Adam Shields
Co Publisher/General Manager
The Business Link Niagara Ltd.
www.BusinessLinkNiagara.com
How do you define your business?
The Business Link is a small but dynamic team made up of individuals who all share the same philosophies in business: loyalty, honesty, integrity, passion and trust. For this reason we have grown from one business newspaper to six publications in less than 4 years. We are a motivated group who strive everyday to help grow our clients’ businesses; as they grow, we grow.
Why is this business for you?
The advertising/publishing industry is in the blood. I have grown up around it my whole life. I got started in the publishing business when I was 20. My dad and I teamed up to produce a hockey program for the local Junior “B” team. While in the midst of producing the program, I also helped my dad produce a monthly retailer’s guide that we distributed throughout the Niagara Region. We decided Niagara was lacking a regular business publication, so we took a leap of faith and started The Business Link. I love what I do; not only is it my job but it’s my hobby as well. Seeing our products generate a return on investment for a client is the reason we work as hard as we do.
Who is your target market?
Our publications are geared to the average businessperson – someone who is educated and is willing to pay for quality and value. The mandate of our company is to educate and inform business people through industry related articles, tips, trends and company profiles.
What is the most common mistake you see advertisers make?
The most common mistake that advertisers make is the approach of trying out a publication 1 or 2 times to “see if it works”. This is a detrimental approach to advertising and the business is wasting their investment. Advertising is a frequency industry; you need to say the same message to the same people over and over again in order to get results. With the multimedia world we live in today, people are bombarded by thousands of ad impressions a day, so unless your message is in front of them all the time they will forget about you. The key is to decide what audience you want to reach, research what mediums reach the audience and get your message in front of them as much as you can afford.
What is your most persistent challenge?
Finding the right people is our most consistent challenge. With the growth we continue to experience, hiring the right people has become critical. In a family owned and operated business, you tend to all work in the same way – you work hard and fill in wherever needed. People who will work the same way are very difficult to find.
What surprised you the most about this business?
What surprised me the most about the publishing industry was the amount of work that goes into creating a publication. I didn’t realize the amount of interaction that takes place between the sales rep and their client. From the initial sale of the space to the development of the ads to the final hardcopy, the amount of time spent on one client is astounding. The innovation of technology has made our lives much easier than it was 20 years ago in this industry.
George Torok
Business in Motion
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Monday, April 24, 2006
TEC - The Executive Committee
Once you become the CEO you stop hearing the truth.
Or another way to put it, nobody wants to tell the boss that his fly is open.
A few of you might consider that last statement sexist – but the boss is still more often a man and the analogy is the point.
So what does the CEO do to get the truth - especially the bitter truth?
You could go to a therapist, hire a high priced consultant or join an organization such as TEC – The Executive Committee.
I have worked with a few dozen TEC groups across the country and I have been impressed by the TEC members and the TEC model.
The TEC members are CEO’s of medium sized businesses, are life-long learners, are eager to grow; are willing to open up to the right people, and want to enjoy life more.
If you need all this but don’t want it – you are not a prospect for TEC. You must want it because you will need to invest your time and money.
The money, which might seem a lot at first, is actually the least important element. It is the time and personal exposure that is the toughest commitment.
TEC groups meet one full day a month. Plus you meet with your TEC chair for two hours each month.
But the tough part is telling other CEO’s about your quandaries, mistakes and inner doubts.
That has got to be the toughest thing for a CEO who tries to project a leader’s image every hour of every day.
Letting your hair down with other CEO’s has got to be both disturbing and gratifying.
Oh, there is more to TEC than this. You can learn more at the TEC website or by attending one of the TEC special events.
George Torok
TEC Resource
TEC Speaker
TEC Associate
The Executive Committee
TEC presents special presentations in Halifax with George Torok on Power Marketing
Or another way to put it, nobody wants to tell the boss that his fly is open.
A few of you might consider that last statement sexist – but the boss is still more often a man and the analogy is the point.
So what does the CEO do to get the truth - especially the bitter truth?
