Jazajay
Active Member
Hay peeps,
Just thought I would make a post because I am hearing so much these days, especially down the local, my companies looking to lay off I know I'll be next, company wont be here in x months etc...etc... got in this morning after having my review this week and got a pay rise starting next year, even though our company is £12k worse off this year than the year before.
I honestly believe, ego aside for a change, I know hardly happens, that if more people honestly followed how I have done it then less people would be being made unemployed and more companies would be doing a lot better, so hence why I thought I would share, as hopefully it may help some peeps.
Background I am a project manager at the company and the sales team of 2 are out pretty much every day networking etc..etc... and no ones biting, sales are right down than this time last year and the year before, they both say its unheard of how much they are haivng to actually fight for business. But that is when you should pick up the ball, and rather than sitting around doing nothing look for improvements, look to see where clients may want to spend more etc...etc...
What I have been doing is making my self valuable to the company. We have had mad patches where it has been manic and other paches espically recently where it has been really quite. But during the quite days I blog, I look for errors on the site, 404's, analytic data, keywords we have missed, I spread the work we have out, I see how the company site can be improved, SEO wise, useability wise, accessibility wise, design wise in general and I let the MD's know about it and why I think it would be. I improve in house proceedure's, in a design meeting I push on areas the sales team may have missed, or the client didn't think about before hand, this then goes back to the sales team for a fresh quote etc...1 client alone I doubled the price of the work as I was like O how about this...and they where like didn't think of that when they mentioned something. Not a problem I will need to run it past sales first as its outside of the invoice, not a problem and that was it.
That even includes at the weekends rather than sitting around on a Sunday thinking I could go down the pub and moan that in 6 months I may not have a job or I could blog, do something to push the business that little bit more, even though its not my business and I'm not getting paid.
I know 4 of my blogs have bought business in so it really does work.
If its busy and the MD's say use freelancers to cope I work outside my hours to make sure I don't have to, or I rescheule work I can put off, to get round having to that way the company makes more from having fewer over heads from paying freelancers. Sorry freelancers.
Now if profits where down by 12k this year than the year before think how much more they would have been if we then paid free lancers to help us out and I hadn't pushed areas the sales team may have missed, I hadn't blogged and bought in more business that way?
When clients phone in ask them about alternative solutions if it makes sense/they are teeting on the edge of asking anyay, I got 2 minor website updates, 1 cms enquiry and 1 new web page in one day from doing that and I'm not even part of sales.
Then you see, like the MD's have, that even though the company made £12k less this year than last, that 1 your contribution is worth far more than it is currently, and 2 that you are no candidate for cuts, when maybe the others around you who haven't gone that extra mile are.
End of the day with the country on the edge of a second recession I would rather do more at home where I am not paid and have a job in 6 months time as I am seen as a valuable part of the company, company asset if you like, then do just what I am asked and be cut because I haven't done anything to help the company through a down turn and the profits are down too much to justify keeping you on.
For example one of the areas recently is I convinced the sales team to focus more on SEO customers than new sites as SEO customers generate more money in the long term and blogs I read tell me companies are upping their SEO budgets as its a better form of marketing. Again pushing what I know to make the company better as a whole.
Just think where you can be noticed for improving the company and do it, but make your self known that you have done it, otherwise your hard work will go unnoticed and you may still be laid off, which would be harsh.
But what I know now is the hours I have done for free with this pay rise will be paid for plus a lot more in the long run, because I worked for free.
If you are a freelancer, coming from someone who hands work out to freelancers, do the same go that extra mile. We have one freelancer where if he can do it I will pass him the work over the others as I know he will use CSS3 and go that extra mile than the others, and for the same price thats who I then go to, because he's doing the same, he's better value for the money we pay him, and thats what you need to do make yourself not the same value what the company invests in you, but make what they pay out to you pay them far more back then you wont be the name on the list if it comes to cuts.
Hope my logic helps someone else as it has done me so thought I would share.
