Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 5, 2020

As an advisor to entrepreneurs, I find that I often have to remind them that the world of customers has changed since they started their last business. Pushing yourself on customers by touting features and price doesn’t work anymore. Use analytics to see why customers are buying, as well as what.

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Customer Custom Social Media Startup 133

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 22, 2023

I have personally worked as an employee of large businesses, as well as a partner in new ventures, and found the latter to have more potential for satisfaction. Others, including Jeff Bezos, spent time in a big company or two before breaking away to form their own. The return and satisfaction were greater than the cost.

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Startup Satisfaction Metrics Customer 111

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 15, 2023

Whether you are a business professional in a big company, or an entrepreneur with a startup, innovation is a key strategy. For example, no one predicted that Howard Schultz could take the simple idea of a better coffee experience called Starbucks, and innovate it into a successful chain of almost 34,000 shops in 80 countries.

Artificial Inteligence 114

Artificial Inteligence Ideas Satisfaction Customer 114

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 12, 2021

It seems they are both looking for more personal satisfaction and sense of purpose for their efforts. Even the simplest of new technologies, such as Zoom for remote meetings, can be a detriment to work satisfaction if workers are not trained on how to use it effectively, causing video and sound problems, as well as background distractions.

Tips 159

Tips Satisfaction Coach Mentor 159

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 25, 2023

A common initiative I hear from business owners today is their effort to improve the customer experience. To achieve real growth, business leaders need to improve both employee as well as customer experiences. Flexible – listen to allow flex hours and customization. Proactive – timely communication to build trust.

Customer 113

Customer Custom Training Tool 113

Berkonomics

AUGUST 24, 2017

As my enterprise computer software company which produced innovative lodging systems for hotels and resorts grew quickly, we found ourselves straining to keep up with the hiring and training of good customer support representatives, a critical part of the equation then and still so today in the 24-hour environment of hotel front desk operations.

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Training Resource Press Satisfaction 243

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 10, 2022

Thus if you want to change the world with your new business, you need to follow the example of startups like Zappos , which hires according to cultural fit first. Your team members follow your actions on integrity and follow-through, much more than any written company policy. Building morale is not a one-time task. Start today.

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Examples Mentor Activity Product 145

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 31, 2022

Too many customers have long felt distanced from many successful brands, seeing them as closed and mysterious environments, focused only on profits and killing competitors. In fact, Conscious Capitalism companies, for example, historically have outperformed the S&P 500 index by a factor of ten. Shared risks (open capital).

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Organization Social Media Examples Customer 126

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 18, 2023

Customer service has traditionally been focused on the resolution of complaints , primarily after a transaction. My recommendations always include adopting a customer mindset, as well as the following steps: Accept today’s definition of relevant customer support. Treat every customer exceptionally before they complain.

Competition 109

Competition Services Customer Custom 109

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 29, 2021

Even before the recent pandemic, when more people began working remotely , I noticed the dynamics changing in many workplaces, both between employee interaction with peers, and interactions with customers. Here are the key elements I see: Make your company culture virtual. Measure results in terms of customer satisfaction.

Satisfaction 108

Satisfaction Outsource Study Platform 108

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 3, 2021

As a long-time mentor to new entrepreneurs and business owners, I have noticed that many no longer associate more fulfillment and satisfaction with more money, power, and success. In fact, customers today also seem more attracted to companies with a higher purpose than profit.

Satisfaction 173

Satisfaction Mentor Coach Entrepreneur 173

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 8, 2023

Most business professionals I know have been conditioned to think of inflation as highly negative, driving up their costs, and reducing customer buying. I see it as an opportunity to find new ways to attract customers , make long-needed changes to improve productivity, and lower your own costs of doing business.

