Strategy Driven

NOVEMBER 26, 2014

'In his famous poem, Robert Frost declared that he preferred to take “the road less travelled by.” I take that idea not only as a useful philosophy for life, but also as an even better guide for business. When I began to buy and sell commercial real estate in 1968 I was told that the market had been weak for years, and I was foolish to even consider that kind of investment.

Real Estate 87

Real Estate CPA Travel Competitive Advantage 87

Strategy Driven

APRIL 11, 2014

'Let’s see how many of us have been involved in this type of conversation: Strategy Consultant: “ Do you have a Strategic Plan? ” C-Level Client: “ Absolutely! ” Strategy Consultant: “ Oh, great! May I see it? ” C-Level Client: “ Of course! Let me get it… Here you go. ” Strategy Consultant: “ OK, thanks. ” ( 30 seconds pass ).

Budgeting 87

Budgeting Strategic Planning Strategy Document 87

Strategy Driven

JUNE 25, 2014

'Your solution is the last thing a buyer needs. Literally. The sales model is a solution placement model. It does a fine job assessing needs, pitching, presenting, and placing solutions. Yet we close no more than 7% of prospects from first call, spend huge amounts of money creating presentations, sites, and marketing materials bring that in a fraction of the business they were designed to, spend inordinate amounts of resource responding to RFPs that fail, and attempting to make appointments with

System 85

System Marketing Budgeting Outsourcing 85

Strategy Driven

SEPTEMBER 5, 2014

'Success and failure… it’s a matter of perspectives. Out of every 10 transactions in our lives, five will be unqualified successes. One will be a failure. Two will depend upon the circumstances. If approached responsibly, they will become successful. If approached irresponsibly, they will turn into failures. Two will either be successful or will fail, based strictly upon the person’s attitude.

Succession 83

Succession Due Diligence Budgeting Risk Management 83

Strategy Driven

OCTOBER 3, 2014

'Visioning is the process where good ideas become something more. It is a catalyst toward long-term evaluation, planning and implementation. It is a vantage point by which forward-thinking organizations ask: What will we look like in the future? What do we want to become? How will we evolve? Vision is a realistic picture of what is possible. 7 Steps Toward Strategic Vision.

Mission Statement 81

Mission Statement Benchmarking Tactics Strategic Planning 81

Strategy Driven

MAY 28, 2014

'Sales, marketing, and social marketing attempt to place solutions and create relationships by supplying great content, discovering likely prospects, and creating trust. Unfortunately sellers end up closing a small fraction – less than 5 percent – of those they reach, and marketers and social end up wasting a lot of time and don’t often meet their goals.

Marketing 81

Marketing Consensus Content Follow-up 81

Strategy Driven

APRIL 25, 2014

'There’s a revolution in full swing that is changing the way ordinary Americans make a living. From internet commerce technology has sprung forth the Bottom-Up Economic Revolution. It’s dramatically altered the way business is conducted by both the seller and consumer. Front and center in this shift is platform businesses – small business cloud-based companies, online marketplaces and crowdfunding sites.

Bottom-up 81

Bottom-up Entrepreneur Competitive Advantage Software 81

Strategy Driven

MAY 29, 2014

'Effectively managing people, processes, or both is in many ways a balancing act. Some would even describe it as an art form. There are many variables in play simultaneously which determine if somebody will ultimately be successful in a leadership role. Before a manager begins to understand all of these nuances they must learn one of the major underlying principles if they are going to recognize their full potential as leaders.

Management 80

Management How To Competitive Advantage CEO 80

Strategy Driven

AUGUST 20, 2014

'The remote and mobile workforce population is steadily rising. Even IBM adjusted its HR policies to accommodate remote workers. Today, it is one of the top companies that make use of a remote workforce, offering flexible work options, alongside Apple, Dell and Xerox. To ascertain staff productivity in teams that are scattered across various locations, below are twelve best practices to effectively manage a mobile/remote workforce: 1.

Productivity 79

Productivity Products Gantt Chart Team 79

Strategy Driven

JULY 11, 2014

'We just had the first live TV musical play extravaganza on television after a 50-year hiatus. The production was The Sound of Music , starring Carrie Underwood. This TV special got a lot of attention because it was unique live, just like opening night of the Broadway show on which it was based. Truth is that throughout the 1950’s (the Golden Age of Television), there were comparable live TV extravaganzas on the air every night of the decade.

