Next Level Strategy · 15. March 2023
Do you have a strategy that is truly protecting and nurturing the best interests and opportunities for your company?
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...
Value Building · 01. January 2016
I often refer to a strategy as an umbrella over a business. As you launch into 2016, do you have a strategy that is truly protecting and nurturing the best interests of your company? I am so adamant about the need for business owners to truly understand the powerful impact a strategy can have on a business, that strategy and business planning have been the subject of my last three columns. Your strategy should be the foundation from which you ensure sustainability and continued growth, as well...
Momentum Building · 01. December 2015
Part II of II - I find many business owners confuse a strategy with a plan, and they are not the same. A plan focuses on action and tactical activities. A strategy focuses on vision, purpose, differentiation, advantage, goals, objectives and desired outcomes.It then includes the necessary plans to accomplish these outcomes.Too many businesses do not have the necessary strategy behind their plans. The end result is either a plan that never gets implemented, is marginally successful or totally...
Next Level Strategy · 01. November 2015
Part I of II - As we near the end of another year, midway through fourth quarter in a calendar fiscal year, how are you feeling about your business as a whole? How are you feeling about your business strategy and where it is leading your company? Is it not reaping the results you had hoped? Do you even have a strategy in place or are you taking it day by day hoping what you throw out there works? If you think a strategy is merely trying various tactical things, it is time to graduate your...
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...
Momentum Building · 01. November 2014
Is your business implementing a marketing effort or a marketing strategy? I was inspired to write this column after continuing to see a pattern in what I would classify as the top five band-aids companies use with the belief that their sales will skyrocket or when a desperate need for sales exists. Using a "Band-Aid" to resolve any type of a problem is an American idiom for a temporary solution or something that seems to be a solution, but has no real effect. If you are frustrated by a lack of...
Momentum Building · 01. July 2014
How you approach your operations from a marketing standpoint is key to its success. Marketing for many small businesses is viewed as a necessary evil or a mysterious phenomenon that seems to be all too elusive when it comes to getting results for the business. You try this tactic or that tactic. You implement this program or that program.You ramp up your sales efforts or develop exciting new promotions. And yet, nothing seems to have any sticking power. If you are doing any of these five...
Value Building · 01. June 2014
Whether you are in a start-up mode or have been conducting business on your own for years, knowing where your business is headed is critical to your future well being as well as the livelihood of others who may be depending on the success of your venture. This is why strategy is so important in a business, starting with the long-term vision of your venture in order to make better decisions and to identify and pursue opportunities effectively. While some of what I write here will seem basic to a...