By Wayne O'Neill
Nike says, get out there and “just do it.” Sounds easy. So, you think up great plans for your business, creative ideas for new products or services, and a marketing strategy that is sure to succeed. But, for some reason, you do not put any of them into action. Why? Is it “lack of time” or “distractions” or “higher priorities” or is it that your willpower is depleted which prevents you from sticking to your goals and making them reality?
By Wayne O'Neill
As a 30-year sales manager for a big corporation, my dad used to advise his team, “Lead the pack. But if you are not in first place, then stay comfortably in the middle.” But with tremendous competition and pressures to win deals, organizations are no longer safe with strategies that keep you in the middle of the road. As Jim Hightower, the colorful Texas populist, said, “There’s nothing in the middle of the road but yellow stripes and dead armadillos.” It is no longer enough to be pretty good at everything and just chase any deal that crosses your path. Continuing to do things the same way will not produce new and better results. In order to win in today’s tough market and transform your company to top-line growth, you and your team need to be motivated to change and take the necessary action to gain the competitive edge and build sustainable accounts faster. You need to know how to motivate your team to excel.
By Kevin Cray
In my everyday life, I sit in on some very high level meetings. One observation I have made is a lot of firms, no matter which market segments you play in, don’t know how to strategically pick the clients that will best be served by their services…
By Wayne O'Neill
In the athletic world, you win by crushing your opponent. But in the business world of cross-cultural negotiation and global economy, you win by learning secrets from experts. Here are nine secrets for negotiation from Dr. Karen Walch, professor at Thunderbird School of Global Management who specializes in international negotiation, cultural competencies and the global market…
By brendacray
The connection between sales and top-line growth appears to be simple right…sell more and your business grows more. If you are in deal-chasing mode and not into a cycle of building sustainable accounts, growing your company might not be so simple. An interesting article was brought to my attention this past week, “Solving the Sales Conundrum” (INC. April 2012). Jeff Hoffman, founder of MJ Hoffman and Associates and a teacher at Harvard and MIT, emphasized the old marketing principle called AIDA – or attention, interest, desire, and action. According to Hoffman, “No matter what you’re selling, you have to guide a prospect through each phase, and each one requires a different focus, a different language, and a different strategy.” Using a different strategy is a fresh approach to business development…
By Kevin Cray
Everyone knows that social media use is booming right now, but how do you know whether you are spending your time wisely and producing provocative information that people actually pay attention to? We have found 2 amazing companies that have created tools (that are free as well) to help you measure the value of your brand in social media: HootSuite and Klout…
By Wayne O'Neill
Have you ever wanted to draw a line with people in your life and say “Do NOT cross this line!” On the other hand, have you ever had to cross the line or work around someone’s boundary in order to make progress in a relationship, business and organization? How can you set healthy boundaries and also maneuver around boundaries without destroying relationships personally or professionally?…
By Wayne O'Neill
Building a cohesive, productive team is challenging. Even the best teams struggle to improve effectiveness. Some teams have individual team members who are excellent in their own silos, but are not that interested in working as a team or achieving team goals. How do you get them to look to the forest beyond the trees? Other teams have weak team members who don’t pull their fair share for the team and lack genuine teamwork. How do you move a team from dysfunctional to productive?
By Wayne O'Neill
How can the rising percentage of women executives benefit your bottom line? What do women executives do differently that positively affects the bottom line for organizations? According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 43% of management, business & financial operations executives are women. Understanding gender differences in management styles can benefit your bottom line…
By brendacray
The healthcare system across the country faces challenges on multiple fronts, including rising costs and questionable quality of care. With the upcoming deadlines for meeting Meaningful Use criteria and federal Accountable Care Organizations information technology in healthcare, especially electronic medical records (EMR) has the potential to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of health care providers…
