Marketing is growing in increasing importance to CEOs and leadership teams. While sales used to dominate growth strategy conversation with marketing only serving a supportive role, business leaders now realize that effective marketing can and should drive sales activity. The more your target your sales efforts through better market research and marketing campaigns, the greater the return on investment for all involved.
Staying ahead of your competitors is a constant challenge for small business owners. Knowing what your competition is doing is crucial to your strategy and growth. Whether you're competing locally, regionally, or nationally,…
As a small business owner, achieving and maintaining success requires a clear strategy and a commitment to continuous improvement. One effective way to ensure your business remains aligned and driven toward its goals…
Not all risks are equal. Prioritize them based on their likelihood and potential impact on your business. Focus your resources on high-probability risks that would leave you significantly vulnerable, while having contingency plans…
Growth is hard work. For the past 27 years, I’ve worked as an executive coach, Vistage Chair, trainer or management consultant with hundreds of organizations. They have varied in size from just under…
Allow others to handle the operational details. As the leader, you are by default the Chief Sales Officer. Your job is to stress the organization from the "outside in," not the "inside out."…
There are countless books out there on customer service and maximizing customer experience, but sadly, few companies heed the advice. Often, it becomes necessary to lower your expectations to reconcile vendor claims with reality.…
In a competitive business environment, it's not okay to be like everyone else. Clients/customers are becoming increasingly sophisticated about their options. If you don't stand out in a discernible, valuable way, then you…
Branding is about ensuring current and prospective clients know who you are, what makes you different, and why you are a good fit for their needs. At its core, it is about your…
Bottom line is that to be successful in business, you need to be different from your competition. Simply following and succumbing to market norms is for losers. Industries and markets are often too…
One of a leader's primary jobs is to constantly pay attention to the marketplace and make changes as needed. Markets are dynamic, not static, and as a result are constantly reinventing themselves. What…
Targeting the right prospects requires thought and effort. Every business needs to know when to say no. It's easy to say yes (or at least we think it is). Bad or mediocre clients…
I often get asked for a checklist of business management improvement ideas. While the following list isn't exhaustive, it is a good start for anyone who would like to audit their existing business…
We all have something unique that makes us special. The Gallup Organization claims that everyone has special talents that they can do better than 10,000 other people. The key is to identify what…
We've all heard the saying that "You shouldn't put all your eggs in one basket." The same can be said about betting everything on one major product or service line or relying too…
It seems like everything is being commoditized these days. As a result, margins are shrinking, and businesses are having to do more with less. In addition, consumers are becoming more demanding and less…
Most leaders I know would get better results if they spent more time looking outside their organization for opportunities and seizing them rather than worrying about what may or may not happen once…
A leader is supposed to see things others don't see. He/she is required to challenge existing systems, processes and solutions to find improvements. The future is created by those who make it not…
Please click on this link for the Differentiate or Die Book Summary. In Differentiate or Die, bestselling author Jack Trout doesn’t beat around the bush. He takes marketers to task for taking the…
When making a decision, we will less frequently enjoy the luxury of fully considered analysis of the total situation but will revert increasingly to focus on a single, usually reliable feature of it……
Through detailed analysis and numerous real-world examples, Cialdini identifies six key principles of influence that are universally applicable. This expanded summary delves deeply into these principles, providing comprehensive insights into human behavior and…
For small business owners, this book offers actionable insights that can transform how you position your brand in the marketplace. It's a reminder that in the race to be noticed, being different isn't…
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