Small Businesses: How To Plan for Success in 2011

Aug 25 2010

Signs of summer slipping away are all around me. Today I posted the above picture on Twitter of my tomato plant as the yield is slowing with cooler temperatures just around the corner. As I do my fall yard work, I am simultaneously helping clients plan for 2011. Every fall–for those clients that want to–we review the past year’s budget, results that we achieved, results we didn’t achieve and map out improvements for the next year. I’ll admit, it gets more challenging every year and I attribute that to two primary reasons: 1. The current economy 2. Technology advances and…

Mobile Evolution- Ready or Not, Here it comes!

Aug 19 2010

One of our clients in the technology solutions industry just hosted a roundtable discussion with some diverse businesses about technology, the uses of it, the changes coming and how businesses are adapting. Amazing and overwhelming at the same time. I couldn’t help but sit there and think about the fact that a few years ago, we didn’t have “smart” phones. Apps have become a universally accepted household term in almost zero time. Never in the history of our world are we getting so much information and technology at one time. One of the guests sitting next to me commented…

Clients: Gentlemen: Start your Engines

Aug 16 2010

In my last blog post, I wrote about how to cultivate loyal clients—actual tactics that build loyalty and relationships. The feedback and comments I have received (often better than the post itself) revved me to take this a step further to write about what this type of loyalty allows you to do as a valued partner. The basic assumption is that if you have loyal clients, you are viewed more as a member of the team or partner (vs. consultant or vendor which can have negative connotations). I am fortunate to enjoy the relationships I have with my clients but these…

HOW TO: Cultivate Loyal Clients

Aug 03 2010

The dictionary defines “loyal” as “unswerving in allegiance” or “faithful in allegiance” to one’s government/persons. In my day-to-day work with clients—many of whom have been with me for years—I am constantly grateful for their fierce loyalty to me and vice versa. Maybe it’s the fact that some of them have been working with me for over 15 years. Maybe it’s that we have sort of “grown up” together through the ages of fax machines to new PCs and the introduction of the internet to now. We have been through a lot together and in thinking about what makes a business…

BP’s PR and Lessons to Learn

Jun 09 2010

Crisis PR: Lessons to Learn from BP’s Oil Spill When a crisis comes knocking-no matter how prepared companies may think they are-generally speaking, the first 48 hours will set the stage for how a company will respond and deal with the crisis. Clearly, in the case of BP and its recent disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, nobody was prepared for the magnitude and impact of such a horrific accident. Not only were there human casualties, the environmental and economic casualties continue to mount-likely for a long time. A few things make this crisis unique: first, it is not…

Terror: If Twitter and the Internet Went Away

May 19 2010

Heaven Forbid Twitter and the Internet should *go away* but given the current state of *crazy* in our world, I have to ask the question. If you think about it, BP is now saying they had no idea things could get this bad—oil spill. Look at the banking and real estate sectors: Who would have thought our banking world would come crashing down and need Federal help. The real estate industry is not far behind. So, what makes you think our internet could not fail? I was inspired to write this post because today, my own e-mail went down (my…