The Building Business Value newsletter has one purpose - to assist midmarket business leaders in their never-ending quest to build better companies. Whether you are the CEO of your own company, a senior manager of a business unit, or a leader in a company that serves those in the mid market, you will find something in each newsletter to help you serve your stakeholders. Each month we will cover a variety of topics, all focused on leading in the mid market.
We are very conscious that you spend much of your day buried in e-mail, so it is with your permission that we send this newsletter your way.
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| Becoming an On-Line Trusted Advisor
Relationship Building 101 ...
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Ever since David Maister came out with "Trusted Advisor", professional services companies have integrated the term trusted advisor into their repertoire of service delivery and business development lingo. The really good firms have embraced it as a long-term approach to building relationships and perhaps clients that will last a lifetime. Other firms have viewed it as a marketing ploy; words to use in your corporate literature, but not words you live by.
Intimacy and motive are two key components to building a trusted relationship with a client. To develop intimacy you need to really understand your client's wants and needs. You have to work closely with them. You have to be available when they need you.
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The Power of an Internal Franchise
What if all your employees clearly understood the purpose of your business and focused all their energies on making it successful? Imagine the possibilities if everyone in your organization started thinking and acting like an owner of the bussiness.
The Power of an Internal Franchise offers the tools and strategies to build an ownership culture, put it to work in your business, and share the rewards of ownership with everyone.
You'll discover how to
- Find and keep engaged and entrepreneurial employees
- Brand your workplace and create a destination for employees
- Define your company's operating model and then share it with your employees
- Link employee behavior with business performance
- Focus your entire organization on a business goal
"The Power of an Internal Franchise gives leaders another set of tools to grow their business, build a more engaged workforce, and create an environment where people can become the best version of themselves."
~ Matthew Kelly, New York Times best-selling author of The Dream Manager
Release the power of your people to make your business a raging success!
Pre-Order Your Copy Now
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| Good Reads .....
My Latest Favorites | |
 One of the perks for blogging on Alltop, the online newsstand, is that I had the honor to receive an early copy of Guy Kawasaki's new book. Most of you are aware of Kawasaki's background, but just as a quick reminder, he was the former chief evangelist of Apple. He is a founding partner at Garage Technology Ventures and has written a bunch of great stuff on startups, marketing and building strong businesses.
"Enchantment" is one of those books that is loaded with ideas that give you pause. I read it while at a conference in Florida, so I was more predisposed than normal to running with some of his ideas. Sitting around a pool drinking umbrella drinks can do that for you! Although I kept thinking about that "South Pacific" song, "Some Enchanted Evening."
Frankly, the early chapters are a bit apple pie, but the more you reflect on them, the more you realize very few people engage in the behavior Guy is suggesting. Yes, we want to be liked and trusted, but we meet so many people that never take concrete steps to change peoples (customers, employees, stakeholders) perceptions of them. At our core, we all want to delight and fascinate people and Kawasaki grabs that basic principal and skillfully wrestles with it for 200 pages.
Read More ...
Enchantment
by Guy Kawasaki
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| Who Believes in You?
Does anyone believe in your vision ... | |
Image you were recruiting your new head of sales as hard as many NBA franchises were recruiting LeBron James. What if the competition was so stiff for your new project leader that six or eight companies in your market were planning on making an offer to her? Would you behave any differently during the recruiting process? Would you change how you communicated to your current work force?
I'm about as far from an NBA analyst as you can get, but it seems to me the reason LeBron James chose to play for the Miami Heat next year was because he believed that was the place that best met his objectives. He may have disciplined himself to go through the Ignation process of discernment, but I'm guessing he just believed it was right for him.
So when you're recruiting (or keeping) that next division manager, project leader or head of sales, they'll probably use the same decision making process as LeBron. Salary and compensation will probably be comparable and then it boils down to whether the prospective employee believes in you and your organization.
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As a business operator, I have been in a position to lead a company during troubled times. Concerns over the direction of the company, sleepless nights worrying about debt and cash flow, high anxiety over closing a deal or a transaction - the challenges seem endless. But I've also experienced the highs of leadership - the real joy of meeting client needs, the fulfillment of shaping a team, and the satisfaction of watching a vision become a reality. As tough as it can be, there is really nothing quite like being a leader in the midmarket.
It is my sincere desire that this newsletter will support leaders in the midmarket as they navigate their way to building stronger, more valuable companies. I welcome your comments.
Sincerely,
Marty
Martin O'Neill
Corsum Consulting, LLC
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| | Marty O'Neill | Marty O'Neill founded Corsum Consulting, which focuses on one goal: helping companies build business value. He is a frequent speaker and consultant on leadership, corporate culture and building business value and is the author of Building Business Value (Third Bridge Press) and the co-author of Act Like an Owner (Wiley). As a business operator, Marty started and sold a company, positioned another for an LBO, and helped a third sell for a significant premium. Marty lives on the Magothy River in Maryland with his wife and three children.
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Available for pre-order now!
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"As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others."
~ Bill Gates | ***********************************
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