You could go to a therapist, hire a high priced consultant or join an organization such as TEC – The Executive Committee.
I have worked with a few dozen TEC groups across the country and I have been impressed by the TEC members and the TEC model.
The TEC members are CEO’s of medium sized businesses, are life-long learners, are eager to grow; are willing to open up to the right people, and want to enjoy life more.
If you need all this but don’t want it – you are not a prospect for TEC. You must want it because you will need to invest your time and money.
The money, which might seem a lot at first, is actually the least important element. It is the time and personal exposure that is the toughest commitment.
TEC groups meet one full day a month. Plus you meet with your TEC chair for two hours each month.
But the tough part is telling other CEO’s about your quandaries, mistakes and inner doubts.
That has got to be the toughest thing for a CEO who tries to project a leader’s image every hour of every day.
Letting your hair down with other CEO’s has got to be both disturbing and gratifying.
Oh, there is more to TEC than this. You can learn more at the TEC website or by attending one of the TEC special events.
George Torok
TEC Resource
TEC Speaker
TEC Associate
The Executive Committee
TEC presents special presentations in Halifax with George Torok on Power Marketing
Friday, April 21, 2006
Bill Gates’ Secret Weapon: Think
Bill Gates stops to think at least twice a year. Bill escapes to his wilderness lodge every six months for one week. It is during these times that he develops strategy for Microsoft. It was one of these thinking sessions that helped him to move his company to embrace the Internet and the related opportunities.
How often do you stop to think? Really think - about your business, about your future, about your life? You should invest at least one day every three months thinking. Try it – one out of 90 days thinking. That is only four days a year thinking. That is not a lot to ask. But imagine how much more that would be than your competition.
Schedule that undisturbed time to think. What could be more important than thinking? Yet we too often are too busy doing stuff without thinking. Your business will survive and thrive only if you think. Your life will be more satisfying if you think.
You might say that Bill Gates has time to think because he is the richest guy in the world. The reality is just that - he is the richest guy in the world – because he takes time to think.
What questions might you ask during these thinking sessions?
What business are you in?
Where is the industry going?
What trends do you see?
What threatens your business?
What are the unknowns?
How can you distinguish yourself from the competition?
What other questions should you be asking?
What issues/decisions are you avoiding that you need to confront?
Think
George Torok
Specialist in thinking and communication skills
http://www.torok.com/
Bill Gates' Web Site
http://www.microsoft.com/billgates/default.asp
William Gates III on Forbes World’s Richest People
http://www.forbes.com/lists/2006/10/BH69.html
Bill Gates' Personal Wealth Clock
http://philip.greenspun.com/WealthClock
How often do you stop to think? Really think - about your business, about your future, about your life? You should invest at least one day every three months thinking. Try it – one out of 90 days thinking. That is only four days a year thinking. That is not a lot to ask. But imagine how much more that would be than your competition.
Schedule that undisturbed time to think. What could be more important than thinking? Yet we too often are too busy doing stuff without thinking. Your business will survive and thrive only if you think. Your life will be more satisfying if you think.
You might say that Bill Gates has time to think because he is the richest guy in the world. The reality is just that - he is the richest guy in the world – because he takes time to think.
What questions might you ask during these thinking sessions?
What business are you in?
Where is the industry going?
What trends do you see?
What threatens your business?
What are the unknowns?
How can you distinguish yourself from the competition?
What other questions should you be asking?
What issues/decisions are you avoiding that you need to confront?
Think
George Torok
Specialist in thinking and communication skills
http://www.torok.com/
Bill Gates' Web Site
http://www.microsoft.com/billgates/default.asp
William Gates III on Forbes World’s Richest People
http://www.forbes.com/lists/2006/10/BH69.html
Bill Gates' Personal Wealth Clock
http://philip.greenspun.com/WealthClock
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Who is Your CEO?
Your CEO is more than just the Chief Executive Officer. If you are the CEO, read this carefully. If you are not the CEO but want to help him/her print this for him/her.
