In this brief sample video I lay out the five reasons customers are really the boss, and give you some ideas you can use to become more customer savvy.

Action Steps:

1. Watch this video and ask yourself: “On a scale of 0-10, how well do I understand our customers?”
2. The next time you hear a customer complain, see it as opportunity for you to learn how you can serve them better.
3. The next time a customer asks for help, see it as an opportunity for you to get more on the job training.
4. Enroll in the free 7-Day trial of lynda.com at http://davecrenshaw.com/free
5. Share your perspective or ask questions on this page.

Principles to Learn:

1. Understanding your customers is perhaps the most important aspect of developing business savvy.
2. The customer ultimately determines whether or not you have a job.
3. There are five reasons why customers are so critical to your career and why you want to take time to understand them:
• Customers equal employment
• Customers equal a paycheck
• Customers equal advancement
• Customers equal education
• Customers equal opportunities to serve
4. Many people see the company as the source of their job security when in fact it’s really whether or not the customers keep coming back that creates that security.
5. Customers help furnish the money that you receive on a regular basis.
6. Building strong relationships with customers is the fastest path for career advancement.
7. Customers provide an opportunity for you to grow every time you interact.

This post was sponsored by Dave Crenshaw’s Time Management Fundamentals on lynda.com. Forget resolutions. Get results! Visit http://davecrenshaw.com/free/

Well, this mystery business owner flat out rejected not only Martha Stewart, but many other offers for free publicity—including my own!

In this brief video I’ll explain why this successful entrepreneur turns down publicity. I’ll also share a few insights he has to teach business owners everywhere.

Action Steps:

1. Watch this video and ask yourself: Does my business provide an interesting experience for customers so they end up promoting it to others? If not, follow these tips to help you successfully build your business:
• Create simple systems
• Build loyalty in every single customer
• Make the business focus about the customer
• Be at peace with your business
2. Share your perspective or ask questions on this page.

Principles:

1. Having simple systems allows you the freedom to have everything in your business run consistently.
2. Building systems that do small, nice things builds customer loyalty.
3. Customers value their experience with your business over the actual product or service you provide.
4. You don’t need to build a multimillion dollar empire to be a successful business owner.

This post was sponsored by the Dave Crenshaw’s  Coaching program. Would you like to make more money, make a difference, and still have a life? Click here to learn how about the coaching packages available: http://DaveCrenshaw.com/coach

1. Watch this video and ask yourself: Do I maintain my cool when facing the ups and downs of running a business, or do I let myself get carried away with emotion?                    …
2. The next time you experience business stress, read this quote:

The truth is:
Things are not as good as I think they are.
Things are not as bad as I think they are.
I am not as good as I think I am.
I am not as bad as I think I am.
Truth is.

1. Click HERE to download the quote. Print it and hang it up in a prominent place where you can easily see it.                                                                                                                   …
2. Share your perspective or ask questions on this page.

Principles:

1. Your success as a business owner and entrepreneur is greatly affected by your ability to maintain your cool under the inevitable highs and lows of entrepreneurship.                                                                                                                          .
2. Truth exists independent of your perception of it. Understanding this will assist you in maintaining emotional steadiness.

This post was sponsored by the Dave Crenshaw’s  Coaching program. Would you like to make more money, make a difference, and still have a life? Click here to learn how about the coaching packages available: http://DaveCrenshaw.com/coach

In this brief video, you’ll learn the four simple steps you can take to actually get value from your note taking and, more importantly, get lasting results that benefit your life and your career.

Action Steps:

1. Watch this video and ask yourself: When I attend conferences or seminars, do I take action on the things I’ve learned, or do I just take notes?
2. In the next seminar, conference or company meeting you attend, follow this simple four-step system to help you successfully take action, not notes:
• Listen for Actions: Ask “How can I do something about this?”
• Highlight Actions: Call attention to actions with an open box or other method.
• Process Actions: Review your actions and decide What, When and Where for each item.
• Take Action: When the time comes, do it!
3. Share your perspective or ask questions on this page.

Principles to Learn:

1. The shorter the distance between you learning something new and you taking action on it, the more successful you’ll become.
2. By putting an open box next to that action or anything that calls attention to the action, you make it easier for the next step, which is processing actions.
3. When you do something about what you’ve learned, you’ll internalize it much faster than reviewing or memorizing it.

This post was sponsored by Dave Crenshaw’s Coaching Programs. Forget resolutions. Get results! Choose from three coaching packages custom-fit to your needs. Visit http://www.DaveCrenshaw.com/coach

Watch this brief video to learn the four steps you can take to determine whether or not you need an assistant, and how to set that person up to succeed through the assistant job description. 

Action Steps:

1. Watch this video and ask yourself: “Do I have my own Alfred?” If not, follow these tips to help you successfully set up your “Alfred”:
• Decide if you really need a personal assistant vs. an employee
• Follow the order of offloading
• Document the position
• Follow the 75% rule
2. Click here to learn more about Dave Crenshaw’s order of offloading.
3. Share your perspective or ask questions on this page.

Principles:

1. Personal Assistants are dedicated to you 100%. Their job is to help you and no one else. If you need someone to focus on a specific part of your business then what you really need is an employee or perhaps a contractor.
2. If you don’t follow the order of offloading, you may hire an assistant prematurely.
3. A Position Agreement is a documented system that describes in detail what a personal assistant does.
4. The 75% rule states that your personal assistant should have tasks that do not require your constant attention for at least three quarters of their work hours.

This post was sponsored by the Dave Crenshaw’s Invaluable CEO Coaching program. Would you like to work one-on-one with Dave to develop a strategy for your business? Click here to learn how to apply: http://DaveCrenshaw.com/coach (For business owners and CEOs only)