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Sandler Sales Training, UPS Store Franchises and Playworks Team Building

Nothing happens until someone makes a sale and Sandler Sales Training works with small and large firms to help them sell more, more consistently and with less effort. Understand how following a system for business development can help you be more efficient, effective helps grow your bottom line.  Companies typically struggle with one or more of the three things that drive their economic engine:  management, sales or customer service. Honest communication focused on the customer or prospect is critical to succeed in today’s competitive environment. Sandler Training in Alpharetta has programs that help your entire organization get and keep more customers over the long term. Lisssa Versteegh, President of Georgia Sales Development Inc. explains how they transform sales effectiveness by taking a holistic approach to management, sales and customer service so everyone is on board with what it takes to get and keep customers in today’s competitive market. If you find you must sell on price, Lissa has the solutions that will move the conversation from commodity to custom crafted so you sell at higher margins. www.georgiasales.com and lissa@sandler.com or calling 770-475-3835 will put you on track for greater success in 2013.

Jim McElroy, Franchise Development for UPS Stores Area Office covering Georgia, N. Carolina and parts of North Florida, explains why so many people find a terrific opportunity as a UPS Store franchisee and find an alternative to just going back into the corporate world. Surprisingly affordable and an exceptional opportunity for returning Veterans, the economics and long term asset created by owing a franchise are eye opening. Learn much more about the opportunity and how to learn more by contacting Jim at 770-645-2513 X 204 or via email at: jmcelroy@theupsstore.com. Also, visit www.upsstore.com for added information.

Meredith Martini is the “Chief PlayWorker” with Playworks Group, a team building firm that helps company employees connect at a human level. Through individualized programs, Playworks helps coworkers in groups from 6 to a 1000 or more find out how to relate to each other as people, have fund doing so and use the opportunity to develop a sense of engagement with the company that pays back in improved communication and cooperation. You can reach Meredith at meredith@playworksgroup.com or 678-907-7132 and from www.playworksgroup.com.

Senior Assisted Living – Special Focus Topic

Guests Lisa Machado, CSA – Visiting Angels – Living Assistance Services; Chris & Sherri Maner – Smooth Transitions – Moving for Seniors; Laura Cayce – CaraVita Home Care discuss Senior Assisted Living and the services helping individuals and families with life’s transitions.

Lisa, Laura, Sherri and Chris discuss the unique challenges faced as our population ages and the range of services that have sprung up to help individuals and families cope with age-related issues. Surprisingly broad in scope, there are many senior assisted living programs now available to help seniors remain in their homes for as long as possible.  And, when it becomes necessary for seniors to move to facilities that can cater to their special needs, our guests discuss options for dealing with every aspect of what can be a stressful time.

Today’s families are frequently not in the same city, even state, where their aging parents live and find helping with these changes almost impossible.  Our studio guests offer many options to provide the level of caring and care that today’s time-stressed families want to provide but cannot and the various programs that can help financially.

Laura Cayce has a master’s degree in social work and gerontology, and she is also certified as professional geriatric care manager. Her passion lies in her work with seniors and families. She is able to carry out this passion daily through her work with her family owned company, CaraVita Home Care.

She has served as social worker and care manager for the past 8 years helping seniors and their families during difficult life transitions. Her clinical experiences include working for a geriatric inpatient psychiatric hospital, serving as a case manager at a skilled nursing and rehab hospital, providing  social worker home visits for various home health agencies, and serving with the Texas Medicaid Community Waiver Program (Providing in home care for individuals with low-income).

Lisa Machado -Lisa is a graduate of Shippensburg University (Shippensburg, Pennsylvania) and in 1994, she received her MBA from Kennesaw University (Kennesaw, GA).  For more than 20 years, Lisa has worked in business in various capacities.

Lisa is originally from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.  She is married with three children.   Lisa and her husband, Mario, own and operate Visiting Angels, located in Alpharetta, GA, since 2005.  It is one of 14 Visiting Angels franchises in Georgia. Lisa is a Certified Senior Advisor, a member of the Aging Services Network of North Fulton and a member of the North Fulton Chamber of Commerce.

Chris & Sherri Maner – Chris holds a Degree in Finance from Auburn University.  He worked for one of Atlanta’s largest credit unions for the past 25 years -15 of which were spent managing the Collection Department that included foreclosure dispersal-clean outs and renovations.  His vast experience gives Chris the expertise and contacts needed to handle the needs of senior clients and their families.

Sherri started her career at the same credit union as Chris after graduating high school.  After 29 years, she retired as the AVP of Operations where she managed 28 metro Atlanta offices with over 100 employees.  Through the course of Sherri’s career, she had a large focus on the senior cliental which included the financial and personal situations they faced as they aged.

Although Chris and Sherri are trained and licensed senior move managers, they have first-hand, personal experience with challenges seniors and their families encounter when the need to downsize and relocate arises.  Their unique insight ensures they will care for you and your treasures every step of the way as if you were part of their family.

