Honolulu Star-Bulletin Business

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NATION
How to tell your boss you care

There is a time for almost everything, and for American marketing, that includes National Boss Day, which was Saturday.

But how do you show your boss your appreciation if, indeed, you have some? Isn't it mere brown-nosing? Is it even wise to bestow some sort of gift in honor or thanks? Where is the line of "too personal"?

It all depends on how well you know the boss and how you get on, says Sarah Alter, a vice president with Quill Corp., an office supply company based in Lincolnshire, Ill.

Consider a team gift, as opposed to something just from you. A favorite food or a group photo might be appropriate.

As for things not to do: Avoid gag gifts. Avoid anything too personal or remotely sexual.

Clothes? Cologne? Cosmetics? Bad ideas all, Alter advises.

Avoid music or videos, and religious and political items. Also, forget lunch. Consider a gift certificate.

Co-workers can be a health risk

The messy desk is an icon of the American office, but how truly scuzzy is your work space?

Only 40 percent of 1,000 office workers surveyed said they have "a lot of confidence" in their building's cleaning staff.

Moreover, many of us say we witness plenty of unsanitary behavior by our co-workers.

At work, 85 percent said they eat at their work space, more than a third said they clip their nails at work and 22 percent said they see a co-worker sneeze, cough or yawn nearly daily without covering their mouth. And nearly half of us have seen a co-worker leave the loo without washing hands.

All of this icky behavior can have a severe consequence: More than three-quarters of employees said they get sick each year from co-workers.

The "Office Cleanliness Monitor" poll was conducted by ServiceMaster Clean, a Memphis, Tenn.-based janitorial company.

How to cultivate existing clients

Facing tepid sales, many managers lean on the sales force to land new leads.

Current clients disappointing? Go find new ones, right?

Nah, this is the wrong approach, contends George Ludwig, author of "Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code."

You probably have a good chance to increase the amount of business you're doing with current customers, Ludwig said. Show them what else you have to offer.

"Shouldn't that be easier than starting from scratch with someone else?" Ludwig said.

The book offers tips for harvesting new sales from existing accounts:

» Network deep inside the clients' organization. Meet as many people there as you can, and develop as many "champions" on your side as possible, Ludwig advises.

» Ask how you're doing. Take your five top contact people to lunch, and instigate a frank talk about what they like about your company and what they'd like to see improved.

» Offer the best service. Regardless of what it takes, fix problems and find solutions for your clients.

Stewart calls town neighbors 'nice'

ALDERSON, W.Va. » Residents of this small community are adjusting to having celebrity homemaker Martha Stewart as their neighbor in the federal prison camp outside town, where the maven of good taste says "everyone is nice."

Curiosity-seekers still arrive in the town of 1,000 people in the Appalachian hills of southeastern West Virginia, about 270 miles southwest of Washington, to see where Stewart will spend the next five months for lying about a stock sale.

The 63-year-old Stewart slipped into the Alderson Federal Prison Camp, the nation's oldest prison for women, on Oct. 8. She is expected to remain until March 6.

[ HAWAII INC. ]

NEW JOBS

» WCIT Architecture has hired Benjamin Ugale as senior associate. He will be responsible for project management, construction documentation, construction administration and quality control for many of the company's projects. He previously worked for Wimberly Allison Tong and Goo.

» Servco Pacific Inc. has promoted one employee and hired two others to its management team. Lance Ichimura has been promoted to automotive retail vice president. He will be responsible for working with the company's on long-term strategies and goals. Gary A. Hu has been hired as the Honolulu Group's fixed operations director. He will be responsible for providing support to parts and service managers. Keith Nakamura has been hired as Service Motors-Wahiawa acting general manager. He previously served as Budget Rent a Car's regional vice president and general manager.

» Panda Travel has hired Brenda Burner as cruise supervisor. She will be responsible for managing and developing the cruise department. She previously worked for Royal Adventure Travel and Non-Stop Travel.

ON THE BOARD

» The Hawaii State Bar Association has appointed Roxann Bulman its Young Lawyers Division president. She is an attorney and a Bank of Hawaii asset management group vice president.

