We Are Customer Centric

Being Customer Centric is an attitude, a way of life, and our business philosophy. We are guided by our customers – thinking through the eyes of the customers at all times. For us, customers are at the center of it all, deciding what priorities we focus on and driving the change as we adapt and evolve.  -Outside-In® Pocket Guide

The original Placers did anything and everything it could to make service the #1 priority for customers. That has carried over to CBI Group today. The root of being Customer Centric is really about putting the customer at the forefront of your daily thoughts. We all have so much to do each day, but is it with intention towards the one who pays the bills – the customer?

I like the idea of being competitive around service. Imagine if we all try to “one up” each other in our efforts to blow a customers mind. That kind of service is contagious. When you see others smile and practice it, Customer Centric thinking just becomes second nature. Service becomes easier, not harder. Imagine a world where every day you can make your company better. Imagine right now that you are 100% empowered to fix things around you. And that we want to really hone in on the fixes and hassles that can make us more and more Customer Centric.

I am always asked about the big stories of Customer Centric thinking, and I have one in mind to share. Many years ago, I was attending a sporting event that ended very late into the evening. In fact, as I was making the ride home some time after midnight my phone rang. This was a new customer who admitted to me that they had chosen to go with a competitor of ours. That competitor had promised them a recruiter to start that day (since it was after midnight) and they had just received an email that the company was unable to fulfill their initial promise. (You might think that I was being Customer Centric to even pick up, but all I did was answer the phone. The Customer Centric stuff comes next.) I started calling all of my leaders to ask if they might be able to help me help our prospect. Then it happened, Jamie O’Neill offered to go in that day.  Now this was no small feat! She had a team, a business plan, a full day, week, month of stuff to do. But we knew this really mattered, and we did it.

My memories around being Customer Centric involve the really big things in CBI Group’s history. But the best examples are the day-to-day ones. Seeing staff pick up a piece of paper off the floor. Watching a team member grab a phone call when someone is not available.  Customer Centric is really about executing the little things well. Customer Centric is our recruiters driving candidates around the weekends to show them schools, and nice neighborhoods and where the shopping mall is located. Customer Centric is when folks step forward to do volunteer work (recruitment or not) on their own time because they know it is the right thing to do and full of good karma!

I sure would love to gather more and different Customer Centric stories all of the time.  Get some new ones, and commit to getting this sort of thing in orientation and training for others.  We all want to know how to fit in.

Imagine a world where all of us wakes up and plans to be Customer Centric? That is how we will get better all of the time!

CBI Group Founder and President Chris Burkhard was interviewed today on radio station WDEL 1150AM in Wilmington, DE about his thoughts on the job market in 2013.  Chris expressed optimism while emphasizing that today’s work world is far different than even a generation ago.

“There are lots of opportunities developing as long as workers are open to thinking about employment differently.  Being creative and open about the nature of work is key today because what can be called non-traditional opportunities and jobs do exist and are out there.”

As the job market has slowly recovered from the 2008-09 recession, the temporary or contract work force has been one of the fastest growing sectors.  And, as WDEL anchorman Peter MacArthur pointed out, “Gone are the days of working for two or three decades for a single company.  Today its more ‘every man for himself’ so it seems that patchwork is the next logical way to look at jobs and careers.”

Chris agreed using an analogy of the Wild West where most people worked for themselves and the concept of big companies as employers hadn’t developed yet.

“Every man for himself was the culture then, people were responsible for their own careers as farmers, shop and saloon keepers and tradesmen… they were on their own.  Today I think even large employers would encourage workers to be like our ancestors and be more responsible for our own careers.”

Chris pointed out that contract and independent workers take on that initiative and responsibility and that some are even using this work as a strategy to find permanent employment.  “What better way to get to know a company, and that company to get to know you, than to work for them as a temp first?”

Chris added that CBI Group and Placers, the temporary workforce company re-launched in 2011, continues to experience that growth first-hand.

Listen to the interview here:

Are you attending the Tri-State HRMA 26th Annual Conference? We are.

Come visit us, Rita Scanio & Glenn Koetz, at our booth as we support the HR in HD: Getting a Better Picture conference on Thursday, May 3, 2012.

You’ll also have a chance to hear the Keynote Speaker, Freeman Zausner, COO of URBN, a man who has seen his current company cultivate and grow from a single store into five very successful brands even when the rest of the country was going through the worst recession in recent history. At CBI Group, we have a similar story, making it through the rough years and launching Placers on the other side. We celebrate in the success of entrepreneurial leaders – congrats Mr. Zausner!

