Opportunities Bring Cash
Water Quality Products
August 2003
Wendi Hope King
As many of us wonder when the economy will make its massive turn around, others of us feel that maybe this will be as favorable as it gets for a long time. We must make the best of it. To assist you, we offer our Annual Buyer's Guide complete with supplier and product listings, a product/service guide and an index of associations and government entities that may help advance you even further down the road to prosperity.
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Lead Generation
Water Quality Products
August 2003
Carl Davidson, Sales & Management Solutions
Having enough leads allows you to attract and keep great salespeople. Nothing increases recruiting results like being able to say, "We provide the leads and appointments." It also increases production. Dealers who provide leads average twice the sales per salesperson as those who do not. The best thing you can do for your company is to lock yourself in a private room for a few hours and plan your marketing plan for the next 12 months. If you decide to do this exercise, here are a few areas you might consider.
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Avoiding Consumer Complaints
Water Quality Products
June 2003
G.A. "Andy" Marken
It's precisely at times like these that companies must be especially concerned about guarding and strengthening their customer relationships in the areas of product and service reliability to preserve the integrity of their operation. Consider taking a day to gather information on how your organization actually is operating from the standpoint of consumer protection.
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Top 10 Signs Your Sales Career is Dying
Water Quality Products
May 2003
Carl Davidson
Here are the top 10 signs I have noticed over the years that are warnings your productivity as a salesperson is waning. I put them before you, not to be critical, but in the hope that recognizing the early warning signs may help you stay on top of your game for years to come.
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Prospecting for Salespeople and Owners
Water Quality Products
April 2003
Carl Davidson
Prospecting is quite important to your career if you are in sales and to the company if you are in management. Often we get proficient at things we do not initially like if it is important. The following is a snapshot at just how important prospecting is.
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Enhancing Your Leadership Skills
Water Quality Products
April 2003
G.A. "Andy" Marken
In these days of consolidation, downsizing and mergers and acquisitions, you need to be viewed as a person whose leadership qualities transcend your present firm and gives you value in the marketplace.
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Focus on Organization, Practices and Technology Paying Off for Tampa
Water Engineering & Management
April 2003
Barb Luck
By focusing on people, practices and technology, the Tampa Department of Sanitary Sewers plant has achieved significant progress toward meeting its goal of becoming a world-class competitive organization. In order to facilitate people skills, a significant training and certification program was developed. Practices were evaluated and modified to support more flexible and productive employees. Technology was assessed with an eye toward achieving the best practices by using appropriate supporting technologies.
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The New Communications Challenges for Business
Water Quality Products
December 2002
G.A. "Andy" Marken
there has been an increased demand for responsible and responsive management.
Answering this call is a new breed of senior managers who will be challenged by all of the organizations' stakeholders. They, in turn, will challenge the total spectrum of an organizations' communications capabilities--internally and externally.
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In Management, One Size Does Not Fit All
Water Quality Products
December 2002
Carl Davidson
Great salespeople learn to customize their sales presentations to the thousands of customer types. However, many owners and managers stop customizing when it comes to their employees. This article will look at some of the sales profiles you may have on your team and ways to get the most out of them.
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Eight Ways to Build Employee Commitment
Water Quality Products
November 2002
Adrian Gostick
Creating a fairy-tale work environment begins with recognition. Your employees need it more than money, perks or titles. Here are eight tips regarding recognition. Remember these, and your employees may just start whistling while they work.
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Straight Talk About Ethics
Water Quality Products
October 2002
Carl Davidson
Our industry seems racked with questions about ethics when, in my opinion, its real problems are problems of selling skills. But many market areas have seen fast-talking companies come in and turn the public against the water equipment industry. Let's take a look at the issues and the answers.
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The 6 Rules of Never: What a General Manager Must Know About Technology to Thrive
Water Engineering & Management
August 2002
Alan Manning
You cannot apply technology without changing what people do or how they do it. The only way to get a return from technology is to have your staff specifically design a plan that involves all your utility's policies and procedures, assessing and modifying them to maximize the payback from integrated technology. This applies to utilities of any size. Technology must be implemented as a strategy to thrive, to grow and improve.
