Social Media and How It Can Help You

 


  

Social Media - This is a medium that cannot be overlooked by any sales rep, sales manager, regional manager or CEO.  Social Media is the newest form of advertising for either yourself, your product, or your service and it is monumental to the success of you as a sales person and your company.  I could write a book on this subject, but unfortunately it wouldn't be any good, and you probably wouldn't get much out of it.  However, there are many authors and books on social media and the "new sales" environment which I can recommend.  Here are just a few:




“Social Media 101” by Chris Brogan – This book will show you how to start a blog, how to set up a marketing strategy for social media, including facebook, twitter, foursquare, and Linkedin.  If you don’t know what the hell I’m writing about then you are in serious need of some lessons in social media and you should read this book.

“Sales 2.0” by Anneke Seley & Brent Holloway – This book gives real life case studies on how companies became successful by marrying sales and the new online media landscape to be successful.  It is a great transitional book that relates selling in the new era of technology and social media.  It shows how companies were able to transition with the new technology to improve both their top line and their bottom line in the process.  It is a great reader if you're living in the Dark Ages and want to understand how to move on to the Renaissance.     

“Tribes” by Seth Godin – I personally like most of Seth Godin’s books although there are rare occasions when I think he’s full of shit.  But what he really does, is get you to think outside the normal realm of sales, or business for that matter.  He was a very successful manager and became an even more successful writer.  He thinks outside of the norm, and he get his readers to do the same.  This book shows you how to start building a “tribe” of enthusiastic supporters to help you in sales, service, or whatever else.  It is a great read and can help you build a loyal following no matter what you’re selling.   

Social Media Sites You Should Know

facebook – If you’re company doesn’t have a facebook page, then whomever is handling the marketing, is an idiot.   The biggest social networking sight is a great place to get things started and create a “buzz” about your product(s).  You can even set up advertising for CHEAP, and I mean CHEAP!  If your company doesn’t see fit to help you out with a page, then I would create my own page to promote products.  Of course check with your company's "marketing police" before you start using their logo, but this is a great tool. You would be a fool not to take advantage of the coverage that facebook offers.  And believe me it’s easy to set up a company or personal page.  If I can do it, then anyone can.  The site guides you through the process until you’re page is set up and it even explains how to create an ad.  It’s as simple as 1, 2, 2 ½…3.   With facebook you can do a number of things, including:

• Create a page for yourself or your company
• Invite friends to view your page or "like" your page
• Advertise your page to specific targeted customers or prospects
• Build a brand name through this social media site.

twitter – Here is another social media phenomenon that can help you’re business.  However, I don’t think it’s as great as facebook, it does have it’s advantages.  Imagine being able to tell all your customers at one time that you were holding a promotion, and with just a few clicks on your computer or smart phone, it was done.

“Offering 25% discount on all products for one month if you order today.”

It is a great tool for any company or sales person, to have an IMMEDIATE social interaction with their customers.  You just send out a“tweet” and if your customer is signed up as a follower they get a message on their phone instantly.   It is a quick, painless, social interaction that is what has now become the norm, rather than the exception.  Sales people who prefer the old style of calling, need to get used to this new form of communication in order to be even more successful. 


The only problem with twitter is not enough people are on it, and those who are signed up for twitter are most likely under 16 years of age and follow the Kardashians.  As a result, you might not be that popular at first, but don't get discouraged.

myspace – If you’re stupid enough to still be using myspace then you are a social media dinosaur.  Get out of social media immediately and turn over your social media marketing campaign to someone who has a clue what’s going on in the world.  

Google + - Let’s face it Google is the biggest company on the Internet and it has the greatest presence so it was just a matter of time before they tried to create something to rival facebook.  So now we have Google + , or Google Plus, which is a social network created for people who have signed on to Google and want to network with friends in business, personal, and other interests.  With this application you or your company can take advantage of all the great Internet applications which Google offers.  Applications such as AdSense, Google Business apps and a whole lot more.  This site creates “circles” of influence which you can share with customers. 


