Growth & Leadership Insights

What Do You Value?

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Customers Evaluate Your Behavior In the book, “Built to Last,” authors Collins and Porras explore how successful visionary growth companies have built businesses by consistently operating in accordance with their core values and beliefs. They conclude that everything else about a business can change over time – its technology, financial resources, structure or timing – but sustained growth is achieved when the people in the company robustly believe in its basic principles and consistently demonstrate …

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Can We Collaborate Too Much With Customers?

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Evaluate Mutual Value Produced We had been discussing the various ways that increased collaboration with customers prevents commoditization when Ben asked, “Can we collaborate too much with customers?” The short answer is “yes,” but to delve more deeply into Ben’s point, we first revisited why customer-partnering has proven to be so effective in battling commoditization – it produces results for customers that fosters enduring relationships.  Sales productivity is increased, driving growth in revenue and profitability. …

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Selling Is Personal Business

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Win When Your Customer Does Selling is personal. The most successful sellers believe that they can make a difference. They take their business personally. They’re convinced that their solutions will produce value for their customers. They know their company’s competencies well, have invested time to learn their customers’ needs, and have aligned their competencies to achieve customer goals. Buyers have stated and unstated needs; the unstated ones are personal. Buyers want to believe that sellers …

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Defy Commoditization!

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Leverage Your Distinctiveness to Produce Results For Customers One client recently asked me why her new products were not getting the attention she expected.  As we discussed her situation, it became clear that she was promoting generic benefits intended to provoke consideration of her company’s new offering. “What in your message compels your customers and prospects to consider your new products?” I asked.  “Why are they so unique?” It’s not enough anymore to promote generic …

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Who Is Minding Your Future?

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Make Time To Pursue Growth During the past couple of years, it’s been tough to find time to consider the future of your business. Instead, the focus has been on surviving. But now, the need to improve performance is driving a renewed attention to achieving sustainable growth. As a key leader, perhaps the primary leader, for your business, focusing on the future is your responsibility.  If you don’t carve out some time to consider it, who …

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Can Your Personnel Be Too Passionate About Their Work?

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Demonstrating Commitment Sustains Passion “Is there such a thing as too much passion?” I was asked. My client explained that one of her senior customer service personnel seemed to be brimming with passion. “She is always upbeat with customers and associates, and she constantly promotes the positive aspects of our business. But her performance does not match the expressed passion, so I’m frequently disappointed with her and frustrated that we can’t gain more results from …

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It’s Not A Business – It’s A Mission

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 Fulfilling Their Mission Is Your Business Why was your business founded? Business leaders often ask themselves this question to retain their focus and purpose during challenging times. Every day, the circumstances of your business can change your priorities. When the action is fast and furious, reminding yourself why your business exists helps reorder changing priorities to concentrate on those that best fulfill your Mission. Most Mission statements describe how the business intends to satisfy the …

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When Your People Don’t Get It, It’s Not Them!

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Look First to Yourself When I answered my phone, my friend began venting his frustration about his staff.  As CEO of a mid-size manufacturing company who prides himself on his communication skills, he just couldn’t understand why his team was not reacting more proactively to his latest appeal for more initiative. “They sit there, some staring at me and some looking down, but none of them proposes an idea.  They know the competitive pressure we’re …

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Are Missed Opportunities Costing You?

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Prompt, Strategic Opportunity Response Drives Growth You probably recall a time when you failed to act quickly enough to take advantage of an opportunity. We tend to realize missed opportunities after the fact. Everyone is so consumed with the tasks at hand that we don’t always recognize the full potential of a new opportunity when it appears. In today’s commoditized economy, urgently evaluating and responding to new opportunities with a value-based solution is a key …

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The NEW 5 Ps of Business Development

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Collaboration Constrains Commoditization Many years ago, when I was in grad school, we spent many hours analyzing how the traditional 4 Ps of business marketing – Products, Pricing, Promotion, and Physical distribution – could be leveraged to strengthen competitive advantage and compel customers to purchase our products.  Later, the 4 Ps became the 5 Ps when it was realized that execution of the 4 Ps requires competent, dedicated People. These days, rapidly evolving technology is …

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