tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79687496108035454512024-03-13T22:58:07.046-07:00Valpak Mark's BlogValpak Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08833422404015012843noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7968749610803545451.post-16087692268598193442009-07-22T13:25:00.000-07:002009-07-22T13:29:01.780-07:00The World of Sales - A FABULOUS Profession<span style="font-family:arial;">An amazing week. Let me describe the scene Thursday in the waiting room. Surgery was 4 ½ hours. Mom is 79 years old. In the room were almost a dozen family members. Every time the door opened we held our breath with anticipation.<br /><br />The doctor walked in, breezed past my father-in-law without even looking at him, and talked to a couple of my sisters-in-law. His demeanor was intense, without a smile on his face. His first words were about how difficult the surgery was and how there was so much plaque that they had to spend extra time. We don’t remember all he said: we were just trying to read his body language and tone to prepare ourselves.<br /><br />We all waited for the bad news. Interestingly, none came. The surgery was a success. After he delivered the message he quickly left the room. We all looked at each other, breathed a sigh of relief, cried a few tears and started hugging each other.<br /><br />Fast forward 48 hours and I’m sitting in mom’s hospital room watching the TV show “House”. I’d never seen the show but, as you probably know, it is about a brilliant doctor who has a terrible bedside manner and just “tells it like it is”. Mom’s doctor could do well on this show.<br /><br />Now consider The Office – my favorite sitcom. As I mentioned I watched a couple of episodes on the plane. The scenarios are just the opposite from the doctor/hospital shows. Instead of showcasing competent, hard working professionals, The Office depicts sales people who are basically inept, lazy, and non-functional in their roles.<br /><br />It is funny but, as I thought about it, it dawned on me what I need to share! Doctors attend an enormous amount of schooling, work horrific hours, and have to compete for positions that create life/death situations for their customers. Many leave college with over $100,000 in student loans. But . . . there is a reverence for the title of “Dr.”. <br /><br />Sales people, on the other hand, quite often are chosen because of their personality. Education and experience often have little to do with it. Unfortunately, the profession of sales isn’t appreciated in society as highly as the medical profession – even though top sales reps quite often earn a higher income than top physicians. And, more people will graduate from college and have a career in sales than all of the people who will enter the medical field each year!<br /><br />Let's talk about those sales reps who DO earn a higher income than most physicians. Like good doctors, they study their profession. They understand rejection, know that professionalism is a must, and understand that their “bedside manner” will either earn them the sale or cost them the sale. They have confidence – but not arrogance. They know their product. They know their competition. They know what their prospect is going to say before they even walk in the door. And, like GOOD doctors, they build trust.<br /><br />I believe sales is the greatest profession in the world. Remember, what you say and how you say it makes all the difference in the world. You’ll need to work hard at your craft and learn how to handle rejection – not the names of every body part and every new drug. What you can/will provide as a professional sales person will, without a doubt, be as honorable and professional as the doctors’ world.<br /><br />You won’t have to pay malpractice insurance. You, most likely, won’t be in life or death situations. But you will, without a doubt, have to be as committed to your success as any other professional – regardless of how it is viewed in the media world.</span><br /><br /><strong><em>“</em></strong><a href="http://thinkexist.com/quotation/our_limitations_and_success_will_be_based-most/13147.html"><strong><em>I</em></strong></a><strong><em> do want the credit without any of the blame” Michael Scott – The Office</em></strong>Valpak Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08833422404015012843noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7968749610803545451.post-68612958753726946642009-06-04T08:26:00.000-07:002009-06-04T18:03:43.565-07:00What will people remember about you?<span style="font-family:arial;">Today I went to my good friend’s funeral. His name was Ken and he was 76 years young and, if memory serves me right, my first baseball coach when I was about 8 – just a short 47 years ago.<br /><br />About nine months ago Mary Kay and I attended his daughter’s wedding and learned that he had pancreatic cancer. He had surgery for the disease June 3, 2008. Exactly one year later – to the day – he was buried.<br /><br />He had six children that ranged in age from 56 – 18. Yes, 38 years apart. I went to school with his older children. Later in life he met Karen. I spent time with him as he dated and married this great woman who would give him two more girls and 20+ happy years of marriage.<br /><br />Karen’s call last week wasn’t a surprise. Ken lived longer than many do with this dreaded disease. As I hung up the phone I thought back on that past five decades. He was more than a friend. He was a mentor.<br /><br />I stood in line at the visitation for an hour before I reached the casket. I was amazed at the number of people who paid tribute – but not surprised.<br /><br />Ken owned his own business and was financially very successful. We knew it but Ken never showed it. He was just Ken – this hard working, community-minded individual who, along with my dad, were the founding fathers of Rockford Lutheran High School in the 1960’s. Ken’s oldest son graduated from the school in 1971. Ken’s youngest daughter graduated from that same Rockford Lutheran last Friday.<br /><br />Ken was an outstanding athlete until he was in his 60’s – playing with guys half his age . . .including his sons. We had a great group of guys who played volleyball together almost 30 years ago. Several of us gathered at the bar after the service to reminisce. In recent years Ken coached his youngest daughter’s volleyball team and traveled with her while she played club ball.<br /><br />Our Ken stories were fun, full of laughs and tears, and revealed the passion that Ken had for life. The only thing missing was Ken, some liar’s poker dollar bills, and a couple pitchers of beer.<br /><br />Between the laughter and the tears we talked about the passion this man had for everything he was involved with. Pastor Meggers, Ken’s close friend and Pastor, gave a heart-warming eulogy that talked about Ken’s passions in life, which included being a die-hard Cub’s fan! The Pastor’s words were healing. The memories were vivid. The tears were many.<br /><br />At the funeral I sat next to one of my friends, Mark, who I hadn’t seen for 20 years. It seemed like time stood still as we told stories about our teachers back in the 1960’s at St. Paul Lutheran grade school. Even though Mark was two years older we shared similar memories. Mark’s brother was one of my best friends as a kid and our families were close.<br /><br />I remember when Mark’s dad died. Mark was in 5th grade. That must have been about 1962. Mark talked about how Ken really became a surrogate father for him when that happened. Ken must have been about 29 or 30 then. Wow. Mark remembered how Ken hit ground balls and “scorching line drives” to him as Ken taught Mark how to play baseball when Mark was just a young kid.<br /><br />When Mark was in his early 20’s he was working for Ken and found out that he had cancer. Mark explained how Ken gave him all the time he needed away from work for recovery. In fact, a “contribution from the church” came to help Mark and his family each month. Mark knew it was from Ken – but never let on.<br /><br />The culmination of my day was a discussion I had with Ken’s 45-year old son, Paul, who took me back 10 years when Paul’s wife had a deadly-form of encephalitis. Paul called Ken explaining that his wife needed to get to Johns Hopkins the next day. The cost - $15,000 for the private jet and ambulance.<br /><br />Ken, already retired, immediately told Paul to make the arrangements. For the next four months Paul stayed near the hospital as his wife was near death. Ken also spent a great deal of those four months with his son as Paul supported his wife. Here was a dad taking “emotional care” of his 35-year old son as Paul tried to keep his life together to support his wife.<br /><br />She lived. Paul says his dad saved her life. Getting her to John Hopkins that day and getting her the right medical care made the difference.<br /><br />This got me thinking. What is it that we do today that will be remembered tomorrow?<br /><br />It has nothing to do with age. Ken was in his 20’s when Mark’s dad died and Ken stepped to the plate with Mark and his siblings . . .in his 40’s as he played volleyball with me . . . in his mid-60’s when he sat at John Hopkins with Paul and in his 70’s when he coached his teen-aged daughter’s volleyball team.<br /><br />I only hope that everyone who reads this takes a life lesson and remembers what life is really about. Not work. Not money. It is about the memories we leave behind. What a legacy Ken left. What a lesson we all can learn.<br /><br />I know how I want my kids and my colleagues to remember me – just like we remembered Ken today. Ken Nelson – I salute you . . . who you were and more importantly, who you are teaching the rest of us how to be.</span>Valpak Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08833422404015012843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7968749610803545451.post-18779603671396458682009-05-10T19:01:00.000-07:002009-05-10T19:06:01.659-07:00School is Over – Welcome to the Working World<p><span style="font-family:arial;">In a recent blog on a recruiting site I was “dissed” by some professional recruiters because they felt I was being “too nice” to Gen Yers. Yes, it is true that I think yours in the next great generation. I also have espoused the fact that I believe that baby boomers and millennials basically have the same chromosomes. My goal in this blog is to give you some tips that I wish someone would have given me when I was looking for my first real job out of school.<br /><br />Over the last month Eric Hipps, our 28-year old college recruiter, and I have spoken to 500+ students at the Delta Epsilon Chi convention in Anaheim, nearly 100 sales school students at the Russ Berrie Institute of Professional Sales at William Paterson University and over 100 more at the Pi Sigma Epsilon’s convention in Virginia Beach.<br /><br />Our “Backpacks to Briefcases” presentation seems to resonate with all who hear it. Eric and I agree that this generation can and will change the world. We also agree, however, that there are a few things that recent college grads MUST do to have that chance to change it.<br /><br />After the past couple months what I’ve experienced first hand is a whole lot of very talented people who are about to enter the work force. Yea for those of us who are looking to hire!<br /><br />I spoke to my best friend late this week who is interviewing for sales reps. He is appalled by the lack of follow up and aggressiveness. With that in mind here are 10 quick tips that I hope you heed – regardless of what field you are exploring.<br /><br />1. Find the right job. </span><a href="http://www.collegerecruiter.com/"><span style="font-family:arial;">www.collegerecruiter.com</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;"> is one of the best places to look. Companies who advertise there, like we do at Valpak, know that we want to hire recent college grads. </span></p><span style="font-family:arial;"><p><br />2. Understand that you are now entering the most competitive job environment in decades. You MUST become competitive. Virtually everything I reads tells how tough it is going to be for many recent college grads to find a good job.</p><p><br />3. If you get a phone call from a recruiter or an employer and they leave a message – return the call as soon as possible. Chances are they are called 10 other people, too. </p><p><br />4. If they want to interview you – find the way to get there. Don’t tell them you are busy this week. They know you might be studying for finals. They are calling you because they have an opening NOW – and maybe not tomorrow.</p><p><br />5. Figure out what you are going to do to set yourself apart from the person who is interviewed before you and the one being interviewed after you. Our recruiting department looked at over 44,000 resumes in the first four months of the year. Experts tell us that each resume is looked at less than 30 seconds.</p><p><br />6. You only have one chance to make a good first impression. Ever. With you resume. With what you wear to the interview. With how you look. With the questions you ask. With anything and everything.</p><p><br />7. Learn as much about the company as you can before you go on the interview. Study their Web site. Google them. </p><p><br />8. Prepare a final question you want to ask the employer based on what you learned from your investigation of them. This should have NOTHING to do with pay, benefits, vacation, hours, etc. It should, instead, be focused on career pathing, having them describing their ideal candidate, etc.</p><p><br />9. At the end of the interview: CLOSE. Ask the hiring manager what you need to do to go to the next step of the process. Remember, this is step one. Close the next step.</p><p><br />10. Send a thank you note. Mail it right after your interview. E-mails are nice. Text messages are not. Thank you cards are magic.<br /><br />Doing all of these things won’t guarantee that you will find a job. But, it will increase your odds and, with these competitive times, you need every advantage you can get!