The CEO is also:
Chief Sales Person
The CEO is the company’s most important sales person. The CEO must be selling to the customers, marketing place, investors, suppliers and staff. IF the CEO can’t sell the company – get a new CEO.
Chief Marketing Person
The second job of everyone in the company is marketing. Because everything you do is marketing from the front line to the back office. The CEO must be conveying that marketing message to everyone within and without the company.
Chief Trust Builder
If we can’t trust the CEO – who can we trust? Trust is what holds a team together. Trust will move customers to buy more from you. Trust will move your suppliers to deliver more. Trust will convince the media and market to speak well of you.
Chief Culture Setter
The company will reflect the culture of the CEO. Decide how you want your people to work and treat the customers, and then act that way consistently. Because your staff will watch you and mimic you.
Chief Public Speaker
The CEO is the chief spokesperson for the company. The CEO speaks to staff, customers, suppliers, the market, media and investors. Every time you speak you have the responsibility of making an impression. What impression do you want to leave? And what are you doing to leave the right impression?
Chief Map Maker
This is the thinking that you do in the back room. This is the unglamorous stuff that drives everything else. This is the decision-making that will one day be proclaimed as visionary or tomfoolery. This is the stuff that makes or breaks a CEO.
George Torok
Host of Business in Motion
www.BusinessinMotion.ca
The CEO is also:
Chief Sales Person
The CEO is the company’s most important sales person. The CEO must be selling to the customers, marketing place, investors, suppliers and staff. IF the CEO can’t sell the company – get a new CEO.
Chief Marketing Person
The second job of everyone in the company is marketing. Because everything you do is marketing from the front line to the back office. The CEO must be conveying that marketing message to everyone within and without the company.
Chief Trust Builder
If we can’t trust the CEO – who can we trust? Trust is what holds a team together. Trust will move customers to buy more from you. Trust will move your suppliers to deliver more. Trust will convince the media and market to speak well of you.
Chief Culture Setter
The company will reflect the culture of the CEO. Decide how you want your people to work and treat the customers, and then act that way consistently. Because your staff will watch you and mimic you.
Chief Public Speaker
The CEO is the chief spokesperson for the company. The CEO speaks to staff, customers, suppliers, the market, media and investors. Every time you speak you have the responsibility of making an impression. What impression do you want to leave? And what are you doing to leave the right impression?
Chief Map Maker
This is the thinking that you do in the back room. This is the unglamorous stuff that drives everything else. This is the decision-making that will one day be proclaimed as visionary or tomfoolery. This is the stuff that makes or breaks a CEO.
George Torok
Host of Business in Motion
www.BusinessinMotion.ca
Monday, April 17, 2006
Lessons from Las Vegas
If you haven’t been – you must go. Take notes.
Follow systems
The casinos win most of the time – because they have and follow good systems. Some players think they have systems because they occasionally win. But the casinos are consistently successful because of their systems.
Don’t be too greedy
The casinos do not win every game. But they consistently win most of the time and they are satisfied with that.
Promote your brand
Las Vegas is a unique city and the casinos are unique. The Luxor, named after the ancient Egyptian city, is built in the shape of a pyramid. Excalibur, named after the sword of King Arthur looks like the castle Camelot. New York New York places you in the big apple.
Offer value
Value is in the eye of the beholder. That’s why one could pay hundreds of dollars for a room or $80. That’s why you can gorge at the $5.99 all you can eat buffet – or dine on $50 steak. Free drinks while you play the machines or free accommodation while you gamble thousands.
'Free' fools everyone
You can find free show tickets and free helicopter rides in exchange for attending a high- pressure time-share pitch. You can drink for free while you are gambling. High stakes gamblers get free room and meals.
Encourage your customers to be emotional
The lights, sounds and design are created to drive the emotions of the customers. Emotional customers spend more and they infect other customers with their emotion. The casino staff masks their emotions behind their systematized tasks. Emotional people make mistakes, are more likely to say yes to another game,
People buy what they want not what they need
No one needs to gamble. No one needs to pay $100 for a show ticket. No one needs to ride in a Hummer. But when people want these things price becomes less important.
