December 2023 Learning Link 3 ways to better connect with your coworkers

Selling Breakthroughs

Basic Benchmarking: Everything You Need to Know With the job market more employee-focused than ever, it's important to make sure every hire and position is filled with a quality candidate. What is Benchmarking? Benchmarking is the process of creating the profile of the ideal candidate for a position, and then measuring all candidates against that profile. It’s most commonly used in the interview process, but can also be used to measure an employee in their current role. How Do You Create and Use a Benchmark? The ideal candidate means a lot of different things to different people. This diversity of thought is a good thing, until it becomes a hindrance to the hiring process. Get the multiple perspectives you need while saving time by putting together a team of Subject Matter Experts, or SMEs. While a panel of SMEs is not necessary, it is a best practice. It can include employees who previously held the role, the candidate’s future direct report, and/or their future co-workers. “Working in a collaborative environment with multiple stakeholders gets you a variety of opinions and removes internal biases and personal agendas.” The SMEs each build out the results of an assessment as if they were their ideal candidate. Then, an average is found from each of those ‘ideal’ profiles. This average is your benchmark! After the benchmark is created, introduce it several steps into your interview process, after the initial rounds of reviews. Most organizations only use a benchmark with their top 3-5 candidates. This way, the normal screening process isn’t disrupted; it just gives deeper insight into each candidate, and a professional way to measure that insight at the end of the process. What Makes TTI SI Different? TTI SI has a patented Benchmarking Process that leverages data to make the best decisions about candidates. In addition, as an outcome of the process, roles have concisely defined responsibilities. Our benchmarking process defines the role instead of the individual. “The beautiful thing about benchmarking is that it’s not focusing ultimately on qualifying or disqualifying a candidate,” said Merkle. “It’s about discovering what the business needs. It removes bias and relies on logic.” Isn’t This a Biased Process? If you’re not familiar with the concept, it might sound like benchmarking is a way to discriminate in the hiring process. It’s actually the opposite; benchmarking a job minimizes bias and provi des a clear objective and collective voice to what behaviors, motivators and skills the job needs. “People have a tendency to like and relate to others similar to them,” explained Merkle, “But similarities might not be what the position needs. These benchmarks can be used for as much as 30% of the hiring decision, but the other 70% should be made based on resume, experience, skills, validation of those skills, and personal fit.” Clear up any uncertainty by building a scoring method into the interview process. It can look like the following: Resume: Determine the minimal qualifications for position Interview: Hold several rounds of interviews on the phone, and one or two in-person as your company sees fit Shared work: Analyze shared work from the candidates This can be samples of writing, completion of a project, etc) Benchmark: Measure top candidates against the benchmark and make a decision after final round of interviews “Benchmarking is a tool to hone in on top candidates, not a blanket dismissal of talent.” Something important to remember is that you don’t have to pick the ca ndidate with the closer score to the benchmark! By using the process, you get to make a conscious decision about the individual you are choosing to join your organization. “Organizations do not miss out on a good candidate because they don’t fit the benchmark,” Merkle said, “Even if you hire against the benchmark, you now have valuable insight into your hire about their behavior that you can use in their onboarding period and beyond. You know what they say; you can’t manage what you can’t measure.” By using this process, you get to make a conscious decision about the individual you’re choosing to join your organization. Why Should You Benc hmark? The benefits to benchmarking are clear! Here’s what happens when you find the right fit for a position, backed up by data. Enjoy Higher Employee Engagement If someone’s behavioral style, motivations, and skills are matched up to a position, they’ll have a higher level of engagement with their team. This engagement increases satisfaction, productivity , and profits. Customer retention rates are 18% higher when you have well-informed and highly engaged employees, according to Smarp . Avoid The Cost of a Bad Hire Just trying to ‘fill a seat’ in your organization is a huge mistake. 80% of turnover is due to bad hires, according to SHRM. Calculate the real cost of hiring the wrong person here, and see if you can afford it! Develop Your Talent Pipeline Benchmarking isn’t just for job candidates! If you’re not hiring soon, you can still use benchmarking to create development plans internally. Developing leaders within your organization will boost productivity and engagement while saving you money, time and resources. Some people want to use benchmarking as a justification for terminating a position. You’re better off using benchmarking as a way to get a snapshot on where to develop an employee. Remember, only 30% of your decisions can be determined by benchmarking. Don’t open yourself up to trouble. How Do I Get Started? If you want to start harnessing the power of benchmarking for your company, TTI SI is he re to help. Contact us here to learn more about how you can utilize this process. “We know leaders, especially during this time, have a challenging role,” said Merkle. “Benchmarking gives you a deeper level of insight before your candidate even walks through the door.” Ready to thrive? We wrote the guide on using assessments and development. Get your free copy here >

