Articles
News Release: ACTION Book Helps Consumers Hire the Right Contractor
With the increasing number of consumers who complain or have problems with their contractor and good construction companies who struggle to find work, this action book bridges that gap. Within the action book is a c…
Woman-Owned, Coachable & Successful
Iris Harrell of Harrell Remodeling wrote one of three forewords for Contractors: Doing it Right Not Just Getting it Done. Here is her's . . . Enjoy!
Knowing the importance of the hard-to-define culture of our company has helped us not only survive, but thrive these last twenty five years. I’ve often wondered why so few books have been written about culture, as in my opinion, it is the key to business success.Business culture is especially critical in the world of residential remodeling. Our ty…
Steve Klein: Is Your Business Really Different?
Steve Klein of The Klein Companies wrote one of three forewords for Contractors: Doing it Right Not Just Getting it Done. Here is his . . . Enjoy!
When author Mel DePaoli decided to write this book her timing could not have been better. Her company Omicle continues to focus on Brand or Culture in American business and whether Brand or Culture is the driving force behind why some companies continue to be successful over time and others just exist or eventually fail?Midway through writing this bo…
The Management / Employee / Customer Gap
“Before selling an idea or product (any widget, or strategy for example), you must engag…
Tom Capizzi Jr.: Handcuffed to the Front Door
Tom Capizzi Jr., of Capizzi Home Improvement wrote one of three forewards for Contractors: Doing it Right Not Just Getting it Done. Here is his . . . Enjoy!
In the early to mid-1990’s I began to make a deliberate effort to lead our company culture in a direction that would allow me to not be “handcuffed to the front door” of our business inhibiting me from pursuing other interests. I had spent several years “handcuffed to the front door” of my business in which most of the day to day business a…Many Paths to Success-Jay-Z & Warren Buffett
In a recent meeting hosted by Forbes, Warren Buffett and Jay-Z shared stories of their mutual success despite drastic differences in achieving it. The full article is here and worth the read, but I wanted to share a few particular bits of advice that Warren Buffett gave.Steve Forbes: Warren, what advice would you have for Jay-Z in the music business? You've seen business models change a bit in the newspaper business with the Washington Post and Buffalo News.
Warren Buffett: It happens. Street rai…
Most Innovative Ways to Recognize Your Employees
I posted the below text about a year ago to get some feedback, when I was switching my site, I rediscovered it and wanted to share again. Hope you enjoy it and it gives you some great ideas for saying "Thank you" this year. Recognizing your employees (when done properly) is an incredible element of your culture. It can be a driving force that leads to the most amazing results. Your employees end up feeling like what they do matters. Happy employees lead to happier customers and better results fo…
Do You Want a Chief Marketing or Metric Officer?
How important do you think it is for a CMO to be creative?
Traditionally, a CMO is defined as Chief Marketing Officer. I saw an interview with a company that was seriously considering changing its definition to Chief Metric Officer. They felt measuring the metrics of campaigns was far more important than the creativity in today’s market.
When you look at recent economic events, let’s say over the last three years, and factor in that an average CMO remains in one job for only 18 months, to me…
Where has Responsibility Gone? Blame & Fault by Apple
I don’t normally jump on the latest bandwagon, but this one seemed too fun to miss out on. Earlier this summer, Steve Jobs set a new business example for others to follow—blaming the customer by saying “Stop holding the phones in that way.”
Apple’s launch of a much desired iPhone 4 was less than positively accepted. Customers soon started complaining about losing signal. When Apple’s loyal customer base turned to them for help, all they heard, was “it is your fault.”
Really, it’s the customers’ fa…
Truth Bomb: You Will Fail in Marketing and It's OK.
It’s true, 90% of all B2B companies market in pretty much the same way. It goes something like this:
Make a product/service
Talk a lot about their product/service
Produce a load of boring content and collateral to sell their product/service
Use various techniques to attempt to stand out and cut through the noise
Use a variety of channels and platforms like advertising, email, or direct marketing, as well as social media to make people aware of their product/service
Build a sales funnel and manage and …