Shipping Zed to Zees: Customer Service Run Amok
I was placing an order for some furniture from Staples Canada for our office. As I do occasionally, I add things to my shopping cart that I might be interested in (so I can find them faster) and then clean it up before placing the order.
In this case I got distracted and then it was almost time to head out the door. So I pressed checkout without stopping to think. I accidentally ordered two different items instead of two of the same; one I didn’t even want.
No worries, I will just cancel the order or change it.
Definiteness of Team Purpose: Communicating the Vision
Once you are absolutely clear on your business vision, you need to make sure that everyone who can help you get there knows what it is.
The classic mistake is most business owners only review the strategy with their team on a periodic basis; maybe even only quarterly or annually.
In my last post on “Definiteness of Purpose: Holding the Vision” I talked about why having a vision is important to an entrepreneur in keeping focus and avoiding distractions.
Now you need to get the power of the team behind the vision.
Napoleon Hill in “Think and Grow Rich” defines […]
Scaling Your Business Impact
I recently wrote a guest post for The Go-Giver Way about how to scale your business in addition to creating value.
“In this post, Certified Go-Giver Coach and very successful business owner, Doug Wagner, brings up a terrific point when it comes to any successful and profitable business: it’s not only about creating value, it’s also about expanding that value in order to touch more lives. But, how do you do that? He suggests there are five key areas.
Enjoy Doug’s […]
Definiteness of Purpose: Holding the Vision
In today’s fast paced, ever changing and distraction filled world the misguided perception is that the spoils in business go to the companies and management teams who can change direction the fastest; and most often.
As entrepreneurs, many of us are by our very nature attracted to new things and solving new problems.
Once an idea has been with us for a little while and we need to get down to the nitty gritty work part, the excitement wears off a little bit.
Then there are some setbacks or issues and things get a little less fun (mild understatement).
Boom, off to the next […]
Entrepreneurs Must Push Through To “Yes”
As an entrepreneur you are often creating something new in addition to wearing the sales hat.
I recently read a great blog post by Bob Burg, "The Biggest Problem With No Isn’t The No". I was typing an epic comment when I realized, this is pretty much a blog post.
As an entrepreneur creating something brand new, "No" has two meanings.
The Sales No
"No, I don't want what you are selling".
The no in sales is hard enough. And no, I mean yes, I need to read Go for No (on the list).
If it has been sold by someone in […]
Comparing Value in 2 Very Different Business Models
I recently spent $900 each on two totally different purchases and it got me thinking about the value relative to payment. Essentially both complied with Law of Value (The Go-Giver by Bob Burg and John David Mann) but for seemingly different reasons.
The Gravel Drive
The first purchase was three big dump truck loads of gravel; roughly 30 cubic yards for our 200 yard long driveway. It was ¾ inch crush which means it had to be what is […]
Definiteness of Purpose: Key to Personal Success
Many people I talk to inside and outside of business are looking for that elusive thing called success. Success is not defined solely by how much money you make. It is usually related to the pursuit of personal happiness, fulfillment and security.
Even people who appear to be focused on money usually have an underlying motive for something beyond the money. They might not know what it is, but it is almost always there.
In “The Go-Giver“, Bob Burg and John David Mann show us The Five Laws of Stratospheric Success. It is an excellent framework for achieving success and […]
In The Game of Business, You Profit or You Die
“When you play the game of thrones you win or you die. There
is no middle ground.”Cersei Lannister in Game of Thrones
Something similar is true in business, you either earn a
profit or your business will eventually die. There is no middle ground.
The difference is that there can be multiple profitable businesses
in the same market.
And if your business dies, you don’t need to perish with it. In fact, you can try again.
Any business that becomes sustainably profitable generates
happy owners […]
Raising the Bar: Average and Meaner Performance
Did you know that something like 90% of drivers think they are above average drivers? Almost half of them are wrong.
50% of doctors graduated in the bottom half of their class? Does that scare you?
Many, maybe even most, business owners think they have above average employees… that their employees are their competitive advantage.
The Average Versus The Mean
Average: Add up the individual measures of each sample and divide by the total sample size.
Mean: The value for which half the sample is […]
Learn, Teach and Preach
There is a distinct difference between these three ways of imparting knowledge and inspiring people to take action both inside and out of your business. Yet, they are frequently misused.
- Learn: You provide the information and situation to allow the person to draw their own conclusions.
- Teach: You guide someone through the logic of the information to the conclusion you want to impart.
- Preach (or Dictate): You tell someone the answer and use fear or appeal to faith (in you or something bigger).
In reality, preaching is […]