We are all challenged in some way or another, it is a fact of the human condition. Spend a few minutes with another person, and they will probably mention (either directly or indirectly), some challenge they are facing at the moment. (more…)
…after reading the email, he could feel the heat rising and his heart beating faster – and that twitch above his left eye. Once again, even after telling them over and over again how to use it, they kept doing it wrong. And when they did, his email blew up, his phone starting ringing and his day went down the tubes. Today was going to be one more in a string of days, why did he ever think people would get it? (more…)
Customers are not transactions
How do you view those people or organizations that purchase your goods or services? Are they transactions or are the customers?
I’m sure the first thing you thought was “of course they’re customers, everyone that buys from me is a customer” – or some variation on that theme. In my mind, someone that purchases from you is merely a buyer – not a customer. (more…)
One thing I absolutely love about Twitter is the amount of information they provide through Twitter Analytics – they are miles ahead of any other platform in terms of the informational reports they provide. One of the interesting stats available is your Twitter Engagement Rate (TER). It’s a great little stat that provides you with feedback concerning how people view you’re tweets – is it just white noise in their stream, or do they actually see them – and think “hey I need to read that article” or “I bet other people would like to see this”. (more…)
If I were to wish for anything, I should not wish for wealth and power, but for the passionate sense of the potential, for the eye which, ever young and ardent, sees the possible. Pleasure disappoints, possibility never.” Søren Kierkegaard (1813-1855)
Think about this little statement by Kierkegaard, for him, “possibilities” were worth more than “wealth and power”. How many us could say the same thing? Or would we chose money or power as the answer to our lives. Would we rather struggle towards a worthwhile goal or live life easy with little or no passion? (more…)
Today you are you! That is truer than true! There is no one alive who is you-er than you!” Dr. Suess (1904-1991)
We have all heard the saying “It’s not personal, it’s business”. We hear that statement and it rings true. It sounds very logical. Business is just a transaction, it’s an exchange between two entities – that insurance policy doesn’t really care about me, or that loaf of bread – emotions are not involved, it’s just business. (more…)
“I don’t get it” Josh Baskin (Tom Hanks) from the movie BIG
There is nothing more exciting than launching something new – a company, product, service, project, career. From personal experience, the entire process is a roller coaster ride of high, lows and sharp turns. To add you, I’ve got three questions you need ask yourself before you launch. These questions are simple to ask, but the answers are complex. (more…)
BIG (meaning very large, corporate multi-national companies) is loosing it’s advantage in today’s economy. With the exception of a few industries, where BIG government helps to regulate who can play and who can’t, the general barrier to entry is no longer cost, size or expertise. (more…)
I was talking with someone the other day about BIG idea. He wants to change how we used social media – and to make it “work” better for those business and organizations that can’t afford to hire experts, basically another online tool. I applaud his idea – but I told him he needed to start creating the “story”. He talked about the technology, he talked about ease of use, he talked about being able to access it from anywhere – what he didn’t do? He never made me want it. It sounded like a dozen other social media tools out there – nothing special. (more…)
I was thinking this morning, as I looked at another PowerPoint presentation about some new services being offered by some company in the IT services world and thought “anyone can say that” – because in general, anyone can. (more…)