Recent Articles from Steve Sorensen
Take this test to see where you are in the race to revenue
Does your organization specifically brand itself through its customer acquisition/customer retention strategy, do you have the tools, people and processes in place to deliver on your customer promise every time, everyday?
What kind of experiences are your customers having?
I was working with a San Francisco Bay Area transportation company. The story begins when I entered their lobby for our first meeting. Behind the receptionist desk were these three-foot-tall letters, proudly displayed, impossible to miss: ETDBW.
Thirteen resolutions for prosperity in 2013
Evaluate. An organization begins to decay the moment it ceases self evaluation. I wish I had a dollar for every executive that told me they “want to take their company to the next level.” Unfortunately, many executives want to ratchet up performance without knowing where they stand currently. To consistently be a high performance company, […]
Seven great ways to improve your bottom line
A recent IBM study surveyed 1,800 CEOs worldwide and found that 80 percent said “getting closer to the customer” is their top priority. The survey is an overview of what we think is painfully obvious. Nonetheless, I am often dismayed to find organizations still “selling to” as opposed to “getting closer to their customers.” The […]
Five steps to achieve radical success
Picture this: You’ve just arrived in a large city and it’s your first time there. You’ve popped out of the airport, tube, train station, subway, then if you’re like me, the first thing you do is look for the map of the city or area. On that map is the wonderful big red dot, the […]
The high cost of maintaining the status quo
We public speakers fall in love with our quotes for a variety of reason. As Peter Drucker said, “The best way to predict the future is to create it.” This is a powerful statement from a guy who virtually invented modern management. The reality of this quote becomes more profound when we stop our speaking or […]
Six ways to get closer to customers
A recent report from IBM surveyed CEOs around the world, representing 1,800 companies. IBM identified three areas these CEOs deemed mission critical: Embody creative leadership, build operating dexterity and getting closer to their customers. Of those 1,800 CEO’s, 88 percent said that getting closer to their customer was their most important strategy, and the one […]
Three keys to doing more with less
Have these thoughts ever run through your mind? 1. Our people are tired and beat up, how can we expect them to do more?2. Our budget seems to evaporate before our eyes. How can reenergize our workforce without spending more money?3. Things are a blur around here, how can we stabilize and move forward as […]
When icons go to heaven
Steve Jobs was one man who made a difference and left the world better than he found it. Now’s a great time to ask the question – am I making a difference within my own life right now? If not now, when? He lived his life, his way and created a better world from his […]
The gifts of a great organizational culture
One of the most requested talks I give is “Connecting the Dots to Create a High Performance, High Profit Business.” The talk ranges from the role of social media, the future of hiring, trends in leadership etc. However, the most important (or enlightening) point that I go out of my way to underscore is the […]
When customers become partners: A case study
A profound rumbling of discontent came from one of our newly acquired and prestigious Fortune 500 customers. This customer happened to be a very, very large memory storage company that would ultimately represent a great deal of revenue to our organization. The salesperson “sold” this customer on our product with claims of leaping tall buildings […]
Two great strategies that build profit machines
“The best way to predict the future is to create it.” Peter Drucker High performing leadership and organizations such as Apple, Google, Zappos and Nordstroms have built their strategies (their futures) around customer cultures and proactively hearing the voice of their customers. Having spent 30+ years in the Fortune 500 world, I have seen firsthand […]