When you stop by our booth, have a go at our raffle to win a Tri-State Local Goodies Basket! See you next week!

Learn more about Tri-State’s 26th annual conference.
Register Here
*This conference has been approved for 7 general HRCI Credits.
*Strategic credits are pending.

By Eileen Smith Dallabrida
Delaware First Media News

These days, “temping” has a whole new spin as high-powered professionals are increasingly turning to interim positions.

The latest assignment for Dave Berlin of Exton, Pa., is as controller for a lumber company.

He also has done strategic financial planning for a maker of online greeting cards and a manufacturer of artificial turf. He served as interim CFO for a recruiting service.

There’s a boomlet in organizations looking for top talent on a contract or temporary basis, says Chris Burkhard, president of the CBI Group, a recruiting firm.

“Organizations are using temporary workers to help find that perfect match for permanent positions,” he says.

This strategy also benefits job hunters, who often wind up on the payroll full time after starting out in a temporary position. Berlin, 49, says he is open to coming on board full time in management at a mid-sized company. But he hasn’t found the right match yet.

CBI specializes in professional positions in a number of areas: sales and marketing; technical, health and life sciences; and corporate accounting, human resources, information technology, finance and legal services.

The agency placed Berlin with the lumber company. Before he began exploring contract positions, Berlin worked in management for Ernst & Young, a large accounting firm.

“I started taking temporary jobs in Pennsylvania and Delaware after I moved from New York to Exton,” he recalls. “I didn’t have any contacts in the area and this seemed like a good way to build a network.”

Sometimes, he finds his own positions, usually through referrals from previous clients. His assignments have lasted from three months to a year and a half. Pay ranges from $50 an hour—“if I’m in a lull”—to $125 an hour.

Berlin is responsible for the considerable expense of paying his own medical benefits. He doesn’t get a paid vacation or sick days.

“The other workers are off on Good Friday,” he says. “For me, it’s an unpaid day.”

Still, he enjoys the challenge of coming in and finding solutions for a variety of companies.

“As a temporary worker you can be extremely effective because you have no baggage, you have no favorites,” he says.

The Produce Marketing Association in Newark has been turning to contract workers for design, marketing and other services for the past four years. CBI acts as the filter, identifying candidates who can get up to speed quickly.

“It’s so dynamic, so fast-paced, we need someone who can jump in,” says Kelly Koczak, PMA vice president of marketing. “We are looking for people who are true collaborators with great energy, which is the ideal fit for our culture.”

Burkhard says there has been a structural realignment in thinking as both hiring managers and job seekers have grown more comfortable with the notion of short-term and interim solutions.

“The days of starting in the mailroom, working your way up and getting a gold watch after 30 years are over,” he says. “The recession made us all look at the way we do business differently.”

Looking forward, he believes there will be increased hiring, both temporary and permanent, as more businesses start growing again.

Burkhard’s informal barometer of the market—his teenage son’s network of Facebook friends—is trending upwards.

“All his friends who couldn’t find work are now getting jobs,” he says. “That tells me that fewer grownups are competing for those jobs.”

Go to the story here.

Employers like ease, flexibility of contract hiring

Written by
ERIC RUTH
The News Journal

Nicole Fullmer may not realize it, but she has become a crucial part of getting the economy back on track — and a symbol of a big part of the job picture in coming years.

The 39-year-old contract worker, along with thousands like her across the state and nation, is at the forefront of the long-anticipated recovery in the labor market, and also a sign of a shift by employers — and willing job-seekers — toward jobs not involving long tenures or career ladders, economists say.

Economists say a current strengthening in the temporary employment ranks is evidence the economy is growing and firms are starting to add people to their payrolls — or creating demand for temps that has temp agencies adding people.

And temporary employment overall is growing, as temp and contract hiring become crucial tools for businesses looking to stay flexible and remain competitive, said Chris Burkhard, president of the CBI Group.

“It will become more of a partnership with large companies that use temporary staffing as part of their recruitment process,” said Christine Proffitt, vice president of sales and operations at Integrity Staffing Solutions, a national placement firm based in Wilmington.

It’s also gaining acceptance among younger workers who are less inclined to see themselves staying with one company for a lifetime, he said.

“For that group, freelance is cool. Or getting a new project is fun,” said Burkhard, who has resurrected his company’s “Placers” temp staffing brand because of growing demand. “The viewpoint of the workforce has shifted.”

Download the full article here.

On Friday, March 2, 2012 Glenn Koetz, our Placers Staffing Solutions Team Lead was interviewed on WDEL’s news hour with Peter MacArthur (standing in for Allan Loudell). Glenn discussed the changing view of temporary staffing as more of a strategic decision to hire professional level skill sets. Using “temps” is a way to keep costs flexible and gives you a chance to try the person out in the role before hiring them full-time.

