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Feb28
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The Ethical Corporation reported on a study recently and this is what they had to say concerning word-of-mouth and experience:
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“For the first time, Harris and the Reputation Institute examined the effect of word-of-mouth communication on corporate reputations and found it strongly influences people’s assessment of companies and their subsequent buying intentions. Only personal experience was more likely to shape a consumer’s perceptions of a company’s reputation, the sponsors report.”
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When the above statement it is very profound in dealing with an issue that confronts a company from time to time; how to handle unfair statements made that don’t add up to the reality happening within your company.
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Have you ever had unfair comments by customers that can be classified as nothing other than a lie? I have not only seen it happen with others but also experienced it myself.
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Feb28
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We read a lot about cross training our employees so that if something happens someone else will be able to step into their place without there being too much of a loss of quality and quantity of production. a...
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Have you been promoted or hired into a situation where the previous management that managed by fear and intimidation? They you’ve got a few problems that you will have to face before you can do the job you were...
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Feb27
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Don Blohowiak asks the question over at bnet “If you were ordered to offer evidence that you have created a learning organization, what would you submit into evidence?” a He is contrasting the difference between the command and control...
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Companies are continually bringing new and innovative products and services to market. How you respond and how quickly could be the determining factor in whether your business, service or product line survives. a You’ve probably read about the buzzwords...
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With the recent authorization by China for Avon to resume their direct sales operations, it could signal a huge door to open up for other direct marketing companies. a With a flood of pyramid schemes running throughout the country,...
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Feb26
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In a not too surprising response, the shares of H&R Block dived on Friday after the tax preparation and software provider disclosed that it had missed their tax liabilities by – ah – just $32 million dollars. a The...
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While it can be hard for small business to compete with larger companies based upon wages and benefits, there are a lot of areas that they can shine in. a It is increasingly becoming a desire for people to...
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Do you ever wonder how it is that a number of people who had little or no capital are able to start or grow a business and be fantastically successful? Here are two strategies that can help you launch...
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Feb25
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There is only one question you have to ask yourself if you’re a small business owner: Are you spending more time working in your business or on your business? The answer could be the difference between success and failure. ...
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Radio Shack being pressured to get rid of CEO Dave Edmondson, who resigned Monday after confessing that he had lied about his academic record on his résumé, now must get about the business of cleaning up its tarnished image....
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Feb24
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In was announced today that Verizon is the first national carrier to offer encryption protection for the transmission of email. a “Echoworx announced that Verizon Online introduced a new e-mail security product for small businesses that encrypts e-mail messages to...
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Feb23
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Blake Snow at joystiq reports on the upcoming expansion pack for the Sims 2 game. It is a game that challenges your management skills; and looks like a blast. a Here what he had to say: a “Now aspiring...
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Most people have heard of Six Sigma, but usually when the term is mentioned there is either confusion and a blank look or the thought that it is for huge manufacturing companies and not for the normal business. I...
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While I have never been much of a proponent of meetings, because they are so often abused and off purpose for anything that the employees need to enhance their job, that they many times do more harm than good. ...
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Feb22
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It doesn’t matter what size your business is: people love promotions that offer up huge potential prizes to be won. Many small businesses think that this domain belongs only to the big companies. They couldn’t be further from the...
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Teens have become a huge market for numerous companies, but they can also be very fickle and not consider loyalty to a brand or product a particularly redeeming quality. What motivates them is different than what motivates other demographics...
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Making a decision on which candidate you hire for any position is very important. But once that decision is made, even something just as crucial or more crucial involves the next step. Whether you know it or not, how you...
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Feb21
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It’s a funny thing about us human beings and by extension; managers. It seems like we are always surprised by something that happens that we feel totally unprepared for. No matter how many times it happens, things go smoothly...
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Just like anything else when dealing with human beings, no two same are quite alike. So even in the area of responding to jobs and situations that have been handled well, there are right ways and wrong ways to...
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Feb20
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The news was spreading around the web the last couple of days about the exposure of the AFL-CIOs spending priorities. a Evidently the supposed representatives of the working man and woman are more concerned about who they support politically...
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Feb19
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Wondering why things get done so haphazardly at time? Why your workers come in and only put in their time and go home? a One of the key reasons is that many managers stop listening to what their employees...
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Feb18
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One of the key responsibilities of a manager, team leader, or business owner is to completely understand the USP of the company and whatever challenges come their way; they are to be solved within the context of that purpose....
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Once you understand that there is a problem that must be solved and you face that problem head on as far as acknowledging that it is there, then you can start looking for solutions to that problem. a Probably...
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This may come as a surprise to some, but one of the biggest issues with problem solving is being aware that there is one in the first place. One of the responsibilities of a manager, no matter what is...
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Feb17
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When putting together a team, whether it be for a specific problem or more vision or encouragement, there are a few characteristics you want to look for. a First of all keep this thought in mind as you think...
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There is nothing more dynamic than a powerful, dynamic, relationship-caring, purpose-focused group of people. a The kind of power and results that can be achieved through this co-operative working together is extraordinary to say the least. There are none...
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One of the tremendous insights into a team is that it is not an individual, or even an aggregate of individuals, but is something bigger than all the parts. Our success in life and specifically in business is in...
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Feb16
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For millions of people around the world Jesus was a real person that lived 2,000 years ago. And when you read about Him, specifically in how He interacted with people it is quite extraordinary how He did things the...
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Feb15
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There have been probably more mistakes among managers and business owners with this one temptation then will all others. There is nothing more heady and desired at times than the easy, quick fix. a What is the problem with...
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I found an excellent post on the It Toolbox blog today. It’s refreshing to hear someone in IT really deal with the important issues that most IT departments still have a hard time getting. a One of my favorite...