You can follow Smooth Transitions of Greater Atlanta on Facebook, LinkedIn or visit their website at www.seniormoversofatlanta.com .

Steve Beacham, Home Town Marketing on Sales and Buzz

What is your Buzz and how can using Buzz make selling simpler, easier, faster and even have prospects calling wanting to buy your product?

Buzz is the latest evolution of Steve’s proven approach to business and success that goes back years. In fact, he’s written two books already on some of his philosophy including “Bass–Ackward Business” and “The Power of Helping Without Hustling.” They discuss the fundamentals of Steve’s proven sales approach that transforms how you sell and people decide to buy – from you – and how you can tap into that powerful, non-manipulative strategy. Steve is working on this third book on Buzz but we’ll let him tell you about it!

Focusing on coaching and helping develop sales forces sell more, faster and easier is his passion, learn hot to sell with Buzz at his seminars or through individual coaching.

Steve Beecham is well known to many who got their mortgage from his company (Steve was one of the top 5 loan officers and his company one of the top 5 mortgage companies in Georgia and still actively helping people get mortgages today.)

He’s also well known for his charitable work serving non-profits through board memberships with the Ron Clark Academy, N. Fulton Charities and the Alpharetta Public Safety Foundation.

Get in touch with Steve and find out what your Buzz is and how to put it to work for you at http://www.bassackwardbusiness.com/ or email him at steve@hometownmoney.com.

Heather Blanchard with The Johns Creek CVB, and Bill Willians with Axxiom Franchise Advisors on franchises for Veterans

The Johns Creek Convention and Visitor Bureau (www.johnscreekcvb.com) plays an important role in the business community of Johns Creek. Visitor bureaus are generally thought of as resources for people on vacation, but they are so much more. In Heather’s segment of the show, she discusses how the visitors bureau promotes business and community involvement through events and outreach.

Heather is the Managing Partner of HeBlanc, LLC.  She provides consulting services to corporations and non-profit organizations, working regularly with executives from a variety of fields and industries to help create real world solutions in business development, marketing, and organizational leadership.

Prior to her current position, she served and led efforts for several organizations and their clients, including Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, DreamPower, Innotrac Corp, GP Communications, Edward J. DeBartolo and the US Government. Raised in a military family, Heather graduated Magna Cum Laude from Johnson & Wales University and lives with her husband in Suwanee.

You can reach Heather at heather@johnscreekcvb.com


Franchises as an option for returning Veterans with Bill Williams

Today, there are many alternatives to working for someone else from buying an existing business, starting one or being a franchisee. Bill Willams of Axxiom Franchise Advisors, LLC, in his segment of the program, discusses the advantages of being a franchise owner and the misconceptions people have regarding franchise and franchise brokers. Not limited to just muffler shops and fast food, franchises almost any business one can imagine.

Active with Veterans groups in the area and a Vietnam Veteran himself, Bill discusses at length the coming wave of service personnel re-entering the civilian world and why they have skills that make a franchise an excellent option for finding a new career. (Note, they also bring skills and maturity that any employer would be delighted to see in their candidates so it’s not just franchises who would like to see Veterans in their ranks.)

Learn how the franchise community and other organizations have developed special plans to make owning a franchise affordable for our returning Veterans through substantially reduced fees, financial assistance programs and more.

Axxiom Franchise Advisors LLC  (www.axxiomfranchiseadvisors.com) and Bill’s email is bwilliams@axxiomfranchiseadvisors.com.

Darryl Edwards with FocalPoint Coaching and Jerrund Wilkerson with Level 10 Consulting

Darryl Edwards/FocalPoint Coaching

Darryl Edwards is a Certified Business Performance Coach with FocalPoint Coaching. With over 30 years of corporate sales and marketing, engineering and management experience, Darryl has led business units for Fortune 50 conglomerates. While in sales, Darryl managed a unit that averaged an annual growth of 18% per year. Now Darryl uses his experience to instruct the owners and salespeople at small and medium size businesses. He is actively involved in community affairs including Fayette Chamber of Commerce, Atlanta Community Food Bank, and Worktec Business Advisory Council. Darryl performed an accelerated free fall skydive from 14,000 feet. An avid high-end audio/video enthusiast, Darryl enjoys running, golf and music.

Jerrund Wilkerson/Level 10 Consulting

Jerrund Wilkerson, R.Ph., MBA is President & CEO of Atlanta-based Level 10 Consulting, LLC.  Level 10 is a consultancy that focuses on Performance Management.  As a strategic consultant, executive coach and speaker, Jerrund helps organizations increase profits by aligning leadership’s goals and results with performance execution up and down the organization.

Prior to Level 10 Consulting, Jerrund was Director of Sales at Watson Pharma, where he led key initiatives such as Sales Force Effectiveness, Leadership Development and Innovation efforts.

Jerrund began his corporate career starting in sales with Merck & Co., Inc. with positions of increasing  responsibilities.  Additionally, Jerrund’s book – “What Sales Leaders Do!” was published in 2010 and has been an inspiration to many.