As the stock market just topped 12,000, it is apparent we are in a recovery. Yet it is far from a traditional recovery - jobless with limited growth. In fact, to most everyday people, it doesn't feel like a recovery. As I've talked with clients and business contacts and [...]
No company can be successful without sales growth. Thus, a few sales strategies are always needed. Do not "sell" - sounds like I've lost my mind but "selling" in the traditional sense is no longer largely successful. And, who wants to "peddle the streets"? Instead focus on providing value. [...]
The global business community is becoming more and more competitive. In order to survive, you no longer have to be one of the best "on your block" or one of the best in the USA; instead, you must be one of the best in the world. It is becoming [...]
It is interesting to sit back and watch as companies spend millions of dollars on strategy formulation, just to achieve minimal results due to poor execution. Yet, the process repeats constantly - more money is dumped into strategy formulation, 3 ring binders, fancy Power Point slides, etc. On the [...]
Clearly, one of the keys to thriving in the current recession is to be ahead of the competition in terms of sales: Remember value - don't focus solely on price. Focus on value, defined in terms of value perceived by your customer. Differentiate yourself with customer service - providing [...]
Budgeting is always relevant, but especially during a recession. Here are a few tips for success: Plan - as obvious as it sounds, think in advance about your projected income and expenses. I'm constantly surprised how many businesses and households do not plan and then are surprised at the [...]
It has recently occurred to me that businesses are missing a huge opportunity to leverage the transferability of best practices. Although as a business consultant, leveraging best practices has been an "assumed" part of the value I provide clients, even I missed the boat and forgot to leverage this [...]
The value of customer service might not be clear until it's necessary - after all, it seems like not a big deal to potentially sacrifice a bit of service in order to gain a good discount. How many of us shop for discounts at the store? Or, in a [...]
