Relationships and Positive Outcomes Drive Frankie On Call

“Do what you do best,” is the advice given to executives at any level.  There is another statement for the super geniuses that have all the skills.  “You can do anything, but you can’t do everything.”  During the most recent downturn, all businesses have been required to prioritize.
Computer management and repair is crucial in keeping […]

 

 Frankie Bellucci of Frankie On Call [21:54m]: Play Now | Play in Popup

“Thank You!” Means Business

“Thank you!” Is it possible those are the two most important words in business?

They are according to April Kelly, Sr. Director of Customer Operations at LinkedIn.com and author of the new book “Gratitude At Work, How to Say Thank You, Give Kudos and Get the Best From Those You Lead”. “Gratitude is at the forefront of everything,” said Kelly. “The implications for people receiving gratitude, as well as those giving it, are really powerful.”

 

 April Kelly [14:12m]: Play Now | Play in Popup

The Boy Scout CEO

That’s how he’s known. Let’s just say the leader of Sioux Steel Company takes an atypical approach to successfully running his family-owned business. An approach that he jokes could leave people thinking his Board of Directors begins each meeting with a heartfelt “Koom-bay-yah.”

Scott Rysdon assures me that his company, which provides progressive engineering solutions for grain storage and handling, isn’t a hippie fest. He says it is one that puts their customers, first. Sioux Steel’s slogan reads “Your complete satisfaction as a customer is our best advertisement” and Rysdon insists that’s the truth.

 

 Scott Rysdon of Sioux Steel Company [21:28m]: Play Now | Play in Popup

No Need to Bootstrap RightNow

One of those companies that really “gets” customer relations and helps their customers deliver it is RightNow Technologies. They deliver customer relations management (CRM) products for companies around the world including Sprint, Hallmark, British Airways and Cabela’s so those companies can deliver better customer experiences to their customers and clients. Founded in 1997, RightNow is headquartered in Bozeman, Montana, employs more than 700 people, and serves over 1,900 organizations worldwide.

CEO and Founder, Greg Gianforte says that obviously large companies that have lots of customers are prime candidates for their suite of products, but regardless of the size of the company, “delivering an outstanding customer experience can be the single most powerful way for a company to set themselves apart from the competition.”

 

 Greg Gianforte of RightNow Technologies [24:59m]: Play Now | Play in Popup

A Lumbering Giant

People who harvest timber out of the Black Hills are no longer just big burly men who lug giant chainsaws up the side of the mountain.

Computers now play such an integral part of the lumber industry that Jim D. Neiman, vice-president of Neiman Enterprises said to me. “If you know anyone willing to work from your area and has a background in Electrical Engineering, send ‘em my way. We’ll put them to work.”

The Neiman Family are the new owners of the saw mill in Spearfish, South Dakota, rescued out of bankruptcy and saving hundreds of jobs in the area. Jim is a 3rd generation lumberman out of Hulett, Wyoming

 

 Jim D. Neiman, Neiman Enterprises [24:45m]: Play Now | Play in Popup

Hardware in Soft Times

David Patrick, SVP & Chief Marketing Officer at Westlake Ace Hardware; a 90 store retail chain based in Lenexa, KS, believes that his company is poised to hold their own against big box giants Lowe’s and Home Depot, as well as Wal-Mart.

He should know. His experience in marketing and retail has included stints at Toys R Us and Payless ShoeSource, making him a veteran of battles with the Bentonville Bunch.

 

 David Patrick or Westlake Ace Hardware [25:41m]: Play Now | Play in Popup

Booking Revenue

Most people believe that once you write a book, the money comes rolling in. Not so, says David Thomson, the author of the best selling business book, BLUEPRINT TO A BILLION: 7 Essentials to Achieve Exponential Growth. In fact, the work really begins as you start to build your brand and hopefully, revenues.

There is press work to be done, interviews to arrange, working with Publishers and PR staffs, speaking engagements, websites to design, other products to develop, travel and of course, “when’s your next book coming out?” Sure, you’ve earned some credibility, maybe a little notoriety and a couple of bucks, but it doesn’t launch a multi-million dollar empire by itself.

 

 David Thomson, author Blueprint to a Billion [18:43m]: Play Now | Play in Popup

Are You the “Bell Weather” for Your Company?

Much has been written about “leadership” but one of the real tests of a leader is when an organization perceives them as the “bell weather.” Is this a person who creates or influences trends within our company? Can I trust them to give me an accurate reading in what direction the organization is going? In other words, is there a change in the tide?

Leaders should view themselves as a “bell weather” guiding an organization through adversity and change that is present in all areas. This is what a bell weather leader is.

The Party’s Over

I hate to say it, but for those of you getting “high” at work, the party’s over.
This was realized during the “2008 Business Drive Time Tour”. Drawing a line in the sand is Lorelee Byrd, CEO and founder of Midlands Testing Services. She sees herself as part of a solution by helping businesses to create […]

 

 Lorelee Byrd of Midlands Testing Services: Play Now | Play in Popup

Customer Experience…In the Palm of Your Hand

The remote is often an afterthought with the emphasis on it being its absolute cost. Yet it is this one device that will be used day in and day out by the consumer. This remote will interface with the customer thousands of more times than any living, breathing representative of the company will. In many respects, this device IS the company in the mind – and hand – of the consumer.