I’d just like to extend a simple and sincere thank you. Thank you, Our Readers, for letting me share an idea or two each Sunday. Thank you, Our Clients, for trusting us with your businesses, and your clients, and your important sales and marketing projects. Thank you, Our Friends and Family, for the love and support that energizes us. …
Bullets
Cascading bullet points on pages of PowerPoint presentations don’t work very well. They’re hard to read, hard to understand, and most importantly, they’re hard to remember. Sure, we all do it and it seems to work okay in thousands of companies around the world. But it’s not the best way to deliver and process information. If you …
Civility
It’s crunch time. The end of the year is near. Deadlines loom. And the holidays drive increased levels of stress. Somedays, it can be hard to muster a smile, much less a kind word. Rudeness can rear its ugly head. But abrasiveness, insensitivity and bullying take a huge toll on productivity and quality of work. …
Greatness
My first boss and mentor in sales and marketing communications had a wonderfully simple, yet very motivating, approach to every communication challenge. Whether it was an article, ad copy, or a presentation, he would remind us to start with the same presupposition: “Imagine the world is screaming at you ‘WHO CARES?!’” It’s a jarring, but …
Words
When clients come to us with marketing challenges, they’re usually struggling with some version of this key question: What do we say, what do we write? Arresting photos and graphics will get you noticed, but words encourage action. Words sell problems, explain implications, and call people to action. Words illustrate ideas – ideas of smarter, …
Reconsider
Want to be right more often? Then be prepared to change your mind more often, or at least be more open to it. Jeff Bezos of Amazon says one-track thinking – trying to make a case for just one point of view – should be avoided. Bezos has noticed that people who are right a …
Curiosity
Curiosity is a critical element for surviving – and thriving – in any environment. Albert Einstein famously advised a young student “the important thing is to not stop questioning…never lose a holy curiosity.” The innate desire to seek new information and experiences, and explore new possibilities, is what propels daily innovation and invention. It’s the …
A-Players
Great companies are made with great people – A-players. But how do you find great people? What do they look like? Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman study and work with leaders at companies around the world. They’ve researched more than 4,100 executives and analyzed over 50,000 performance reviews, studying the difference between good vs. great. They …
Fit
There is nothing worse than a poor fit. Whether it’s shoes, services – or even people – when a fit isn’t good, it’s painful, unproductive and unsustainable. Ian Altman, author of “Same Side Selling” summarizes the essence of his book with the acronym FIT, which stands for Finding Impact Together. Altman says FIT is a mantra that …
Purpose
The modern marketplace is crowded, noisy and unpredictable. Promotional ads, emails and robocalls attack our senses and psyches like a swarm of locusts. We’re bombarded with benefits. We’re overwhelmed by choices. We’re demoralized by soulless greed. For decades, the Four P’s of Product, Price, Promotion and Place were the essential elements of good sales and …