Your company has just built a new facility and the local newspaper carried a photo and article about it on page one. Now, the local Chamber of Commerce wants you to be the keynote speaker at its annual holiday dinner, giving you a prime opportunity to talk about your business. In addition, a neighborhood senior citizens club asked you to speak at its luncheon ... another good audience for drawing new customers. The only problem: you hate (and are terrified of) giving speeches.

You are not alone. Some sources list public speaking as an individual's No. 1 fear. The good news is that there are ways to overcome that fear and use the experience to sell yourself and your business. Practice, experience and being well-prepared are the best ammunition for fighting nervousness and delivering a presentation that will benefit both your company and your audience.

First, let's admit that as humans, we will make mistakes. The sooner you get over the fact that you're going to make a few mistakes, the sooner you can move forward and start speaking. Here are some of the most common mistakes people make when speaking to groups.

• Trying to imitate someone else. Be your unique self!
• Failing to project a sense of confidence. Confidence is portrayed externally through your voice, eye contact, mannerisms, gestures and body language. Act confident and you will become confident.
• Speaking down to the audience. Speak with the audience, not to them. Be careful not to come across as superior if you use jargon or technical terms.
• Neglecting to prepare enough supporting information. Many speakers fail to be effective because they only cover the facts. Incorporate stories, human experiences, quotes, statistics, slides, overheads and handouts to keep the audience mentally involved.
• Lacking a dynamic opening and closing. The first and last things you say are very important to the success of your presentation. In openings, try to avoid apologies, over-used cliches and a slow start. In closings, stay away from an irrelevant joke used just for a laugh; long, dragged out endings; and the phrase, "Well, that is all I have to say."
• Failing to rehearse. Prepare in the proper way and rehearse!
• Memorizing your speech, word for word. As George Jessel said, "The mind is a wonderful organ. It begins working the day you are born and doesn't stop until you get up to give a speech."
• Forgetting to involve the audience. Involve your audience mentally, physically and emotionally.

After you pick your topic, find out as much as possible about the audience. Ask the person who asked you to speak the following questions: Who will be in the audience? What is their background, training and experience? When will they expect the program to be over? Where do they currently work? Why are they attending and how much do they already know about the topic? Then think, "How would age, education level, familiarity with the subject, occupation, attitude and reason for attending affect the content and style of your presentation?"

Once you have this information, then do your homework. Gather as much subject information as possible and remember, "The more you sweat in advance, the less you sweat on stage."

Second, organize and write your speech. Break down your speech into three basic parts: the introduction, the body and the closing. The introduction is the section of the speech that requires a dynamic approach to capture the audience's attention, establish rapport and introduce the content. This is also the time to share your objective. Explain and clarify why you are there and give the audience a reason to listen. In the body, you should cover the main points. For a one-hour presentation, try to condense all the information into one to five main points. Be sure to have supporting information and facts for each point. Remember to keep the objective of the speech in the forefront of your mind. In your closing, reinforce and summarize by reviewing the main points. Next, you want to have a call for action. What do you want the audience to do when they leave? Finally, you should end with a closing statement to sum up your presentation and leave them with a positive impression.

Speaking is a skill that grows weaker with disuse and stronger with practice. Don't wait for the invitation to speak, but instead look for the opportunities that exist with various organizations in your area, including Rotary Clubs, Kiwanis Clubs, church groups and community agencies. These are all potential clients who just may need automotive service some day.

Patrick J. Donadio, MBA, is author of the audio cassette program, "Communicating with IMPACT." He is a professional speaker, trainer, consultant and author specializing in business communications, presentation skills and empowerment. Donadio is also an instructor for the Automotive Service Association Management Institute (ASAMI). His telephone number is (614) 263-3421. Visit his web site at:http://www.ohiospeakers.com/pdonadio.html.

How To Delegate

• It's important to delegate authority, not just responsibilities. People need to be involved in decisions that affect them. We all think we can do it better. Perhaps we could, if we had 40 hours in a day, but we don't.
• To become better at delegating, choose the right people. Not everyone can "do it" as well as you think you can. However, some can come close. Ask yourself, "What are the skills and knowledge needed to complete the task? Who matches this description? Try breaking the job into parts and delegate pieces.
• Set goals and objectives together. Clearly define expectations, the employee's authority, your priorities, the budget and time limits. Don't tell employees how to do the task. Instead, let them tell you how they are going to handle it. Participation develops a sense of ownership and pride. Then mutually discuss deadlines, anticipated obstacles and how you might overcome these obstacles. Finally, let the person ask questions, or ask them to summarize the project.
• Build a feedback loop. Feedback (written and oral) should take place during the task. Regular feedback reduces the margin of error. Set up check points. Be careful not to supervise every detail and be tactful in giving feedback.
• Assign with confidence. Let them know you have confidence in their abilities right from the start. People tend to live up to the expectations placed on them.
• Really delegate. People will make mistakes, but if you can tolerate the learning process, you will find delegating to be a skill you can't live without. Remember, you can give a person a fish and they will eat for a day. But teach a person to fish and they can eat for a lifetime.
  Source: Patrick J. Donadio

It's no secret that you can't operate a successful business without good employees. Gale Westerlund, owner and chief operating officer of Gale's Autobody, Inc., admits that there is no magic to finding and keeping good employees.

"If employees like it, do it," said Gary Harris, owner of Auto Body Specialists, Inc. It's worth it "as long as they stay there and do the things you need them to do," he said.

"The stronger the team, the harder it is to break," said Craig Stephens, Fort Worth Classic Paint and Body. He also said that the best way to locate new employees is through your current employees, including using finder fees if necessary. "Good people know good people," he said.

Shop owners agree that advertising is helpful, but you need to consider the medium used and the position available when running advertisements.

They also stress the importance of employees caring about the work environment and the shop's image, and believe they would be better employees if they had a work atmosphere to be proud of. "If your business image is not what employees believe it should be, it will hurt you," said Mike Seger, owner of Lehman's Garage. "It's more important to employees than it is to customers."

Business perks help too, said Rick Reiss, owner of Auto Body Unlimited. "People need to want to come to work," he said. And they need to be measured for their performance, he contended, because employees really want to be measured. They also want communication, which is often successfully administered through daily morning meetings, Reiss said. That way "they always know what's expected of them." 10 Steps For Improving Profitability

• Increase your gross profit by reducing the cost of products and services sold; and/or by selectively increasing prices.
• Classify expenses into categories: fixed; semi-variable; or variable.
• For fixed expenses, determine the time frame for which they are fixed: annually or long-term.
• Reclassify semi-variable expenses: fixed portion vs. variable portion.
• Identify major variable expenses.
• Focus your attention on reducing these expenses.
• Prepare your budget using the following scenarios: expected case; best case; and worst case.
• Revise your budget periodically during the year.
• Collect your accounts receivable on a timely basis.
• Turn your inventory faster than the industry standard.

Reprinted with permission of Robert A. Langdon, CPA, author of "Managing Your Business for Profit." Langdon is an instructor for the Automotive Service Association Management Institute (ASAMI). His telephone number is (303) 377-3131.

Quality Is Customer's Perception, Study Concludes

Service quality is the difference between what the customer expects and what they actually received, according to a study presented by George E. Cressman, head of the Marketing Development Group at DuPont.

"This may be a radical new definition of quality to many of you in the service industry," Cressman said. "Our studies indicate a customer's perception of quality isn't measured by the standards a shop has set for itself, but rather what type of service the shop promised and what type of service the customer actually perceived."

If he had just one point to stress, Cressman said, "It would be to never promise more than you can deliver and always deliver more than what you promised."

DuPont's consumer survey indicates that customers today increasingly battle a shortage of time and money. As a result, customers are increasingly cynical, judgmental and critical of a company's level of service. "Customer loyalty is a thing of the past," Cressman said. "Service providers are finding themselves constantly competing for a share of increasingly scarce resources."

Today's consumer constantly shops for the best use of their resources and expect results quickly, the study indicated. "They want service and they want it now," Cressman said.

To be a service leader, a company will have to clearly understand a service vision, set and maintain high standards, provide an in-the-field leadership style and project integrity, the study concluded. In rating the factors that determine quality customer service, the study found that consumers rank reliability ahead of responsiveness, assurance, empathy and tangible evidence that the shop can provide the service it promises. "All of those factors are important, however," Cressman said.

The study indicated that while consumers are bombarded with 12,000 commercial messages a day, word-of-mouth remains the most powerful form of advertising. "That's why customer service is so important," Cressman said. "Our studies indicate that how you treat a customer today will determine how many new customers you'll have tomorrow."

