All Topics
Operations
The One Question to Ask Every Job Candidate
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?
Marketing,
Strategy
Lure of the Big Customer
Which would you rather have? A one million dollar new customer or ten one hundred thousand dollar new customers? Careful what you wish for.
Sales
You Need An Answer for Everything
When I sit in on the conversations (or have them recounted to me), I observe one recurring issue: The salesperson isn't prepared for the kinds of questions clients ask.
I suspect that customers may even be trying to trip you up. Could they be that clever? I wonder...
Operations
What Your Team Needs to Understand About Purchase Orders
There are two things that really irk me: Being tricked and making mistakes. My penchant for purchase orders started when I was tricked because I made a mistake.
Early in my career, our company PO system was six digits (the date) and buyer initials (TS). An industrial supply company had the ac extension cables we wanted to use and the sales rep pried an order out of me on the phone.
Operations
How to Hire a Better Freelancer
There is a direct correlation between companies that are suspicious of freelancers and stagnant growth. You may be happy with how large your company has become, but have you noticed that your profits are shrinking every year?
Marketing
Why You Don’t Want Your Business to Be Unique
Whenever a business owner begins our pre-consulting conversation with, “Well, we’re pretty unique,” I know that I am going to be dealing with one of the following:
A business that evolved from an owner-operator to employees taking on responsibilities without any coordinated plan or,
Multiple partners or family members in key jobs with unclear management structure or,
A business feels that it is "too busy" to work on things that it knows are important.