Align Offers with Client Needs Al Franken’s character, Stuart Smalley, from Saturday Night Live is famous for the line “I’m good enough, I’m smart enough and doggone it, people like me.” This is excellent advice if you are working on self esteem, but for your business, Stuart has it wrong. Good enough doesn’t cut it! It’s a simple truth, in … Read More
I’ve been thinking a great deal about organizational change. I would like to share my thoughts on the three ways to realize huge change in a business. Change is going to happen. Is the change going to be thrust upon your organization or is it going to be something you bring about? All three of the ways we look at … Read More
Many years ago as a radio sales rep I had a client say to me “Everyone is a price shopper.” The gentleman had a small retail carpet shop. I needed a way to show him that this wasn’t the case. I developed my “X’s and O’s of Retail.” Over the years this has morphed into a model which contrasts what I … Read More
I just fired up an old laptop to retrieve a document. This was a list of topics I planned to write about, and I thought it would be instructive to review the list. I had searched through all my current folders several times when it occurred to me that it was created a while ago and it might me on the … Read More
I’ve been away from the keyboard for a while; it’s time to get back to this. I’ve had a lot of balls in the air, but I do enjoy writing. I may be a bit rusty but hope you enjoy the ride. Loyalty programs can be as simple as a “coffee card” that gets punched every time the customer places an … Read More
I begin with a disclaimer. This is an opinion piece, and in the spirit of full disclosure, I currently work in online marketing but most of my experience is in traditional media. If we frame this comparison in terms of the message and its delivery, and tracking the costs, I feel it simplifies our comparison. THE MESSAGE: With traditional media, you develop … Read More
I begin today by sharing a passage from David Beckham’s autobiography “Both Feet on the Ground.” I first read this book shortly after it was released. I was taken by Beckham’s description of a particular goal and this passage has stayed with me. He describes this as his favorite goal in a Manchester United shirt: “We got a free-kick on … Read More
I just finished reading Guy Kawasaki’s book “Enchantment, The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds and Actions.” I my first encounter with Kawasaki was when I read “Ten Ways to use LinkedIn” on his blog How to Change the World. He is an author, venture capitalist in Silicon Valley and former chief evangelist at Apple Computers. This isn’t a review of … Read More
Most people that go to a Disney theme park have a good, sometimes great story to tell. In reading the book “Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds, and Actions” by Guy Kawasaki, I read a personal story in which the individual tells of a situation in which a Disney employee “enchanted him for life.” This prompted me to tell my little … Read More
Let’s go shopping at the “Wort & Must Co.”? Can you imagine what you might find in this store? If you are a beer or wine making enthusiast you might know that “wort” is the big pot of fermenting liquid in the initial stage of beer making and “must” is that infusion of fermenting wine. This is a very strong name for a local business. It does take a level of understanding to appreciate … Read More