Digital Library > Building and Inspiring an Organization > Strategic planning “Entrepreneur’s Adviser — Know Thyself” Question: "How do I define my core competencies?" Answer: Market timing and competition have left no time for company wanderings into areas of marginal competency or fuzzy focus — either of which can take you out of the game. Specifically define what your business…
Digital Library > Defining and Serving a Market > Customer service “Don’t Put Me on Hold” Speedy customer service is what consumers want from their online services, whether it’s a mortgage lender or wireless-communication vendor, according to a study from Mobius Management Systems, a provider of Web-based software. Ninety-one percent of survey respondents said they would change vendors if it…
Keys to a successful marketing program: targeted audience, sharp appearance, valuable offer.
Digital Library > Operations and Technology > Inventory control “When Errors Are Not an Option” Alaskan Brewing Co. leveraged its biggest operational obstacle to develop impressive organizational muscle. The Juneau-based microbrewery, which generates more than $10 million in annual sales, is landlocked. This adverse geography affects everything — from bringing in ingredients to shipping finished product. A weekly barge from…
Digital Library > Defining and serving a market > Differentiating your company “Armstrong’s Secret Weapon: Creativity” When advised to "loosen up," a sales manager at Armstrong International dreamed up an imaginative Christmas card: He was photographed in a Santa Claus suit sitting on a pump trap — one of the company’s core products. The card generated more response from customers…
Digital Library > Defining and Serving a Market > Market strategy “Balancing Cash Flow and Bigger Clients” Paul Baker and Todd Reifenrath started Chicago-based Webitects.com in February 1999 to lasso the burgeoning demand for Web-site design and Internet content management. However, Webitects may be giving away a lucrative component of its services: a software interface that allows clients to manage…
A CEO roundtable helps you work on your business.
It’s imperative to know what makes you unique and how customers perceive you.
Get out of your comfort zone to grow your company — and yourself.
To form a successful union, you must integrate an acquired company.