Think about how you choose to make your purchase. There’s research you do online, or perhaps you’ve bought a product or service from a particular company before, and you’re comfortable doing so again. But if you wish to buy something or get a service from a business...

Crafting a customer survey that gauges satisfaction with your business isn’t as easy as it looks. If the survey is comprised of misleading questions, or comes burdened with too many instructions, chances are potential respondents will ignore it entirely. At the other...

Article written by Phil Spensieri, TAB York Region I’m surprised by how many times a business owner can’t name their competitors. Why is this the case? Aside from when businesses bid for the same opportunity, there really isn’t a situation when owners come across...

Gaining loyal customers is just the first step in an effective growth strategy. For many companies, the hunt is on for individuals who are so taken by their products or services that they are willing to serve as brand ambassadors for that business. Such individuals...

Article by Phil Spensieri, TAB York Region Over the years, I’ve coached many business owners as they’ve worked to expand their business. Whether it’s the physical expansion of your office space, expanding your workforce, or investing in new equipment or technology,...

Article written by Ryan McCready Visuals can help even the most confused customer figure your product out and they can explain a complex process in a very consumable way. I mean, think about how many images an IKEA instruction manual uses! However, many support teams...

In your company, how much thought is given to the quality of interactions between your customers and your business? The experience your customers have when interacting with your brand can make all the difference between a one-time, non-repeat customer and one who...

These days, it’s virtually impossible to lump all customers together and try to market to them the same way. Thanks to e-commerce and other consumer-empowering changes in the marketplace, the audiences you aim to serve have moved from one large, undifferentiated mass...

Article by Chuck, The Alternative Board Worldwide I remember when I joined my TAB board in 2003, one big question I had concerned how business owners from unrelated companies could be helpful to me in my business. I quickly learned that insights from outside my...

As CEO and/or business owner, you’re technically “Boss-in-Chief” for your organisation. Of course, you can’t supervise everyone in the business - that’s why you have managers in critically important positions - but where you do have hands-on “boss responsibilities,”...

Is “quality customer service” part of your brand promise? If so, you’ve made a commitment to deliver an outstanding buying experience each and every time a customer (or would-be customer) interacts with your business. It’s a commendable goal, but not one easily...

A sizeable portion of business operations involves tasks that are repetitive, annoying to those charged with handling them, and fairly easy to automate. In case you’re wondering which tasks fall into this category, here’s a (by no means comprehensive) list: Invoices,...

Article by Phil Spensieri, The Alternative Board York Region It’s helpful for any business owner to have someone they can turn to for business advice. In my experience, I’ve found that discussing your business issues with a person, or in a group of like-minded...

There are two fundamental truths about information and human nature that CEO's and business owners should probably come to grips with: We are drowning in data. Humans process information through images more effectively than through words alone. Recognising these...

Business owners and CEOs should never forget that their employees are a key constituency in the organisation. Just as forthright, transparent communication with customers is of paramount importance, so, too, is the need to share information as much as is judiciously...

As you probably already know from experiences managing and being managed by others, there are a lot of different leadership styles — and not every style works with every employee (or every boss). There are different ways to motivate people: Sometimes, all you have to...

As the CEO or business owner, your job is crucial in setting the tone for your company culture. These five pitfalls can lead to discontent, high employee turnover and a negative culture. Your role as CEO or business owner goes beyond planning for the future and...

Article by Phil Spensieri, The Alternative Board York Region With many business owners experiencing challenges in locating skilled labourers, the number of possible job candidates seems to be decreasing. For small business owners looking for that “perfect” employee,...

Article by Joe Zente, The Alternative Board Austin Whenever a sales rep isn’t performing, it is time for swift and decisive action. Let’s say our rep (we’ll call him John) is falling short of his goals. Depending upon the extent to which John’s performance is lacking,...

Article by Max Woolf As a manager, you have a lot of plates to spin and many hats to wear. With all of the work adding more meetings might be the last on your list. But, if you don’t run 1 on 1's with employees, you’re walking straight past the opportunity to create...

What does company culture mean? Every organisation comes with a unique culture, a set of agreed-upon values that govern the way the company does business. Some cultures grow with the company and others are laid out in the first draft of the business plan. Either way,...

Article by Phil Spensieri Human Resources (HR) is an area that seems to cause most business owners the highest amount of stress. Unfortunately, without an HR Department, HR issues become the responsibility of you, the business owner.  If you’re like most of the owners...

Article by Garry Hoffman Virtual Office Space Dos and Don'ts You’re ready to give your business an impressive corporate presence, but you’re not willing to plunk down millions of dollars for the office space, the permanent staff, and the infrastructure. A virtual...

Any business that doesn’t place a high priority on employee appreciation is likely one that sees a fair degree of employee turnover. Back in the day, simply paying a worker on time—and perhaps presenting them with a cake on their five-year anniversary—was enough. But...

Somewhere along the line, the idea of a serious, no-fun-zone workplace became institutionalised among American businesses. For a long time, that meant no intersection between “work” and “fun.” Employees were obliged to spend a considerable portion of their lives in an...

Article by Phil Spensieri, TAB York Region In the past 30 plus years I’ve spoken to many business owners who have encountered cash flow issues over the course of running their businesses. The proper management of your cash flow can help you prepare for seasonal...

It takes a lot of smarts, experience, vision, intuition and skill to be an effective CEO or business owner. But all leaders must be mindful that their ability to make mistakes—just like everyone else—doesn’t magically disappear when they reach the C-suite. What’s also...