under · little ways to. show you care. ne wsle t ter. december 2019. under. the. down to ....

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

PAGE 2 Is Your Company AGILE?

PAGE 3Tips to Keep You

Front-of-Mind

PAGE 42020 Sun Calendars

Are Here!

PAGE 5Open Doors

with Hangers

PAGE 6Self-Talk and Improving

Your State of Mind

PAGE 7 Making Second-Nature

Presentations

PAGE 8Little Ways to

Show You Care

N E W S L E T T E R

D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 9

Under the

Down to Business

Teams maintain a backlog of tasks needed to bring a project from initial concept to final release. This backlog undergoes frequent prioritization, with the most critical tasks floating to the top. Teams commit to a certain number of tasks as part of a weekly or biweekly release cycle known as a “sprint.” Daily standup meetings allow members to provide status updates, deal with impediments, and keep everyone laser-focused on the goal.

While agile began with programming, it has by no means remained confined to that domain. Many organizations use agile concepts for planning marketing campaigns, product launches, and more. If you’re considering agile, here are a few tips to help you get started:

Start small. Rather than reinventing the wheel,

try agile on a single project first. Put it through the paces. Learn as you go. Get your feet wet and figure out what works and what doesn’t work for your company.

Build your teams. Cross-functional teams are essential to agile’s success. When planning a project, think about all of the stakeholders you’ll need along the way. Then build your teams accordingly.

Define what “done” will look like. Scope creep and poor planning are productivity killers. Start with a clear idea of what you want to accomplish, then plan the steps you’ll need to follow to get there. As development proceeds, you might decide further enhancements are warranted. That’s fine. Just add them to the backlog for consideration in future releases, then carry on.

Agile is a staple of the software development world. In the agile model, large projects are broken down

into smaller tasks, prioritized into weekly or biweekly “sprints,” and carried through to completion by small

work teams whose members span the varied skill sets needed to see the project through.

IS YOUR COMPANY AGILE?

Six More Tips for Avoiding Scope Creep

1. Get sign-off from all your stakeholders before production begins.

2. Make clear what “must-haves” must be met to consider the project complete.

3. Break tasks down into manageable chunks.

4. Build in time for handling the unexpected.

5. Maintain a well-groomed backlog of “version 2” priorities for consideration after the initial release.

6. Trust your team to do their jobs without micromanagement.

Under The Sun Newsletter

Be consistent. Studies show that direct-mail marketing is most effective when it’s done consistently. Create a monthly calendar with dates for each of your mailing campaigns, and try to send your mailers on or around the same time every cycle.

Send coupons. Turn your direct mailer into a keeper by including money-saving coupons. Choose offers that line up with whatever product or service you’re promoting. Include promotional codes that can be redeemed on your website so that you can effectively track results.

Add a magnetic backing. Want to make sure your special offer doesn’t get lost in a pile of papers or filed away and forgotten? A magnetic backing allows

recipients to stick your coupon or sales flyer to a refrigerator, appliance, or metal bulletin board for easy access when they need it.

Use appointment reminders. Consider a business card with space for an appointment reminder. Send a follow-up appointment card after confirmation, and think about including a blank appointment card with mailers to prospects, along with a call to action.

Personalize your message. Personalized direct mail is more cost-effective than you might think. A mailer that addresses the recipient by name and includes a personalized message will stand out from those that don’t. Mailing a special gift or coupon during a customer’s birthday month lets them know they’re on your mind.

Print remains an essential part of many companies’ sales and

marketing strategies. Here are five easy ways to make your

print-based sales and marketing efforts more effective: “Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.” — Winston S. Churchill

TIPS TO KEEP YOU FRONT-OF-MIND

Business Quotes

“Progress occurs when courageous, skillful leaders seize the opportunity to change things for the better.” — Harry S. Truman

“You cannot change the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but you can change yourself.” — Jim Rohn

“Success is getting what you want, happiness is wanting what you get.” — W. P. Kinsella

“People of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things.” — Leonardo da Vinci

“The greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he acquires, but in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively.” — Bob Marley

“Integrity without knowledge is weak and useless, and knowledge without integrity is dangerous and dreadful.” — Samuel Johnson

“It’s not about working hard. It’s about what we’re working hard about.” — Craig D. Lounsbrough

“He only profits from praise who values criticism.” — Heinrich Heine

Print Advantage

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MARCH

Notes:

Make a visual impact with

Custom EnvelopesFull Color • Full Bleed • Custom Shapes

» Lightning bolts produce enough energy to toast 100,000 slices of bread.

» Koalas have fingerprints similar to our own.

» The Martian volcano Olympus Mons is the largest planetary mountain in our solar system. At nearly 22 km in height, it’s two and a half times taller than Mount Everest and as wide as the state of Arizona.

