Expert insights. Personalized for you.
Do we really understand the difference between customer service delivery and customer experience delivery? Or, do we use the two terms interchangeably? At times, our self-focused perception leaves customer service delivery up to everyone with “service” as part of their job titles. MORE
Are complex story details in the stories you tell falling short of getting your point across to colleagues, investors and clients? As a result, the decision you ask them to make is lost in the details you spiel at them. This is not exactly the storytelling outcome you desire, is it? MORE
Today, let’s ideate together. Take a deep breath. Relax. Let’s innovate. What happens to your revenue stream when employees stop fixing what people buy? Because clients are not sold what they really need. When internal teams actively drive revenue? Instead of serving as order-takers buried in departments traditionally perceived as cost-centers. Because by now, you down-sized your business and hiring strategies. And you are stuck. MORE
What is the role of internal client experiences in creating extraordinary external client experiences (CX)? Customer experience seems to be on everyone’s mind these days. Paying lip service and talking the talk is different than consistently walking the walk. MORE
What happens when strategic business stories become too ambiguous to everyone, including you? Yesterday, we explored whether your compelling business stories are too specific and tactically focused. Today, let’s explore what happens when your stories get lost in the strategic clouds. MORE
Determine the clarity of virtual context before and during virtual meetings. So you tee up these meetings to create greater attendee participation and engagement. And create unanticipated, positive attendee experiences, as well. MORE
In fact, why perpetuate yesterday’s team dysfunction into any collaborative environment? Virtual or otherwise. Regardless of whether you work entirely virtually or in a hybridized format, the playing field is flattened by the current scenario. MORE
Reset yourself professionally? What an idea! Yet… are you thinking the same thing? How is this pandemic redefining your professional trajectory? Because the skills you need to get to where you want to go have shifted. Changed. MORE
Social communication etiquette is going over the top. Have you noticed? In spite of the topics I scheduled on my editorial calendar, the theme of this week’s posts is rapidly becoming Communication. Communication between leadership, management and front line employees. MORE
What makes you professionally hesitate? Gives you that one single second of professional pause each day? So you are unable to discover the one millimeter moment that is the key to your professional development. MORE
Who is your internal go-to resource or resources? You know. The people who have the right answers when you or your team hit a snag. And the folks with an endless network of currently unknown colleagues who have the capabilities – and answers – you seek. Don’t know? MORE
If you are not invested in your own professional story, why continue to urge others to invest in your story? There just may be a disconnect of belief between what you say you do and who you really are. You see it, I see it, we all see it. Taglines and keywords in LinkedIn profiles and professional resumes. Positioning professionals one way this week. Then, repositioning professionals another way next week. If one “strategy” does not work, well, let’s try another! MORE
Do you credibly walk your story talk through every phase of each project? Not only to create a compelling business case or project narrative. End of story. But also, to build strategic relationships throughout the breadth and depth of your own and your clients’ organizations? The never-ending story. Similarly, do you spiel the sales blah-blah-blah long enough to close a contract? Without any real intention of walking your story to create post-sale continuity to retain clients? MORE
Feeling the impact of workplace uncertainty and ambiguity on your level of professional resilience? Especially as companies restructure and workforce and workplace models change. Consider that resilience not only is about your ability to recover from difficulties. MORE
Creating innovative solutions, instead of comfortable solutions, works best when you actually prioritize addressing unmet client needs. To tease out the story of what is truly behind each design specification. So you create robust – yet flexible and innovative – client-focused solutions. Consider whether your project outcomes end up being comfortable solutions, rather than innovative ones. The solution you intend to deliver isn’t quite the solution which, ultimately, is delivered. MORE
When’s the last time you considered whether your project teams are professionally inclusive or exclusive? Probably something you assume you are doing, but may not be doing at all. Of course you look for representative expertise in a variety of professional functions you deem important to the project. MORE
You work hard to create compelling business stories. Yet, after you exhaust yourself preparing and delivering these stories, do you accomplish what you set out to do? Recognize the gap between your own objective for telling compelling business stories. MORE
How do yesterday’s professional competencies meet today’s and tomorrow’s client needs? Something shifted during the pandemic. Did you feel it? Because yesterday’s professional competencies are table stakes for meeting today’s and tomorrow’s client needs. Actually, they have been for quite a while. MORE
