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The Power of Marketing: Driving Growth and Maximizing Business Valuation

William McKee of Knowmad Digital Marketing is a member of XPX Charlotte
William L McKee
Knowmad Digital Marketing
4 months ago

In the competitive world of business, marketing plays a pivotal role to drive revenue generation, brand equity, and overall business valuation. Companies that view branding and advertising as a growth strategy are twice as likely to see revenue growth of 5% or more than those that don’t (source: “Read our case study for details. A pilot program is a great way to get started with evaluating how marketing can support the sales process. Be sure to give the program enough time and budget to be effective. In the B2B environment, it often does not take much to recoup the costs of a successful marketing campaign. Getting Started In today’s digital age, businesses that fail to leverage marketing risk being left behind by competitors who effectively tell their story and reach their target audiences. As a trusted advisor, you have the opportunity to guide business owners in recognizing marketing’s potential to drive sustainable growth, profitability, and long-term enterprise value. Knowmad is here to help you design and build a digital marketing program that gets measurable business results. Reach out to William McKee and discover the potential that a data-driven marketing plan can make for your business.

Mar 22, 2024
Charlotte
Business Value Growth

Unknown Facts About CAC & How it Can Help You Budget for 2024

Dina Wasmer of Incite Creative is a member of XPX Maryland
Dina K. Wasmer
Incite Creative
8 months ago

outsourced CMO services. In short, we become your company’s chief marketing officer and do so virtually and efficiently — saving you time and money. Since 1999, we’ve enjoyed building and boosting brands for a core set of industries. Our thoughtful process, experienced team, and vested interest in our client’s success have positioned us as one of the Mid-Atlantic’s most sought-after marketing partners for those looking to grow their brand awareness and bottom line. Stop paying for digital and traditional services you may not need. Our retainer, no markup model means our recommendations don’t come with any catch or commission. Our advice aligns with what you need and what fits within your budget. For more information, contact us at 410-366-9479 or info@incitecmo.com. 

Nov 20, 2023
Maryland
Business Value Growth

Conducting a Website Audit? Here’s How to Organize Feedback from a Boatload of Stakeholders

Dina Wasmer of Incite Creative is a member of XPX Maryland
Dina K. Wasmer
Incite Creative
9 months ago

