Outstanding Receptionist

Today I am heading to Philadelphia. I will be facilitating, "How to Become an Outstanding Receptionist" in Atlantic City, Cherry Hill, Philadelphia, and Harrisburg.  This class always packs in the attendees. So what are the qualities of an outstanding receptionist?

1. An understanding on the role and duties of the receptionist.  This includes greeting the customers, answering the phone, being prepared for an emergencies, and a variety of other tasks including but not limited to; ordering office supplies, making travel arrangements, and distributing mail.
2. An outstanding receptionist has a creates a positive first impression because s/he knows this impacts the customer's perception of the organization, therefore s/he has a professional appearance by being appropriately dressed and having a neat and organized workspace and reception area.
3. An outstanding receptionist has good communication skills. S/he understands the importance of listening and asking good questions.
4. Good telephone skills are a vital quality. The outstanding receptionist has a voice that is alert and pleasant. When answering the phone, the caller immediately knows they have dialed the correct number. The receptionist uses the caller's name and is ready to take a message.
5. Since the receptionist is juggling many roles and priorities throughout the day, s/he has excellent time management skills. 

In the class we cover all these points in depth, plus I share a strategy for dealing with angry and upset people.

Coaching and Team Building

Today I am preparing for an on site training program, "Coaching Skills for Supervisors & Managers."  Some key points I will share are:

1. Coaching is not managing. Coaching is listening, asking good questions, and focuses on the employee's best interest.
2. Good coaches practice Stephen Covey's  "7 Habits of Highly Effective People."
3. The Coach's Credo states, "Everybody has greatness within them. As a coach, it is my privilege to assist individuals to unlock their greatness and to release it for their career success."
4. To be a good coach a manager must understand the company's mission, the department's mission, and his/her mission.
5. In order to effectively coach the employee must be trained and know what is expected.
6. A good coach develops a good team by evaluating strengths and weaknesses then assigning tasks and duties accordingly.
7. A good coach helps their team set SMART goals.

If you would like to know more about Coaching vs. Managing or if you are interested in training at your facility, please contact me, I would be happy to help!

USB Winner Announced

The winner of the Duracell USB Memory 4GB is entry number 15, Kibbyster!  Thank you to everyone who entered. Watch for more giveaways soon!

DURACELL 4GB USB Memory

 Enter to Win!

DURACELL 4GB USB Memory

Giveaway is open to residents of US and Canada, 18+. Giveaway starts on March 12, 2012 and ends on March 31, 2012 at midnight. The winning entry will be verified. Winner will be chosen by Random.org, and will have 48 hours to respond and confirm, or an alternate will be chosen.

Enter with comment below.

Deducting Home Office Expenses

Tax season is here and many are wondering what the rules are for home office deductions.

Here's what the IRS has to say about it...

Tax Tip 2011-53, March 16, 2011

Whether you are self-employed or an employee, if you use a portion of your home for business, you may be able to take a home office deduction. Here are six things the IRS wants you to know about the Home Office deduction.

1. Generally, in order to claim a business deduction for your home, you must use part of your home exclusively and regularly:
     as your principal place of business, or
     as a place to meet or deal with patients, clients or customers in the normal course of your business, or
    in any connection with your trade or business where the business portion of your home is a separate structure not attached to your home.

2. For certain storage use, rental use, or daycare-facility use, you are required to use the property regularly but not exclusively.

3. Generally, the amount you can deduct depends on the percentage of your home used for business. Your deduction for certain expenses will be limited if your gross income from your business is less than your total business expenses.

4. There are special rules for qualified daycare providers and for persons storing business inventory or product samples.

5. If you are self-employed, use Form 8829, Expenses for Business Use of Your Home to figure your home office deduction and report those deductions on line 30 of Form 1040 Schedule C, Profit or Loss From Business.

6. If you are an employee, additional rules apply for claiming the home office deduction. For example, the regular and exclusive business use must be for the convenience of your employer.

For more information see IRS Publication 587, Business Use of Your Home, available at http://www.IRS.gov or by calling 800-TAX-FORM (800-829-3676).

One more thing you need to know is that home-office expenses are deductible only to the extent of the business’s net income, therefore if you have no net income you cannot deduct your home office.

This article is not meant to offer tax advice or tax strategy. Consult with the IRS or your CPA when filing your tax return.

3 Ways to Get More Out of QuickBooks

Repetitive Transactions: QB can automatically record recurring transactions, such as making payments either electronically or printed, recurring bills, and even recurring depreciation. Click Crlt M to set up your recurring transactions.