</span></p>Valpak Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08833422404015012843noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7968749610803545451.post-9703316595894149682009-04-08T13:28:00.000-07:002009-04-08T13:29:16.137-07:00Having the Vision of an Eagle<span style="font-family:arial;">I don’t know when I fell in love with bald eagles. I know it was a long time ago – even before I was bald. Maybe because eagles are America’s symbol of freedom and are found on every dollar bill. Maybe because they are so majestic with a wingspan of up to 90”. Maybe because they mate for life. <br /><br />My daughter made an eagle statue that sits in our bedroom. On the wall of my office is an original signed picture of an eagle’s head.<br /><br />Until today I’ve never personally seen an eagle in flight. The only time I really saw an eagle was at the zoo. I was in awe at their size. I am in awe that they can soar at 10,000 feet at over 30 m.p.h. Everybody who really knows me can tell you that I am a magnet to any motivational poster that has an eagle on it. <br /><br />Mary Kay and I came out of church today. We saw a lot of people with H U G E cameras parked on the side of the road. When we walked over to find out what was happening we found something that was awe-inspiring.<br /><br />Babies. Two eaglets. There they were in this massive nest. The photographers told us that the nests can weight 1000 pounds. Then we saw the mom and the dad. (Apparently the female is slightly larger than the male – but we couldn’t tell) They were perched in opposite trees watching their young. The eaglets were huge – in six weeks they’ll almost be a large as their parents. I found later that they won’t have the “white bald eagle crest” until they are 4 or 5 years old – when they reach their sexual maturity as well.<br /><br />Several people had cameras that looked like they were paparazzi cameras. One of the guys grabbed a pair of binoculars out of his truck so Mary Kay and I could get a closer look. Amazing. When one took off in flight everyone watched where he/she landed and took their cameras for a closer look. About 50 feet above us and just across the street perched this magnificent creature that became our national emblem in 1782! <br /><br />You could see our national bird focus on something that could have been a mile away. According to baldeagleinfo.com . . . “<em>The eagle can probably identify a rabbit moving almost a mile away. That means that an eagle flying at an altitude of 1000 feet over open country could spot prey over an area of almost 3 square miles from a fixed position.”</em><br /><br />We starred as he/she took focus and then flew majestically to what we thought must have been some prey.<br /><br />Vision. That was it. That is what always captured my heart – the vision of an eagle. Eagles always represented leadership to me. As Walt Disney said, “If you can dream it . . . you can do it.” Again, the vision of an eagle.<br /><br />It reminded me of the Habitat for Humanity dedication Mary Kay and I attended yesterday. Valpak always give the new homeowner their first piece of mail – with a $100 check inside. Next month many of us from Valpak will work on a house that Valpak sponsors. <br /><br />At the dedication the 30-year old mother of three talked about how her Habitat house will now provide a home . . . and stability . . . to her three young girls. One of the girls was so proud to show Mary Kay her new bedroom. After the dedication the mom told us how blessed she was. She said that even if she did lose her job she could work at McDonalds and still be able to provide her three girls a home in their Habitat house.<br /><br />She has the vision of an eagle.<br /><br />In two weeks Eric Hipps, our College Recruiter, and I will go to Anaheim for the National Delta Epsilon Chi convention. Over 1500 collegiates will be there. I’ll make sure I talk about vision. I’ll make sure I talk about dreams. I’ll make sure I talk about what Walt Disney said about vision and dreams. I’ll make sure to describe what I saw today.<br /><br />I’ll encourage them to never give up. Regardless of the economy, regardless of the challenges, regardless what anyone else tells them. Why? Eagles soar with their keen vision trained on their next conquest. Just like all of us should do.</span>Valpak Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08833422404015012843noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7968749610803545451.post-88451258982978203992009-03-14T10:41:00.000-07:002009-03-16T05:24:18.404-07:00Making yourself MEMORABLE - what a week!<span style="font-family:arial;">My best friend went on a job interview recently. It made me think of what is happening in the news these days and the staggering number of people who have recently found themselves out of work. As I thought of this I thought of the importance of making yourself memorable. It has been a memorable week.<br /><br />Bernard Madoff obviously made himself very memorable this week. Memorable as a crook, a scoundrel, a cheat, a liar, a reason that people start to distrust everyone.<br /><br />How sad. How despicable. How revolting that this man DESTROYED so many lives.<br /><br />I watched some kid on Sports Center make a full-length court basket in a game . . . then do a similar feet a couple days later in practice. Amazing. Nice. Very memorable.<br /><br />I saw a video about someone whose parents were told when he was a baby would never walk. He is now a young adult and walked all of the every hole of last year’s PGA tour. We cried as we watched it. Extremely memorable. </span><a title="blocked::http://vodpod.com/watch/1165857-walk-on-espn-video http://vodpod.com/watch/1165857-walk-on-espn-video" href="http://vodpod.com/watch/1165857-walk-on-espn-video" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:arial;">http://vodpod.com/watch/1165857-walk-on-espn-video</span></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />My fourth grandson, Ethan, was born on the 11th. Marcus flew back from military service in the Sinai Desert just in time as Carrie gave birth. What a memorable event for all of their (and our) lives!<br /><br />While at the Charlotte airport connecting flights I met Bobby – one of the best servers I’ve ever seen. He just recently graduated from college and is looking for a sales job. I think he found one when he waited on Mary Kay and me. WOW. Without trying to impress us he just exuded confidence and charm. If he has the work ethic to match this charm he will have an amazing sales career. I want to hire you, Bobby!<br /><br />While flying I reread the book “Live R. I. C. H. (Respect, Integrity, Customer Focus, Having Fun) – How to build success in your company and your life - with a proven Code of Values.” By Dina Dwyer-Owens, Chairwoman of the Dwyer Group. Dina is also Chairwoman of the International Franchise Association this year.<br /><br />What a book! It is filled with stories about The Dwyer Group’s franchisees in their various brands – Mr. Electric, Mr. Rooter, Aire Serv Heating and Air Conditioning, Mr. Appliance, Glass Doctor, Rainbow International Restoration and Dream Maker Bath and Kitchen. Dina’s entire organization operates on a Code of Values that were originally started by her father when he founded the company in 1981.<br /><br />Dina talks about her franchisees who made themselves very memorable by adhering to a Code of Value that not only propels their business – but also propels their lives. What Dina wrote will be memorable for generations to come for all of the people she featured in the book.<br /><br />Here is what else I thought about after reading the book and thinking of how you can/should make yourself memorable.<br /><br />It is true that the job market is not anything close to it was before. It will come back. These aren't comforting words for those looking for work unfortunately. But, if you are one of the people who is looking for work at this time please take this to heart – you can find a way to achieve your goals if you can find the way to make yourself memorable (in a positive way). Companies are still hiring – but they may be pickier than they were before.<br /><br />You may be competing against more people than ever before. If this is the case, what are you doing to make sure that you stand head and shoulders above the rest? Think of these areas:<br /><br />+ Your dress<br />+ Your enthusiasm<br />+ Your follow up<br />+ Your thank you note<br />+ Your professionalism during the interview<br /><br />Now is the time to take control and make a difference – not only for the companies you are interviewing with but also for yourself.<br /><br />That reminds me of something else that happened this week. Eric, our College Recruiter, and I were on a conference call with Steven Rothberg of CollegeRecruiter.com. E V E R Y time I talk to Steven it reminds me of what a professional he is. How he ALWAYS thinks about his customers’ needs. How he epitomizes what a business partner should be. That is one of the reasons Steven stays so memorable.<br /><br />Make yourself memorable. One of the keys for your future today . . . and your future!</span>Valpak Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08833422404015012843noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7968749610803545451.post-14785019951912859842009-02-28T20:08:00.000-08:002009-02-28T20:09:51.781-08:00Always Be Coachable – What Airplane Boy didn’t learn at the National Collegiate Sales Competition<span style="font-family:arial;">One of the coolest events of the year is the National Collegiate Sales Competition at Kennesaw State. 53 schools from around the U.S. brought 106 sales contestants who competed for the past 3 days. The top prize winner got over $2,000 in cash, a $1,000 suit and a laptop. Not bad . . . but the competition is brutal.<br /><br />Once again Valpak was a sponsor and Mary Kay and I were “judges” and “buyers” for the event while Eric worked the booth. (He is young and the contestants would MUCH RATHER talk to him than me!) In each round, the competitors had a 20 minute sales role-play.<br /><br />As it worked out I also had a chance to judge the semifinals and the finals. I saw TREMENDOUS sales talent . . . but one person stands out. Let’s just call him Bob. (This really isn’t his name.)<br /><br />Bob is a great sales person. I know: I judged him three times. Had he made the final four he would have been in the money. There is no doubt that Bob had the raw talent to make it to the final four. Except . . . he chose to use the cheesy prop. <br /><br />During his presentation, which was always awesome, Bob would ask his prospect to build a model airplane with the materials he provided. He’d say that this represents the prospect soaring over the competition because of Bob’s product. Every time I judged the event there were two professors of sales at other universities and a minimum of three people from industry who were also judging with me. <br /><br />By the semifinals we started to call Bob “Airplane Boy”. In fact, when he brought out the airplane a couple of started to groan and tell the other judges, “watch this”.<br /><br />At the awards banquet I approached Bob to tell him that I thought he has tremendous talent but that his airplane prop didn’t work. I told him that this would NEVER go over in the real world but he had wonderful potential. Bob looked at me and said something smug like, “Well, I guess that is your subjective opinion.” Then he pointed to his trophy (for 16th place or something like that) and said, “I guess it didn’t hold me back. I made the semifinals”. I responded that he made the semifinals DESPITE the airplane schtick – not because of it.<br /><br />My goal was simply to be a mentor who has hired and worked with hundreds, maybe thousands, of sales reps. I believe I can spot talent and wanted him to know that he has great potential but what it will take to succeed in sales in the real world.<br /><br />He shook my hand, said “thanks for the input” and smugly walked away like I had the plague. <br /><br />As Mary Kay and I were leaving the event I saw Airplane Boy with one of his professors. He pointed to me and told his professor, “There is the guy who didn’t like my airplane bit.” The professor said to me, “I’m sure what you thought didn’t hold him back.” My response was, “It did. I was one of the final judges.”<br /><br />So what is the point about all of this???????????<br /><br />Here’s a simple rule – remember your ABC’s – Always Be Coachable. Just ask Tiger Woods. He made $100,000,000 last year, yet he relies on his coach to make him better.<br /><br />I appreciated Airplane Boy’s talent more than anyone else at the competition. I thought he had a tremendous future in sales. Now I don’t think he has a sniff at being successful at this profession. No chance whatsoever. He isn’t coachable.<br /><br />Too bad. Had he simply asked why it didn’t work he could have gotten even better. Not because I am that good at sales – but because I learned many years ago that I need to listen to people who have walked the road and cared enough to offer their advice.<br /><br />The National Collegiate Sales Competition. One of the coolest events on earth – especially for those who really want to get better and have a tremendous career in sales.<br /><br />Oh, by the way, I would bet that Airplane Boy is shining up his 16th place plaque instead of planning how he could get the laptop, $1,000 suit and $2,000 next year. <br /><br />It’s a shame.</span>Valpak Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08833422404015012843noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7968749610803545451.post-34951136538706667622009-02-23T19:58:00.000-08:002009-02-24T07:52:50.566-08:00Academy Awards, the IFA Convention & Slumdog Millionaire<span style="font-family:arial;">The Academy Awards are over and, once again, I didn’t see any of the movies. Mary Kay wanted to see “Slumdog Millionaire” but I kept saying, “How good can that be?” As I watched the Awards last night I listened to the message many of the movie stars kept saying. I’ll get back to the recurring message I heard.<br /><br />For the past couple of weeks I’ve been on the road and attended the International Franchise Association Convention in San Diego. Another amazing event with over 2300 people in attendance. The numbers are staggering. 1 in 7 people in America now have a job due to franchising.