Create an experience
What do you want? That is the real calling card for Las Vegas. What do you want? You have choices in food, gambling, entertainment, transportation, and side trips. Remember no one needs what Vegas offers but people return for the experience and the memories.
Make people feel safe
The city of sin feels safe. People walked along the strip with drinks in their hand yet there was no sign of violence. And the police kept a very low profile. The street venders always respected our signals to back off
Keep it clean
The streets are clean. I went for an early morning run and noticed the street sweepers preparing for a new day. With an inordinate number of smokers I still did not notice butts on the sidewalk.
Offer choices
Pamper yourself at the Bellagio. Ride a gondola at the Venetian. View the city from the top of the Stratosphere. Entertain your family to Circus Circus. Rent a limousine. Attend the convention center. Marvel at a magic show. Ride the Sky Train. Walk the strip. Visit downtown.
Las Vegas is an experience. Las Vegas is a fabulous business model.
If you haven’t been – you must go. Take notes.
Read about Lessons from David Copperfield
http://www.powermarketing.ca/secrets_from_david_copperfield.html
Official City of Las Vegas site
http://www.lasvegasnevada.gov/
Bellagio Hotel & Casino
http://www.bellagio.com/
George Torok
http://www.businessinmotion.ca/
Follow systems
The casinos win most of the time – because they have and follow good systems. Some players think they have systems because they occasionally win. But the casinos are consistently successful because of their systems.
Don’t be too greedy
The casinos do not win every game. But they consistently win most of the time and they are satisfied with that.
Promote your brand
Las Vegas is a unique city and the casinos are unique. The Luxor, named after the ancient Egyptian city, is built in the shape of a pyramid. Excalibur, named after the sword of King Arthur looks like the castle Camelot. New York New York places you in the big apple.
Offer value
Value is in the eye of the beholder. That’s why one could pay hundreds of dollars for a room or $80. That’s why you can gorge at the $5.99 all you can eat buffet – or dine on $50 steak. Free drinks while you play the machines or free accommodation while you gamble thousands.
'Free' fools everyone
You can find free show tickets and free helicopter rides in exchange for attending a high- pressure time-share pitch. You can drink for free while you are gambling. High stakes gamblers get free room and meals.
Encourage your customers to be emotional
The lights, sounds and design are created to drive the emotions of the customers. Emotional customers spend more and they infect other customers with their emotion. The casino staff masks their emotions behind their systematized tasks. Emotional people make mistakes, are more likely to say yes to another game,
People buy what they want not what they need
No one needs to gamble. No one needs to pay $100 for a show ticket. No one needs to ride in a Hummer. But when people want these things price becomes less important.
Create an experience
What do you want? That is the real calling card for Las Vegas. What do you want? You have choices in food, gambling, entertainment, transportation, and side trips. Remember no one needs what Vegas offers but people return for the experience and the memories.
Make people feel safe
The city of sin feels safe. People walked along the strip with drinks in their hand yet there was no sign of violence. And the police kept a very low profile. The street venders always respected our signals to back off
Keep it clean
The streets are clean. I went for an early morning run and noticed the street sweepers preparing for a new day. With an inordinate number of smokers I still did not notice butts on the sidewalk.
Offer choices
Pamper yourself at the Bellagio. Ride a gondola at the Venetian. View the city from the top of the Stratosphere. Entertain your family to Circus Circus. Rent a limousine. Attend the convention center. Marvel at a magic show. Ride the Sky Train. Walk the strip. Visit downtown.
Las Vegas is an experience. Las Vegas is a fabulous business model.
If you haven’t been – you must go. Take notes.
Read about Lessons from David Copperfield
http://www.powermarketing.ca/secrets_from_david_copperfield.html
Official City of Las Vegas site
http://www.lasvegasnevada.gov/
Bellagio Hotel & Casino
http://www.bellagio.com/
George Torok
http://www.businessinmotion.ca/
Thursday, April 13, 2006
Who Trusts You?
How important is trust in your business relationships?
