By: Jon Gordon “Jon, never underestimate the power of an outside voice.” A CEO shared these words with me after I had just spoken to his company. “We brought you here to reinforce our message,” he said. “Our folks get tired of hearing us say it but when it comes from an outside voice it’s [...]

By: Daniel Burrus Doing the opposite has always been a smart strategy for breakthrough. Today, though, it has special implications, because in so many ways our entire world and everything about it is going through an intensely rapid and comprehensive reversal. The acceleration of digital technology is turning conditions on their heads, creating a profound [...]

By: Daniel Burrus In my new book Flash Foresight, I share seven principles that can make invisible opportunities visible. Going opposite is one technique that may seem implausible at first, but it tends to pay off handsomely. Last month we explored the idea that our biggest challenges are often quite different from what we think [...]

It all started with a spark plug! A friend of ours reported that his weed eater refused to start on a Spring Saturday and he surmised the spark plug had given up the ghost! Mel drove to a nearby auto parts store for a replacement. The service counter person quickly determined the plug Mel needed [...]

By: Chip R. Bell It is the season of giving and expressions of gratitude. Customers know they are valued and important when the service they receive comes with extras and thank you’s. One Boston family adopted an Asian girl. No sooner had she arrived in the United States than the family learned that she needed [...]

By: Chip R. Bell Add to Your Customer’s Service Scrapbook A day trip to the mountains put us in a quaint village for lunch. After the meal, we needed to walk off the too-large helpings. Window shopping down the winding street, we stopped in a store devoted completely to the pastime of making scrapbooks. Who [...]

By: Chip Bell Smart organizations provide lots of vehicles and channels for customers to easily and register their feedback and suggestions. “Most good innovation comes from customers,” says Ebay CEO John Donahue. “The more time we spend thinking in the ivory tower in San Jose, the worse off we’re going to be.” Customers want to [...]