<br /><br />Former President Clinton was the keynote speaker who opened the event. I have to admit, sitting about 25 feet from the former leader of the free world was cool. Dina Dwyer-Owens became the Chairwoman of the IFA for the next year. Dina became President of the Dwyer Group, representing over 1400 franchisees in 13 countries in six franchise systems, at the age of 35 in 1999. Now she represents all 1350+ franchisors who are part of IFA. If you get a chance get her book, “Live RICH (Respect, Integrity, Customer Focus, Having Fun) – How to build success in your company and your life – with a proven Code of Values.”<br /><br />Carly Fiorina, former Hewlett-Packard Chairwoman and CEO, also spoke. She recounted that she started her career as a secretary. When she was ousted at HP her reported severance package was just over $21 million. Whew.<br /><br />I sat at a roundtable session with Margaret McEntire, founder of Candy Bouquet. 20 years ago she started this company in her garage. Now, she has 800 stores in over 35 countries.<br /><br />As always Fred DeLuca of Subway was there. He started at age 17 with a $1,000 loan. I’m not sure but I think he almost has 30,000 franchise stores now. He is always most gracious and willing to help new franchisors. Each year someone who is winning a major IFA award cites Fred’s kindness and willing to help attitude as a key to the award winner’s success.<br /><br />Tariq Farid, founder of Edible Arrangements, received IFA’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award. His career started at age 17 when he used a $5,000 cash advance from his parents to purchase a flower shop in East Haven, CT. He opened his first Edible’s store in 1999 and now has over 800 locations throughout the world.<br /><br />Mary Kay and I spent a lot of time with Jennifer Kushell. This early-30’s dynamo is the global expert on Gen Y. Make sure you go to her site and register at </span><a href="http://www.ysn.com/"><span style="font-family:arial;">www.ysn.com</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;"> and learn more about Jen and the amazing stuff she is doing throughout the world.<br /><br />OK. Now back to the Academy Awards. What I kept hearing last night was actors and actresses saying “keep believing in your dreams”. They thanked the people who had faith in them and helped them get through the tough times. They said it wasn’t easy.<br /><br />It was no different than what Dina, Tariq, or Margaret said, or what happened for Fred or what Jen learned from her dad when he was the IFA Chairman in 1977. Each of these people is tremendously successful and able to really give back to others.<br /><br />Success is believing in yourself and keeping the faith and focus – especially when the naysayers tell you how hard it is. Your passion will propel you. You might win an Academy Award. It you don’t, you will be able to look back with great pride and be an inspiration for someone else – just like all the people I talked with at the IFA convention.<br /><br />I think I better go see Slumdog Millionaire with Mary Kay. Right after I finish Dina’s book!</span>Valpak Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08833422404015012843noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7968749610803545451.post-35701149672215414052009-01-27T10:29:00.000-08:002009-01-27T10:32:44.758-08:002009 is here . . . so let’s find the great jobs!<p><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">One of the cool things about my job is that I get to learn from so many talented people – both in the academic world and the business world. I was reminded of that when Mary Kay and I were in Anaheim at the USASBE (United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship) Conference on January 10th. About 500 professors were there and I had a chance to be on a couple of panels. Valpak’s College Recruiter, Eric Hipps, also had a chance to join us for the event and see what academia is doing for entrepreneurship.<br /><br />The L.A. Times headline that day read, “Jobs Losses Highest Since 1945”. As the conference began, Dr. Kuratko from the E-center at Indiana University gave one of the most inspirational speeches I have ever heard. He told how Entrepreneurship solved the economic crisis of the 1980’s when the prime rate was 18%, the S & L crisis of 1986, the junk bond market collapse in 1989 and the implosion of the dot.com world in 2000. <br /><br />The wise Dr. reminded us that when Wall Street closed the day after 9/11 that Main Street stayed open – and that the current financial crisis would, once again, be solved by small business and entrepreneurship.<br /><br />Last week Valpak hosted the University Sales Education Foundation (USEF) (</span><a href="http://www.saleseducationfoundation.org/"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">www.SalesEducationFoundation.org</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">) board meeting. Members of the board include Neil Rackham, the author of “<em>Spin Selling</em>” which is the premier reference for many collegiate sales and marketing courses and Howard Stevens, the Chairman and CEO of The HR Chally Group – who has authored such books as “<em>Achieve Sales Excellence</em>” and “<em>Selling the Wheel</em>”. <br /><br />Also attending the board meeting were Dr. Rob Peterson of William Paterson University, Dr. Pete Peterson of UCONN, and Dick Canada, Executive Director, Center for Global Sales Leadership at Indiana University. Mary Delany, President of CareerBuilder’s Personified Division serves on the board as well as Valpak’s President, Joe Bourdow and Jack Pickard, the retired CEO of Fed Ex Custom Critical.<br /><br />The overall mission of the USEF is to promote the profession of sales and its role as the driving force to the economy. The goal is to increase the number of schools that offer USEF-approved professional sales education by 10% every year. We sat around the table brainstorming strategy and tactics to begin to make that happen. Mary told us that there are 114,000 sales jobs on CareerBuilder. Interestingly, more graduating students will enter the world of sales than all other degreed programs combined. Our vision is to make sure they are prepared for that challenge.<br /><br />Amazing.<br /><br />What does all of this mean to the person about to graduate or the young graduate looking for a paycheck/job/career?<br /><br />First of all the answer is inside of you. The tough job market can go away if you make it go away. How? Make the decision to find a career that can reward you the rest of your life. I said career – not company. <br /><br />Choose sales. Choose entrepreneurship.<br /><br />Go to </span><a href="http://www.brazencareerist.com/"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">www.brazencareerist.com</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"> - a community of top Gen Y thought leaders, forward-thinking organizations and everyone else who realizes that the way they define themselves in both work and in life needs to change. Penelope, the two Ryans, Kathleen, Photis and Dan brave the frozen tundra of Wisconsin as young entrepreneurs who can change your world!<br /><br />Check out my friend Jen Kushell’s </span><a href="http://www.ysn.com/"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">www.ysn.com</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">. She is called the Career Doctor by Cosmo. Jennifer is recognized as a global expert on Millennials and advises leading corporations, thousands of small businesses, major non-profits and youth organizations.<br /><br />Next, make sure you are using </span><a href="http://www.collegerecruiter.com/"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">www.collegerecruiter.com</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"> for your job search. Steven Rothberg and his staff can show you over 55,816 sales jobs. Pick up Neil Rackam's Spin Selling and become proficient at one of the greatest careers possible.<br /><br />Aha . . . there are jobs in 2009! <br /><br /><em>Next time . . . once you identify the job you want, what you need to do to get it.</em></span></p>Valpak Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08833422404015012843noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7968749610803545451.post-88171219491316406702008-12-17T03:46:00.000-08:002008-12-17T03:49:13.554-08:00Looking at things from 30,000 feet<span style="font-family:arial;">I just left the Career Counseling office at Syracuse University and changed planes at LaGuardia Airport in New York. Syracuse. Where Cedric Jackson, a basketball player from Cleveland State, made a 60’ ¾ length of the floor shot at the buzzer to beat the #11 team in the nation last night. Cedric was profiled on SportsCenter this morning. In the previous 3 games he had only made one 3-pointer. Wow.<br /><br />Flying into NY is amazing. At 30,000 feet it is sunny. Then we descended through the clouds to a dreary, overcast winter day. I tried to spot William Paterson University in Wayne, NJ and wave to my good friend, Dr P at the Russ Berrie Institute. Then I remembered I probably wouldn’t recognize it from the road – much less from the air.<br /><br />I haven’t spent a lot of time in New York in the past 20 years so I don’t know the landmarks. I looked for where the Twin Towers were and didn’t see the location from the air. I did, however, see Yankee Stadium – both of them. <br /><br />There is the Empire State Building. I’m thinking about the last time I watched “Sleepless in Seattle” or “An Affair to Remember”. Ah, meet me at the top floor. <br /><br />We passed just above the Statue of Liberty then flew over a huge cemetery that seemed to go on for blocks and blocks. <br /><br />It all got me thinking about how important it is to look at things from the 30,000 foot level. Let me share what I mean:<br /><br />At 30,000 feet I see two Yankee Stadiums - one that memorialized the past and one that will take us to the future. The Yankees. Last week they spent over 220 million dollars on two baseball players. 220 big ones! Times must be fabulous to spend all that money building a new stadium and buying the best ballplayers in the country.<br /><br />At 30,000 feet the Empire State Building seems like a safe haven. Even King Kong couldn’t destroy it.<br /><br />At 30,000 feet you see Lady Liberty and think of the millions of people who have visited Ellis Island and started to build their dreams by coming to America.<br /><br />At 30,000 feet you see that grave yard and think of the people who worked hard to give their kids opportunities, educations, and hope.<br /><br />At 30,000 feet you see the construction cranes building new buildings.<br /><br />At 30,000 your blackberry doesn’t work. Your cell phone doesn’t work. You can’t get the latest bad news of the day.<br /><br />At 30,000 feet you wonder what it is like to be the kid who made the basket to beat the #11 team in the nation. You think about the Career Counseling office at Syracuse, and hundreds of other colleges and universities, and are thankful that these offices and directors have one goal – to find employment for their students.<br /><br />In just over 2 weeks we usher in 2009. Tens of thousands of people will be in Times Square in New York to celebrate the New Year. New opportunities. New leadership in our government. From 30,000 feet . . . with sunshine coming through the plane window . . . all you think about is possibilities.<br /><br />When we landed I could glance at the headlines from the newspaper. Layoffs. The Big 3 car manufacturers in trouble. Foreclosures. And on and on.<br /><br />As you enter 2009 – go back to the 30,000 foot level. Start looking at the opportunities that are ahead of you. Start thinking about how you can leverage your skills, your knowledge, your enthusiasm and your ability to be coached and become leaders of tomorrow.<br /><br />We need these people at Valpak. When I attended the Southern Association of Colleges and Employers convention at Disney last week I talked to many companies who are looking for tomorrow’s leaders.<br /><br />I’m sure Walt Disney looked at things from 30,000 feet. I’m sure the newspapers warned of doom and gloom when he purchased a bunch of orange groves in the center of Florida. Today we call it Epcot and the Magic Kingdom.<br /><br />This is America. We are still the land of dreams. We are the land of freedom. The Statue of Liberty stands erect as ever. <br /><br />Think 30,000 feet. 2009 holds hope, opportunity and promise when you do. Happy New Year.</span>Valpak Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08833422404015012843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7968749610803545451.post-66345695941121176232008-11-23T09:46:00.000-08:002008-11-23T09:47:40.480-08:00The World of Sales is Calling You<span style="font-family:arial;">One of our favorite things to do on Sunday is read the newspaper. We read the local paper as well as the New York Times. Often I’ll read the employment stories to see what others are saying.<br /><br />In the NY Times there was an article in the “Jobs” section that started with, “It’s not easy being 20-something these days. . . . the job market is unwelcoming.”<br /><br />In one of the papers I noticed a help wanted ad. Here are some excerpts and the gist of the ad – Full time position working the night shift starting at 10 p.m. You must be bilingual, have expert computer skills in both Mac and PC as well as Quark applications. You also have to have superior organizational skills, be flexible and work in a face-paced environment that is deadline-driven. You have to be a self-starter, work with little supervision, and have an overwhelming desire to succeed.<br /><br />I thought to myself that the person who applies for this position must be very intelligent (I have enough trouble with English – much less with ANOTHER language, too), be a top-notch performer and spent years perfecting his or her computer skills. I read the ad to Mary Kay and asked her how much she thought a job of this magnitude would pay. She guessed much higher than the real answer: “This position starts at $10.50 per hour.”<br /><br />Whew. $10.50?<br /><br />$10.50 – and how much schooling did it take to do this? How many hours of working until a person can master Quark? <br /><br />Then I thought about sales. Consider this:<br /><br />I just went to </span><a href="http://www.collegerecruiter.com/"><span style="font-family:arial;">www.collegerecruiter.com</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;"> and entered the key word “sales”. There are 206,702 jobs. And remember, this is in a job market that is “unwelcoming.” What’s that? You’re not trained in sales?