Brett LaDove's Blog (29)

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.

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Added by Brett LaDove on October 15, 2009 at 3:37pm — 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

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

IMC USA In the News

[Re-posted from IMC email newsletter.]

Major efforts have been underway to bring more visibility to IMC as the professional organization for management consultants and to increase awareness of the CMC. Thanks to Bette Price, the Communications and PR Chair and Gayle Carson, Vice Chair of Marketing, PR, and Communicati… Continue

Added by Brett LaDove on April 16, 2009 at 10:30am — No Comments

Maintaining Brand Loyalty During Tough Economic Times

Every economy has it's triumphs and failures; this economy is no exception. I've met with quite a few people representing a wide variety of industries over the past several months -- a few interesting themes have emerged. A handful of companies who have managed their businesses conservatively during the boom years (and ha… Continue

Added by Brett LaDove on April 16, 2009 at 8:42am — No Comments

Is Small the New Big?

Upon recently reading a blog post by Tom Anderson entitled "When it comes to Companies, is “Small the New Big”? (Secure/Stable)", I felt compelled to respond. And as many members/readers of this network are small businesses, I… Continue

Added by Brett LaDove on March 25, 2009 at 4:00pm — No Comments

IMC NorCal Hashtag... #imcnorcal

What are Hashtags you say? Twitter, while still often considered a nascent social media channel is becoming increasingly popular and useful as a business tool. One function used with Twitter is the "Hashtag". In the definition pulled directly from www.ha… Continue

Added by Brett LaDove on March 13, 2009 at 2:30pm — 2 Comments

NorCal Consultant's Network on MSNBC

The NorCal Consultant's Network, and a blog post by Ahmet Alpdemir, were mentioned in an article on MSNBC yesterday. I hope this is just the beginning.... So what lessons… Continue

Added by Brett LaDove on February 13, 2009 at 3:00pm — No Comments

IMC 2009 Kickoff Program a Big Success

Ok, I realize that as the President of IMC NorCal that it seems obvious that I'm going to claim that Saturday's program "Make 2009 the Best Year Yet" was a big success. Let me then, just say how proud I am that ov… Continue

Added by Brett LaDove on January 12, 2009 at 7:00pm — 1 Comment

The Collaborative Workforce

I have been interested in online collaboration since the early days of the Internet, and as such have been an early adopter of a variety of collaboration tools. For several years, I have leveraged the best available tools whenever I had (or could create) an opportunity. As is often the case with early adoption, there have… Continue

Added by Brett LaDove on December 16, 2008 at 6:30pm — No Comments

Web 2.0 Breakout Session at January 10th IMC Program

I hope you can make it to IMC's January 10th program "Make 2009 the Best Yet!". I'll be leading the workshop on Web 2.0. Here's the official description: "Like many buzz words that enter the business vernacular, the definition of Web 2.0 still tends to vary by who is talking about it. In this workshop segment, IMC NorCal President, Brett LaDove will provide an overview to the various commponents t… Continue

Added by Brett LaDove on December 4, 2008 at 10:00am — No Comments

Ahmet Alpdemir joins IMC NorCal Board of Directors

Ahmet Alpdemir has joined the IMC NorCal Board of Directors filling the role of Sponsorship Director. Ahmet brings a wealth of marketing, business development, and entrepreneurial experience to bear on helping IMC develop a top notch sponsorship program. Check out Ahmet's profile on this site to learn more about Ahmet and his consulting practice Shimdi Venture Advisors.

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Added by Brett LaDove on November 12, 2008 at 3:14pm — No Comments

IMC Membership Promotion….Act Now!

You can start enjoying 2009 benefits today. Join IMC now, and you'll get the rest of 2008 free -- plus we'll waive the $50 administration fee. Act now and your new membership is good through December 2009. That's 15 months of IMC membership for only $295 (that's a $120 savings).… Continue

Added by Brett LaDove on October 15, 2008 at 7:14pm — No Comments

"Giving Advice in Adversity" by the Economist

The Economist magazine in it's September 25th 2008 edition starts out referencing a McKinsey study, and states "WHEN even consultants suggest that companies might want to spend less on consultancy, you know the industry is in for a difficult time." While the consulting i… Continue

Added by Brett LaDove on October 9, 2008 at 9:10am — No Comments

One More Reason to Blog on the NorCal Consultant's Network....Widgets!

Sure, sharing your wisdom with other members of the NorCal Consultant's Network is great, but don't you wish your consulting musings could help you get known more broadly? Well, now they can! (You knew I was going to say that didn't you?). Now you, and any number of other interested parties, can quickly add the NorCal Consultant's Network Blog Widget to their own website or blog. Sure, it was already possible to set up an RSS feed, but this little applet may be even more appealing for someone to… Continue

Added by Brett LaDove on September 22, 2008 at 12:00pm — 1 Comment

IMC Monthly Breakfast Groups Map, Now on NorCal Consultant's Network

Have you already noticed the Google map on the left side of this site's home page? Now it's easier then ever to find and get directions to these monthly breakfast groups. Some of the events by these regional groups are posted in the 'Events' section of this site, while others are not. Feel free to contact the group leader (it's a nice courtesy to let them know that you'll attend), or just show up. For more information on when these groups meet, you can check out the… Continue

Added by Brett LaDove on September 17, 2008 at 4:30pm — No Comments

Create Your Own Relevance Web

We all know that part of how Google determines whether a site is relevant, is by reviewing the sites that link to it, but what you may not know, is how easy it is to 'syndicate' your content around the web, so that not only do you have content in more places, but so that you also appear more relevant to the search engines as well. A couple simple suggestions: - Use the RSS feature on your "My Page" on this site to feed your blog right into the site.

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Added by Brett LaDove on September 4, 2008 at 2:00pm — No Comments

Carl Angotti Joins IMC and Assumes Leadership of South Bay Breakfast Group

Please join me in welcoming Carl Angotti as a new member of the Institute of Management Consulting, NorCal, and as the new leader of the South Bay ABC (Area Breakfast for Consultants). The South Bay ABC: When: 3rd Monday of the month Where: Sagacent Technologies, Suite 280, 4320 Stevens Creek Blvd, San Jose, CA 95129
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Added by Brett LaDove on August 21, 2008 at 9:00am — No Comments

John Weathington Joins IMC NorCal Board of Directors

John Weathington has joined the IMC NorCal Board of Directors in the role of acting Secretary, effective immediately. You can check out John's profile on this site to learn more about his finance and compliance business Excellent Management Systems, Inc. John is fairly new member of IMC, joining in October of 2007, and he has immediately shown himself as a 'doer'. Initially John got involved wit… Continue

Added by Brett LaDove on August 15, 2008 at 9:42am — No Comments

CONFAB Registration Is Open

See the meeting details under the 'Events' tab. For those of you who have been, you might want to add a comment or two to the event listing to help inform those who have not yet attended. Continue

Added by Brett LaDove on August 6, 2008 at 3:45pm — No Comments