Do Business Well

Christmas is the pinnacle of all holiday decorating, but thanks to Martha Stewart and other home-decorating mavens’ tutoring, Americans have expanded the number of holidays for which they go “all out” and decorate their homes. Over 60 percent of American households (61 percent) purchased Christmas decorations or other seasonal decorations in 2003, up from 55 percent purchase incidence in 2001. While no statistics are available about the exact number of homes that decorate for each major holiday, the holidays that are key for home decorating are Valentine’s Day, Easter, Fourth of July, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and, of course, Christmas. This is the third most widely purchased home product category. Continue Reading »

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2. Paper catalogs face an uncertain future.

Mailboxes across the county are stuffed with countless catalogs every day. According to one estimate, 17.6 billion catalogs were mailed in the U.S. last year. That’s sixty-four catalogs for every man, woman, and child.

That may change. Catalogs of all types will find themselves under severe electronic competition. There are a number of reasons why a Web catalog is superior to a paper one. Continue Reading »

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Forty-one percent of households purchased florals and plants for indoor use during 2003, down slightly from 44 percent in 2001. Cut flowers are a popular gift item, especially for Valentine’s Day.

Floral and Greenery Industry Snapshot

The retail market for cut flowers and florist items is said to be $15 billion by Chain Store Age magazine.

In total, sales of flowers, seeds, and potted plants (including both indoor and outdoor plants) was $18.2 billion in 2002, according to personal consumption data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. This represents a 1.4 percent increase over sales of $17.9 billion in 2000. Continue Reading »

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More than half of American households (56 percent) bought flowers, seeds, shrubs, and trees for outdoor landscaping in 2003, down just slightly from 59 percent in 2002. Outdoor gardening is a passion for many, and a necessity for others. The American Gardening Association reports that 80 percent of U.S. households participate in some garden- related activity that usually results in the expenditure of money for tools, equipment, greenery, and supplies. Continue Reading »

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Each manager’s routine was different, reflecting his or her unique style. Nonetheless, hidden within this diversity we found four characteristics common to the “performance management” routines of great managers.

First, the routine is simple. Great managers dislike the complexity of most company-sponsored performance appraisal schemes. They don’t want to waste their time trying to decipher the alien terms and to fill out bureaucratic forms. Instead they prefer a simple format that allows them to concentrate on the truly difficult work: what to say to each employee and how to say it. Continue Reading »

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B. If your manager forces you to do things her way . . . she is probably focusing on process too much. Pick your moment, perhaps during your performance planning meeting, and tell her that you want to define your role more by its outcomes than by its steps. Ask her which outcomes she would use to measure your success. As you discuss this, describe for her how your style, although different from hers, will still enable you to achieve the outcomes expected of you. Continue Reading »

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No manager can make an employee productive. Managers are catalysts. They can speed up the reaction between the talent of the employee and the needs of the customer/company. They can help the employee find his path of least resistance toward his goals. They can help the employee plan his career. But they cannot do any of these without a major effort from the employee. In the world according to great managers, the employee is the star. The manager is the agent. And, as in the world of performing arts, the agent expects a great deal from his stars. Continue Reading »

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B.Value world-class performance in every role: At strong companies every role, performed at excellence, is respected. If you want to understand the culture of a company, look first to its heroes.

• Within as many roles as possible, set up different levels of achievement. Identify specific criteria for moving up from one level to the next. Reward progress with plaques, certificates, and diplomas. Take every level seriously.

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The Road Ahead Is Curvy and Treacherous, and Good Road Maps Are in Short Supply

Advertising Agencies

Because of the extensive consolidation that has taken place in the last decade, further consolidation will take place at a slower rate in the immediate future. Part of this is a reaction to the government’s closer scrutiny of the mergers because of the Enron debacle. A pause in consolidation at this point is also good because it will give the acquirers an opportunity to digest the new properties and position them efficiently within the corporate umbrella. Continue Reading »

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Demand high standards from your service representatives

Make people smarter! The abilities of real people delivering service to the e-customer services person will need to increase so they can add value to what the system already provides. If service representatives are left innumerate and illiterate, unable to organize, disaffected and reluctant, they will probably not add anything positive to the service experience. The bar is raised for those able to justify their involvement in the process. It has already started to happen.

Is there a future where we will go to one man to buy everything? A man who is wired into the complete network and is fantastically adept at manipulating the available tools to get us what we need. He may be able to serve and support thousands of e-customers because each needs personal involvement so seldom. Continue Reading »

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