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Like everything else in life, corporate cultures change over time. They change because the company grows, changes, moves into new markets, offers new services, different locations, or because the staff has changed. They also change because of society’s expectations of companies and the work force. For example, there has been a lot of talk about employers being more flexible—allowing their employees to work from home or to not be so rigid in what time an employee shows up for work. Let’s take a l…

As you know by now, I believe in and practice continued self-improvement—or life experiences as they end up becoming. This is no different!

I’ve volunteered for DECA for the last four-plus years and this year I was asked to present at Washington Business Week. “Sure I can do this!” I thought. I can present to what is considered the hardest audience! I saw it as a challenge. I saw it as a way to test how good of a speaker am I really and am I really able to change to fit my audience?

Having had no …

I was reading an article about how Starbucks handles their social media in the Seattle Times. While that alone was interesting, what was even more interesting was when the author mentioned the top brands on social media. Here are the top 10 for each:

• Facebook: Coca-Cola, Disney, Red Bull, Converse, Starbucks, Oreo, PlayStation, Walmart, McDonald’s, and Blackberry
• Twitter: Samsung Mobile US, NASA, iTunes Music, Starbucks Coffee, Claro Ronaldo, Whole Foods Market, Samsung Mobile, Zappo’s, Dis…

Is it the sales department’s fault or the economy’s?

You have probably already formed an opinion, either blame or excuse. No I am not naive as to what is going on in the world. I simply asked a generic question and you most likely have already formed an opinion. Let’s look at some details about the particular situation I have in mind then we can see if your answer is still the same.

I recently met with a company who wants to grow their service department and they have high turnover in their sales …

We have all heard that the only way to grow your business is through word of mouth marketing. But relying on it is a HUGE risk­—so what do you do?

A study done by Ketchum and the University of Southern California’s Annenberg Strategic Public Relations Center proved that word of mouth can make or break a communications campaign. Yikes!

Advice from family and friends is used by 44% of consumers when making purchase decisions, and nearly one in four follows the advice from co-workers. Credibility is …

Fact or Myth?

I know you have heard of Brand Loyalty. Many will say you need it—that it is the ultimate goal of marketing. Go ahead, Google it! Read the results and you will say “I have to have it!”

But what you won't find is the truth that brand loyalty is actually a MYTH!

Brand loyalty implies that the consumer is willing, at least on occasion, to put aside their own desires in the interest of the brand. Would you put your own personal needs below the needs of a brand? Not many would--and if they…

Everything changes. Birds molt and lizards change colors, styles go in and out of fashion, cartoon characters change with the times—look at Mickey Mouse, he is different now than what he was in 1928. Even established companies’ that are decades old change their identity to match with the times: Aunt Jemima, Prudential, UPS. It is all in the Power of Image! Here are three circumstances that indicate it’s time for you to update your identity:

1. You’re part of a merger.

Without going into the ma…

In order for your brand to resonate with the market, it has to be authentic. This means that the external actions of a company need to align with its internal culture--or do what you say you do.

When a company is successful at this, it can receive benefits of over 6 times the amount of revenue growth and over 7 times the amount of job growth. If that is not enough, companies listed on the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work for significantly outperform the S& P 500, according to an 11-year study b…

Think of your business as a Rubik’s Cube. Each side corresponds to an aspect of your business: products and services, systems and processes, your employees, financials, clients, and marketing and sales. While each area can be broken down into great detail, those are the primary areas that a business will focus on. As with a Rubik’s Cube, no one side of your business is better or more important than the other. Instead, they all appear to be the same.

You can look at a Rubik’s Cube in one of two wa…

Challenge: Company is well respected in the industry. It is a desired place to work for and to work with. Over the last ten years, the Company changed its focus of how its product was delivered to its clients. The new focus is technology based.

Overtime, one department strayed from the culture so far that it affected product quality and how the clients perceived the company. Other departments within the company viewed this department as ‘weird’ or ‘from another planet’ and outsourced work so they…