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Workplace Injury Causes and Costs
Water Quality Products
June 2002
Liberty Mutual Group
The 10 leading causes of disabling workplace injuries account for 86 percent of the estimated $40 billion in wage and medical payments made to workers injured on the job in 1999, the last year for which data are available, according to the second annual Liberty Mutual Workplace Safety Index by Liberty Mutual Group.
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Recipe to Outside Sales Success
Water Quality Products
June 2002
Jason B. Schell and Peter Strain, Water Depot University
There are 10 ingredients to a successful sales team. Read the following 10 items to see if your sales force measures up.
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Cold or Gold?
Water Quality Products
June 2002
By Carl Davidson
Remember that opportunity is calling your company every day. Take a moment to ask who is answering and are they turning those calls into cold or gold?
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Electric Deregulation Provides Opportunity for Wastewater Treatment Facility Owners
Water Engineering & Management
June 2002
A recent federal court decision discusses the factors to be considered in determining civil penalties under the Clean Water Act for alleged National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit violations. United States v. Allegheny Ludlum Corporation, 187 F. Supp. 2d 426 (W.D. Pa. 2002). Although the case involved an industrial firm defendant, the court’s analysis may be instructive for utility wastewater systems.
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Hedging Your Hiring Bets
Water Quality Products
May 2002
Carl Davidson
Whom you hire is an important decision. The right candidate will bring sales and profits to your company. The wrong one can mean serious losses and lawsuits. On average, you invest $20,000 in potential profit, training and payroll in each new candidate. Here are some tips from great sales managers as to how to make the right choice of whom to hire.
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Bottled Water Quality
Water Quality Products
May 2002
Barbara L. Marteney and Kristin Safran, National Testing Laboratories
Due to growing concerns about environmental contamination from industry and the use of everyday products as well as fears of intentional tampering of water supplies, people are becoming more conscious of water quality. Letting your customers know that bottled water is regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a food product and that it is safe is an important part of your business.
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Ten Low-Cost Steps to Keep Employees from Job Hunting
Water Quality Products
April 2002
G.A. “Andy” Marken, Marken Communications, Inc
The primary motivation for individuals who are job hunting seldom is simply a bigger paycheck. There are low-cost efforts you can undertake to retain the people you want to keep.
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Getting Paid to Listen
Water Quality Products
March 2002
Carl Davidson
Is there a job out there where you get paid big bucks to listen? I mean sitting with someone over a coffee and just listening? You may guess a psychiatrist or lawyer and that would be correct. The truth is, all of us in the sales profession get paid big bucks to listen.
Manzanar
Water Engineering & Management
February 2002
Mike Harrington
Two months after the bombing of Pearl Harbor (December 7, 1941), President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order number 9066, calling for the relocation of Japanese American citizens and aliens. The order authorized the secretary of war to exclude citizens and aliens of Japanese descent from the West Coast as a security measure against sabotage and espionage. This order empowered the round-up of 70,000 U.S. citizens of Japanese descent and 42,000 resident aliens.
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Legionella Management and Monitoring: Part 2
Water Quality Products
February 2002
Paul S. Warden, Kristen S. Fallon, Ph.D., M.S.E.L., & Colin R. Fricker, Ph.D.
Well-designed water distribution and cooling systems,
coupled with sound management and operational procedures, are essential to
control Legionella in industrial facilities—and a monitoring program
should not be considered as a replacement. However, most experts even those
ill-disposed towards routine Legionella monitoring, would agree that monitoring
should be considered if enough legionellosis risk factors apply to the system
in question. No management program, regardless of its treatment, maintenance or
monitoring components, can guarantee the absence of future legionellosis, but
prudent operational practices combined with ongoing review of risk factors will
allow facility managers to minimize exposure to Legionella and to its legal consequences.
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Wasted Time, Money and Energy
Water Quality Products
February 2002
G.A. “Andy” Marken, Marken Communications, Inc.
