(Time to read this Blog article is about 40 seconds) Research shows that 81% of consumers and 94% of B2B buyers do online searches before making a purchase.  So, for many businesses, their website is the single most important part of their total marketing effort.  So, here are 3 simple but important tips on how […]

(Time to read this Blog article is about 90 seconds) A few years ago, on a trip to New York I came across a large brick wall on which someone had spray painted in huge letters, “Don’t sweat the small stuff!”    But then some wise person wrote just below it, “But it’s the small stuff […]

(Time to read this Blog article is about 70 seconds) Employee engagement is a hot topic these days, as it should be.  Employee engagement is defined as a passionate commitment to their organisation’s goals values and success. There is some shocking research out there about the level of engagement and disengagement by employees.  According to […]

(Time to read this Blog article about 60 seconds) A loyal reader wrote recently to say that he misses my ‘Cranky Corner’ articles where I write about things that tick me off.  I do get cranky about certain things. It could be my age…or it might be that, like you, some things just tick me […]

(Time to read this Blog article is about 40 seconds) Put knowledgeable and passionate people in charge of every part of your business, get out of their way, thank and reward them…and watch your business grow.  See the two examples below… Dahlgren’s Building Supplies in St. Helens, Oregon also sells horse and other feed to […]

(Time to read this Blog article is about 60 seconds) Kids never stop asking ‘why’.  That’s how they learn and grow.  Then, as adults, most of us stop asking ‘why’.  We just carry on, day after day, doing the same things for the same old reasons.  We should all stop, every once in a while, […]

(Time to read this Blog article is about 60 seconds) Most businesses talk about the importance of creating a career path for their best people and promoting from within.  But in my experience there are six approaches to promoting from within…and most of them are ineffective.  Which of these sounds most like your business? We […]

(Time to read this Blog article about 60 seconds) Humans need not apply: In the heavily industrialized southern Chinese province of Guangdong  (pop 107 million), it is estimated that 80% of factory workers will be replaced by automation (robotics) in the next three years.   A recent White House Report estimates that 47% of all jobs […]

(Time to read this Blog article is about 90 seconds) Every industry and every market, including yours, is over-served and under-differentiated.  There are too many other people selling what you’re selling…and that’s your biggest problem.  To differentiate yourself you need a compelling value story…and then you need to tell that story in a way that engages […]

(Time to read this Blog article is about 60 seconds) One of the biggest myths in business today is that there’s no such thing as customer loyalty anymore.  The truth is that people are loyal, fiercely loyal, to what’s best for them…or what they assume is best for them.  That’s it! So, first we must […]