Why Training?

We spent most of the day yesterday doing some training at the Fulton office with some of our managers from our Alabama stores.  If you have been with the company very long you have probably participated in some type of training or professional development.  After leaving our training session yesterday, which happened to be on gold buying, I found myself not only more knowledgeable but also very energized.  I found an article on Yahoo.com by Kori Rodley Irons that backs up my thought about the importance and byproducts of training.  I have included a couple of paragraphs below.  I hope you enjoy it and become “Infused with Energy” as the article states.

Here are some of the reasons why employee training is so important…

The innovation, flexibility, and dedication that are necessary to build truly dynamic companies come from well-trained and supported employees. One of the best ways to encourage and support individuals in your workforce is through professional development and training opportunities. As employees develop new skills, increase networking and represent the company out in the larger world, and develop leadership opportunities, the business work environment becomes infused with energy and creativity.

Sending employees to training opportunities, or bringing opportunities into the company, actually infuses a business with new ideas and creative ways of solving old problems. Sometimes, just getting employees out of the day-to-day grind of their everyday work schedule is enough to jump-start energy and encourage employees to recommit to their jobs and the company. But learning new skills and interacting with new and different people has a direct impact on the productivity and development of the work environment.

Have a great day…..Louis

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HELPING YOU BE HEALTHY AND STAY HEALTHY!!

 

“Life’s not just being alive, but being well.” -Martial

 

Our insurance provider, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi, has many benefits for its members from a Nurse Advice Line, a call center staffed with registered nurses that answer questions and give advice on healthcare decisions that may save you time and unnecessary medical expenses, to a free smoking cessation program to help you quit smoking.

Another of these benefits is a program called Healthy You!Healthy You! is a wellness benefit that provides you and your covered dependents an annual wellness visit with your doctor or nurse practitioner as long as they are in the Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi Network.  Your visit is paid 100% with no deductible, copay or coinsurance but you must tell the provider that it is your Healthy You! visit.

Covered wellness screenings and immunizations are based on age and gender guidelines to ensure you receive the screenings you need to “know your numbers” and manage your health risks, both at an early age and as you get older.  For example, females aged 18 + can get free pap smears, pelvic exams and breast exams, while females 35 + can also get free mammograms as a part of their Healthy You! visit.

For more information about what is covered and available benefits go to www.bcbsms.com.

Shane

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Greatest Birthday Present

Teresa Hughes is the manager of our Reform store. She recently had a birthday on August 2nd. Instead of the usual flowers, card, or a small gift, she was gifted with a lifetime gift. Jimmy Curry asked for her hand in marriage and she accepted. They will be wed on September 15th, 2012. Congratulations Teresa and Jimmy! We wish you the best for many years to come…..Tracie

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Blog Updates

A blog intended to entertain, educate and inform the employees of Montgomery Enterprises.  This is the mission of our company blog as posted in the top corner of this page.  We feel that the blog is a vital communication tool for our company.  We certainly hope we are fulfilling this mission, but we are always looking for ways to improve everything we do.  We are making a few small changes going forward.  You will notice several more people posting on the blog about different subjects and we will always have a fresh post daily.  I encourage you to make it a daily habit to check the blog and encourage other employees in your office to do the same. 

Hope everyone has a good Friday!

 

Louis

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Happy Birthday

Yesterday was Kristie King’s Birthday.  The Ladies at the Fulton office treated her with flowers and pizza for lunch.  I hope everyone has gotten the day off to a  good start.  The rest of the week should be pretty busy.  Have a good day!…..Louis

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Numbers and Facts

One of my hobbies in the summer time is playing golf.  Even though I am a very average golfer I really enjoy the competitive nature of the game and I also enjoy having a good time with my friends on the golf course.  I often find myself after my round thinking about what I could have done differently to shoot a better score.  (If I wouldn’t have hit that ball in the lake I would have shot a 79 instead of an 82)  It seems that every time I’m around a golfer and ask them what they shot they tell you their score and then have a story about what they could have shot if they had done something differently.  I have recently come to the conclusion that the only thing that matters is the score I have when I finish the last hole.  If  I continue to shoot an 82 the excuses I make for my self don’t really matter.  As the old saying goes “The numbers never lie”. 

I think this same thought process can very easily be applied to business.  In all aspects of our company we judge how well we are doing by numbers on weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly basis.  As we have mentioned on the blog before, we are members of a consulting group in our Buy Here Pay Here business.  As a part of this consulting group we turn in numbers each month and get a report sent back to us that compares our numbers to our previous months and to the other 20 businesses in our consulting group.  I always anxiously anticipate getting the report in the mail to see how the previous month shaped up against other businesses.  No matter how I try to justify or make excuses for certain numbers in my head the fact of the matter is we are what our numbers say we are.  Fortunately for us we have outstanding employees and our numbers are consistently above average, but thankfully the numbers always point out areas that we can work towards improving.  

As we go about our work let’s always make sure we are judging ourselves by numbers and facts and work toward improving in the areas that the numbers show need improvement…….With this attitude one day I might even get to where I shoot a 79 on a consistent basis. 

The income tax has made more liars out of the American people than golf has.

Will Rogers

Have a good day!

Louis

 

 

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A Few Quotes For Friday

Real leaders are ordinary people with extraordinary determinations.

-John Seaman Garns

He who stops being better stops being good.

-Oliver Cromwell

There is no excellency without difficulty.

-Ovid

Character is a diamond that scratches every other stone.

-Cyrus A. Bartol

Anger is never without an argument, but seldom with a good one.

-Lord Halifax

Hope everyone has a good Friday and a great weekend.

Louis

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Telephone Etiquette

I was out of the office yesterday attending a couple of meetings.  I returned this morning and had 3 messages on my phone.  All 3 were from salespeople wanting me to call them back and discuss various products/services they would like to offer us.  The first messages was from a lady who sounded very professional.  She clearly stated her name, why she was calling, and a phone number on which she wanted me to return her call.  The second and third calls were the direct opposite.  On the second call I had to listen to the message 3 times before I could finally understand the name which I now believe to be Mike.  It took me two more times to get the number and at no point did he mention what company he was with.  The third caller could not have sounded any less enthusiast.  This caller acted like he was hoping I wouldn’t return the call.

It ended up that we didn’t need any of the 3 services that they had called about, but I had almost certainly ruled out the services of the last two callers before I even spoke to them.  I think we should keep these examples in mind as we are making our daily calls to customers.  I know many of our calls end up going to a voicemail and the type of message we leave can have a large impact on getting  a returned phone call.

 

Common sense is genius dressed in its working clothes

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

Louis

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A Job Well Done

Our Staff at Fulton Auto Auction did an outstanding job at our auction on Saturday.  With temperatures reaching the century mark most of the day Andy and the staff at the shop are not only responsible for their normal duties, but also are tabbed with the responsibility of keeping our customers as cool as possible with fans and ice water.  Even with our auction truck overheating a couple of times and slowing us down we had one of the quickest sales that we have had.  Be sure let Ms. Lynn and the guys at the shop how much we appreciate what they do next time you see them!

Have a Great Day

 

Louis

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