Are Your Processes Putting Progress in Purgatory?

Let’s face it… procrastination and perfection have a purpose, but they pause progress. Progress is perpetuated by the processes you put in place. But all too often, we can put progress in purgatory by procrastinating or perfecting our processes. Do you know what phrase causes consternation constantly? “That’s not how we do it here!” Purgatory…

Are You Whiffing the WIIFM?

When I say “Whiff” what do you think of? Are you imagining a baseball, moving at 100 mph, dropping out of the strike zone as the batter takes a swing at strike three? Or are you thinking of waking up, and catching the smell of BACON wafting throughout your living space? Have you heard the…

Half Baked Cookies – How To Cook Your B2b Marketing to Perfection

I have often heard that the clock is set back one hour in the fall and your scale should be set back 10 pounds during the Holiday season. ‘Tis the season for holiday parties. There are cookies everywhere. There are cookie exchanges because you can’t get enough. You can’t eat all your own cookies (well…

Marketing and Sales = Poison or Antidote

I want you to imagine that you have just ingested some poison. After the initial shock of realizing the impending doom, you hear the doorbell ring. At that very moment, an antidote salesman is standing at the door and says, “I have what you need. I can give you the recipe for free or you…

It’s Not What They Say… It’s What They Do… CONSISTENTLY

One of the keys to success is consistency. That is true with business, sports, and so much more. I can tell you that shooting a 39 on nine holes of golf is a great score. Then when you shoot a 50 on the back nine (11 more and 14 over par) turns an excellent 9…

Seasons… Cold Weather Can Nudge Business to Heat Up

We just crossed the autumnal equinox. In layman’s terms – Summer is over (at least on the calendar.) Summer is one of the most active times of the year for me. We have longer days and better weather. Chances are you spend more time outside and take more days off than at any other time…

Name That Tune – Has Your Brand Voice Evolved With Your Business?

Late Sunday night, I was asked if I wanted to help out with the AMA Triangle booth (American Marketing Association – Raleigh chapter) at the Digital Summit in Raleigh. It was last minute since it started the following day at 9 AM. I really wanted to attend the entire conference, but could not spare two…

Innovation Is More Than Just A String (Theory)

I love my morning walks with my dog, Layla. Especially here in North Carolina. In Chicago, you would often contend with wild weather swings. It could be 80˚ one morning and 40˚ the next. It could be cold and raining one morning, sunny the next. Here in Raleigh, each morning for the past month has…

You Can’t Always Get What You Want? But If You Try Sometimes…

Do you know that Rolling Stones song? “You Can’t Always Get What You Want?” It goes on to say, “But if you try sometimes, you might find, you get what you need.” I think that “Want” is a term that talks about the future. I WANT (desire to obtain) a cool new computer and desk…

A Goal is Not a Strategy, But a Strategy Needs a Goal

Timing is everything,…right? Trying to run a business while preparing to move from our 22-year run in a 3500 square foot house, into an 800 square foot 3rd-floor apartment, as our 2200 square foot house is being built 1000 miles away… is a challenge. There is selling our old furniture (which won’t fit into our…