The best information on this topic comes from a recent discussion at the npEnterprise Forum, the 7000-subscriber official listserv partner of the Social Enterprise Alliance. From Esther Kim: “Our basic rule of thumb is that: * it’s a social cost if it’s incurred to accomplish a social mission; * it’s a business cost if it’s …

How one smart business doubled sales through a comprehensive rebranding effort using social media consulting In this economy, business managers are finding that what worked before no longer works. Declining sales are often the first harsh blow that draws attention to a serious underlying a problem – one that they may not have even known …

In the fictitious dialogue in my previous post, Bob is the employee. According to Bob's manger, he is not performing to expectations. However, despite the fact that he feels like he has had multiple conversations with him, Bob most likely feels like is his doing a good job. His feeling is probably not the result of an oversized ego; but rather, it comes from a lack of consistent honest performance feedback.

For this blog, I’m simply going to quote from an excellent comment recently posted to my social enterprise blog Risky Business by Jeffrey Wallk: “Clear articulation of value. This is not the value proposition (here’s what we do / offer). This explains in very simple terms exactly how your product / service will help someone …

Acknowledgement is a coaching skill used to give recognition to the client. It points out the inner traits or characteristics that the client demonstrated in order to accomplish an action. Acknowledgement is important because it can articulate attributes of the client that they may not be aware of. When you acknowledge you empower the client. …

When evaluation occurs during training a few have the right idea but evaluation is such a critical area, we have to be sure what we are training is sinking in. When starting a training program make sure that there are plenty of pop quizzes to accompany the training program. These can be brief quizzes relevant …

Let’s be clear: if you’re not measuring any part of your service delivery, you are missing a huge opportunity to improve, grow or even save your business during these scrutinizing, tight economic times. The challenge with specifying key indicators is that not all businesses will use the top customer service metrics. For example, a retail …

Do companies care about the intent of one’s actions, or just the results? While we think that our intentions should matter, if an unethical action takes place, do we really care why? Let me know what you would do in the following dilemma: Alternative #1 – You are taking care of a chatty 3-year old. …

From Guest Writer, Simon Buehring of PRINCE2 Already 2010 is upon us, and project managers are facing the challenges of the new year. Obama, super-project-manager of the United States, has announced a new programme to overhaul airport security. The UK government has published controversial plans for a project to cut the budget deficit. And meanwhile, …

What can we learn from the announcement that Twitter will begin accepting advertising (besides the fact that this giant of social media finally thinks making money is a good idea)? We can surmise that Tweeting — or microblogging — is going to be around for a long time. However, the 144 characters that all Twitterers …