Archives for 2007

Have you been encouraged to buy recently?

Can a very good employee make you money and bring in repeat customers?

The answer should be obvious – yes they can – and they do! In my opinion the problem is not so much finding these “rainmaker employees.” Rather it is coaching them to “go the extra mile” and to develop their own personal style.

Last Friday evening, I found such an employee. No, actually he found me!

Here’s the scene: I was killing a few minutes while waiting for my connecting flight home. Dead time! I had just completed an intense two-day training session. I was wandering in the in Portland, OR terminal. Then the sign for “Powell’s Bookstore” caught my eye. Perhaps you have heard of Powell’s – the legendary “street block of books” in downtown Portland. It was refreshing to see them here in the terminal; I perked up and walked inside. Continue reading “Have you been encouraged to buy recently?” »

The Company Rocks Affiliates with SupportMusic.com Initiative To Keep Music in Schools

supportmusic.com banner

Los Angeles, CA, August 1, 2006 –– The Company Rocks, a consulting company founded by a 30-year veteran of the music products industry, Danny Rocks, has affiliated with SupportMusic.com, the Music Education Coalition’s initiative and the source of information for the largest online effort ever in support of music programs. This affiliation brings The Company Rocks into a valuable network that seeks to advance the coalition’s advocacy mission to keep music strong in schools across the country.

Continue reading “The Company Rocks Affiliates with SupportMusic.com Initiative To Keep Music in Schools” »

The Video Does Not Lie

“Auditioning in a Video Resume” – that is the title of the article in yesterday’s NY Times. (Click here for access to the complete article.) Your resume on a video? Say it isn’t so! Today, I noticed that it was the most emailed article on the Times’ website. So, obviously, this strikes a nerve – and possibly gives people an edge on their competition.

Continue reading “The Video Does Not Lie” »

Improve Your Presentations – Tell Stories

Most people hate the sound of their own voice. They put their hands over their ears whenever they hear a recording of their own voice.

This is one factor that contributes to their fear of public speaking. If the speaker hates the sound of his or her own voice, what will the audience think about their voice? Fearful speakers forget that they have something valuable to say. Something that the audience needs or wants to hear. Instead, they turn down speaking opportunities. They run and hide; they quake in fear of having to speak in public. And… they sabotage their career. They give up a valuable opportunity to demonstrate their mastery of a subject; their expertise.

Why? Continue reading “Improve Your Presentations – Tell Stories” »

Book Review: Marketing Your Retail Store – In the Internet Age

I love this book!

If you operate a retail business, regardless of size or industry, you need to buy this book – now! In my opinion, it is the most practical and tactical business book for retailers who want to learn how to attract and retain customers. For every concept covered, Bob & Susan Negen provide both “Low-Tech Tactics” and “High-Tech Tactics” for the retailer to implement. Continue reading “Book Review: Marketing Your Retail Store – In the Internet Age” »

If a Violinist Performs in a Metro Station and No One Hears …

“It is the recipient who communicates. The so-called communicator, the person who emits the communication, does not communicate. He utters. Unless there is someone who hears, there is no communication. There is only noise.”

– Peter Drucker

Ah, but what exquisite noise! Continue reading “If a Violinist Performs in a Metro Station and No One Hears …” »

"Short-Circuit" City Admits Defeat

Last week’s headline screamed, “Circuit City to Cut More Than 3,500 Store and IT Jobs, Cut Wages!” The opening paragraph of the AP Report says it all – “…implying that its wages are as subject to discounts as its flat-screen TVs.”

Except, that its (former) employees do not come with a “money-back” guarantee or any “extended warranties.”

Continue reading “"Short-Circuit" City Admits Defeat” »

Communications Boot Camp

“Performance feedback is not a synonym for criticism. It can be delivered without demoralizing the employee or breeding defensiveness.”

– DeAnne Rosenberg, Management Consultant

Last week, I had the opportunity to participate in a three-day workshop that helped me to assess and improve my communication skills. Prior to the workshop, I had a pretty high opinion of my presentation skills. Who was judging me? Certainly I was. And so was my audience. My evaluation sheets always showed very high marks. And yet, I felt that something was missing – that I could improve my delivery. But I couldn’t do it on my own. My ego wouldn’t allow it and I could not accurately critique myself. I needed a dispassionate observer – I needed a coach!

Continue reading “Communications Boot Camp” »

Lifetime Learning

“If skills could be acquired just by watching, every dog would be a butcher.”

– Turkish proverb

Here is another “take-away” from the professional association conference that I attended last week in Tucson, AZ. Several of the sessions were devoted to establishing and maintaining your “Corporate Culture.” In the world of music products retailing, no one does this better than George Hines, the President of George’s Music – an eleven-store chain with locations in both Pennsylvania and Florida. George presented a session titled, “Company Culture & Success in an Ever-Changing Industry.”

Continue reading “Lifetime Learning” »

An Engaged Workforce Delivers Extraordinary Results

“People today are saying, ‘teach me, grow me, and if you won’t teach me and grow me I’ll go someplace else.'”

– Sharon Jordan-Evans, Executive Coach

One of the themes at the conference I attended last week was “The Engaged Employee.” Jackie Freiberg, co-author of the business book best-seller “Guts!,” was the keynote speaker. She taught us how to “Blow the Doors Off Service-as-Usual.” The essence of the talk was that you will never be able to provide extraordinary service to your “external” customers (the ones whose business allows you to pay the bills) until you start to grow, teach and empower your “internal” customers (the ones who do the work.)

Employers who are unable or unwilling to “grow, teach and empower” their employees can not remain competitive in the marketplace. Both customers and your workforce demand that you do so. It is expected. They must be “engaged” with you and your business. Otherwise …, as the opening quote states, “(they) will go someplace else.”

Continue reading “An Engaged Workforce Delivers Extraordinary Results” »