If it is important then are you consciously aware of:
What you do to build trust?
What you do to destroy trust?
Customers
What can you do to your customers to build trust?
Ask what they want and listen.
Seek their complaints and listen.
Honor and respect their concerns.
Change your procedures to make it easier for your customers to do business with you.
Smile and treat your customers as honored guests.
What can you do to your customers to destroy trust?
Tell them what you want to tell them.
Ignore their complaints and make it difficult for them to complain.
Hide from their contact and defend against their concerns.
Create and defend procedures to make it easy for you at your customers’ expense.
Frown and treat your customers like annoyances.
Staff
What can you do to your staff to build trust?
Ask for and listen to their input.
Meet with them and encourage their ideas.
Respect them, encourage mistakes and reward their initiative.
Encourage their personal growth.
Be honest and clear.
What can you do to your staff to destroy trust?
Ignore their input.
Meet with them to dictate policy.
Punish their mistakes.
Control their access to information, opportunity and contacts.
Lie, threaten and mislead.
Suppliers
What can you do to your suppliers to build trust?
Ask and listen to their ideas.
Search for ways to be more efficient and effective.
Explain your strategic goals and values and seek their convergence.
Pay them promptly.
Treat them as partners.
What can you do to your suppliers to destroy trust?
Ignore their input.
Bully and threaten them into doing it your way.
Blame them for your failures.
Make and justify excuses to delay payment.
Treat them as slaves.
Build more trust in your business
Apply the Trust Test to everything you do.
What are you doing to build trust? Do more of that.
What are you doing to destroy trust? Do less of that.
George Torok
http://www.businessinmotion.ca/
http://www.powermarketing.ca/
If it is important then are you consciously aware of:
What you do to build trust?
What you do to destroy trust?
Customers
What can you do to your customers to build trust?
Ask what they want and listen.
Seek their complaints and listen.
Honor and respect their concerns.
Change your procedures to make it easier for your customers to do business with you.
Smile and treat your customers as honored guests.
What can you do to your customers to destroy trust?
Tell them what you want to tell them.
Ignore their complaints and make it difficult for them to complain.
Hide from their contact and defend against their concerns.
Create and defend procedures to make it easy for you at your customers’ expense.
Frown and treat your customers like annoyances.
Staff
What can you do to your staff to build trust?
Ask for and listen to their input.
Meet with them and encourage their ideas.
Respect them, encourage mistakes and reward their initiative.
Encourage their personal growth.
Be honest and clear.
What can you do to your staff to destroy trust?
Ignore their input.
Meet with them to dictate policy.
Punish their mistakes.
Control their access to information, opportunity and contacts.
Lie, threaten and mislead.
Suppliers
What can you do to your suppliers to build trust?
Ask and listen to their ideas.
Search for ways to be more efficient and effective.
Explain your strategic goals and values and seek their convergence.
Pay them promptly.
Treat them as partners.
What can you do to your suppliers to destroy trust?
Ignore their input.
Bully and threaten them into doing it your way.
Blame them for your failures.
Make and justify excuses to delay payment.
Treat them as slaves.
Build more trust in your business
Apply the Trust Test to everything you do.
What are you doing to build trust? Do more of that.
What are you doing to destroy trust? Do less of that.
George Torok
http://www.businessinmotion.ca/
http://www.powermarketing.ca/
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Why Should Your CEO be a public figure?
Have you noticed that some CEOs talk to you and some hide?
It doesn’t matter why they do that. Because you and I will come to our own conclusions. Whether those conclusions are right or wrong doesn’t matter. If they are our conclusions we will believe they are right. If you are hiding – it must be for a reason.
So, why should the CEO of your organization be a public figure?
Because we trust more what we see. Look what Lee Iacocca did for Chrysler. Do you have any idea who is head of Chrysler today? Or GM or Ford? Bet you know who heads Microsoft or Dell.
The more we see the CEO the more likely we trust you and your organization.
So how can you make the CEO more public – and likeable?
Publish the name, bio and photo of your CEO on your website.
