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Paying Attention to Results Builds Strong Teams

Paying Attention to Results Builds Strong Teams

I have to admit; I do change my mind on occasion. So, this blog delivers on my prior blog’s promise to address Patrick Lencioni’s 5 Dysfunctions of a Team, but not fear of conflict. I think Lencioni positioned Inattention to Results at the top of his 5-part pyramid for a good reason. Addressing...

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Is Your Team Dysfunctional? Build Trust First

Is Your Team Dysfunctional? Build Trust First

Several days ago, I listened to one of The Impact On Leadership (IOS) podcasts with moderator Steve Scherrer interviewing Carthage College President John Swallow. I was intrigued for several reasons. First, we currently employ a talented Carthage intern and are excited about Carthage’s new School...

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These 10 Tips Will Get You Better Results from LinkedIn

These 10 Tips Will Get You Better Results from LinkedIn

If you're an executive on LinkedIn, you may be wondering how to get more out of your efforts on it. Here are 10 tips to make you more effective and make your experience using LinkedIn more meaningful. Or at least gain more positive results from your efforts. LinkedIn is simply a tool that helps...

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Win in Your Marketplace By Making Strategic Decisions

Win in Your Marketplace By Making Strategic Decisions

I like to learn from others’ mistakes so I don’t have to make them myself. Even better is to learn from a fellow CEO’s success, especially when the story of success looked like a failure at first glance. Cindy D’Aoust, president of American Queen Voyages, has an interesting situation playing out...

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Why Every CEO Needs to Be on LinkedIn Right Now

Why Every CEO Needs to Be on LinkedIn Right Now

Business owners and their sales teams often complain about business-to-business selling: too many people are involved in the buying decision; the buying cycle stretching out longer and longer; profit margins being shaved off at the last minute. Some even blame the Internet for complicating their...

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Marketers’ Generational Biases Often Miss The Mark

Marketers’ Generational Biases Often Miss The Mark

I never know where I’ll find the next marketing gem, but they do appear from time to time. This time it’s about generational bias in marketing, appearing in the "IdeaWatch" section of the January-February 2022 issue of Harvard Business Review. It’s based on a white paper called “Swiss Influencer...

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Much to Celebrate During National Small Business Week

Much to Celebrate During National Small Business Week

This is National Small Business Week—April 30 through May 6—the week to celebrate businesses defined by the Small Business Administration (SBA) as having no more than 1,500 employees and a maximum of $41.5 million in average annual receipts. You guessed it. That’s a lot of businesses! In fact,...

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How Does Your Company Measure Sales Success?

How Does Your Company Measure Sales Success?

How does your company measure sales success? Is it a full funnel? Is it the number of leads generated? Is it the number of sales closed in a month? No question, metrics are an important measure of success. But a measure of what success? What sales and marketing strategy have you put in place in...

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Win More Customers with Digital Marketing

Win More Customers with Digital Marketing

If it seems like everything is digital today, it’s not your imagination. Traditional media, like newspapers, TV, and print magazines are gasping to survive. Meanwhile, digital marketing media has grown continuously since 2011. Time spent (in minutes) viewing traditional marketing media has dropped...

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Make Your Website Stand Out From The Others

Make Your Website Stand Out From The Others

Great websites do stand out from others. These website are easily found, build trust, and make it easy for visitors to discover what they're looking for, so they can take the next step. A great website is not about just creating a beautiful design, but about creating a device to convert first time...

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5 Ways to Make Email Marketing Work for You

5 Ways to Make Email Marketing Work for You

A common question new clients ask me is “Which marketing channel will give me the best return on my dollar?” That’s a good question, in any economy, but especially now. I come up with one consistent answer—Email Marketing. With an average ROI of $45 for each dollar spent, it’s a good choice and...

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5 Pillars of Successful Brand Building

5 Pillars of Successful Brand Building

Branding companies and their products and services is what I do. As a marketer, I know it’s at the center of helping my clients get recognized, grow and stay top of mind with customers. I’ve distilled forty years of “branding” expertise down to five basic tenants I call “The Pillars of Branding.”...

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Is Yours a “Yes, and” Company Culture?

Is Yours a “Yes, and” Company Culture?

Many of you remember the improv show “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” You laughed and marveled as Ryan Stiles, Wayne Brady, and Colin Mochrie created hilarious skits from a few words tossed to them by Drew Carey and audience members. Their quick wit depended on the “Yes, and” theory that’s not just...

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4 Things You Need To Do To Survive a Recession

4 Things You Need To Do To Survive a Recession

If, as predicted, a 2023 recession challenges businesses, will you survive it? Here are 4 things you can start to do now to prepare for a recession. Big Tech companies are laying off employees by the thousands. Google is the latest, laying off 12,000. I think it’s a bellwether. Many economists are...

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5 Things To Do If Writing Intimidates You

5 Things To Do If Writing Intimidates You

This happens to be a timely topic for me since I’ve resolved to write more often in 2023. And not just more often—daily. For good reason too. It’s one of the best ways to overcome all of the following: writers block, fear of putting thoughts out to the world, and a topic tank on empty. No matter...

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4 Exceptional Ways to Keep More Customers in 2023

4 Exceptional Ways to Keep More Customers in 2023

2023 has arrived with a bang. Happy New Year. You know what would make it really happy for me? Having a crystal ball that can read the minds of my clients. That way I could know what they were thinking. Are they truly happy with my company’s output? Do they value our involvement with their...

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Want to Live a Healthier Life in 2023? Have Fun!

Want to Live a Healthier Life in 2023? Have Fun!

Listening to a Ted Talk on a recent road trip, I discovered FUN expert Catherine Price. Her Ted Talk “Why having fun is the secret to a healthier life” addressed both my fun goal for the holiday and one of my new year’s resolutions – leading a healthier life. So, I listened and discovered a few...

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Know the Top Color For 2023 is Viva Magenta

Know the Top Color For 2023 is Viva Magenta

Know the Top Color For 2023 is Viva Magenta   The Pantone Color Institute, the global color authority, has picked its 2023 Color of the Year. This color choice will affect the graphic design, fashion, beauty, and home décor industries. Even technology, so it’s a big deal. The institute has...

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2 PR Must Do’s for 2023

2 PR Must Do’s for 2023

Is it advertising, marketing or PR? Have you ever wondered what is the difference between advertising,  marketing, and PR? Writer S. H. Simmons nails it. “If a young man tells his date how handsome, smart and successful he is – that’s advertising. If the young man tells his date she’s intelligent,...

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3 Sales Headaches Executives Can Avoid

3 Sales Headaches Executives Can Avoid

#1  Too Much Focus on Low Price Having the lowest price is not a strategy. It’s suicide. A company that can only sell its goods and services when they are at the lowest price has a serious problem. Deep discounts, special concessions, and constant “doorbuster” sales indicate the company has a weak...

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6 Powerful Things You Gain When You Own Your Market

6 Powerful Things You Gain When You Own Your Market

The company that owns its markets wins big. Consider the following benefits of market ownership: First Choice The company that owns its market is usually “brand dominant”—the first to be considered. It is the “logical choice” or one of only a few considered in the purchase process. This is the...

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What Businesses Can Learn from Gonzaga

What Businesses Can Learn from Gonzaga

I love basketball. Played it in high school even if it was split court in the good old days of girls’ basketball when forwards and guards never crossed the center line and were restricted to two short dribbles. Good thing that ended! However, Monday night's Baylor victory over Gonzaga was painful...

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