TAPP Wire - May 2011

Message From The CEO
May and June always seem to bring a flurry of activities. Everyone seems to want to meet before summer vacations begin. Many organizations hold golf outings and annual meetings. As staff put in to take vacation time, companies (and parents/caregivers) determine how they will provide the proper coverage. And there are graduations, weddings, etc. to attend. TAPP is no different. Our intern, George Noukas, just finished his semester with TAPP and is preparing to graduate. Congratulations George! We will be welcoming another intern at the end of the month. We are planning our summer and the projects we want to accomplish and how we will staff them. We will start a three part webinar series in June on "Getting Hired" with Peggy Collins. Regardless of which side of the hiring fence you are on, this series will provide some great tips for you. Since our webinar on the new Body Language with Janine Driver, I have found myself talking with others who watched it and really being conscious of what is being said nonverbally. If you missed it, you can watch it in the archives or read the article about it in this issue. We want TAPP to serve your needs so please let us know any ideas you have or if you would like to get involved by writing or in other ways.

Linda J. Guild, CAE CEO

Latest Webinar

This month's webinar, "You Say More Than You Think," with guest speaker Janine Driver, taught us about how to use the new body language to be on fire. Read an article about what we learned, or watch the archived webinar recording.

Did You Know?

TAPP is a young organization and we are continuously evolving and adding content and features to our website. Did you know about these features and activities?

• If you are not sure where to find information, try searching for it on our website. The search box at the top of every page searches the site for articles by key word.
• We will be adding a weekly poll to our website with questions such as "How many hours do you work per week?" and "What is the ideal retirement age?". If you are wondering what your peers are thinking or experiencing, please submit your question and we'll post it as a new poll. Some of the results will be shared in the Wire.
• Our discussion boards, which will be for members only, will be launched this summer.
• Highlights of each webinar can be found online as well as the recorded webinars. Our recorded webinars allow you to pause, fast forward, rewind, etc while watching so you don't have to watch all at once.
• Are you on Twitter? Let us know your twitter name and we'll follow you. Ours is @TappOnline.
• If you've seen a cool feature on another website that you think would work for TAPP, please let us know and we'll see if we can incorporate it into our site. 

Member Profile

In this profile, we introduce you to Ashley, a busy young professional who is considering working part-time in the future. Click here to read her story.  

TAPP Wire - February 2011

Message From The CEO

Impressions
Greetings from the rainy northeast. It is often said that you only have one chance to make a first impression. However, as you will read in this issue of the TAPP Wire, there are many ways you can make a lasting impression. How often do you think about what your body is communicating to someone when you are having a conversation? Your body language could be telling your potential boss or current boss or significant other or family member something you didn't intent. On April 21st Janine Driver will share with us how to interpret body language - so you can read someone else and be more aware of the messages you are sending.

If you think that you aren’t in sales, think again. Charles Marshall explains that all of us are in sales – we are continually selling our core values (who you are) to our friends, family, strangers, and co-workers. For those of you who are either looking for a job or have ever hired someone, his story particularly will resonate.

So as you go about your daily routine, consider the lasting impression you are making on the people with whom you cross paths. Is it the positive one you want it to be?

Linda J. Guild, CAE CEO

Latest News

Bestselling author, frequent media guest, international trainer, keynote speaker, and CEO of the Body Language Institute, Janine Driver will join TAPP on Thursday, April 21st to lead a webinar on using "the new body language" to get what you want. Driver has been a guest speaker on the Dr. Oz Show, The Rachael Ray Show, NBC's TODAY, FOX News, and CNN's Larry King Live, and has been quoted in the New York Times, the Washington Post, Cosmopolitan and Psychology Today.

Watch this video to meet Janine and get a sneak peak at what she'll be discussing April 21st. We hope to see you there!

Latest Webinar

This month’s webinar "Tax Tips & Strategies", featuring tax accountants Jim Guarino and Jerry Mahan of the Massachusetts-based CPA and consulting firm Moody, Famiglietti, & Andronico, provided tips and strategies for the small business owner or independent contractor to minimize the stressfulness of taxes. From start-up considerations to operations to tax reporting, the program provided helpful hints for anyone who is already self-employed, considering opening his/her own business, or working on a project basis. Click here for a glimpse at what we learned.

Did You Know?

One question humorous motivational speaker Charles Marshall asks almost every crowd that he speaks to, no matter what the industry, is “How many people in here are in sales?” The answer to this question is: Everyone in the room. Everyone is in sales. The difference is that some people know it and some people don’t. Click here to learn why.

Member Profile

In this profile, we introduce you to Peggy, who owns a company that provides services to nonprofit organizations and employs part-time staff members. Click here to read her story.  