As a side note, Google frightens me a bit because they seem to be connected to everything.  How about the creepy photos from Google maps of your home, your business, and everywhere in between.  I almost feel like the eyes of Google are upon me, and watching me type this write now...scary.  

Linkedin – This is more of a business networking site than anything else, but it can be a portal for you to find customers.  If you’re not on Linkedin, then you should be, because millions of busy business professionals visit the site daily.  In addition to being a way to reach existing customers and new customers, it is also a business networking site that can help you find a job , make connections with other people in your industry, and a vehicle to share your ideas.  It can also be a major pain in the ass because of all the idiots trying to recruit you, but it’s always nice to be wanted.  Create an account for yourself and make sure your company has a profile as well.  This site is a great tool to make contact with people in a strictly business environment. 

These are just a few of the basic sites to get you started, but keep in mind something new is being developed DAILY. And if you are really into the whole tech thing, check out mashable.com and it will give you ideas on how sites can work for you. Remember people are coming up with new ideas on the hour and it's important for you to keep up with the social media landscape in order to be successful.  If you or your company doesn't want to change, then you'll be left behind while everyone else is progressing forward.

-M

A Tip From Qyoda

When people advise you to avoid  "negative" people, that's asinine advice.  We are all negative at some point in our lives.  Should we avoid ourselves?  A good sales rep deals well with all people: the good and the bad.  

So You Just Got Laid Off...Now What?

I just got a phone call last week that my old company laid off 300 reps.  How bad does that suck? Even reps that were above their goals!  WTF is that all about?

Well, I can tell you it's not because of their performance they were laid off, it's because the company is losing market share and in order to meet stock holders expectations they have to cut costs.  As a pretty good manager in my day, let's assume they are trying to geographically excise reps.  In other words, if your territories cross with another good rep, especially a veteran rep, then you're fucked!  Newer reps get laid off sooner, it's just the nature of the "beast".  It probably shouldn't be that way, but business is like the army or marines, the grunts do most of the work, and suffer most of the casualties.

So now you're out of a job.  You may be married, you may have kids, and you most likely have a mortgage payment(s) to make.  Hopefully you received some type of severance in the deal, and this will hold you over for a few months.  Here are some helpful tips to make you feel better about your situation, and to keep you from feeling sorry for yourself.

1. Don't Panic - If you were a good rep before than you're still a good rep now.  One day doesn't make a difference, whether you're employed or not.  And if you have a good resume, you're gonna be alright.  The thing to do is not panic, because if you panic then chances are your wife and kids will panic or even your dog will panic.  We don't need Spot peeing on the living room carpet.  Inside, you can be freaking out, but you must maintain an outward appearance of composure.  Just think like Fonzie from "Happy Days", and be cool.

2. Don't Get Wasted - Losing you're job is a horrific experience, and I've been through it, but don't go out and get wasted because you're bummed about your situation.  The last thing you need is a DUI to go with your unemployment check.  I know so many people who go out and get drunk the very first night they find out they got fired.  It doesn't help the situation at all, because when you wake up in the morning you're still unemployed and now you have a hang over.  Celebrate your freedom but in moderation.  No one wants to interview a rep who smells like stale beer and has vomit stains on their shirt/blouse.

3. Sign Up For medreps.com - This site is awesome!  When I was laid off, I signed up, polished up my resume and "blasted" it to 1200 recruiters.  Within 5 days, I had 4 interviews set up and I felt a helluva lot better about my situation.  In fact, I had so many offers I took my time picking the right company for me.  No one wants to be job shopping, especially around the holidays, which was when I was laid off.  Merry fucking Christmas, you're fired!  This is a great resource for any health care rep, and be sure to send out your resume during the week.  Don't blast it on the weekend because no one will see it.  Even recruiters take weekends off.

