Are you staying current?

Posted on January 28, 2011 by David

Do you belong in a museum?

What are you doing to stay current?

A relic is defined as a ” . . . surviving memorial of something past.”

An artifact is ” . . . a handmade object, as a tool, or the remains of one, as a shard of pottery, characteristic of an earlier time or cultural stage.”

Are you and your business practices better suited for a museum display beside an 8-track player, a Dictaphone and a mimeograph machine?

If you know what those are, I suggest completing a personal evaluation before you become just as outdated.

Posted in Purpose, Vision | 2 Comments

Reinvention

Posted on January 26, 2011 by David

The wheel. It's worked for centuries.

Is it time to reinvent your business? What about reinventing yourself?

The origin of the phrase “reinvent the wheel” seems to be a futile exercise since the wheel has already been invented. Can it be made better? Stronger? Faster? More efficient? What’s the point?

The point is the economy is still struggling and millions of people are out of work and have been for a long time. Adapting to industry trends, new technologies and new ways of conducting business, are ways to stay in the game.

Maybe it’s time to reinvent you and your business.

First step, open your eyes.

Posted in Attention to Detail, Beginning, Business Growth | Tagged | 2 Comments

Merging traffic ahead

Posted on January 24, 2011 by David

Two become one

Technology still gets me geeked out. After a conversation with a friend on Sunday afternoon, an idea was sparked and now the two blog sites have merged into one.

One came from a non WordPress site. But, with the push of a couple of buttons, voila! Posts, comments and media are all  loaded and ready for viewing.

It’s kinda nice to see the progression from day 1 to now.

Thank you all for your support. This merge should be a transition to smooth travel ahead.

Posted in 1-year, 100th Post | 3 Comments

Everybody suits up

Posted on January 23, 2011 by David

Time to suit up

Pick your analogy.

Football players on the same team wear the same uniform.

Most fast food chains have the same uniform.

If you are a seasoned veteran of Disney theme parks, I bet you can match the uniform with the attraction.

What about your business? Are you proud to wear your “uniform”? Is your company proud to have you on their team?

As a leader, it’s your duty to help your employees understand just how important their individual contribution is to your company.

Whether you are a small business or a Fortune 100 company, everybody suits up.

Or nobody wins.

Posted in Customer Service, Leadership, Purpose | 4 Comments

Genuinely nice

Posted on January 21, 2011 by David

You never know who you’ll run into while working. Most “celebrities” blend in with the crowd. Some like the attention and some just want to lead a normal life away from the hustle and bustle that accompanies stardom.

What if we treated all of our customers like they were celebrities? Offering them a spot on the wall of fame (customer of the week/month/year) or offering special discounts in conjunction with their birthday are two ways to make them feel special.

Other things you can do:

  1. Remember their name before they get inside your business
  2. Always have their product available
  3. Have them call you ahead of time with their product needs and have their order ready when they arrive.
  4. Send them a personal, hand-written note after their purchase telling them just how much you appreciate their business.

Show them how much you care by the way you serve them.

PS. The celebrity that stopped by my store was Larramie Doc Shaw, one of the stars of “Pair of Kings” on the Disney Channel. Seriously. He was genuinely nice.

Posted in Customer Service | 2 Comments