We’re in the process of planning a trip to Florida and my husband has been researching restaurants. The other night he was sharing the results of his research and said: “I’ve found a few good ones – there were a couple of others I wanted to check out, but they don’t have a web site, so forget it.” (more…)
Archive for July, 2009
Stop the Insanity!
Friday, July 24th, 2009You’ve no doubt heard the definition of insanity: “Doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results.”
It’s a common malady in the business world, and particularly evident these days during tough times. Companies know that the results they’re getting aren’t what they’d like to see and are not likely sustainable, yet they don’t quite know what to do about it. So they keep doing what they’ve always done in tough times – they (more…)
There’s a Very Good Chance That They’re Not Like You!
Friday, July 17th, 2009Over the years I’ve noticed a dangerous tendency – among myself and others – to assume that we “know” our customers, or target customers. Because we think or believe something, we assume that – of course! – others think or believe as we do. They don’t.
This was driven home to me the other night as my husband was watching the All-Star (more…)
Why You Need an Internal Communication Plan
Tuesday, July 14th, 2009I gave a presentation on employee communications recently to a group of about 80 HR people representing about 60 different organizations. I asked the group, through a show of hands, to indicate how many had an internal communication plan. None. Wow. Conversely, a majority of the group had (more…)
Are You Capitalizing On What You Already Know?
Thursday, July 2nd, 2009I’m often surprised when I work with clients and companies to find that they aren’t taking advantage of the valuable information they have at their fingertips about their customers and their sales patterns.
Fact-gathering and research are two important steps in implementing any kind of communication campaign – internal and external. Yet, it’s a step that is all too often overlooked in the zeal to “do something – DO SOMETHING NOW!” But taking the time – just a little time! – to step back and look at some data can help direct the “do” into areas that have the most potential for success. Bigger impact – less investment (of time and money). What’s not to like about that? (more…)
Process and Variation – You Need a Little of Both
Wednesday, July 1st, 2009I was playing Solitaire last night and was struck by how much I like developing and following standardized processes, yet how likely I am to vary from a process when I think it’s appropriate. The trouble is this tendency can be particularly confusing and frustrating to others – (more…)