How do you establish your voice when working with cross functional teams? For some of you, this idea is completely daunting. Because cross functional teams have lots of “those” people on them. You know. MORE
It just could be that client retention folks are the best salespeople in your company. You know. Professionals involved in the post-sale care and feeding of newly-acquired customers. MORE
If you practice a hopscotch client retention strategy, do not get your hopes up. Making clients successful is hardly child’s play. Co-partnering in your client’s success involves more than adhering to a mostly-linear protocol. MORE
Are we a bit too devoted to and obsessed by our professional labels? The awards we collect. The Top List of This or That we are on. Those accomplishments, honors, certifications, academic degrees in which we revel. Our professional labels are What We “Do”, for Other People, Right Now. Hmmm……. Really? MORE
How much strategic business sense do your stories make? As I worked with one of my clients yesterday, he complained that decision makers were not taking action after his presentations. He just could not understand why. My question to him: “Do you tell connect the dot stories?” MORE
Developing your provocative business storytelling acumen moves you one millimeter (or more) beyond sounding like everyone else. Because business stories easily sound too safe, too sanitized and too perfect. MORE
Creating and implementing an HR storytelling diversity and inclusion strategy is mission-critical. Especially for employee and client retention: Today, Tomorrow and in the Future. First, because Today’s Internet of Things (IoT), Fourth Industrial Revolution workplaces are extremely complex. MORE
Why do initiatives on retaining customers still feel like a bunch of isolated actions? Provided by people in separate departments. With different functions. All throwing their professional efforts at the customer. Instead of in partnership with the customer. MORE
By now you probably have pandemic stories to tell. Most likely due to the ubiquitous impact of the current health scenario on how we work (and where, when, why, if). How has the pandemic fueled not only your own professional delivery of client-focused solutions? But also your teams’ and your organizations’, as you better serve each other and your clients? Pandemic stories emerge daily, because of the continuously changing business environments in which we all work. . MORE
Are you too professionally tired? Especially as you continue to ride the 2020 roller coaster of uncertainty and ambiguity. Realize that you are not alone. You have lots of company. Of course you are competent, capable and resilient! No doubt about it. MORE
Current and potential customers can tell us overstated stories. To attract our attention, negotiate business with us. And lead us on and on and on. So, why do we continue to believe them? Until we don’t, anymore? First of all, we are flattered that these customers contacted us. MORE
What is your greatest professional constraint these days? Is there an obstacle, restriction or impediment holding you back from moving forward, professionally? Or, on any given day, are there a bunch of incidents, scenarios and tactical issues which seem to add up throughout the day. MORE
Do you have a customer retention scorecard? You know what I am talking about. Any of the plethora of scoring systems which measure customer satisfaction and loyalty. Chances are, your organization already has a scorecard or two. MORE
One Millimeter Mindset
SEPTEMBER 29, 2020
How do yesterday’s professional competencies meet today’s and tomorrow’s client needs? Something shifted during the pandemic. Did you feel it? Because yesterday’s professional competencies are table stakes for meeting today’s and tomorrow’s client needs. Actually, they have been for quite a while.
One Millimeter Mindset
SEPTEMBER 24, 2018
If you practice a hopscotch client retention strategy, do not get your hopes up. Making clients successful is hardly child’s play. Co-partnering in your client’s success involves more than adhering to a mostly-linear protocol.
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One Millimeter Mindset
SEPTEMBER 17, 2018
Do we really understand the difference between customer service delivery and customer experience delivery? Or, do we use the two terms interchangeably? At times, our self-focused perception leaves customer service delivery up to everyone with “service” as part of their job titles.
One Millimeter Mindset
SEPTEMBER 17, 2020
How do you establish your voice when working with cross functional teams? For some of you, this idea is completely daunting. Because cross functional teams have lots of “those” people on them. You know.
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One Millimeter Mindset
SEPTEMBER 11, 2018
Social communication etiquette is going over the top. Have you noticed? In spite of the topics I scheduled on my editorial calendar, the theme of this week’s posts is rapidly becoming Communication. Communication between leadership, management and front line employees.
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One Millimeter Mindset
SEPTEMBER 24, 2020
What happens when strategic business stories become too ambiguous to everyone, including you? Yesterday, we explored whether your compelling business stories are too specific and tactically focused. Today, let’s explore what happens when your stories get lost in the strategic clouds.
