Enduring customer relationships are the result of continuously creating value for your customer. That value is different for each one, and it evolves over time. What a customer values changes with their circumstances, and in most cases, what they value is more complex than getting the lowest price. The challenge is to remain engaged with the customer when no immediate opportunity is apparent. This is the time to be generous with your experience and competency …
Your business exists to create value for customers by solving their problems. And sometimes, solving external problems can trigger an internal change, a challenge to your status quo, a need to think differently about opportunities, precedents, and risk. There will be times when proposing solutions for customer problems compels you to first resolve some of your own issues, to improve a product or process. Leaders understand and expect this scenario – a core function of …
Remembering is part of who we are – it’s what separates us from all other living creatures. Our Thanksgiving Day tradition honors this reality by dedicating one specific day each year to the simple, explicit concept of gathering to remember why we are grateful, to count our blessings. Sharing our unique stories of successes and failures with one another, of lessons learned, strengthens our identity and culture. It provides a sense of continuity. This is …
Having signed 52 baseball prospects who would later become major league players, Tony Lucadello is known as baseball’s greatest scout. His discoveries included Hall of Famers Ferguson Jenkins and Mike Schmidt. The number of his signees making it to the big leagues is far greater than any other scout. And he accomplished this with a territory that included Ohio, Indiana and Michigan, rather than the good weather states of Florida, Texas or California where more …
There are always problems – a parade of challenges that command your attention. Systems are down, people or organizations are working against you, or there’s some compelling difficulty that needs a prompt resolution. There are always opportunities – innovative ideas or new relationships waiting to be embraced. These are chances to create value, to improve something, to move faster, or to help someone progress. And there are always limits – limited time, energy, money and …
Leaders frequently employ process improvement projects to boost long-term business performance, and to build the competency of their people. In addition to the quantifiable benefits generated by these ventures, significant qualitative rewards are also produced that subtly strengthen culture and sustainability. Since a process outcome is the result of actions taken by people, improving a process is best accomplished by those who experience the process themselves. Getting your people engaged in process improvement projects helps them discover how your …
Communication succeeds when your message is received. Experts counsel that less than 10% of the words you speak are heard and accepted. How your message is communicated accounts for about 40%, with the remaining 50% being related to what your audience observes while you’re delivering your message. Successful communications connect with the audience in 4 ways: What people see (visual connection): All communication creates an impression of the communicator that either strengthens or weakens the …
The planning season is upon us. Visions and missions are being reconsidered. New goals and objectives are being defined. Strategies and action plans are being developed. When the planning turns to strategy execution, before finalizing action steps, success metrics, barriers, and resource allocation, consider if the company can commit to implementing the strategy. And since changing circumstances ensure that few strategies survive without adaptation, consider how that commitment may be challenged if the need arises …
Three decisive moments shape customer relationships. 1. The “First Contact” Moment During your first meeting with a prospective customer, keep your company’s introduction brief so more time is available to ask questions that reveal the prospect’s story, their needs, and why resolving them is important for their progress. What barriers are constraining that progress? Then, propose a couple of possible solutions to demonstrate how your company’s experience, offerings and commitment can resolve their immediate challenge, while also contributing to …
All progress involves risk. Nothing significant is accomplished when the objective is to minimize risk. While evaluating the expected benefits of an opportunity is key to determining if its related risk is reasonable, there’s one more consideration that should be included in your assessment. These 3 steps help weigh if an opportunity’s risk is reasonable: Value the projected benefits of the opportunity and the probability of realizing them. Is that probability low (25%), medium (50%) or high (75%)? Assign an …