Beau Hamilton, an instructor of customer service courses offered through the Automotive Service Association Management Institute (ASAMI), believes that customer service is as important as fixing the car correctly. Customers have dramatically higher satisfaction expectations than in the past, Hamilton said, and are better informed and more assertive in demanding it than ever before. Customer service is now a marketing weapon and a definite value-added benefit, he said, and customers are now comparing service and quality with their other vendors, even those outside the industry.

To provide superior customer service, Hamilton advises shop owners to create a good first impression, in person and on the phone, so customers feel welcome and comfortable. Communicate effectively, handle each transaction quickly, accurately and professionally, and thank each customer for the opportunity to help, Hamilton said.

At the same time you are impressing the customers with your customer satisfaction skills, always be supportive of your company, Hamilton said. Admit problems that impact the customers, but never blame your supervisor, senior management or other employees, and never complain about policies or procedures you don't agree with. Building A Team

The No. 1 management question asked by shop owners and managers is, "How do I get my employees to work together?" The complexity arises because people with different knowledge and varying skills must share their knowledge and skills to accomplish a single objective. This means that each person on the team must contribute everything they have for the team to be successful.

There are three key ingredients of successful team-building:

• The No. 1 key is a clean and concise vision of what the team is going to accomplish. Someone once said, "The mind cannot achieve what it cannot perceive." Truly successful team leaders do an outstanding job of communicating their vision to every member of the team. Through constant reminders, they keep the team informed of how close they are to achieving that vision.
• The No. 2 key to successful team-building is establishing achievable goals for the team. Once everyone agrees on the vision, they must sit down and work out realistic obtainable goals for items that must be accomplished to achieve the vision. Goals should include both long-term goals (items you plan to accomplish in the next five years) and short-term goals (items you plan to accomplish in the next three to six months or a year). Having everyone on your team agree that the goals are realistic and obtainable, then constantly reminding them of how well they are doing toward achieving those goals, will go a long way toward helping you achieve the degree of success you desire.
• The No. 3 key to successful team-building is communication. Many great managers have met with failure because of their inability to communicate with their employees. The ability to communicate is the main personality trait a manager must have. Employees want to know what must be done, when it must be done and how you want them to do it. When management fails to communicate this to employees, gaps in understanding begin to occur.

A reporter once asked the late Bear Bryant, a former head football coach at the University of Alabama, what was the first thing they taught freshman athletes entering their program. Bryant said, "We teach them how to hold the football." The reporter inquired why this was necessary, since everyone they recruited already had many years experience playing in high school and junior leagues. Bryant answered, "We cannot afford to take for granted that a player understands the basics of this game ... blocking, tackling and holding the ball. In order to make sure that we can begin playing together as a team, we must know the basics. By working together, each of us is able to achieve more than we can achieve individually." Many times, management fails to communicate the basic premise of their business to employees. Failure to communicate to employees leads to jobs not performed as promised, missed deadlines and unhappy customers.

Adhering to these keys will certainly get you headed in the right direction toward building your team. Choosing the right players is the next step in the process. Use the following rules when putting a team together:

• Know how many employees you need to achieve your goals.
• Know what skills and expertise are needed within your workforce to accomplish your goals.
• Know what type of employee will best fit into your shop's organizational culture.

Many shops have been destroyed by a "Flat Rate Flyer." This is the super tech you lured from your competitor for 50 cents an hour more than they were paying him. Shortly after hiring this guy, he takes command of at least five stalls. Then he begins complaining that management cannot supply parts fast enough, write decent estimates or acquire supplemental approval quickly. Next thing you know, he's holding shop meetings to discuss what the shop needs to do to get management straightened out. Now, Flat Rate Flyer becomes "Team Leader" and everyone starts working for him. Does this sound like anyone you know?

