How we sell… Twenty-five years ago, it was pay at the pump, ATM Machines, and we were just starting to buy online. Fast forward to present day and we can not go into a grocery store, Home Depot, or any big-box store without seeing at least 5 aisles dedicated to self-check-out, and we can get everything even our groceries to our banking done online. It seems the trend has moved from salesperson dependency to self-sufficiency. The reality of course, exists on a balance sheet. We have balanced the cost of shrinkage with the cost of payroll. We are placing a bet that less people will steal from us than the cost we pay our employees. Before you say hurray for all man and womankind, think about what we have sacrificed: Service, Jobs, and Time. What does Service mean to us today? Are we willing to allow ourselves to be pampered with service or do we even remember what being pampered feels like. Have we just reached that point in consumerism where we suspect anyone that tries to sell us anything? What do we want to touch and feel before we buy? Do we think of modern retail as our internet-showroom? If we are paying attention to Generation-X, who although once was dismissed, is now coming into its own in terms of buying power. Contrary to Baby-Boomers and their quest to populate the world with fast-food chains, and microwave ovens, Gen-X is demanding in a different way. We see perhaps for the first ...
This is a great scene from Facing the Giants and it begs the question: Are the manager's of your organization coaching their teams like this. If not, why not?
212° The Extra Degree, by Sam Parker and Mac Anderson shows you how to see an exponential increase in your business or personal achievements? It's the extra degree of effort that often separates the good from the great. 212° The Extra Degree captures a simple, yet powerful concept. At 211 degrees, water is hot. At 212 degrees, it boils. It's that extra degree that can power a locomotive...or take your life results far beyond your expectations. By taking ownership of this fundamental principle, focusing on a clearly-defined goal, maintaining an unstoppable attitude, committing to take action, and persevering, you'll see life-altering, positive results. The message of 212° The Extra Degree is clear: It's your life: You are responsible for your results. It's time to turn up the heat!
The following video from HBR shows us not just how to get to the core of an issue, but how to manage through what we find out about ourselves. Eric Ries, entrepreneur-in-residence at Harvard Business School, explains how to find the human causes of technical problems. 5-Whys Video
Twice this week I have heard the sentence “We are now living in a post-Six-Sigma world.” I don’t know where this phrase came from or where it was taken originally, but it did get me thinking. At some point in the past 8 years, Six-Sigma became a dogma, and to speak out against it was considered heretical and the unfortunate corporate soul that challenged the system would inevitably be sentenced to a career death akin to that of Galileo. Hearing this rising sentiment however leads me to believe that we are finally ready for an honest conversation about what Six Sigma is, what are the positive impacts on a corporation, but also what the negative byproducts are and how we deal with them. The questions also arise, “Do different economic times call for a different methodology?” and “Should I manage part of my business by Six Sigma, other departments Lean/5-S, etc., is a hybrid even possible?” Are we emerging from an economic time where we can get back to a strategy driven budget, instead of a budget driven strategy? This is a sensitive topic to be sure, let’s face it we have all paid for the courses and spent our time, energy, and money getting certified and we don’t want it all to be for naught. So let’s hear the argument against it, these concerns are not new to any of us, but we do not like to talk about them. Six-Sigma is the natural enemy of Innovation- The argument here is that in ...