Provide contact information for the CEO on your website. The CEO doesn’t need to answer personally. Just provide the contact information and procedures on how to handle the correspondence.
The CEO should talk to staff regularly and, depending on the size of the company, in person, by email, video, teleconference or blog.
Ensure all staff knows the name of the CEO and authorize them to give out the name. (Yes I have called very big companies where the front line staff told me they are not allowed to give out that information.)
The CEO should be well trained in how to talk to the media. And the CEO should talk to the media whenever they call. The CEO should never respond with “No Comment”. The CEO should issue news releases regularly.
The CEO should speak at industry events as a speaker, panelist or topic expert.
Most importantly a good CEO should talk to customers – often.
The CEO should answer calls or correspondence from customers - both happy and unhappy. The CEO should periodically initiate conversation with customers.
Just imagine the power of customers exclaiming, “Wow the CEO talked to me”.
George Torok
Host of Business in Motion
How to make your CEO a better public speaker?
Visit Speech Coach for Executives
It doesn’t matter why they do that. Because you and I will come to our own conclusions. Whether those conclusions are right or wrong doesn’t matter. If they are our conclusions we will believe they are right. If you are hiding – it must be for a reason.
So, why should the CEO of your organization be a public figure?
Because we trust more what we see. Look what Lee Iacocca did for Chrysler. Do you have any idea who is head of Chrysler today? Or GM or Ford? Bet you know who heads Microsoft or Dell.
The more we see the CEO the more likely we trust you and your organization.
So how can you make the CEO more public – and likeable?
Publish the name, bio and photo of your CEO on your website.
Provide contact information for the CEO on your website. The CEO doesn’t need to answer personally. Just provide the contact information and procedures on how to handle the correspondence.
The CEO should talk to staff regularly and, depending on the size of the company, in person, by email, video, teleconference or blog.
Ensure all staff knows the name of the CEO and authorize them to give out the name. (Yes I have called very big companies where the front line staff told me they are not allowed to give out that information.)
The CEO should be well trained in how to talk to the media. And the CEO should talk to the media whenever they call. The CEO should never respond with “No Comment”. The CEO should issue news releases regularly.
The CEO should speak at industry events as a speaker, panelist or topic expert.
Most importantly a good CEO should talk to customers – often.
The CEO should answer calls or correspondence from customers - both happy and unhappy. The CEO should periodically initiate conversation with customers.
Just imagine the power of customers exclaiming, “Wow the CEO talked to me”.
George Torok
Host of Business in Motion
How to make your CEO a better public speaker?
Visit Speech Coach for Executives
Friday, April 07, 2006
What’s Happening on my Marketing Blog
If you haven’t looked at my marketing blog lately, here are some recent posts that might interest you.
Night Light Marketing
Nightlight Marketing
I woke up the other night – not so unusual. But this time I noticed how bright the hallway looked.
Barketing Defined
A few posts ago on this blog I introduced the term “Barketing”. Since then some of you have expressed an interest in that term and asked for further clarification.
Benefits vs. Features
What are you marketing? Benefits or Features? The question sounds simple. The answer is not so simple.You probably know the difference between benefits and features. If you are selling a car the feature might be that it is available in candy apple red, sky blue, moss green or charcoal gray.
Sponsorship Marketing
Why should you sponsor?Because it is a friendly way of “advertising”. If we like what you sponsor then we are more likely to like you and what you sell. And if we like you we are more likely to buy from you.
George Torok
www.PowerMarketing.ca
Night Light Marketing
Nightlight Marketing
I woke up the other night – not so unusual. But this time I noticed how bright the hallway looked.
Barketing Defined
A few posts ago on this blog I introduced the term “Barketing”. Since then some of you have expressed an interest in that term and asked for further clarification.
Benefits vs. Features
What are you marketing? Benefits or Features? The question sounds simple. The answer is not so simple.You probably know the difference between benefits and features. If you are selling a car the feature might be that it is available in candy apple red, sky blue, moss green or charcoal gray.