Energy 79

Energy Strategic Planning Succession Humphrey 79

Strategy Driven

SEPTEMBER 26, 2014

'Does this sound familiar? You have a big presentation and you practice reading your notes for several days. You work on the perfect PowerPoint slides and polish your content, but on the big day it feels like your presentation falls flat. What happened? If public speaking makes you uncomfortable or gives you anxiety, you’re not alone: public speaking is one of the most common fears in the United States.

Succession 77

Succession Content Competitive Advantage Committee 77

Strategy Driven

NOVEMBER 21, 2014

'Unless there is an obvious problem, most of us don’t give more than an occasional passing thought to how our voice sounds. However, recent research on how vocal quality affects others’ perceptions may make you think twice. A recent article in the Wall Street Journal discusses a study that shows that the quality of your voice has an even stronger impact on how you are perceived than the content of your message.

Quality 75

Quality Content Competitive Advantage Article 75

Strategy Driven

JULY 9, 2014

'Remote work is seeing a steady rise, and key to making it possible is cloud computing and the continuously rising mobile usage rate. You’ve heard of the BYOD (bring your own device) revolution, and whichever side of the BYOD fence you’re on, there’s no denying that mobile devices are becoming more and more ubiquitous in the workplace. Enterprises of all shapes and sizes have chosen to embrace the mobile landscape, taking advantage of enterprise-specific mobile apps to keep their employees produ

Software 74

Software Project Management Download 74

Strategy Driven

DECEMBER 9, 2014

'We are not always able to accurately hear what others mean to convey. Sometimes we hear only a fraction of what’s been said and our brains misunderstand or bias the rest – and we might not realize it until it’s too late, causing us to believe we’re right and others are wrong, or moving to action using the wrong assumptions. We’re left with restricted communication and creativity, failed relationships, and lost profit.

Active Listening 72

Active Listening Creativity Learning-by-Doing Books 72

Strategy Driven

NOVEMBER 17, 2014

'Many believe that a brand is a function of marketing. Or more specifically, brand building. Marketers and marketing departments love ‘branding campaigns’ or ‘brand-building programs,’ because they are sexier and more exciting than their less attractive cousin, the product campaign. Agencies love them because they think it means big budgets and mass media.

Brand 71

Brand Marketing Competitive Advantage Bottom-up 71

Strategy Driven

JULY 15, 2014

'Rigorous self assessments rely not only on observable, quantifiable facts but also on the experience of those conducting and participating in the assessments. When properly applied experience accelerates issue identification and deepens contributed insights. Experience, however, should not be represented as fact nor should it be used to as the primary mechanism to combine otherwise unrelated facts when making the case for a performance strength or improvement opportunity.

Newsletter 71

Newsletter Content Article Analysis 71

Strategy Driven

JULY 10, 2014

'Buying decisions happen well before buyers consider your solution regardless of their need or the efficacy of your solution, marketing, or content. In fact, a purchase is the very last thing that occurs in a string of events buyers must handle as they seek to solve a business problem. One of the first things they must do is assemble the complete Buying Decision Team to garner the consensus necessary for change.

Consensus 71

Consensus Content Marketing Influence 71

Strategy Driven

JANUARY 8, 2014

'“It just completely caught us off guard.”. That’s a statement you never want to hear as a business leader. But today’s VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous) world makes it incredibly difficult to plan and predict the future. At the same time, we’re all under pressure to move faster and get more done. So while thinking – and strategic thinking, in particular – is a key leadership responsibility, it often gets pushed aside in the midst of the day-to-day challenges of running

Strategic Planning 71

Strategic Planning How To Planning Competitive Advantage 71

Strategy Driven

DECEMBER 18, 2014

'If you’ve added ‘being more efficient’ to your list of New Year’s resolutions recently, you may be struggling to find ways to generate more productivity with little effort. Chances are, the solution (and the problem) is literally right in front of you. Your mouse and keyboard are major sources of inefficiency. Communicating with colleagues, manipulating spreadsheets, entering customer information into a CRM… these are all examples of time-consuming manual processes that can be

CRM 70

CRM Software Efficiency Learning Curve 70

Strategy Driven

OCTOBER 29, 2014

'Feedback, at its core, is simply information about the results of past action that can improve the results of future actions. An airplane’s navigation system, the thermostat in your home’s heating unit, and a flashing electronic sign that displays your car’s speed are all examples of feedback that drives improvement. The plane adjusts its course, the heat turns off in the warm afternoon, and you slow down to the speed limit.

