ARTICLES BY TAMMY AS KOHL

Many people are familiar with Yoda, a very wise Jedi Master from Star Wars, who was charged to train Luke Skywalker in how to use his “force” This quote is from the scene where Luke was trying to mentally, by using his ‘force,’ pull his plane from the muck of a swamp

"The only difference between a rut and a grave

“Let us suppose that we were asked for one all purpose bit of advice for management, one truth that we were able to distill from the excellent company’s research We might be tempted to reply, ‘Figure out your value system

Over the years, businesses have embraced the fact that defining and having a strategic plan is an important component to long-term success If you do not plan your direction, you cannot take control of your future

2011 is fast approaching and many sales organizations have already strategized their sales goals and objectives for the New Year Some organizations may be finalizing their 2011 projections as we speak

If you search Google for “why businesses fail” you will get about 69 million results

Customer loyalty is fast becoming a key strategic initiative for most businesses because loyal customers stay with your organization, and will continue to buy your products or services Revenue and profitability are important business indicators, but too often they reflect decisions an organization made yesterday; whereas growing a loyal customer base is a key predictor of future success

Unfortunately, many people go through life without ever identifying what they want, where they want to go, or who they want to become They wonder why they feel frustrated, never achieving anything significant

Your attitude concerning yourself and others are major factors in your success and your ability to lead They will either stimulate or stifle creativity, progress and the ability to relate to other people

Change in recent years has created far-reaching implications for anyone in the sales field Globalization, technology, universal access to information, and the recent economy have changed everything

According to Jeffrey Gitomer author of Customer Satisfaction is Worthless: Customer Loyalty is Priceless, the answer is very clear “Satisfaction is no longer an acceptable measurement of customer service success

Depending upon what research study you read, companies in the United States are spending upwards of 134 Billion dollars a year on employee training and development However, according to a study on retention in The Journal of Economic Education, the annual rate of retention loss for employee training and development averages between 13 to 23%

Often times when companies have to squeeze the financial belt, developing employees and creating future leaders gets pushed aside However building a sustainable company requires having a leadership growth and succession plan in place at all times

There continues to be a great deal of focus on organizational culture and environment Whether you are focusing on that issue for the first time or whether you are looking at changing or improving an existing culture, it may be wise to remember that, like the long journey which begins with one step, an organizational culture is the cumulative effect of individual attitudes, values, and standards

Emotions play an important role in everyday behavior There is no thought, behavior, idea, or attitude that does not have a related emotional counterpart

He went to war as a Captain and returned as a Private Afterward, he failed in business

If you Google the word entrepreneur, you will find a number of definitions which will include some version of the phrase “a person who organizes, operates, and assumes the risk for a business venture” Albeit this definition is tactically accurate, I believe the true essence of an entrepreneur is much more

No matter how well informed you may become, no matter how much knowledge you acquire in your field, it is important to remember that very few have ever accomplished more or gone far in any endeavor without the assistance and cooperation of many people Leadership, goal achievement, and effective communication are inseparable, and they are all inextricably tied to trust

Attitudes determine the way we treat people They affect the way we perceive change

In his book, The Ultimate Question, Fred Reichfield suggests a simple measurement to determine customer loyalty His contention is that you have three types or levels of customers resulting from their experience with your organization

Significant changes in customer retention rates have resulted in extraordinary improvements in profitability One survey found that a 5% increase in customer retention consistently resulted in a 25% to 100% increase in profits

“The very essence of leadership is that you have a vision You can’t blow an uncertain trumpet

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world Indeed it is the only thing that ever has

Sometimes people confuse coaches with traditional consultants Unconsciously, people ask coaches to give advice

After running several errands, my husband and I stopped at a local chain restaurant for dinner Monday evening We typically eat at the bar as there are several TVs lining the header of the bar, and its provides a great way to catch up on the day