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Business Briefs Reported by Star-Bulletin staff & wire [ FAST FACTS HAWAII ] BACK TO TOP \| NATION How to tell your boss you care There is a time for almost everything, and for American marketing, that includes National Boss Day, which was Saturday. But how do you show your boss your appreciation if, indeed, you have some? Isn't it mere brown-nosing? Is it even wise to bestow some sort of gift in honor or thanks? Where is the line of "too personal"? It all depends on how well you know the boss and how you get on, says Sarah Alter, a vice president with Quill Corp., an office supply company based in Lincolnshire, Ill. Consider a team gift, as opposed to something just from you. A favorite food or a group photo might be appropriate. As for things not to do: Avoid gag gifts. Avoid anything too personal or remotely sexual. Clothes? Cologne? Cosmetics? Bad ideas all, Alter advises. Avoid music or videos, and religious and political items. Also, forget lunch. Consider a gift certificate. Co-workers can be a health risk The messy desk is an icon of the American office, but how truly scuzzy is your work space? Only 40 percent of 1,000 office workers surveyed said they have "a lot of confidence" in their building's cleaning staff. Moreover, many of us say we witness plenty of unsanitary behavior by our co-workers. At work, 85 percent said they eat at their work space, more than a third said they clip their nails at work and 22 percent said they see a co-worker sneeze, cough or yawn nearly daily without covering their mouth. And nearly half of us have seen a co-worker leave the loo without washing hands. All of this icky behavior can have a severe consequence: More than three-quarters of employees said they get sick each year from co-workers. The "Office Cleanliness Monitor" poll was conducted by ServiceMaster Clean, a Memphis, Tenn.-based janitorial company. How to cultivate existing clients Facing tepid sales, many managers lean on the sales force to land new leads. Current clients disappointing? Go find new ones, right? Nah, this is the wrong approach, contends George Ludwig, author of "Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code." You probably have a good chance to increase the amount of business you're doing with current customers, Ludwig said. Show them what else you have to offer. "Shouldn't that be easier than starting from scratch with someone else?" Ludwig said. The book offers tips for harvesting new sales from existing accounts: » Network deep inside the clients' organization. Meet as many people there as you can, and develop as many "champions" on your side as possible, Ludwig advises. » Ask how you're doing. Take your five top contact people to lunch, and instigate a frank talk about what they like about your company and what they'd like to see improved. » Offer the best service. Regardless of what it takes, fix problems and find solutions for your clients. Stewart calls town neighbors 'nice' ALDERSON, W.Va. » Residents of this small community are adjusting to having celebrity homemaker Martha Stewart as their neighbor in the federal prison camp outside town, where the maven of good taste says "everyone is nice." Curiosity-seekers still arrive in the town of 1,000 people in the Appalachian hills of southeastern West Virginia, about 270 miles southwest of Washington, to see where Stewart will spend the next five months for lying about a stock sale. The 63-year-old Stewart slipped into the Alderson Federal Prison Camp, the nation's oldest prison for women, on Oct. 8. She is expected to remain until March 6. [ HAWAII INC. ] NEW JOBS » WCIT Architecture has hired Benjamin Ugale as senior associate. He will be responsible for project management, construction documentation, construction administration and quality control for many of the company's projects. He previously worked for Wimberly Allison Tong and Goo. » Servco Pacific Inc. has promoted one employee and hired two others to its management team. Lance Ichimura has been promoted to automotive retail vice president. He will be responsible for working with the company's on long-term strategies and goals. Gary A. Hu has been hired as the Honolulu Group's fixed operations director. He will be responsible for providing support to parts and service managers. Keith Nakamura has been hired as Service Motors-Wahiawa acting general manager. He previously served as Budget Rent a Car's regional vice president and general manager. » Panda Travel has hired Brenda Burner as cruise supervisor. She will be responsible for managing and developing the cruise department. She previously worked for Royal Adventure Travel and Non-Stop Travel. ON THE BOARD » The Hawaii State Bar Association has appointed Roxann Bulman its Young Lawyers Division president. She is an attorney and a Bank of Hawaii asset management group vice president.	— ADVERTISEMENTS — — ADVERTISEMENTS —

NATION How to tell your boss you care