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  • The road to getting an internship can be a rough one, especially if it is your first. If you were anything like me, you went to career fair after career fair, booth to booth, one person to the next, and before you knew it you were pretty overwhelmed by the entire process. 

    As a sales and marketing double major, I was lucky to have my choice of several companies to complete my university mandated internship. The original ten offers quickly dwindled as I ran them past my internship expectations – pay, experience, and environment. It was obvious after my GMS interviews with the Richfield Sales Manager, David Swift, and the VP of Sales, Tim Austin, that I had found the internship my classmates could only dream about.

    Find out what it’s like to intern at GMS from our Summer 2015 Sales Intern Erin Seiler.

    What it’s Like to Be an Intern for GMS

    As the sole intern for GMS, my schedule varies every single day. Every week in the morning, I shadow a different department within GMS – risk, taxes, finance, payroll, TPA, HR, benefits, etc. I learn about the intricacies within their department and how they pertain to our client’s day to day business activities. I learned how to:

    • Run payroll
    • Settle accounts
    • Prepare tax forms
    • Develop a 401k based on risk level
    • Create company handbooks
    • Complete a company audit
    • And the list goes on

    In the afternoon, I get to go back to the comfort of my profession and cold-call prospects all over the country. I work for a different sales division every day from the comfort of my desk in Richfield. One day I’m calling for Richfield, the next I’m calling for Atlanta, continuing as I cover all seven territories and trying to get warm leads to forward to other sales representatives. 

    Going into my eighth week here at GMS, I have passed on over 545 warm leads to other sales reps all over the country. I have also conducted a sales meeting on the importance of understanding and adapting to different personalities, and currently run the GMS Twitter account. All while the only things several of my classmates are running are trips to Starbucks.

    What I’ll Take Away From My Internship

    I can safely say that I have learned many selling strategies that will stick with me for the rest of my sales career, as well as several scars from winning Cleveland Corporate Challenges. Hey, in softball, if you don’t dive, you don’t try! I have met co-workers who will without a doubt be friends for life. I have a personal relationship with people in every department in the company, as well as the VP of Sales, the VP of Benefits, the CFO, and the CEO/Owner. What intern, let alone a full-time employee, can say that? From a client’s perspective, it is easy to see why you would want to partner with GMS. From an intern’s perspective, it is easy to see why working for GMS is one of the most rewarding life experiences you will ever have. 

    Erin Seiler

    Summer 2015 Sales Intern

  • Facebook is about more than checking to see what your online friends are doing. Numerous businesses maintain an official page to help expand brand awareness and drum up new leads.

    However, with all of the users and businesses currently on Facebook, you’ll need to spend some time on your page in order to build your audience. Here are some tips to help you get your business page noticed.

    Using Facebook for business

    Use Photos and Videos

    In a sea of potential posts, visual media can help your content stick out. According to a study from social media analytics site Quintly, videos and photos earn more interactions on average than other types of posts.

    By keeping some of your posts shorter and utilizing images and videos, you can get the point of your post across quickly and effectively. 

    Targeting and Timing is Important

    Facebook gives you the ability to target your content to a specific crowd. If you have a post that would only apply to a certain cross-section of your audience, you can narrow down your targeting by age, location, and other details. The same goes for Facebook advertisements, which can also be a powerful selling tool.

    Posting your content when your audience isn’t on Facebook will lead to less engagement and exposure. Time your posts to go out when your followers are most active, such as right at the end of the work day and in the evening. If you’re not sure when your audience is online, you can find data in your Page Insights on Facebook that will provide the information in a simple chart.

    Promote Your Platform

    Once you’ve established a presence on Facebook, you should continue to promote it. Placing social media buttons and calls to action on your online properties will direct people to your official Facebook page and other social platforms. Calling out your social platforms in emails and newsletters can also direct your current audience to go and support you on Facebook as well.

    Growing Your Business

    With over 1 billion active users each month, Facebook has plenty of potential for businesses. However, building up a social presence takes time. Group Management Services can help you grow your business by managing HR functions while you focus on growing your company. 

    Contact us today to see how partnering with a Professional Employer Organization can benefit you and your business.

  • SlideShare may not have the same notoriety as Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn, but the social platform can still be a valuable tool for businesses. As a visual medium, SlideShare gives you the opportunity to show people your message in addition to giving them something to read. Here are some tips to help you use SlideShare as a social selling tool for your business.

