"You're crazy! Why would you schedule meetings that early in the morning?" Ted asked. "You're the president of the company... Why don't you make it easy on yourself?" Ted's reaction was not unusual when I mentioned to colleagues that I had a standing phone meeting with my top copywriter/marketing strategist at 7:30 a.m. every day, Monday through Friday. The two of us had those conversations for about three years straight.
By Pete Savage | Tue, Mar 9, 2010
Asking a client for a referral is no big deal. Provided the timing is right, there’s no reason to worry that you’ll look pushy, presumptuous, or out of place. To boost your chances of success, however, it’s important to know just how to ask.
By Michael Masterson | Thu, Jan 7, 2010
If you’re in sales, your job requires you to be available to your customers all the time. So you can’t follow my advice to handle e-mail and return phone calls only once or twice a day. Here’s what I recommend you do: Take customer calls when they come in. But don’t interrupt a meeting [...]
By Michael Masterson | Tue, Jan 5, 2010
A former employee of mine once allowed a serious business problem to go unreported because he thought he could fix it himself. He couldn’t — and it cost the company $400,000.
By Michael Masterson | Tue, Jan 5, 2010
We are all held back by misperceptions. We have the wrong idea of what wealth is. We don’t understand our customers. We trust people we shouldn’t.
By Michael Masterson | Mon, Jan 4, 2010
Today, I explain why an eye patch was the key to one of the most successful ad campaigns in history. I talk about why you should always look on the bright side when you’re sick, and I share one of my favorite JFK stories. Plus, Paul Lawrence, a start-up specialist, has a strategy you can [...]
By Michael Masterson | Tue, Dec 29, 2009
I used to make this mistake all the time — copy a “sensitive” e-mail to the wrong person. And then try to explain that I didn’t really mean what I had said in black and white. It’s so embarrassing! And so unnecessary.
By Michael Masterson | Mon, Dec 21, 2009
In your eagerness to get more customers, you may one day be tempted to make promises and claims that are deceptive or misleading. Resist the temptation.
By Michael Masterson | Thu, Dec 17, 2009
Let’s begin with an axiom: Business growth depends on new ideas that are well executed. If you are running (or involved in) what I call a Stage Two business (with more than $1 million in revenues and 40 employees), you deal with new ideas almost every day. In fact, assuming you’ve staffed [...]
By Michael Masterson | Wed, Dec 16, 2009
Back in the day when I was just starting to work my way up the business ladder, it was my policy to give my boss more than he had a right to expect. Maybe more important, I made it a point to let him know whenever I did something good. If you aren’t [...]
By MaryEllen Tribby | Wed, Apr 28, 2010
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