“Opinions are like boats on the sea of knowledge; while they can guide us, it is important to navigate with caution and consider multiple perspectives.” Are you in the process of evaluating or updating your current website? If so, you’ll soon be drowning in stakeholder feedback. When conducting a site evaluation and content review, it’s best to gather stakeholder feedback early in the process and build your solution around an informed, agreed-upon strategy. However, gathering those perspectives can be overwhelming and an administrative nightmare. Fear not. In this article, we will help you navigate the turbulent waters of conducting a  What Are the Benefits of Conducting a Website Audit? First, let’s start with a quick overview of why you should conduct a website audit before putting pen to paper or mouse to monitor: 1. Identify and fix technical issues: A website audit helps uncover any technical issues affecting your site’s performance, such as broken links, slow loading times, or mobile responsiveness problems. Addressing these issues can improve the user experience and ensure your site functions at its best. 2. Enhance SEO performance: An evaluation also allows you to identify areas where your site can be optimized for better visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs), such as improving keyword targeting, optimizing meta tags, or enhancing site structure. By optimizing your site for SEO, you can attract more organic traffic and improve your search rankings. 3. Analyze content effectiveness: A website audit helps you evaluate the quality and effectiveness of your website content. You can assess whether your content aligns with your target audience’s needs and preferences, identify gaps or areas for improvement, and ensure consistency across your site. This analysis can help you create a content strategy that resonates with your audience and drives engagement. 4. Assess user experience: In an audit, you can evaluate the site’s navigation, layout, and overall usability to identify any pain points or barriers hindering visitors from engaging with your site. Improving the UX can enhance user satisfaction, increase conversions, and encourage repeat visits. 5. Benchmark against competitors: Another great benefit of a website audit is that it enables you to compare your site’s performance and features against your competitors. You can identify areas where you may be falling behind or where you excel. This benchmarking analysis can help you uncover opportunities for differentiation and improvement to stay ahead in the competitive landscape. By conducting a website audit, you can gain valuable insights into your site’s strengths and weaknesses and take actionable steps to improve its overall performance and user experience.   How to Capture and Organize Stakeholder Feedback During a Website Audit? All captains need a logbook. When gathering, managing, and implementing stakeholder feedback, you can use several tools and methods to streamline the process and make your life much easier. Here are a few of our favorites: 1. Hotjar: Google Sheet can be an effective way to organize stakeholder feedback. You can create a column for all the URLs of the website pages being audited. Then, you can add columns for the feedback links with descriptions, the point person responsible for making the change, and due dates. You can also include a column with a drop-down multiple-choice for the status, such as “Active,” “Pending Approval,” or “Live.” This will help you track the progress of each feedback item. 3. Project or Content Management Tools: Various project management tools can help you capture and organize stakeholder feedback. Tools like Wrike, Asana, Google Docs or Microsoft Teams can also capture and organize stakeholder feedback. You can create a shared document or folder where stakeholders can directly provide feedback. This allows real-time collaboration and easy access to all feedback in one centralized location. Your choice of tools and methods will depend on how your team communicates best, your budget, and your current tech stack. Test out a few options first to ensure they will help versus hinder the process.   Captaining a website audit has its challenges. But with the right process, people, and tools in place, you’ll be in ship-shape. If you need assistance conducting a website audit or developing your digital marketing strategy, please contact us at outsourced CMO services. In short, we become your company’s chief marketing officer and do so virtually and efficiently — saving you time and money. Since 1999, we’ve enjoyed building and boosting brands for a core set of industries. Our thoughtful process, experienced team, and vested interest in our client’s success have positioned us as one of the Mid-Atlantic’s most sought-after marketing partners for those looking to grow their brand awareness and bottom line. Stop paying for digital and traditional services you may not need. Our retainer, no markup model means our recommendations don’t come with any catch or commission. Our advice aligns with what you need and what fits within your budget. For more information, contact us at 410-366-9479 or info@incitecmo.com. 

Oct 19, 2023
Maryland
Business Value Growth

Top B2B Marketing Myths

Yvonne Levine of YGL Enterprises, Inc is a member of XPX Charlotte
Yvonne G Levine
YGL Enterprises, Inc
1 year ago

B2B businesses, particularly professional services, are some of the most skeptical and risk-averse companies when it comes to embracing marketing. I should know because I service this client base. However, once I explain how marketing can elevate awareness and increase ROI, most B2B companies will adopt today’s proven digital marketing tactics. In today’s blog, we explore some common myths and provide insights into the power of B2B marketing. Common Marketing Myths Debunked Myth #1: My website is the only marketing initiative my business needs. First, having a website is a critical piece of any marketing plan, but it’s not enough. Many business owners believe having a website is enough to generate leads and grow their business. Unfortunately, this is a myth. While a website is important, it’s far from the only marketing investment you need. In today’s digital landscape, there are numerous marketing tactics that you can use to grow your business. From email marketing and content creation to social media marketing and search engine optimization, there are many approaches that you can use to increase your visibility and reach potential customers. Additionally, it’s important to remember that having a website is not a one-time investment. You must constantly update and optimize your site for the best results and develop a comprehensive marketing strategy incorporating multiple tactics. This will ensure you can reach your target audience and build a strong brand presence. Myth #2: B2Bs don’t need a marketing strategy. When it comes to marketing, B2B companies need to take a strategic approach to ensure their efforts are successful. Without a plan in place, there is a risk of wasting time and money on tactics that are not effective. On the other hand, a well-crafted

Apr 12, 2023
Charlotte
Business Value Growth

IS YOUR BUSINESS RUNNING ON EOS®? HERE’S WHERE MARKETING PLUGS IN PERFECTLY!