    Using Slideshare for business

    Entice Readers with How-to Guides, Lists, and Industry Information

    People like reading easily digestible content, which is why lists work so well. Slide presentations are a great format for how-to guides and lists, as you can use each slide for a different step or number. This way your audience can easily read your presentation one part at a time and won’t feel overwhelmed.

    Useful industry information is something many businesses will actively search for. If you make it easy for your audience to find what they want, you’ll increase your chances of finding a potential new customer or client.

    Make it Look Great

    This is a point that seems obvious, but it’s worth stressing. SlideShare is a very visual platform, so you want to make an effort to have your slides look good. If you notice that parts of your slides could be improved with small adjustments, take the time to make sure that everything is in the right place.

    Don’t be afraid to try something new as well. An eye-catching design is a lot more intriguing than the same old slide formats that people have seen time and time again. Visually striking imagery and bold looks can get someone to give your slides a chance, which is all you’ll need if the content is appealing.

    Try and Get Featured

    Getting on the front page is a surefire way to boost the amount of exposure your slide presentations will receive and help your following grow. While it may not seem all that likely, an enticing, well-made presentation can make its way to SlideShare’s front page.

    SlideShare hand picks every featured presentation, so by following some guidelines for your slides, you’ll improve your shot of getting picked by the platform. We’ve already pointed out how a visually-impressive presentation with engaging content is key, but here are some other elements SlideShare looks for in a featured presentation:

    • Write an attention-grabbing headline

    • Create a powerful cover slide

    • Fully communicate your message without going too long

    • Create a presentation related to a recent news item or trending topic

    • Don’t be afraid to start a trend in either content or design

    Growing Your Business

    Your time should be spent on projects that can help you grow your business. Group Management Services works with you to provide proper HR management. Contact us today to learn more about how our experts can make your business simpler, safer, and stronger and while you can focus on growing your business.

  • Unlike other massive social networks like Facebook or Twitter, LinkedIn is dedicated to professionals. Over 40 million users in a variety of industries have profiles on the network, giving you potential access to several new business leads.

    Using LinkedIn for business.

    Build Your Profile

    Before you start reaching out to other professionals, you’ll want to make sure your own profile is up to snuff. Take some time to completely fill out your profile, with detailed experience listings and an inviting avatar photo. The people you connect with on LinkedIn will want to look at your profile before doing business with you, so a professional presentation will reinforce the idea to them that you’d be a good potential business connection.

    Grow Your Network

    An easy way to build up your connections is importing your address book and finding people you know. Your friends, coworkers, and business associations are more likely to accept your invitation to connect and could lead to other, less obvious connections.

    Once you’ve established a base of connections, you can use advanced search to find other potential leads. This tool allows you to narrow down your search to find professionals that are more likely to turn into a lead. If your company mainly deals with a specific level of employee, you can search by job title. If you’re trying to find a contact at a specific company, search the company name to find relevant people at that business.

    Find Your Groups

    LinkedIn groups are a great way to find potential business leads. A quick search can result in several groups for just about any industry you can think of. 

    Group insights can show you important details about a group, including how many members it has, the average level of seniority, and a breakdown on locations. If you are a member of a professional association offline, which can even include something like your alumni group, there’s a good chance that you can find that group on LinkedIn.

    Contribute to the Conversation

    A big benefit of LinkedIn is the ability to share content with your network. Writing a regular blog post about your industry and sharing it on LinkedIn can add to your influence. Building your audience and providing useful information can help set you up as a thought leader, which can help put you in a position to draw in potential business connections.

    Once you find a few groups that appeal to the audience you are trying to reach, don’t be afraid to contribute to the group as well. Jump into conversations that you feel you can contribute to and share relevant content with your group. You never know just who in that group may check out your profile and reach out to connect or even ask about your services.

    Free Up Time For Your Business

    Your time is best spent on ways to grow your business, but you still need to dedicate a lot of time to proper HR management. Group Management Services can partner with you to make your business simpler, safer, and stronger while freeing you up to focus on building your business. Contact us today to talk to our experts about how GMS can benefit you.

  • Hundreds of millions of people use Twitter, offering you plenty of potential to find customers in need of your services. Due to the volume and variety of content shared each and every day, Twitter can be overwhelming at first, but a little guidance can go a long way. Here are some tips for finding potential opportunities on the social platform.

    Using Twitter for business.

    Cutting Through the Noise

    Even if you tried, you can’t read everything on Twitter. Thousands of new tweets are sent out every second, leading to a lot of content that you can sift through.

    You can’t go through everything – nor would you want to – but you can narrow down your search to include tweets from people that are more likely to become potential customers by using certain hashtags. Millions of people use these little pound signs to organize their tweets for you, allowing you to target people who are tweeting about needs that your business can help with. 

