SERVICE / EXPERTISE
FUN / COMMUNIT Y
SUMMER 2013
What Do Your Colleagues Think of You? Contrary to popular belief, our business is teeming with referrals. This year alone in the U.S. and Canada, 1,563 referral deals have generated $29 million in fees. david bowden, Chief Executive Officer | Canada
So what are you doing to make sure you grow your fair share of the referral business?
Do your colleagues think of you as “the person who’s great to work with” or “the person who doesn’t share”? In our industry where reputation and identity are gold, which one would you rather be known as? It’s a sobering truth that it’s very difficult for you to distinguish yourself from other professionals in the industry. You work in the same market, compete for the same opportunities, use the same strategies. I know that even when I feel I’m on top of my game, I look over my shoulder because I know that no matter what, there is, and always will be, someone trying to knock me off my perch. Here’s the good news: There is a way to stand out from the competition. You can differentiate yourself with the added value you give clients when you partner with other teams and offer their expertise along with yours. Our competitors are not good at this. So capitalize on it. If you think you can work in a silo and rely on just your knowledge and “personal relationships” with your clients, you’re going to find it more and more difficult to compete. After all, which option would the client choose — one person armed with just his own knowledge or a team that combines their complementary expertise to solve not one, but multiple challenges? In a world where your
contenders are bringing other specialists, capabilities and results to the project, you would be at a real disadvantage if you choose to remain a one-person show. The prize goes to the player who can bring the wow factor to the game; in this case, it’s experience and know-how. So be that person — the person who shares business, gives their client a more memorable experience and also happens to put more money in their pocket. Don’t get left behind. Make sure you get a piece of the $29 million referral pie. Ask yourself, “When was the last time I referred a colleague to my client?” “When was the last time I asked my client, ‘What else? Where else?’” And if you haven’t already, draft a referral plan for the next two, three, even five years. Set a goal for the number of referrals you will make a quarter, a year. Then follow through. The fact is, those who share, receive. I look forward to seeing our referral numbers go up. P.S. Don’t forget the added incentive of our Global $10,000 USD Business Referral Award, which goes to each quarter’s most enterprising referral. Search “Quarterly Business Referral Award” on Colliers Hub for more details on this initiative.
Best Property Campaign: Mississauga Executive Centre
Best New Business Proposal: Flight Centre
> James Smerdon > David Bell > Michelle Santos
> Geoff Arnoldi > Vanessa Garcia > Mandy Gareh > Jason Durham > Meghan McGarrell
> Colin Scarlett > Matthew Carlson > Jin Kim > Nathan Thompson > Doris Yip
> Jason Mok > Marnie Forstner > Domenic Galati > Ron Jasinski
by Keri Fraser, Director, People Services | Canada
Thank you for participating in the 2013 Aon Hewitt Employee Engagement Survey. I’m very pleased to share with you that our participation rate increased again this year to 86%. This rate is well above the average for employers across Canada. Your commitment to sharing your experience working at Colliers and to helping us become an even better place to work, is phenomenal. We continue to make significant progress on our overall engagement score. Our score this year reached 64% — up 6% from when we started our journey in 2010, and only 1% away from the High Engagement Zone. This year, we redesigned and launched our new benefits program, and moved to a new provider — Sun Life Financial, one of the best in the industry. The feedback you offered on the previous surveys was the driving force behind the new benefits plan. And we are very pleased to announce that the impact of the new benefits plan is significant — our benefits score increased 16%. We are also proud to share the top reasons our people love working at Colliers, based on survey responses: • Co-workers • Corporate Social Responsibility • Learning and Development • Physical Work Environment • Sense of Accomplishment • Work Tasks
Winners of the Canadian Marketing & Market Intelligence Awards Best Market Intelligence Initiative: Spring 2013 Retail Report
Employee Engagement Survey: the Initial Results are In!
> Tanya Neuffer > Hari Minhas
Search “2013 Marketing & Market Intelligence Award Winners” on Colliers Hub to see the winning submissions.
Your department/regional leader will provide you with more details on the survey results. If you have any questions about the Employee Engagement survey, please do not hesitate to reach out to me or someone in the People Services Team. Thank you for joining us in our effort to become one of Canada’s Best Employers!