It’s not unusual for business owners to have healthy egos. It takes a great deal of confidence to launch and guide a business through the ups and downs. Unfortunately, egos can inflate into so much self-confidence it impedes success. I thought about that after I concluded a conversation with a business owner who responded to my [...]
A famous man quoted the Russian proverb, “Doveryai no Proveryai.” Translated it means trust but verify. Experience has taught me that’s a sound piece of advice for business leaders, too. I say that after dealing with countless business owners who have said “I trust my gut” when making important decisions about marketing or other strategies. What [...]
You’ve landed two big contracts in nearby states and have three hot prospects. It looks like the small company you started three years ago is ready to become a regional or even national player. It’s too bad your brand is going to limit your growth opportunities. I recently spoke with an industrial company that saw itself [...]
I’ve long found it amusing (and amazingly frustrating) that the two departments focused on driving most companies’ revenues are rarely in sync with one another. Often, their conflicts rise to the level of sworn enemies. Instead of taking a symbiotic approach, both departments avoid and sidestep each other, impairing their success and that of their employers. [...]
I learned a long time ago that a large part of serving as the marketing partner for companies is acting as a translator and cultural attaché. No, I’m not multilingual or an expert in etiquette, but so much of what we do involves bridging gaps between people. In fact, it’s rare to find a company or [...]
Have you ever wished you could take a surreptitious peek into your competitors’ operations or decision-making process? What if I told you, it may be easier than you think? I’m not suggesting you hire industrial spies to break into a competitor’s production facility or try to place a mole into their executive suite. The simple fact [...]
I’m always fascinated by company leaders who cannot grasp the value someone with a different perspective can bring to them. It reminds me of that homespun wisdom that it’s impossible to read the label from inside a jam jar. Put another way, unless a CEO or other company leader has managed to become 100 percent [...]
I was excited to open it. The website had been compelling, and the box was beautifully designed. The product was exactly as advertised. And then I saw the sheet. It was a simple slip of paper, containing the assembly instructions, apparently cranked out on the company’s photocopier. The text was skewed on the page, so whoever [...]
If there’s one common theme I’ve been hearing from company leaders during these strange economic times, it’s “we need more people.” And if there’s one lesson I’ve learned, it’s that those companies may need a more strategic approach to find them. You can see the evidence of the struggle to hire everywhere you look, from a [...]
The disagreement grew increasingly intense. His frustration was obvious as he angrily snapped, “I’m the customer! I’m always right!” I didn’t yell back. I simply resigned his business. “The customer is always right” is an outgrowth of the intense competition among early big-city retailers. 19th century titans like John Wanamaker and Marshall Field wisely emphasized customer [...]