    Personalize Your Search

    What you search for is entirely dependent on what services your business provides and what type of customers you are trying to draw. For example, if your business is aimed toward helping people with home improvement projects, #HomeownerProbs is a hashtag where potential customers are openly sharing content about certain needs, such as painting a room or a broken sink.

    Not every hashtag will be a winner, but through some creative searching, you could find several opportunities for business.

    Offer Help to Those in Need

    Once you narrow your search down to people tweeting about needs that suits your services, you can jump into the conversation. 

    This doesn’t mean that you should necessarily sell them on something right away, as an overly aggressive approach can scare off potential customers. Instead, contributing to the conversation with helpful advice or striking up a chain of interactions about what they are looking for can provide valuable information for them and build up their trust in your company.

    Growing Your Business

    Hard work can help you grow your business, but it can take a lot of time. As your company grows, so do your HR needs. GMS can give you more time to focus on growing your business while we partner with you to manage your employees’ payroll, benefits, and other internal services. 

    Contact us today to see how partnering with a Professional Employer Organization can benefit you and your business.

  • Sometimes simple gifts or notes won’t cut it when it comes to rewarding an employee. Earlier this month, we provided nine gift ideas and eight free suggestions for good employees, but this post is for bosses who are looking for some alternative ways to show a worker just how much they mean to a company.

    Consider some alternative ideas for rewarding employees, such as letting them work from home for a day.

    Five Alternative Employee Rewards

    While notes and coffee make for nice treats, sometimes an employee deserves a little something extra. If you really want to reward an employee for doing a great job, consider one of these ideas:

    • Offer to swap a task with them for a day or week
    • Reserve them a special parking spot for a week or month
    • Send something personalized to their significant other  or treat both of them to dinner
    • Let them work from home for a day
    • Offer to let them represent the company at a work conference so that they can get more experience and get out of the office

    Appreciating Your Employees

    Every employee is different, so some reward ideas may work better for some people than others. The same goes for businesses. For example, bringing a pet in to work may be out of the question at some companies, but others might see it as a great idea to improve morale. Choose a reward option that best fits your company and go from there.

    At GMS, we know how important your employees are. Contact us today to see how partnering with a Professional Employer Organization can help you and your workers.

  • As we mentioned earlier this month, it’s good to reward your employees. However, sometimes you want to reward an employee, but you have a strict budget. Even if you don’t have a spare few bucks to spend, there are plenty of ways to show your appreciation to a worker without having to take out your wallet. 

    Even simple rewards can make an employee feel appreciated.

    Eight Free Ways to Reward Employees

    You don’t always have to spend money to show appreciation. There are plenty of ways that you can thank your employees for their hard work. Here are eight different ideas of how you can treat your workers for free:

    • Let them dress casually for a day
    • Give them some freedom with their work schedule
    • Feature them in a company newsletter
    • Arrange for a boss several levels up to stop by and say thanks
    • Honor them at the start of a staff meeting
    • Congratulatory company email
    • Post a thank you note on their door or desk
    • Send them a sincere, handwritten thank-you letter

    Small Things Matter

    It doesn’t take much to make someone feel appreciated. Even a simple, genuine “thank you” can show that a worker that they’re doing a good job.

    Another way to help your employees is by partnering with a Professional Employer Organization. If you’re looking to save money on your HR management, contact us today to find out how partnering with GMS can keep your employees covered.

  • A happy employee is a good employee. Rewarding employees for their hard work shows that you appreciate them, which can in turn give them extra motivation to not only maintain their quality of work, but exceed it.

    Whether you’re rewarding one particular employee or a group of people, a special gift or show of thanks can make a big difference.

    Reward good employees to show your appreciation.

    Nine Ways to Reward an Employee

    People like to feel appreciated, so a gift or a special treat can not only increase morale, it can help drive the employee to feel even more passionate about his or her job. Try treating an outstanding employee with one of the following nine rewards:

    • Throw a pizza party to celebrate
    • Buy the office donuts and announce that it’s in honor of the outstanding employee
    • Gift them flowers or candy
    • Take them out to lunch
    • Give them a personalized card with a gift card inside
    • Give them a framed photo that’s signed by the rest of the team
    • Send a gift basket to their residence
    • Give them a certificate for a free car wash
    • Give them an extra-long lunch or some comp time

    Match the Gift to the Employee

    Each of the listed treats are great ways to reward an employee, but different people may value some rewards more than others. Have a worker who loves coffee? A gift card to the coffee shop of their choice would be a great gift. If an employee spends a lot of time taking their kids to various activities, some extra free time could be a welcome bonus.

