Two reasons why “change” will force you to get connected

In my last post I talked about the ever-increasing complexity that seems to creep into our lives and our businesses. But there’s one common thread that runs thru all of it. Take note of it if you haven’t already. Most of the “change” is due to the increase in the flow of information we now have at our disposal. I am here to tell you that the flip side of the increasing volume and complexity of...
Read More

Lessons from a successful dictator/CEO.

“If you don’t ask, you’ll never get ” and 39 other tips. There’s one very positive trend in the economy right now. The number of small business bankruptcy filings has been dropping an average of 19 percent* year-over-year since the floor fell out from beneath us in 2008. Sure, there are fewer startups but I have a hunch that we’re getting smarter if not more careful about how we run our industrial...
Read More

Four questions that focus on reducing complexity

We’ve been talking a lot about change at Material Insights. Why it’s important to your business to recognize what’s happening around it, particularly the types of change that doesn’t get talked about in the break room or the boardroom. Kind of like climate change, except on fast-forward. The point is if such phenomenon is not recognized soon enough, you could end up out in the cold, unprepared...
Read More

3 Things you need to know to make a great pitch.

If you’re not impressing, you’re probably boring! Ever lose out on a business opportunity because you fumbled your sales pitch? Or you started your elevator speech but the audience seemed bored after thirty seconds. Or maybe you felt like you did pretty well except now you’re scratching your head because you didn’t get the result you were after. Are you missing real opportunities or is this just p...
Read More

Five ways to keep moving forward… in spite of change

Since the introduction of Henry Ford’s moving assembly line in 1913 time has become an important dynamic for every business, large and small. Fast forward nearly a hundred years and most manufacturers, including coatings operations, see or feel the effects of time being compressed. It has become a force of change that your business must reckon with, if it hasn’t already. What was novelty in 19...
Read More

3 Elements of strategy you must have to succeed!

If you don’t know where you’re going, any old way will do. If your company is not working on surviving you have to be focused on growing, excelling and achieving goals. That’s a fact. Because, invariably, when we take our eyes off the target we usually miss. In other words, if you don’t get everyone rowing in the same direction, you’ll soon be working survival again before you know it. It can be a...
Read More

Four forces of change…why it matters so damn much

Change is everywhere. It’s constant, and it’s subtle all at the same time. But what the signs don’t tell us is that when the world changes, the rules change. You can get stuck with currency nobody wants. Rules both define and constrain your business in significant ways. Since nobody’s handing out new rulebooks, understanding exactly what is changing, and how it’s affecting your business, is ke...
Read More

7 Lesson package on efficiency and other survival skills.

New source for inspiration and wisdom will surprise you. Survival mode is a familiar place for way too many business managers. It’s not a place you want to visit often or want to be in very long. Once in it though, you want nothing more than to be out of the woods in a hurry. But what if reaction speed just isn’t your strong suit. In this post, I introduce a short new book that focuses squarely on...
Read More

Supply better quality at an understandably higher price

Ask your sales team, “What part of our products’ value proposition do you take responsibility for?” It’s a fair question—even if you have to ask yourself. There are two roads, price and value and you have to choose just one. If your coatings company battles over price, you may be standing in the middle of the road where, ultimately, you’re gonna get run over. My recommendation? Step out and ru...
Read More

Get Mojo with mobile links for your business.

Here’s the medium, what’s your message? “New rule: If you want to grow, you need to find customers who are willing to join you or believe in you or donate to you or support you. And guess what? The only customers willing to do that are looking for something new. The growth comes from change and light and noise [aka, Mojo].” I borrow that passage from “TRIBES,” a book by the most popular business b...
Read More
Older Entries
Newer Entries