Issue 92
Inside this issue:
Audie McCarthy founder and president of Marrek Solutions Inc. Click here for Audie's bioLisa Dennie Training Associate Click here for Lisa's Bio
Sherry Pelkey Marketing Coordinator & Trainer Atlantic Canada Click here for Sherry's Bio Contact:
63 Southmeadow Cres. Stoney Creek, ON L8G 3E6
Phone:
905.662.3407
Email:
Web:
Since my work with SISO on the Workplace Development Toolkit (www.thetoolkit.ca), I have become keenly aware of the state of the Internationally Trained Professionals and Trades people in this country. I was recently reminded of the reality of how this affects business and community life.
Last week I had the privilege of attending a luncheon where the keynote speaker was Mr. Marvin Ryder, Professor at the De Groote School of Business in Hamilton. He was speaking about the trends affecting the economy and, of course, diversity was front and centre. The one thing he said that really stood out for me was that previous immigration to this country was by people with whom we had a common European heritage and as a result integration happened very easily. Because current immigration includes people with whom we do not share a common heritage and who do not look like us, it frightens us. We know that we need new Canadians to sustain a viable economy, and so we have to get over our fear and come to know, understand and welcome them. Then together we can build a sustainable economy.
This means two things: we have to update our view of our community to include people of all backgrounds, racial and ethnic. Also, we need to get to know more about the needs and preferences of these new Canadians to include them in our marketing plans.
Since this group possesses $76 billion worth of combined purchasing power in Canada (http://lookingahead.bc.ca/employer/index.cfm?chp=2), they hold huge potential for our businesses. Coming to understand their various cultural backgrounds and what appeals to them will help us include them in our labour and business markets. And that just makes good business sense.
Please see the Tips section below for help in integrating new Canadians into your marketing plan.
Have a great week.
Lisa
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Audie will have the privilege of emceeing the annual Stoney Creek Citizen of the Year Awards night again this year for the third year in a row. It will be held at Galileo Gardens. Tickets will go on sale shortly. Contact Connie at 905-644-4000 to set some aside. You won’t want to miss this great event!
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Brantford Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours
Date: April 8, 2008 Time: 5 - 7 p.m. Location: Sponsored by The Women's Wellness Centre at 330 West St. Unit 5Brantford Chamber – April Women In Business
Topic: Squeezing out the Stress & Tipping the Balance Back to Health
Guest Speaker: Joanne Malar – Olympic Swimmer Sponsored By: Sun Life Financial Date : Wednesday, April 16th, 2008 Time: 5:30Register online at www.brcc.ca
Oakville Chamber of Commerce
Business After Hours Proudly Sponsored by the Country Inn
Please join us for our premier monthly networking event!Date: April 9, 2008
Time: 5:00pm - 7:00pm
Location: The Country Inn 2930 South Sheridan WayFree for Chamber members and first time guests
$10.00 for second time guests(no pre-registration required)
More info : | Email : brendan@oakvillechamber.com
Stoney Creek Chamber of Commerce
Date: April 17th, 2008 - Breakfast Meeting
Guest Speaker: Aron Gampel, Vice-President & Deputy Chief economist, Scotiabank
Time: 7:30 am - 9:15 pm
Location: Chandelier PlaceSponsored by Scotiabank, Stoney Creek & NeoGraphics
Prepaid Seating Only
Contact Connie at 905 664 4000 for more information.
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Workshops
Mohawk College- (Tools for Business Series)
The T4B Fall Calendar is now available on line..
Core Skills for Team Leaders, Supervisors and Managers – April 8/9 – Fennell Campus
This two-day workshop outlines the characteristics of a successful supervisor. Participants examine the different communication styles, skills, knowledge and attitudes that are required to be an effective supervisor. The workshop will culminate with individuals preparing a personal development plan.
Effectively Assertive – April 10 – Fennell Campus
This one-day workshop outlines the characteristics of the three styles of assertive behaviour. Once the participants determine their own personal style, they will be able to understand the impact of their style on the business. Communication styles are addressed as part of learning to speak with confidence.
Coping with Change – April 17 – Fennell Campus
This half-day workshop helps employees look at change and its impact both personally and professionally. Topics include approaches to change, resisting change, benefits of accepting change and the skills required for change.
Stress in the Workplace – April 17 – Fennell Campus
This half-day workshop increases the participant’s ability to cope with stress as a key component in leading to a more successful business and personal life. Through individual and group activities, participants will learn to use practical tools to understand what stress is, how it affects us, and to create resiliency in today’s world.
Developing Cohesive Teams – April 18 – Fennell Campus
This one-day workshop explores three steps for effective team building. Topics covered will include recruitment selection, team dynamics, and performance evaluation. Participants identify critical success factors in team building, conduct a short exercise, and complete a template for their personal use on the job.
NEW - Union Management Relations – April 21 – Fennell Campus
This one-day workshop explores the relationship between management and unions by looking at historical references and applying this to how the relationship has developed today. The focus is on building a strong, non-controversial relationship resulting in a better, more positive workplace for all employees.
Successful Selling Techniques – April 23 – Fennell Campus
This one-day introduction to sales workshop is intended to help improve your sales results through the use of the six-step selling process. Topics include: discovering personal strengths and how to use them to connect with customers, mastering the art of relationship-building, the philosophy of the soft sell and securing repeat business.
Creating Amazing Customer Service – April 24 – Fennell Campus
This one-day workshop is designed to improve customer service skills by focusing on areas such as projecting a professional image and understanding the negative impact of providing poor customer service. Participants learn techniques to maximize the customer’s experience.
Designing Employee Job Descriptions – April 25 – Fennell Campus
This one – day workshop has the participants start the job description process by identifying the key responsibilities of the position and then further breaking the responsibilities into tasks. The participant will then determine the skills, knowledge and attitudes required to complete the tasks.
Effective Time Management – NEW – One-day course – April 28 – Fennell Campus
This one-day workshop is designed to help the participants increase their performance at work by introducing time-management techniques and providing an opportunity to apply them in the learning environment. Participants will assess their personal deficiencies and learn how to stop procrastination and other time wasters.
Mastering Communications with Personality Profiling – April 29 – Fennell Campus
This one-day workshop explores the communication process and provides an understanding of the communication skills required to effectively interact with fellow employees and staff. Participants learn principles of effective communication, understanding different personality types, identifying motivators that encourage people, and so much more!
Successful Selling Techniques – April 30 – Fennell Campus
This one-day introduction to sales workshop is intended to help improve your sales results through the use of the six-step selling process. Topics include: discovering personal strengths and how to use them to connect with customers, mastering the art of relationship-building, the philosophy of the soft sell and securing repeat business.
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Marketing to New Canadians
- Focus on a niche market of new Canadians.
- Hire new Canadians from their ethnic group.
- Research their food, clothing, and home décor – whatever suits your business.
- Discover how you can bring their comforts of home to them.
- Find out about their culture, feasts, and holidays.
- Build a relationship with their community by honouring their culture.
- Focus your marketing efforts on what is important to them.
- Advertise through their ethnic media: newspapers, radio and television stations.
- Find out how other companies market to their ethnic group.
- Remember, doing business with new Canadians makes good business sense!
Tips __________________________________________________
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April 7 , 2008
"Without the human community one single human being cannot survive.
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