Dina Wasmer of Incite Creative is a member of XPX Maryland
Dina K. Wasmer
Incite Creative
1 year ago

If your business performance is lackluster, take a closer look at how it’s operating. And if you’re a business owner already running your company on EOS® – the Entrepreneurial Operating System — congratulations! You’ve already taken an essential first step toward gaining clarity around your goals and organizing the milestones for how you and your team will achieve them. But where and when does marketing fit into the equation? EOS® plugs marketing strategy into a two-day Vision Building™ Agenda and seven other important topics. That’s a great start, but it only scratches the surface. A comprehensive EOS Model® provides a visual illustration of a six-piece pie chart comprised of the components it deems essential to any business, including: Vision People Data Issues Process Traction Vision Powered by Marketing Strategy & Planning Arguably the foundation for success, and the focus of this article, a company’s vision typically encompasses its core values, purpose, passion, niche, and unique value. It is designed to inspire and motivate employees to work toward a common goal. So…what happens when there’s no clarity around the vision? No focused goal and zero hopes of achieving it. EOS® corrects this by getting everyone in the organization crystal clear about where they’re going and how they’ll get there. But here’s the thing — if you only consider yourselves in this vision, you’re leaving out an essential piece of the picture — your customers. Marketing plays a crucial role in clarifying a company’s vision. Effective marketing is about understanding your target audience and communicating your company’s purpose and values to them in a way that resonates. In other words, your vision needs to align with the needs and desires of your customers. By conducting Positioning Workshop, SWOT analysis, and competitive and industry research, you will unearth existing brand perceptions, gain vital insight to determine if those perceptions will help or hinder your value proposition, and allow you to adjust your vision accordingly. What if, for example, Patagonia’s vision to “Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis” lacked a sizeable enough target market that cared enough about Mother Earth to pay $299 for a jacket? It would be a company without any customers and any profit. Luckily for Patagonia, the company’s vision seems to resonate with the strategic marketing plan to your operating system, and you’ll get the insight you need to realize your vision. And stay tuned for our upcoming contact Incite Creative. We have over 23 years of marketing expertise and have worked with businesses running on EOS® and welcome the opportunity to partner with EOS Implementers®. outsourced CMO services. In short, we become your company’s chief marketing officer and do so virtually and efficiently — saving you time and money. Since 1999 we’ve had the pleasure of building and boosting brands for a core set of industries. Our thoughtful process, experienced team, and vested interest in our client’s success have positioned us as one of the Mid-Atlantic’s most sought-after marketing partners for those looking to grow their brand awareness and bottom line. Stop paying for digital and traditional services you may not need. Our retainer, no markup model means our recommendations don’t come with any catch or commission. Our advice aligns with what you need and what fits within your budget. For more information, contact us at 410-366-9479 or info@incitecmo.com. 

Apr 5, 2023
Maryland
Practice Tips

WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO BRING IN AN OUTSOURCED CMO (CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER)?

Dina Wasmer of Incite Creative is a member of XPX Maryland
Dina K. Wasmer
Incite Creative
1 year ago

