www.b2billinois.
com The Weekly Business-to-Business Forum
Catch the WAVES:
Five Principles for Motivating Today’s Young Workforce
Ken Whiting | B2B contributor
Employing teens has always come with chal-
lenges, and that’s more true today than ever!
Raised while multi-tasking on life’s super tech-
nology highway, they can confuse, complicate,
and at times, consternate.
Still the reality for many businesses is teens
are the employees closest to the
customer…the face of their company! This is
an age group, most born since 1990, whose
entire lives have been enveloped in a world of
technology, information and communication
change, as well as major cultural and societal shifts.
They simply have never heard about the impor-
tance of being on time and in uniform, giving
respect to a supervisor, communicating
clearly, making eye contact, or job
commitment significance.
So what’s an employer to do? Plen-
ty! The following are guidelines to an
effective strategy for working with
teens. We call it catching “WAVES.”
Way of Life: Appreciate the fact that
young staff members are the way they
are. It’s not wrong, it’s not right, it just
is. Meet them where they are. Allow
some failure. Don’t focus on what they’ve
done wrong. Build your relationship by
encouraging them on what they are doing
right. They can become fiercely loyal if they
are taken seriously and treated with respect.
Attitude: They come with an attitude of
independence and “what’s in it for me.” If you
learn how to feed this you’ll find highly moti-
vated teens. Provide flexible scheduling and pro-
vide incentives for performance…and don’t make
them wait. Recognize positive behaviors and catch
them doing something right. Promote strong performers
quickly and give them more responsibility. Patience is not a
Selling the Intangible:
How to Effectively Market a Service-Based Business
Sheryl Batchelder | B2B contributor
In some respects, selling a product is easy. You have an item you
can show and demonstrate to people when in person, and something
you can take photos of for your marketing pieces. Even more impor-
tant, your prospects can use multiple senses to make a buying deci-
sion. You have numerous ways to make the product “real” for your
prospects.
Selling services, however, is a completely different animal. You
don’t have an item to show people, and there’s nothing to photograph
for your marketing pieces. That’s why so many service-based compa-
nies are now going the extra mile with such things as leather presen-
tation binders, gold embossed and natural fiber proposal folders, and
other touches that help create marketing materials that truly stand
out.
The more high-end your services are, the more that people expect
your marketing materials to be unique and ornate. In these cases,
your materials are not just marketing pieces; they’re who you are.
Here are a few keys to make that happen:
Decide on the look or feel you want to convey to
your prospects.
Before you can design any marketing piece, you need to be clear
on your image. Many companies have a rough idea of the look or feel
Around the County with the State of Illinois
The Bureau of Energy and Recycling
Edward S. Piatt | B2B contributor
This week I would like to highlight the Department of Commerce
& Economic Opportunity’s Bureau of Energy and Recycling. The
Bureau of Energy and Recycling seeks to demonstrate the econom-
ic development benefits, including job creation, energy efficiency,
renewable energy, and recycling through a variety of programs and
services. Further, Bureau programs will demonstrate that economic
development, sustainable energy, recycling practices and environ-
mental protection go hand in hand.
In addition, the Bureau will continue to promote the leadership
of the State of Illinois, through its own energy and recycling policies
and practices, at state facilities. Individually tailored programs are
available to assist Illinois citizens, communities, non-profit organi-
zations, businesses, industry and other government agencies in an
effort to achieve the Bureau's mission. Program areas include the
following:
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B2B Illinois is YOUR forum for local
business news and information.
Editor: Andrew Wheeler
815-929-5416 awheeler@b2billinois.com
B2B Illinois is a product of The Daily Journal Advertising Department.
virtue with teens, so provide variety in job duties. Establish goals
and empower them to come up with the answers.
Verbal, Video and Visual: This age group has watched
20,000 hours of TV by the time they are 18. Over six
hours per day are spent in front of a video screen.
You need to use this technology to your advan-
tage. Include some examples here, such as cre-
ate a training video for your staff to watch, use
computer programs to train new hires, etc. GET YOUR POINT ACROSS
Names are important, so use their nick-
Special Sections and Feature Pages can be a cost-effective way to reach
name. Applications should be online and thousands of readers with a particular interest. Plus, these sections gener-
your work schedules posted on your Web site. Don’t ally have a longer shelf-life than the daily newspaper allowing your busi-
print mounds of paper and expect the information to ness’ message to be seen again and again!
be read and retained. Make handbooks and memos SPECIAL SECTIONS
less complicated and smaller, while focusing on the Month Section Publication Date
most important items for your business suc- August Fall Home & Yard Thursday, Sept. 4
cess. Enhance communication by using e-
mail and text messaging. FEATURE PAGES
August Pick the Pros Tuesday, Sept. 2
Education… not Just Training: If Fall Home & Yard Directory Thursday, Sept. 4
training is the “how,” then education is
*Publication dates are subject to change.
the “why.” This age group requires to
know the purpose, the why, behind
For more information about any of these Special
tasks. Never assume anything, confirm Sections, contact your Advertising Consultant or
their knowledge and explain the pur- call 815.939.6642.
pose behind every task.