<br /><br />Mary Kay, when taking a commission-only position in sales for the first time years ago, practically memorized Tom Hopkins’ How to Master the Art of Selling. Interestingly, when I put together training programs for new sales reps . . . years before I met Mary Kay . . . that book was required reading. <br /><br />Start devouring books on sales. Go to Amazon.com. They don’t have to be new books. Just readable. Maybe dog-eared pages will even help you. You can buy How to Master the Art of Selling on Amazon for as low as a penny (yes I said PENNY) for a used book.<br /><br />Choose Neil Rackham’s Spin Selling (Hardcover) for $20.00. Next, buy Jeffrey Gitomer’s Little Red Book of Selling for $7.00 (used copy). Then buy How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie for $4.75. Buy the hardcover version of Norman Vincent Peale’s Power of Positive Thinking for $10.75. By way, Mary Kay devoured the Dale Carnegie and Norman Vincent Peale books, too. (The others weren’t written yet.)<br /><br />Next, go to </span><a href="http://www.jgsalespro.com/"><span style="font-family:arial;">www.jgsalespro.com</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;"> and sign up for Jeff Goldberg’s newsletter. He is the best at telephone prospecting I’ve ever seen. While you are at it, go to </span><a href="http://www.sellingpower.com/"><span style="font-family:arial;">www.sellingpower.com</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;"> and watch some of Gerhard’s interviews – especially the interview with Howard Stevens entitled “How Hiring is Changing” </span><a href="http://www.sellingpower.com/video/"><span style="font-family:arial;">http://www.sellingpower.com/video/</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;"> . Howard has said that more people will go into the workforce and have a job in sales that all other college majors combined. With that, don’t forget to get a subscription of Selling Power. <br /><br />Do I say all of these things for the sake of hiring sales reps at Valpak? <br /><br />Indirectly. It will take hard work. It will take patience. It will take dedication. It will take the ability to ignore the word “no”. But, for $42.51 (plus shipping) you can get the books that can help propel you to a world that you could have never imagined existed.<br /><br />Still not convinced? Spend the $42.51 and read the books and see if you are willing to embrace the lessons taught in those books. Then apply for a job with Valpak. You will be the kind of person I want to hire. If you then go to work with one of our offices, I’ll reimburse your $42.51 tenfold. <br /><br />Of course, the other 206,701 employers will be envious!</span>Valpak Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08833422404015012843noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7968749610803545451.post-63934117022213896832008-11-02T05:11:00.000-08:002008-11-02T05:14:23.979-08:00Go Rays<p><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />One of our passions for the past few months has been the Tampa Bay Rays. Even if you aren’t a baseball fan you might have heard that they made it into the World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies. This was equivalent of an African American or Woman making it to the White House . . . oh, wait, that is happening. <br /><br />For 10 years, ever since their inception, the Rays were the worst team in baseball. The laughing stock for late-night talk show hosts. Suddenly they started winning. They didn’t have a starting pitcher all year who was over the age of 26 – which doesn’t surprise a Gen Y fan like me.<br /><br />Cut to the chase. The magic of the season really became evident to me last weekend as we walked around Walt Disney World Epcot. Mary Kay and I both wore our Rays jerseys. A year ago you wouldn’t have even seen a Ray’s hat – or if you did you might snicker that there goes a person who makes a Cubs fan proud!<br /><br />At Epcot we kept hearing the words, “<strong>Go Rays”.</strong> Those two magical words. On the side of the Valpak manufacturing center, which is just 10 miles north on the same road where the Rays play, were the words, “Valpak says, “Go Rays”. <br /><br />This team, made up mostly of Gen Whyers, had the second lowest payroll in baseball. The Phillies payroll was almost 2 ½ times as large. But the Rays made it to the World Series by beating the White Sox and the Rex Sox who had payrolls over three times as large. How? With this group of excited, motivated fun-loving Gen Whyers.<br /><br />Future superstars Even Longoria and David Price are just 23! Amazing! It started with someone, exactly my age, who understands how to coach and mentor Gen Ys – Ray’s Manager Joe Maddon.<br /><br />For the playoffs and the World Series Maddon sported a Mohawk just like many of the Ray’s players. He is fun. He is positive – so positive that many of his players didn’t know how to take him when he came to the Rays. He has sayings in the clubhouse. Things like:<br /><br /> * Integrity has no need of rules. (Albert Camus)<br /> * Attitude is a decision,<br /> * Discipline yourself so no one else has to. (John Wooden)<br /><br />Then there is his famous <strong>9 = 8.</strong> During spring training he introduced this. It meant that 9 players playing hard and believing in themselves would = one of the 8 playoff spots. Imagine telling the WORST team in baseball in 2007 this. <br /><br />It worked. His friends say the Maddon didn’t change in 2008 – his players did. They believed because he believed. His infectious positive attitude wore off on them.<br /><br />As I’ve continued to say, Gen Y will be the greatest generation. The challenge comes to the Baby Boomers to guide and mentor them – just like Maddon did the Rays this year.<br /><br />I was reminded of the power of this generation at a recent IFA-related (International Franchise Association Meeting) held at a local Melting Pot restaurant. Their President, Bob Johnston, talked about the power of this generation. Melting Pot has raised nearly $3 million for St. Jude’s Hospital, and most of the leg work was done by socially-aware people who are 27 years old or younger.<br /><br />By the way, Mary Kay and I did have tickets to game six of the World Series. It never happened – at least this year! Go Gen Why. Go Melting Pot! Go Rays! </span></p>Valpak Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08833422404015012843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7968749610803545451.post-32240058519637168562008-10-15T13:24:00.000-07:002008-10-17T06:47:32.312-07:00Delta Epsilon Chi, CollegeRecruiter.com & the Lambda Theta Phi's<span style="font-family:arial;">Some ramblings from the past couple of weeks. A tribute to the future leaders of America.<br /><br />I just visited Arizona State University in Tempe, AZ. Sitting in the Student Union it dawned on me – I’m old.<br /><br />It dawned on me as I was sitting in the bathroom. Two students came into the men’s room and were discussing the conversation they had with a recruiter at a recent career fair. The student was lamenting because he didn’t really know what he wanted to do at this point of his college career and the recruiter said, “You gotta make some decisions. You can’t be all things to all people.”<br /><br />Here was a young man – probably not even 21 and the recruiter was telling him he needed to plan what he should be doing with the rest of his life. What got me was the final words I heard the student say to his friend as he walked out of the bathroom – “it was some old guy”.<br /><br />No, no . . . I wasn’t the recruiter that said that. But when I sat down in the Student Union during lunch hour I looked around and realized I might be three times as old as some of the students in the lounge and twice as old as some of the Professors – and I’m not even 55 yet!<br /><br />On the TV in the lounge was the first game of the Rays/White Sox league championship game. Evan Longoria, the 22 year old third baseman of the Rays hit two home runs in his first two at bats. Ah, youth.<br /><br />I thought back to what had happened in the past few weeks. Almost 600 of us went to Capitol Hill for Franchise Appreciation Day in Washington D.C. When we were unable to meet with our Congressman or Senator we met with one of their aides. All of these very smart people, who are very influential in running our country by doing research and giving advice to their “bosses” are also young enough to be my kids.<br /><br />I thought back to last week. We invited and flew in 11 soon-to-be college grads to Valpak for our College Recruiting Day. Along with those job applicants we brought in Steve Hanson, the National President for Delta Epsilon Chi. Steve is just a Junior at Weber State. We spent hours talking to him. Joe, our President, said, “Steve seems as if he is 10 years older than what he is.”<br /><br />On the weekend we went to Tucson and the campus of the University of Arizona for a Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers convention. Walking on the campus one night we came across a fraternity initiation for Lambda Theta Phi. The four recruits were dressed in military-type garb with a ski cap and bandana covering their face. About 100 watched this performance with 20 or 30 fellow Lambda’s involved in the event.<br /><br />After it was over we talked to a couple of the Lambda’s and asked what we saw. One talked about the fraternity, one of the oldest Latin fraternities. He explained that their GPA’s were 2nd highest on campus for any fraternities/sororities. Highest GPA’s???? I’m from the “Animal House” generation where we talked about double-secret probation. I’m getting old and our about-to-graduate-college generation is very intelligent!<br /><br />Fast forward two weeks. Back in Tampa. Just saw the WORST week of Wall Street ever. How did this happen? “Smart people” my age who decided to make loans to people who couldn’t pay it back.<br /><br />Talked to Steven Rothberg of CollegeRecruiter.com today. He isn’t nearly as old as I am but I think he is 40 and is one of those people who really gets it, too. He helps old guys like me learn how to be good at college recruiting. All I have to do is read his blogs. It was Steven who let me “copy” his “How to Create A Successful College Recruiting Program” when we put together our Recruiting, Hiring and Retention Guide a few years ago.<br /><br />Thanks, Steven. It is your website that allows old guys like me find guys like Steve Hanson and the Lambda Theta Phi’s. Maybe the “old guy” who interviewed the ASU student should read Steven’s site. Maybe he guys who decided to lend money to people who couldn’t pay ask the Lambda’s what they would do.<br /><br />Finally, maybe Evan will help get the Rays in the World Series. It pays to Dream. Keep making it happen Gen Whyers!</span>Valpak Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08833422404015012843noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7968749610803545451.post-35916559862925736022008-08-14T12:41:00.000-07:002008-08-14T12:50:07.778-07:00A Gold Medal for Gen Wisers<span style="font-family:arial;">My regiment during the past few days is interesting. I’ve been doing phone interviews with some of our Valpak Gen Y Sales Reps. I also spoke with Deb Chereck, the Director of the Career Center at the University of Oregon. Deb talked about Gen Y, our next generation, as the next great generation in America. Deb knows what she is talking about. She been at Oregon over 25 years and really understands the group that is going to lead the world in the next two decades. I’ll call them all Gen Wisers.<br /><br />At night I hurry home to watch the Olympics. I get goosebumps on my arms when I see Michael Phelps win another gold medal and break another world record. Race after race. Night after night. Amazing.<br /><br />Yesterday I talked to one of our Valpak sales managers, Sean Dunn, who is only 26. We talked about the great generation coming out of college. Then I remembered that Michael Phelps is 23. The Gen Wise sales reps I’ve been talking to are all within a year or three of being 23 – about the same age Sean was when he joined Valpak. Sean has moved up quickly and will be one of our talented leaders of the future.<br /><br />I had videotaped an interview with Lauren Millman, one of our reps in New Jersey and had Sean watch it. I told him of the conversations I had with all of our Sales Reps. Without exception they all talked about the person in the office that was their mentor or their coach. It wasn’t always their manager – in fact, it usually wasn’t. Lauren had two different mentors in her time with Valpak. Also a Sales Manager. She praises all three of them. Lauren, too, is on the fast track to stardom because of her coaches, managers and mentors.<br /><br />I’ve always admired great coaches. Pat Forde of ESPN.com wrote a great story about Phelps and his coach, Bob Bowman. You can find it at: </span><a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/summer08/columns/story?columnist=forde_pat&id=3534490"><span style="font-family:arial;">http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/summer08/columns/story?columnist=forde_pat&id=3534490</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />The story of Bowman and Phelps is amazing. Bowman epitomizes what a coach should/can be. He started coaching Phelps at 11. Yes, as in 11 gold medals and still counting. In the article Phelps says, “I don’t think I could be where I am today with any other coach”. Wow.<br /><br />Many of my baby-boomer cohorts worry about this generation. They think the Gen Yers are coddled. They think Gen Wisers are lazy. They think Gen Yers have been so spoiled that they expect things given to them.<br /><br />When it comes down to it I think most of these baby-boomers are jealous. We finally have a generation who truly gets life. Friends are important, teamwork is important, flex time is important, and work is important. Huh. Novel idea. Compare that to my generation – work is important.