As the executor of my mother’s estate and the oldest of three siblings, I went to an attorney’s office to look for advice and help on how to handle my elderly mother’s future care and financial needs. It was a meeting I had long anticipated and worried about since the outcome would determine many delayed [...]

 Every day in the paper we see another business closing shop, not making it in this historic downturn.  With the shrinking demand for total goods and services, there is a major shake-up of winners and losers.  Customer loyalty is a key to being one of the winners.   Loyal customers will keep coming back as long [...]

All businesses can tell you very quickly what is the physical product or service they sell, but few take the time to identify clearly for their employees what is the “true product” of the organization. The “true product” should encompass the emotion that results from the customer’s interaction with your business. There is a big difference in the customer’s experience when the focus is on delivering the “true product”.

Remember the 1980’s when quality was the competitive edge? By the 1990’s, many organizations had met the quality challenge to the point that most products/services had become commodities. It was difficult to distinguish between who had the best coffee, cellular telephone, rental car, medical care plan, hotel room; therefore, the competitive differentiation came [...]

You are at a fast food restaurant and step into the restroom. There is water on the floor and countertops. The toilet roll dispensers are empty and the trash container is overflowing. Wouldn’t you start worrying about the food you were about to order?
Every detail of your business’ physical environment “speaks” to [...]