If we want to have strong, self-confident teams in our businesses, let’s ask, listen, and learn about each other’s accomplishments. You’ll be amazed at the talent all around you, some that even your colleagues may not acknowledge in themselves. One of the best ways to feel connected with others in a company is to have […]
Read More...Pretend You Own the Company
The most important thing your work can offer you is a chance to feel good about yourself. Do you see yourself as a productive, contributing member of your company? Do you know why your company exists? When you realize what your company offers to society, you’ll be able to understand what part you play. Work […]
Read More...What to Ask Before You Hire
Few things can waste more valuable time and resources or cause more morale problems than mismatching the person and the job. As a busy executive, you want to get the most out of your people while protecting your investment in their training. Good employees turn up, not by magic, but through good hiring practices, and […]
Read More...Keeping up with the vigilante consumer: customer retention, customer service
If you increase customer retention just 5% more, your profits will increase 100%. U.S. population growth is projected to be 1.1% in the next twenty years. Disposable income in the US is growing only 2% every year. US businesses will invest more than $1 billion this year on computer technology, just for customer service departments. […]
Read More...Market Your Uniqueness
At one of my friend Gary Purece’s seminars, a man in the audience told him, “I’ve heard you speak about finding uniqueness, and, let me tell you, there is NO uniqueness in my life.” Gary smiled and said, “Yeah, you’re probably right.” (Gary is a world-class advertising, marketing, and public relations expert.) “No,” the banker […]
Read More...What’s Your Cat’s Name? a Team-Building Exercise
Games are an ancient and fun way to get people interacting, even in stressful situations. At one of my seminars, an attendee, Susan Peters of BorgWarner PTC Shared Services, shared this technique that she and her colleagues had found very valuable. “After one of the sessions,” said Susan, “we spoke briefly about our company’s struggles […]
Read More...Taming the Vigilante Consumer – What Do They Really Want?
Today’s consumers can sometimes look like a threatening mob. They’re often unhappy, make vague or irrational demands, and can rush in unexpected directions that strongly affect our livelihoods. They may suddenly take their business elsewhere or bombard us with time-consuming, expensive complaints. Even both. “These people are manipulating the marketplace through pressure, protest, and politics,” […]
Read More...Spotting the Leaders
This is a story my Fripp Associate David Palmer, PhD told at our recent speaking skills class. Hope it makes you think and act like a leader. It was 1952. The Korean War had been going for three years…and the North Koreans were short of resources, especially soldiers. Both sides continued to take POW’s, but […]
Read More...Be a Star in Your Private Life
It’s okay to be a star in public, but the most important role you’ll ever play is in your private life. When superstar speaker and author Scott McKain was an entertainment reporter in Indianapolis, one evening he and his wife Sherry were waiting for friends to join them for dinner. The friends arrived twenty minutes […]
Read More...Create Productivity on the Job: It is Rocket Science!
For many years, I have been hired to work with many great companies in their training and convention efforts. Analytical Graphics, Inc was one of the most memorable ever. Recently, I conducted a sales presentation skills training for AGI, the Best Small Company to Work in America! (According to the Great Place to Work Institute […]
Read More...