practice, and so on.
    • Create incentive systems and contests to encourage on-going learning and development as well as rewards for desired behaviors like suggestive selli
      Electrical Lineman
      What is an electrical lineman? An electrical lineman, sometimes referred to as a utility lineman, electric lineman, journeyman lineman or power lineman (after one completes lineman training and after being an apprentice lineman).An electrical lineman installs, repairs and maintains transmission and distribution electric power grids. A lineman works on high voltage wires or conductors and must adhere to the most stringent safety rules and protocols, as electrical work is inherently dangerous. It is very popular to be a member of a union, or the IBEW (International
      ot used daily). Paper is 2-D and we live and learn in a 3-D world. Place these help files on the register or the back-office PC. Cashier or manager can't remember how to do a particular function? Open the file, hear and see how it's done. Problem solved by T.O.D.
    • Move your videos to DVD. Chains from Hard Rock Caf? to Chick-fil-A have made the move. It's still essentially video, but it allows you to break up a video into short two- to three-minute segments. Watch the short video clip then practice the skill. Return to watch the next section, practice, and so on.
    • Create incentive systems and contests to encourage on-going learning and development as well as rewards for desired behaviors like suggestive selling or following recipes. Works for colleges and will work for you.
    • Learn from others. Companies such as Disney, Hard Rock Caf?, and Zingerman's Deli all offer classes to learn how they create their culture and service programs. Can't go see them? Why not create a series of roundtable discussions amongst your employees and/or other locations (for instance, the ones leading your company in sales, service levels, retention, or profits)? The answers are there; they're just waiting to be discovered.

    Mazes are solved quickly by starting at the end and working backwards. Take the same approach to your training and service. What do you want it to look like? Start from that point and work towards where you are today. If you start where you currently are, you'll make plenty of mistakes, backtrack frequently, and take a long time to get where you want.