One Millimeter Mindset
SEPTEMBER 15, 2020
Who is your internal go-to resource or resources? You know. The people who have the right answers when you or your team hit a snag. And the folks with an endless network of currently unknown colleagues who have the capabilities – and answers – you seek. Don’t know?
One Millimeter Mindset
SEPTEMBER 8, 2020
What makes you professionally hesitate? Gives you that one single second of professional pause each day? So you are unable to discover the one millimeter moment that is the key to your professional development.
One Millimeter Mindset
SEPTEMBER 22, 2020
You work hard to create compelling business stories. Yet, after you exhaust yourself preparing and delivering these stories, do you accomplish what you set out to do? Recognize the gap between your own objective for telling compelling business stories.
Speaker: Esther Kieft, Delivery Manager (Group Technology) at Domino's Pizza Enterprises
It is well known that empathy is a key ingredient in creating lovable products, yet not all products offer the best customer experience. From meeting stringent deadlines to insufficient resources being available to carry out customer research, there is a range of reasons why customer empathy could be missing in product development. Join Esther Kieft, as she breaks down using empathy at a distance to evaluate the problems that customers are experiencing during this global health crisis.
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One Millimeter Mindset
AUGUST 25, 2020
Feeling the impact of workplace uncertainty and ambiguity on your level of professional resilience? Especially as companies restructure and workforce and workplace models change. Consider that resilience not only is about your ability to recover from difficulties.
One Millimeter Mindset
JULY 9, 2020
It just could be that client retention folks are the best salespeople in your company. You know. Professionals involved in the post-sale care and feeding of newly-acquired customers.
One Millimeter Mindset
SEPTEMBER 3, 2020
When’s the last time you considered whether your project teams are professionally inclusive or exclusive? Probably something you assume you are doing, but may not be doing at all. Of course you look for representative expertise in a variety of professional functions you deem important to the project.
One Millimeter Mindset
AUGUST 23, 2018
Do you have a customer retention scorecard? You know what I am talking about. Any of the plethora of scoring systems which measure customer satisfaction and loyalty. Chances are, your organization already has a scorecard or two.
Advertiser: ZoomInfo
Every sales forecasting model has a different strength and predictability method. It’s recommended to test out which one is best for your team. This way, you’ll be able to further enhance – and optimize – your newly-developed pipeline. Your future sales forecast? Sunny skies (and success) are just ahead!
One Millimeter Mindset
AUGUST 18, 2020
What is your greatest professional constraint these days? Is there an obstacle, restriction or impediment holding you back from moving forward, professionally? Or, on any given day, are there a bunch of incidents, scenarios and tactical issues which seem to add up throughout the day.
One Millimeter Mindset
AUGUST 20, 2020
Reset yourself professionally? What an idea! Yet… are you thinking the same thing? How is this pandemic redefining your professional trajectory? Because the skills you need to get to where you want to go have shifted. Changed.
One Millimeter Mindset
OCTOBER 15, 2018
Current and potential customers can tell us overstated stories. To attract our attention, negotiate business with us. And lead us on and on and on. So, why do we continue to believe them? Until we don’t, anymore? First of all, we are flattered that these customers contacted us.
One Millimeter Mindset
AUGUST 9, 2018
What is the role of internal client experiences in creating extraordinary external client experiences (CX)? Customer experience seems to be on everyone’s mind these days. Paying lip service and talking the talk is different than consistently walking the walk.
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One Millimeter Mindset
MAY 28, 2020
In fact, why perpetuate yesterday’s team dysfunction into any collaborative environment? Virtual or otherwise. Regardless of whether you work entirely virtually or in a hybridized format, the playing field is flattened by the current scenario.
One Millimeter Mindset
JULY 16, 2020
Today, let’s ideate together. Take a deep breath. Relax. Let’s innovate. What happens to your revenue stream when employees stop fixing what people buy? Because clients are not sold what they really need. When internal teams actively drive revenue? Instead of serving as order-takers buried in departments traditionally perceived as cost-centers. Because by now, you down-sized your business and hiring strategies. And you are stuck.
One Millimeter Mindset
JANUARY 23, 2020
Creating and implementing an HR storytelling diversity and inclusion strategy is mission-critical. Especially for employee and client retention: Today, Tomorrow and in the Future. First, because Today’s Internet of Things (IoT), Fourth Industrial Revolution workplaces are extremely complex.