    Another way to reward your employees is to offer them a robust benefits package. If you are looking to partner with a Professional Employer Organization to manage your HR, contact us today to find out how GMS can help you keep your employees happy while saving some money in the process.

  • A good administrative professional can really benefit a business. As Administrative Professionals Day is April 27, here are some gift ideas to treat the administrators, secretaries, and other similar employees at your office.

    Image of chocolates for Administrative Professionals Day. Contact GMS about premier employee benefits administration.

    Appeal to Their Stomach

    Sometimes the best way to an employee’s heart is through their stomach. A tasty treat is a simple way to show your appreciation to an administrative assistant. These gifts can take a variety of forms, with some suggestions including:

    • Chocolate
    • Coffee beans or tea bags
    • Candies
    • Cookies

    Those are just a few examples, but there are plenty of other potential treats as well. Just make sure to cater your gift to the employee, as you’re not going to want to give peanut butter cups to someone with a peanut allergy.

    Go-to Gift Cards

    If you’d rather have your administrative assistants choose their treats for themselves, a gift card is a great way to go. Gift cards are simple and let your employees decide for themselves exactly what they’ll get. All you have to do is pick an establishment that fits each employee. If you really have trouble narrowing it down to a store or restaurant, it never hurts to ask.

    The Gift of Time

    When in doubt, time can always be on your side. Long lunches and early dismissals are nice rewards in lieu of gifts. If an administrative assistant has really done a great job, a day off is certainly a great way for that employee to celebrate Administrative Professionals Day.

    Rewarding Your Team With Employee Benefits

    Small gifts can go a long way to build your employees’ morale. Another way to reward your team is through professional employee benefit administration.

    Group Management Services can offer your business the flexibility, control of premiums, access to data and networks, and overall options that can help your team. Contact us today to talk to our experts about benefit administration.

  • No matter how long you’ve been in business, it’s never too late to learn. Fortunately, other business people have shared secrets to success over the years. Whether you’re looking for inspiration or need some gift ideas for the holidays, here are 11 books that all small business owners should read.

    Helpful books for small business owners

    The Common Denominator of Success

    Written by Albert E. N. Gray in the ‘40s, this book identifies a single trait of successful people: the willingness to for the habit of doing things that others do not want to do. It’s a message that’s still relevant today long after Gray passed away.

    The E-Myth Revisited

    Ideas are great, but your business needs to have a regimented plan in place. Michael Gerber’s book stresses the importance of systems in business and teaches you how to install them.

    Traction

    If you’re not careful, issues and frustrations from your business can feel like they control you. Gino Wickman’s Traction details how you can strengthen your business so that it leads to growth and enjoyment.

    The Advantage

    In The Advantage, Patrick Lencioni argues that most organizations have the experience and knowledge to be successful, but they still need to aim for organizational health. Lencioni covers four steps to help your business’ health.

    Book Yourself Solid

    There’s more to sales than just getting just any potential client in a meeting. Michael Port explains how you can look for the right fits for your business.

    Out of the Crisis

    Quality control is key in business. W. Edwards Deming’s Out of the Crisis points out where quality problems are started and how you can institute a management style that will help improve products and service.

    The Goal

    Unlike the other books on this list, Eliyah Goldratt’s The Goal is set up as a novel. This thriller focuses on operations management and show how fixing bottlenecks can save a company.

    How to Run Your Business So You Can Leave It in Style

    Exit planning is something that small business owners should consider when they begin to think about retiring, selling the business, or stepping away and John Brown helps you take the steps to make it a happy ending.

    Every Family’s Business

    If your business run in the family, this book is for you. Tom Deans lists 10 question that family business owners should ask to figure out the best course of action for future success.

    Switch

    Change is hard. Chip and Dan Heath guide business owners on how you can overcome the resistance to change and achieve results.

    What Got You Here Won’t Get You There

    Just because something worked for you in the past doesn’t necessarily mean it will work for you now. Marshall Goldsmith’s book emphasizes looking at situations with a fresh perspective to adapt when necessary.

    Big Ideas for Small Business

    There are many areas you have to focus on as a small business owner, and sometimes a little advice can make a big difference. Another way to benefit your business is to make the move to a professional payroll and HR company.

    You don’t need to be a huge company to get big business benefits. Contact GMS today to learn more about how our experts can make your business simpler, safer, and stronger when you partner with a Professional Employer Organization.