Management must be the communication leader of the shop. You have to know what you want to accomplish. You must sell your vision to your employees and you need to allow them to take ownership of your vision by permitting them an opportunity to help establish goals toward achieving the vision. You should constantly communicate with them, in both one-on-one and group sessions, how well you are doing toward achieving the goals. Employees must know where they are at all times to produce at their best. When management fails to communicate this to employees, they begin to allow their subconscious to fill in the gaps for them. Generally, this leads to self-doubt about how well they are doing. Self-doubt generally leads to anger. Anger generally leads to poor quality, missed deadlines and unhappy employees. When this occurs, management usually has little choice but to fire the employee and start over. Pay Plans
Don't forget that a good pay plan can contribute toward team-building. The optimum pay plan strikes a balance between paying the employees enough of a base salary to cover their basic needs and providing them with sufficient incentives and bonuses to exceed their basic needs. Most pay plans fail because of two things. First, management tries to apply the same pay plan to every employee regardless of position. We have to start looking at our employees based upon their future worth, as well as their present worth. Second, management is often unwilling to build their workforce. Instead, management should work with employees to improve their weaknesses and capitalize on their strengths.

Larry Edwards is a Certified Management Consultant and is president of Edwards & Associates Consulting, Inc., in Monroe, N.C.

Steps Toward Team-building

• Be willing to develop your employees. Have a consistent and broad-based training program that addresses the technical and personal skills your employees need.
• Develop a management style that is responsive to employees' needs and empowers employees to think for themselves. Include your employees in the decision-making process.
• Be genuine, do not try gamesmanship management tactics on your employees. They know when you are playing games.
• Balance work loads and schedules. We want to achieve that fine balance between maximum production output and employee burnout.

The two common rules for achieving success in family businesses are to keep the lines of communication open and provide support to family members. "It's very difficult because each family member in the business wants to make sure everyone is doing their job," Kelly Roe, of Carty's CARSTAR Collision Center, said. On the other hand, she spoke about the growth one experiences when being part of a family business. "It gives you a free reign, allows more industry involvement," Roe said.

"Family members in business together can be the most critical of each other," said Bob Anderson, who owns Anderson's Automotive Service Center with his wife and business partner, Jan.

"Other than in family members, where else can you find the motivation to keep the family business going?" said second generation shop owner Troy Westerlund, of Gale's Auto Body, Inc.

Johnny Mock, who owns Johnny Mock's CARSTAR with his wife Carol, said it's critical to talk with the other employees before bringing a family member into the business. "Then be ready to give family members who become employees your support and an opportunity to fail, and keep the communication open," Mock said.

What Makes People Effective?

Dr. Joseph Cangemi, professor of psychology and organizational development consultant at Western Kentucky University, advises shop owners and managers to think regularly about what they want from their life, evaluate all activities and ruthlessly weed out those that do not add up to what they want life to be.

Cangemi recommends getting to know one's body clock and schedule work during the body's peak period. He warns not to try to make use of every minute of the day, which he said only increases tension while reducing effectiveness. The fastest method of doing tasks isn't always the best, he said.

Individuals who are moving toward total effectiveness or who have achieved effective behavior have many positive characteristics, Cangemi said, including:

• Superior judgment and wisdom. These individuals see through superficial characteristics, tolerate shortcomings of others and are concerned with the ends, not the means.
• Are sure of themselves. These individuals are self-sufficient, confident and have a high degree of self-awareness. They have a good sense of humor, are courageous and willing to make mistakes.
• Reliable, trustworthy and dependable. They have the confidence they can handle whatever confronts them.

10 Rules On How To Get Along With People

• Keep skid chains on your tongue - don't say everything you think. Remember, how you say something is more important than what you say.
• Make few promises, but fulfill the ones you make if you want others to trust you.
• Do not let an opportunity go by without saying something kind or encouraging to or about someone. Learn to praise good work done no matter who did it, including your enemies. Criticize helpfully, never spitefully; talk about the sin, not the sinner.
• Be interested in others. Know something about people outside work; their family, interests, etc. Make merry with those who rejoice, mourn with those who suffer. Show concern, have empathy.
• Be cheerful. Keep the corners of your mouth turned up. Hide your worries, pains, disappointments ... everybody has them.
• Preserve for yourself an open mind. Remember there are many right answers. If you are the only one coming up with the right answers, something is wrong. Discuss, don't argue. A discussion is controlled by intellect; an argument by emotion, which makes for a potentially dangerous situation. Remember, it is the mark of a superior mind to be able to disagree and yet be friendly.
• Let your merits speak for themselves, but be ready to talk about your merits when called upon to do so. Do not talk about another's demerits unless necessary. Never get involved in gossip.
• Pay no attention to ill-natured remarks made about you. Simply live so that nobody will listen to or believe them. Let your behavior tell about you.
• Be careful of other people's feelings. Treat everybody as if he is important, even your garbage man. Watch your humor. Humor at the expense of the other person is rarely worth the effort.
• Do not be too anxious about what is due you. Do not be worried so much; get on with your job, be patient, keep a good disposition and your respect and rewards will find their way to you.
  

