Selling Competence
Organizational Marketing
and Networking
Presented by
Tammara Geary
www.centerforsocialcapital.org
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People with Disabilities…
Working in a variety of jobs
 Earning competitive salaries and wages
 Having benefits as part of their
compensation packages
 Learning and developing
skills for the changing workforce
 Building careers
 Making decisions

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And Yet….
 The
unemployment
rate of people with
disabilities continues
to hover around
70%.
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Keys to Success
 Finding
Hidden Jobs
 Discovering
Community
Opportunity in the
 Creating
Jobs – both wage employment
and self-employment – fitting the “Ideal
Conditions of Employment”
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Selling Competence
 Competence
of
the Jobseeker
 Competence
of
the Organization
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Community Image, Marketing,
and Job Development

Community Image is Basically How Your
Organization is Perceived and Valued by the Public

Marketing is Promoting the Services and Products
Offered by the Organization

Job Development is Finding or
Creating Jobs to Meet the
Needs of the Jobseeker,
the Workplace, and the Funder
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Community Image, Marketing,
and Job Development
Go Hand-in-Hand
All Three Contribute to Finding Jobs
and Producing Quality Outcomes.
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Making Community Connections
 Community
Connections and Belonging are
Critical Both for the Individual and the
Providers of Support
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Business Councils
and Organizations
 Rotary
 Chamber
 Business
Leagues
 Business
Support and Assistance Groups
 Business
Advisory Councils
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How Most Jobs Are Found
 Employment
 Answer
Want Ads – 14%
 Networking
 Other
Agencies – 12%
– 63%
– 11%
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Networking is Key
 Become
 Help
Part of Your Community
People Become Part of the Community
 Participate
 Network,
and Contribute
Network,
Network
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Social Capital
 The
Value of People
 People
with Disabilities
Typically Have Little
Social Capital
 Scarcity
v. Abundance
Griffin-Hammis
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Fear

2/3’s of Americans believe Crime
is out of control

90% of Americans believe the Drug Problem is
ravaging the country

The News is filled with stories on Cancer, Obesity,
Heart Disease & Flesh Eating Bacteria

Our schools are filled with “Teenage Time Bombs”
Griffin-Hammis
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Reality
 The
Crime rate has
consistently fallen since 1990
 Drug
use has decreased by over 50% in the
last Decade
 Life
Expectancy Doubled in the Last Century
 You
are 3 times more likely to be killed by
Lightning than by a Student
Griffin-Hammis
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What Can You Do?
Start at Your Front Door
 Circle the Neighborhood and Beyond
 Inventory: People, Interesting Places, Jobs or Parts of Jobs,
Things to do or that Need Doing
 Stop and Chat
 Ask for Help (The Majority of Americans Want to Help!)

Griffin-Hammis
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What Can You Do?
 Poker
Night
 Darts at the Corner Bar
 Neighborhood Pot Luck
 Scrap Booking
 Cruising
 Going to the Movies….
Griffin-Hammis
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What Can You Do?
 Church
 Service
Clubs
 Intramural Sports
 Health Clubs
 School/Classes
 Work….
Griffin-Hammis
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What Can You Do?
How do we find out about it?
 Where is it?
 How do we get there?
 How do we get in?
 What’s needed to participate?
 Who can help?
 Who needs a partner?
 What will we say?
 When can we start?
 How much is too little activity? How much is too much?

Griffin-Hammis
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The Network
Inventory your personal and
organizational networks.
 Inventory the jobseeker and his/her
family’s networks.
 Record the network.
 Systematically build and maintain
established relationships.
 Monitor opportunities gained via
various connections.

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Considering Your Network
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Strategies for Enhancing
Community Image
 Target
 Word
Your Audience
of Mouth
 Presentations
 Events
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Brochures
Glossy,
Professional, High Impact
Must
Answer the Question What’s in It for Me?
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Brochures
Target
Your Audience – NOT all
audiences in one piece
Static,
Unchangeable, and Can Easily
Become Stale
Expensive
to Produce
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Fact Sheets
Inexpensive
Easy
to Change
Can
Easily Target Audiences,
Including Specific Industries or Even
Specific Businesses
Print
on Letterhead (no copies)
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Fact Sheets
Should
Be Neat, Concise, Easy to
Read, Jargon-Free
Leave
White Space!!!!
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Fact Sheets Should Include:
Brief
Description of Services and
How You Satisfy Needs
List
of Businesses (with permission)
Testimonials
(with permission)
Contact
Information
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List Two Strategies You Can Implement
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Tammara Geary
[email protected]
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