Business Articles

Do We Need to Hire Ourselves?

Wordcount: 575 Time to read: 3½ minutes

It’s bad enough when an organization can’t take care of its own operational and maintenance needs. It’s much worse when improving those activities are the very products and services being offered to its customers.

Social Media: OK, so I was wrong … again?

Wordcount: 621 Time to read: 3½ minutes

OK, so I was wrong. Social media can work. As Charlie Brown would say, AAUGH!

I’ve used social media grudgingly, expecting nothing, only to recently find proof of value. When a referral said they’d listened to my podcasts, I knew I was screwed–it can work. Those podcasts launched our client/vendor relationship.

Can your staff read your mind?

Wordcount: 385 Time to read: 2½ minutes

In the ever-shifting landscape of modern business, having a clear sense of direction isn’t just an advantage—it’s a necessity. If you know what you want your organization’s present and future to look like, don’t make staff read your mind. Document it.

Customer Service Quality? Shmality!

Wordcount: 580 Time to read: 4 minutes

When it comes to delivering products and services, consistent levels of customer service outweigh all other aspects of the end-user experience. What makes a business stand out is outstanding customer service.

While there are many pieces to this puzzle, this newsletter focuses on three that are universal and foundational to building a sustainable organization.

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You Don’t Know Your Customer

You Don’t Know Your Customer

When you being to believe you understand your customers needs is when you begin to lose sight of who your customer is. The demands on your customers that create change in their world can be completely hidden from yours. Ensuring you fully understand what drives your customers, over time, helps ensure you know who they really are.

Wordcount: 599 Time to read: 3 minutes

Business Schools Don’t Teach You How to Run a Business

Business Schools Don’t Teach You How to Run a Business

The first time every new leader takes charge, they quickly realize how ill-prepared their education left them. As humorously depicted in the Rodney Dangerfield film, Back To School, running a business ain’t as simple as it might seem. This installment talks about the pitfalls and provides some useful tips.

Wordcount: 844 Time to read: 5 minutes

When strategic plans fail

When strategic plans fail

As a consultant with expertise in strategic planning, I get called to help clients for one of two reasons. They’re either trying to develop their first strategic plan or tired of having them fail. For either scenario, the reasons a strategic plan, or to be more specific, a strategic objective, fails are the same.

Wordcount: 623 Time to read: 3½ minutes

Nobody knows anything

Nobody knows anything

Nobody knows which ideas will succeed until one does. Success stories are often written off as bad ideas that won’t work by the experts before they’ve been tried or tested. How do you answer the question “How will COVID affect my business?” Read this post and find out!

Wordcount: 578 Time to read: 3 minutes

Are you waiting for trouble?

Are you waiting for trouble?

A business satisfied with its success that stops trying to improve screams “We’re patiently waiting to be overtaken.” and signals the competition to attack. Why would any business do that? Sadly, that’s what most do. When times are good, a business has the time, money, and resources to work on areas of weakness and look for ways to maintain its dominance. That’s when proactive changes should be made, not when times are tough and you have no choice. Put that in your pipe and smoke it.
Wordcount: 428, Time to read: 3 minutes

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