Create an environment where there’s substantial value for new clients while recognizing and rewarding loyalty
I wanted to pay my Telus bill recently and because I had to update my credit card, I went to their website to contact customer service. Apparently due to COVID-19, a note on the Telus website tells customers to expect longer than normal waiting times. Last year, before the effects of COVID-19 on their service…
There is nothing more immobilizing than hanging on to knowledge whose time has expired
I believe in ghosts. Not only do I believe in ghosts, I've seen how they haunt workers, teams, departments and entire organizations. And nowhere are these workplace ghosts more insidious than in the area of collaboration. What I'm calling "ghosts" are out-dated attitudes and behaviours about collaborative knowledge sharing that still haunt corporate halls and…
The way to focus people on the organization's optimal future is to get them to pay attention to their own insights
Don't you just hate dealing with people who fight against every plan for organizational change? You know the type: They're disruptive, set in their ways, and highly resistant to change, even when it is obviously in the best interest of the business. Well guess what? Research suggests that those trouble-making, inflexible, change resistors are ...…
The long-term outcome of the prolonged lockdown is positive for many businesses, leaders and families
As summer comes to a close, with the call of September and school and work bearing down on us, the reality that the effects of COVID-19 linger is indisputable. Businesses, workplaces, schools and universities are all searching for ways to balance risk with service levels. The novelty of working remotely is wearing thin for many…
Our guide to ensuring your brand captures who you are and who your customers believe you to be
Branding is an extremely overused word – quickly followed by sentences that include “we need a vision,” “we need a mission” and “we need our values, ASAP!” Of course, businesses need those things. The challenge with these branding pieces happens when leaders don’t understand what they are by definition, over and above inspirational sentences, what…
Taking a real holiday allows you to recharge your batteries, empowers staff and lets you evaluate how effectively systems work in your absence
Rachael and Carmel were a little surprised, and perhaps a little nervous, when I told them I was taking a six-month vacation and that they would be in charge. The business had been open for five years, but the truth was I was making more money renovating and flipping houses than I was from the business.…
If you give lip service to treating people well and then treat your team poorly, don’t expect your clients to receive anything different
Like most people (at least 62 per cent, according to a 2019 study by Hello Products), I don’t like going to the dentist. However, this was my week for getting a cavity checked and I headed to the dentist’s office. You know the routine: you get questioned and prodded by the dental assistant as she…
You want to be really clear about what you’re selling, how to buy and what the process is
A landing page is a dedicated page on your website that people are brought directly to from some sort of advertising or offer. This custom page is where you will convert that click on advertising into a customer in your business. When someone visits your landing page, they’re looking to scan and not read a…
Be complimentary, keep it short, provide the questions you want answered, offer a link to your reviews, show the connection and be human
When I work with my clients, one of the things we focus on is reputation management. Reputation management is a really important piece of your online brand. Reputation is what people are saying about your business to other people (who aren’t your customers yet). Google reviews are something you can manage on your own, don’t…
If your business has survived or even thrived during the past few months, you deserve congratulations. According to a recent poll by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, only 58 per cent of businesses have fully opened, with just 23 per cent experiencing the same or better revenue than the same time last year. If…