<br /><br />Gen Wisers get it. They FOCUS on what they have to get done so they can enjoy life. Boomers enjoy their work so that it becomes their life. Duh.<br /><br />So here is my message to the Gen Wise: - Keep on keeping on. You are showing us how to live.<br /><br />And to the boomers – lets stop worrying about the Gen Wisers and start focusing on how we can become better coaches and mentors. We have the opportunity to lead and inspire this generation. They WANT to be coached! They WANT to be mentored! They respect us.<br /><br />Oh, one final thought. For those of you reading this blog who are looking for jobs – don’t forget about my friend Steven Rothberg at collegerecruiter.com. He has one of the best sites around.<br /><br />When you are about to accept that job ask the hiring manager to introduce you to your coach and/or your mentor. Then spend some time with that person before you accept the job. If the company can’t/won’t tell you who your coach/mentor (remember, this isn’t your boss!) is going to be – keep looking.<br /><br />Just ask Michael Phelps how important a good coach can be. Then ask Bob Bowman how lazy this generation is.<br /><br />We are in good hands. You were right, Deb!</span>Valpak Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08833422404015012843noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7968749610803545451.post-75946675166718316222008-07-15T10:32:00.000-07:002008-07-15T10:41:32.781-07:00Working Hard for What You Want<span style="font-family:arial;">Today is my baby's birthday. Andy turns 31 today. I remember being in the delivery room still wearing my baseball uniform from the game the night before. In honor of Andy's birthday and what happened on TV last night I want to share the following. </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Here is a story for you and those who enjoy the blog. It is about two very different people: Doreen and Josh. Before this week you might not have heard a whole lot of either one of them. After this week, Josh’ s story will make it to Hollywood.<br /><br />One of my favorite sayings is “The Harder You Work, the Luckier You Get”. On Saturday Mary Kay and I were fortunate enough to be at a Habitat for Humanity Dedication. Valpak sponsored the house next door. Mary Kay and I actually worked on that house and I was glad to see it was still standing! Valpak also gives each new Habitat homeowner in Pinellas County, Florida their first piece of mail – a Valpak envelope with a $100 check inside.<br /><br />It is very cool. What is equally as cool is how hard the new homeowner has to work to get the house. We met Doreen – a single mom with a son, David, who looked to be about 15. When Doreen was chosen she had 30 days to complete her application. She got it in the next day.<br /><br />To qualify for a Habitat House the future homeowner has to put in between 300 – 500 hours of “sweat equity” - either on their house or another Habitat home being built. Think about it. That is equivalent of 8 to12 40-hour work weeks of working in the Florida heat. Doreen quickly started working to attain her dream of a home.<br /><br />I sat next to Doreen’s mom at the dedication. When mom took the tour of the house she cried in each room with excitement for Doreen. Each Habitat dedication ends with everyone in attendance gathered around the house touching the home during the prayer of dedication. I don’t think there was a dry eye anywhere.<br /><br />It was Doreen’s focus and hard work that got the keys to the house. I have no doubt that she’ll do whatever it takes to not only make that house a home and also teach young David a great life lesson.<br /><br />And now, Josh. His story will inspire you. He is the real-life Roy Hobbs (of The Natural).<br /><br />When I moved to Florida I started becoming a Tampa Bay Rays fan. I read stories in the Tampa paper about their #1 pick in the 1999 draft - the top high school prospect in the country. He received a signing bonus of $3.96 million. On July 10, 2002 he was injured and had to sit out the remainder of the season. But in 2003 everyone was excited as this 22-year old phenom started spring training. It wouldn’t be long before he was playing the outfield.<br /><br />Something happened during the off season, though. Josh got involved with the wrong crowd. Two years later, in May 2005, his grandmother opened the front door of her house at 2 a.m. and let Josh Hamilton, her drug addict grandson in the house. He hadn’t slept for 4 days. He’d lost 40 pounds since she saw him last. Josh said that he was addicted to heroine and crack cocaine and had tried to commit suicide four or five times.<br /><br />On October 6, 2005 Josh quit using alcohol or drugs. He had been in and out of eight drug rehab centers. Almost all of his $4 million signing bonus was gone – given to either drug dealers or rehab centers.<br /><br />Josh started to really work for what he wanted – a chance to play in the major leagues. He met Roy Silver, who owns a baseball academy in Clearwater housed where the Phillies previous spring training facility Silver let Hamilton stay at an old office building in the facility with the understanding that Josh wouldn’t get any handouts and he had to work to be able to stay.<br /><br />Hamilton did. He took out trash, pulled weeds, mowed the outfield and did whatever else was necessary. Silver also let Josh hit in the batting cage and thus rediscover the skills that made Hamilton a “can’t miss” prospect. He hadn’t played a game in three years but was determined to work hard enough to make it back. Silver had coached in the minors and realized what a talent Josh still had.<br /><br />Josh Hamilton finally made it to the majors. He played for the Cincinnati Reds in 2007 and was traded to the Texas Rangers for the 2008 season.<br /><br />On Monday night Josh Hamilton hit 28 home runs in the first round of the Home Run Derby at Yankee stadium - a major league record. 53,716 people were chanting his name and giving him a standing ovation while millions of others watched the ESPN telecast.<br /><br />I’m not sure which was more moving for me – seeing Josh’s standing O or watching Doreen get the keys to her Habitat home. What I am sure is when you relentlessly pursue your dream you forget how hard you worked to get there.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Amazing. We really do have the ability to shape our future. We just have to decide to do it. You can then forget your past failures and focus on the future.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">Happy birthday, Andy. I love you.</span>Valpak Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08833422404015012843noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7968749610803545451.post-7638797096568233562008-06-16T07:54:00.000-07:002008-06-16T07:55:42.631-07:00Failure - The Only Way to Success<span style="font-family:arial;"><br />One of the best events of the year at Valpak is Coupon U. This was my seventh – I’ve been to CU in Baltimore, South Beach, Austin, New Orleans, Orlando, Louisville and now Tampa. Next year is St. Louis.<br /><br />For the past 21 years the Saturday of Coupon U is always known as the most exciting day of the 3-day event as the national sales awards are presented. We usually have a good keynote speaker to address the group. Little did I know what an amazing Saturday this was about to become – one that will be talked about for the next 21 years.<br /><br />There was already a buzz about our speaker. 1200+ people walked to the Tampa Convention from the Marriott to hear Chris Gardner – the person who Will Smith played in the movie, “In Pursuit of Happyness”. Two hours later what I heard from everyone was that he was the best speaker they had ever heard. Five hours later he was still autographing his book with the same name as the movie.<br /><br />The movie was based on his life. His son was shown as 5 or 6 years old in the movie. In real life his son was just 14 months old. Gardner grew up without a father and he vowed that he would never do that to any of his kids. So, when his girlfriend dropped off the 14 month old and left, Gardner had to find a way to support the two of them. <br /><br />He had a dream. He wanted to be a financial analyst. His salary for his first year was $1000 – a month. Soon he became homeless. Not because of drugs or alcohol – simply because he was pursuing his dream and the $1,000 salary couldn’t support father and son living in San Francisco. But, he was committed to his quest and wouldn’t stop.<br /><br />He knew that he could achieve his dream if he kept playing the numbers game and calling 200 people a day. <br /><br />Let’s repeat that. 200 people a day. Every day. <br /><br />Imagine 200. Imagine 200 with a 14 month old baby who you had to pick up at 5 o’clock every day? Imagine doing this while only making $1,000 per month and being homeless.<br /><br />Why would someone like that continue pursuing his goal?<br /><br />He absolutely loved what he did and he was selling he believed in – which included pursuing his dream to really be able to support his infant son.<br /><br />Interestingly, it was while he was doing 200 dials a day that he caught his break. An older gentleman, who was dating the analyst who sat next to him, visited the office often and watched the work ethic of Gardner. After months of observing his tenacity the older gentleman, who was an executive for Bear Sterns in San Francisco, hired him at five times his current salary.<br /><br />By the way, one of the things that motivated Gardner was meeting and getting coached by someone who drove a Ferrari. Gardner eventually bought a Ferrari. He bought it from a basketball player in Chicago named Michael Jordan. Today, if you see a black Ferrari driving in Chicago with the license plate “Not MJ” – you will have seen Gardner’s car.<br /><br />So how does all of this relate to me . . . how does it relate to you?<br /><br />About 20 years ago if found this little plaque that has been on the wall of my office ever since. It reads, “Babe Ruth struck out 1,330 times”. Ruth, of course, isn’t the strike out king. That goes to Reggie Jackson – who struck out 2,597 times. I remember him, though, as Mr. October. The person who you wanted at the plate at playoff and World Series time.<br /><br />Gardner didn’t count his losses. He failed his way to success. Just like Babe Ruth. Just like Reggie. Just like you and I should do. Remember the victories. Forget the rest! Go Chris!</span>Valpak Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08833422404015012843noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7968749610803545451.post-67608267953512151172008-05-01T12:52:00.000-07:002008-05-01T12:59:00.761-07:00A Story of Unparalleled Support - Who are You Supporting???It was a week of tears of joy. I thought I was over it until I read this morning’s sports page. I’ll get to that story in a second.<br /><br />My daughter got married Saturday. Family and friends from around the country starting arriving in Tampa a week ago. Had the chance to spend time with all three of my kids, one grandson, and welcome a son-in-law to the group – who is absolutely perfect for my daughter. On Friday we had a "wedding golf outing". My 8-year old grandson rode with us. He sank a 10’ birdie putt and drove the cart all day. On Saturday I walked my daughter down the aisle. The bride and groom asked me to sing "The Wedding Song – There is Love" at the wedding. In the audience were my best friends from Cleveland. I sang the same song at their wedding 22 years ago. The song must work!<br /><br />For the past six months life seemed to be "BW and AW" – before wedding and after wedding. But I knew April 26 wouldn’t necessarily calm things down.<br /><br />May would be hectic. A trip to Chicago for a meeting of the Board of Governors of the International Franchise Association’s Institute of Certified Franchise Executives on May 1. A webcast on the "Top 10 Hiring Mistakes" for the Human Capital Institute. A speech to 30 young advertising professionals – age 26-32 in Tampa. Recruiting trips to UNC, University of Houston, William Paterson University, DePaul and UIC. The annual convention for the National Association of Colleges and Employers in New Orleans. All of this sandwiched around Valpak’s annual sales gala – Coupon U – where over 1200 Valpakians will join us in Tampa.<br /><br />But the wedding is over and I thought the tears of joy would now be over. Then, as I said, I read the morning paper. It was an AP story about a softball game between Western Oregon University and Central Washington University. (You better grab some tissues now).<br /><br />Sara Tucholsky, a WOU senior about to graduate, did something she had never done in high school or college. She hit a home run. In her excitement she missed first base. She knew she had to touch each base so she turned around to run back to first when it happened. She collapsed with a knee injury. She knew the rules. She had to touch all the bases for it to be a home run. She crawled back to first base. A pinch runner was out of the question to complete the home run trot. She would be held to a single.<br /><br />In an act of unparalleled sportsmanship, Mallory Holtman – first baseman for CWU (and the leading home run hitter in the conference) asked if she could help her opponent. Mallory and CWU’s shortstop, Liz Wallace, put their arms under Tucholsky’s legs and carried her around the bases – allowing Tucholsky to touch each base and cross home plate.<br /><br />Home run. In fact, three run homer. Final score – Western Oregon 4 Central Washington 2. The act of kindness and sportsmanship cost CWU the game. It also ended their chances to advance in the playoffs. But, it made them lifetime heroes to many – me included. Here is the AP version:<br /><a href="http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/S/SOF_HOME_RUN_HELP_OROL-?SITE=ORAST&SECTION=STATE&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2008-04-30-16-13-59">http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/S/SOF_HOME_RUN_HELP_OROL-?SITE=ORAST&SECTION=STATE&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2008-04-30-16-13-59</a><br /><br />While my eyes welled-up in tears I remembered the story and YouTube video of the 1992 Olympics and of Derek Redmond and his dad. (More tissues will be needed for this one. Maybe a whole box)<br /><br />In 1988 Derek Redmond arrived in Seoul, Korea hoping to win a medal in the 400. 