Category: Worthy of imitation
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Half Price Books shows the way in instituting loyalty
Half Price Books is the perfect example of a company that deserves our loyalty, not because they care, but because they care enough to institute systems that preserve their values. Retail Touch Points: At Half Price Books, Empowered Associates Create Curated, Store-Specific Assortments, 2019-Apr-19 by Bryan Wassel Half Price Books is unafraid to take its…
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How to create a retail experience that allows us to compete against Amazon
As Amazon expands into the grocery business, we can learn great lessons from the companies which are competing effectively, especially Walmart and Trader Joe's. Walmart's success is mostly about distribution power, but Trader Joe's uses techniques which any retailer can copy. The Trader Joe's approach to retail: Make it personal Make it enjoyable Make it…
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The new function of hierarchy
Be careful that your 'self-starters' don't start off in different directions. If we have competent, empathetic leaders, we don't need too many of them, but we do need a few. diginomica: Flat hierarchies–progressive organizational thinking or digital's 'flat earth' theory? 2019-Feb-22 by Cath Everett Robert Ordever, Managing Director of culture consultancy OC Tanner Europe, is…
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Publishing content to customer needs, not a calendar
At PatSnap, the Head of Content is Timi Olotu, and he has established an incredibly effective practice. He and his staff develop blog posts, research, and interviews which are prized by PatSnap customers. The process of interacting with customers, performing research, then tracking statistics is so well ingrained, that having a "content calendar" is irrelevant. …
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Why good board members are hard to find
I'm all for having a very small board of people who actually want to contribute. Twitter: The Great Non-executive Director (NED), 2018-Oct-13 by Fred Destin 2/ what we normally get – a bunch of high level comments at board meetings only and vague moral support for the founders. 3/ what we’d really like – firstly…
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Customer empathy games proposed by IDEO
IDEO has developed a very good program to help companies get their employees to empathize with customers. If employees are not users of the product, customer empathy is always an ongoing challenge. Harvard Business Review: To Get Employees to Empathize with Customers, Make Them Think Like Customers, 2018-Sep-28 by Erin Henkel and Adam Grant What’s the…
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Work a little harder when using bald words to communicate. Use Bill Jensen’s CLEAR model.
Texting, emailing, slacking (a communication thing now–right?)… all these channels rely on typed words with no vocal nuance. This lean messaging can also lead to being confused and getting ignored. Behaviorally-focused messages can be patterned for success. Okay, let's C.L.E.A.R. a message, as designed by Bill Jensen, author of Simplicity and many other books and tools. The…
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Have you heard of the ‘amplification’ tactic for promoting women’s ideas?
Recently, I was in a morning round table meeting where new people were trickling in but not chiming in. After watching for awhile, I interrupted a speaker who'd had the floor for several minutes to ask one of the newcomers to introduce herself. The speaker didn't appear to be annoyed. We need to help people…
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Using micro-goals to stay on track toward our goals: the big picture is our enemy.
"Chunking," or breaking down a project into micro-goals, has long been recognized in productivity coaching. However, it's also extremely important in motivating co-workers. We tend to spend too much time on the vision and not enough time kicking around little ideas to move the project down the road. Recognizing the success of every micro-goal is…
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What other firms refuse to learn from Costco
Why aren't the benefits of better compensation common knowledge among business owners? Harvard Business Review: Inequality isn't just due to market forces, 2017-Mar-30 by Adam Cobb For example, Costco has long been recognized as a “high road” employer that pays above market wages, offers good benefits, and provides workers opportunities for advancement. Despite these significant…
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