Every business needs a strong Marketing Strategy & Planning Creative Direction Reporting & Analysis 2. Flexibility & Scalability, only an Outsourced CMO can Provide A fractional CMO is highly valuable because it offers flexibility and scalability that a full-time employee arrangement doesn’t provide. With an outsourced option, you can quickly scale up or down as needed depending on your current business circumstances. If you’re facing a hiring or skillset gap, a particularly busy season, or need additional assistance with a new product or service launch, an external CMO can quickly be brought in at short notice — without any long-term commitment from either side. Plus, an external expert won’t get bogged down by day-to-day tasks or administrative issues. Instead, a fractional CMO can address your specific objectives and focus on delivering results. What are typical outsourced CMOs’ hours? An outsourced Chief Marketing Officer will provide an hourly consultative rate or a retainer based on a predetermined number of hours per month that they will dedicate to your business. This number and rate will depend on your objectives, the timeframe to complete them, and the CMO’s level of expertise. That said, while an FTE’s salary is based on a 40-hour work week, outsourced CMOs only charge for the time they are actively engaged in your project. Therefore, a standard monthly contract may be based on 30, 40, or 50 hours per month or more. 3. Fractional CMO Services Provide a High ROI Hiring an outsourced Chief Marketing Officer to lead your business also has several added financial benefits compared to hiring a full-time CMO. Outsourcing eliminates costly recruitment fees, employment taxes, and benefits packages. Plus, since most outsourced professionals charge a monthly retainer that aligns with a pre-set scope of work, you’ll know exactly what you’re getting for your money without worrying about hidden costs or change order fees that weren’t accounted for initially. Chief Marketing Officer salary (50th percentile) in the United States ($342,859 as of February 27, 2023). This adds up to considerable savings — typically 33-50% or more — that could make all the difference between expanding your business operations and struggling to break even. Where can I find a fractional CMO company? Fractional C-Suite executives have become more mainstream over recent years, with outsourced COOs, CFOs, and CTOs leading the way. While some outsourced marketing professionals are a little newer to the scene, Schedule your free 30-minute consultation today. Incite Creative is a marketing advisory firm that provides outsourced CMO services. In short, we become your company’s chief marketing officer and do so virtually and efficiently — saving you time and money. Since 1999 we’ve had the pleasure of building and boosting brands for a core set of industries. Our thoughtful process, experienced team, and vested interest in our client’s success have positioned us as one of the Mid-Atlantic’s most sought-after marketing partners for those looking to grow their brand awareness and bottom line. Stop paying for digital and traditional services you may not need. Our retainer, no markup model means our recommendations don’t come with any catch or commission. The advice we provide aligns with what you need and what fits within your budget. For more information, contact us at 410-366-9479 or info@incitecmo.com. 

Mar 17, 2023
Maryland
Business Value Growth

11 Tips for Making the Most of Employee Appreciation Day on March 3

Dina Wasmer of Incite Creative is a member of XPX Maryland
Dina K. Wasmer
Incite Creative
1 year ago

In the current crazy employee hiring and retaining climate, little things to boost morale and culture can go a long way. That’s why Employee Appreciation Day may be more important in 2023 than ever before.You know your team best. What is it that will feel like a “gift” vs. an obligation to participate because, let’s face…

Feb 19, 2023
Maryland
Business Value Growth

Will ChatGPT Replace My Brain?

Dina Wasmer of Incite Creative is a member of XPX Maryland
Dina K. Wasmer
Incite Creative
1 year ago

Yea, a headache that’s a good example. A headache is a symptom, but the problem could be from lack of sleep or food or a myriad of other things. So what do most people do? Grab a couple of Motrin to try to help alleviate the symptom instead of using their brain and asking, “When was the last time I ate. Oh, it was eight hours ago. I betcha, that’s why I have a headache. Maybe I should eat something.” So is ChatGPT a good thing or a bad thing? As you can see, we had some fun writing this article. As for ChatGPT, we think it’s a good thing, but the jury is still out on how much it will help or hinder certain human behaviors, how much reliance people put into it using it as a crutch instead of tapping into their own creativity, how it will be regulated for authenticity, and if it will just push us all further into our devices instead of bringing us closer together. If, however, it’s used to help us be more creative and more productive together without losing everything that makes us human (sense of humor, diverse perspectives, truly, etc.), and our brands stand for something truly unique, I’m all for it. So go. Explore 

Feb 1, 2023
Maryland
Practice Tips

Why Wealth Managers Need a Seat at the Exit Planning Table

Ray Croff of Mobius Financial Advisors is a member of XPX Dallas
Ray Croff
Mobius Financial Advisors
1 year ago