10 minutes before his race he suffered an Achilles tendon injury. He had shattered the British 400-meter record at 19 and now was unable to fulfill his Olympic dream.<br /><br />Fast forward 4 years. It is Barcelona. Derek is back. He underwent 5 surgeries to get there. He was poised to win a medal as one of the fastest men in the world.<br /><br />In the semifinal heat, 65,000 people are watching Derek explode from the blocks and take the lead. Surely he would make the finals. Just 175 meters from the finish he hears a "pop" and grabs his right hamstring. His Olympic medal journey is over as he falls to the track.<br /><br />The medical crew comes out with a stretcher but Derek shoos them off the track as he gets up determined to hop on one leg to the finish. The race is over for all of the other runners but Redmond is hobbling toward the finish line. 65,000 people are cheering for him.<br /><br />Suddenly, Jim Redmond, Derek’s father, breaks through security and runs onto the track. Jim runs to Derek. Derek buries his head in his father’s shoulder and weeps. Jim, bearing most of Derek’s weight, wraps his arm around his son’s waist and virtually carries him toward the finish line.<br /><br />One step before the finish line Jim lets go of his son so that Derek can cross the finish line by himself. Read and watch the account at these links:<br /><a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/espn25/story?page=moments/94">http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/espn25/story?page=moments/94</a><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyWwSR9xBH0">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyWwSR9xBH0</a><br /><br />Every time I watch that video I pray that I can, somehow, give my children (and my new son-in-law) something that is remotely close to what Jim Redmond did.<br /><br />We all need this support. Regardless of what we do. Think back on the people who supported you the most in time of need. Who was it? What was the situation? How long ago was it?<br /><br />Sara Tucholsky will no doubt remember her only home run in high school and college. More importantly, she will remember Mallory Holtman and Liz Wallace the rest of her life. She’ll tell her grandkids the story of how they carried her around the bases.<br /><br />I then thought of my upcoming trips to the universities and seeing our leaders of tomorrow. I have no doubt I’ll read about some of the students I am about to meet. They come from some of the best schools in America. Some will go through one of the best internships I’ve ever seen – the University Directories internship. <a href="http://www.universitydirectories.com/">www.universitydirectories.com</a><br /><br />I want to be one of the people that a student remembers 40 years from now! I want to be able to influence one of tomorrow’s leaders and support their efforts.<br /><br />I admire what my good friends are doing. I can’t imagine where tens (maybe hundreds) of thousands of students would be without Steven Rothberg at <a href="http://www.collegerecruiter.com/">www.collegerecruiter.com</a> Employers, too. Steven’s dream is providing a future for people every minute.<br /><br />I think of all of the Professors who work with students who have a focus in sales as the USCA (University Sales Center Alliance) schools. What a tremendous job they are doing. More students will enter the profession of sales than all other majors combined. <a href="http://www.salescenteralliance.com/">http://www.salescenteralliance.com</a><br /><br />It goes without saying that Howard Stevens, Jeanne Frawley and the professionals who make up USEF (University Sales Education Foundation) <a href="http://www.chally.com/sales-ed/index.html">http://www.chally.com/sales-ed/index.html</a> will also be changing the career paths for thousands of students interested in a career in sales.<br /><br />At one of the last IFA events I remember talking to someone who invited Eric Chester of <a href="http://www.generationwhy.com/">www.generationwhy.com</a> to their event. He has taught and influenced so many of our franchise leaders as well as tens of thousands of high school students during his speaking career. Hopefully the book we are writing will helps millions of people understand the power of Gen Why. <a href="http://www.generationwhy.com/allin">www.generationwhy.com/allin</a><br /><br />These people are our future! And, we are in very capable hands!<br /><br />Evidence of this comes from Mallory Holtman – the first baseman who carried Tucholsky around the bases. Her quote in the paper was, "In the end, it is not about losing so much. It was about this girl. She hit it over the fence and was in pain, and she deserved a home run."<br />This attitude is refreshing for our future.<br /><br />Sometimes it feels good to shed tears of joy.Valpak Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08833422404015012843noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7968749610803545451.post-56523461655942477352008-04-03T11:28:00.000-07:002008-04-03T12:45:53.210-07:00A Whirlwind Tour – Meeting America’s Future Talent in the Profession of Sales<span style="font-family:arial;"><p><br />Wow. What a couple of weeks it has been! What I have seen is a showcase of some of the future sales leaders in America.<br /><br />It started with the National Collegiate Sales Competition at Kennesaw State. 49 Teams sent two team members to compete in Dr. Loe’s 10th annual competition. I had the opportunity to be a judge at the event and see some very talented people. Terry Loe and Mary Foster, along with a host of others, have created an unbelievable event that produces more pressure than most experienced sales people find in ANY sales call.<br /><br />The next week I went to Las Vegas and attended Gerhard Gschwandtner’s Selling Power Leadership Conference. Howard Stevens, CEO and Chairman of HR Chally, was there along with Jeanne Frawley, Chally’s University Programs director. It is always great to see the Stevie Award winning Howard. He has started the University Sales Education Foundation with a goal of professionalizing sales by starting at the collegiate level. </span></p><a href="http://www.chally.com/sales-ed/index.html"><span style="font-family:arial;">http://www.chally.com/sales-ed/index.html</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />Howard explains that more college graduates will become salespeople than all other careers combined.<br /><br />Think about that. Astounding. Yet only 35 or 36 schools have a program major or certificate. If anyone can get the job done in the next decade it will be Howard and the USEF.<br /><br />As hard as this is to believe, some people still think that Sales people are “born” – not “taught”. I still hear “this person or that person is a ‘natural’ when it comes to sales”. I never hear that anyone is a “natural biologist” or “natural electrical engineer” or a “natural geologist”. But – natural salesperson is common nomenclature.<br /><br />Huh. Right.<br /><br />When is the last time you went to someone’s house who just had a baby and heard them say, “Looks like to me that little Mikey is going to be a salesman (or engineer or fireman or whatever)?<br /><br />Last week I attended Pi Sigma Epsilon’s National Convention in Dallas. </span><a href="http://www.pse.org/pse-about.asp"><span style="font-family:arial;">http://www.pse.org/pse-about.asp</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;"> Ann Devine, Robb Carlson and the PSE staff have 12 balls juggling at once as there is competition for top sales presentation, top business plan award, top marketing plan award, as well as many other awards all happening simultaneously. With great speakers and a fabulous awards banquet on Saturday night (similar to the one at Kennesaw State with NCSC), I had a chance to look across the room and reminisce by thinking, “Those guys are WAY smarter than I was at their age!” <br /><br />I judged a couple PSE events and gave a seminar on “The 10 Commandments of Your Job Search. The questions, the comments, the insights these students have is why I call this generation – Generation Wise.<br /><br />Amazing.<br /><br />It is time to forget the words “natural” or “born” anything. These students have worked very hard to get to the level of competing nationally for their schools and for themselves.<br /><br />What I did learned in those couple of weeks is that there are dedicated Professors and Educators (yes, both deserve to be CAPITALIZED) who are developing our future sales leaders. I watched the interaction. I listened to the soon-to-be-grads describe how their lives have changed as they have been involved with NSCS or PSE and their Professor/coaches. I read and heard about the hundreds of thousands of dollars these students raise for charity. I witnessed a passion for live, for work, and for success.<br /><br />Please don’t say, “She is a ‘natural’ when it comes to raising money.”<br /><br />So how does all this happen? Let me introduce and thank just a few of the people I’ve met and talked to in the past month that are changing lives by giving their students ongoing lessons in professional sales. I got to know some of them up close and personal thanks to my friend at USF, Dr. Richard Plank, on Saturday morning at an event adjacent to the PSE convention. Most of these are PhD’s but I’ll just use their first names: </span><p><span style="font-family:arial;"></p></span><p><span style="font-family:arial;">Jesse Moore and Gregory Pickett at Clemson </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Mike Ahern and Justin Bremer at the University of Houston<br />Terry Loe at Kennesaw State with Mary Foster<br />Rob Peterson at William Paterson University<br />Michael Mallin at the University of Toledo<br />Nicole Howatt & Cindi Gundy at the University of Central Florida<br />Al Pelham at The College of New Jersey<br />Chris Pullig and Charles Fifield at Baylor<br />John Hansen and Northern Illinois University<br />Pat Pallentino at Florida State<br />Donald Norris and Terri Feldman Barr at Miami University (Ohio)<br />Mark Fish at Ohio University<br />Lucas Forbes at Western Kentucky<br />David Shepherd at Georgia Southern<br />Lois Smith at the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater<br />Jack Rhodes and Michael Eguchi at the University of Washington<br />Joel Whalen at DePaul<br />Pat Petersen at U Conn<br />Linda Orr at University of Akron<br />Jim DeConinck at Western Carolina<br />Lenita Davis at Alabama<br />Vicki West at Texas State<br />Buddy LaForge at Louisville<br />Christine Seiler at Bowling Green<br />Lynnea Mallalieu at UNC – Wilmington </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />I know my friend, Steven Rothberg, at CollegeRecruiter.com has a great site for helping students find the best schools. </span><a href="http://jobs.collegerecruiter.com/Education/DegreeForm.asp"><span style="font-family:arial;">http://jobs.collegerecruiter.com/Education/DegreeForm.asp</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />I’ll ask him if he can make sure that “Sales” is part of that selection and these schools are included.<br /><br />I’ve never been more excited about recruiting! I’ve never believe more in the opportunities we provide as well as what the “Wise” provide us.<br /><br />I don’t have my PhD. Nor my Masters. But I am smart enough to know that sales people are not born. Nor are they natural. They are taught, lead and coached by some outstanding people who are preparing them for a life of sales success.</span></p>Valpak Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08833422404015012843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7968749610803545451.post-24055783113540555022008-02-28T13:05:00.000-08:002008-02-28T13:12:24.485-08:00You can't handle the truth !<p><span style="font-family:arial;">I watched</span> the Academy Awards the other night and there was everybody’s favorite actor, Jack Nicholson. It reminded me of the 1992 Oscars when he was up for Best Supporting Actor for<em> A Few Good Men</em> , which was also up for an Oscar that year. A <em>Few Good</em> <em>Men</em> lost to <em>Unforgiven </em>that year and Jack lost to Gene Hackman for his role in <em>Unforgiven</em>. <br /><br />That got me thinking about the great line from that movie when Jack was on the witness stand. According to Wickipedia, the line "You can't handle the truth!" was voted the twenty-ninth greatest American movie quote of all-time by the American Film Institute. (It is in my top five – but after “A Cinderella Story, etc.)<br /><br />I fell asleep but heard that <em>No Country for Old Men</em> won the Oscar. Glad I fell asleep before it was announced. I wish I would have fallen asleep at this movie, instead. This got me thinking even more about “Best Picture” and “The Truth”. Personally I think that <em>No Country for Old Men</em> winning an academy award for best picture is about as truthful as saying that Roger Clemens AND his trainer, Brian McNamee, are both telling the truth.<br /><br />Whatever happened to the truth? Like the saying, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” . . . I think we have morphed to, “Truth is in the mind of the beholder.” Or at least it seems that way anymore.<br /><br />So I got to thinking about what the truth is for Gen Why . . . and for employers of Gen Why. I received an e-mail from someone recently who said, “I know that generation Y does not take kindly to discipline in the work force. This is a very "all about me and what makes me feel good" work force. What is your take on this? I do not believe that they welcome a structured work environment.”<br /><br />As I thought about this it dawned on me that this is “the truth” to this person. They really believe that the 75 million Gen Whys don’t want a structured work environment or any discipline. (To me this makes about as much sense as No Country for Old Men winning an Oscar)<br /><br />So what is the truth? And I mean the real truth.