What Kind of Attitude Would You Like with Your Coffee?
One employee in a coffee shop in the morning is friendly, prompt, and wishes you a nice day after thanking you for your business. An employee in another shop across the street ignores you for a few minutes, then is surly,
What’s Your Name?
Every employee who met me more than once at the Naples Ritz-Carlton remembered my name and used it. At the Castle Hill Inn in Newport (RI) employees use photos to greet people by name at the start of a conference. Aside from
Watch the Antlers
A report in yesterday’s New York Times explained that reindeer can make it through tough winters because “they hibernate on their feet.” In other words (I think), their metabolisms slow up to the point that they can live on stored fat
Elon Musk: Hold On To Your Wallets
Spaceships to Mars, tunnels under Los Angeles, supersonic subways from New York to DC, miniature submarines to save children stuck in a cave: Anything to divert attention. But he'll happily keep spending other people's money. The real question is when he
Seriously?
I'm as pro-capitalism and American Dream as you can get. I believe in ensuring equal starts and level playing fields as a societal obligation. But I also believe that you reward talent, not merely participation. And you expect talent to
The Law of Adverse Consequences
In many hotels, the "paperwork" of checking in is lengthy, despite the computer. It takes longer than it used to when there was only pen and paper. That's because too many organizations have become slaves to their technology rather than
It’s This Simple
Never talk about fees until you find out what the client's real needs are. Never talk about the client's real needs until you talk to a true buyer. It's that simple. If you quote a fee over the phone to a human
How to Be THE Priority
You cannot simply be another issue or priority on the buyer's desk. The chances are that you will never be seen as the most important and won't receive an immediate sale. You should be seen as the person who can help resolve
Tradition or Mission?
Many organizations—and solo practitioners—think they have a mission when, in fact, they simply hold on to tradition. Sears is a big time example, and the "entrepreneur" who's giving the exact same speech as five years ago is a small time
The Secret
You need to provide distinctive value to prospective buyers if you are to stand out in the crowd. That means you need to create new IP regularly. 2. You need to then get that value on the radar screens of