When your business owner client decides to sell, there’s a unique, uncommon opportunity for you as a wealth manager to provide an incredibly valuable service to your clients while also growing your assets under management. As a wealth manager, you play a critical role in the lives of your clients. It’s not a stretch to say that their future is literally in your hands. They rely on you to ensure their retirement is going to look a particular way. For business owners, exiting their business is almost always a key component of their retirement plan. The sale of a business may be the biggest liquidity event in their lives. As a wealth manager, you have the opportunity to help figure out exactly how to make the most of that money for their retirement — or for any other purposes they may have in mind. There’s a huge opportunity here — Baby Boomers are beginning to retire in droves (and will keep doing so for at least a decade). There are many business owners retiring right now who will need your help. Here’s what you need to know about exit planning and the role you’ll play in it for your business-owner clients. Figuring Out The Number The first thing you’ll be doing for your business owner clients is helping them figure out the number: the amount of money your client needs to get out of the business when they exit. Usually, retirement is the goal, but there are other potential goals. Maybe they want to open another business or start a non-profit. Maybe they want to engage in some philanthropy or set up a trust for their family. Whatever the case, you play a major role here. As exit planners, we need you to help us figure out how much they need and then do a net present value of the amount. We can then subtract other assets that are available for whatever they have in mind and come up with the number. Valuing the Business Once we have the number, then we have to figure out how much the business is actually worth in today’s market. That’s something the exit planners and business valuation experts in your network will help define. When we have a clear idea of how much our mutual client can potentially make from selling their business, we can then compare it with the number. The difference between the number and the current value of the business will tell them what they need to do next. They’ll need your services for this. If there’s a shortfall, you’ll have to talk to them about what to do. Do they want to reduce their standard of living for retirement? Work a little longer? Increase the value of the business and then look at a potential sale in a few more years? Whatever the case, they now have a plan in place — and they’re looking to you to implement key components of that plan. And of course, there are opportunities for you as well. Opportunities for Wealth Managers One of the first things exit planners will do is to have clients complete a financial plan for the business owner and other stakeholders — you’ll be responsible for your clients’ financial plans and potentially those of their key employees. You also have the opportunity to capture more assets under management. And, as the exit planning moves ahead, there are other opportunities: for example, 401(k) or IRAs and other assets can be transitioned to your management. Another thing to consider is that, once you become an advisor to a business owner, you gain potential access to their network. They might refer you to key people in their organization who also need your help — not to mention their family and friends. For years after the exit, you’ll be managing their assets (and likely managing those assets for their family after they pass). All this because you had a seat at the exit planning table and helped your clients through the process. The Advisor’s Edge — The Education You (and Your Clients) Need The Advisor’s Edge is a library of content that you can use to educate potential and existing clients on exit planning — and you can use it to educate yourself as well. Instead of giving every client an individual presentation (which you probably won’t get them to schedule anyway), you can send them content that answers their questions and educates them. Or you can bolster your social media and marketing efforts with short videos that build the case for working with you and trusting your processes and network.  The Advisor’s Edge includes documents and videos that explain just about every aspect of what CEPAs, financial professionals, and business advisors do in a way that’s clear and highly professional. The content is extremely high quality and has been created by top professionals in exit planning and value building. This means your potential clients will see you not just as a resource and someone they can trust, but as someone who is a true expert, who really knows what they’re talking about.

Sep 8, 2022
Dallas
Practice Tips

Do you want to know how to get featured in the NY Times, Fast Company and other media and attract more clients?

Marc Kramer of Stress Free Family Business is a member of XPX Philadelphia
Marc Kramer
Stress Free Family Business
1 year ago

Do you want to know how to get featured in the NY Times, Fast Company and other media and attract more clients? Meet Meet Nationally acclaimed Marketing/PR Expert Cassandra Bailey co-author of “Pay Attention”. Click here to join Cassandra live to ask her questions about PR and Marketing:

Aug 23, 2022
Philadelphia
Business Value Growth
Member News

Samantha McElhaney, SouthState Bank, Keith Costley, Keck & Wood, Inc., and Derek Griffin, Speartek on “ProfitSense”

Bill McDermott of The Profitability Coach is a member of XPX Atlanta
Bill McDermott
The Profitability Coach
1 year ago

Host Bill McDermott was joined by three accomplished business leaders on this edition of ProfitSense. Banker Samantha McElhaney discussed what business owners need to be focused on now, what to look for in choosing an advisor, as well as how she uses her extensive network to assist her clients. Keith Costley shared how his engineering consulting firm develops and retains talent, how collaboration with clients has been so crucial to their success, and his firm’s succession planning process. Derek Griffin talked about how his firm helps gift and home decor firms, industrial products companies, distributors, and other B2B companies with website and e-commerce solutions for their marketing needs. Bill closed the show with a commentary on the four components of getting a business ready to sell for its maximum value. ProfitSense with Bill McDermott is produced and broadcast by the 