4. Utilize Your Contacts - Two days after I was laid off, one of my customers actually offered me a job.  How awesome is that! The job didn't pay well, so I respectfully declined, but it felt so good to know that someone wanted my services.  It was like getting dumped and then finding out somebody you didn't know was always attracted to you.  Surprise!  You're not a total loser.
If you have customers, other sales reps, anyone who can help you out, just call them.  It doesn't hurt to let people know that you're looking.  You didn't put yourself in this situation, the company did.

5. Post Anonymous Messages On The Internet - I didn't do this, but in order for you to feel better about yourself, you should talk shit on every message board you can about your old company.  Why?  Because you'll feel better and then other reps will get the message that the company sucks.  Unfortunately this isn't the old days, when people stayed with the same company for 40 years and retired, and I assume you're not planning on going back.  So talk trash; hell even make stuff up.  Why not?  They're not gonna hire you back and if you send out anonymous messages, how will they know it's even you.  Here's a tip though, don't go crazy and start sending messages that can be traced back to you like:

"I worked for this friggin company for 3 years in Syracuse NY, and I've hated it since I friggin started on December 12th 2009.  My district manager Ted was such an asshole I hope his whole family gets cancer."

That's not entirely anonymous, and if you were counting on old Ted for a letter of recommendation, you can forget it.  Be elite and be discreet, but give it to them good on the Internet.

More to come later!  Good luck in your search and remember to keep your chin up.

-M

"Doctor I Think You Missed Something?"

Years ago, when I was just coming off a promising career as a sales manager in business to business sales, I did a ride along with a sales rep for a surgical company.  In fact, I did several ride alongs but I remember this one distinctly because of the humorous exchange between the doctor and the rep.  Mind you, this was my first foray into the surgical field, and specifically the operating room, so I was very impressionable and this operation definitely had an effect on me.  And what I learned is that in some cases, the sales rep seems to know more about the surgical procedure than the doctor.

It was a simple laprascopic surgery but the rep was promoting a new product which the doctor had never used before. The sales rep prepared me for the surgery with a minor pep talk.

"Okay, don't let all the blood and guts bother you.  It's nothing, but also be ready cause this is an older doc and he's not used to using these newer products."
" How old could he be?  And if he's that old why is he still doing surgery?"
" He graduated with Jonas Salk that's how old he is, and I have no friggin idea why people are still letting him operate on them. He shakes a lot, but oddly it's his body that shakes, not his hands. "
" You're not serious about the Jonas Salk thing are you?  Isn't that the guy that discovered the polio vaccine."
" Yes and yes."
" Holy shit.  That's scary."
" Wait'll you see this guy.  He has not aged well, and by not aged well I mean he could actual be dead but he doesn't know it."
" Great! I'm looking forward to this.  The crypt keeper will be performing surgery today."
" He looks a little better than that.  Not much, but just a little."

    As we prepped for the surgery, the doctor came in and the rep was correct, he had not aged well, but there was no way he had been through med school with Jonas Salk.  He was bent over, and moved fairly slowly, but his hands seemed steady and he was in good spirits.  He seemed like a nice old man, but not someone I would like to have performing surgery on me.  More like someone I would like to see getting ice cream with his grand children rather than performing surgery on one of my relatives. Unless of course it was a relative I wasn't terribly fond of, then I would encourage him to be that person's surgeon.

   Sadly, the surgery took a lot longer than both the rep and I had anticipated.  The reason was that the doctor was old, but extremely thorough, and had so many questions that it seemed the surgery would never be completed.  Maybe he was thorough or maybe he suffered from what I would call "Operational Alzheimer's".  An affliction which older docs have, where they can't remember anything and ask the nurses and reps what's the next step in the procedure.  In fact, it was taking so long,  I was concerned that I might actually die of boredom, despite this being one of my earliest experiences in the OR. Initially I was excited to be observing a surgery, but 3 hours into the procedure,  and I was dying to check my text messages or even look at my phone.  As my mind wandered between old episodes of "Seinfeld" and who the Lakers were playing that night, the doctor moved very deliberately and very, very, slowly, always double checking his work.  He was thorough which is a great quality for a surgeon to have, and as the procedure was coming to a close, the doctor seemed very please with the results.