» Leonardo da Vinci was ambidextrous.

» Leeches have 32 brains, one for each internal segment of their bodies.

» An amazing 293 combinations of coins can be used to make a dollar.

» During their lifetime, the average human will walk the equivalent of five times around the Earth.

» The last pure gold Olympic medals were awarded in 1912.

» An octopus has copper-based blood that appears blue instead of red. Our blood is iron-based.

» A group of ferrets is known as a “business.”

» The hashtag, number, or pound sign is also known as an octothorpe.

Did You Know?


Our 2020 Sun Solutions Calendars are here! To order your

calendars, contact your Sun Solutions sales rep. or

call 803-791-1786.

2020 SUNCALENDARSARE HERE!

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JANUARY

Notes:

Happy New Yearfrom your team at

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FEBRUARY

Notes:

Grand FormatIf you can dream it, we can print it!BannersDisplaysSignageVehicle Wraps

> Your Email Address < > Your Phone Number <

Business Funnies®

» Ask the customer to explain in detail the issue they’re encountering. If it’s a technical issue, walk through the steps with them and see if you can reproduce the error.

» Resolve what you can. If the issue is something you can address on the spot, do it.

» Escalate what you can’t. If the issue is beyond a quick fix, let the customer know you will look into it and get back to them as quickly as you can.

» Set realistic expectations. Resist the temptation to overpromise. If you don’t know how long an issue will take to resolve, tell the customer up front.

» Stay communicative. Keep the customer up to date, especially if the issue will take a while to resolve. Regular communication will help the customer see that you are following through.

“They’re for shots around water hazards.”

Issue Resolutions

OPEN DOORS WITH HANGERS

Featured Product

Customer Care

Door hangers are an inexpensive and effective way to market your products or services in the community. Here are just a few situations where door hangers make good sense:

1. Grand openings. Announce your arrival in the neighborhood with colorful door hangers, explaining your services and offering an introductory special.

2. Community events. Planning a big sale, fundraiser, or community carnival? Use door hangers to promote it and invite people to attend.

3. Flash sales. Want to get the word out quickly about a spur-of-the-moment sale? Consider posting door hangers the day before or the day of the sale.

4. Targeted promotions. Want to promote your business to a few key neighborhoods? Door hangers make it easy to target one or several areas at a time.

Door hangers are a versatile tool for getting the word

out about your business or organization.

Self-Talk and Improving Your State of MindWrite it down. Make a list of the negative thoughts and feelings that run through your mind. Be as thorough and blunt as you can. Get it all down on paper.

Read it over. Are the thoughts you wrote rational? Are they fair? Are you dealing in absolutes or worst cases? Sometimes just seeing your negative thoughts in writing provides a perspective you might otherwise miss.

Reread it as a best friend might. Take one more look at what you wrote. Imagine how you would react if your

best friend came to you with these same thoughts and feelings about him or herself. How would you counter each claim?

Write yourself a letter as a friend. Focus on the positive. Think about the last exercise. Counter each of your inner critic’s jabs with something good and positive about yourself, the same way you would with a friend.

Keep at it. As with any habit, negative self-talk won’t go away overnight. Replacing negative thoughts with positive ones is a process. Give it time.

Get help. Replacing well-worn grooves in your psyche with new thought patterns is tough work. You don’t have to go through this process alone—seek out trusted counsel.

Health & Wellness

Repetition is the key to successful habit forming. That’s the philosophy behind Loop Habit Tracker, an Android app allowing users to enter and track habits they want to nurture. Users can choose a frequency for the habit and reminders to complete the task. The app tracks streaks for completion of each saved habit, statistics for each habit, and a proprietary habit score designed to show how strong each habit has become.

Loop Habit Tracker Android

Turn habit tracking into an interactive game where the more you accomplish, the more resources you earn to improve your avatar and level up. Users start with a basic avatar and enter habits, “dailies” (things that need to be done every day), and to-dos. The more you accomplish, the more rewards you earn, and the quicker you level up in the game. Players can join parties, go on quests, and challenge each other to stay on track. More info is available at www.habitica.com.

Habitica Android, iOS & Web

If you’re using iOS, Productive provides a solid habit-tracking experience that allows users to enter habits they wish to keep, along with reminders for maintaining those habits. Statistics, analytics, and daily streak counts provide extra motivation. The basic features of Productive are free, but there’s also a subscription option for those wanting a more robust offering.

Productive iOS

Apps Scene

Each of us is our own worst

critic. Negative self-talk is not

only harmful to your psyche

and self-image but can also

damage your career. If you

find yourself dwelling on the

negative things about yourself

and your situation, here are

a handful of tips to help you

silence the inner critic who’s

holding you down:


Engage your audience. Start your presentation with an analogy, anecdote, or story that you can relate back to the subject you’re discussing. If you’re talking with a prospect, consider a story that gives some insight into your company or yourself. For an internal audience, a shared experience might work well. Choose something that will interest your audience, set the stage for what you’re discussing, and offer a glimpse behind the “mask.”