TAPP Wire - March 2011

Message From The CEO

The calendar says spring but many of us are waiting for warmer weather to appear. As I write this, the rain is falling in Boston...a perfect day to drink a cup of coffee or tea and watch one of our archived webinars. The Did You Know section of TAPP Wire tells you more about our webinars on demand. Our speakers are experts in their field and experienced presenters. We are very excited to have Janine Driver on April 21st. Two TAPP staff members saw her at a conference last August and continue to talk about what they learned. Our profile features a woman who after receiving her MBA chose to work part-time while her son is young. With summer coming, what challenges are you facing as an employer or employee? We want to hear from you so please contact me at  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  with your thoughts or concerns.

~Linda J. Guild, CAE CEO

Latest News

Part-time Employment Survey – The Results Are In.
The Former Part-time Worker – Part 2 of 3
Prior to the launch of TAPP, we distributed a survey to learn more about the realities and perceptions of part-time employment. This segment focuses on the responses from those who worked part-time at some point in the past, and includes answers to questions such as "Who worked part-time in the past?"; "Why do people stop working part-time?"; "To what extent do former part-time workers feel that their part-time positions utilized their skills, education, and experience?"; "What were the advantages to working part-time?"; "What are the challenges to working part-time?"; and "What advice would former part-time workers give to those considering working part-time?". Click here to read about what we learned.

Latest Webinar

This month's webinar, "Ready, Set, Delegate," was the second of our three-part time management series, with guest speaker Andy Winig. In this month's program, Andy shared three concepts that help make delegating more effective: the fuel gauge, the mirror, and switching roles. Click here to learn about these concepts so you can save time and delegate more effectively. 

Did You Know?

Did you know that...

• You are able to view all of TAPP's previous webinars on demand?
• The webinars are archived and can be watched when you have time.
• You are able to stop and start a webinar if you find that you only have 30 minutes?
• You can fast forward or rewind while watching an archived webinar?
• You can read a synopsis of each webinar?
• You could host a discussion group using our suggested questions after watching a webinar with your co-workers or friends?
• You can suggest future topics and speakers? 

Member Profile

In this profile, we introduce you to Erika, a busy mom with an MBA who is working part-time while raising her son. Click here to read her story.   

Everyone is in sales!

One question that I ask almost every crowd that I speak to, no matter what the industry, is "How many people in here are in sales?"

The answer to this question is: Everyone in the room.

Everyone is in sales. The difference is that some people know it and some people don't.

When I ask this question and then reveal the answer, I often see people visibly recoil at the suggestion that they are in sales. This is because they don't understand what sales really is.

Selling isn't the manipulative act of tricking someone into doing what you want them to do, but rather the skill of connecting with another person regarding their needs and desires, and then bringing that meeting of minds to a mutually agreeable and beneficial resolution.

Everybody has something to sell. At some point in your day, you're going to have to communicate an idea or perspective, a bit of bad news, new direction or product. If you've ever been in, or wanted to be in, a romantic relationship, you've had the opportunity to sell your perspective. If you've ever managed people, you've had to sell a company direction or policy. If you've ever applied for a job, you've had to sell the idea of hiring you.

For example, I recently put out the word in my area that I was looking to hire some office help. Applicants were instructed to e-mail my office with their résumés. In reply to my ad, I received the following e-mail verbatim:

"I am sending this from my phone and I'm not sure if this is the full resume but, if you don't mind letting me know if it is the full resume? Like letting me know if it looks fully done or is it missing something!? If its missing anything, I will make sure of that you receive a well done resume next time! Louise Thompson"
(Typos and grammatical errors left intact. An incomplete résumé was attached to the e-mail.)

Guess what, Louise? There won't be a "next time."

Louise successfully sold me on the concept that she is completely wrong for my office. Why?

Wow, where do I begin?

1] She blew the very first task I gave her, that of sending me a résumé. My thinking as a boss is, if she can't get it together enough to send me a professional, well-written letter with a complete résumé, why would I pay her money to come in to my office and make the same type of mistakes?

2] She's asking me to cover her mistakes before I've ever met, much less hired, her. How much slack would I have to pick up if she worked for me?

It doesn't matter if my conclusions are fair or not. Because of her carelessness, inexperience, and/or lack or education, that is the impression that she sold me.

The question I have for you is, what impression are you selling to the people around you? Are they sold on your competence? Have you sold them on your intelligence? Have they bought into you as a spouse, employee, boss, relative, parent, or leader?

How you communicate, the words you choose, and the manner in which you speak or write them are all telegraphing a perspective to your recipient.

Remember, people rarely, if ever, tell you that you aren't selling them. They just don't buy from you, and you remain ignorant and unsuccessful.

Today, give careful thought to your sales ability in every area of your life. If you find that you lack sales skills or need improvement, choose to act on that revelation immediately, rather than risk further frustration and disappointment.

© 2011 Charles Marshall. Charles Marshall is a nationally known humorous motivational speaker and author. Visit his Web site at http://www.charlesmarshall.net or contact him via e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .