How words sell well!
I write everyday. At present, I am working on a book under contract, finishing revisions for a publishing agreement on my next book, and working on a collaboration document involving a company for yet a third book. So put simply, I write. Unfortunately, all too few writers will ever be able to write as effectively…
Direct Buy, Best Buy, Where You Buy
It had been some time since I heard about them but this week they kept finding their way into my conversations. At a large independent retail conference they were a central point of discussion, while working for a major metropolitan design center client I also heard my share about them. Who are they? Direct Buy…
Is your business making WOWful Connections with your customers?
You have probably heard the well-worn phrase that “knowledge is power.” I think that’s wrong! Knowledge is just that – knowledge. Unless information is put it into action their is no power in it. Lets take the knowledge that you’ve collected on your best customers as an example. Assuming you have taken a great interest…
How to Choose a Strategic Business Partner
On occasion, my father would begin to make a point with the phrase “if I had a dime for every time…..” and finish it with something like “a politician made a promise they did not keep – then I would be a rich man today” With inflation, I’ve decided to modernize my father’s speech style…
How do YOU KNOW?
As a business owner and consultant, one of my favorite phrases has been “how do you know?” For example, I might ask a CEO of a business that I’m consulting with about their overall level of employee engagement and after they give me their subjective assessment, I typically spring the follow-up question “how do you…
Starbucks – Dead or Alive
Some time ago, innovation consultant to Fortune 500 companies and author Gregg Fraley blogged that “Starbucks is Dead.” He went on to acknowledge that his comment was a “bit of an overstatement.” But he made the observation because of his experience. According to Fraley, “Starbucks has gone from a ‘highlight of my day’ to one…
Transform or Control? Resolving an Important Leadership Challenge
Here is a quick “what would you do if” quiz. Assume you take over leadership of a troubled work team or organization. Your employee engagement scores, customer engagement metrics, and performance measures all reflect significant cultural chaos. Which of the following approaches is mostly likely to achieve an effective cultural revolution: a) (since crisis requires…
Keys to Choosing Customer-Centric Business Tactics
A clearly defined business strategy makes tactical decision-making easier. Let’s take the case of Home Depot, one of the major US-based home improvement big box retailers. Home Depot competes aggressively head-to-head with the Lowes brand. Home Depot’s story is well-told in the 1999 book Built from Scratch: How a Couple of Regular Guys Grew The…
Are you service-centric?
Previously, I’ve shared 4 customer interaction strategies that businesses either consciously or inadvertently deploy. Those strategies are product-centric, service-centric, customer-centric, and customer-adaptive. I hope I communicated that whichever strategy you choose is less important than how effectively you execute it. I will skip over product-focused business strategies and begin with a service-centric approach. Does your…
Shakespeare and Business
Hamlet…”To thine own self be true.” I sometimes wonder if leadership experts that I admire, like John Maxwell, ever make business missteps? If they do, what can I learn from them? To my surprise at an international speaking event recently, I was asked a similar question. A lady stood up during a question and answer…
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