Grolistic

What Drives Customer Loyalty

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Bob Schultek Author of  The Gauntlet Surveys assessing business-to-business customer loyalty, measured as increased sales per customer over multiple years, consistently cite “selling experience” as the primary driver with a response rate that exceeds 50%; a “lowest price” response typically receives about a 10% rate. Additional response choices include better products or services, brand familiarity, higher performance than competitors, and others. When seeking to explain how “selling experience” creates this positive impact, it becomes clear that the …

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3 Core Values of Exceptional Leaders

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        Leaders are judged to be genuine when their actions are guided by their personal core values. These three values are particularly relevant for leaders who seek to be exceptional: Accountability. When there is a problem, accountable leaders look first to themselves. They accept responsibility for the consequences of their decisions. They credit their team when things go well, and when problems arise, accept the responsibility rather than blaming the team. When encouraging autonomy, these leaders …

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The Law of Thirds

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Bob Schultek Author of The Gauntlet One of the laws governing change initiatives states that those impacted by a change separate into three groups. One third of the group will immediately support the change. They are the spark that launches it and the energy that sustains it. They ask, “what if?” or “why?” and they’re the first to volunteer with an eager, “I’ll do it.” They are generous with their time and talent, putting in more than …

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3 Behaviors That Reveal Leadership Credibility

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  When asked in several studies how they judge a leader, employees cite attributes like vision, experience, communication skills and others; but consistently, the dominant response is credibility. When pressed to define “credibility,” people typically reply with a phrase like: “they walk the talk.” The consistency with which a leader’s actions align with his or her words defines leadership credibility. These 3 behaviors reveal how consistently you act in accordance with your words and values: 1. How you spend your …

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What is Discretionary Effort Worth?

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Bob Schultek Author of The Gauntlet When a qualified person does the job – completing obligations and achieving assigned goals with expected behavior, we recognize this as acceptable performance. But when a person contributes more than the common standard, more than what’s expected, that’s discretionary effort. While it can be a bit rare, leaders realize that inspiring this additional energy from those they lead is what makes change possible. If leaders cannot drive productive change that improves results, …

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Inspiring Change

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Improving results means tackling change. Change is hard work, demanding commitment, perseverance and discretionary effort.   Only the people in a business can change it, and they will invest their talent and energy to do so if they believe that their actions will make a difference. Commitment, perseverance and discretionary effort cannot be commanded…they must be inspired. Inspiration is possible when people believe that their work is meaningful, a realization that springs from an appreciation that their leaders …

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Is This Business Sustainable?

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Bob Schultek Author of  The Gauntlet There are a multitude of models used to assess the sustainability of a business. Most evaluate strategy, performance, market growth potential, customer retention probability, governance and the management of human resources. In a dynamic, competitive market, where customers believe they can find all they need on the internet, and where a competitive advantage built on technology cannot long be sustained, it’s an organization’s culture and people that constitute its most …

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Is Your Promise Synching?

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Bob Schultek Author of The Gauntlet Your sales team is making promises that the rest of your organization is expected to fulfill. Are those who must deliver on these commitments prepared to do so? Is your promise to a customer synching with the operational resources necessary to satisfy the commitment? The most productive strategy for increasing sales is to build enduring relationships with customers that generate more orders. Sustaining these relationships requires that your customers recognize you as a …

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Leadership and Change

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Bob Schultek Author of The Gauntlet Leaders drive change. Whether reacting to an external challenge that threatens the business, or proactively disrupting the status quo to improve performance, leaders and change are inseparable. The most visible leadership stories describe triumphs over trouble, departures from the past, doing what has never been done, or going where no one has ever been. Every story is about challenge and change. The same is true for those who lead their …

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Two Directions for Culture

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Bob Schultek Author of The Gauntlet Culture tends to move in one of two directions, and as a leader who influences which path your organization and team will take, you have a decision to make. It’s a choice that impacts how you work with others in the organization and the investments you make in your business and yourself. One path leads towards more openness and transparency. Turn the other direction for control and dependence. Does your business benefit if …

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