Bringing Together Jobs & Jobseekers
Corrections or additions?
These articles by Barbara Fox and Jeff Lippincott were
prepared for the January 3, 2001 edition of U.S. 1 Newspaper. All
rights reserved.
Rainmaker Fox
The rainmaker is the salesperson everyone else wants
to be. The rainmaker brings the art of the deal to new levels. He
brings in the most money, gets the best paycheck, commands the most
respect.”
So says Jeffrey J. Fox (no relation to this writer), who claims that
rainmakers are made, not born. Fox, who wrote a book to explain how,
speaks on rainmakers on Tuesday, January 9, at 11:30 a.m. for New
Jersey CAMA at the Doral Forrestal. Cost: $35. Call 609-799-4900.
Fox, 55, went to Trinity College and to Harvard for an MBA. He has
had senior level marketing jobs at the Pillsbury Company, Heublein,
and Loctite Corporation and in 1982 he founded his own firm, Fox &
Co., in Avon, Connecticut. His book “How to Become CEO” is
published in 25 languages and was on international bestseller lists.
His new book. “How to Become a Rainmaker,” published by
Hyperion
in May, went into its second printing after just two weeks on the
market and is on the Business Week best seller list. Harvard’s
B-school
did a case study on Fox that may well be the most widely taught
marketing
case in the world.
Fox seems to write his books for dyslexic non-readers who need to
be inspired. His style is pithy and counter-intuitive at best, choppy
and simplistic at worst. Some of his “chapters,” in fact,
are just 12 short sentences long. But he puts in lots of them. The
CEO book has 75, and the Rainmaker book has 50 chapters, give or take
a couple of extra statements. And sometimes the chapter title tells
pretty much the whole story:
Always Answer the Question, “Why Should This CustomerDo business with Us?”Fish Where the Big Fish Are .Treat Everybody You Meet as a Potential Client .Never Forget: Everybody is Somebody’s SomebodyA Shot on Goal Is Never a Bad PlayBe the Best Dressed Person You Will Meet TodayFox has a loyal following of salespeople who hang on his everyword and write rave reviews on Amazon.com, but his detractors kvetchabout his belaboring of the obvious. “Don’t drink coffee on asales call” is the topic for one entire chapter. The danger is,you might spill it, and this would distract your target. Another ofhis chapter points: “Never Wear a Pen in Your Shirt Pocket.”The pen, after all, could leak, and that could distract your customer.But maybe Fox’s naysayers aren’t getting the real point, that asalespersonshould concentrate on wearing nothing and doing nothing that mightdistract the customer.Some fans espouse Fox’s concept of “dollarization.” Hecalculatesthe dollar value for each product or service so that he can tellpotentialclients how much money they would lose if they did not purchase thatproduct or service.If some of Fox’s ideas seem obvious, others rank in the “I wishI’d thought of that” category. The CEO book tells about how toarrange for the highest ranking person to tour and visit yourdepartment.”Before the tour write out a single index card for every personwith a one or two-line report of some achievement or contribution— business or personal — that the person made. Use these as`cue cards’ for the top guy, so that he can personally andspecificallythank and compliment each person. . . You will look very good. Don’tlet anybody in the company know you do this.”Another counter-intuitive idea: Don’t go to office parties. Ifattendanceis required, stay 45 minutes, and drink only soda. “Thank theboss for inviting you, and leave. If anyone asks where you are going,tell that person you are meeting your spouse, or parents, or doctor,or music teacher, or personal trainer. Parties are supposed to befun, enjoyed with friends. Heed the old axiom: Don’t mix businesswith pleasure.””Push products, not paper. Monthly reports are stupid. Don’t writeany. If they insist, rotate the authorship among everyone on yourstaff. Everyone. Each person should write what they want. Don’t botherreading them yourself.””To know your customers is to know your future. When the phonerings, 12 people ought to dive to answer it. The customer is indeedking. And the future president understands how the customer is alsothe `king maker.’””Every Friday, take one of the people you need out to lunch andask, `How ya’ doin?’ These are usually people not in your department.If you don’t know who you need, find out. Business is like a machine.Every part needs to work. Every part needs to be oiled. Make one goodally in your company every month.””Always say `I can do it’ when a top guy asks. Even if he asksyou to water the plants in the lobby, do it.”