It’s too bad that so many water management and
manufacturing firms waste so much money on public relations (PR) activities
that have little or no impact on the press or, more importantly, on their
prospective customers.
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Smart Management Through the Downturn
Water Quality Products
January 2002
G.A. "Andy" Marken, Marken Communications, Inc.
Not since l990 have we seen a downturn in the economy as we have for the past five months. Most indicators point to only a mild improvement through the middle of this year. While the downturn?okay, recession?was tough in the early 1990s, you have to go back to the early 1980s to see one that had the global scale as the one we?re experiencing now.
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Creating a Positive Image
Water Quality Products
January 2002
Walt Denny, Walt Denny, Inc.
Whether you?re marketing commodity products or highly specialized services, your success rides heavily on your ability to project the right company image?to create and sustain a positive "buzz" among consumers and business and trade press about who you are and what you have to offer. A strong PR program can provide the visibility and credibility needed to put you on the radar screens of the right people, while instilling a sense of confidence and goodwill in their minds about your company, products and services.
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How Many Demos is a Full Day's Night?
Water Quality Products
January 2002
Carl Davidson
Recently, several salespeople and managers told me they don't believe a reasonable person can average a minimum of two demos per day as we recommend on our recorded training videos. Are we leaving out important practical considerations? This article will take a look at this issue and help you make this important decision. Your financial success is determined by the decisions you make, so choose wisely.
PDF Version
Beyond the Hype of CRM
Water Quality Products
December 2001
Lorraine Keating, Prism Visual Software
For water treatment companies, automated Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software is a necessity for becoming a successful, well-organized and customer satisfying business. CRM software integrates daily business routines inside the office and on the road and takes care of repetitive and organizational tasks reliably and consistently. So look for the right CRM software product to get beyond the CRM hype into the down-to-earth improvement of your daily operational challenges.
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Can Technology Help You Sell More? Part 2
Water Quality Products
November 2001
By Carl Davidson
Last month, I discussed a few ideas on tossing your selling techniques into the new century by utilizing available technologies. This month lists a few more selling ideas that have proved themselves worthy of a salesman’s efforts.
PDF Version
Utilities Rethink Failing Maintenance Strategies
Water Engineering & Management
November 2001
To ensure utilities achieve Quality of Service (QoS) targets in a cost-effective manner, Convergent Europe’s asset performance team has developed a unique reliability centered maintenance (RCM) practice designed to support utilities in transforming the effectiveness of asset management programs.
PDF Version
In Need of an Economy Upswing
Water Quality Products
October 2001
G.A. Marken, Marken Communications, Inc.
Historically, the economy improves only when people are convinced that it is improving. Apparently, the Bush Administration hasn’t been all that convincing because the economy isn’t steadily improving. At least, not according to corporate managers and, most importantly, not according to consumers.
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Can Technology Help You Sell More?
Water Quality Products
October 2001
Carl Davidson
Many of us went into sales because we were good with people and bad with paper work. As a result, many of us have shied away from changing technology during the last few decades.
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Facts Get in the Way of Winning Customers, Marketshare
Water Quality Products
September 2001
G.A. "Andy" Marken, Marken Communications, Inc.
Despite leading market research firms that show solid marketing has a cumulative effect, management often views the marketing budget as an expense rather than an investment. It?s time for managers to nail down marketing plans.
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VSP Approach to Improve Customer Service
Water Engineering & Management
September 2001
The District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (DC WASA) has entered a Vertical Service Provider (VSP) partnership with ORCOM to replace its current water billing system.
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Packing and Positioning
Water Quality Products
June 2001
Carl Davidson
There are two pillars to success in our industry that some salespeople overlook. They make a big difference to sales and profits and deserve some study. They are what separates the big earners from the not-so-big earners.
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Duty Calls For Local Awareness
Water Quality Products
May 2001
Wendi Hope King
Editorial: May 6—12 is National Drinking Water Week (NDWW). It is our duty and opportunity as water professionals to make this week work for us by incorporating local companies, expertise and even the Water Quality Association (WQA) into NDWW.