Style Matters: Style is how employ-
ees look, the image of your company and
how they are treated at work. Teens care
about how they look and how they’re
treated. Uniforms shouldn’t embarrass Ken Whiting is an industry expert on providing solu-
your staff, and your grooming policy should tions for entry-level workforce challenges. His
be relevant. Be prepared to justify both to WAVES for Success program teaches companies
your employees. what inspires young adults and teens to participate,
Teens can be inspired, motivated and produc- contribute and excel at work. His new book,
tive. Today’s teens are the most knowledgeable and “WAVES for Teenage Workforce Success,” provides
adaptive group ever. Don’t judge them through the insights on recruiting, motivating and retaining. For
eyes of when you were a teen…look through theirs. You a free copy of the “WAVES 101 Best Ways to Recruit, Retain, Edu-
have nothing to lose, everything to gain, and you’ll cate and Motivate Today’s Teens” visit WAVESforsuccess.com. For
have a positive impact on the lives of the teenagers speaking and consulting, call 831.423.1890 ex.2 or email
you employ. ken@wavesforsuccess.com.
they want their marketing pieces to convey, but they’re not confident Creativity = Profits.
that their image is correct or even marketable. If you are unsure what Many companies offer sim-
your company’s image is or how strong it is, then hire the services of ilar services for similar pric-
a marketing professional who truly understands your vision and who ing, and that is why you need
can help you articulate it. an immediate edge over the
competition. Your marketing
Do your research. pieces and packaging are the
Be sure you find a manufacturing or printing partner that is willing perfect way to set your com-
to work outside of the box. Since you’re selling a service, you can’t pany above the crowd. In fact,
have run of the mill marketing pieces or packaging. For example, a if everything else is equal,
fine-dining restaurant wanted their menus printed on wallpaper your prospects will go with
rather than standard paper. They chose a natural material, which the company who has the best
meant it would show oil and grease—not a good choice for a restau- image—and they’ll make that
rant. The restaurant spent $300,000 printing their menus, and two decision based on the market-
weeks into the restaurant’s operations the menus had to be redone. ing items you send them.
Some materials work and some don’t. You certainly don’t want to find When it comes to selling services, a little creativ-
out your idea won’t work after it’s created. ity goes a long way to positively impacting your
company’s bottom line.
Spend the money on a prototype.
When you have a marketing piece that is complex or using a
unique material, you definitely want a prototype. Depending on your
marketing piece’s complexity and the design time involved, your pro- Sheryl Batchelder is an expert who specializes in bringing branding
totype can cost anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand dol- ideas to life. She can be reached at 407.423.7575.
lars, but it’s money well spent. You want to eliminate all surprises and
know what your final product will look and feel like.
Energy Efficiency Portfolio Link to ComEd Smart Ideas Business Energy Solutions pro-
Incentives are available to customers in Ameren Illinois and grams: www.comed.com
ComEd’s electric service areas. Link to additional information on Energy Efficiency Standards:
DCEO will provide incentives for the public sector, and ComEd www.ileeps.org
and Ameren Illinois will provide incentives for businesses and res-
idential programs. For further information regarding programs in the Bureau of
Energy & Recycling, please visit our web site at www.Illinoisbiz.biz,
Public Sector Energy Efficiency Programs or you may contact them at 217.785.3416.
For help finding energy professionals and vendors, there are two I would also like to take this opportunity for anyone interested in
sources for you to utilize: the Opportunity Returns program or seeking business assistance to
1) SEDAC (Smart Energy Design Assistance Center) Energy contact me at 312.636.0739 or email me directly at Ed.Piatt@illi-
Services Providers: http://smartenergy.arch.uiuc.edu/html/ nois.gov.
search_serviceprovider.html Until next time, see you around the county…
2) ComEd Participating Trade Allies: http://
www.exeloncorp.com/ourcompanies/comed/comedbiz/energy_sav-
Edward S. Piatt is the northeast senior account man-
ings_products_and_services/tradeally/participatingallies.htm
ager for the Illinois Department of Commerce &
Economic Opportunity.
Link to Ameren Illinois Act On Energy Business Program:
www.ActOnEnergy.net
DEADLINE
SEPT. 11TH
• Free advertising in Auction Guide,
a pull-out section distributed in The Daily Journal
with additional information in the Money Saver™
and accessibility on TDJAuctionMania.com
082408201104291
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