The Competitive Advantage

November 29, 2016

What do your clients really think about you? Their perception matters!

Planning for revenue growth in 2017: Part 4 of 6

This series began with a discussion about effective use of the telephone… then we moved onto blogging… and last week, LinkedIn. Today, we tackle understanding the perception of your firm.

If I were to ask you what each of your clients think about you, you would probably say something about them generally liking you… after all, they’re sending you their business. And you’d probably be right.

But what if you’re not?

October 18, 2016

Your Key Accounts Need More Love!

Here are 6 ways to make that happen.

In the 4+ years we’ve been open, I don’t think I’ve spoken with a single research firm that doesn’t have 40-50-60% (or more) of its revenue tied up with just 3, 4 or 5 clients. Losing a small client is bad enough, but losing one of these ‘Key Accounts’ can be devastating. So, what can you do to ensure this doesn’t happen to you?

September 27, 2016

Innovation for Innovation’s Sake?

Early last year, I wrote a post about a blue-tooth frying pan that notifies you when it’s time to flip your pancakes. Silly!

Well… the “innovators” are at it again! In the October 2016 issue of Fast Company, there’s a small article on Nike’s new self-tying shoes! Whuut?!

Now, if these were being developed to help frail seniors or those with physical disabilities… I kind of get it. But they weren’t. They seem to have a somewhat less noble purpose, according to a Nike engineer, “You can feel it tighten, hear the motor run, and see the laces [move]. It’s a shoe that ignites the senses.” Seriously?!

May 31, 2016

Use this 16-point Checklist to help fix your broken website.

This past week, I spent some time online doing research for new project management software. I did a Google search for highly-rated platforms, then went to the website of those that interested me.

One of the first things I do when investigating software is to watch a video demo to get a feel for the platform. This week, though, on the websites of two of the platforms I was investigating, the videos weren’t working! Videos are perhaps the most important element on a website selling software… and they were broken. And these are software companies!

Which got me to thinking about all businesses… after a new website launch, how often do we go back and look through it to make sure everything is functioning properly? If you’re like most businesses, not very often… or more likely – never! At least not until a client calls to alert you about a problem… and by then, the damage has been done.

April 26, 2016

Deliver a great customer experience… even to non-customers.

As I write this, I’m sitting in a coffee shop in Norwalk, Connecticut after having flown into LaGuardia Airport in New York City earlier today. I got off the plane, followed the Ground Transportation signs and hopped on the shuttle bus to the Enterprise Rent-a-Car Center.

When I arrived at the center, Matt Scro, a very friendly and professional manager at Enterprise greeted me at the counter, introduced himself and shook my hand (something that has never happened to me at a rent-a-car facility… ever!).

When I asked him where I could find the “Emerald Aisle”… the issue came to light. My reservation wasn’t with Enterprise… it was with National Car Rental!

[insert what-an-idiot comment here!]

March 29, 2016

Not doing Client Satisfaction surveys for yourself? Whuuuuut?!

8 Tips for Building Better Services with Surveys

In the perfect personification of ‘the cobbler’s’ children having no shoes,’ I am amazed at how many market research firms – that conduct studies for clients across the U.S. and around the world – don’t conduct any for themselves.

And the oddest one of those is the huge percentage of firms that don’t conduct a client satisfaction survey after each project. Why is that?

March 22, 2016

7 Tips for Successful In-Person Presentations

Last week, I had the privilege and pleasure (yes – it really was) of speaking to a room full of market researchers at the QRCA-Philadelphia Chapter’s monthly meeting.

It was one of the most enjoyable and successful (based on feedback from the participants) live speaking experiences I’ve had in several years. And as I look back at why it went so well, I think it boiled down to a handful of guidelines that all speakers should follow for in-person presentations…

January 27, 2016

A Brilliant Example of Communicating in Plain, Simple English

I’ve been looking for some new software lately to help with processing credit cards online for our upcoming workshop series. One of the vendors I was investigating is WaveApps.com.

While I was browsing their website, I did something I almost never do… I took a look at the Terms of Use. You know… that long, legal document that we usually completely ignore, or when necessary, just click ‘Agree’ and move on.

But WaveApps has done something remarkable… something I’ve never seen before with this kind of document.