I love eBay. It has connected me with many types of businesses. And it’s a well-managed marketplace. I typically only buy from sellers who have a positive feedback rating of 99% or higher. So I was surprised the other day when I had a truly bad experience with a seller who had tens of thousands […]
Happy New Year!It has been an interesting, challenging, frustrating, rewarding, and memorable 2009! Here are some “sudden thoughts on second thoughts” — reflections about my own experiences in 2009. I believe in giving credit where credit is due, by the way, and the title “Sudden Thoughts and Second Thoughts” belongs to legendary Philadelphia Inquirer sports […]
If you haven’t seen or read anything about Jersey Shore — MTV’s new unscripted program about summer living in Seaside Height’s, New Jersey — you’ve missed plenty of buzz. The program has adherents and critics for exactly the same reason: The somewhat over-the-top, self-proclaimed “guidos” (Mike “The Situaion,” DJ Pauly D., Ronnie and Vinny) and […]
About half a lifetime ago, I was the VP of Marketing for a consumer magazine publisher. It was a specialized job in a specialized field, and I realized I had no real “peer” at work with whom I could discuss various issues and problems that kept popping up. On a whim, I called someone I […]
Not too long ago, a vendor that I have used for years tripled the price of something that I buy regularly. Confused and admittedly a little upset, I called the vendor thinking there had been some kind of mistake. The mistake was probably choosing him in the first place. He said, angrily, “I’m running a […]
For most of my business life I have been blessed to have some outstanding mentors. The earliest sales mentor was Sam Kligerman. I met him when my career was just beginning and his was winding down. I was the marketing director for all of the Wendy’s in South Jersey along with some advertising properties owned […]
After the Phillies had just surrendered 3 runs to the Colorado Rockies last night at the bottom of the 8th inning, erasing a 1-run Phillies lead, Jayson Werth had what you might consider an irrational thought: “I came running off the field feeling that we were going to win the game,” Werth said, as quoted […]
The Philadelphia Eagles announced yesterday that they had signed quarterback Michael Vick, who served a Federal prison sentence on animal cruelty charges. The signing has had a polarizing effect on sports fans, animal rights activists and many others. The themes are numerous, and biblical: harming innocents guilt penance remorse redemption From a leadership perspective, the […]
In a tough economy, the people who report to you seek stability, clear thinking and goals for the future. Make sure you provide as much of that as possible! To a great extent, those under your leadership will feel as secure as they sense you are. So, providing that sense of security is a high-leverage […]
