Best Practices posts, articles, and infographics

11 Common Mistakes Small Business Owners Make

May 15, 2012 by Patricia Lotich
with 55 views

Mistakes are part of the learning process but when it comes to owning or running a small business some mistakes, made at the wrong time, could threaten the long term viability of the organization. Because of this, it is important to identify those things that should never be overlooked or neglected. [read more]

A Heroic Story – and a Powerful Social Business Metaphor

May 15, 2012 by Brian Vellmure
with 16 views

While the daily triggers and challenges in most of our business lives aren’t remotely as dramatic as what happened to the twin towers that day, we DO live in a business (government, education, NGO, Ministry) climate where cycle times are increasingly compressed, and never explored frontiers of opportunity are literally emerging every few years, instead of every few decades or centuries. [read more]

Six Retailers Who Blew It- BIG

May 11, 2012 by Sheridan Orr
with 73 views

When I give presentations, I typically like to use case studies to show customers best practices. However, it is frequently the object lessons of those who blew it that clients find most interesting. While doing research for an upcoming engagement, I found six retailers who blew it – and I mean blew it big. [read more]

Please Stop Selling Me! Can't We Just Talk?

May 9, 2012 by Kristin Zhivago
with 85 views

Image: Roger Jegg - Fotodesign-Jegg.de /Shutterstock

Here's how NOT to make a sales call. Sticking to your script can be like sticking your head in the ground. [read more]

Customer Intelligence and Innovation Process

May 8, 2012 by Gregory Yankelovich
with 67 views

Image:Andrea Danti /Shutterstock

I think simplification of customer experience in achieving the desired outcome is an ultimate goal of any product creator. In my opinion, the experience starts with the recognition that the product is a potential "candidate" for the "job" on hand, and continues from a process of acquisition of the product through different steps until the desired result is achieved. [read more]

New Study: Only 10% of Employees are Engaged

May 3, 2012 by Jacob Morgan
with 124 views

Image: Modern Survey

I don’t like reading things like this, I really don’t. But today I came across a report released by Modern Survey which found that we have a lot of work to do around engaging our employees. [read more]

Online Community Success Takes Planning and Patience

May 2, 2012 by Rachel Happe
with 39 views

There has been recent discussion in the blogosphere about how some companies are abandoning their blogs. And much of it sounds very familiar and is something we have heard in the online community sphere as well. And it’s not surprising. [read more]

Are We Speaking The Customer’s Language?

April 25, 2012 by Dave Brock
with 63 views

Image: Matthew Cole /Shutterstock

Often, when I go on sales calls with sales people, I think that we are speaking different languages. The customer is speaking their language, the sales person is speaking their—and there is no interpreter. [read more]

What’s In It For The Person Paying The Bill?

April 22, 2012 by Dave Brock
with 100 views

Photo by David Chartier via Flickr

This is a challenge to every B2B seller. Too often we can create great business value for one group in an organization, but if all the stakeholder invovled aren’t aligned in the priority, if all the stakeholders don’t get value, then our deals get stalled. [read more]

The Future Of Work

April 20, 2012 by Maria Ogneva
with 279 views

What do you think is the future of work? How is your workplace moving towards the future today?

Photo credit: Eric Murray/Flickr

A company of the future is one that understands the changing dynamics between the company, its employees and customers. [read more]

Frank Eliason at BDI, My Favorite Quotes Hot Off the Press

April 19, 2012 by Robin Fray Carey
with 39 views

Frank Eliason, Senior Vice President of Social Media, Citi Group.

"People get social not through metrics, but through stories." -- Frank Eliason of Citi. [read more]

Before You Pick Up The Phone!

April 18, 2012 by Dave Brock
with 41 views

I’m constantly amazed at the calls I get. People calling me, with little idea about who I am, what I do, what my company does. I see this from sophisticated people in large organizations to those people dialing for dollars. [read more]

What I Learned Eating My Own Dog Food

April 16, 2012 by Kristin Zhivago
with 77 views

Even though I truly believe in this method – interviewing your current customers to sell more effectively to future customers – I still experienced the exact same natural resistance to the exercise that my own clients always feel. [read more]

Top 6 Reasons Leaders Use Story as a Powerful Communication Tool

April 6, 2012 by Barbara Burke
with 72 views

Trust is the cornerstone of employee engagement. When an agent knows her supervisor values the contributions she makes and genuinely cares about her as a person (not a number), she is much more willing to perform to best of her ability. [read more]

Bashing The Competition!

April 6, 2012 by Dave Brock
with 53 views

Image: Iaroslav Neliubov/Shutterstock

First, by bashing the competition, you are doing exactly what you don’t want to do. You are removing the focus from your solution and placing the focus–and the customer’s–on the competition. A better strategy is to keep the customer focused on your solution. [read more]

Opt-in Email Offers Consumers Consent and Value

April 5, 2012 by Maggie Fox
with 113 views

Image: marketer.com

Email remains a killer app. Despite working on the cutting edge of social media and integrated digital marketing we frequently find ourselves considering the role of email [read more]

Social Software Solutions: High-Level Guidance for Organizations

April 4, 2012 by Courtney Hunt
with 102 views

Before pursuing a social solution, organizational leaders should revisit their strategic goals and objectives and identify whether new digital technologies can help achieve them. They should also assess how they are currently leveraging all forms of media and communication, including print, email, and telephone. [read more]

6 Steps to Brilliant Social Customer Service

April 4, 2012 by Omar Zaibak
with 1,006 views

Social customer service is more important than ever. Follow these steps to get in the game. [read more]

Your Organization 8 Years from Now

April 3, 2012 by Brian Vellmure
with 130 views

Image: 99gretzky.com

The Economist Intelligence Unit, in a study sponsored by RICOH, surveyed 567 senior executives across industries in late 2011 on their expectations of the impact that technology will have on business between now and 2020. The survey results highlight the reality that the general consensus amongst senior business leaders is that our future is more uncertain and up for grabs than it has been for most of the last century. [read more]

Think Before You Dial: 3 Reasons Why Unplanned Phone Calls are a Poor Practice

March 19, 2012 by Courtney Hunt
with 42 views

I admit I’m not a big fan of the telephone. I don’t mind talking on it, but I think it’s a terrible way to initiate dialogue – especially in a professional context, and especially when there are so many better alternatives. In the Digital Era, it’s equivalent to the unexpected drop-by. [read more]