Years ago, a business friend of my father asked me to conference call with him and another gentleman. They were developing a new service to better sell cars online. They needed someone to start selling it to dealerships. I had relationships with many dealers in many states. They thought that, since I could open those doors, I would be a …
Paying attention to “what it looks like” to your customers
So some deans at Vanderbilt got in trouble for publishing a response to a recent campus shooting. It seemed to hit all the notes you’d expect from a college diversity office … but at the bottom, there was this sentence: (Paraphrase from OpenAI’s ChatGPT AI language model, personal communication, February 15, 2023). Students were in an uproar, and the deans have temporarily …
Teens aren’t buying cars: the case for CX
So it turns out Gen Z is less interested in driving and car ownership than any generation that came before it. They are getting their driver’s licenses later and driving less miles. Read the comments of The Washington Post article to get a sense of the change happening in culture. My generation, plus those of my parents and grandparents, view …
Mike learns about Dude Perfect: What’s the appeal?
If you have kids, you might have heard of the YouTubers Dude Perfect. The channel is geared toward a younger audience interested in trick shots and goofy contests, but even Mark’s wife cackles at their antics. What’s the appeal? Mike learns about the multimillion-dollar franchise and shares his observations. Next up: Mark’s family attending Dude Perfect’s summer tour. Stay tuned …
Influencers in your business
The sexy idol on a pole It was a small naked woman on a pole. She represented the power of the female … sex … abundance … wealth. … And her influence eventually caused the downfall of a nation. You probably didn’t come here for a Sunday school lesson, but here’s the short version: When God gave the Israelites the …
Using DISC with customers
Selling to stars I recently learned that a client of mine sold a car to an absolute icon of alternative music. My lips, of course, are sealed on who that is. But I can tell you this: That individual may have participated in a lot of recreational chemicals over the years. And the sober-but-energetic sales consultant who “upped” the star? …
If artificial intelligence doesn’t care, does it matter?
Where is the line between AIs filling needed voids and AIs replacing humans who make connections with others? We already have computers with warm, empathetic voices. Does it matter that the machine doesn’t care, just its designers do? Could a machine be a pet? A librarian? An engineer? A coach? A manager? A spouse? Big-box checkout lines, Barry Manilow, …
How is working with you better than working with AI?
We used to ask customer-facing team members, “How is working with you better than going online?” Now the question for everyone is, “How is working with you better than working with AI?” Mark taunts our future AI overlords. Mike has further treasures to reveal from his experiments with AI. It’s impressive–and scary. Are all of our jobs in danger? In …
Discretionary effort: The secret to business success
Have you ever received a gift–say, baked goods, or a small gift–from a customer? News flash for all readers outside of China, North Korea, Cuba, Vietnam and Laos: You don’t live in a Communist country. That means that any gift you received ain’t a bribe: It’s an actual gift. You provide a product or service, they provide payment. That’s the …
Did technology end Pizza Hut’s reign?
This is the closest I will ever come to a rant. Pizza Hut has allowed technology to destroy my most beloved childhood restaurant chain. OK, that’s overblown, I know. But hear me out. If you follow to the end of this article, you will see how websites, call centers and a dialed-in process have knocked America’s pizza king off its …