Language affects our feelings. When we use normative terms to describe a person or situation, we are essentially saying that they are good or bad. If it’s perceived as the latter, we might trigger an unintended fight or flight reaction…
Blog Archives
Considering Affinity in Client Relationships
Affinity is a term that is bandied about without much thought behind it. So what is an affinity? Affinity is a liking for or attraction to a person, thing or idea. In short, it’s a connection and our connection to…
The Commitment Conversation
The commitment conversation is the first of three critical conversations for supervisors to have with team members and prospective hires. It is intended to give supervisors the benefit of knowing the commitment level of each team member at any given…
Tagged with: anxiety, commitment, communication, conversation, goals, integrity, opportunity, performance, responsibility, trust, value
Posted in Articles
Posted in Articles
Finding the Equilibrium Between Perceived Quality and Effective Price
Quality of service and pricing are inexorably joined at the hip. If one of them is off balance, the entire company’s equilibrium is destroyed. Getting clients to stick around is a tricky balancing act and it all centers around finding…
Distinction: Workable Availability
Imagine this; you need to be out of the office for an appointment at two. One- thirty rolls around and you check your email once more before leaving, making sure everything is taken care of. You go to your appointment,…
The Bluebird Strategy
In both our personal and professional lives, we yearn for golden opportunities to present themselves. Small opportunities are nice enough, but it’s the really big ones that are the stuff of daydreams. The Bluebird Strategy is an approach to being…
Emotional Cost
“It’s not all about you.” How many times have we heard this said by someone who needed us to focus on them? And how many times have we superficially agreed … but didn’t really do it? Emotional cost is the…
That’s Horrible!: A Recipe For Excellent Customer Service
When customers complain, our first instinct is to try to solve their problem. But customer complaints are multi-faceted, and solving the problem only rids the customer of the technical aspect of the issue. Customers who call in to complain are…
Principles of Integrity
The ITX Principles of Integrity provide examples of how we make, change, and keep promises. They do not cover every situation, so it is up to the you to use common sense about how to stay in integrity. Integrity: Honoring…
Hunters, Farmers & Self-Deceivers
In the business world, there are two main types of salespeople: Hunters and Farmers. Hunters go out and find new customers, and Farmers maintain existing customer accounts. However, there is a third type of salesperson, one that no one ever…