All Blog Posts (117)

Customer Satisfaction Bonus Traps

Why do sales and service representatives feel compelled to tell customers how to answer a survey? Does the company want to know what the customers really think, or is the company trying to build positive publicity by claiming superior ratings?

The answer to the second question exposes the company's cultu… Continue

Added by Lynn Hunsaker on November 17, 2009 at 6:31am — No Comments

The Art of Listening: A Key to Customer-Centricity

Curiosity is the key to great listening skills that improve customer experience. When you're truly curious about your customer's opinions, expectations and requests, you'll find the customer to be more pleasant, interesting and fulfilling to you as well.… Continue

Added by Lynn Hunsaker on October 22, 2009 at 11:24am — No Comments

Step 3: Set Your Strategy

I've posted Step 3 of my simple 4-step process for maximizing profits through effective marketing and sales. Tune in to catch up. What other plan do you know that suggests you defer setting your strategy to the 3rd step? http://sherpabusinessdevelopment.com Continue

Added by Andy McClure on October 22, 2009 at 9:35am — No Comments

Follow IMC NorCal on Twitter and Facebook

In this brave new world of social media....it makes good sense for brands of all types to be represented on a variety of social media channels. Also, some people prefer one channel to another, so IMC NorCal wants to be represented where people want to interact with us. If you're so inclined, please feel free to follow us on Twitter, or join our Facebook group.

… Continue

Added by Brett LaDove on October 15, 2009 at 3:37pm — No Comments

My New Contact Info

Hi,

I provide web consulting and project management services to web developers, businesses, and individuals who need help with web, social media (blogging, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and more), email marketing, software application, and other projects.

My New Contact Info:
sara "at" saraisenberg "dot" com
http://www.saraisenberg.com/
h… Continue

Added by Sara Isenberg on October 12, 2009 at 4:00pm — No Comments

Four Steps to a More Successful Business

The simple question I help my clients tackle is “How do I grow my business?” That’s a pretty BIG question though, you have to admit. It’s a big question because making a REAL change can set you on a completely different path. Don’t fall into the trap of just working harder!… Continue

Added by Andy McClure on October 2, 2009 at 3:16pm — No Comments

What's Your Customer Experience Value Quotient?

If value is defined as benefits versus costs, what's your company's customer experience value ratio? Superior value is the objective of customers and marketers alike. And since customers hold the purse strings, marketers are compelled to view value as customers do. In the customer experience value ratio… Continue

Added by Lynn Hunsaker on October 2, 2009 at 11:55am — No Comments

Key Metrics for Customer Service

I’m often asked “What should our customer service group be measuring?” Of course, there are many things you could measure in the customer service arena, but I tend to think of metrics breaking down into two specific categories….those that measure efficiency and those that measure effectiveness. Depending on what you are try… Continue

Added by Brett LaDove on September 10, 2009 at 11:32am — No Comments

Customer-Focused Culture by Living With Your Customers: A Lesson From Amazon

You never know someone so well as when they live with you! What better way to transform your culture to truly customer-centric ways of thinking and doing, than to invite your customer to attend all your discussions? This has long been a practice at Amazon, since founder… Continue

Added by Lynn Hunsaker on September 1, 2009 at 6:28am — No Comments

Alan Weiss Named Fellow of IMC USA

The Institute of Management Consultants, USA, has awarded international author and Certified Management Consultant Alan Weiss, CMC, PhD, with its prestigious Fellow of IMC USA (FIMC) for distinguished service. “Alan’s contributions to the ethics and professional performance of management consulting are recognized globally,” said Drumm McNaughton, Chairman of IMC USA. “Not only has Alan been recognized for outstanding service to his clients world-wide, he has fostered professionalism in the indu… Continue

Added by Brett LaDove on August 26, 2009 at 5:30pm — No Comments

Network Marketing via LinkedIn...

Just saw this post on one of my groups about how to improve one's LinkedIn marketing efforts. Probably duplicates some stuff you've already seen, but if nothing else it's a good reminder of what to do and not do. Find it at http://bit.ly/2mKEp. Continue

Added by Jon Seidel on August 14, 2009 at 8:29am — No Comments

True Grit...

