Table of Contents

• COMMITTEE REPORTS
  • MEMBERSHIP REPORT
  • SOCIAL REPORT
  • SPEAKER COORDINATOR REPORT
  • TREASURER REPORT
• LEADS
• NOTABLE MENTIONS
• MIGHTY MINUTE
• QUESTION OF THE DAY
• MAIN SPEAKER

Committee Reports

Membership Report
(Click here to go to the Membership page)

Categories to consider this week: 

• Counseling

• Golf Lessons

• Pet Grooming

Bill LaLonde knows a professional chef that may be interested in joining the group.  She puts on dinner parties at your home, etc.

Jim Crosman knows a couple that owns a factory where they make helicopter components.  They wouldn't be able to get leads out of this group but they would benefit from the business knowledge and the group could benefit from their experiences as well.

Social Report
(Click here to go to the Social Event page)

Althea passed around a sign-up sheet.  The sheet listed several categories:

• Educational

• Historical

• Sports

• Local

• Out-of-Town

• Out-of-State

Members were asked to list suggestions for social events under the appropriate categories.  This will give the membership team a better idea of what members like to do.

Steve Chilton gave Althea a flyer about Salt River tubing that may be of interest to the group.  If enough people are interested, Althea will work on putting together this event.

Speaker Coordinator Report
(Click here to go to the Speaker Schedule)

• 04/23/04     Ralph Cunningham
• 04/30/04    
• 05/07/04     Gus Dekavallas (Tentative)
• 05/14/04     Panel Discussion

We have some open speaker slots coming up.  Please contact Wayne Unruh if you would like to be put on the schedule.

Treasurer Report

No report.

Leads Report

16-32, 37-17, 37-48, 37-07, 37-2 (x3), 17-19, 17-23, 23-32, 42-46, 32-19, 32-40, 32-11, 29-22, 12-34 (x2), 12-15, 26-37, 26-24, 26-32, 28-32, 28-06, 28-03, 24-30, 24-40, 10-02, 15-41, 15-13, 21-41, 13-32, 38-26, 04-27, 04-45, 04-32, 31-37, 40-32, 02-10, 02-24, 02-13, 25-10, 25-27.

Notable Mentions

We need your business cards for the business card holder.  Please bring them in and put them in the right spot. 

Bill LaLonde thanked all the greeter's for knowing their scheduled times and showing up on time to greet people.  He hasn't had to call anyone to remind them.  He reminded members to get their buddy lunches scheduled.  Finally, he mentioned that he would get together with the mentoring committee soon.

Chris Curran is testing Stuart Schindler's patience.  But Stu has been great about it.  Chris did mention that he doesn't have his business cards yet.  Perhaps Stu is testing Chris's patience.

Brian Verbraken's dad can be pretty difficult at times.  Roman came in to talk to them the other day - He is their new insurance guy.  When Roman left, Brian's dad said "Finally we got an agent I can work with."

As a result of Phil Passante's speech last week, John knew just what to do when a boulder  hit his windshield and he needed Phil to fix it.  He called his insurance company and, as expected, Phil was not on the preferred list.  They tried to get John to use one of their vendors but John demanded Phil's services.  Good thing too.  John's windshield had always leaked.  Phil was able to tell him why and fix the problem too, and not just with a tube of goo.

Mighty Minute

None.

Question of the Day

None.

7-Minute Topics "That one thing..."
Moderated by Dave Lathrop

What is that one perk you give to employees that they appreciate other than raises?

• Recognition/Praise.  Tell them thank you for a job well done.  Give them recognition verbally, with movie tickets, a plaque, etc.
• Time off without loss of wages.
• Say "Wow!" to a specific job they have done.  Give a pat on the back.
• Talk about stuff outside of work.  Make it more personal.
• Opportunity for job advancement.
• Health insurance or other benefits, even if they pay for most of it.
• Recognition in 2 forms:  (1) Point out good work, praise them in front of other employees and (2) Include them in the decision making, make them feel important.
• Do an employee opinion survey and find out what they want or need.  The number one thing is usually a simple thank you, recognition for a job well done.  Meet outside of the office.  Get together for a meal and discuss what is bothering them and work to change it.
• Two key words...Thank you.
• Praise them in front of co-workers and clients. 
• Food!  Let them pick the restaurant and order in.  They love it.

When you are looking to hire an employee, what is that one quality you look for?

• Desire to work.
• Attitude.
• Stability and honesty.
• Integrity.  Like Phil said last week, It is what do they do when nobody is looking that matters.
• First impression.  That is what the customer sees.
• Hunger, strong desire to learn.  They ask you questions.
• Personality.  This is important in sales.  You can train them to do the job but you can't easily change someone's personality.
• Open mindedness and how they work with others.
• First impression but not just personality but their appearance.
• How they communicate on the phone.
• You can't rely on personality alone.  These kids are smart these days.  They take classes on how to interview well.
• Have a list of skills you expect them to have and test them on these skills.  Also their capability to learn.

Once they are hired, they do that one thing that drives you crazy.  How do you manage it?

• We had an assistant that got bored easily so she changed her hair color all the time and put different lights in her cubicle.  We sat her down and told her it wasn't acceptable.
• Sandwiching - Tell them what they are doing well, throw in the problem area and finish on a high note with more praise.
• Ask them what they think can be improved.  They can usually identify the problem themselves. But you must address the issue.
• Recognize that everyone has a weakness.  Spend the time and money to train them and be honest if it just isn't working out. 
• Make sure it is not just an issue that is personal to you but doesn't affect the business.  But, if it drives you nuts...

What is the one thing on your must do list this year that will make a difference in your business?

• We are acquiring a competitor.
• We are buying new trucks.
• I am trying to get out of the truck so that I can work on my business instead of in it.
• We are hiring more dance teachers.
• We are taking a giant step towards electronic filing - less paper.
• I am trying to get more commercial accounts to get me through the winter months.
• I am trying to get into more luxury travel.  It is a huge market.

What one thing made a difference last year that led to increased business?

• Joining MABE.
• Making follow-up calls.
• Staying in touch with clients either by phone, newsletter, etc.
• Impressing upon customers how much I want their business and then reselling them and inviting them to send referrals.
• I took myself out of the loop and concentrated on building and growing the business. 
• We expanded our products.
• We hired a customer service rep.  This person could stay focused on helping the customer.
• I am challenging myself and staff to be confident when helping the more knowledgeable clientele.

What is the one quality you admire about a MABE member?

• Adam Dekavallas has been very patient.
• Roman Okonowski and his staff are very proactive.
• Carole Weishaar always goes that extra mile and has my best interest at heart.
• Ralph Cunningham is very responsive.
• Robert Busch has great attention to detail.
• Sandro Menasci and his people treat my car like it should be treated.
• Dave Lathrop is very thorough.
• Althea Bussert is very patient...a saint.
• The entire group has integrity which is priceless.
• All of you have made me feel like part of the family.
• Roman Okonowski is thorough and Althea Bussert is flexible.  There are so many other people in the group I could say the same things about.