Distinguishing Touches

As many of my readers know, I am constantly saying that we learn our best marketing lessons when we are the customer. I had a great reminder this past week. My wife, Michelle, had to undergo a rather serious abdominal surgery. It doesn’t matter how busy you may be, or who you are, such news…

I read a great quote in Entrepreneur Magazine recently that I’d like to share with you. Jim Koch, the founder of the Boston Beer Company, stated that “you have a viable business only if your product is either better or cheaper than the alternatives.” Wow! That pretty well sums up the flooring business just as…

When presenting unique design ideas to your customer, always remember the saying “the whole is worth more than the sum of its parts”. Too often I hear a shortsighted salesperson say something to the effect of, “I don’t make enough commission on a few feet of ceramic listellos to merit the time spent”. Or, “I…

In this blog, I continue to share about encounters that have influenced me… Mrs. Douglas—I would love to tell you her first name, but I was so intimidated by her that I never asked. Mrs. Douglas was my English literature teacher in high school. To this day, I still consider her the most difficult teacher…

One great benefit of being in the training field is that I come in contact with many successful business owners and managers. Some of their stories are truly remarkable. To reach the levels of both sales volume and longevity that their firms have attained, they have obviously done a great deal of things well in…

I’d like to suggest a challenge for each of our members this week. It is to identify one thing about your company that makes it distinctly different from others in your marketplace. This exercise can be done individually or as a group. Or it may possibly be the topic of a contest within your staff…