Tag Archives: Communication

Paying it Forward with your Customers: 3 Steps to Selling Value

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written by Jay Ackerman

 

All too often, customer/vendor relationships are anchored around two milestones in the customer lifecycle: the initial sale and renewal sale. Typically, these two points in time experience the greatest, if not only, customer outreach and engagement. With the rise of the Cloud and Subscription Economy, it’s easier than ever for customers to switch providers at a moment’s notice. As such, the one-time sales approach is now replaced with a value-driven approach anchored in customer lifetime value (CLV). Today, customers only want to pay for what they use, and they only use what is considered to be of value.

Rather than focusing on points where the money is made – initial sale and renewal – vendors should take a “pay it forward” approach to customer success across the customer life cycle. Continue reading →

Dear Manager: Please don’t tell your employees what they are doing wrong

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by Melissa Janis

 

One of your employees is under-performing and you want to give him corrective feedback so he can improve. Seems pretty straightforward right?

Not so much. Giving feedback is challenging; perceptions, personalities and preferences can easily get in the way. No matter how artfully you frame comments and suggestions for improvement, your message still can be derailed and potentially even backfire. It’s all too easy for well-intentioned feedback to inflame rather than engage.

So what’s a manager to do? How can you help your employees understand the gap between where they are and where they need to be if you don’t tell them? Continue reading →

Employees Who Feel Love Perform Better

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by Sigal Barsade and Olivia (Mandy) O’Neill

“Love” is a not word you often hear uttered in office hallways or conference rooms. And yet, it has a strong influence on workplace outcomes. The more love co-workers feel at work, the more engaged they are. (Note: Here we’re talking about “companionate love” which is far less intense than romantic love. Companionate love is based on warmth, affection, and connection rather than passion). It may not be surprising that those who perceive greater affection and caring from their colleagues perform better, but few managers focus on building an emotional culture. That’s a mistake. Continue reading →

Executive Presence: The X Factor In Leadership

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Suzanne-Bates-101-copyby Suzanne Bates and David Casullo

As every CEO knows, there is an X factor in leadership that is hard to nail down but essential to successful management.

We’ll start with a case example. Steve, the CEO of a company we’ll call ICON, wondered whether the leader of one of ICON’s businesses had that X factor necessary to lead a key strategic initiative for her business, Logistical Systems Advisors (LSA).

The board of directors and executive team had set a new course for LSA to grow by acquisition, and though Jane, the business president, was delivering results, her style chafed some members of the company. Smart, focused and results-driven, Jane’s style had improved product performance and client responsiveness. However, Steve also thought her style might not be collaborative and inclusive enough to ensure successful integrations. Continue reading →

If You’re Always Giving Orders, You’re Not a Great Leader

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by Jessica Stillman

The best leaders spend five times more time teaching with questions than telling people what to do. What’s your ratio?

Think about a leader and chances are your first image is of someone giving orders — maybe it’s the quarterback in a huddle outlining the next play for his teammates, maybe it’s an army officer coolly  barking commands in the heat of combat. But chances are, when many of us think of leadership, we picture a person telling others what to do. Continue reading →