Recently I was asked what it was I did for a living. I told the person that I could give them the long answer or the short one. He said he was serious and wanted the long version. So I started to tell him. As I proceeded I thought this would make a great blog entry and a resource for anyone interested in what it is I do.
I started by telling him that I am a business consultant; a rather general, all purpose title. But then I elaborated. I told him I specialize in the planning, implementation, and management of strategic initiatives pertaining to sales, marketing, and client relations.
What I prefer to do with a client is examine where they find themselves, where they want to be, and the assets they are working with. Corporate culture is something that must be recognized and either accepted for what it is or changed. Organizational management is the driving force behind the persona the company is trying to create and it manifests itself in the sales and marketing endeavors that it tries to implement.
To that end, with regards to marketing, I assist firms with their branding and imaging. This means everything from the way the employees look and dress to a unified Social Media presence. In most cases it is recommended that anyone in the firm associated with client interaction and communication should sign up for one of my 2 ½ day, 17 hour, 30 topic sessions on soft skills. The training helps merge the concept of taking ownership in a professional manner; essentially Entrepreneurship and Etiquette.
What I have found with most small businesses is that they have an idea, product, concept, service, etc., and have managed to carve out a nice little business for themselves without much planning or strategy. But now they have hit a wall. They don’t have the infrastructure in place to expand. They may have policies in place that work for a small shop and customer base, but nothing scalable.
What I am able to do is take my many years of experience, education, and professional resources, and make a firm, like the one mentioned above, polished, streamlined, and competitive.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Nothing Good Happens After 2:00am
Nothing good happens after 2:00am. Not the topic I was originally going to post, however as you will see it is appropriate.
The phrase, “nothing good happens after 2:00am”, was the plot of the sitcom How I Met Your Mother. I never thought it would actually apply to my life. That being said, last night was one of those nights that I just couldn’t get to sleep. We were bracing for a snow storm with accumulation projections varying from 4” to 12”. Schools had already been canceled and the snow was coming down at a steady rate; a good night to stay up if it were not possible to sleep.
With Facebook and Google it is rather easy and instantaneously gratifying to think of something and or someone and get the answers to your questions. For the past week a classmate of mine from college has been popping into my head. She was a year ahead of me and good friend throughout my freshmen and sophomore years. My junior year, her senior, due to our differing course schedules, we were not as close. After each of us graduated I guess I may have seen her a couple of times, however no communication in the past decade. We had simply lost touch.
Her name was a rather unique one so as I entered it into Facebook I felt certain she would be there. Having been on Facebook for over two years now and reconnected with others we had in common I found it odd that I had not seen her name in a posting stating that she and someone else were now “friends”. But her name was not to be found in the search field.
Last night, as I sat with my laptop I thought “perhaps a Google search would help”. Well, it did. But not in the way I thought it would. She apparently passed away last summer. The search revealed an obituary.
Now I know this blog is for customer service and this post will touch on that topic. As I clicked on the search entry it took me to a site that revealed a sentence or two of her obituary. Enough for me to know it was her, but hardly enough to show the full extent of the column. There was a link to see the full text so I clicked on it. There it presented me with a $3 fee to see the rest of the obituary and any notes left by friends and family. This I found very disturbing. More so because I know my local paper has a search of obituaries for free going back several years. But this paper only went back a matter of months and then archived everything earlier.
I have no problem with papers archiving. It is what they do. But to charge for an obituary. Regular stories perhaps can be justified to warrant a fee, but announcements such as an obituary seems wrong to me. A person suddenly finds out about the passing of a long lost friend and to read more has to pay for, what, the privilege? Part of good customer service is a sense of understanding: all of this in the context of generating revenue for the good of the business. But is this really a good business decision?
So I apologize for taking so long to get to the theme of this blog within this posting, but just remember…nothing good happens after 2:00am.
The phrase, “nothing good happens after 2:00am”, was the plot of the sitcom How I Met Your Mother. I never thought it would actually apply to my life. That being said, last night was one of those nights that I just couldn’t get to sleep. We were bracing for a snow storm with accumulation projections varying from 4” to 12”. Schools had already been canceled and the snow was coming down at a steady rate; a good night to stay up if it were not possible to sleep.
With Facebook and Google it is rather easy and instantaneously gratifying to think of something and or someone and get the answers to your questions. For the past week a classmate of mine from college has been popping into my head. She was a year ahead of me and good friend throughout my freshmen and sophomore years. My junior year, her senior, due to our differing course schedules, we were not as close. After each of us graduated I guess I may have seen her a couple of times, however no communication in the past decade. We had simply lost touch.
Her name was a rather unique one so as I entered it into Facebook I felt certain she would be there. Having been on Facebook for over two years now and reconnected with others we had in common I found it odd that I had not seen her name in a posting stating that she and someone else were now “friends”. But her name was not to be found in the search field.
