What do you do when a team member's performance is lacking? Before you can answer that question, you need to understand the reason for the poor performance. Otherwise, the corrective...
We've all attended meetings that failed to start on time, ran way over, or simply felt like a waste of time because the agenda was not followed. When meetings get...
Customer satisfaction is one very concrete measure of business success. But being able to "package" this satisfaction fully for the benefit of future business prospects is a powerful way to...
When developing an emerging-technology company—or any startup for that matter—the right leadership is critical. One of the biggest challenges is that early-stage companies are often dominated by a founder, a...
Given the current economy, many businesses are looking to adopt new technologies to help control costs and compete. It's sometimes tempting to delay these decisions until the market has clearly...
Small business owners who are heavily task-focused don't tend to be very good at relationships. Yet those with too strong a bias relating [to others] have a tough time getting...
Innovation—whether in your own life or as a leader of others—requires purpose, curiosity, exploration, and receptiveness to discovery. Many entrepreneurs have rejected tremendous opportunities because they lacked (or shied away...
Each new day brings many chances to learn, and these opportunities are often hidden in plain sight. In this, children can be our teachers. Absent of preconception or judgment, the...
Make sure sales representatives have adequate training. They should have a thorough understanding of how your products or services can help potential customers. The following suggestions will help you manage...
Realize that the swiftest competitor, not necessarily the smartest, is often the winner in today's marketplace. Speed is increasingly of the essence, no matter what business you are in. Consider...
I believe the saying "a picture is worth a thousand words" is true. The image or mental picture your customers have of you, your employees, and your business can dramatically...
How do you know what your customers say about your ability to deliver excellent customer service? How do you measure satisfaction? While the job of marketing and advertising is to...
You have no control over the state of the economy or the potential loss of revenue and profits that may occur when times are tough. You do, however, have total...
A "selling cadence" is a carefully organized process, containing regular recurring actions moving toward a sales goal. In a customer-service environment, it's important to get the cadence right. Think of...
Common marketing wisdom used to lead companies to secure vanity or custom 800 numbers to make it easier to respond. The theory was that people could remember "1-800-New-Home" and similar...
Adding a blog to your company's Web site is a great way to bolster your online marketing effectiveness. However, you should put aside dreams of directly building a broad readership...
The oldies but goodies of company communications are making a comeback. Now that e-mail blasts top many lists of marketing tactics, direct mail is regaining its effectiveness. And now that...
Most office environments are swimming in paper and faxes continue to contribute much to the mess. With many companies committed to reducing paper handling and moving to electronic work flows,...
The old-school copier that most companies relied on for document processing has gone high tech. It has evolved into a sophisticated computing device (called a multifunction printer, or MFP)...
No matter how wonderful your company is, it's inevitable that at one point or another, an employee will quit or need to be fired. While this can be unfortunate—or fabulous,...
Promoting your own employees into positions of greater responsibility and recognition should be a win-win proposition. It allows you the opportunity to recognize someone for a job well done. It...
Want to improve the way you run your business? Entrepreneurs, academics, and consultants from diverse industries offer practical advice on a variety of topics each business day.
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