I've been a Marriott customer for a long time. When I started my solo career as a consultant, my travel agent encouraged me to pick one chain and stick with it. At the time I chose Hilton, stayed mostly at Hampton Inns and was unimpressed. The hotels were often tired and the points system was not very generous. Then I stayed at a Residence Inn somewhere I don't recall, but I clearly remember walking in and seeing a message board that welcomed elite guests by name. At the front desk they were thanking guests for being an elite guest. Recognition. I switched.

If you call me or any other business advisor for advice, sometime in that first 30 minutes you are going to express concern about a business outcome and we are going to ask you about the relevant budget. It's OK to say you don't have a budget if you don't. You are not alone.

When you factor in capacity, timing, and cash flow - no two companies will ever have an identical cost basis. So why do we focus so much energy on price?

"I hate marketing." My client said these words to me in a meeting about rejuvenating their sales pipeline. How would you prefer to do this? I asked. "I don't know, I just want to have an honest conversation. The rest of this doesn't seem genuine." Weeks later I asked him, "How many honest conversations have you managed to have since we last spoke?" You can guess what his answer was. My client's ideal prospect might be looking for him. The problem is, they are going to find someone else first. Thus begins an unhealthy pattern.

Do you remember those game shows where the contestant stands in a booth while money blows all around them? They have say, sixty seconds to collect all the cash they can. The big fan blows, cash flies, and the contestant flails about trying to snatch dollars from the air and hold on to them. The bills are in all denominations but move too fast to spot the big ones easily. The contestants must hold on to the cash they've caught while trying to get more. Even though there seem to be thousands of bills flying around, actually catching one is pretty difficult. This is exactly what sales looks like if you have no marketing.

Knowing how little time we have to train new employees, how infrequently we get to do it, and the fact that we aren't sure what to teach them - what's the right interview question?