"I like this product.  It makes it easier to grab things. Much better than the one I was using.  Okay let's wrap this up."
" Doctor, I think you missed something?", the rep said trying to be polite.  He was referring to a tissue retrieval bag that was still inside the patient.
" Oh! Thank you.", the doctor said, and then started doing something else and completely ignored the bag.
"No doctor.  Look. The retrieval bag is still inside the patient.  You should probably remove that before you finish up.", the rep said politely.
" Oh yeah. I always forget one thing or another. One time I left a kitten inside of a patient. The patient complained of a purring sound coming from her stomach for weeks." he said with a completely deadpan delivery.  The sales rep and I just looked at each other, and then the doctor started laughing.
" You don't really think I'm that absent minded do you?" he asked.
" No. Not at all.", the rep said and then chuckled a bit awkwardly, still unsure if the story was true.
" The older you get son, the more you'll count on young people like yourself to help. I appreciate you coming in and guiding me through today.  With all the the new things coming out, it's hard to keep up."
" My pleasure doc. Anything to help out, and thanks for having me.", he answered.
" Well let's finish up.  Where are my damn glasses.", the doctor asked one of the nurses.
" On top of your head doctor.", she answered.
He laughed, "Thanks.  Don't know what I'd do without you Mindy."
" It's Sandy doctor, and frankly I don't either.", she replied.

Sad but true.

Be a resource to your customers, some of them need you more than others.  Have a good day selling!

-M

Sales Tips From QYoda

We will no longer offer sales tips from Nick Handy.  Unfortunately Nick was killed in a stampede of senior citizens at a flea market in Florida.  I was told they were offering  bright checkered pants, and polyester pant suits for just a dollar each. Apparently as the wave of seniors slowly rolled towards him, Nick didn't have time to evade the onslaught of motorized scooters headed his way.  He was run over multiple times and we will miss his wit, his voluminous sales knowledge, and his obvious lack of productivity.

However in his stead, we have hired international sales guru Qyoda to pass on the bits of sales knowledge which he learned from over 900 years of living.  We welcome Qyoda to the staff here at the Darkside, and here is his first tidbit of wisdom.

"Each obstacle presents an opportunity for a sale.  Unless that obstacle happens to be a large slug like alien named Jabba, then there's really no opportunity there, and you should just move on to the next prospect. "

How To Lose An Employee In Ten Months - Part Deux

I know that HR managers realize how much it cost to hire and train an employee, but I'm not sure that middle management or even upper management, grasps the concept of the costs involved in turning over a sales rep.  I was at a national sales meeting and the CEO stood up in front of the reps, wearing a polo shirt, khaki pants, and boat deck shoes; very business casual almost to the point of  beach casual.  And then he said, "If you're below quota then you either need to get your butt in gear, or you need to get your butt out of here."  Spoken like a true idiot who's never sold a thing in his life.  I think he thought it was funny, but no one was laughing at what he said, they were probably laughing at his outfit.  What moron wears Sperry Top-Siders to an annual meeting? I was looking around at some of the reps wondering if we were on the "Love Boat".  Where is Doc, Gopher, and Julie?

There was a major problem with his message.  Number one, this guy needed to get some fashion sense, or at least respect his employees enough to not look like he just got back from an America's Cup race.  And number two, he was forcing his employees to make a career decision which was going to have a huge effect on his bottom line. He had no clue as to the costs involved in turning over a rep, even an under performing rep. Well if you review the studies regarding employee turnover, the costs are astounding. Even I was surprised at how much money is lost.

