Frank Sonnenberg, Author at Frank Sonnenberg Online

Nonsensical no-bids. Some organizations offer sole-source contracts to a company rather than requiring a fair and competitive bidding process. This makes the supplier complacent and dependent, over time, never having had to win the business. Guaranteed gratuities. Restaurant servers receive a 10% – 20% tip, regardless of the service they provide. This teaches servers that… [Read More]

17 Action Steps to Take During Hard Times

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45 Surefire Ways to Torpedo a Customer Relationship

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You work hard to attract new customers. Why not invest the same effort in retaining them? Here are 45 surefire ways to torpedo a customer relationship: Employees treat customers as an inconvenience. Internal meetings detract from customer face time. Customers are nickeled-and-dimed to death. CYA is more prevalent than problem solving. Communication is nonexistent. Everything… [Read More]

Now or Never

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For some folks, living in the “here and now” means seeking instant gratification. So they buy pills to lose weight, go under the knife to look young, and purchase lottery tickets in hopes of striking it rich. In business, they request favors five minutes into a new relationship, hold “fire sales” rather than building customer… [Read More]

28 Common Decision-Making Mistakes to Avoid

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5 Qualities of Great Leaders

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The world is changing at a blistering pace. In years past, the health of a company was measured by the size of its balance sheet. While that still may be true today, great leaders know that an organization’s competitiveness is clearly determined by its ability to harness the power of intangibles –– often referred to… [Read More]