Turning Down Volunteers

With the current economy, we are all being inundated with people who want to volunteer. It could be they were laid off and want to keep their skills sharp. Or maybe because they were laid off, people look to healthcare as a stable industry for a career change. If they were lucky enough to take an early retirement package, they may still want to feel useful, needed or just be around people. Whatever the reason that brings them to the door, volunteer leaders are being challenged to be ready, willing and able to welcome them with open arms. Or should we? More

When Is a Volunteer Burned Out?

How will you know when you are approaching volunteer burn-out, and what can you do about it? You are approaching volunteer burn-out when some important aspect of your personality changes for the worse - and stays there. More

How to Motivate Using Maslow’s Hierarchy of Values

How to motivate employees? The answer is not so simple. Motivation comes from within, from a person's own psyche, the innermost recesses of the soul, secret desires and deep-rooted needs which motivate, "push" us towards their satisfaction. What a manager can do is create an environment in which employees can feel motivated. And that environment is just as important for volunteers. More

Gut Feelings and Intuition in Volunteer Screening

They are impossible to define and yet most of us experience them. Triggers called "gut feelings" arise with some regularity among screeners. Variously called "intuition," or "instinct," screeners sense that something is "off," or "not quite right" with particular candidates. It might be the feeling of the hair standing up on the back of your neck, or the troubling sense of uncertainty that nags at you when the interviewee leaves your office. What should you do when you experience misgivings of this nature? More

For Openers: Five Greetings That Boost Sales to Walk In Visitors

Quick, what’s the typical greeting used most often by 60 percent of retail stores? You’re right if you guessed, "Can I help you?" The visitor’s usual response? "No thanks, just looking." The problem is the walk-in customer is never "just looking." They came into the premises because at some level they perceived a need. This greeting only reminds visitors that they’re not here to buy. Lousy selling strategy. More

Consumer Confidence Responds in April

The Consumer Confidence Index rose significantly in April after posting modest gains in March. The Index now stands at 39.2, up from 26.9 in March, according to The Conference Board, a New York-based business research group. The rise in the national index was largely driven by improvements in short-term outlooks, as the Expectations Index rose to 49.5 from 30.2 in March. More

To Sell During a Recession, Shop a Mile in Their Shoes

"Know thy customer" is often referred to as the first commandment of marketing. Ironically, this tenet is almost always overlooked or, at best, receives a perfunctory nod. Countless organizational decisions are based on executive preferences or beliefs that have no relationship to the people who are absolutely necessary for success - the customers. More

The Psychology of Color in Retail

Our heart rate and blood pressure rise when we look at intense reds; conversely, we can become tired or anxious by looking at large areas of bright whites or grays. In a retail environment, understanding those responses can be crucial to enticing a customer inside, and then enticing her to open her wallet or purse. More