It seems to emerge as a common theme. A business hits a rough patch when nothing they try seems to work. Then, when all the innovating and experimentation is exhausted, a move back to basics ensues. So it is for coffee giant, Starbucks. According to a recent...
It’s common for football teams to focus on the fourth quarter. Players can be seen holding up four fingers as a way of signaling that “it’s time to double down, focus and finish strong.” For businesses, the fourth quarter is especially critical for two reasons. First,...
One more comment on the many benefits of face-to-face meetings with customers. An objection I often hear is this: “My customers are too busy to see me…”. Well, that’s probably true, given the nature of most customer visits. Consider this: are you going there to...
My most recent offering on the power of face-to-face meetings seems to have struck a chord. So, a few more comments on this important topic. I cited a TV commercial in which a business manager scolds his team and himself for neglecting to visit customers....
It’s been said that “a desk is a dangerous place from which to view the world.” A recent newspaper article and a long-ago television commercial reinforce this notion. In a Wall Street Journal article titled “This Fed President Is Ditching His Desk,” Richmond Fed...
Some years ago, a friend and colleague offered a valuable insight into how he viewed an area of interest to him. His family was in the book publishing and manufacturing business. After college and an early career in sales, he joined the family business,...