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Every once in awhile something comes
along that seems too good to be true. It could be that
perfect girl or guy. You meet and everything seems to
click – you were made for each other! You interview
for and land what seems to be your absolute dream job.
You start work, meet the optometrist and the rest of the
staff, and the dream turns out to be a reality – you
actually look forward to going to work! Such was my
experience when I began what has turned into a 10-year
relationship with Rockhurst University Continuing
Education Center, a Jesuit institution in Kansas City,
Kansas, which operates under the name National Seminars
Group. Allow me to explain.
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Years ago, when I first began my own
business, I quickly realized that while I felt supremely
confident when it came to my “technical” abilities
(I could take a PD or neutralize a pair of glasses with
the best of them), I had never received the training
that would help me become a good manager, or ultimately,
a successful business owner. That’s when I sought
help. I began to attend one and two-day seminars to gain
the knowledge and expertise I was lacking. Usually held
in conference centers or better hotels, they usually
cost between $150-400. It was money well spent. At the
time, there were several providers to choose from, but
the classes presented by National Seminars were
consistently head and shoulders above their competition.
I consistently left the seminar with several tips,
techniques, and ideas that I could immediately implement
back at the office. Inevitably, those techniques reduced
stress, and simply made me more effective in all of
those non-technical areas. Usually it’s those areas
that make or break an eye care professional’s success
in anything he or she tries to accomplish.
Later in life, after I had closed
most of our offices, downsized to one small practice,
began writing and teaching optical continuing education
classes, I was privileged to become an adjunct
instructor with Rockhurst and National. From my vantage
point, it was one of those serendipitous perfect fits. I
certainly agreed with the philosophy of the Jesuits: a
zealous dedication to the importance of continuous,
life-long learning. To this day, I believe if you’re
not learning something new, you’re falling behind. The
executive team is comprised of people of integrity –
if they tell you something, you can take it to the bank.
The staff and most of the other instructors are
talented, dedicated professionals. I am honored to be a
member of the National family – and to my knowledge
its only optical professional. Although the management,
leadership, and communication classes I teach are
attended by people in all walks of life, I have been
amazed by the diverse members of the optical professions
that show up all the time. Over the years I have taught
lab workers, lab managers, style consultants,
salespeople, opticians, ophthalmic technicians,
optometrists, ophthalmologists, receptionists, and
front-desk personnel. You name it. Every type of ECP can
benefit from the classes offered by National.
So you would have thought after
putting in more than 10 years, teaching hundreds of
seminars for thousands of attendees, National Seminars
could create something that even surprises me? Something
that on the surface seems too good to be true, but it’s
really not. Well they did, and that something is called
STAR 12.
STAR 12 is an acronym that stands for
Seminar Training And Rewards; the 12 stands for 12
months. For a nominal fee ($299), enrollees become a
part of the STAR 12 family for one full year. What that
means is that for one whole year the enrollee may attend
an unlimited number of seminar and training events
anywhere in the country for NO additional charge.
Unbelievable! For about 82 cents a day (365 x .82 =
$299.30) you can gain virtually unlimited knowledge in
an almost unending array of classes. STAR 12 “members”
also enjoy many other benefits. Not only can they attend
as many “live” seminars for 12 months, they can also
participate in any of the hundreds of teleconferences
and webinars that are presented during the year. These
classes usually last between 60-90 minutes and are
presented over the Internet or via telephone. When
presented they are recorded, and then become part of our
permanent library of webinars that can also be accessed
by STAR 12 members. They can then virtually “attend”
all these seminars at their leisure – any time of the
day or night. They can burn them to a CD or download
them to their iPod. Listen on their morning commute or
maybe while they’re exercising. The possibilities are
limited only by your imagination.
Another benefit of STAR 12 is the
website itself. It contains hundreds of video clips,
quick tips, and a virtual library of helpful resources.
Recently, they even added 26 Franklin-Covey programs
(such as the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People) that
can be accessed for no additional charge. Members also
receive a 10% discount on all resources in National’s
library of textbooks, business manuals, CDs, DVDs, and
software.
Here is a list of only some of the
classes offered for STAR 12 members. Imagine how they
could improve your performance or the performance of
your eye-care staff:
How to be an Effective Communicator,
How to Handle Difficult People, Super Techniques for
Collecting Accounts Receivable, Conducting Employee
Performance Evaluations, Time Management and
Organizational Skills, Interviewing and Hiring Skills,
Legally Terminating People With a Bad Attitude, How to
Manage Emotions and Excel Under Pressure, How to Manage
Your Boss, Going Green at Work, How to Plan Successful
Office Events, Strategies for Ending FMLA Abuse,
Customer Service the Disney Way, How to Deal with
Unacceptable Employee Behavior, Essentials of Managing
the Front Desk, Building a Positive and Motivated Team,
52 Tips for More Effective E-Mail, Diffusing Negativity
in the Workplace, Strategies for Building Trust and
Cooperation Among Employees, Delegate for Results,
Getting Staff to More Readily Implementing Change,
Managing People Who Are Older or More Experienced Than
You, How to Effectively Ask for a Raise in Tough
Economic Times, and Secrets for Selling Over the Phone.
This is just a very small sample of the wealth of
knowledge and wisdom that is available for pennies a day
by enrolling in STAR 12.
If you would like to join STAR 12 or
would simply like more information, follow the links at
National Seminars’ website: natsem.com,
or call the
Customer Service line: (800) 258-7246. Be sure to tell
them Anthony Record sent you!
