There are companies – small, mid-sized and big — that are beloved. They have learned how to connect with customers in a way that is so meaningful and heartfelt that their customers wouldn’t think about buying from the competition. That doesn’t mean the brand can relax and stop trying. It just means the brand is doing everything right. So what does “doing everything right” look like? Here are five things beloved brands do to woo, win and firmly wedge customers to them.

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Business and love are two words that we usually don’t associate with one another. Business is about profit, margins, and the bottom line. As the saying goes, “It’s not personal… it’s business.” Love, on the other hand, is generally 100% personal. Love is an emotion bestowed when there is deep connection, closeness, protectiveness, attraction, affection, trust and genuine caring. And yet there are big, profitable, successful companies that are loved – not just liked, needed, or appreciated – but actually loved by their customers. How is that possible? And how can companies gain customer love? Is it nurtured? Is it earned?

Here’s how. Continue reading →

Businesses are slowly coming to better understand the concept of ‘brand’. It’s much more than a company’s logo, slogan, or other recognizable mark used to help promote goods and services. Brand is every aspect people identify with a company, product, or service. And, it is one of a company’s most important assets. First, leaders sought to establish defined brands. Then, companies sought to drive, deliver and measure customer engagement with their brands. But, now, business leaders are realizing the end goal should actually be brand entanglement. So what is entanglement and how does a company drive, deliver and measure it? Let’s talk Brand Love.

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Due to Covid, the rise of remote work – dubbed Work From Home or WFH – became ubiquitous. And, it’s no surprise that most employees love it and want to keep working from home. Employers, however, have mixed feelings about it because it is much harder to connect, bond and generate loyalty and engagement, monitor productivity and spur innovation. This disconnect between what employees want and what employers need is creating a Turnover Epidemic. The good news is that there are tools and strategies to keep the Turnover Epidemic from hurting your business.

Here’s how. Continue reading →

For many businesses, the 2020 pandemic was harsh. Covid threatened the very survival of many companies. Businesses pivoted to remote work to keep from “closing their doors forever.” Remote work was business medicine… bitter and expensive but necessary, as medicine often is. Now that the virus has begun receding, it may be that the very medicine used to survive the virus – remote work — is now creating a different kind of workplace epidemic… high turnover. Is the unintended consequence of remote work creating a worse problem for businesses… one for which there is no vaccine: high employee turnover for companies that refuse to let employees keep working remotely? Here are some ways to stop turnover from overturning your business now that you finally “reopened your doors.” Continue reading →

It is estimated that 55% of all communication is non-verbal body language. Then, 38% is tone of voice and 7% is the actual words we use. So a lot of what we “say” is being communicated in unintended ways. That is also the case with laughter. Humor plays a big part in our social dealings at work and serves as an unspoken – although definitely auditory – language between people. Do you know how to read the social cues of laughter? Here’s what you need to know about sense of humor, laughter and power.

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Humor plays a big part in our social dealings at work and home. It’s not only a lubricant in social relationships, it also serves as an unspoken – although definitely auditory – language between people. Being funny, in the right way, can create stronger bonds and help people rise in the ranks. But we laugh less and less as we get older. This is especially true at work because humor is tricky. It can be excessive and it can offend. That’s why it’s important to know what kind of humor and how much humor is appropriate at work. Here’s what you need to know about humor at work.

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It was Mark Twain who said “Humor is the great thing, the saving thing after all. The minute it crops up, all our hardness yields, all our irritations and resentments flit away, and a sunny spirit takes its place.” A sense of humor is invaluable in relationships. It has also been tied to intellect, attractiveness, and leadership ability. And it is certainly a prized skill. But what connection does humor have to success? It turns out being funny matters.

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It is human nature to want to be comfortable… to want to avoid discomfort and pain. In fact, it is so embedded in our disposition to seek comfort and stay comfortable that we’ve given it a name: “the comfort zone.” When we’re in the comfort zone, we feel confident and anxiety disappears because we can draw on past experiences… things that are well-known. Change, experimentation and new experiences, on the other hand, can cause hesitation and trepidation. No one wants to be uncomfortable, but it is something we should embrace from time to time.

Here’s why. Continue reading →

There is a Positivity Movement sweeping the planet. This trend – prevalent especially on social media – urges people to “focus on the positive”, “exude positive energy” and “embrace a positive attitude”. Countless memes, posts, videos and articles promote positivity as the way to joy, happiness and success. The unsaid part of the message of positivity is to “ignore anything negative” and “be bubbly all the time”, even when depressed, stressed or upset. And, paradoxically, it often backfires and produces negativity instead. Why? Beware of the positivity paradox. Continue reading →