Q: What is Job Evaluation?

A: Job evaluation is a practical technique, designed to enable trained and experienced staff to judge the size of one job relative to others. It does not directly determine pay levels, but will establish the basis for an internal ranking of jobs. Common methods of Job Evaluation that have been used include Job Ranking, Job Classification and Proprietary Brands (Point System), etc. 

In the nowadays competitive business world, low prices and quality products/services cannot guarantee a company’s competitive advantage anymore. Client requirements are shifted from purely physical, quantitative-based, to more psychological, relationship-oriented. In order to win the heart of your key accounts, companies have to build and manage strong relationships with their important customers to understand their true needs and concerns. Once you have built trust and rapport with your customers, business would be much smoother in the areas of closing deals, increasing order size, resolving problems, and etc. The aim of this workshop is to equip the participants with a complete and structured set of methodology to manage key accounts to strive for business growth.

Workshop Content:

• The Concept and Importance of Key Account Management
• The Difference between Key Account Management and Traditional Selling
• The Critical Success Factors of Key Account Management
• Establishing Positive Mindset
• Basic Communication Skills for Account Managers
• Framework and Procedure for Key Account Management
• Understanding and Analyzing Your Customers
• The 3 Characteristics of Successful Account Managers
• Exploring and Fostering Customer Needs
• Providing Personalized Services
• 4P Telephone Communication Skills
• Techniques for Building Trust and Rapport with Customers
• The FABE Selling Technique
• Handling Objections and Difficult Questions
• Closing Sales Deals

Date:  May 6, 2010 (Thursday)

To learn more on how HMI Consulting can help your company's management team to enhance corporate and departmental performance, please call (852) 3627 3673 or email to info@hmi.hk.

Economic Overview 

US private employers unexpectedly shed more jobs in March, dimming hopes for job growth ahead of tomorrow’s key employment report. The private employers shed 23,000 jobs in March, missing expectation for an increase in jobs although fewer than the adjusted 24,000 jobs lost in February. The median of estimates from 35 economists polled by Reuters for the ADP Employer Services report was for a rise of 40,000 private-sector jobs last month. [Source: The Standard (P12) ,1 April 2010] 

In Euro-zone, inflation rose much more than expected last month and the unemployment rate reached 10 per cent in February, data showed, highlighting the fragility of economic recovery. Inflation in the 16-country area was 1.5 per cent year on year, the highest since December 2008 and up from 0.9 per cent in February, the European Union statistics office, Eurostat, said. The euro-zone’s 10 per cent jobless rate in February was the highest since August 1998 and in line with market expectations. A month earlier, unemployment was at 9.9 per cent. The figure pointed to only subdued recovery from the worst economic crisis in decades, with high unemployment curbing consumer spending that is key to reviving economic growth. [Source: SCMP (B8), 1 April 2010] 

In China, the Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) of the non-manufacturing sector rose to 58.4 per cent in March, a rebound of 12 percentage points from February, when the index fell below the boom-bust line of 50 per cent for the first time since a year earlier.  A reading of above 50 per cent suggests expansion, while one below 50 per cent indicates contraction. [Source: Xinhuanet.com, 3 April 2010]

Moreover, China's economy expanded 11.9 per cent year on year in the first quarter of 2010 to 8.06 trillion yuan, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) announced today. The growth rate is 5.7 percentage points higher than the same period last year.  Meanwhile, consumer price index rises 2.4 per cent year on year in March. The figure was 0.7 percentage points lower than the previous month, and for the first quarter, it was up 2.2 per cent. [Source: Xinhuanet.com,15 April 2010] 

In Hong Kong, the unemployment rate dropped to 4.4% in the first quarter this year, slightly lower than the 4.6% in the three months to February. Improvements were mainly seen in the insurance, arts, entertainment, recreation as well as information and communications sectors. But the no. of jobless people rose slightly, by about 1,500 - to 160,600 - in the first quarter. [Source: SCMP (A3) / The Standard (P2) / HKEJ (P2), 21 April 2010] 

Furthermore, consumer prices rose 2% last month from a year earlier, 0.1 point more than the average inflation rate in the first two months of the year. The underlying inflation rate was 0.8% last month, the same as the average in January and February, Census and Statistics Department figures released yesterday show. Prices for electricity, gas and water surged the most last month. [Source: SCMP (A2) / China Daily (M3), 23 April 2010] 


Disclaimer: Should there be any different views in the interpretation, please always refer to the original media source as reference. HMI Consulting accepts no liability in respect of the accuracy and truthfulness of the materials included in this newsletter.