Reading Time: 2 minTools like Calendly can be fantastic. Rather than a dozen emails back-and-forth to find a time to meet, you can just share a link with your available times, and the other party can pick the one that’s best for them. It’s great! At times, though, it can unintentionally seem like a power move and be […]
Business
But that doesn’t scale, does it?
Reading Time: 2 minAutomation can be a great thing. In a way, it’s the reason you’re reading this right now instead of me having to come over to your house to tell you in person. There are databases, algorithms, feeds, and various other things that help get this post out there. That said, I’ve been clear over the […]
Does your team know when to break the rules?
Reading Time: < 1 minYou’ve been there before. You’re trying to return a product to a store, but the employee isn’t able to help you. You can tell that they want to help you, but your return is one day outside of the return window, and they’ll get in trouble if they allow it. Rules are there for a […]
B2B isn’t really a thing
Reading Time: < 1 minOur marketing agency focuses on serving “B2B service-based companies”, and it’s worked out very well for us. However, “B2B” (business-to-business) isn’t really a thing. For example, we work with a logistics company, but we’ve never spoken with “the company” — we talk to people like Geri and Wade. We work with a land planning company, […]
Popular doesn’t always mean good
Reading Time: < 1 minLast year, Seth Godin was interviewed on Guy Kawasaki’s podcast and spent a while talking about the difference between something being “popular” and being “good”. Seth simply said: The problem is this: somewhere along the way, someone said “popular” and “good” are related. They’re not! If you take a moment to look around, you’ll see […]
Race to the bottom or race to the top
Reading Time: < 1 minIf you have a product or service that you’re trying to sell, you can go one of two places: You can race to the bottom, and always be a few cents cheaper than your competition. Or, you can choose to race to the top and always be working to make your product and experience better […]
The right question is more important than the right answer
Reading Time: < 1 minI work hard to come up with the right answer to questions that are put in front of me. However, if the wrong question is being asked, the answer to it is worthless regardless of accuracy. John Tukey put it this way: “It is better to have an approximate answer to the right question than […]
You won’t be discovered, and that’s ok
Reading Time: < 1 minYears ago, many people desired to be “discovered”, particularly in industries like music. Make some great stuff, and then hope that the right person hears it and can vault you to stardom. Those days are long gone, but it’s ok. These days, with sharing so painfully easy, any great talent will quickly be shared and […]
Get rid of busy and leave productive
Reading Time: < 1 minWhen it comes to your workday, it’s often filled with two types of work: Things that keep you busy Things that are productive I was recently talking to someone that had brought in a consultant to help them streamline their manufacturing, and he dropped a great quote on me. Their goal was to become more […]
Would that decision look good in the newspaper?
Reading Time: 2 minIf you have an important decision to make, considering whether you’d want it published in the newspaper can be a good way to frame it for yourself. Even if it’s a personal, private decision, thinking about how others could interpret it can be a valuable thinking exercise. In the book “The Personal MBA“, author Josh […]