If the right 20% effort gets you 80% of the result, what does 80% effort get you? If it’s a piece of metal twisted back and forth, you can get two pieces, disassembled. If you are navigating a big enough ship into a wharf, you can get a mobile wharf…just before beachfront parking. I amRead… Read more »
I attended a sales seminar where the presenter and the audience were agreeing that being called in to give a buyer “three bids’ was a bad thing, a waste of time. I musta had a depraved upbringing, because I always found a high percentage of those calls resulted in transactions. The way I see it,Read… Read more »
I am seeing that service providers get some funny ideas about the people they serve. In many industries, I have observed that continuing exposure creates a callous attitude, or familiarity breeds contempt. Yesterday I received an email from a sales trainer I have never met, saying my problem was fear and then gave me aRead… Read more »
Many businesses are looking for new customers. They observe buyers are squeezing margins, new competitors are taking accounts. Yesterday, I was asked if a federal government reverse auction was “fair?” Fair? Google went public with a reverse auction. It’s not about fair, the question is does it work? Much of the new competition comes fromRead… Read more »
Will Marshall of Marshall Strategic Marketing has been getting some spectacular results for his clients. We were talking about how that happens and I realized he is doing something I learned about 30 years ago, finding the Creative Solution. It’s difficult to positively define the creative solution. I get irritated when I am looking forRead… Read more »
We are seeing our customers admonished to “do more with less,” “find a way or your replacement will!” and other, similar encouragement. We have gone from downward advice to “form a careful plan” to “I don’t care how…just get it done now!” Heat isn’t generating much light. After a while, firing capable people for failingRead… Read more »
Robert Collins of It’s A Cobol World sent a 1987 Grace Hopper interview Robert sent: I just spent the last bit reading an interview with Grace. There are some gems in the interview which have nothing to do with COBOL. Her approach to management, sales, leadership, etc. come through quite well in the text. (AndRead… Read more »
Can I get an “Amen” that the economy is slightly askew? Are you spending time wondering what is going on? Here are some emerging patterns that might help. Daemon/Freedom™ is one story in two books about our economy if it was based on social rather than economic resources. It’s also a good shoot ’em up.Read… Read more »
The first time I met a local turnaround exec, I was introducing myself when she said, “Oh, I know you, Dick. I read your blogs. I’m a lurker.” Here was someone I didn’t know, who knew a lot about me and what I do. Our conversation quickly went to what I could do for her.Read… Read more »
At the Social Media Engagement Forum at the Mount Vernon-Lee Chamber of Commerce last month, I got a new distinction differentiating Facebook and LinkedIn. I have been learning about social media for business use and operate a syndication model using LinkedIn, Ning, and LinkedIn Groups. I devote time to understanding Facebook, and have a potentialRead… Read more »