[what we first learned in the 80s is that…] Firms that earned superior levels of customer loyalty and retention also earned consistently higher profits–and they grew faster as well….[W]e learned that customer loyalty is inextricably linked to employee and investor loyalty and that major improvements in the one often require […]
Monthly Archives: November 2007
17 posts
A common piece advice in retail: “Differentiate yourself. Then let the market know how you’re different.” That’s good advice, but here’s more: It’s easy to be different. It’s much harder to be distinctive. “Distinctive” means you’re different in a way that gets positive attention. Remember: it’s useless for a retailer […]
On advice-giving: People don’t care what you know until they know that you care. — source unknown One of my favorite Far Side cartoons shows a man in his bedroom getting dressed for the day. A sign by his mirror reminds him, “First Pants, Then Shoes”. This cartoon and the […]
Back in March, my friend Barry Campbell and his wife started investing in their own White Trash and Minor Vices Portfolio. As Barry explained: Everyone says “invest in what you know.” I’m about to put my money where my big mouth is. Carrie and I invest, mostly in index funds […]
Early in my career, the management team of a large professional firm asked my opinion about how they were conducting their affairs. I responded with a very honest, direct and candid answer–”Here are the things you are messing up, and this is what you should have been doing!” To my […]
Chief executives at charitable hospitals in Massachusetts received substantial pay and benefit increases in fiscal year 2005, for the first time boosting their overall compensation to more than $1 million at most of the largest institutions. Also, the highest-paid hospital executive in the state, Partners HealthCare chief executive James J. […]
Old saying: When you owe the bank $10,000 and can’t pay up, you’re in trouble. When you owe the bank $10,000,000 and you can’t pay up, the bank is in trouble.