Strategies & Execution
What Really Generates Referrals
Building a foundation that automatically generates referral momentum is not done through external actions – like some many things in life, you do it from the inside out. Plain and simple the most widely referred business are purely more referable.
Make people look good
Keeps promises
Creates an experience
Educates, instead of selling
Adds value beyond price
Does something talkable
Exceeds expectations
Focus [...]
A Dozen Don’ts for Entrepreneurs
Most advice to entrepreneurs focuses on what they should do: build a great product, assemble a great team, provide great service. All are “duhisms.” Unfortunately, many entrepreneurs don’t realize that there are things they should specifically avoid doing too. These are also duhisms, but somehow no one ever talks about them. Here is my list [...]
Hiring The Right Person
Hiring is more of a headache than ever, so say many companies who receive HR services from my firm. This might come as a surprise considering that there’s no longer an overheated talent market in which companies desperately compete for top talent. But instead, business owners are facing a down economy in which scores of [...]
Quit Using Email to Train Your Leads to Ignore You
We all get email marketing messages. The ones that really irritate me are the offers that get sent repeatedly with the exact same messaging. If it doesn’t catch my eye the first time, why would they think I want to see the same thing 5 more times in two days?
At this point, I unsubscribe. [...]
9 Ways to Decrease a Company’s Employee Benefits Cost
Given the current state of the economy it is more important than ever for businesses to carefully evaluate their employee benefit programs to find ways to manage cost. Double-digit health insurance renewal increases should not be an automatic annual ritual, as there are many options available that can save your company money without sparing the [...]
The Pros and Cons of Co-Branding
There are a number of reasons companies embark on co-branding programs. To begin with, they’re a powerful way of introducing one company’s products and services to the loyalists of another.
Co-branding also enables one brand to benefit from the “halo of affection” that belongs to another. That was the rationale behind Nike’s (NKE) original 1984 alliance [...]
Negotiating a lease
Pick the location best for your business and make the best deal you can there” because a bad location carries hidden costs such as fewer customers and the need for more advertising.
TIPS:
Evaluate your space needs. Your lease term will likely be for many years, so plan accordingly.
View a lot of properties. Make sure you’re comfortable [...]