Aug 16, 2022
Atlanta
Business Value Growth

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A Dozen Questions to Begin the Exit Planning Discussion

Larry Gard of Hamilton-Chase Consulting is a member of XPX Chicago
Larry Gard
Done With Work Retirement Coaching and Consulting
9 hours ago

As an advisor, your role is to help clients prepare to exit their business, yet many people resist thinking about the future because it involves so many unknowns, decisions, and choices.  And emotions typically complicate matters further, sometimes derailing the process altogether.  Here are some questions that can help you establish rapport with your clients, learn more about their concerns, and move the conversation forward. How are you feeling about your work/profession/business these days? Which aspects of work are you still enjoying, and which are you ready to leave behind? Do you envision retiring from work at some point, or are you contemplating an encore career? What part of planning for your future feels most challenging? How do you imagine your life in retirement will be different from how it is now? What process are you using to figure out what you’ll do next after you retire? What would you like to see happen with your business long term? What options have you considered for the transfer of your business? What steps have you taken to make your business more attractive to a potential buyer? What are your concerns about transitioning your firm to new ownership? What would be your ideal scenario for transitioning out of your company? What topic(s) have we touched on today that we should put on our agenda to revisit? So, what happens after you pose a few of these questions and your clients open up about emotional matters?  Remember, the most helpful thing you can do is to listen attentively.  You’ve created a valuable opportunity for them to talk about things they may not share with other advisors.   Here are some tips for managing the conversation when clients raise emotionally loaded topics: Don’t try to “fix things” by immediately offering suggestions. Doing so sends the message that you’re uncomfortable hearing their concern.  You can offer suggestions but do so later. Don’t say anything that conveys the message that their feeling or concern is unwarranted. “There’s really no need to feel that way” or “I’m sure it will be just fine” may sound reassuring to you but could be experienced as dismissive by your client. Don’t immediately offer a logical counterpoint to your client’s emotion. Remember, feelings don’t have to make sense; they’re “as is”.  Put another way, if feelings made sense, they would be thoughts. People report concerns and characterize their feelings differently from one another, so it’s in your best interest to seek amplification and clarification by inquiring as follows . . . “I want to make sure that I understand exactly what you mean by ___.  Can you tell me more?” “People sometimes mean slightly different things when they talk about ___.  What does ___ mean for you?” “Before I suggest anything, I’d like to learn more about it from your perspective.” It’s possible that during early conversations your client may hint at mixed feelings about exiting their business.  That’s perfectly normal, but you need to bring it out into the open.  You want to foster an atmosphere such that your client keeps you apprised about where they’re at.  If they keep their ambivalence to themselves, it has greater potential to blindside you and complicate the sale.  You can say: “In my experience, it’s normal to have some mixed emotions about selling.  Those thoughts may not always be top of mind, but when they do pop up let’s be sure to talk about them.  Believe it or not, they can help inform our process and alert us to aspects of the sale that are important to you.” You may also find that your client is overly risk averse.  If so, consider saying the following: “Our work together won’t be comprehensive if we only plan for what could go wrong.  That’s just half the equation.  It’s fine to be conservative and err on the side of caution, but to be truly realistic we should also consider a range of possibilities both good and bad.”   Author’s Note:  The concepts in this article are derived from Robert Leahy’s book, Overcoming Resistance in Cognitive Therapy.  New York:  Guilford

Jul 26, 2024
Chicago
Practice Tips

Southern States Fight Back Against Union Wins in South

Robert Brody of Brody and Associates, LLC is a member of XPX Tri-State
Robert G. Brody
Brody and Associates, LLC
1 day ago

