Next Level Strategy · 01. March 2016

Too many businesses, in an effort to compete, miss the mark in what it takes to truly differentiate themselves. If you are using your competition as a template for what you think you should be doing, then you will always be following, and will more likely get left in the dust of "not knowing what you didn't know."Companies that truly excel against competition are willing to put their offerings and how they approach doing business on the line. These businesses are willing to be disruptive, and...

Customer Building · 01. February 2016

What does it take to excel in business today? A key area in which a business can excel against competitors, regardless of industry, is through customer service. Making it a focus to serve customers better than anyone else is becoming more and more of a priority for savvy businesses that understand what a dismal job their industry is doing as a whole. Truly exceptional businesses take this mindset to an even higher level, by focusing on not just serving their customers, but engaging them at...

Confidence Building · 01. May 2015

You may have heard the cold call statistic that it could take as many as 100 phone calls to get one meeting. That statistic has been around since cold calling was in its heyday. But at a one percent return on your time investment, are those odds really working in your favor? After all, wouldn't it be better to have odds that would actually give you the probability of converting that prospect into an actual customer? Over more than 30 years working with businesses, I have tracked what I like to...

Next Level Strategy · 01. April 2015

Walking into a Main Street gallery gift shop, I was greeted by its associate who asked, "How may I help you?" My answer, the same answer most likely you have given on countless occasions, "No thank you. I'm just looking." Instead of the usual, "Okay, just let me know if you have any questions," this associate literally seemed to get excited!He leaped out from behind the counter and said, "I have just the thing for you!" He returned with a card that offered a "Just Looking" discount on my...