What makes the difference between success and just getting by? Researcher Angela Duckworth, University of Pennsylvania, thinks that the answer is "grit" -- not the stuff that gets between your toes at the beach, but the kind that Edison believed in when he said that "Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration." Grit in her terms is the ability to stick to your vision in spite of setbacks and the passing of time. Well worth the read: see the article at:… Continue

Added by Jon Seidel on August 11, 2009 at 5:36am — No Comments

Summertime Inspiration

Despite Jim Rodgers' exhortation to get out of the dungeon, I've been spending much of my summer in my sanctuary called Earth. Experiencing the creative solitude of digging in it, planting it, hiking and backpacking around it. Turning off the phones, leaving computer and email b… Continue

Added by Barbara Chan on August 7, 2009 at 5:28pm — No Comments

Surveying Consultants Regarding IMC Programs

As all good businesses and business consultants realize, knowing what your audience is looking for is a major key to success. In keeping with that knowledge, the IMC=NorCal Board would like to hear from you about the things that are important to you in terms of your IMC membership and/or your involvement with IMC-NorCal. Please take a few minutes to complete this survey so that we may be better responsive to your time and needs.… Continue

Added by Bart Gragg on July 24, 2009 at 6:41pm — No Comments

The Vendor / Client relationship...

What if people treated 'regular' businesses like they treat consultants? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2a8TRSgzZY I'm sure we all have stories similar to this. Enjoy...jon Continue

Added by Jon Seidel on July 21, 2009 at 6:29am — No Comments

Do Customer Surveys Measure the Right Things?

If the "customers' jobs-to-be-done" concept is becoming embraced as an essential for successful innovation, why is it largely ignored for monitoring o… Continue

Added by Lynn Hunsaker on July 20, 2009 at 10:11am — No Comments

Elected to Corporate Board of Berrett-Koehler Publishing

Barbara Chan was elected to the Board of Directors of Berrett-Koehler Publishing. Berrett-Koehler (BK) is an independent publisher dedicated to an ambitious mission: Creating a World that Works for All. BK believes that to truly create a better world, action is needed at all levels--individual, organizational, and societal. A major theme of their books is "Opening Up New Space" that challenges conventional thinking, introduces new ideas, and fosters positive change. The company's core approach i… Continue

Added by Barbara Chan on July 8, 2009 at 5:00pm — No Comments

Disney’s Best Attraction…The Hotel Pool

We have a tradition in our family to share “highlights” over dinner. So Sunday, our first day back home after a week in Orlando, my wife and I asked our two kids to pinpoint their TOP highlights from our week. The answer…hanging out at the hotel pool. Granted, it was pretty cool (a water slide, a beached pirate ship that they could climb on, water canons for shooting water at one another), but c’mon! I lost track of the bucks we spent to get into Magic Kingdom, Seaworld, and Animal… Continue

Added by Andy McClure on June 30, 2009 at 9:30am — No Comments

Thank You For This Morning's Treats!

Hello to all who participated in this morning's East Bay Consultants Forum at the Buttercup Grill in Oakland (off I-80). It was exciting to see a room full of people join us to exchange, explore, and enlist each others' ideas on Luanne Stevenson's presentation topic: "Eat That Frog and Other Great Strategies to Stop Procrastination and Rebalance Your Busy Life." Special thanks to colleagues John Weathington and Bart Gragg for co-hosting with me and helping run the meeting smoothly, to Dale Radc… Continue

Added by Norma Martinez-Rubin on June 19, 2009 at 4:19pm — 2 Comments

Create a "Destination" for Your Business

Do you know where you are taking your business? Have you determined a destination? Let me put it this way, if you want to go on a vacation, you first have to decide where want to end up (on the slopes in Tahoe, or sipping a tasty cocktail by the beach or pool). Only after making that decision, can you set out. Otherwise, you wouldn't know what to pack, and whether to head to the airport, train station, or just hop in the minivan. The business "journey" you are on requires the s… Continue

Added by Andy McClure on June 18, 2009 at 10:00am — No Comments