All this week the preacher at the Chautauqua Institute is the Very Rev. Alan Jones, dean emeritus, Grace Cathedral, San Francisco. In his sermon this morning he had a quote that made the congregation chuckle but perhaps the laughter was a little uncomfortable because of the truth of his statement: “I know that I’m nothing [...]

My son has his first sales job; selling Cutco knives.   It is quite an experience.  He went through 16 hours of unpaid training and had to purchase the sales kit prior to making any money so he is invested in the process.  At least financially. He’s too new in the sales game to have learned [...]

I am always focused on the customer and our relationship with them but the other key component to successfully building a reputationfor putting customers first is how your employees feel about the whole thing.  Happy employees equal happy customers.  “If mamma hate happy, ain’t nobody happy.” In the book 30 Reasons Employees Hate Their Managers [...]

I had the pleasure of facilitating a communication workshop earlier this week and the results were riddled with “ah-ha” moments.  The group took a test to determine their “color” communication style and then they broke into groups to identify: key elements of their communication style pet peeves in communication topics they like to discuss tips for [...]

What is the cost of a lost customer? I have often theorized the importance of building relationships with customers and now a recent survey puts dollars to the sense of that theory.  I learned today from CustServ that the cost of lost customers equals 338.5 BILLION a year! Further investigation from CustServ’s blog led me to [...]

Banks have had a rough year, haven’t they?  Scandal, fear, anger, and a general loss of confidence from consumers have made banking a challenging field.  Marketers for banks understood the concern and changed their primary message to one of safety and soundness but in many cases that has begun to change. Maggie Kelly, VP of [...]

I’m struggling to regain my composure.  I have just been made to feel more stupid than dirt and it isn’t a feeling I enjoy. You may have read that I joined a gym recently – happy one week anniversary to me – and I’m using this TechnoGym thingie that keeps my workouts on a computer [...]

I’m shopping for a new refrigerator and stove – have I told you?  Two really big expense items.  Last year it was the dryer and dishwasher – man, it is expensive owning a home. So after researching on the Internet, I decide that Best Buy has the best prices.  I walked in the other day [...]

My daughter and I were in the car listening to the radio and Madonna’s Vogue came on the station. I said “That’s Madonna singing.” She’s not my favorite singer but I do enjoy several of her songs. I admire her as a business woman and seeing as we are the same age, I do envy [...]

Some people think only intellect counts: knowing how to solve problems, knowing how to get by, knowing how to identify an advantage and seize it. But the functions of intellect are insufficient without courage, love, friendship, compassion and empathy. Dean Koontz Intellectually, we understand the value of empathy; the effort of putting yourself in someone [...]