The Wall Street Journal published a recent article describing new "paycheck marketing" techniques in various consumer goods companies like Pepsico, Heinz, and Kimberly-Clark. In short, it targets promotional activities to periods when consumers are more likely to spend - closer to when they get paid rather than toward the end…
Business Week's latest issue carried an interesting article which offers valuable insights from retail guru Paco Underhill. For any of you who have stores that people visit, pay close attention.
The North Bay Business Journal, a publication of the New York Times, is a weekly business newspaper which covers the North Bay area of San Francisco – from the Golden Gate bridge north, including the Wine Country of Sonoma and Napa counties.
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Article published – January 12, 2009
BUILDING A BUSINESS: It’s ’09: Do you know what your business stands for?
by Lary Kirchenbauer
The night sky is etched in vivid black and white tones, and in the back seat of a chauffeured car prowling the streets of Hoboken, N.J., a lawyer for a mob-connected union boss confronts his brother, Terry Malloy, about testifying against the mob in court.
Malloy, despondent over these threats, is stunned when his brother pulls a gun to emphasize his point. Their relationship had reached a nadir, and Malloy was distraught that his brother helped dismantle his fledgling boxing career. In his dark lament, he delivers the memorable line quoted above – that he “coulda been somebody.”
Our moms also told us to “be somebody” – although our behavior at a particular moment may have altered her tone … “Be somebody better than you’re being right now” or “Get off the couch and quit loafing.” (more…)
I wrote several columns in December last year, With Wall St. as Sideshow, Performance is Best Salary Guide, discussed the extraordinary exit strategies for Wall St. executives whose performance was dismal. In Even the Giants Don't Plan for Executive Succession, I commented further on unbridled executive pay in the context…
A colleague passed along this article today, highlighting the collection problem in Corporate America, which is the worst since the 2001 recession. Maybe you need to hire this guy!
Saturday's NY Times carried an interview with Alan J. Fuerstman, CEO of Montage Hotels and Resorts. His view of customer service and the incredible value of staff training and retention, offers several insightful observations about how to serve with "grace and humility" and to successfully put the customer first.
A recent book published by A.G Lafley, the CEO of Proctor & Gamble and Ram Charan, the globe-trotting uber consultant, called The Game Changer is all about the turnaround at consumer giant Proctor & Gamble. Fortune carried an excerpt about it in their "America's Most Admired Companies" edition, which argues…
Bill Taylor, the cofounder of Fast Company and author of Mavericks at Work, wrote a recent post about Zappos, the online shoe retailer that expects sales to top $1 billion this year after first year sales of $70 million only 5 years ago. In many ways, Zappos success is the…