“It’s not what you say, but how you say it” – a message I’ve addressed several times in the past in a handful of different ways. The way that a message is communicated, the very method of delivery itself, carries equal (oftentimes even greater) value than the words themselves. And, let’s be honest: while the… Read More
Tag: Relationships
In my last blog article, I recalled a story from the early days of Proforma, and how a client’s request for 12 spiral rings led to earning a million-dollar customer with 50 percent gross profit. Here’s a story of another million dollar win. Back in those early years building Proforma, my practice was to get up… Read More
A Partnership Approach with Suppliers Will Benefit Your Business
At Proforma, we’re proud to serve as strategic partners to our clients, rather than simply product vendors. Because it’s never really about products anyway. It’s about targeting promotions to drive revenue, simplifying buying processes and technology to streamline workflows, and – quite simply – freeing your time to focus on activities that directly impact your… Read More
Build Great Relationships at Work in 2015
Building a healthy relationship with your coworkers can play a huge role in having a successful career and also great business practice. In some cases, you see your coworkers more than you see your family. Why wouldn’t you want to have a good relationship with them? Here are a few things that will help you… Read More
Building Rapport: 7 Steps to Starting a Great Relationship
Building rapport is about making a two-way connection between people. Essentially, it is the foundation for any relationship. Always keep in mind that rapport-building is never about you, it’s always about them. Here are 7 easy steps to start building rapport with a new client. 1. Remember people’s names: “Remember that a man’s name is… Read More
Can a Boss and an Employee be Friends?
Have you ever hired an employee and thought, “This is a really cool person, we could be friends outside of work!”? Before you start planning happy hour or want to introduce him or her to your significant other, there are a few key things to consider. Can you truly be a boss? – A boss… Read More
Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda
Interested in gauging the perspective of your team in easy and effective means? Try a Start-Stop-Continue exercise. This exercise is efficient and can be used by anyone, even if you are not familiar with facilitating groups. With this one short exercise you can walk away with a better understanding of what you Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda… Read More
Are you spinning your wheels?
Picture this. A $1,000,000 Request for Proposal (RFP) lands on your desk from a company you’ve never worked with and a contact you don’t know from Adam. You flip through the pages and it isn’t long before the excitement of holding a stack of paper potentially worth seven-figures gets to be too much. You decide… Read More
Time for a Tune Up!
Take a second to think about all the things you do to keep different areas of your life running right. You visit the doctor, dentist, get oil changes, attend performance reviews at work. And you do these things, for the most part, not because something is wrong, but to prevent anything from going wrong. They… Read More
The Student Becomes the Teacher
While I was doing some spring cleaning this year, I came across an old notebook from one of my Communication courses. I saw on one of the pages I had scribbled down the 4 ‘R’s’ of Public Relations (according to my professor, Dr. Hendrickson) – Research, Writing, Relationships and Responsibilities. My first thoughts drifted me… Read More