The Marketing Hourglass: 7 Steps to Small Business Marketing Success

Increase your sales by improving on the marketing concept of the sales funnel through the addition of a profitable back end to your business.

Call for Custom Training Solutions.

Electronic Surveys: Strategies and Tools

Online surveys, they seem slick but you might think they are hard to create. Not so, learn how to set up a survey for your event or customers with two different online tools, SurveyMonkey and Zoomerang. We will also talk about the good, bad and downright ugly side of online surveys.

Call for Custom Training Solutions.

How to Build Your Marketing Plans

In this course the attendee will be able to The One Page Business Plan methodology causes very busy people to stop and think about their business while transforming confusion into clarity. We will learn to answer these questions on one concise page which will be a roadmap to a winning edge over your competition.

Call for Custom Training Solutions.

The Laws of Local Advertising

In this course the attendee will be able to tie in cost effective tactics for small business success by unlocking the secrets of traditional advertising, generating word of mouth marketing, and expanding your market share through public relations. We will examine low cost, high impact ways to send your marketing message as well as the use of mini-media ideas. In this course you will learn to take advantage of the every selling opportunity- from your order forms to your business cards and even gift certificates. We will also explore the advantages and disadvantages of using an advertising agency.

Call for Custom Training Solutions.

Advertising on a Small Budget

In this course the attendee will be able to you will learn many techniques and marketing weapons that are free. You will learn how to make the biggest impact for your marketing dollars by planning your investment in your future. We will explore common sense marketing through referral groups and low cost services. We will explore ways to manage the local media and actually have them work for you.

Call for Custom Training Solutions.

Customer Oriented Selling

Customer oriented selling techniques teach the salesperson to understand the customer's perspective, focus on customer objectives, and guide the sales process toward a logical win-win result. Customer Oriented Selling sales training is based on a foundation in "consultative" and "strategic" selling with a strong pre-call planning process.

Call for Custom Training Solutions.

Entrepreneurship Series

The 12-week entrepreneurial training program is designed for individuals with modest incomes who want to learn how to or-ganize and manage a business, or grow an existing business and obtain funds to turn an idea into a profitable business.

Topics:

The Challenges of Owning a Business

Building a Business Plan

Trading In Your Community

Defining Your Dream: Your Product/Service

Defining Your Customers & Competition

Personal Financial Readiness

Building Your Marketing Plan

The Costs of Doing Business

Business Presentations: Selling Your Dream to Customers & Lenders

Business Financing & Credit

Business Recordkeeping

Profits, Expenses & Cash Flow

Small Business Pitfalls

Taxes & Insurance

Managing Your Business

Ownership Structure & Basic Business Laws

Employment Law: Hiring/Firing Employees

Family Business Issues / Succession Planning

Begins 2/16 5:30p Archbold Fee: $300

Essential Skills of Leadership

Learn the skills required to manage the individual while also leading the team. This program focuses on three critical management skills and establishes a methodology for productive interactions. One of two basic building block seminars, this module builds a foundation that enables leaders to manage their team toward a shared goal: achieving the organization’s strategic objectives.

Call for Custom Training Solutions.

Essential Skills of Communicating

Even experienced managers can improve their messages by making them clear, well-organized and aimed at the needs and interests of the listener. This module focuses on improving relations with team members and increasing productivity by creating a climate of open communication and understanding communication as a two-way process. This is one of two basic building block seminars.

Call for Custom Training Solutions.

Managing Complaints

Managers acquire the tools necessary to approach complaints in a way that is supportive of employee and team goals. Understand why dealing with team member complaints is important, how the effective team leader manages complaints, how to use listening skills to manage complaints, and how to ask questions.

Call for Custom Training Solutions.

Resolving Conflicts

Acquire the tools needed to recognize conflict and deal with it quickly and effectively. By understanding the signs of conflict and getting to the root cause, managers can eliminate the issue and minimize the impact. Facing these conflicts head-on allows the manager to preserve the integrity of the team and to demonstrate a commitment to individual performance and growth.

Call for Custom Training Solutions.

Supporting Change

Supporting Change helps managers learn to understand and to interpret change. By understanding it, managers can more clearly communicate change to their team, helping to reduce misunderstanding and anxiety. Clear communication also helps the change initiative gain acceptance more quickly thereby minimizing lost productivity and decreased performance.

Call for Custom Training Solutions.

Effective Discipline

Effectively addressing problem behavior requires working to preserve an individual's self-respect and encouraging the best kind of discipline: self-discipline. This workshop provides tools for successfully handling one of the most difficult functions of the manager/supervisor and includes role plays of discipline situations selected by the participants.

Call for Custom Training Solutions.

Improving Work Habits

Poor work habits are a major cause of disciplinary action. Addressing absenteeism, language issues, and dress and grooming habits can be a difficult but necessary part of leading a team and requires careful attention and skill. This module provides the tools necessary to recognize and to address poor work habits -- even those of a team member who may be successful in his or her job.

Call for Custom Training Solutions.

