What is the difference between those who succeed and those who don’t? Attitude. The first step to success is believing you can. As Mark Emkes, recently retired CEO of Bridgestone Americas, said in a recent interview, “if you don’t think you will hit the baseball, you won’t.”
The great thing about attitude is, it is within [...]
From the category archives:
CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
In a few weeks, I will be interviewing Dan Cathy, President and COO of Chick-fil-A. In their corporate communications, they talk about their “raving fans”. They have even registered the phrase. I was asking a friend of mine who is in marketing at Southwest Airlines whether they have a “raving fans” marketing plan, and [...]
Have you met anyone who enjoys being a road warrior? George Clooney in Up in the Air aside, most people don’t really enjoy slogging from airport to airport and hotel to hotel. Air travel is unreliable with constant delays. Security is tight with restrictions that make it difficult to get basic supplies on board. And [...]
Have you ever wondered where common sense comes into play in decision making? I once encountered an executive who believed that if he could just explain to his customers why he has to charge what he does to make a profit they would understand. In a role reversal exercise, when he was the customer, he [...]
Banking is a dirty word in some circles. The recent economic challenges have galvanized the public’s negative sentiment toward those greedy “Wall Street bankers”. What you may not know is many banks would agree with you. The cliché, “a few bad apples spoil it for the whole bunch” applies. Most banks are trying hard to [...]
The definition of a brand is “everything that gives an entity its recognition, meaning and value.” The brand perception held by the public, your customers and others familiar with your brand may or may not match the intended brand image. Crafting a brand blueprint is the process of identifying all the touch points your brand [...]
Just back from a trip with a new dose of customer service frustration. I am reminded of the book by Ted Cohn, Why are you making it so hard for me to give you my money? His point isn’t that companies don’t want your money—they just don’t want to serve you to get it. No more [...]
Perhaps, nothing! Perhaps, millions of dollars. The answer depends on how you manage your brand. According to BrandZ, brand value contributes almost 1/3 of the value for Fortune 500 companies, or close to $2 trillion.
A brand is defined as “that which gives meaning, recognition and value to your entity.” A brand is often confused with [...]
In today’s competitive marketplace, companies are only as good as their people. The best companies get that and have unique hiring processes to hire people who are aligned culturally with their company’s brand promise.
But, so many companies don’t. How many times do you encounter those in the service profession (such as retail associates, telephone customer [...]
The first time I heard the phrase “hire an athlete” was early in my career. I was working for Hallmark Cards, Inc. and my boss used the phrase. Coming from a family with a long line of athletes, I naively asked what he meant. Was he being literal? Not at all.
Hiring an athlete simply means [...]