Efficiency 70

Efficiency Armstrong Human Resources Handbook 70

Strategy Driven

APRIL 17, 2014

'Feeling happy and fulfilled at work is essential to our overall success. Many sales people are required to make proactive prospecting calls, and it can be one of the most intimidating aspects of their job. However, having the fear of making the call is nothing to be embarrassed about. In fact, Shannon Goodson and George Dudley reported in their book Psychology of Sales Call Reluctance that 80 percent of new salespeople fail because of call reluctance, while 40 percent of veteran sales people st

Competitive Advantage 69

Competitive Advantage Learning-by-Doing Training Content 69

Strategy Driven

AUGUST 15, 2014

'I’ve heard there are 5.7 decision makers for each sale, and ‘unknown’ influencers. Yet there is no difference between ‘decision makers’ and ‘influencers’. If you want to move and your daughter is in her last year of high school, is she a decision maker or an influencer? If your tech group isn’t available to implement a new program until they finish current work, would the tech director be an influencer or a decision maker?

Influence 68

Influence Consensus Marketing Newsletter 68

Strategy Driven

AUGUST 7, 2014

'While even the word ‘negotiation’ can evoke fear, stress and anxiety for many, the intent is quite simple: to discuss and ultimately agree on a deal. Whether it’s a multimillion dollar contract or just deciding where to meet for lunch, life is rife with negotiations. And, the negotiation process is a lot like a chess game where strategy reigns supreme — one thoughtfully considered move at a time.

Short-term 68

Short-term Document Ethics Competitive Advantage 68

Strategy Driven

NOVEMBER 20, 2014

'A potential employer takes just a moment or two to size up a potential candidate, leaving job seekers little room for error when trying to make a positive first impression. Whether presenting themselves online, in-person, or on paper, job seekers relay a lot of information to a potential employer in the first few minutes. Employers quickly assess confidence, energy level and professionalism – all key traits that tell the employer what a candidate might bring to the workplace.

Competitive Advantage 67

Competitive Advantage Energy Environment Content 67

Strategy Driven

AUGUST 8, 2014

'The buyers route to a purchase starts before they consider a solution. 1. Idea stage. Fred has an idea that something needs to change. 2. Fred discusses his idea with colleagues. 3. Fred invites colleagues to meet and discuss the problem, bring ideas from online research, consider who to include, possible fixes, and fallout. Groups formed. 4. Consideration stage.

Consensus 67

Consensus Webinar Marketing Newsletter 67

Strategy Driven

AUGUST 7, 2014

'The topic of military to civilian work transitions is receiving significant attention as of late, and with good reason. The U.S. Department of Labor estimates that more than one million military service members will leave the military in the coming years. The importance of helping our veterans make this difficult transition into the next chapter of their lives cannot be over stated.

Succession 67

Succession Talent Management Leadership Resources 67

Strategy Driven

AUGUST 4, 2014

'Questions from salespeople: Jeffrey, As you suggest, my company is going to start filming client video testimonials. There will be some clients we would not invite to give a testimonial due to their less than stellar reputation in our community. What is the diplomatic response to such clients if they ask, “How come you didn’t ask me to do a testimonial?

Retail 67

Retail Price Customer Loyalty Learning-by-Doing 67

Strategy Driven

JULY 21, 2014

'Every salesperson is looking for the fastest way, the best way, and the easiest way to ‘close’ a sale. More than human nature, for salespeople, closing the sale is both a desire and a need. And the results are totally measurable. Either you win, or you lose. There is no second place in sales. Many people think that ‘closing the sale’ is the fulcrum point of the process.