According to a study by the Society For Human Resource Management conducted in 2008, it can cost a company as much as 60% of the employee;s annual salary to just replace that employee. Moreover, the associated costs of turnover, such as training, lost production, and lost revenue, is approximated at 90-200% or the former employee's annual salary.   The percentage is higher for "specialized" employees, and believe it or not people you are special.  So with this message, that CEO could have pushed out 10 reps with an annual salary of say $60,000 which might cost his company up to $900,000.   That's a lot of Sperry Top-Siders!

So this is just one example of how managers can lose an employee and the associated costs.  Here are a few more examples for poor managers to follow and good managers to avoid:

1. Play Favorites- Nothing upsets employees more than a manager who plays favorites.  And speaking from a management point of view it's hard not to play favorites.  Managers are drawn to people who perform and have an extreme distaste for employees who are not meeting their goals.  However, an effective boss is one who disregards the numbers and treats everyone the same.  Even I have been guilty of this and have lost employees.

Every manager is guilty of liking some employees more than others, and some like them a little too much.  I remember one manager who always hired these incredibly beautiful women to work with him.  They would have little to no experience in sales and yet he would bring them in, and they would sell.  I guess the customers were too busy staring at their breasts to look at the contracts they were signing.  His formula worked for a while, until some of his other reps started complaining that he was spending too much time doing ride alongs with his "spokesmodels".  He was doing ride alongs apparently, but not in the car, and eventually the two lovely ladies found out he was sleeping with each of them, and he was fired for sexual harassment.  That's an extreme example, but to be honest, one that I've seen played out at least a dozen times.  Guys, keep it in your pants.

2. Work Them To Death- Years and years ago we used to hire college grads and then work the hell out of them to see if they would be "management material".  I don't even know what that means, but judging from my experience I guess being "management material" involves being able to hold a cup of coffee the right way, type with 2 fingers on your computer, bark orders that make no sense, and displaying an innate ability to ignore employee requests.  So I guess most of these young people could be developed into "management material".

In order to help them on their career path, we would have them work 60 hours per week minimum. Why?  The company wanted to "thin the herd".  In other words, the college grads who weren't committed would eventually quit and the one's who stayed were the type of person we wanted to have working for us. Their efforts showed commitment, or perhaps, that they should be "committed" for putting up with all the crap we threw at them.  It's a formula that Enterprise Rent-A-Car still uses to this day.  It's the philosophy of "Churn'em and Burn'em".  Any of you that have ever worked for Enterprise know exactly where I'm coming from, and hopefully you've already left that place.

If you're a manager that wants to pair down your sales team, just start requiring them to do 10 calls per day and pretty soon, you won't have any reps left.  Good luck with that...

3. Promises, Promises, Promises - Supportive management is great for a new employee, especially a new rep, but as a leader you never make promises you can't keep.  It's just a bad idea.  New employees need to be helped along because most of the time,  they have no clue where to start.  I find it amusing that in health care, the first 4 weeks with many companies you are required to do "Home Study". Which means you lie around in your pj's and read clinical papers and you take tests.  Sometimes online, and sometimes not, but you really do nothing for 4 weeks, besides sit around the house and read.  It's boring as hell, and then suddenly, BOOM! You're out in the field trying to sell a product you only know from papers.

My first foray into health care, I asked my new boss when he was going to ride with me and he would make plans, and then cancel.  He did this to me 3 times, and finally I just called him and asked:

 "Seriously Jim, are you ever gonna ride with me?  I just started and I need a little help. You keep making promises and then breaking them.  What's the deal?"

His answer, "Yeah, you seem to be figuring it out on your own, so no I'm probably not gonna be able to ride with you.  I have other reps who aren't doing so well, and I need to get them up to speed.   You'll figure it out.  That's why I hired you."

"Wow. Uh...okay. Thanks for the support.", I responded.

" You're welcome.", he said.