One Millimeter Mindset
JULY 23, 2020
If you are not invested in your own professional story, why continue to urge others to invest in your story? There just may be a disconnect of belief between what you say you do and who you really are. You see it, I see it, we all see it. Taglines and keywords in LinkedIn profiles and professional resumes. Positioning professionals one way this week. Then, repositioning professionals another way next week. If one “strategy” does not work, well, let’s try another!
Speaker: Angelica Coleman, Community Lead, Snowflake
In order to establish a robust community, you need to have strong community objectives in place that are supported with the proper types of programs; programs that will help your community succeed. But narrowing down on your community objectives can be difficult, let alone knowing how to structure your community programs and offerings in a way that supports them. Join Vanilla Forums on Friday, October 8th at 12 PM ET for a webinar led by Angelica Coleman, the Community Lead at Snowflake, as she walks us through the 5 E's that are essential to establishing your key community objectives: Education, Enable, Expand, Engage and Evangelize.
One Millimeter Mindset
JUNE 23, 2020
Do you credibly walk your story talk through every phase of each project? Not only to create a compelling business case or project narrative. End of story. But also, to build strategic relationships throughout the breadth and depth of your own and your clients’ organizations? The never-ending story. Similarly, do you spiel the sales blah-blah-blah long enough to close a contract? Without any real intention of walking your story to create post-sale continuity to retain clients?
One Millimeter Mindset
SEPTEMBER 12, 2018
Are we a bit too devoted to and obsessed by our professional labels? The awards we collect. The Top List of This or That we are on. Those accomplishments, honors, certifications, academic degrees in which we revel. Our professional labels are What We “Do”, for Other People, Right Now. Hmmm……. Really?
One Millimeter Mindset
JANUARY 28, 2020
How much strategic business sense do your stories make? As I worked with one of my clients yesterday, he complained that decision makers were not taking action after his presentations. He just could not understand why. My question to him: “Do you tell connect the dot stories?”
One Millimeter Mindset
OCTOBER 18, 2018
Why do initiatives on retaining customers still feel like a bunch of isolated actions? Provided by people in separate departments. With different functions. All throwing their professional efforts at the customer. Instead of in partnership with the customer.
Advertiser: Skilljar
Whether you’re looking to kickstart or expand your customer education program, you need access to a budget. Learn how you can demonstrate the positive ROI of customer training and make the case for securing a larger budget in our latest eBook!
One Millimeter Mindset
AUGUST 11, 2020
Creating innovative solutions, instead of comfortable solutions, works best when you actually prioritize addressing unmet client needs. To tease out the story of what is truly behind each design specification. So you create robust – yet flexible and innovative – client-focused solutions. Consider whether your project outcomes end up being comfortable solutions, rather than innovative ones. The solution you intend to deliver isn’t quite the solution which, ultimately, is delivered.
One Millimeter Mindset
APRIL 14, 2020
Determine the clarity of virtual context before and during virtual meetings. So you tee up these meetings to create greater attendee participation and engagement. And create unanticipated, positive attendee experiences, as well.
One Millimeter Mindset
JANUARY 9, 2020
Are complex story details in the stories you tell falling short of getting your point across to colleagues, investors and clients? As a result, the decision you ask them to make is lost in the details you spiel at them. This is not exactly the storytelling outcome you desire, is it?
One Millimeter Mindset
AUGUST 4, 2020
By now you probably have pandemic stories to tell. Most likely due to the ubiquitous impact of the current health scenario on how we work (and where, when, why, if). How has the pandemic fueled not only your own professional delivery of client-focused solutions? But also your teams’ and your organizations’, as you better serve each other and your clients? Pandemic stories emerge daily, because of the continuously changing business environments in which we all work. .
Speaker: Donald Fan, Senior Director of the Global Office of Culture, Diversity & Inclusion at Walmart Inc.
In the digital era, rife with uncertainty and ambiguity, innovation plays an essential role in sustaining organic growth and outperforming the global competition. Research proves time and again, there exists a robust bond between innovation and diversity & inclusion (D&I); our challenge is to help our leaders understand how to plant the seeds of innovation in the fertile D&I garden in order to drive a strategic and competitive advantage from the office and in the digital landscape.
One Millimeter Mindset
JANUARY 14, 2020
Developing your provocative business storytelling acumen moves you one millimeter (or more) beyond sounding like everyone else. Because business stories easily sound too safe, too sanitized and too perfect.
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