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Feb28
Word of mouth versus Reality
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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
Cross Training – Cross Thinking
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... Continue Reading
Have you inherited a Beaten Down Business Culture?
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... Continue Reading
Feb27
The Armed Forces leading the way in Coaching
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... Continue Reading
Competing with Innovative Products or Services
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... Continue Reading
China clears Avon to resume direct sales
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,... Continue Reading
Feb26
H&R Block Miscounts by a mere $32 Million for the Quarter
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... Continue Reading
Small Business Can Compete for Great Employees
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... Continue Reading
Two Strategies if you’re Short on Cash
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... Continue Reading
Feb25
Outsourcing: It could be your Small Business Killer App.
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. ... Continue Reading
Radio Shack: A tough road for the next CEO
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.... Continue Reading
Feb24
Verizon Launches Small-Business Encryption Product To Safeguard E-Mail
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... Continue Reading
Feb23
Sims 2: Open for Business
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... Continue Reading
The Critical Aspect of Six Sigma - Define
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... Continue Reading
7 tips on Holding Good Meetings
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. ... Continue Reading
Feb22
You ever insured the life of a Fish?
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... Continue Reading
Are Teens a Big Part of Your Market? – Consider This
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... Continue Reading
Get your new Employees Fired up
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... Continue Reading
Feb21
Don’t be blindsided by the Fog of Uncertainty
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... Continue Reading
3 Tips on How to say “Well Done”
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... Continue Reading
Feb20
AFL-CIO No Longer Serves its Members
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... Continue Reading
Feb19
Listening – Tapping into your Employees’ Power
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... Continue Reading
Feb18
Seeing what others don’t see
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.... Continue Reading
Tapping Your Experience for Problem Solving
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... Continue Reading
Problem Solving: Where to Start
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... Continue Reading
Feb17
Characteristics of a Successful Team
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... Continue Reading
Only the Team can do it!
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... Continue Reading
How to Make your Team Shine
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... Continue Reading
Feb16
How Jesus Managed: Don't Dominate - Empower
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... Continue Reading
Feb15
Your Worse Enemy – The Desire for a Quick Fix
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... Continue Reading
Some in IT are Starting to get it!
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... Continue Reading
Feb14
Whether to Promote or not: What were the Results?
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... Continue Reading
Whether to Promote or not: What’s the Solution?
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... Continue Reading
Whether to Promote or not: What’s First?
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... Continue Reading
Whether to Promote or not: It’s not as easy as it seems.
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.... Continue Reading
Feb13
Turning around a Troubled Project
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... Continue Reading
Communication vs. lack of innovation
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,... Continue Reading
Feb12
Lessons from an Ordinary Life
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... Continue Reading
Feb11
Learn Common Sense Product or Service Development
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... Continue Reading
What Business is all about
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... Continue Reading
Feb10
Let Improvement Immerse Your Company’s Genetic Makeup
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... Continue Reading
Tyson Foods gets its Training Right
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... Continue Reading
Feb 9
The Road to Business Success Never Changes
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... Continue Reading
Insights from a Remodeling Company
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... Continue Reading
Feb 8
Learnng from a Service Business
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... Continue Reading
Lessons from a Greenhouse Wholesaler
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... Continue Reading
How to Make Your Business Last
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... Continue Reading
Feb 7
Employee or Independent Contractor?
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.    ... Continue Reading
Rules Concerning Independent Contractors
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... Continue Reading
How to Destroy a Business – Part 2
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?... Continue Reading
How to Destroy a Business
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... Continue Reading
Feb 6
Would you like 20% Growth 3 Years in a row?
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... Continue Reading
Should Managers Work side by side with their Employees?
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... Continue Reading
Communication and Success in Your IT Department
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... Continue Reading
Feb 5
Training that gets Results
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... Continue Reading
Feb 3
Does Caring about Your People Hurt Your Company?
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... Continue Reading
Don't be Afraid to ask the Right Questions!
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... Continue Reading
Facts tell, stories sell!
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... Continue Reading
Stand out to your Customers
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... Continue Reading
Feb 2
Draw the Gold from your Employees
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... Continue Reading
Ask Your Customers to Spread the Word
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,... Continue Reading
Barriers to Management Innovation
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... Continue Reading
Feb 1
A Marketing Reality We Must Face
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... Continue Reading
The Key to Being a Great Manager
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? ... Continue Reading
Lessons in Fighting Hype
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... Continue Reading
Lessons in Fighting Hype
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... Continue Reading
What Makes a Good IT Boss?
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... Continue Reading

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