Batch Invoices: Available starting with the 2011 versions. Click the Customers drop down menu, then Create Batch Invoices.

Loan Manager:  Set each company loan's individual terms, automatically calculate loan payments and record correct principle and interest. Click Banking drop down menu, then Loan Manager.

Rhonda H. Smith Inc. Training & Coaching Services
Many of my clients have recently asked me for a recommendation for cloud computing. Here it is...
Just Cloud. http://ping.fm/8lQlp

PCI Compliance

Do you know what PCI Compliance is? All businesses that accept credit cards need to learn to protect themselves!

PCI Compliance | NACS Online – Industry Resources

www.nacsonline.com

5 Things Business Owners Shouldn’t Skimp On

This great article was written by Susan Payton, Egg Marketing & Communications . Susan is spot on in revealing the things businesses tend to skimp and why they shouldn't!

As small business owners, we’re all strapped for cash and we hate spending unnecessarily. That being said, not everything should be DIY (do-it-yourself). Sometimes trying to save money and do things yourself costs you more in lost time and lost business than you saved in cash.

Consider handing these over to the experts:

1. Business Cards
Sure, Vistaprint and other sites have free templates you can customize to create your own business cards, but do you really want to use a template that hundreds of other companies have also used? The point of your business card is to stand out and be memorable – and you simply can’t do that with a cut and paste template.

Alternative: Good designers can be cheaper than you’d expect.  Especially if you choose a relatively new freelancer (perhaps a college student) or use a crowd-sourcing tool like 99designs. You can also save by bundling several projects together, such as your business cards, brochures and direct mailers.

2. Website
While you no longer have to be a programmer to design a good website, you still should have some sense for design and layout. Content management systems (CMS), while useful tools, don’t make it foolproof to goof up on your website design. And with basic CMS functions, you may not know about more advanced features that let you add in descriptions and metatags.

Continue reading this post on Small Business Trends.

Networking: Powerful or Petrifying?

At the beginning of the year many business owners consider ways to increase sales. One way is to attend networking events such as the local Chamber of Commerce, Rotary, or WOAMTEC (of which I am the West Volusia Florida chapter director!)

But what if you are petrified of networking? How can you turn networking into a powerful, positive experience? Following are some tips to help you go from petrified to powerful! Once you understand apply these tips and understand networking dynamics you will reap the rewards of a powerful, positive experience.

Here’s how to get started…

The most important question to ask yourself is:    "What is my intention for attending the meeting?"  Why do you want attend? What do you want? What is your goal?  Is it to let others know about a special you are offering? Is it to meet some new people? Is it to connect with someone whose services you need?  Set a clear intention/goal for each and every meeting you attend.

Once you have determined your intention you need to prepare your 60 second introduction (elevator speech). Almost every networking event allows for the attendees to introduce themselves. Knowing what you are going to say will help you feel less nervous. You can create variations of your introduction by answering each of these questions:

      1. What is a tip you can offer?

      2. What is a special you are offering?

      3. What sets you apart from your competitor?

      4. Who do you love to work with?

      5. What problem do you solve?

      6. What is the key benefit of your product or service?

      7. What is a recent example of a positive customer experience?

      8. What props could you use?

If you answer all these questions you will eight variations of your introduction!

  

Now that you know what you are going to say you need to practice. Fear of Public speaking ranks higher than the fear of dying! Practicing and following these tips will help alleviate your fears.

       1. Consider that you are having a conversation with your closest friend and act and speak naturally. Other attendees really do want to see you succeed. When you feel comfortable it makes everyone feel comfortable. 

       2. If you are extremely nervous pick one person in the room you already know and speak to her. If you don’t know anyone pick the friendliest face you can find. Yes, there will be at least one friendly face.

     

Once you have set your intention, perfected and practiced the versions of your introduction, and moved beyond your fear of public speaking you must understand networking relationships take time. Most people don’t get married on the first date, right? Well just like dating, most people will not do business with you the first time they meet you. It takes time to build a relationship and develop trust. Don't expect to walk out of a networking event with five new customers. Most likely that won't happen. Your goal is to make connections, get to know people, and have people know you. There is a saying that goes like this, “It is not what you know or who you know, it is who knows you!” Here’s why… Did you know the average person knows 250 people? If there are 15 people in a meeting who each know 250 people you can potentially increase your exposure to 3750 people just from the 15 persons in the meeting! That’s the power of networking!

When you consistently attend networking events, act naturally (not petrified or pushy), spend time getting to know the other members and letting them know you, and share valuable information you will no longer be petrified and will soon reap the powerful, positive rewards of networking!