Last night, as I sat with my laptop I thought “perhaps a Google search would help”. Well, it did. But not in the way I thought it would. She apparently passed away last summer. The search revealed an obituary.
Now I know this blog is for customer service and this post will touch on that topic. As I clicked on the search entry it took me to a site that revealed a sentence or two of her obituary. Enough for me to know it was her, but hardly enough to show the full extent of the column. There was a link to see the full text so I clicked on it. There it presented me with a $3 fee to see the rest of the obituary and any notes left by friends and family. This I found very disturbing. More so because I know my local paper has a search of obituaries for free going back several years. But this paper only went back a matter of months and then archived everything earlier.
I have no problem with papers archiving. It is what they do. But to charge for an obituary. Regular stories perhaps can be justified to warrant a fee, but announcements such as an obituary seems wrong to me. A person suddenly finds out about the passing of a long lost friend and to read more has to pay for, what, the privilege? Part of good customer service is a sense of understanding: all of this in the context of generating revenue for the good of the business. But is this really a good business decision?
So I apologize for taking so long to get to the theme of this blog within this posting, but just remember…nothing good happens after 2:00am.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
2011 is here and DWS can help with your marketing and development endeavors. From Branding and Imaging to Sales Training and Management, DWS works with you to enhance your Client Relations and bring you on board with Social Media and Content Management solutions.
Welcome to the DWS family of Social Media venues. DWS can be found on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn as well as various blogs. Below please find links and descriptions.
Professional Profile:
www.linkedin.com/in/drewstraub
Facebook Presence:
www.facebook.com/dwsgroup
Twitter:
www.twitter.com/ucdws
DWS oversees various discussions in the form of blog postings. Depending on your need or interest, each site can offer just the insight you are seeking: everything from an academic perspective to everyday examples of professional development and client relations management.
The Enlightened Consultant:
www.enlightenedconsultant.blogspot.com
This blog is for those that are in sales or sales management, follow a consultative sales approach, or provide consulting services. The purpose of this blog is to foster a sense of shared learning; hearing about what works, what doesn't work, and how events or activities in your daily life are integrated into your profession.
This blog is more academic in nature and will often mention books or generate a series of discussions based on a book or collection of works.
The Duck Pond Wall:
www.duck-pond-wall.blogspot.com
While on campus during my college years there was a duck pond. It intersected the dorms to the lecture halls and the library to the student union. If you sat on the wall at the duck pond you would see everyone on campus throughout the day. Topics of all kind were discussed. I took this setting to create a venue for sharing concepts and ideas. Hope you find the posts worthwhile.
Everyday CRM:
www.everydaycrm.blogspot.com
This blog is created to share those everyday moments when client relations issues rise to the level of being noticed. For better or worse, this blog will provide real life examples and what lessons can be learned. Hope you find this blog to be a regular destination on a weekly basis through out 2011.
The goal for all the blogs in 2011 is to post twice per week. That being said, there should be fresh content everyday. Furthermore, by following on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn you will be notified immediately of the latest posts.
Welcome to the DWS family of Social Media venues. DWS can be found on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn as well as various blogs. Below please find links and descriptions.
Professional Profile:
www.linkedin.com/in/drewstraub
Facebook Presence:
www.facebook.com/dwsgroup
Twitter:
www.twitter.com/ucdws
DWS oversees various discussions in the form of blog postings. Depending on your need or interest, each site can offer just the insight you are seeking: everything from an academic perspective to everyday examples of professional development and client relations management.
The Enlightened Consultant:
www.enlightenedconsultant.blogspot.com
This blog is for those that are in sales or sales management, follow a consultative sales approach, or provide consulting services. The purpose of this blog is to foster a sense of shared learning; hearing about what works, what doesn't work, and how events or activities in your daily life are integrated into your profession.
This blog is more academic in nature and will often mention books or generate a series of discussions based on a book or collection of works.
The Duck Pond Wall:
www.duck-pond-wall.blogspot.com
While on campus during my college years there was a duck pond. It intersected the dorms to the lecture halls and the library to the student union. If you sat on the wall at the duck pond you would see everyone on campus throughout the day. Topics of all kind were discussed. I took this setting to create a venue for sharing concepts and ideas. Hope you find the posts worthwhile.
Everyday CRM:
www.everydaycrm.blogspot.com
This blog is created to share those everyday moments when client relations issues rise to the level of being noticed. For better or worse, this blog will provide real life examples and what lessons can be learned. Hope you find this blog to be a regular destination on a weekly basis through out 2011.
The goal for all the blogs in 2011 is to post twice per week. That being said, there should be fresh content everyday. Furthermore, by following on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn you will be notified immediately of the latest posts.
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