The ROI of Employees

roi of employees

Over at his blog yesterday, Chris Brogan wrote about his admiration for Gary Vaynerchuk. The post sparked quite the discussion in the comments, a lot of it about ROI (return on investment). This stemmed from a quip Gary had made to an event attendee who was asking a few times about the ROI of social… [Continue Reading]

How Many Relationships Are You Building?

relationship to the sale

“When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but creatures of emotion.” – Dale Carnegie. When you close a deal, what’s your next step? When you sign the contract, shake the hand and file the paperwork – what comes next? Is there a next? Or simply a next customer? Businesses… [Continue Reading]

The Bottom Line

numbers

Numbers are important, because they give us an idea of how successful something is. Even small numbers can mean a big success. While two might seem a relatively little number in the grand scheme of things, you probably won’t complain too much if your sales team doubles your profits for you. Big numbers are easier.… [Continue Reading]

Making a LIST For Your Customers

Make customer lists

When we’re working with new clients at Bonsai, one of the first things we ask is how their customer service stands up. It’s crucial to know of any pluses and/or minuses before starting a new campaign. For instance, if a company’s customer service is poor, there could be a very big uphill struggle ahead in… [Continue Reading]

The Butterfly Effect of Entrepreneurship

Butterfly effect

Breaking out on your own is hard. Just ask anyone that runs their own business, and you can pretty much guarantee that the one answer that will be consistent across the board is that it’s hard to be your own boss. No guaranteed pay-check; no water-cooler conversations to split the day up; no big corporate… [Continue Reading]

The Great Friends and Relationships Myth

Friends in business

There’s a lot of talk about relationships in business, and how to make business more human. There’s also a lot of talk about how businesses need to be more like friends, and treat people the way you would your friends if you want to succeed. Add in the view that businesses and their clients should… [Continue Reading]

Stop Playing the Sympathy Card

Boo hoo life sucks

Being in business for yourself is difficult. Sure, you don’t have to answer to a domineering boss. Nor do you have to venture to a drab office on a biting cold day to be bitch-slapped by that same domineering boss. You’re also in the fortunate position of choosing the people you work with, as opposed… [Continue Reading]

Calls and Actions

Communities and opportunities

We all know things are tough at the minute. Businesses are laying staff off or closing down altogether, contractors are finding less clients and people are finding it hard to make ends meet. And it’s probably going to get worse before it gets better. So here’s an idea. A call to action, if you like.… [Continue Reading]

Mixing It Up

Help others get ahead

When you have a great meal, do you tell your friends about it? When you see a great movie, or hear a great CD, are you someone who recommends it to others? Word of mouth is the most trusted recommendation factor around. We trust our friends, our families, our connections. We’d rather go with their… [Continue Reading]

This Isn’t Rocket Science

Make it easy

If I want pizza, I call up and order a pizza. If I want to book a flight, I go online and book my flight. If I want to watch a movie, I’ll download from Netflix and watch it. Easy, huh? So why is it so difficult to do the same when I have a problem… [Continue Reading]