For five decades, the southern United States has been an attractive location for automakers to open plants thanks to generous tax breaks and cheaper, non-union labor. However, after decades of failing to unionize automakers in the South, the United Auto Workers dealt a serious blow to that model by winning a landslide union victory at Volkswagen. In an effort to fight back, three southern states have gotten creative: they passed laws barring companies from receiving state grants, loans and tax incentives if the company voluntarily recognizes a union or voluntarily provides unions with employee information. The laws also allow the government to claw back incentive payments after they were made. While these laws are very similar, each law has unique nuances. If you are in an impacted state, you should seek local counsel. In 2023, Tennessee was the first state to pass such a law. This year, Georgia and Alabama followed suit. So why this push? In 2023, the American Legislative Exchange Council (“ALEC”), a nonprofit organization of conservative state legislators and private sector representatives who draft and share model legislation for distribution among state governments, adopted Tennessee’s law as model legislation. In fact, the primary sponsor of Tennessee’s bill was recognized as an ALEC Policy Champion in March 2023. ALEC’s push comes as voluntary recognition of unions gains popularity as an alternative to fighting unions. We recently saw this with the high-profile Ben & Jerry’s voluntary recognition. Will this Southern strategy work to push back against growing union successes? Time will tell. Brody and Associates regularly advises its clients on all labor management issues, including union-related matters, and provides union-free training.  If we can be of assistance in this area, please contact us at info@brodyandassociates.com or 203.454.0560.  

Jul 25, 2024
Tri-State
Business Value Growth

My Interview with Jerry West on Management

John Dini of The Exit Planning Coach is a member of XPX San Antonio
John F Dini
The Exit Planning Coach
2 weeks ago

I once had the thrill of interviewing Jerry West on management. He was “The Logo” for the NBA, although back then they didn’t advertise him as such. Only the Laker followers knew for sure. In 1989 the “Showtime” Lakers were coming off back-to-back championships.  Pat Riley was a year away from his first of three Coach of the Year awards. 

Jul 9, 2024
San Antonio
Owner Life & Legacy

Can You Offer too Many Product Versions to Your Customers?

Steven Lustig of Lustig Global Consulting is a member of XPX Atlanta
Steven Lustig
Lustig Global Consulting
2 weeks ago

Can you Offer Too Many SKUs to Your Customers? The short answer is YES! A SKU, or Stock Keeping Unit, defines each different product version that you sell and keep inventory of.  There may be different SKUs of the same overall item based on size, color, capacity (think computer or cellphone memory), features, and many other parameters.  For build to forecast businesses, that number of variations can quickly explode and become difficult to manage. Your customers are busy and want ordering simplified. Of course, they may need (or want) more than one variation of a product. That is reasonable and a common aspect of business – one size does not fit all! But there is a point where too offering too many SKUs is not value added either for your customer or your business.  In his April 30, 2013 article “Successful Retailers Learn That Fewer Choices Trigger More Sales” in Forbes, Carmine Gallo discusses his experience and a study about “choice overload” by other authors. He writes about a retailer that “has discovered that giving a customer more than three choices at one time actually overwhelms customers and makes them frustrated…when the customer is faced with too many choices at once, it leaves the customer confused and less likely to buy from any of the choices!” Choice overload is well-documented in consumer studies but can apply in B2B as well. While customer satisfaction is important, another key concern is the often-hidden costs associated with a business offering and managing a large number of SKUs for a given product type. These costs include holding inventory, S&OP (Sales and Operations Planning) team time, small production runs, and scrapping inventory. Holding inventory takes up space, which may come with a cost or utilize racks that could be used for other products. Scheduled inventory counts take up employee time and may result in blackout periods when the warehouse is not shipping product.  The more SKUs there are, including extra SKUS, the greater the potential impact. The Sales team’s forecasting and the Operations team’s purchasing reviews that are part of the S&OP process can occupy more of their valuable time if they need to consider these times. If small orders or forecasts require a new production run, this could be costly and create excess inventory. Whether from this new production or past builds, eventually it will make sense to write off and scrap old inventory, another cost impact to the company. How do you know which SKUs to focus on if you wish to look at reducing your total number of SKUs? Start by examining SKUs that have: Low historic sales over a period of time Small variations between SKUs that customers do not value Older technology or model when newer option SKUs are available This requires a true partnership between Sales and Operations. It starts with educating both teams on the costs involved – neither group may be aware of the money and time impact to the company. Periodic (such as quarterly) reviews of SKUs that meet the above descriptions should become a fixed part of the calendar. A review of the data and other available for sale options should result in the identification of SKUs which may not be needed. At that point, it is helpful to have a customer friendly EOL (End of Life) Notice process by which you inform customers of last time buy requirements for this SKU and alternates available. It is usually best to provide some time for the last time buy in the interest of customer satisfaction, although that may not always be necessary. At a company that designed and sold electronics, a robust SKU rationalization process was implemented to help address these issues. A representative from the Operations team analyzed SKUs that met a version of the above criteria and suggested candidates for the EOL process. Next, a member of the Sales team reviewed them and, where appropriate, issued product change or EOL notices to customers, providing them time for last time buy orders when needed. These steps helped reduce the work involved in maintaining these SKUs while not leading to any customer complaints. A final note – sometimes it makes sense to continue offering low selling SKUs – to support customers buying other items (hopefully in larger quantities). It may be worthwhile to encourage them to keep coming back to you for all of their product needs and this may be a way to accomplish that. But it helps to understand that this is truly the case and not assume that this customer would not be equally happy with another, more popular, SKU.   Steven Lustig is founder and CEO of Lustig Global Consulting and an experienced Supply Chain Executive.  He is a recognized thought leader in supply chain and risk mitigation, and serves on the Boards of Directors for Loh Medical and Atlanta Technology Angels.

