Why Focus Groups Are Mostly A Waste Of Time
“It is only about things that do not interest one that one can give a really unbiased opinion, which is no doubt the reason why an unbiased opinion is always absolutely valueless.” – Oscar Wilde (Intentions, 1891) Before I knew something about marketing, I was a big fan of focus…
READ MOREDon’t Let Perfect Ruin Good
There are all kinds of ways to give in to the fear of failure. But of those I’ve known, the cleverest is to desire perfection.
READ MOREDoes Your Business Have A “Mission Statement”?
“A show of a certain amount of honesty is in any profession or business the surest way of growing rich.” – La Bruyere (Characters, 1688) Mission statements are de rigeur among the feel-good management crowd. They express to outsiders and employees alike the noble purpose of the business. Most mission…
READ MOREIs Your Product/Service Good? Don’t Ask, At Least Not Directly
What do you say when, after suffering through a very mediocre meal, the restaurant owner or manager comes over to your table, puts his hand on your shoulder, and says, “Was everything OK?” Do you ever say, “Glad you asked. Actually, everything sucked”? Or do you assure the nice man…
READ MOREHow to Create Personal Wealth
Donald and Mildred Othmer were ordinary Americans. Don was a chemical engineering professor in Brooklyn. Mildred was a teacher. They never did anything extraordinary and never had great luck at anything, yet they did amass a $750 million fortune before they died. They did it by following two principles that…
READ MOREGet A Realistic View Of Your Productivity
Successful people are usually those that spend most of their time in productive pastimes. From least productive to most productive, there are four types of activity: 1. Destructive: fighting, drinking, suing, being angry, etc. 2. Fun but wasteful: watching television, reading fiction, shopping, drinking late 3. Knowledge building: learning almost…
READ MOREWhat I Learned About Leadership From Dance Lessons
Several years ago, I reluctantly agreed to take ballroom dance lessons. Im glad I did. When you begin a modern marriage (listen up, young ‘uns), you both go into it as partners. The arrangement you presume is that you are going to be in charge of some things and she…
READ MORELive The Second Half Of Your Life Better
I turned 50 this year. It wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be. My body didn’t disintegrate. My mind still makes the roll call. It has been the occasion of some trifling contemplation. At 50, you are at the crest of your life. That means you can,…
READ MOREThe Fastest and Easiest Way to Improve Your Customer Service
“I became a policeman because I wanted to be in a business where the customer is always wrong.” – Author Unknown This just came to me tonight. Its very simple. Tell your customer service people that their primary job is NOT to process each phone call within a certain number…
READ MOREMore on Trusting Employees
The piece I wrote about trusting employees (Message #274) — about the kind of safeguards you should effect against pilferage — provoked a lot of objections. KM, a corporate trainer and a good friend, took exception to my attack on academics. “That was such crap,” she said. “You have to…
READ MORELiving Rich: Fake It Till You Make It: How To Tour An Art Museum
Nothing will enrich your life as much as the appreciation of art. By art, I mean the fine arts — painting, sculpture, and all that — but also the crafts (woodworking, needlepoint, masonry, etc.) and sports. If you want to Live Rich, you have to — absolutely have to —…
READ MOREHow Often Should You Change Things?
You know how bad I think most small-business periodicals are. Fortune Small Business might be the worst. Staffed by a boatload of (I’m sure) very smart and capable (mostly) young women, it is full of feel-good stories and equal opportunity reporting. There is also an inexcusable level of innocence when…
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