About us... A little about us... Our team of professionals works with your organization to develop and implement best practice behaviours. We bring our expertise and experience to you, helping you to assess your skills. We work with your team to implement necessary change or enhance skillsets in a way that is understandable, interesting and valuable in terms of return on bottom line. How we got started... Orlyn Kostenuk, President Orlyn Kostenuk is the President of Performance Strategies Inc . and is based in central Alberta with an office in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Performance Strategies has partnered with various learning development organizations to bring world class learning models, processes, and concepts to Performance Strategies clients. The mission of Performance Strategies Inc. is to help individuals implement best practice behaviors to maximize personal and organizational effectiveness. This is accomplished through the utilization of assessments tools, skills training, and personal and team coaching. Orlyn and his firm have developed partnerships, alliances and relationships with various individuals, and international organizations to bring world class learning initiatives to h is agriculture clients in the areas of: Sales - Negotiating Skills - Behavioral Science - Team Building - Strategic Planning - Time Management - Interpersonal Communication - Creative Thinking - Customer Service - Networking Skills - Leadership - Influencing - Presentation Breakthroughs - Workforce Management - Coaching Orlyn has worked with over 800 different organizations across Canada, USA, Mexico, and Australia. His personality, sensitivity and unique sense of humor has earned him a rating of 9.6 / 10.0 as a facilitative trainer. Orlyn has been featured in various media for his work on enhancing performance in organizations. Orlyn is community minded. He has been a member of various local organizations including the Red Deer Chamber of Commerce, Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce, and Rotary Club. Orlyn and Lori, his wife/partner of over 30 years have four adult children and six grandchildren. To balance off life, he enjoys flying, motorcycling, beekeeping, cycling, and pursuing the best home-roasted espresso shot! Contact Us Let's chat... Get in touch so we can start working together. First Name Last Name Email Message Phone Send Thanks for submitting!

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Negotiating Breakthroughs

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Sales & Negotiating Selling Breakthroughs Keep your customers satisfied to create lasting relationships The secret to making a successful sale is knowing what, why, how and when your audience wants to buy. Learn the processes and stages of both buyer and seller simultaneously to understand how to apply sales skills and behaviors that accurately match the buyer's state and motivations. Understand how to use your expertise confidently to positively influence outcomes and meet both the buyer's and your own requirements. A sale isn't over until your client knows that the solution to their business problem is you and your product or service. Explore> Behavioral Selling Skills Building Customer Relationships with Behavioral Styles The Challenge: Have you ever wondered why you just don’t “click” with some people? Chances are, their behavior style is different than yours. They look at life differently, they think differently, consider different things important and are motivated by different factors. You can either withdraw from these people and argue or ignore them, or learn to understand the way they are, accept them and sell to them on their wavelength! If you are not selling behaviorally, you are only 25-50% effective. Explore> Negotiating Breakthroughs Make all negotiations more satisfying and successful Through mutually successful negotiations, you can create lasting partnerships and measurable improvements. Use our negotiation-planning techniques to prepare strategies and tactics to achieve desired outcomes. Once you learn how to transform potential combatants into lasting partners, you will significantly increase your confidence when entering into any negotiation situation. Explore> Telephone Sales Telephone Sales Training Significantly contribute to your company's Customer Relationship Management (CRM) process Learn how to make outbound sales calls more effective while building strong customer relationships for your company. Ensu re that inside sales people at your small- or medium-size business proactively plan, manage, and implement phone-sales campaigns that generate revenue and a create lasting, positive impression on your customers. Gain the skills to confidently demonstrate your product and service knowledge, enabling you to sell on value versus price. Learn how to proactively service your customer base, complete transactions that satisfy both your customer and your company, and handle resistance with aplomb, while nurturing relationships for repeat business. Explore> Key Account Management Create significant and interdependent supplier-customer partnerships Gain an in-depth understanding of the complexities of servicing "key account" customers. Learn strategic and tactical skills and processes to effectively identify and anticipate their requirements. Become skilled at strategically managing key accounts, gaining supporters for your initiatives and influencing decision-makers, and ultimately evolving a customer/supplier relationships into a preferred sales or partnerships. Explore> Territory Management & Prospecting Become an indispensable intermediary between your company and customers Achieve optimal results from a portfolio of customers. Learn proven processes and skills to analyze, classify, and allocate appropriate time and resources to help you plan call cycles, account development and prospecting activities. In addition, gain in-depth knowledge in account management, planning, profiling, territory analysis, prospecting and influencing. Maximize customer relationships by taking personal responsibility for territory planning and activities. Increase selling opportunities by scheduling prospecting tasks, call frequency and call objectives. Explore> Presentation Breakthroughs Learn to deliver a powerful presentation with confidence and persuasion so participants are motivated to learn, change, and take action. In this 3-day highly interactive program, you will learn skills, strategies, and techniques that dramatically increase your effectiveness as a communicator and presenter in both face-to-face and in virtual environments. Anyone who gives presentations to small groups or large audiences would benefit.Management meetings, sales presentation, emloyee presentation, briefings, conferences, public speaking engagements. More info Let's talk Sales Booster Get your regular sales booster shot to achieve and maintain optimum sales performance! Sales Booster… a program where bi-monthly, sales people tap in and receive their booster 'shot'. The core of this shot is a short, live, and interactive one-hour web-shop where our president long time sales person, sales trainer, and sales coach, will focus on a key aspect of selling effectiveness. Pre web-shop materials will be sent to each member to support the learning, and a post web-shop component will be integrated to ensure application of the learning. The result is that sales people get “boosted” on an ongoing basis maximizing their effectiveness, and sales managers have peace of mind that their sales people are tapped into an ongoing learning system that supports their whole sales effort. Let's talk! Staying Ahead of the Airplane Get ready to embark on a transformative journey where you will unlock your effectiveness and gain the necessary skills to stay ahead of the curve in today's fast-paced business world. Drawing inspiration from the aviation industry, our program is designed to equip you with essential tools and strategies for thriving in busy and distracting environments. As a participant, you will have the opportunity to learn from a soon to be IFR pilot and engage in communication, case studies, role-playing exercises, and stimulating group discussions. Let's talk

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