Jul 9, 2024
Atlanta
Business Value Growth

Owners are a Minority

John Dini of The Exit Planning Coach is a member of XPX San Antonio
John F Dini
The Exit Planning Coach
3 weeks ago

When it comes to careers, business owners are a minority of the population. In conversations this week, I mentioned the statistics several times, and each owner I was discussing it with was surprised that they had so few peers. According to the Small Business Administration (SBA), there are over 33,000,000 businesses in the US. Let’s discount those with zero employees. Many are shell companies or real estate holding entities. Also, those with fewer than 5 employees, true “Mom and Pop” businesses, are hard to distinguish from a job. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Association, lists businesses with 5 to 99 employees at about 3,300,000, and 123,000 have 100 to 500 employees (the SBA’s largest “small business” classification.) Overall, that means about 1% of the country are private employers. Owners are a small minority, a very small minority, of the population. Even if we only count working adults (161,000,000) business owners represent only a little more than 2% of that population. So What? Where am I going with this, and how does it relate to our recent discussions of purpose in business exit planning? It’s an important issue to consider when discussing an owner’s identity after transition. Whether or not individual owners know the statistics of their “rare species” status in society, they instinctively understand that they are different. They are identified with their owner status in every aspect of their business and personal life. At a social event, when asked “What do you do?” they will often respond “I own a business.” It’s an immediate differentiator from describing a job. “I am a carpenter.” or “I work in systems engineering,” describes a function. “I am a business owner” describes a life role. When asked for further information, the owner frequently replies in the Imperial first person plural. “We build multi-family housing,” is never mistaken for a personal role in the company. No one takes that answer to mean that the speaker swings a hammer all day. Owners are a Minority We process much of our information subconsciously. If a man enters a business gathering, for example, and the others in the room are 75% female, he will know instinctively, without consciously counting, that this business meeting or organization is different from others he attends. Similarly, business owners accept their minority status without thinking about it. They expect that the vast majority of the people they meet socially, who attend their church, or who have kids that play sports with theirs, work for someone else. There are places where owners congregate, but otherwise, they don’t expect to meet many other owners in the normal course of daily activity. This can be an issue after they exit the business. You see, telling people “I’m retired” has no distinction. Roughly 98% of the other people who say that never built an organization. They didn’t take the same risks. Others didn’t deal with the same broad variety of issues and challenges. Most didn’t have to personally live with the impact of every daily decision they made, or watch others suffer the consequences of their bad calls. That is why so many former owners suffer from a lack of identity after they leave. Subconsciously, they expect to stand out from the other 98%. “I’m retired” carries no such distinction.       This article was originally published by John F. Dini, CBEC, CExP, CEPA on

Jul 1, 2024
San Antonio
Owner Life & Legacy
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