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Top 12 Things We All Do That Kill the Close
Water Quality Products
April 2001
Carl Davidson
Sometimes we are so close to the sale we can taste it until we do something that kills it in its tracks. To prevent us all from doing this, here are the top 12 things we all do sometimes to kill the sale.
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A Leading Team
Water Quality Products
March 2001
Wendi Hope King, WQP Staff
After nine months of silence, the Osmonics team emerges renewed and ready for a future full of success.
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The Crisis Counselor
Water Quality Products
March 2001
G.A. Marken
Business trips give you an excellent chance to catch up on your reading since you’re isolated on a plane for two to three hours. So there was no better time to review Jeff Caponigro’s, The Crisis Counselor (Contemporary Books), a guide to managing business crises, than the round-trip flight from San Francisco to New York.
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I've Never Met a Rich Sharecropper
Water Quality Products
March 2001
Carl Davidson
Sharecroppers are poor tenant farmers. They farm the land for the owner in exchange for a share of or percentage of the crops they produce for the owner. They do what they are told and have no land to farm themselves.
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Privatize Without a Contract
Water Engineering & Management
February 2001
Don Renner
The manner in which your plant performs its function and operation as well as the physical appearance of the plant and personnel often are perceived differently by the public and administrative leaders of the community than by the operating personnel.
PDF Version
International Business: The Business Card
Water Quality Products
January 2001
Eric Aparnieks
Have you ever wondered why we carry business cards? If you ever stopped to think about it, they really are unique in many ways.
Oh Yeah? Well, I Quit!
Water Quality Products
December 2000
Carl Davidson
I was giving a seminar last week when one of the managers attending said, "You can’t tell people to work hard in this job market or they just quit." The other managers agreed.
Who Are You Most Like?
Water Quality Products
November 2000
Carl Davidson
We have observed that great salespeople spend a lot of time examining their attitudes and habits and selling themselves everyday on the ones that lead to success. Success requires recharging and selling yourself everyday. Look at the chart and see which column best describes you.
Surge Suppression Protects Utility Authority
Water Engineering & Management
September 2000
With its 34 water wells and 280 sewage lift stations, the Escambia County Utility Authority (ECUA) in Pensacola, Fla., is the largest water provider and wastewater manager for a population of about 85,000 in the Florida Panhandle. It also is extremely prone to lightning strikes.
Optimizing the Water Business Enterprise
Water Engineering & Management
September 2000
Terrance M. Brueck and Paul G. Cassidy
A value chain approach to running a water business can break down organizational barriers to improve performance throughout the enterprise.
Best Meter Management Practices for Water Utilities
Water Engineering & Management
August 2000
Donald L. Schlenger, Ph.D.
Meter management practices directly affect a water utility’s competitive position in the marketplace. Not only does the meter serve as the "cash register" for the utility, but it also offers unique opportunities to improve productivity and enhance customer service.
Collaboration: Personal Power, Not Position Power, Part II
Water Quality Products
May 2000
G.A. "Andy" Marken
The following article is part two of a two-part series that began in the April issue. The most valuable asset a leader of any kind can have is the ability to determine the strengths and weaknesses of key people and leverage their talents and interests so they deliver results for the program and themselves.
Water Resources Management in Grand Turk - Part 2
Water Engineering & Management
April 2000
Fernando Pérez Monteagudo and María Fernandez Miquel
The first part of this article traced water resources development, its quality and the demand in Grand Turk. It appeared in the March issue.
Water Resources Management in Grand Turk - Part 1
Water Engineering & Management
March 2000
By Fernando PÚrez Monteagudo and Marâa Fernandez Miquel
The Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) are located 575 miles southeast of Miami and 100 miles north of Hispaniola. The capital, Cockburn Town, is on Grand Turk Island. These islands are expected to experience a real estate and tourism boom1 and water will be a limiting factor in this expected development.