<br /><br />The truth is the onus is on us, who are managers, to change how we think! Consider this: <br /> We acknowledge the fact that we can’t go to Best Buy and get an 8-track anymore<br /> We acknowledge the fact that we there isn’t going to be a gas war down the street and we can get gas for 29 cents a gallon<br /> We acknowledge the fact that milkman isn’t going to stop by the house with milk, fresh eggs or anything else</p><p><br />What many of us don’t acknowledge is that we have to change the way we think and how we coach. There are 80 million baby boomers. The first ones get their first social security check this year. The next 10 years will see a mass exodus of boomers become retirees – or at least part-time workers. There are only 46 million Gen X’ers. (no comment) Fortunately there are 75 million Gen Wise.<br /><br />I read this week in <strong><em>Selling Power.com</em></strong> the following: Gen Y workers change jobs around eight times in their first five years of employment. If they stick with you for three years, they are content with their career path, training, technology, etc., and they're yours. <br /><br />What is the truth for you??? Shame on them or shame on us???<br /><br />Here is the truth. We are dealing with a very savvy generation. They are smart. They are technologically superior. They set goals – and what to achieve them quickly. They’ve been coddled by their parents and that isn’t their fault. (It isn’t my fault that my parents raised me with the understanding if I got a spanking at school, I’d get two at home – then we’d talk about it)<br /><br />They WANT and NEED input. Daily. But, they want the TRUTH when it comes to input. How can they get better if we continue to coddle or protect them? It is coaching and mentoring time – not dictatorship. Need proof? Just read about Tom Coughlin, this year’s winning Super Bowl coach. He changed his coaching style this year. Hey, it worked.<br /><br />So what is the truth on what we need to do?<br /><br /> First, accept that we need to change. <br /> Next, read and study what we need to do. Start with <a href="http://www.collegerecruiter.com/pages/white-papers.php">http://www.collegerecruiter.com/pages/white-papers.php</a> and read what Steven and his staff have to say. They are hardwired to this generation and can help employers learn more.<br /> Go to Eric Chester’s site: <a href="http://generationwhy.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=section&id=8&Itemid=51">http://generationwhy.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=section&id=8&Itemid=51</a> and see what he offers. The information there is amazing.<br /> Read what Ryan Healy has to say in: http://www.employeeevolution.com/archives/2007/12/05/three-signs-of-a-cool-boss/ You might have seen him on 60 Minutes. He has one of the best blogs around at <a href="http://www.employeeevolution.com/">www.employeeevolution.com</a>.<br /><br />We never said this is easy. Neither is making a 20’ putt on a flat surface and I’ve tried that for 20 years! <br /><br />By understanding the truth about this generation, you’ll understand why I call them Generation Wise and you’ll be better prepared for what you need to do for the next decade. Every day I’m learning more about this generation for our <strong>Valpak</strong> sales rep needs. Everyday, I’m more impressed with our future because of them.<br /><br />Oh, and by the way, I still think <em>No Country for Old Men</em> sucks.</p>Valpak Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08833422404015012843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7968749610803545451.post-64500090082768680882008-02-15T11:47:00.000-08:002008-02-15T11:48:26.974-08:00The Land of Opportunity - The World of Franchising<span style="font-family:arial;">After a National Advisory Board meeting in Las Vegas for DECA/Delta Epsion Chi where I talked with many companies about the opportunities we all have with Gen Whyers in the next 10 years we drove to Orlando for my favorite event of the year. (Besides my anniversary!)<br /><br />48 years ago, in Chicago, a man named Bill Rosenberg put a $100 down on a table and asked other people to match it. Bill was the President of Dunkin’ Donuts and he was meeting with other Presidents of franchise organizations. Bill knew that they needed an association and the International Franchise Association was started.<br /><br />This blog is not just about the IFA. It is about business. And dreams. And economic growth. <br />And maybe your future.<br /><br />This week in Orlando about 3,500 people got together for the 48th annual convention. 800 of IFA’s 1298 Franchisors were represented at the show. The keynote speaker on Sunday was General Colin Powell, the 65th Secretary of State.<br /><br />Amazing. Listen to what has happened since Rosenberg slapped the $100 bill on the table.<br /><br />Last Saturday I attended a Board of Trustee’s meeting of IFA’s Educational Foundation. Some pretty smart people on that committee like the Presidents of Servicemaster, Dwyer Group, Sylvan Learning Centers, Postnet, Liberty Fitness, Jani-King, Captain D’s, Meineke as well as Michael Seid, the person who wrote “Franchising for Dummies” with Wendy’s Dave Thomas. At that as meeting they talked about business and about franchising. <br /><br />An Economic Impact Study was done that covered the years from 2001 – 2005. Here is what they found:<br /><br />Direct economic output increased by 26% - but it was 41% for franchised businesses.<br />Employment grew by 3.5% - but it was 12.6% for franchised business.<br />The number of business establishments increased by 15.9% - but it was 18.5% for franchised businesses.<br /><br /> The franchising industry provides job for over 11 million American workers and continues to grow at record pace. 1 in every 7 people in America has a job created by franchising. The segment of our economy is now larger than durable goods.<br /><br />An award for the Entrepreneur of the Year was given to Brian Scudamore, Founder and CEO of 1-800-GOT-JUNK? I think Brian is 33. When he was 18 he bought a $700 pickup truck, put the name “The Rubbish Boys” – which 10 years later became 1-800-Got-Junk? Brian has done fine since then. He now has 330 locations in three countries, 45 U.S. states and nine Canadian provinces.<br /><br />In his speech he talked about his start and his attending an IFA convention years ago. Fred DeLuca, founder of Subway in 1965 (when he was 17 thanks to Dr. Peter Buck), was in attendance and Scudamore asked DeLuca if he had a few minutes to talk. DeLuca had another engagement and told Scudamore he couldn’t right then but gave him his cell phone number to call. DeLuca became one of Scudamore’s mentors because of that and provided guidance via the subsequent phone calls.<br /><br />At Valpak we’ve done TONS of advertising for Subway and 1-800-GOT-JUNK. I had a chance to talk with both Scudamore and DeLuca and find them both fascinating. They both had dreams . . . and commitment . . . and franchisees who shared those dreams. Both started when they were in their teens. (And we wonder if Gen Whyers are capable???)<br /><br />Wow. Talk about economic growth and being able to live the dream.<br /><br />On Sunday Mary Kay and I had breakfast with someone named “Red” – founder of Pet Butler. He has almost 100 franchisees in just a short period of time. Pet Butler has a sophisticated system where they will take all of the inbound calls for their franchisees and do all of the schedules. All the franchisees do is go to the person’s house and take care of business.<br /><br />The business? Dog poop. (I’m trying to find the proper word)<br /><br />How popular is this? Red said there are now 5 companies franchising this concept. Amazing. <br />America really is the land of opportunities!</span>Valpak Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08833422404015012843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7968749610803545451.post-43595044622036846082008-02-01T20:40:00.000-08:002008-02-01T20:42:03.665-08:00An Amazing Day - February 1, 2008Friday, February 1, 2008. A most memorable day with some of the most heartwarming/ heart wrenching events.<br /><br />I had the opportunity to give a keynote address to 150+ students who were part of Delta Epsilon Chi’s Regional Finals at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, RI. Johnson and Wales was founded by two ladies in the 1930’s. 70+ years later it is over 15,000 students strong at 4 campuses. An amazing entrepreneurial accomplishment.<br /><br />Students were competing for the National DEX event in Atlanta in April. I had a chance to judge one event and wanted to offer IMMEDIATE job opportunities to two of the contestants. One of them told me he was flunking out of high school and found the way to get through it so he could attend J & W. His GPA is 3.9. He spoke with the wisdom of a 40 year old – not a 20 year old.<br /><br />After the competition I met and talked to a phenomenal young lady who works for DEX, named Kyle. She grew up in a household where DECA and Delta Epsilon Chi were a way of life. After high school she started the DEX chapter at the University of Utah – then transferred to Johnson and Wales in Denver. Along the way she was a DEX chapter leader, then a state leader, then a National VP. After graduation DECA’s national headquarters was smart enough to capture her and have her become part of their staff. This was a no-brainer to me. It was like playing in a best-ball golf tournament and picking Tiger to be on your team. Duh.<br /><br />As I got ready to board the plane I met a family with “Make a Wish” foundation buttons. They were headed from Providence to Phoenix for the Super Bowl. They were huge Patriots fans. I learned they were going to sit in the first row of the private boxes.<br /><br />Mom and step-dad were with their 15 year old son, Rob. Rob was diagnosed with testicular cancer in October. Now, three months later, he just completed chemotherapy. All of his hair was gone. I asked the dad how Rob was doing. He told me that they just got blood tests results and they weren’t good. All of the doctors’ communications go through mom and she hadn’t broken the news yet. The Make a Wish Foundation was making one of Rob’s dreams come true.<br /><br />Also boarding our plane were Patriot fans going to the game. I told them I thought that the Packers should have been playing. They agreed. Even though the Packers aren’t playing, it is hard for me to root against a guy who was drafted #199 and has since won 3 Super Bowls. I guess the experts aren’t always right. How many teams had the chance to have Tom Brady and blew it. All of them!!!!<br /><br />I sat next to a Navy Flight Surgeon on the plane. Julia was her name. As we talked it was obvious that she was very much in love with someone named Shane who lived in Washington D. C. For two hours we talked about love and finding the right mate. I told her about my love affair with my wife, Mary Kay, and how magical it was. She told me about her love and how her life was getting new meaning. The two of them were together less than 6 months but they both knew that this “was the one”. They were the same age – just as Mary Kay and I were the same age. They had a long distance love affair as we had. I told her how being together every night was even more exciting than it was only seeing each other every other weekend.<br /><br />I showed her wedding pictures and gushed about what life can be like when you are with the right person. She told me about their magic and I assured her that finding the right love, regardless of how long you are with them, is a feeling like you can’t imagine.<br /><br />She agreed.<br /><br />Julia was 38 and was hoping to have kids soon. She knew that Shane was the right person to be the dad. She knew that this man was a one-of-a-kind for her. . . Just as Mary Kay was my one-of-a-kind that I could never imagine before in life.<br /><br />As we got off the plane shook her hand and asked her to let me know when there was a wedding date. I knew her less than 120 minutes but wanted to be there when they say “I DO” for the last time of their lives.<br /><br />I said goodbye and saw Rob and his parents heading for the flight for Phoenix. I thanked God for love, and for life, and for our future leaders. I prayed that Rob was one of those leaders. I knew Kyle would be. I hoped Tom Brady would win – especially for Rob.<br /><br />I then caught my flight for Tampa. I was headed home to the woman who truly made my house a home. I would tell her about my day. We’d tell each other how much we relish love stories. We’d pray for Rob. We’d make plans to see Kyle. We’d fall asleep wrapped up in each other’s arms appreciating life . . . and love.<br /><br />A truly amazing day. Go Delta Epsilon Chi. Go Kyle. Go Julia and Shane. Go Tom Brady and the Patriots. Most importantly - Go Rob.Valpak Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08833422404015012843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7968749610803545451.post-62734046769436774062008-01-03T12:34:00.000-08:002008-01-04T13:33:48.486-08:00Remember Your ABC's - The secret to your work successToday is my Grandson’s 1st Birthday<br /><br />Joe is 1. He has now had an official birthday and joins my son Marcus’s other two boys, Tyler and Brandon, as having had a birthday cake just for him. Tyler just celebrated his 8th and Brandon will be 5 in April.<br /><br />Wow. How did all of that happen??? Didn’t I just take my kids to Disney World last summer. Wait, that was 1986.<br /><br />As I write this I’m preparing for a keynote speech at a Delta Epsilon Chi event at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, RI at the end of this month. I’ll be speaking to a group of Millennials who will be leaving school and heading for careers soon.<br /><br />I love millennials. Many baby boomers who are recruiters see them as a challenge – I see them as our solutions for the future. What a great generation – but they need to remember the ABC’s I’m about to talk to them about.<br /><br />I was working on the presentation when I thought about a couple of the Christmas presents that we bought Tyler. As I mentioned he is now 8 and really into sports. So for Christmas we got him some basketball shoes and some baseball spikes.<br /><br />Next my mind drifted to some of the stuff we did over the Christmas holidays. Mary Kay took a couple of golf lessons. It seems as if John, the Pro at the local club, will be a good coach for her.