" Fuck you.", I said,  but of course I had already hung up the phone.   I'm not a complete idiot.

If you want to lose an employee quickly and demotivate them, then just keep making promises and breaking them.  It's like any relationship, you have to follow through on your commitments.

4. Be Consistently, Inconsistent- Employees hate managers who are always changing the rules. Whether it's in relations to commissions, vacations, reimbursement, or anything.  People want to know what the rules are and they want management to follow them consistently.  Not change them every month, every 6 months, or every year.  Stability is what employees want in their company and especially in their sales team leader.

How many sales reps out there have received their quotas after the fiscal year has already started? So suddenly you went from being rep of the year in December to already being behind 20% in February because that's when you received your quota.  Companies that don't acknowledge that their reps need their quotas early so they can get started on next year, are missing out on lost revenue, and in turn they're just upsetting the sales rep.  If a company is going to have quotas then they need to consistently get them to the field in time for the reps to do something about it, not after the year has already started. By then, both the rep and his/her manager are already behind their goal. How motivating is that?

5. Create A Poor Work Environment - Some of you might be asking yourself, "What does this mean?"
A poor work environment does necessarily mean that you are working in a sweat shop where they won't allow you to go to the bathroom, or you're a victim of the slave trade.  A poor work environment can be created by just one lousy manager working for what might be a great company.

In my last year at a very well known uniform company, the new general manager, turned over 14 supervisors and managers in a little over a year. What's even more amazing, is that he took a well performing plant and was able to reduce the profit by 8%. and shrink the revenue.  Why? He created a poor work environment.

(I know that I keep citing personal references, but listen people I have no other examples but my own. If anyone would like to add comments feel free, but I can't promise I'll be nice in my response.)

I came in at the end of the fiscal year, and tried to explain to him how much turnover was costing the company, how disgruntled our employees were, and how we had to create a "friendlier" work environment for our people.  What do you think was his response?

As you're reading this dialogue, picture a short little man, who is balding, with gray hair, and sweating so profusely he has a towel on his desk to wipe his brow.  Now picture him inhaling a helium balloon and then speaking loudly at you, as if you were deaf.

"Who's talking about me?  Who was it?"
" Richard, I didn't say it was you.  I said we, as in WE have to create a better environment."
" Well who's complaining about us?  I need you to tell me who it is?"
" Why is that important?  The important thing is some people are not happy and we need to motivate them to get this plant back on track."
" Well it's important to me.  I need to know so I can get them out of here."
" You're still going to have a problem, even if we fire everyone, well especially if you fire everyone."
" Jim always taught me.  If someone isn't on board then there a cancer, and a cancer needs to be cut out."
" What? You're comparing our employees to cancer?  That's ridiculous.  Okay say it is a cancer, then let's use chemo therapy to treat it, not cut everybody."
" Are you undermining me? What have you been saying about me?"
" What in god's name are you talking about.  Richard we need to try and get the employees back on our side."
" Well who said there not on my side.  They may not be on your side, but they're on my side."
" Okay Richard.  I'll figure it out how to create a better work environment so the employees like me better.  I guess it's all my fault."
" Maybe it is.  I don't know why Jim brought you in here anyway.  Take care of that, that's what you're supposed to do. Isn't it?"
" Whatever." I said and got up to leave.
" Are you being insubordinate?", be squawked.  He was what people would call a "seagull manager". The kind who flies in, makes a lot of noise, and shits on everything.
" This isn't the army Richard, and the war is over.  I'm gonna go try and rework the numbers. "
" You do that.", he said and went back to two finger typing email responses.

    I was mortified.  He had no idea what the hell he was doing and here he was trying to lead a group of over 300 people.  He had created a work environment of fear, intimidation, and back stabbing. I was brought in to help him but he didn't want my help, he was afraid I was going to take his job.  I left after only 6 months, and he was fired immediately thereafter.  How appropriate that his name was Richard, because he truly was a Dick.


