By: Jack Signorelli

I’m working with a company that at one point had a product that was not only best in class, but also technically far ahead of its competition. This company created a better way of offering its services and customers loved it and paid for it. Then senior management made a fatal mistake. They went out and asked their customers what features they wanted to see in the product and they delivered on those features.

Unfortunately for this company, its competitors didn’t ask customers what they wanted. Instead, the competitors had a vision of which features and business practices which would deliver greater value. Customers didn’t really see the value at first- until they saw the product. When they tried it, they loved it.

The Basso Business Building Program features a unique format where we work with business owners and professionals to provide them with a formula for success through focused planning, strategic goal setting, weekly consulting sessions and candid video updates of their progress.  Brian Fagan of All Boro has been working diligently with the Basso on Business team to make changes in every aspect of his professional life in order to achieve his goals. This week Brian took a new strategy when gathering information from prospective clients, taking on more of a detective role.  Asking questions when selling a job to his customers is vitally important; we worked with Brian to help him realize that rooting out all the problems and asking the right questions to get all the facts before closing the deal will leave less room for unfortunate surprises and incorrect assumptions.  

Check out the video for Brian’s candid thoughts and make sure to leave your comments and suggestions.   Make sure to tune in each week for new updates from Brian and the Basso on Business team.  

By Nancy Friedman

We all know we've left companies due to poor service. And we know, too, there are more than five unforgivable customer service mistakes. These, however, have been culled together from the many emails and comments we received over the years.

While it's all common sense - we know that common sense is not all that common. So we continue to share this information with you in the hopes we can make some inroads around the world.

1.  Not being friendly

Without exception, this is the number one customer service mistake. Customers should be treated as welcomed guests when they call or visit your business. As we've all experienced, sometimes we're treated as an annoyance or an interruption. Remember the Telephone Doctor motto: "Be friendly before you know who it is...."

A few months ago Gap introduced their new logo. Their branding effort was met with tons of controversy, most of which was negative.”  And most recently Starbucks revamped their logo to drop the words coffee and was met with a similar backlash when they introduced their new logo. The internet lit up with chatter on the heels of the campaigns. What does this all mean? People have the ability to get very invested in brands and voice their opinions whether good or bad.

With the rise of social media, blogs, review sites, there’s little room for businesses no matter what the size to ignore their audiences.  One of the most important lessons we must understand in dealing with brand recognition and management is that there always must be a steady flow of two-way communication. What better way to find out what’s best for your business than hearing what your audience has to say? Like it or not, with today’s technology, everyone has a voice...

I typically begin my day by browsing some of the newest headlines to stay informed with the latest business news. I came across an article on Forbes.com that showcased 11 movies that entrepreneurs should watch because of the long lasting lessons for those who aspire to be wealthy. I thought I would share with you the movies they listed and ask what outside forces or business related experiences you have been through that have taught you valuable lessons of aspiring wealth that have impacted your business strategy....