— Barbara FoxTop Of PageBringing Together Jobs & JobseekersThe cost for going to this networking meeting is verycheap — or very expensive, depending on your viewpoint. At eachmeeting of the Central Jersey Job Developers Association, membersare asked for an “admission ticket” which equates to a jobopening to share with the other members. These openings are thencompiledand put together in a job bulletin.The CJJDA is a consortium of non-profit agencies that has beeninvolvedin helping people find work since 1981. Originally CJJDA wasestablishedto serve those with specific barriers to employment. CJJDA has evolvedinto a quasi-professional organization for job developers, employmentspecialists, and vocational counselors who are all looking for theright fit for that open job slot. Employers who are looking foremployeesfor all manner of opportunities, special needs or otherwise, havefound CJJDA a valuable resource.This year’s Job Fair is scheduled for Wednesday, January 10, from9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Rutgers Labor Education Center, Ryders Laneat Clifton Avenue in New Brunswick. Admission is free for job seekersand open to the public. Employers who want to participate shouldcontactDorna J. Silverman, chair of the CJJDA, at 732-745-5300,extension4201. Cost for employers is $99. Past fairs have drawn all kinds,says Silverman, from people who have never worked to people who arehighly skilled.What separates the CJJDA Job Fair from many others is what Silvermanterms its broad appeal. “We’re not restricting fair attendeesto a specific industry or level — it’s open to everyone,”said Silverman. “Being that we’re a not-for-profit group, thefair is not something where we charge admission, our aim is to serveas many people as we can.” The association’s philosophy of helpingthose with special needs is eloquently illustrated by the fact thata Spanish language translator and a sign language interpreter bothwill be available at the fair.A number of other special services will also be available. NOVAVocationaland Employment Services (affiliated with Jewish Family and VocationalServices in Edison) will offer workshops on resume writing,interviewingskills, and networking. New Jersey Transit will have a representativeon hand to dispense transportation advice for those without cars.A representative of the state of New Jersey will assist job seekersto identify career information using the computer-based CareerInformationDecision Making (CIDS) program.The CJJDA meets monthly and offers professional developmentopportunities.”We stay on the cutting edge of what’s happening in the employmentand training community,” says Silverman. Representatives fromlocal area employers are invited to speak about their staffing needs.”Basically, we’re offering employers a way to staff that allowsthem access to a lot of different agencies who have many differentjob-ready clients.”Silverman, who coordinates adult and career programs at the NewBrunswickPublic School’s Adult Learning Center, one of the 200 memberorganizationsin CJJDA, has undergraduate and master’s degrees from Rutgers. Shestarted with CJJDA about 20 years ago, when she was a career counselorat Douglass. She now describes the Central New Jersey job market as”very tight.””I see companies that need to fill entry-level positions in theretail, hospitality, housekeeping, and restaurant industries.”She offers a few tips for employers seeking employees, “Jobseekerswant to know that there is a career path available for them, and Idon’t think that’s always spelled out clearly by employers.”Silverman sees some pitfalls for individuals making the transitionto working on a contract basis. “A lot of employers now are hiringemployees on a contract basis through agencies. That doesn’t providethe security in terms of benefits and pensions that you would haveas an employee.”One of the keys in making a successful transition to contractemployment,she feels, is attitude. “You have to be an adventurous, creativeperson to be willing to work on a contract basis and to be constantlygenerating business for yourself, marketing yourself. I don’t knowthat everybody’s ready to do that and not have the security ofbenefits,pensions, and the other things that everybody wants.””I think CJJDA is unique in the state, and I know that there arejob development organizations that have modeled themselves after us.Through the years we have earned a very good reputation with theemployerswho have participated in the fair,” says Silverman. “One ofthe things they like is that they get such a diversity ofapplicants.”— Jeff LippincottTop Of PageCorporate AngelsThe Princeton Junction office of Coldwell Bankerraised more than $9,000 for Gilda’s Club with a silent auction andcocktail party in December. Beverages were donated and hors d’oeuvreswere made and donated by sales associates, plus nearly 100 items weredonated for auction. “The turnout was phenomenal. We had 150peoplein attendance,” says Alice Schoemann, manager.Named for comedian Gilda Radner, Gilda’s Club is a place where peoplewith cancer can join their family and friends for social and emotionalsupport (www.gildasclub.org). JoAnn Parla chaired the planningcommittee, which included Cindy Schwartz, Priscilla Berg, JanBelmont-French,Carol Tosches, Dinah Kazakoff, Anne Germeia, Suzanne Grant, JudySatkowski,Rocky Balsamo, and Loretta Neill.Previous StoryCorrections or additions?This page is published by PrincetonInfo.com— the web site for U.S. 1 Newspaper in Princeton, New Jersey.
