Category Archives: Business Acumen

Never Split the Difference – Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It

Posted on October 3, 2017 by David Shedd

Following up on my blog from August 2017, Negotiation – An Overview, I summarize the excellent book, Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It, from former FBI negotiator, Chris Voss. I highly recommend that you read … Continue reading →

Posted in Business Acumen, Communication, Perform / Execution | Tagged Business Transformation, Business Turnarounds, Negotiation, Personal Success, Sales, Sales and Marketing | Leave a comment

5 Steps to Creating a Unique Strategic Vision

Posted on May 2, 2017 by David Shedd

Today, companies struggle to consistently increase sales and profits faster than the overall market. In too many cases, these companies lack a unique strategic vision that would differentiate the company and its products and services from the competition. Instead, their … Continue reading →

Posted in Business Acumen, Growth and Strategy, Improve / Turnaround | Tagged Business Leadership, Business Strategy, Business Transformation, Business Turnarounds, Competitive Advantage, Leadership Success, Strategic Vision, Strategy | Leave a comment

Operations – The Five Daily Fundamentals

Posted on May 3, 2016 by David Shedd

Most companies still provide a tangible product or service. This means that companies need to have operations employing people to produce the product, deliver the product, or provide the service. These operations are essential to great customer service and building … Continue reading →

Posted in Business Acumen, Improve / Turnaround, Perform / Execution | Tagged Business Transformation, Business Turnarounds, Consistent Execution, Customer Satisfaction, Do the Right Thing, Operational Excellence, Operational Improvement, Operations, Prioritization | Leave a comment

What Does a Buyer Want?

Posted on March 1, 2016 by David Shedd

I recently interviewed a professional buyer at a customer company who was looking to move into a sales role for our company. I asked how she would use her current experience as a buyer to be a better salesperson. Her … Continue reading →

Posted in Business Acumen, Growth and Strategy, Sales and Marketing | Tagged Business Leadership, Customer Satisfaction, Do the Right Thing, Growth, Marketing, Sales, Sales and Marketing | 1 Comment

Don’t Upsell…Right Sell

Posted on December 1, 2015 by David Shedd

“Would you like to supersize your order?” As I wrote previously (“Do You Want Fries With That?” – An Opportunity for Profitable Growth), upselling can bring additional value to our customers, create additional sales and profits, and cement our relationships … Continue reading →

Posted in Business Acumen, Growth and Strategy, Sales and Marketing | Tagged Customer Satisfaction, Customer Service, Marketing, Right Selling, Rightselling, Sales, Sales and Marketing, Upselling | 1 Comment

Lead With Questions

Posted on October 6, 2015 by David Shedd

As leaders, we often have an employee come to us with an issue or problem. As “make it happen” managers, we then focus on getting the problem solved and getting it done as quickly as possible. Thus, we take charge, … Continue reading →

Posted in Business Acumen, Leadership, Team / People | Tagged Accountability, Business Leadership, Business Transformation, Decision Making, Leadership Development, Make It Happen, Training, Winning Teamwork | Leave a comment

6 Steps to a Successful Team Project

Posted on August 4, 2015 by David Shedd

Today, more than ever, employees need to be able to work in teams as businesses try to solve every more difficult tasks. Alas, many team projects start off with high hopes and ambitious targets only to end up with diminished … Continue reading →

Posted in Business Acumen, Improve / Turnaround, Perform / Execution | Tagged Business Leadership, Consistent Execution, David Allen, Make It Happen, Project Management, Project Teams, Team, What's the Next Action, WTNA | 1 Comment