Communicating Up

The ability of managers to effectively communicate up the line to their managers affects team member retention, overall productivity and even profitability. An important part of that communication is mutual agreement on what needs to be done, why it's important, and when it will be accomplished. That fundamental agreement is what Communicating Up helps managers to achieve.

Call for Custom Training Solutions.

Coaching Job Skills

Spark commitment to your team's success by utilizing effective coaching skills. In this workshop, you will learn the importance of carefully planning one-on-one discussions to gain each individual's commitment to achieving results. You will also learn the coaching process of observation, analysis and communication and how to implement it.

Call for Custom Training Solutions.

Providing Performance Feedback

A performance assessment is not a disciplinary session but rather an opportunity to build a team member's self-esteem by acknowledging what he/she is doing well. It is also a chance to eliminate any performance errors at an early stage. Learn how evaluation is done by the experts -- establishing performance standards, soliciting the team member's evaluation, and summarizing a credible evaluation.

Call for Custom Training Solutions.

Emotionally Intelligent Workforce

The ability of the individual and organization as a whole to recognize and manage emotions in ourselves and in others is essential for the organization to be adaptable. Emotional-social intelligence is a cross-section of interrelated emotional and social competencies and skills that determine how well we understand and express ourselves, understand and relate with others, and cope with daily demands. Emotional Intelligence (EQ) is measurable and can be developed. This seminar is for trainers, mentors, counselors, managers and supervisors interested in behavior-based training and leadership.

Call for Custom Training Solutions.

Leading Organizational Change

Leadership acts as change agents as well as enlists the help of carefully selected volunteers to be part of a change team. These internal change agents are the ones who ultimately lead a change project or business-wide initiative by defining, researching, planning, and building business support. Numerous driving forces motivate the behavior of change agents. An agent who is constantly adapting to new practices is often motivated from a desire to make change. Change agents must have the conviction to state the facts based on data, even if the consequences are associated with unpleasant outcomes.

Call for Custom Training Solutions.

Controlling Stress in the Workplace

Stress is an inevitable part of life; however, employees suffering from stress are not as productive as they could be, nor are they as healthy. For the well-being of your employees, the workplace should be as free of stress and of fear as possible. In this workshop, you will learn to identify and reduce stress-inducing situations while helping employees to manage their stress levels and become more productive.

Call for Custom Training Solutions.

Employee Engagement

High levels of employee engagement correlate positively to improve the individual, group and corporate performance in areas such as retention, turnover, productivity, customer service and loyalty. This course will give those leaders the tools necessary to enable staff in the supervisory and leadership roles the ability to motivate their staff in day-to-day operations. The outcome of this course will show the benefits of positive relationships and the impact on motivation within your organization.

Call for Custom Training Solutions.

Retaining Winning Talent

As the American workforce changes in age, ethnic makeup, lifestyle and motivation, the agreement between the employee and the employer is also changing. It is no longer an exchange of loyalty for security, but rather a multi-faceted give-and-take between employee and employer.

Call for Custom Training Solutions.

Conflict Management

Acquire the tools needed to identify conflict and use an effective model to resolve it. Conflict is basic human nature. Persistent, unresolved conflicts can be costly to the organization in lost work productivity and to individuals in decreased effectiveness and unsatisfying relationships. Learn characteristics of conflict, signs of conflict, and common sources of conflict along with different styles of, and useful behaviors in, dealing with conflict.

Call for Custom Training Solutions.

Effective Communication

Communication is the imparting or conveying of knowledge or information. It is a two-part activity involving listening as well as speaking with its object not so much the exchange of words as it is the exchange of ideas. In this module, participants will learn about the many ways we communicate and how to use them most effectively.

Call for Custom Training Solutions.

Conflict Management Using Negotiations

In this course the attendee will be able to identify sources of power/influence for the negotiator, explain the concepts and steps of a negotiation process, be able to apply, different negotiation strategies in various settings, and find collaboration through a six step process.

Call for Custom Training Solutions.

Developing Performance Goals and Standards

SMART is Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Results-oriented, and Time-framed and is a collaborative way to develop goals and standards. Learn the process that builds commitment, aligns team members with key business goals and priorities, assures clarity and measurability of performance goals/objectives, and achieves high quality, on-time performance through team members' ability to judge and self-correct work.

Call for Custom Training Solutions.

Delegating

Managers acquire the skills needed to effectively assign work to others by developing messages that communicate the "what" and "why" of every delegated task. Focusing on ensuring that the individual understands what is required helps facilitate a successful result - the work is done correctly, and the individual gains the benefits of a new experience and increased confidence and responsibility.

Call for Custom Training Solutions.

Peer Today, Boss Tomorrow

Newly promoted supervisors need help to navigate their changing roles, acknowledge their mixed feelings in moving from peer to boss, and have immediate impact! Learn the key strategies, hands-on workshop activities and practical suggestions that make this program an excellent choice for organizations that promote from within or train new supervisors regularly.

Call for Custom Training Solutions.

