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word and write rave reviews on Amazon.com, but his detractors kvetch

about his belaboring of the obvious. "Don’t drink coffee on a

sales call" is the topic for one entire chapter. The danger is,

you might spill it, and this would distract your target. Another of

his 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 a

salesperson

should concentrate on wearing nothing and doing nothing that might

distract the customer.

Some fans espouse Fox’s concept of "dollarization." He

calculates

the dollar value for each product or service so that he can tell

potential

clients how much money they would lose if they did not purchase that

product or service.

If some of Fox’s ideas seem obvious, others rank in the "I wish

I’d thought of that" category. The CEO book tells about how to

arrange for the highest ranking person to tour and visit your

department.

"Before the tour write out a single index card for every person

with 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 and

specifically

thank and compliment each person. . . You will look very good. Don’t

let anybody in the company know you do this."

Another counter-intuitive idea: Don’t go to office parties. If

attendance

is required, stay 45 minutes, and drink only soda. "Thank the

boss 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 be

fun, enjoyed with friends. Heed the old axiom: Don’t mix business

with pleasure."

"Push products, not paper. Monthly reports are stupid. Don’t write

any. If they insist, rotate the authorship among everyone on your

staff. Everyone. Each person should write what they want. Don’t bother

reading them yourself."

"To know your customers is to know your future. When the phone

rings, 12 people ought to dive to answer it. The customer is indeed

king. And the future president understands how the customer is also

the `king maker.’"

"Every Friday, take one of the people you need out to lunch and

ask, `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 good

ally in your company every month."

"Always say `I can do it’ when a top guy asks. Even if he asks

you to water the plants in the lobby, do it."

— Barbara Fox

Top Of Page
Bringing Together Jobs & Jobseekers

The cost for going to this networking meeting is very

cheap — or very expensive, depending on your viewpoint. At each

meeting of the Central Jersey Job Developers Association, members

are asked for an "admission ticket" which equates to a job

opening to share with the other members. These openings are then

compiled

and put together in a job bulletin.

The CJJDA is a consortium of non-profit agencies that has been

involved

in helping people find work since 1981. Originally CJJDA was

established

to serve those with specific barriers to employment. CJJDA has evolved

into a quasi-professional organization for job developers, employment

specialists, and vocational counselors who are all looking for the

right fit for that open job slot. Employers who are looking for

employees

for all manner of opportunities, special needs or otherwise, have

found CJJDA a valuable resource.

This year’s Job Fair is scheduled for Wednesday, January 10, from

9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Rutgers Labor Education Center, Ryders Lane

at Clifton Avenue in New Brunswick. Admission is free for job seekers

and open to the public. Employers who want to participate should

contact

Dorna J. Silverman, chair of the CJJDA, at 732-745-5300,

extension

4201. Cost for employers is $99. Past fairs have drawn all kinds,

says Silverman, from people who have never worked to people who are

highly skilled.

What separates the CJJDA Job Fair from many others is what Silverman

terms its broad appeal. "We’re not restricting fair attendees

to a specific industry or level — it’s open to everyone,"

said Silverman. "Being that we’re a not-for-profit group, the

fair is not something where we charge admission, our aim is to serve

as many people as we can." The association’s philosophy of helping

those with special needs is eloquently illustrated by the fact that

a Spanish language translator and a sign language interpreter both

will be available at the fair.

A number of other special services will also be available. NOVA

Vocational

and Employment Services (affiliated with Jewish Family and Vocational

Services in Edison) will offer workshops on resume writing,

interviewing

skills, and networking. New Jersey Transit will have a representative

on hand to dispense transportation advice for those without cars.

A representative of the state of New Jersey will assist job seekers

to identify career information using the computer-based Career

Information

Decision Making (CIDS) program.

The CJJDA meets monthly and offers professional development

opportunities.

"We stay on the cutting edge of what’s happening in the employment

and training community," says Silverman. Representatives from

local area employers are invited to speak about their staffing needs.

"Basically, we’re offering employers a way to staff that allows

them access to a lot of different agencies who have many different

job-ready clients."

Silverman, who coordinates adult and career programs at the New

Brunswick

Public School’s Adult Learning Center, one of the 200 member

organizations

in CJJDA, has undergraduate and master’s degrees from Rutgers. She

started with CJJDA about 20 years ago, when she was a career counselor

at Douglass. She now describes the Central New Jersey job market as

"very tight."

"I see companies that need to fill entry-level positions in the

retail, hospitality, housekeeping, and restaurant industries."

She offers a few tips for employers seeking employees, "Job

seekers

want to know that there is a career path available for them, and I

don’t think that’s always spelled out clearly by employers."

Silverman sees some pitfalls for individuals making the transition

to working on a contract basis. "A lot of employers now are hiring

employees on a contract basis through agencies. That doesn’t provide

the security in terms of benefits and pensions that you would have

as an employee."

One of the keys in making a successful transition to contract

employment,

she feels, is attitude. "You have to be an adventurous, creative

person to be willing to work on a contract basis and to be constantly

generating business for yourself, marketing yourself. I don’t know

that everybody’s ready to do that and not have the security of

benefits,

pensions, and the other things that everybody wants."

"I think CJJDA is unique in the state, and I know that there are

job development organizations that have modeled themselves after us.

Through the years we have earned a very good reputation with the

employers

who have participated in the fair," says Silverman. "One of

the things they like is that they get such a diversity of

applicants."

— Jeff Lippincott

Top Of Page
Corporate Angels

The Princeton Junction office of Coldwell Banker

raised more than $9,000 for Gilda’s Club with a silent auction and

cocktail party in December. Beverages were donated and hors d’oeuvres

were made and donated by sales associates, plus nearly 100 items were

donated for auction. "The turnout was phenomenal. We had 150

people

in attendance," says Alice Schoemann, manager.

Named for comedian Gilda Radner, Gilda’s Club is a place where people

with cancer can join their family and friends for social and emotional

support (www.gildasclub.org). JoAnn Parla chaired the planning

committee, which included Cindy Schwartz, Priscilla Berg, Jan

Belmont-French,

Carol Tosches, Dinah Kazakoff, Anne Germeia, Suzanne Grant, Judy

Satkowski,

Rocky Balsamo, and Loretta Neill.

Corrections or additions?

— the web site for U.S. 1 Newspaper in Princeton, New Jersey.