I remember this Twilight Zone episode where a box is delivered to a couple that lives in cramped, one bedroom apartment. A note explains that if they unlock the box and push the button, someone they don’t know will die and they will receive $200,000. (I guess that was a lot of money back then!) […]
Selling The Right Way is Transparent
October 27, 2007 by Leave a Comment
Yesterday I gave my Selling the Right Way! presentation at the annual Green Industry Conference sponsored by the Professional Landcare Network (PLANET). The audience was more than receptive – they get it! We really had a great time. We learned that selling today has to be very transparent. Why? Because we are living in a […]
Teamwork – Play Well with Others!
September 17, 2007 by Leave a Comment
Today I was reading about business school rankings in the Wall Street Journal. I’m especially tuned in to this topic because my daughter Alison will be a freshman in college next year — and her intent is to study – that’s right – business. I think that was what Tom Cruise said in the film […]
Values – Start Here and The Rest is Easy
September 12, 2007 by 2 Comments
Yesterday I had the pleasure of playing golf with Ken Blanchard and several members of his team from The Ken Blanchard Companies right here in Naperville at The White Eagle Golf Club. In addition to being a great storyteller and an all-around good guy, Ken is also a darn good golfer. He certainly humbled some […]
Customer Service – It's the Heart of Your Business
August 28, 2007 by Leave a Comment
After speaking this past weekend at the Summer Symposium of The Professional Landcare Network (PLANET), I’ve been contemplating the fact that great customer service is nothing more than consistently performing to the expectations of your clients. Too often we stop doing what works to try the latest idea. Companies need new ideas to grow, but […]
Blindfolded Cliff Diver Service – It Hurts!
July 21, 2007 by Leave a Comment
I’ve heard it said that great customer service is sometimes invisible – you don’t even notice it. While this is occasionally true, it’s not always the case. For example, why do you go to your favorite restaurant? It’s probably because you like it. Duh? Well, why do you like it so well? You know what […]
Can't Get No Balance at Work? – Measure It!
July 14, 2007 by 2 Comments
I was recently asked to write an article on work-life balance for Snow Business Magazine. If you have any knowledge of the snow business, you know this is an unpredictable, high-intensity business. It’s a business where the best laid plans – well, they get buried under the relentless, ferocity of the next storm. Yet, it […]
The Green Thread – It Works!
June 27, 2007 by Leave a Comment
Everybody seems to be talking about green these days. What does it really mean to be green? Well, start by just looking around. Green is the most predominant color in the universe- and therefore, it is an overriding energy that connects all of us. From basis physics we all learned colors vibrate at different frequencies […]
Right Way Selling
June 16, 2007 by Leave a Comment
One of the most valuable tools in selling is knowing your customer. When you engage with your customer on a regular basis, you learn their habits, mannerisms, and generally what they are like as a person. Yesterday I gave a presentation to the Snow and Ice Management Association. One of many excellent questions I was […]
When Something's Not Right its Wrong
June 6, 2007 by Leave a Comment
It occurred to me today that when you work on fixing what is not rightfully your responsibility, you are doing the wrong thing. Why? Because your time and talent and energy should be focused on doing the right thing. It reminded me of the verse from Bob Dylan’s You’re Gonna Make Lonesome When You Go […]