Retirement Planning Today

Important Information for Adults Ages 50 - 70
Are you on course for a "successful retirement"? Do you know how much money you'll need to meet your retirement goals? Learn how to: avoid the 10 biggest retirement planning mistakes; improve cash flow; determine the amount of money you need to retire; plan your retirement income to preserve a comfortable standard of living; transfer the risk of potential financial losses before or during retirement; properly convert your IRA to a Roth IRA; and select the appropriate distribution plan. In addition, you will learn 11 strategies to save money on taxes.

Call for Custom Training Solutions.

Practical Project Management

Practical Project Management is a three-day seminar for professionals who are new to managing projects or experienced managers who wish to review and reinforce best practices in project management. It offers a foundation in the rationale, tools, and techniques for each of the phases of the project management life cycle as defined by the Project Management Institute's Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide). In addition, this program provides an overview of the "people-side" skills so critical for project success: leading and motivating people, communication and managing performance. Participants will learn project management skills through case studies, hands-on exercises and practical application to their own current real-life projects.

Call for Custom Training Solutions.

Kepner-Tregoe Problem Solving
And Decision Making (PSDM)

This workshop teaches a logical process approach for solving complex problems, making good decisions, and analyzing plans for potential risks and opportunities. Participants learn to use the following tools; Situation Appraisal, Problem Analysis, Decision Analysis, and Potential Problem and Potential Opportunity Analysis. Certified instructors use business related examples and case studies to make learning stick. These time-tested, flexible business tools can be applied across disciplines to achieve excellent professional results. Target audience includes all levels of management, professional staff and anyone else who participates in problem solving and decision-making.

Call for Custom Training Solutions.

What is DDI

DDI - (Development Dimensions International) is one of our leading partners in offering solutions for your organization's hiring process, building leadership or workforce skills, providing extraordinary customer service, or improving the management of your people's day-to-day performance. We offer a blend of learning options that include our Certified DDI instructors in your classroom or ours, web-based, virtual classrooms, and electronic performance support. DDI's solutions are built around competencies and are designed to give people at all levels and the skills needed to be increasingly effective in their jobs. Several of the courses we provide with DDI are approved and offer CEU's in cooperation with SHRM.

Call for Custom Training Solutions.

Offerings

Courses and offerings we can provide under the DDI partnership and with our DDI Certified Instructors:

SCREENING, TESTING, and ASSESSMENT FOR INDIVIDUALS

• Career Batteries testing
• Sales Insight Inventory
• DDI Skills Tests
• Phone-Based Assessments
• Manufacturing Simulations
• Leader Career Battery
• Leadership Insight Inventory
• Assessing Talent: People Leader (With Sales, Service and Manufacturing)
• Assessing Talent: Sales Professional
• Fundamentals of Leadership: (With Sales, Service, and Manufacturing)

TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT FOR WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

Personal Effectiveness

• Adapting to Change
• Building Trust
• Communicating and Listening
• Feedback Fundamentals
• Influencing Others
• Personal Empowerment - Taking Initiative
• Working Through Conflict

Group Effectiveness

• Contributing to Meeting Success
• Fast Start for Teams
• Optimizing Team Performance
• Supporting Others
• Training Others
• Valuing Differences
• Working as a Team

Leadership Development

• Achieving Your Leadership Potential
• Adaptive Leadership
• Boosting Business Results
• Building an Environment of Trust
• Building Winning Partnerships
• Coaching for Improvement
• Coaching for Success
• Creating a Service Culture: The Service Leader's Role
• Delegating for Results
• Developing Others
• Getting Started as a New Leader
• Influential Leadership
• Launching a Successful Team
• Leadership: Facilitating Change
• Resolving Conflict
• Retaining Talent
• Supporting Leadership Development
• Building Advanced Coaching Skills
• Driving Performance and Accountability
• Leading in a Healthcare Environment
• Leading Rapid Change
• Taking Action to Boost Business Results

Call for Custom Training Solutions.

Youth Programs

Custom Training Solutions offers many off the shelf youth programs for the 16-21 age group. The programs are modular and can be modified to fit your specific needs. Please review the Youth Program offerings listed on the left side menu and contact us for any additional information.

Call for Custom Training Solutions.

Youth Leadership Series

• CTS Youth Series Conflict Resolution
• CTS Youth Series Customer Service
• CTS Youth Series Essential Communications
• CTS Youth Series Essentials of Leadership
• CTS Youth Series Improving Work Behaviors
• CTS Youth Series Job Coaching Skills
• CTS Youth Series Understanding Change

Call for Custom Training Solutions.

Youth Technical Programs

• CTS Youth 5S Lean Computer
• CTS Youth CPR First Aid
• CTS Youth Measurement Blueprint and CAD CAM
• CTS Youth PLC Programming & Electrical Blueprint Symbology
• CTS Youth Precision Measurement
• CTS Youth Quality Control Principles
• CTS Youth Robot Series
• CTS Youth Welding Program

Call for Custom Training Solutions.