Sponsorship Marketing
Why should you sponsor?Because it is a friendly way of “advertising”. If we like what you sponsor then we are more likely to like you and what you sell. And if we like you we are more likely to buy from you.
George Torok
www.PowerMarketing.ca
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Does your CEO talk to customers?
We know the names of some CEOs. Some appear approachable, trustworthy and real. But some CEOs are not approachable. Some CEOs do not answer calls. Some CEOs do not talk to customers. Some CEOs are not known to their customers. In some companies the staff is forbidden to mention the name of the CEO to customers. Do you wonder why?
That behavior does not build trust and does not create a positive relationship. So why would a normally intelligent CEO act this way? It makes you wonder.
Some CEOs have good excuses:
“I don’t like talking to customers. They annoy me.”
“I have a business to run. I don’t have time for customers.”
“My customer service people are supposed to protect me from that.”
Some CEOs have trained their staff to respond:
“Oh, you can’t talk to the CEO, he is too important”
“Oh, the president doesn’t talk to people like you”
“The CEO doesn’t talk to the public.”
Should the CEO talk to customers?
Only if you want to build and nurture trust and long term relationships in the marketplace.
If your priority is getting through the next quarter or fighting with your board – go ahead – ignore your customers.
I wonder how often Kenneth Lay (Enron) took customer calls. He had bigger problems. Have you tried to get Conrad Black (Holinger) on the phone recently?
I can’t think of anyone more important than the customer. So whom do you think your CEO should talk to more often?
George Torok
President and Chief Trust Builder
905-335-1997
George@Torok.com
http://www.torok.com/
That behavior does not build trust and does not create a positive relationship. So why would a normally intelligent CEO act this way? It makes you wonder.
Some CEOs have good excuses:
“I don’t like talking to customers. They annoy me.”
“I have a business to run. I don’t have time for customers.”
“My customer service people are supposed to protect me from that.”
Some CEOs have trained their staff to respond:
“Oh, you can’t talk to the CEO, he is too important”
“Oh, the president doesn’t talk to people like you”
“The CEO doesn’t talk to the public.”
Should the CEO talk to customers?
Only if you want to build and nurture trust and long term relationships in the marketplace.
If your priority is getting through the next quarter or fighting with your board – go ahead – ignore your customers.
I wonder how often Kenneth Lay (Enron) took customer calls. He had bigger problems. Have you tried to get Conrad Black (Holinger) on the phone recently?
I can’t think of anyone more important than the customer. So whom do you think your CEO should talk to more often?
George Torok
President and Chief Trust Builder
905-335-1997
George@Torok.com
http://www.torok.com/
Monday, April 03, 2006
Wearing pain like a badge of pride
Re: ‘Bay race shines; Record 6,800 runners, walkers bask in winning conditions’ (March 27)
Something incredible happened in Hamilton last weekend. Almost 7,000 people accomplished the ‘impossible’. They ran or walked 30 kilometres in the Hamilton Around the Bay Race.
How many people do you know who can walk or run 30 kilometres? This race included everyday people doing the impossible.
When was the last time you watched the Olympic Games on TV and marvelled at the skill and fortitude of the athletes? Did you think ‘I wish I could do that’?
It is amazing that this is the 112th year that Hamilton has hosted this race that’s older than the Boston Marathon. The next Boston Marathon will be on April 17, 2006, and is the 110th running of that race. The Boston race is two years younger than Hamilton’s event.
That the oldest race in North America is in Hamilton is really quite remarkable – and possibly not well known outside of Hamilton. (A marketing challenge for Hamilton)
Most of those who complete this event are unrecognized athletes who push themselves to do the very limits of their abilities. After the race some go back to work. Their families and close friends might congratulate them on their accomplishment. Perhaps their co-workers notice their painful hobbling the next day and ask what caused it.
Everyone who participated accomplished something wonderful. In the pain of my own recovery I rejoice and raise a glass to you. And I look forward to the pain of next year.
George Torok
(Recovering runner)
Around the Bay Race
http://www.aroundthebayroadrace.com/
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