Reprinted with permission of Dr. Joseph P. Cangemi, professor of psychology and organization development consultant, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, Ky. Some rules are a modification of the original work.

Attitude Drives Success

Many of our customers and associates vary in attitudes and needs. Their attitudes are also different depending on the situation. When people take a look at their lives or need assistance (like car repairs), they see it their way, and their attitude reflects that. Although you can influence their direction, you cannot change their attitude or purpose. That's why in business, the most important quality an employee can have is a positive attitude.

When was the last time you went to a meeting, someone walked in, and their presence lit up the room the minute they came through the door? When was the last time someone shook your hand and said thank you after you purchased a major appliance or new car, or had service work done?

Most people do not want to do business or associate with someone whose motivation level is nonexistent and whose attitude reflects that he does not want to be there. For example, have you noticed how people react to a company that is remodeling, building a new facility or moving to a new location? They want to investigate and see what's happening because they see someone moving forward with energy and foresight, and ultimately, they want to be part of it.

After 31 years of helping people and customers through their problems and opportunities, I have often thought of myself as a "library." Instead of books, customers call or come in to "check out" my energy. Although there are many ways to get energized, my energy comes from helping others, such as family, friends, employees, customers and the community, through the use of my talents.

I have had the opportunity to work with some outstanding people in my career. My wife Sue and I purchased a well-established collision business in 1984. We both quit our jobs and found ourselves unemployed for the first time in our lives. The couple we purchased the business from was very supportive and willing to help out as much as needed. I remember one thing that they told me: "Take care of your customers and everything will fall into place." I may have taken this advice in stride at the time, but after 13 years at the helm, I believe it now more than ever. The other day, I asked a technician what he would be doing in the year 2000. He replied, "Not working here because I will be retiring in two years." I didn't know what to say because I had worked with this craftsman for 26 years. How could he think of retiring now? I'm not!

Who are our customers? Some say the car owners or insurance companies. I believe the first customer is our employees. How we view our employees and treat them will reflect on their attitudes and productivity, and this in turn will pass through to our customers.

In dealing with customers over the years, I have seen much emphasis placed on attaining new customers through all kinds of advertising. This is OK to a certain degree until the business falls short on delivering the product or service. Sure, people make mistakes and don't deliver what customers expect every time. Yet, it's how we handle these opportunities that's important and I believe that attitude plays a key role here.

Attitudes can be looked at in several ways. The first is perspective: knowing who you are, where you are and where you want to be. The second is purpose: today's changes and tomorrow's future, whether it be driven by technology or customers' needs, will shape your direction, but do not lose sight of your purpose. The third is passion: love what you do, put a little humor in it, and if used correctly, it will go a long way. Welcome gradual change as opportunity. People with a good sense of humor tend to deal with frustrations more effectively and are more productive.

I don't think the make-up of someone's attitude is based on only one component. It is an overall picture that we all construct and paint in our lives. We should be aware of what other people think about us, but do not dwell on it. Remember, happiness and satisfaction with oneself comes from within.

If there is one very important thought to close with - one that has guided me through shaping and constructing my attitudes and successes - it's that success is the quality of the journey.

Relaxation Techniques

• Although you may never get rid of fear completely, here are some tips that can help relieve some of the tension.
• Clench your fists really hard, then release them.
• Push your shoulders up to your ears, hold them there for 10 seconds and release.
• Stretch, through deep knee bends, lifting your arms up, and opening your hands wide and closing them.
• Think positive. Remind yourself that you know more about the topic than the audience.
• Give yourself a pep talk. Some people use music to do this; others like to go jogging. If you have to look in the mirror and tell yourself you're great, do it.
• Visit the room where you'll be giving your speech (if possible). Stand in front of the room and envision yourself speaking to the group.

Dan Meyer owns Kay Parks/Dan Meyer Auto Rebuild in Tacoma, Wash. He earned his Accredited Automotive Manager (AAM) degree from the Automotive Service Association Management Institute (ASAMI) in 1995.

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