by Charles Sipe
When Fred Reichheld wrote The Ultimate Question, he argued that the best way to drive strong revenue growth and return on equity, was by using the simple question “How likely is it that you would recommend this company to a friend or colleague”? This question, goes right to the source of your business, [...]

Should companies be focusing on retaining current customers rather than going after new customers due to the poor economic environment?
Often in life, we hear people wonder, “should I be doing X or Y?” I like to use my kids as examples — only because they are so clearly reflections of ourselves.
The question is not, “should [...]

by Chuck Besondy
In case you didn’t notice your customers are buying differently today than they did last year. The differences could be subtle or obvious, but if you observe closely you’ll see that the process they follow to make a buying decision–the buyers’ journey’–has changed.
If your selling process and sales funnel structure haven’t adapted [...]

by John Moore
Mark Hurst over at the Good Experience blog posted his 10 steps for becoming the VP of Customer Experience at your company.
He speaks of forming stakeholder groups and offshoot ad-hoc teams, implementing “skunk work” projects, and championing the cause throughout the organization.
Good stuff … but his 10-step process could use an extra step [...]

What advice would you give to companies that are struggling due to low consumer confidence and the economic environment?

In a recent speech, I quoted Steven Covey’s profound line, “The environment you fashion out of your thoughts, your beliefs, your ideals, your philosophy is the only climate you will ever live in.” What if C.N.N. [...]

What do you think are the major reasons companies fail to reach their revenue goals?
The famous McDonald’s restauranteur, Ray Croc, used to say “There is no competition”. What he meant was that we can’t blame others for our failure with customers (I would add children or spouses as well!)
Some years ago, Rockefeller Corporation did [...]

by Jonathan Gilliam, Interim Sales Executive
In the good times it was quite difficult to reach VITO (Very Important Top Officer). Seemed he, or she, was always so very busy.
So what’s his excuse now?
Unfortunately VITO’s even busier now. He’s lost the people he used to delegate to. Downsizing has given him two or three more jobs [...]

When do you predict the economy will turn around?
I am working with companies that are both forward-thinking and courageous to change around their economy rather than waiting for the rest of the water to float all the other boats.

Look at how much time people are spending today keeping up with their own personal technology. [...]

by Paul Travis, Interim Sales Executive

The affluence, consumer culture, established distribution channels, and technology adoption of the U.S. market attract the interest of astute businesspersons worldwide. However it can be intimidating to consider such an expansion initiative when one already has a full day of problems to solve.
While there are no guaranteed success formulas [...]

by Jonathan Gilliam
Just returned from Houston with a new gig helping companies increase their revenue via innovative digital marketing. Having enjoyed a stint at another interactive firm recently, I’m excited about bringing companies a few leaps forward in their interactive efforts.
First thing I did was go to Fry’s to get a printer for my home [...]