Know How to Hold 'Em - Attracting and Keeping Top Performers
One of the biggest challenges companies are facing is the attraction and retention of top performers. The World Future Society predicted that the greatest test of durability for companies in the next five years would be the ability to get and keep good people. In some industries such as the homebuilding industry there is a phenomenon of merry-go-round employees where employees jump ship within the industry and companies are recycling employees. In the finance industry the big question to a top performer is "Where did you jump from?"One executive management client had left a specific financial institution because a competitor wooed her. Once there, she wasn't as happy as she thought would be and was wooed back again to the original employer. She did this back and forth

Can a Small Business Be A Big Brand?
Do you think of your business as a brand? Because it is one, whether you view it that way or not. Even if it's just you, a solo-professional, working out of your home. Even if yours is a small local business marketing to customers in your own hometown.It's still a brand.The question is, is it a strong brand?Does it stand for something?Does it have an image?Does it create a perception in your prospects' and clients' minds?Either way again, the answer to these questions is yes.But if you haven't taken steps to create your own brand, your brand may not stand for what YOU want it to stand for. Instead, you've left if up to your audience to create that meaning.I launched 10stepmarketing in January 2005.My bran

Medical Factoring: Business Financing for Medical Professionals
Doctors and professionals that bill insurance, HMO’s or Medicare/Medicaid know how the payment cycle of the industry works. Basically, hurry up and wait, is the call of the day. It is not uncommon for a medical professional to send a bill to an insurance company and have to wait 30, 90 or even 120 days before they get paid. In the meantime, the office needs to pay employees and suppliers.Unless the medical office has a large cash reserve, it is likely to run into problems. Sooner or later, it may run out of cash. One alternative is to go to the bank to obtain a business loan or similar product. That works, sometimes. But banks can be hard to work with and seldom increase loans after giving them. What happens if your medical office keeps growing and needs more cash? had a personal connection to that day? It would have tremendous power in the gift and create a serious buzz about you caring and coming up with the impossible.

2. The Private Newsletter

A quietly distributed piece of information to a select group of recipients would be valued and appreciated. It would make the person feel important as an insider, and, depending on the impact of the information shared, could create a tremendous buzz as the information was spread virally. Some companies employ this strategy to let the cat out of the bag on new products to create a pull strategy from their customers. The Drudge Report started this way until it broke the Clinton scandal and suddenly became mainstream.

3. Scarcity Items

Staples created an icon with the Easy Button. If they only offered them to a select level of client usage and simply included one free into a large order without mentioning it, buzz would go crazy. Now you can buy the Easy Buttons and they maintained the icon, but lost the buzz. Create a select number of a particular special item and only provide those to your best clients. Resist the temptation of mass marketing. A few years ago I had 1,000 Brain feeders made and we provide those only to our best customers and fans. Once they are gone, there will be no more -- ever.

4. Personalized Products

When your sales team makes a pitch to a great prospect, what personalized items are you delivering for those in attendance? Do your research. I was calling on a multi-billion dollar prospect CEO and learned he was a John Wayne fan and a Trekkie. Most everyone hopped on the John Wayne theme and his office wa

could create a tremendous buzz as the information was spread virally. Some companies employ this strategy to let the cat out of the bag on new products to create a pull strategy from their customers. The Drudge Report started this way until it broke the Clinton scandal and suddenly became mainstream.

3. Scarcity Items

Staples created an icon with the Easy Button. If they only offered them to a select level of client usage and simply included one free into a large order without mentioning it, buzz would go crazy. Now you can buy the Easy Buttons and they maintained the icon, but lost the buzz. Create a select number of a particular special item and only provide those to your best clients. Resist the temptation of mass marketing. A few years ago I had 1,000 Brain feeders made and we provide those only to our best customers and fans. Once they are gone, there will be no more -- ever.

4. Personalized Products

When your sales team makes a pitch to a great prospect, what personalized items are you delivering for those in attendance? Do your research. I was calling on a multi-billion dollar prospect CEO and learned he was a John Wayne fan and a Trekkie. Most everyone hopped on the John Wayne theme and his office wa

evel of client usage and simply included one free into a large order without mentioning it, buzz would go crazy. Now you can buy the Easy Buttons and they maintained the icon, but lost the buzz. Create a select number of a particular special item and only provide those to your best clients. Resist the temptation of mass marketing. A few years ago I had 1,000 Brain feeders made and we provide those only to our best customers and fans. Once they are gone, there will be no more -- ever.

4. Personalized Products

When your sales team makes a pitch to a great prospect, what personalized items are you delivering for those in attendance? Do your research. I was calling on a multi-billion dollar prospect CEO and learned he was a John Wayne fan and a Trekkie. Most everyone hopped on the John Wayne theme and his office wa

customers and fans. Once they are gone, there will be no more -- ever.

4. Personalized Products

When your sales team makes a pitch to a great prospect, what personalized items are you delivering for those in attendance? Do your research. I was calling on a multi-billion dollar prospect CEO and learned he was a John Wayne fan and a Trekkie. Most everyone hopped on the John Wayne theme and his office was covered up in that memorabilia. I found an original Star Trek "communicator" badge and a Klingon battle pin. He was gleefully shocked at the gift and marveled at my research, and yes, he became a client.

5. Personal Awards

Recognize a vendor or client loudly with style. In 2005 when I received my speaker award as a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP), my office staff and the first client I was going to speak in front of following the award notification pulled a fast one on me. They played a videotape introducing me for the first time as a CSP. I was told it was an HR video they wanted to view prior to my session. The client’s staff then jumped to their feet for a standing ovation. The client loved it, my staff was having a blast, and I was floored by the effort that was put into that.

A speaker colleague was inducted into the National Speakers Association Hall of Fame several years ago, and the morning following the banquet one of his clients ran a quarter-page ad in USA Today recognizing him for his accomplishment. The speakers convention was abuzz with talk about the $50,000 ad. Not only did we respect that speaker even more -- we all wanted to know more about the company who did this for him!

6. A Trip

I'm not talking boondoggle to liquor up a client; I'm talking something product related and fun. A friend works with a tire manufacturer. He occasionally takes his best clients to the test track in Texas to let them have some fun on the new tires they hopefully will be ordering in the near future. It's a trip to a research facility so it is product-related, it’s a fun trip because it's a test track, and ther