Listen to the interview here.
 

Certain industries count on the power of alumni to grow their business. The world of consulting and accounting depends on the transition of alumni into corporate America. It keeps staff moving up and out providing career paths and opportunities for a dynamic workforce. Public accountants become CFOs every day and in many cases, do business with their old firm.
 
Recently, we have been seeing more organized efforts to achieve recruiting goals through organized recruitment efforts involving alumni. “Because so much great talent is being released into the labor market right now, it is a great time to either start a formal program or upgrade your existing corporate alumni or “boomerang” program,” says Dr. John Sullivan in an article posted the advice section of ERE.net. Today the workforce is going back as retirees look to work differently as contractors or as staff realizes the grass is not greener on the other side (in their new job). A local, Fortune 100 chemical company has had great success bringing back their workforce for special projects and contractual work.
 
This week, CBI Group approaches alumni recruitment in a big way. This Thursday we are having a networking event for the launch of Placers, the contract and temporary staffing arm of our business. Placers has been around since 1971 and has hundreds, if not thousands of past employees. This week, we are bringing our alumni consultants and recruiters together — a reunion that should be fun and full of story telling and memories.
 
While there is power in numbers, there is also power in like minded people reconnecting to share ideas, stories, business needs, openings and so on. CBI Group is adding value by organizing it for others to gain. And in that value is the power of our alumni. We will have fun and also get lots of business done in the process!
 
If you are Placers alumni and would like to join us we will be at the Concordville Inn in Concordville, PA (directions). Frankly any reader that wants to come gets their first drink on me.
 
Here is to the power of alumni!
 

Please indulge me this week as I celebrate the entrepreneurial achievements of my family. This week my father, Alan Burkhard, has been inducted into the Delaware Business Leaders Hall of Fame by fellow Delaware Business Leaders. This is a prestigious award, often given to the titans of business and doesn’t traditionally recognize true small business entrepreneurs for their contributions. I share this news as his son and as an evangelist of his philosophies. I am proud that I grew up in his house and his business.
 
I frequently blog about leadership topics and much of my original thought and inspiration comes from my experiences in my father’s companies. How many people do you know that have started more than one company? That launched their first company on a small business loan and sold to an international industry giant for tens of millions? That have been successful across five+ different industries? I feel like the kid whose dad has the fastest car in the neighborhood. Yep, that’s my dad!
 
He won the award because of the macro stuff. He had many, many successful businesses with employees numbering in the thousands. His first business was Placers, a staffing company, which I am proud to shepherd forward today and build on the forty years of focus on the customer. Later he had success in the waste disposal business, building one of the largest Independent firms in the Delaware market with his partner. His restaurants, including Klondike Kate’s in Newark, are model businesses that reflect his core business philosophies of knowing your customer and empowering and teaching employees to create a terrific customer experience. There are others, but I think you get the point.
 
Alan is a serial entrepreneur and he loves to help others bring their business ideas to life and to show them how to do it. But to know Alan is to know that success was not because of size or numbers. Alan is successful because of the core philosophies that he possesses and instills into each of his business endeavors. Leadership is what distinguishes Alan from so many. Or is it his leadership one liners? You decide.
 
Here are some of my favorite leadership mottos that I try to live each and everyday. All of these start with the basic leadership premise that in an Outside-In company your “job” is to lead, train, and serve. And in doing so that you don’t think of your self as having mastered the topic of leadership — it is helpful to think about being an entry level leader because there is always more to learn on the topic.

My pop has lived his business and personal life by being direct. By being truthful. By getting to the point and by being honest. By letting employees and others know that he cares. He creates the perception that he is there for you if you work for him. And this instills confidence. And this confidence gives his employees the belief system and some say in the business. And customers notice. Where else do you know where bartenders learn to read a profit and loss statement? Where employees bring their values home and teach their kids?
 
Finally I can’t resist one more Burkhard-ism. The greatest leader in the world is simply one that lives it every moment every day. Here’s to the best leader I know. Congrats Dad!
 

I have a dream to climb Mt. McKinley in Alaska – all 20,320 feet of it.  All of my friends and family know it, my mom begs me not to talk about it and my wife laughs a little knowing that I am all talk (for now).  I hike and backpack year-round and take several recreational hiking trips. There is always a peak involved, small east coast peaks that challenge us about as much as a normal day at the office.  To climb McKinley, you have to train ridiculously hard (see the sample workout that I have used) and work up to it by climbing one of the many “fourteeners” (14,000 ft. peaks) in Colorado, then you move on to Mt. Rainier in Washington.  This is standard mountain climbing play book stuff.