Outsource 95

Outsource Customer Custom Sample 95

TechEmpower

OCTOBER 9, 2023

With Generative AI and LLMs, new avenues for improving operational efficiency and user satisfaction are emerging every day. An example of this would be: “carrots, chicken, and bok-choy.” Ongoing Monitoring: Continuously gauge the system's efficacy, making ongoing, iterative adjustments based on evolving data sets or user preferences.

Generative AI 346

Generative AI Artificial Inteligence Tool Knowledge Base 346

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 29, 2023

For example, both need to provide exemplary customer service, build customer loyalty, and provide real value for a competitive price. If you don’t have a high level of commitment and passion, you customers won’t seek you out. Customers can touch and see a great product, but services are a bit ethereal.

Startup 111

Startup Training Services Writing 111

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 1, 2021

From his experience as a consultant with major brands, and as a Top 50 Keynote Speaker in the World, Simon outlines six key steps in moving your company to this new reality. Customers are looking for a differentiator today. Purpose-driven companies like Airbnb, Patagonia, and TOMS, have shown increased returns by up to 400 percent.

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Examples Social Media Summary Satisfaction 128

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 30, 2021

By definition, all of you entrepreneurs are leaders, by taking the initiative to start a new company. For example, a couple of years ago, Starbucks' CEO Kevin R. Johnson accepted full company accountability on Twitter for a racial profiling incident at a Starbucks in Philadelphia.

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Coach Startup Resource Competition 162

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 15, 2021

But very quickly, it is becoming obvious to startups that the value and satisfaction exceeds the costs. I believe this option will continue to spread to other companies, states and countries. Some customers and stakeholders don’t just prefer that an organization is socially responsible, but insist on dealing only with these startups.

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Startup Organization Customer Custom 149

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 6, 2023

They ask me for a perspective on the pros and cons of that dream, the potential for increased satisfaction , and the probability of their long-term growth and success. The winners are the ideas that cause enough customers today to pull out their wallet and lay down their money to pay for solutions.

Entrepreneur 124

Entrepreneur Ideas Satisfaction Customer 124

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 6, 2022

These authors have enjoyed leadership positions in big companies, as well as small, and distill their advice from interviews with dozens of business owners of all sizes around the country. For example, a whole new level of communication skills is required. No one else can do the solution delivery like you can.

Satisfaction 92

Satisfaction Training Customer Custom 92

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 25, 2022

There is more and more evidence that a more human-centered or heart-centered leadership yields the best results with your team and with customers in the long run. Top team members rarely quit the company. Customer relationships culture is slipping. Punishment at work is not a motivator to change.

Training 142

Training Coach Startup Entrepreneur 142

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 14, 2023

Both ends of this spectrum fail to bring long-term satisfaction or success. For example, the handmade-item platform Etsy sponsors free entrepreneurship courses for underemployed and unemployed people, including assistance in setting up a store on Etsy, thus adding more artists and artisan sellers to their platform.

Framework 95

Framework Customer Custom Tips 95

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 27, 2023

Everyone in the company must adopt the principles of customer-first focus, agility in responding to change, and constant innovation to improve your processes as well as the solution. Seek customer feedback on ways to improve value and satisfaction. Make customer experience your key priority.

Customer 91

Customer Custom Marketing Startup 91

Tech.Co

DECEMBER 4, 2020

has a history with Tony, as he became an investor in the company in 2013, and built a lasting friendship with us as the Tech.co Tony was also our neighbor for 8 years in downtown Las Vegas, where the company grew its homebase and hosted monthly events for locals and visitors from around the world, with Hsieh’s Downtown Project.

Commerce 207

Commerce Statistics Customer Custom 207

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 3, 2020

For example, both need to provide exemplary customer service, build customer loyalty, and provide real value for a competitive price. If you don’t have a high level of commitment and passion, you customers won’t seek you out. Customers can touch and see a great product, but services are a bit ethereal.

Startup 174

Startup Training Services Writing 174

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 1, 2009

The world has changed much since I started my first company in 1999. As organizations we have become more open and I believe this is great for businesses and their customers. some came from our customer service, some were to improve performance / scalability from tech ops, some were bug fixes, etc.)