<br /><br />So here I am thinking about golf, about Tyler, about my speech and about Joe’s birthday. If Joe could understand me I think I would make sure that he understands his ABC’s. In fact, I’ll make a mental note to make sure that Brandon knows his and for sure I’ll drill this into Tyler when I see him in April.<br /><br />On January 31st I’ll drive home the ABC’s. And, I’ll make sure that my friend, Steven Rothberg – the entrepreneur and inspiration at <a href="http://www.collegerecruiter.com/">http://www.collegerecruiter.com/</a> drives it home on his blogs . . . and that my friend Eric Chester, the genius at <a href="http://www.generationwhy.com/">http://www.generationwhy.com/</a>, drives it home on his blogs.<br /><br />That reminds me. Ryan Healy and Ryan Paugh and all their blog-buddies at <a href="http://www.employeeevolution.com/">http://www.employeeevolution.com/</a> should know this, too. The Ryan’s are off in Madison on their new venture but employee evolution is getting better and better with more insight every day.<br /><br />The ABC’s.<br /><br />You are probably thinking the ABC’s that end with <strong><em>w. . .x. . . and. . .y. . . and. . .z – now I’ve said my ABC’s tell me what you think of me.</em></strong> These are different. Sure those ABC’s will help you with your spelling. But I’m talking about the ABC’s that will get your through your work life. The ones that will bring you back after a tough day and keep you humble when you’ve had your best successes.<br /><br />These are the ABC’s that will help a 31-year old named “Eldrick” earn more than a $111,941,827 this year.<br /><br />You might have remembered when Eldrick worked with Butch. Butch was a genius. He started working with Edrick when he was just a teen back in 1993. For 10 years he developed Eldrick. Then, Eldrick decided he still needed his ABC’s – just with someone different. So he chose Hank. Hank wasn’t a popular as Butch. Butch built a reputation as being the best.<br /><br />By the time Eldrick went to Hank few of us remembered he was called Eldrick. We only knew him as Tiger. We knew Butch Harmon had the best golf school in the United States. We knew he coached Phil Mickelson, Davis Love, Fred Couples and Justin Leonard. So why would Tiger Woods switch coaches?<br /><br />Hank Haney helped change Tiger’s swing. Fortunately, Haney worked with someone who epitomized the ABC’s. Tiger Woods wants to get better – every day. In the past 4 years since working with Hank, Tiger has gotten better. He was already the best. But, because of his passion, the best got better.<br /><br />So what is the magic? What are those ABC’s?<br /><br />Simple. Always . . . Be . . . Coachable.<br /><br />It is hard to believe that something that is so simple eludes us so often. The older you get the more you realize that your toughest times in life were when you decided you didn’t need coaching.<br /><br />So think about Tiger. If the best in the world believes he can improve and can do better – the rest of us might consider being more coachable. If someone who is already on top of their game with one of the best known coaches in the world believes that he can still improve with a lesser-known coach – and then does – he should be an inspiration to us.<br /><br />Tyler, get ready. You are about to get the “ABC’s” speech from grandpa. Brandon – your day will come. And Joe, happy birthday. By the time you understand what coaching means I’m sure Tiger will have broken every golf record set and will still be wanting to be coached so he can get even better.<br /><br />And Mary Kay, if John coaches you to get a hole in one someday I’ll be giving Butch or Hank a call – regardless of what it costs! Tiger only has 18 so far - but he did get his first hole in one when he was 6.<br /><br />Hmmm. I wonder if Hank has ever coached a one year old before???Valpak Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08833422404015012843noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7968749610803545451.post-20073601285545984112007-11-29T12:34:00.000-08:002007-11-29T12:37:02.560-08:00Genetics - Blaming/thanking our parents. What will our kids do?<span style="font-family:arial;">Our class reunions are usually the Thanksgiving weekend. I didn’t get an invitation to one this year so I assume we didn’t have one. Or, my classmates couldn’t find me. After all this would have been our 35th.<br /><br />Wait a second! Did I say 35th???? Could it possibly be 35 years since I walked the halls of Rockford West High School???? I still remember Mrs. Ahlgren – our journalism teach and newspaper advisor. Jeez, I haven’t even thought about her for over 30 years.<br /><br />It can’t be 35 years. Yet the mirror tells me that it is so. I don’t have to worry about parting my hair anymore (I can dry it with a wash cloth – QUICKLY!) I still have the bowling bag and bowling shoes from high school. I probably embarrass my kids when I wear them on our annual bowling excursion.<br /><br />35 years. What was it like for us when we were looking for jobs? What did our parents expect/demand out of us? What verbal and non-verbal messages did they send us?<br /><br />The recent 60 Minutes segment on Generation Y entitled: “The Millennials are Coming” has spurred a great deal of discussion. I sent the link to one of our “Generation Wise Advisory Team Members” (successful Valpak reps who are Gen Why) and here are some excerpts of what they had to say:<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><em><strong>The parents of our generation are definitely the ones to blame for how this generations' work ethic is. I think its all in how you are brought up. Yes, work hard. Yes, have high goals and expectations for yourself. But do have realistic goals for yourself and listen to your boss and respect them.<br /> <br />What makes this generation think they can act a certain way? I've heard from many employers/executives that many times when my peers are hired at an internship or entry level job, they show up late or not at all, don't do the work they are asked to do, use their cell at work (texting/talking to friends on the clock, etc) and have no respect for their boss or colleagues. But that's not all of the gen Y's...just a handful of them giving the rest of us a bad rep. There are a lot of hardworking gen Y's out there too in the workforce.<br /><br />It's true though...my peers want the best job, making great money and want it right away out of college. I'm the same way!! I graduated with emphasis on Advertising and Public Relations and was hired at one of the top five ad agencies here in town. I wasn't making the money I wanted to be making at almost two years out of college. With a college degree, I shouldn't have to work a full-time job and a part-time job to live the lifestyle I would like to be living. So, I decided to look around and see what was out there. My friend is the Director of Operations at this company, I met with the President and I started three weeks later. <br /><br />This generation is tricky to figure out - that is for sure. I have a handful of friends that work really hard at their jobs and know they have to stick it out to make money and be able to move around from job to job. Then I have a handful of friends that are still sitting around waiting for that perfect job opportunity that is just going to miraculously fall into their lap without them doing any work to get it.<br /><br />I know more people than I would like to admit that went to college, moved back home and live with their parents. The funny thing is, is that most of them have pretty decent jobs and could live on their own?! I don't get it?? Is it the fear of having so many responsibilities? Or better yet...not having to worry about finances living at home - being able to have the extra income to live that lifestyle everyone wants.</strong> <br /></em><br />Huh. Did that sound like anyone of us in our early/mid 50’s could have written most of this 35 years ago? The only differences that I see is that none of us wanted to move back home! We might live 8 to an apartment instead of coming back to mom or dads.<br /><br />Look at the first paragraph. How much did our parents have to do with our work ethic. I think the word is “everything”. I might have rebelled about 99% of what my parents told me – but when it came to work ethic I simply did what I watched being done. By the time I was 30 I virtually had become my dad (from a work ethic point of view). <br /><br />I remember my mom calling me a “job skipper” because I wanted to change jobs after 7 years. Now I see my friends, who are my age, encouraging their kids to change jobs if things aren’t going well for their kids at that company.<br /><br />My point? As my Generation Wise person so eloquently said, “I think it is all how your are brought up.”<br /><br />I agree. Just a different way of looking at genetics!</span>Valpak Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08833422404015012843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7968749610803545451.post-89365092629797114252007-11-21T07:58:00.001-08:002007-11-21T08:45:37.025-08:00CBS's Report on Millennials - Fan or Foe?<span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Perhaps you saw the 60 minutes segment on millennials. If not, take a few minutes to view it. </span><a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/11/08/60minutes/main3475200_page2.shtml"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/11/08/60minutes/main3475200_page2.shtml</span></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">Wow. Blaming Mr. Rogers! They forgot to attack Big Bird, Oscar the Grouch, and Kermit. Wait a second. Sesame Street Characters are to blame for the Gen X'ers, not the Y's . . . aren't they?</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">Sure. And Eddie Haskell is to blame for all of the brown-nosers of the Boomers. Hey, it is our parents who are to blame/thank. Not a TV show or personality.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">I just love the "profiling" that is done about an entire generation. If memory serves me correctly (I'm over 50 so I'm not sure it does), my generation - the boomers - were all dope smoking, long-haired hippies who made love, not war. There wasn't CNN or the internet then but ABC, CBS and NBC sure talked about us that way. Those people that tried to lump EVERYONE in my generation as a dope smoking, hippies are the same people who are lumping all the millennials into how the 60 Minutes segment describes the new generation.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">We are lucky there are people like Steven Rothberg at collegerecruiter.com and Eric Chester at GenerationWhy.com. These guys know and understand the power of the millennial generation and are great coaches that not only help us Boomers learn how to recruit, hire and retain employees but they also help coach the millennials. Most importantly Steven and Eric provide the voice of reason and the voice of hope for this powerful generation. Their Web sites should be on every company's "favorites".</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">Recently a boomer asked me to describe the differences of the three working generations. My perception is the following. The scenario is that it is 10 a.m. in an office with three sales people - a boomer, an X'er and a Millenial. The Sales Manager tells each of them that we need to get new sales and the sales manager wants them to go out prospecting and come back with four appointments. I envision the following:</span><br /><ul><li><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">The millennial is back by noon announcing that they have their four appointments, have a lunch appointment with their friend and will be back in the office right after lunch.</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">The gen x'er starts to argue with the sales manager and asks why they have to go out of the office to prospect. Why they can't just use the phone to set the appointments and save some gas. They then ask why new sales are so important and get into a philosophical debate on growing new customers versus having to get new customers. At the end of the argument everyone is frustrated.</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">The boomer grabs a cup of coffee and tells the rest of the people in the office how he used to be able to get 10 appointments a day. He goes on ad nauseam about how he knocked on doors, got around the gatekeeper, made huge sales to the president of the company, etc. By lunch time he is still in the office pontificating.</span></li></ul><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">So what is my point? It is simply that there is a generation out there that I call Generation Wise (Y's). They do get it. They do understand balance. I have an "adivsory board" of Gen Y'ers who are very successful Valpak reps. I sent the link to all of them and this is the reply I received from one of them:</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><em><strong>I agreed with most of it about my generation but the stuff about us being lazy I think is way off! I think that my generation is more efficient! I can come into work at 9 and get more done by 3 then most of my co-workers, I think we have learned to work smarter and quicker that’s why we take more time off and get bored more easily then other generations!<br /><br />As far as the whole Mr. Rogers thing, I think that’s a bit much too! But I guess it would explain why we think we are all special but I think it steams from everyone, mom, dad, teachers, etc. Not just Mr. Rogers!</strong></em></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">I think what they said is brilliant. The onus is on us, as managers and coaches, to change how we mentor and lead. We have a whole bunch of smart people who are about to descend on us. They are much more technological than us, aren't cynical like the previous generation, and can help us achieve our corporate goals. We need to challenge them, provide the environment for them that maximizes their potential, and keep up with them.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">I hope that 60 minutes tells the rest of the story about them soon. It is a good one!</span>Valpak Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08833422404015012843noreply@blogger.com2