October 3, 2011

LEVERAGING LINKEDIN – PART 1

Issue #200

Linking Is 21st Century Turbo-Charged Networking

One of the most common questions that the marketing department is asked these days is about LinkedIn.  The question, which comes in varied forms, basically boils down to this:  “How can I use LinkedIn to benefit me?” Doubters ask “Can using LinkedIn really help me?”  Social media beginners ask “How do I get started on LinkedIn?”  Salespeople ask “How can I use LinkedIn to make more money?”  Executives ask “Is it really important for our business to be on LinkedIn?”  Why so many questions about LinkedIn?  Perhaps it is because LinkedIn is now the biggest professional social networking site in the world. Continue reading →

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September 26, 2011

BUSINESS LESSONS LEARNED FROM BORDERS

Issue #199

In September, 2006 (just five years ago), Borders – a 40-year-old company — was profitable and growing.  It was the number two book retailer in the U.S., selling cheap books at discount prices.  Borders’ competitive advantage in its heyday was that it stocked tens of thousands of titles in a single store when most independent bookstores could ill afford to stock a fraction of that.  Borders also had a superior inventory system that could optimize, and even predict, what books consumers nationwide were likely to buy.  Beyond the U.S., the Borders empire had grown to over 1,250 stores globally including the U.K., Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Dubai, Oman and Malaysia.   Continue reading →

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September 19, 2011

UNCOMMON COURTESY

Issue #198

It seems any time the word “common” is included in a phrase or expression, one often finds it is really not so “common” after all.  Take, for instance, common sense.  Common sense means to have sound and prudent judgment based on a simple perception of the situation or facts.  Yet, there is a lot of evidence that common sense is not that common.  For example, even though casinos make millions, people go to casinos to gamble hoping to win though just by looking around at the lavish setting it is fairly obvious that the odds are overwhelmingly against them.    Continue reading →

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September 12, 2011

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS

Issue #197

It was 10 years ago yesterday that the United States experienced the most devastating and tragic acts of terrorism in our nation’s history.  No one will forget where they were when the events of that day began to unfold.  Most adults east of the Mississippi River were either at work or on their way to work while most children were arriving or already at school.  Those acts, while focused on New York, Washington DC, and Pennsylvania, showed that terrible, unexpected events can strike anywhere, anytime, without warning. Continue reading →

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September 5, 2011

LIFELONG LEARNING

Issue #196

As summer begins to wind down and children head back to school, we are reminded of the sounds, smells and sights of school. A bouquet of sharpened pencils. The sound of zipping new backpacks. The crinkle of brown paper lunch bags. The anticipation of seeing old friends and meeting new teachers. Most importantly, we remember the challenge of tackling new subjects and expanding our minds. Literature. Creative writing. Geometry. Biology. Geography.  Continue reading →

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August 29, 2011

WHEN THINGS GO WRONG

Issue #195

Mistakes. We all make them at home and at work. In every company, employees make mistakes from time to time. We correct them and keep going. Every once in a while, though, there is a deal, transaction, order, request or sale that is fraught with problems, errors or mistakes from start to finish. The product or service requested bumps along, hitting snag after snag. Or, there was just one mistake made but it was a doozey! Certainly, every business owner or manager has had a transaction nightmare…. an order, request or sale that went terribly wrong. Continue reading →

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August 22, 2011

THE AGE OF ENGAGEMENT

Issue #194

Until about a decade or so ago, a company’s ability to influence the buying process at large was handled by its marketing department and the primary strategy was push marketing. Influential messaging was delivered in a monologue. Manufacturers, retailers and service providers pushed products and services at consumers using a finite number of touch points. Communication was a one-way street. Print ads in newspapers and magazines delivered pithy slogans to a predetermined circulation. Continue reading →

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August 15, 2011

THE POWER OF SUBTLE SUGGESTIONS

Issue #193

Did someone describing what they had for dinner suddenly made you feel hungry?  Has simply looking a picture of beautiful beach suddenly made you long for sun, sand and surf?  Has the mere mention of chocolate preceded a strong craving for it?  That is the power of suggestion at work.  How the power of suggestion works exactly is not really well understood in science but there is a lot of evidence that people are influenced by it. Continue reading →

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August 8, 2011

THE PRUDENCE OF PREVENTION

Issue #192

A common theme in business and work-life columns, bylines and blogs is how to keep up with the minutiae of tasks that crop up in the average hectic, fast-paced life.  There is never enough time to do everything that needs doing. Work. Home. Health and Fitness. Family. Between job and personal demands, the list of tasks that require attention goes on and on. List makers have To-Do Lists that never seem to shrink.  While smart phones help track the responsibilities and errands as they emerge, there are typically some tasks that fall between the cracks because they don’t require regular (weekly or monthly) attention. Some are things we ignore until something (read: something unpleasant) happens to remind us. However, as any doctor or lawyer will tell you, it is better to prevent a problem than remedy it later. To avoid overlooking little things until they become big things, each person should ask themselves these questions twice a year.   Continue reading →

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August 1, 2011

THE VALUE OF PROPER ONBOARDING

Issue #191

It’s 8:28am when Michael arrives for his first day at work for Acme Enterprises. He walks up to the receptionist and says, “Hi, I’m Michael Berger, your new sales person.” Looking puzzled, the receptionist responds, “New sales person? I didn’t know we hired a new sales person.”  She calls the HR manager who informs her that Michael has been hired.  Continue reading →

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