Last week, I enjoyed my first visit to Leiper’s Fork Distillery, a beautiful facility located only 15 minutes away from my home in Franklin, Tennessee (if you’re ever visiting TN and want to make distillery visits, LFD is a must-see!) How does a whisky distillery work? Well, to over-simplify the process – raw materials (grains, […]
We Need to Hear Your Story
May 9, 2017 By Leave a Comment
I was sitting at a celebratory dinner a while back, and the host started telling a story. His story. How he had become the professional he was, and why he was moving in the direction he was going. He could have spewed facts, or statistics, or bullet points. But no-one would have remembered them. Those […]
Why Would You Hire Words That Don’t Work?
April 3, 2017 By Leave a Comment
Ever feel like people aren’t really “getting” what you do? Frustrating (and very common, btw). And then there’s that experience when you’ve met someone in a networking meeting and you walk away thinking, “what the heck does he do?” File under forgotten. We’ve hired words that don’t work. Bad investment. If there’s anything I’ve learned […]
Noise! Noise! NOISE!
March 29, 2017 By Leave a Comment
You and I are in a war for attention. The scarcest (& most valuable) human commodity of all. What is your biggest competition for that customer, for that job, for marketplace recognition? Sun Tzu wrote in the famous Art of War: “Know your enemy.” I’m here to tell you – that enemy is the NOISE. […]
“MA, WHAT’S FOR DINNER??”
January 24, 2017 By 1 Comment
“MA, WHAT’S FOR DINNER??” You’re probably heard it – or said it – a thousand times. I’m not asking about all the various foodstuffs in the refrigerator; I’m not seeking for a tour of spice cabinet; I’m not looking for an overview of all the recipes in the recipe box. Just tell me: “Chicken parm – 5 minutes!” Short, focused, […]
Aim at Nothing and You’ll Hit it Every Time
April 26, 2016 By 1 Comment
Everyone is not your customer. Would you agree? I hope so. There are people we are best able to serve…and then there’s everybody else. A LOT of everybody else. So we have to take aim. We need to pro-actively define our target market, our target customers. Hopefully, you’ve come to a clear definition of your […]
What is Donald Trump Tapping Into?
March 1, 2016 By Leave a Comment
Let me just state, as I begin this post, that I am not interested in generating a bunch of political commentary. So please refrain – can I get a hearty Amen? What I do want to do is muse a little bit on the phenomenon of the popularity of Donald Trump. Particularly, his branding as a […]
What is Your Customer’s Pain?
February 10, 2016 By Leave a Comment
Think, for a moment, of your customer as a patient in the doctor’s waiting room. “OK, everyone, Monday is splint day!! Whatever your symptoms, we’re handing out splints to fix it. Have a great day!” “Hurrah, it’s Alka Seltzer Tuesday! Everyone gets Alka Seltzer for whatever ails you! Just pay the receptionist and we’ll all be on […]
Defining (and doing) YOUR Best Work
January 21, 2016 By Leave a Comment
I’m asking a series 20 Clarity Questions that every company should be able to answer in order to set a clear business focus and direction. Today, let’s consider together what kind(s) of work you will choose to do – specifically, what is the best work you can be doing. Clarity Question #6 – What’s Your Best Work? If you’ve been in […]
Here’s What ALL Your Customers Are Buying
September 1, 2015 By Leave a Comment
“Plop, plop; fizz, fizz…oh, what a relief it is!” It was one of the most memorable commercial jingles of my growing-up years….annoyingly so. But this commercial teaches us a wonderful lesson about business and marketing – people buy pain relief. If you’re selling something, you’re making a huge (but very common) mistake by focusing on […]