Managing People: Your Most Difficult, Most Rewarding Task
Water Quality Products
January 2000
G.A. "Andy" Marken
To be an effective manager you must know yourself by examining your motivation for working and wanting to own or run a business. Unless you feel people can be enhanced, developed and "grown," you will undoubtedly be unhappy and unproductive, and more importantly, you will be counterproductive to those you manage.
What Customer Service Means for You
Water Quality Products
January 2000
Carl Davidson
Many of us talk about how we make customers our number-one priority. But surprisingly, this area is sometimes cast aside, lacking the necessary effort or without solid direction.
Fishing for Good Employees
Water Quality Products
November 1999
Mike Henning
Privately owned companies need good outside employees to grow and remain profitable. They need excellent outside managers for running smoothly, receiving fresh perspectives and ideas, to mentor inside managers and support the owners. But keeping employees on board can be more difficult than hiring them
Strategic Alliance
Creating New Business Opportunities for Companies, Part I
Water Quality Products
November 1999
Eric Aparnieks
Cooperation often takes many forms—everything from joint ventures to both simple and complex licensing agreements. One such partnership that has been successfully employed for some time in the business world but is now gaining a new following is the idea of forming strategic alliances.
Rentals vs. Sales: Who Decides?
Water Quality Products
September 1999
Carl Davidson
If you want to get all the sales you can get, there is only one person who can decide if it should be a sales or a rental, and that person is the customer.
The Importance of Enhancing the Image of Engineers
Water Engineering & Management
March 1999
Robert L. Sylar, P.E.
This article details why the National Society of Professional Engineers is tryinbg to improve public knowledge of the role engineers play in society.
Investing in People and Technology:
Water Engineering & Management
March 1999
Molly Whitehead
mproving Employee Efficiency Abstract:As much as treatment facilities rely on effective equipment to perform, this facility's management realized that staff morale and efficiency is much more important to the steady running of the system.
Computer System Provides a Strategy for Integration
Water Engineering & Management
February 1999
John Jennow, George Madden and Thomas G. Valorose
One water authority needed to find software that could integrate three separate and distinct systems into one compatible unit.
Bill Processing Simplified by the Internet
Water Engineering & Management
November 1998
Kara Wipf
Sending and paying bills online can reduce paper waste and save a significant amount of money for the billing company.
Achieving Good Data Management
Water Engineering & Management
July 1998
Chris Chalfant, P.E.
Data can be gathered from any source, but to make it useful it must be given structure using a good data management system.
Pulling the Plug on Corrosion
Water Engineering & Management
September 1997
Todd Hart
Proper maintenance programs and advanced coatings have helped a New York resort town battle corrosion at their wastewater plant.
Objectives Matrix Provides Information Balance
Water Engineering & Management
September 1997
Dr. Hans D. Allender, P.E.
Keeping track of and improving a company's weak spots can be simplified and generalized by using performance indicators.
Communication is the Key to Water Company's Efforts
Water Engineering & Management
March 1997
Bill Swichtenberg
The customers are the most important people in the water community, and one water company has discovered that keeping them informed boosts the company's success.
Make Your Databases Do the Printing
Water Engineering & Management
August 1996
Charline M. Avey
Indianapolis Water Co. has found that by using their database, an automated map production method can be implemented.
Do You Need a Remote Backup Service?
Water Engineering & Management
March 1996
Paul Neumann
As computer use increases in water and wastewater applications, the need for proper data backup becomes more crucial.
Low Head Hydro Powers Wastewater Plant
Water Engineering & Management
July 1995
Richard A. Schultz
A plant upgrade includes the implementation of a cogeneration system based on the use of hydropower from an adjacent river.
Establishing a Maintenance Progam
Water Engineering & Management
June 1995
Donald C. Renner
Effective maintenance programs are the foundation for long life spans of all equipment. The basis for establishing a successful maintenance program is discussed.
Use Partnering For Project Success
Water Engineering & Management
October 1994
This new managment tool was applied in a Los Angeles project to smooth out problems between team members
When a City Buys a Utility
Water Engineering & Management
October 1994
Thomas A. Cloud
A discussion of what municipal staff should know when considering the purchase of a local private water or wastewater system.
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