Customer Loyalty 67

Customer Loyalty Competitive Advantage Seminar Books 67

Strategy Driven

DECEMBER 10, 2014

'At the core of every great businessperson , is a set of solid characteristics. There are certain traits that every entrepreneur in the world has. If you are lucky enough to have these traits, you will succeed in the world of business. Some people think that anyone can start a business and make a decent profit. That is not true. It takes a special person to undertake the epic task of starting a company.

B2C 67

B2C Entrepreneur B2B Emotional Intelligence 67

Strategy Driven

OCTOBER 22, 2014

'We asked Roxi Hewertson about the 8 overarching leadership insights that kick off her new book Lead Like it Matters…Because it Does hitting the stores in just a few weeks. She agreed to share them with us as a four-part series. This is Part 3 of 4. Insight #5: Leading is All About Relationships. Let’s get to the heart of the matter. If no one is following you, you aren’t leading.

Emotional Intelligence 67

Emotional Intelligence Learning-by-Doing Resistance Competitive Advantage 67

Strategy Driven

AUGUST 11, 2014

'Have you ever thought about the way you think? How do thoughts just pop into your head? How do you create an idea? Most people take thinking for granted, or at least never look beyond the surface of what makes it happen. What are the triggers for your thoughts? Are you a reactive thinker or an original thinker? That’s an interesting thought all by itself.

Open-book 67

Open-book Document Customer Loyalty Competitive Advantage 67

Strategy Driven

DECEMBER 22, 2014

'I sat in a Jim Rohn seminar one day in 1995 and heard him say, “Formal education will earn you a living. Self-education will earn you a fortune. You decide how much of a fortune you want to earn by how willing you are to self-educate.”. I was frozen in my front-row seat. A stunning piece of ‘obvious’ that created self-awareness that remains with me nearly 20 years later.

Customer Loyalty 66

Customer Loyalty Self-aware Education Seminar 66

Strategy Driven

DECEMBER 15, 2014

'Everyone tells you to meet with the decision maker. Everyone tells you to meet with the CEO. However, it seems no one offers any advice on what to SAY when you get to that meeting, what to DO when you get to that meeting, or what to ASK when you get to that meeting. HARSH REALITY: It’s more than likely the CEO doesn’t want to meet with you, much less talk about your product or service.

CEO 66

CEO Productivity Products Loyalty 66

Strategy Driven

NOVEMBER 27, 2014

'Reports reveal painful truth despite ‘incontrovertible proof’ that women are key to business, economic & societal growth. It’s a painful revelation. “At the current rate of change, it will take until the year 2085 for women to reach parity with men in leadership roles in our country.” This staggering estimate, reported by the Center for American Progress (CAP), persists despite “over the past two decades, a considerable body of research has emerged to lend incontrovertible proof to the ide

Diversity 66

Diversity Competitive Advantage Participative Committee 66

Strategy Driven

NOVEMBER 5, 2014

'We asked Roxi Hewertson about the 8 overarching leadership insights that kick off her new book Lead Like it Matters…Because it Does hitting the stores in just a few weeks. She agreed to share them with us as a four-part series. This is Part 4 of 4. Insight 7: Most Change Efforts Fail and They Don’t Have To. Charles Darwin did not say “It’s all about survival of the fittest.” Someone else decided to interpret his words and really screwed things up for a lot of us, i

Resistance 66

Resistance Competitive Advantage Learning-by-Doing Strategic Planning 66

Strategy Driven

OCTOBER 8, 2014

'We asked Roxi Hewertson about the 8 overarching leadership insights that kick off her new book Lead Like it Matters…Because it Does hitting the stores in just a few weeks. She agreed to share them with us as a four-part series. This is Part 2 of 4. Insight #3: Leadership Is a Discipline, Not an Accident. We know for sure that highly effective leaders get much better results.

Competitive Advantage 66

Competitive Advantage Skills Strategic Planning Content 66

Strategy Driven

MARCH 19, 2014

'No matter what size or type of business you run, chances are, you’re overwhelmed with incoming files – both paper and electronic documents. It generally starts slowly – an email here, a receipt there, incoming invoices and customer correspondence, and before you know it, you’ve got a mountain of paper and no way to find the documents you need. There’s a better way.

Document 66

Document Software Operations Management 66