Just thought I would make a post because I am hearing so much these days, especially down the local, my companies looking to lay off I know I'll be next, company wont be here in x months etc...etc... got in this morning after having my review this week and got a pay rise starting next year, even though our company is £12k worse off this year than the year before.
I honestly believe, ego aside for a change, I know hardly happens, that if more people honestly followed how I have done it then less people would be being made unemployed and more companies would be doing a lot better, so hence why I thought I would share, as hopefully it may help some peeps.
Background I am a project manager at the company and the sales team of 2 are out pretty much every day networking etc..etc... and no ones biting, sales are right down than this time last year and the year before, they both say its unheard of how much they are haivng to actually fight for business. But that is when you should pick up the ball, and rather than sitting around doing nothing look for improvements, look to see where clients may want to spend more etc...etc...
What I have been doing is making my self valuable to the company. We have had mad patches where it has been manic and other paches espically recently where it has been really quite. But during the quite days I blog, I look for errors on the site, 404's, analytic data, keywords we have missed, I spread the work we have out, I see how the company site can be improved, SEO wise, useability wise, accessibility wise, design wise in general and I let the MD's know about it and why I think it would be. I improve in house proceedure's, in a design meeting I push on areas the sales team may have missed, or the client didn't think about before hand, this then goes back to the sales team for a fresh quote etc...1 client alone I doubled the price of the work as I was like O how about this...and they where like didn't think of that when they mentioned something. Not a problem I will need to run it past sales first as its outside of the invoice, not a problem and that was it.
That even includes at the weekends rather than sitting around on a Sunday thinking I could go down the pub and moan that in 6 months I may not have a job or I could blog, do something to push the business that little bit more, even though its not my business and I'm not getting paid.
I know 4 of my blogs have bought business in so it really does work.
If its busy and the MD's say use freelancers to cope I work outside my hours to make sure I don't have to, or I rescheule work I can put off, to get round having to that way the company makes more from having fewer over heads from paying freelancers. Sorry freelancers.
Now if profits where down by 12k this year than the year before think how much more they would have been if we then paid free lancers to help us out and I hadn't pushed areas the sales team may have missed, I hadn't blogged and bought in more business that way?
When clients phone in ask them about alternative solutions if it makes sense/they are teeting on the edge of asking anyay, I got 2 minor website updates, 1 cms enquiry and 1 new web page in one day from doing that and I'm not even part of sales.
Then you see, like the MD's have, that even though the company made £12k less this year than last, that 1 your contribution is worth far more than it is currently, and 2 that you are no candidate for cuts, when maybe the others around you who haven't gone that extra mile are.
End of the day with the country on the edge of a second recession I would rather do more at home where I am not paid and have a job in 6 months time as I am seen as a valuable part of the company, company asset if you like, then do just what I am asked and be cut because I haven't done anything to help the company through a down turn and the profits are down too much to justify keeping you on.
For example one of the areas recently is I convinced the sales team to focus more on SEO customers than new sites as SEO customers generate more money in the long term and blogs I read tell me companies are upping their SEO budgets as its a better form of marketing. Again pushing what I know to make the company better as a whole.
Just think where you can be noticed for improving the company and do it, but make your self known that you have done it, otherwise your hard work will go unnoticed and you may still be laid off, which would be harsh.
But what I know now is the hours I have done for free with this pay rise will be paid for plus a lot more in the long run, because I worked for free.
If you are a freelancer, coming from someone who hands work out to freelancers, do the same go that extra mile. We have one freelancer where if he can do it I will pass him the work over the others as I know he will use CSS3 and go that extra mile than the others, and for the same price thats who I then go to, because he's doing the same, he's better value for the money we pay him, and thats what you need to do make yourself not the same value what the company invests in you, but make what they pay out to you pay them far more back then you wont be the name on the list if it comes to cuts.
Hope my logic helps someone else as it has done me so thought I would share.