In training for such a difficult climb, one must train to the concept of the McKinley Edge – going beyond your training comfort zone.  When faced with a life threatening situation, no matter how tired or exhausted you are, there must be reserves left – a final gear to get you out of danger. The McKinley Edge involves training your body for that extreme or going to maximum heart beyond the point of exhaustion.  Each person has a different stress tolerance or pain threshold.  Everyone’s endurance level is different.  The key thing is you can train your body for extremes and that really got me thinking…

If you can find the McKinley Edge for you body, can you work on it for your business?  Can you find your leadership McKinley Edge?  I think you can.  As a young man while working at Placers I had many different roles and assignments.  As soon as I thought I mastered one office, I got two. When I learned to handle managing managers I got five direct reports.   Never managed the HR function or sales?  I got the exposure and it definitely did not come easy.  I would like to apologize now to those early employees that had to teach me to manage them.  I had the motivation and desire, good mentors and my work ethic was non-stop.  Still I had to get used to the stress and responsibility and grow into it. I had to want to grow into it.

The key was something that my father, Alan Burkhard, theorized and has lived everyday of his life: You can train for stressful situations in business by practice. It involves getting comfortable with change; you have to want to exploit it.  It can not happen to you; you must make it happen.  The McKinley Edge in business is different for all of us.

You can get there by:

1. Seeking out special projects and additional responsibility at work. Gain an edge.
2. Make a presentation in front of others.
3. Start a business – SO MUCH TO LEARN! It is a constant McKinley Edge training session for years to come.
4. Put yourself in new/uncomfortable business situations.
5. Work from an entrepreneurial business!

My McKinley Edge at this point?  It never changes.  Every two weeks I have to meet payroll for my company.  This is one thing I will never get used to.  Take a moment and define your McKinley Edge for your role or your business and post your thoughts!  I have learned that most would send me an email in private instead of posting – find your edge and post….

Happy New Year to everyone… I hope you took some time to recharge and re-energize this Holiday season.  As a leader did you take advantage of the Holidays and give people time off when the world is a little sleepy? My mentor always taught me that this was a great time to let the “rookie” take vacation or to take that key day off and to cover for them as a leader. It sends a critical message; we are all in this together and we are all equally important. Nothing is more empowering than equality.
 
You ask what is “The Water Cooler Effect”? My blogs cover a variety of topics. Primarily focusing on leadership, specifically the issues and challenges one faces in business. I take the entrepreneurial point of view. Be flexible, adaptable with your business. Stay lean. Stay in control.
 
The “Water Cooler Effect” is about symbolism. When I worked for my father with the Placers, we knew we would grow fast and take advantage of market opportunities. As we did this we might take our eye off of costs occasionally — not on purpose, of course. We would shift our attention to what was important and it is human nature to look the other way on something else. How did we get it back? The Water Cooler? We sought involvement from staff to focus on the costs side of the business. We asked for suggestions. We wanted staff to be “intrapreneurial” and to think like an owner. We did this by constantly looking at each and every line item to figure out how to lower the costs. When all else failed? Out went the water cooler.
 
When the water cooler disappeared people grumbled. They could bring their own water or get it from the tap. They knew it meant that as a leadership team and as a company we had costs under control. The removals sent a message. People missed them. People wanted them. Staff got them back when their business P&L made its goal.
 
History repeats itself; wait until my Father hears this. In this time of conservation and rethinking what is really important, I discontinued our water cooler service. The funny thing is we have two. During times of plenty, staff decided to get water delivered. They did not want the filtered water we already had and pooled employee monies to pay for it. Times change and, over the past 5 years, staff moved onward and upward. Today CBI Group owns the responsibility for the water cooler. By removing it, I know as a leader I am doing the right thing for my business. Of course, it is not about the money. It the point of managing costs, investing in the right things and sending a clear message to my team that we are on top of expenses.
 
Consider taking these actions to find your “water cooler”:

1. Review each and every line item of expenses. Do it with someone who does not normally have this role or responsibility. Business needs change. What was important yesterday is perhaps not relevant today. Every customer that I have that has done this has cut things that were not important to the current plans of their business.
2. Call your vendors for annual reviews of services. Most have created more recession friendly offerings to court new customers. You will get them if you ask.
3. If you pull your water cooler or coffee service or whatever — get mileage from it. Tell the water cooler story of cost management. Recession aside, it is how you stay competitive and run an entrepreneurial business.

 
Send me your water cooler story!