Do your homework. Get to know as much as you can about your audience before you meet. Discover their needs, their wants ... and their motivations. This might seem easier with an internal audience, since you presumably know a good deal about them already, but try digging down below the surface to really get at what motivates them and how what you have to say will be received.

Answer the what. What’s the what? Simple: what’s in it for me? Whatever you’re

presenting, your audience needs to feel like listening to what you have to say is worth their time. What’s the payoff? What do they get in return? More knowledge? A better understanding of a difficult concept? A solution to a challenge that’s been vexing them? Give your audience a reason to hear you out and stay engaged.

Practice, practice, practice. Take the time to map out ahead of time exactly what you want to say. Practice your delivery. Record yourself and watch it back. Practice in front of a trusted friend or colleague, and take their feedback to heart. Make sure you’re concise but thorough in what you say and that you feel confident in your delivery going in.

When it come to presentations, honing these skills until they become second nature will only help your confidence level when you find yourself in a position to represent your company and your brand in front of any audience, from your superiors to your top clients.

Who

by Geoff Smart and Randy Street

A hiring mistake can cost a company 15 times an employee’s base salary. It can damage morale, hurt team dynamics, and lead to all sorts of trouble for a company, say authors Geoff Smart and Randy Street in their best-selling business book Who.

Smart is the founder and chairman of ghSMART, a consultancy dedicated to helping companies find, hire, and develop talent. Street is his managing partner. For their book, the duo interviewed more than 20 billionaires and 60 CEOs and thought leaders. The result is what they call “A Method for Hiring,” a four-step approach they say has a 90% success rate in finding and landing the right candidates.

From there, they examine 10 common hiring methods they consider “voodoo” and explain how they do things differently.

The challenge of hiring a stranger based almost entirely on a resume is daunting. Smart and Street calm those fears with plenty of insight and real-world examples of how their methods and practices have helped their own clients (and themselves) find the right “who” for the job.

MAKING SECOND-NATURE PRESENTATIONSWhatever role you play within your company, there are times when

you’ll be asked to present ideas or information to colleagues,

managers, subordinates, or customers throughout the course of

your career. Whether you’re giving a presentation to a prospect, a

customer, a group of coworkers, or your boss, here are some tips

to help make it more effective:

Books in Review

At the Office

Everyone likes to know they’re

recognized and appreciated for

the work they do. Employees

who receive regular recognition

are more likely to find satisfaction

in their jobs and to work that

much harder to continue to

excel. With that in mind, here

are five quick ways you can

show your team members just

how much you care about and

appreciate them every day:

» Write personal notes. Everyone likes feeling recognized for the things they do. Something as simple as a handwritten thank-you note can lift a team member’s spirits and make their day.

» Catch people going above and beyond. Recognize employees you see living out your core values and encourage your team members to do the same.

» Hold impromptu “award” sessions, where the presenter explains what they saw, who they saw do it, and how it positively impacted coworkers or customers. Hang the award somewhere prominently, and give the recipient a small reward, such as a gift card or small cash bonus.

» Buy them lunch. Take your employees out for a special one-on-one lunch with the boss or for lunch with the team. Bring treats to the office from time to time as well. Be spontaneous and do things “ just because.”

» Provide development opportunities. Encourage employees to further their development by sending them to conferences and off-site training. Hold in-house cross-training opportunities, where different team members have a chance to act as both teacher and student. Pay for employees to take online courses and consider providing tuition reimbursement as your finances permit.

LITTLE WAYS TO SHOW YOU CARE

Working Together

Under The Sun NewsletterSun Solutions345 Dreher RoadWest Columbia, SC 29169

Phone803.791.1786 Local800.523.7058 Toll FreeE-mailLetters to the [email protected] Serviceinfo@SunSolutionsUSA.comFax803.794.9487Webwww.SunSolutionsUSA.com

SUN SOLUTIONS IS PROUD TO BE A

*Please note that anniversaries are recognized beginning at 3 years, followed by 5 years and then onward in increments of 5.

December Birthdays

December Anniversaries

Donna Woodard 12/15Zach Brewington 12/16Ron Tanner 12/18Bryor Hooker 12/19Eddie Strickland 12/19

Kathi Cook 12/22Craig Stroman 12/22Tinisha Thomas 12/25Raymond Keyes 12/29

Stacey Geiger 3 years

Page 8Under The Sun Newsletter

under · little ways to. show you care. ne wsle t ter. december 2019. under. the. down to ....

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