If you're a manager reading this please don't follow these examples, and if you're a rep, please call your manager on the carpet when they're not doing their job.  Have a great day selling!


-M  

How To Lose An Employee In Ten Weeks Or Less

I think this post is geared more towards sales managers, or managers in general, rather than employees. In my career I've been a customer service manager, a service manager, a sales manager, a branch manager, and even a general manager.  I've managed teams as small as 4 people and as big as 250 employees. One thing that I've learned is that I did well only because of my people, and I always did well.  That's the truth.   So I tried to hire the best people and then train them well so they could be successful and in turn I would be successful.  As a result both my professional and personal life improved, and I made life long friends in the process. 

However there are MANY, MANY, managers in the field who don't understand this concept.  They don't lead their employees, instead they manipulate them.  If you want to fail as a manager here are 5 things you can do to ensure your complete and utter failure as a leader and as a human being:

1.) Lie to your employees : Nothing is worse than a manager who is dishonest.  The foundation for every relationship is trust and if your employees don't trust you then they won't work hard for you.  I'm not saying you need to practice full disclosure but you can't be lying to your employees all the time.  I had one manager that would make a joke when I asked him a serious question because he couldn't handle telling the truth.  It was ridiculous and eventually he was fired but I couldn't understand why he had such a hard time being honest.  You wanna lose an employee early on, lie to them in the interview.  The minute they figure out you lied, then you've lost credibility and eventual you'll lose the employee.

2.) Mess with their money - I find it amusing that manager's don't get this concept.  If you hire someone at 40K then pay them 40K.  Don't tell them that the base is actually 38K but with commissions it will be well over 40K.  That's not what they were promised and it's not what they were expecting.  They were expecting a base of 40K and then the commissions.  In addition, don't offer them something in writing and then change it later on.  Like a car allowance, or phone reimbursement, or even a company car.  If you committed to them in writing then honor the damn piece of paper!  How much will it cost you to lose that employee?  A lot more than the nickel and dimes you're saving on phone bills. 

3.) Manage through intimidation - In the past, this was a common way for managers to get employees to do their jobs, but it doesn't work anymore because good employees just leave to find another job.  I know the economy is bad and there are a myriad of employees out there to chose from but why take a chance hiring someone else if you're not committed to their success?  Intimidating them is only going to cause resentment and eventually they're going to quit.  It's that simple.  Why would anyone stay in an abusive relationship when they don't need to?  A good employee will always be able to find a good job.

4.) Micro Management - "In business management, micromanagement is a management style where a manager closely observes or controls the work of his or her subordinates or employees. Micromanagement generally has a negative connotation." -Wikipedia

I remember going into an interview and telling the VP, "Do not micro manage me, cause if you do I can guarantee you I will quit.  I want to be successful or fail on my terms.  If you hire me, it's because you have confidence in my ability to get the job done, not because you have to look over my shoulder to see if I'm doing everything right."  Two years later, he was promoted, a new VP came in who tried to micro manage me, and I quit.  In my exit interview I told the HR person, they should fire that new VP he doesn't know how to lead people.  5 years later, and that moron is still in place.  Why?  He's best friends with the company president...politics.

5.) Have an open, but closed door policy - Every company I have ever worked with,  claims they have an "open door" policy when it comes to addressing employee concerns.  That is bullshit. I have had managers, good managers, who had open door policies and they were very successful.  However when a company says it has an "open door" to voice concerns and then the people who file through the open door are labeled a "whiner" or a "trouble maker", then that's no really an open door.  It's more like a swinging door.  One you would find in a kitchen, saloon, or a roach motel. 
"Employees check in but they don't check out."   Smart employees will pick up on a company that doesn't address people's concerns and they'll go work for one that does.

These are only 5 tips, but there are many more to come in future posts.  Follow the Darkside if you dare.

-M