Organization 280

Organization Customer Custom Tips 280

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 21, 2020

Both ends of this spectrum fail to bring long-term satisfaction or success. For example, the handmade-item platform Etsy sponsors free entrepreneurship courses for underemployed and unemployed people, including assistance in setting up a store on Etsy, thus adding more artists and artisan sellers to their platform.

Tips 174

Tips Framework Customer Custom 174

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 18, 2020

For example, when I was with IBM, in an era where constant change was necessary to compete, we made job rotation and training a prerequisite for good performance ratings, so that team members sought change and new learning, rather than passively resisting. Set up training courses that highlight agility, and adopt agile working practices.

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Metrics Training Satisfaction IBM 122

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 27, 2021

Today’s business world has become totally customer driven, so customer-centric and people abilities really make the difference between winners and losers. I found these required attributes outlined well in the classic book, “ Customer Service the Sandler Way ,” by customer care expert Anne MacKeigan.

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Startup Customer Custom Tool 135

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 12, 2022

Every new entrepreneur has to initiate the right actions to be perceived as a leader in their chosen business domain by their team and by their customers, or the road to success and satisfaction will be lost along the way. Don’t wait for competitors to force the need for better products, lower prices and better customer service.

Startup 127

Startup Training Entrepreneur Resource 127

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 11, 2020

Thus if you want to change the world with your new business, you need to follow the example of startups like Zappos , which hires according to cultural fit first. Your team members follow your actions on integrity and follow-through, much more than any written company policy. Building morale is not a one-time task. Start today.

Product 129

Product Examples Mentor Activity 129

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 8, 2019

Unfortunately, work and satisfaction have become an oxymoron in many businesses. I found many more helpful suggestions in a new book, “ The Culture Question ,” by Randy Grieser, Eric Stutzman, Wendy Loewen, and Michael Labun, who have spent years providing leadership and professional development training to companies around the world.

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Tips Satisfaction Training Mentor 96

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 26, 2022

For example, Bill Gates founded and grew Microsoft, and Michael Dell built a great technology company, both with no outside funding until they went successful enough to go public years later and sell shares to common stockholders. Explaining actions to investors takes time you don’t have.

Funding 107

Funding Startup Satisfaction Venture Capital 107

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 23, 2022

The result is fewer and fewer new ideas are volunteered by prospective leaders and key team members, and the business suffers from poor customer satisfaction or loss of market share. Your challenge is to show examples of forward-thinking companies that are ahead by doing things differently.

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Ideas Netflix Resource Customer 116

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 13, 2023

Everyone knows and admires a few trusted leaders in business, for example, Richard Branson , founder of Virgin Group and Warren Buffett , founder of Berkshire Hathaway. With fewer levels, people are incented to accept more accountability for their actions and get more personal satisfaction from their contributions to results.

Satisfaction 108

Satisfaction Social Media Coach Training 108

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 5, 2022

As a business consultant with experience in large companies as well as startups, I often hear about dysfunctional management hierarchies, as well as the value provided by exceptional ones. These authors provide inside details of recent management experiments, as well as historical data from both successful and failed traditional companies.

Outsource 133

Outsource Training Organization Social Media 133

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 16, 2022

by Donna Cutting, who is a globally-recognized guru on employee culture and optimizing customer service. In my experience, a healthy team is a prerequisite for a thriving business, innovation to meet market needs, and high customer loyalty. Occupational satisfaction. Emotional stability. Environmental safety.

Technical Review 141

Technical Review Mentor Social Media Customer 141

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 25, 2022

Thomas Edison is a classic example. He went on to start many successful companies, including General Electric. You will learn to recognize that some friends and colleagues are always downers, and get their satisfaction from snuffing out your aspirations through negative thinking. Don’t let anyone kill your dreams and passion.

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Startup Satisfaction Summary Coach 122