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Feb14
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What was the end result of all of this? The result was that I was able to successfully fill the position that he was currently in, move him to one that he loves and thrives in, and kept an...
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What was the solution? a First of all I sat down and talked with him explaining what I just did to you. In all honesty I revealed what the job entailed that he wanted to enter into, why his...
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Here’s the next thing that I considered. What type of person was he? What was his personality type and would he fit into the type of position he was seeking? In other words I was deciding whether he could...
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One of the unfortunate results I have seen from not promoting good employees in the right way is to see the loss of a good employee in the position they leave, plus, eventually the loss of the employee themselves....
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Feb13
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Jim Stewart talks about a case study concerning a project that he had been assigned, along with several others, on a stalled, botched, major IT initiative. a I like one of the solutions by the management to hire a...
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Innovation tools reported on a study by Right Management Consultants the connection between employees being detached from their jobs and the lack of innovation in a company. a In an amazing denunciation of communication between management and their employees,...
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Feb12
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I have been trying in the last post and will continue in this post to help you to see that using your observation skills along with your common sense; you can create products and services that can compete with...
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Feb11
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I had myself a good chuckle today as I was reading stories about the direction household cleaning products are going. a Before we get into that, I want you to realize that a lot of common sense thinking can...
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I have written a lot lately concerning everything that we do in business - I don’t care what department it is in - has to be done with your customer in mind. a From the IT department that much of the...
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Feb10
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When I’ve consulted with companies throughout the years, one of the things I attempt to convey to them is that they shouldn’t attempt to always have the “big idea” as the big motivator of their innovation. At first I...
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Rex Davenport at the Training and Development blog reports about the training of employees at a newly opening plant of Tyson Food in Texas. In an excellent look at how workplace and personal lives entwine, he say this: “I...
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Feb 9
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There is a concern I have for our businesses again as there seems to be another hyped-up market that is poised for a fall. I’m not simply talking about stocks here, I’m talking more about attitudes. As people continually...
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On my continuing theme concerning spreading out your business risk and giving yourself a much better opportunity to succeed, we’ll continue on with a different type of business as an example of diversity of markets. I was consulting with...
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Feb 8
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We are continuing on in our study of how to develop a number of different areas to serve with your business so that you are not overly dependent on any one. On this post we’ll talk about the cleaning...
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This case study I will use a greenhouse business as an example. Let’s say that you are growing food to resale to others in the greehouse setting. You start off with developing sales to a couple of restaurants that...
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One of the great mistakes that many small businesses make is to fail to spread their risk over various revenue streams. Many times they will acquire one large account and depend upon it to make or break them. You...
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Feb 7
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From the previous post you can see that hiring an independent contractor can be a little tricky. Here are a few steps to follow to persuade the IRS that the worker in question is indeed an independent contractor. ...
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As the cost of doing business rises we are steadily moving more of our business to independent contractors. The major benefit is to save on payroll taxes and cost of benefits. The combination of the two can increase the...
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So the story continues of how to destroy a business. Now it wasn’t long after the brother was hired that he began to give his input into how the business should be run. Guess who that involved and affected?...
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When I got the call to come to the back, I knew that things were going to change. Funny how those instincts just come to the surface. When I got there, I was asked by one of the husband/wife...
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Feb 6
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Around 7 years ago I was hired to help a company take its sales to a new level. I was given carte blanche to do it, at least for a while. a So how did I do it? Or...
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One of the ideas tossed about from time to time is on whether a manager should work alongside of their workers or only manage from without. a I have worked with some companies that will demote or promote or...
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In a study by US business consultancy The Hacket Group it was discovered that companies that grant their IT leaders a senior position in business management, greatly increases the performance of its technology departments. a The study took into...
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Feb 5
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Tom Foster has an excellent, fun read at his Management Blog concerning motivating employees. a He pokes fun at the emphasis some put on training manuals and their basic uselessness. I do enjoy his comment in response to the...
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Feb 3
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There are a lot of misinformed people that think if you are genuinely concerned and care for your employees, that this can be used against you and undermine achieving your goals. This misconception needs to be thrown away. a...
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One of the biggest areas I believe we managers can improve in is in the area of asking questions. If we could combine that with “managing by walking around”, I think we would have an excellent opportunity to really...
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One thing that we need to do better is to tell the story of who we are as a business. Of course this is referring to our USP and permeating our story with that from every angle. a This...
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When we and our competitors offer a very similar product, from the customers’ point-of-view, the lines are blurred and nothing stands out to them. In other words our product or service has become a commodity. a In that situation...
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Feb 2
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Norman Bodek wrote a great post a few days ago concerning the great value that our employees give us if we’ll only learn how to tap into it. a He tells an inspiring story of taking a walk through...
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Glen Ross on the All Business blog gives a couple of suggestions that could give your customers more appreciation for you and your company, while making them advancers of the good news about your company. a As he says,...
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One of the great barriers to innovation for the manager is that it is easy to keep in your comfort zone concerning maintaining contact with those that you are used to being with. a It takes a great effort...
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Feb 1
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I want to give you some insight into the coming year and the trend that the direct response rate is going through. a Before I do that I want to remind you of a couple of things. In light...
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So we’ve been looking at some of the checks and balances we must have as managers towards our employees, now what are some of the things we can do to improve our employees’ experiences with the business and us? ...
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One of my purposes in writing is to deal with the hype that is endlessly being thrown the way of the business community out there. Anytime I find anything helpful I will throw it your way. a The major...
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One of my purposes in writing is to deal with the hype that is endlessly being thrown the way of the business community out there. Anytime I find anything helpful I will throw it your way. a The major...
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We have been examining the challenges of managing IT departments and workers. I have been dealing mostly in these last couple of posts with the design factor versus the functionality for the customer. a There is a great chasm...
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