“How productive are you?” it is a simple question right? It is a question that many managers struggle to answer despite the platitudes given in board rooms and staff meetings about efficiency and being productive.   Most economist will agree that productivity can be defined as the measurement of output per unit of input.   More simply stated productivity is output divided by input.  An organization can easily calculate this equation and easily to determine the level of productivity in the organization.  It is done in most organizations quite frequently and without the explicit statement of a...

There are companies that do “Get It” which is nice to say but the truth to such a statement always lies in the concrete evidence of naming them.  That is exactly what we are going to do; name them.  I am adding an honor roll for these companies that get live up to the four business rules of the baker – 1. Give them more than they expected, 2. Thank the customer, 3. Ask for another sale, 4. Ask for a referral.   This can be done in many ways but ultimately it is best done through the Service Profit Chain. As mere consumers we cannot see the internal workings of the companies we...

The baker counts aloud “Ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen is a dozen” and smiling hands the patron the bag of goodies and says “thank you, come again and please tell a friend.” Everything we need to know about customer service can be learned from this simple interaction between a customer and the local baker. The baker is building a stable base of loyal customers by repeating this action to every customer that walks into his store. The satisfied customer does not realize that the baker just did four very distinct things that contributed to their overall satisfaction. In businesses we may...

The phrase “The Last Mile” is used many places in business to describe the final step between a product or service offering and the consumer. Each sales channel will have its unique last mile and seeing it as a unique step or set of steps is important. Marketing organizations work very hard drive consumer demand to this final connection between their services and products in hopes of sales, yet ultimately some are lost and the sale is not realized. Understanding the last mile is vital to reaching your end consumer and managing the experience your buyer has in this final step will help improve...

Refinancing Buy retrovir Clomid Online Pharmacy No Prescription Needed Calculator A friend of mine is considering refinancing his mortgage to take advantage of lower interest rates.  He is thinking that he will only be in his house for another two to three years before he sells and wants to make sure it makes sense to refinance.  I built a calculator that allows the inputs to be entered and determines when he will breakeven, as well as how much he will save by refinancing.  I have included the excel calculator for the rest of you who might be considering the same dilemma.  Give it a shot and...