By Clemens Rettich, on December 20th, 2011 
Lend me your ears
When Shakespeare penned the words “Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears…” in Julius Caesar he did his share to perpetuate the tradition that confuses great oratory with great communication. That tradition has done more to damage our understanding of good communication than almost anything else.
Check out Google. Enter the search term “communication”, and click on the “Images” search tab. Count the number of ears that are featured as opposed to mouths, megaphones, speakers, etc. We say “I’m all ears…” but you wouldn’t know it from the walk we walk. It’s all talk! It . . . → Read More: The Ears Have It
By Clemens Rettich, on November 15th, 2011 
What are you selling?
If nothing, then you are not in business. If only commodities, then you won’t be in business for long.
“But wait,” you say “I am a service provider. I don’t sell commodities. So I guess I’m safe.”
Sorry. A service alone is still a commodity. In the brave new world of social business, anything is a commodity to the extent to which it is a) a transaction that consists only of the exchange of a good or service for money, and b) reproducible in every important way.
So a service which is repeated over . . . → Read More: The Social Market: Relationships, Stories, and Desire
By Maeve Maguire, on September 7th, 2011 
Guest post by Maeve Maguire
I have a client who owns a cooking school, and for whom I am helping write website content. Her customers are mostly women, between the ages of 35 to 70. They hear about her cooking classes from friends who are current or past students, and they usually attend in pairs or groups. Here is a conversation we had:
Me: I see your web designer has included a Twitter icon on your banner. Are you planning on using Twitter as a communication tool?
My client: Yes, I was planning on using Twitter. My web . . . → Read More: If You Must Tweet, Choose Your Tweeter Wisely
By Clemens Rettich, on April 23rd, 2011 
Each week I bring together a few articles that add value to our work of becoming better communicators in business. Short on time? Watch for the *Must Read* where I think you’ll get the best bang for your reading buck!
5 Steps to Generate Demand with Content Marketing *Must Read*
Do customers always know what they want? No. Sometimes there are better ways of doing things that we haven’t thought of. Until we see the improvement, we don’t know there is a problem. The challenge is in building awareness. This very strong article helps you create a marketing strategy . . . → Read More: On Message: The Best of Business Communication – April 23
By Clemens Rettich, on April 9th, 2011
Each week I bring together a few articles that add value to our work of becoming better communicators in business. Short on time? Watch for the *Must Read* where I think you’ll get the best bang for your reading buck!
How To Build And Maintain Your Customer Relationships *Must Read*
The number one marketing most businesses make? Failing to follow through and stay in touch. Great customers are customers for life, but if you don’t stay in touch, they will disappear. Read more…
Writing Content is Not a Job for Sissies
I love this “Write about your target audience . . . → Read More: On Message: The Best of Business Communication – April 9
By Clemens Rettich, on February 19th, 2011
Each week I bring together a few articles that add value to our work of becoming better communicators in business. Short on time? Watch for the *Must Read* where I think you’ll get the best bang for your reading buck!
Small Business News: What’s Your Brand? *Must Read*
Branding matters; and really understanding how branding works can transform your business. This is an excellent overview of 10 articles that will seriously add to your understanding. Read more…
16 social media statistics that might surprise you
What was the fastest-growing demographic of Facebook users last year? This article presents some . . . → Read More: On Message: Your Business Communications Weekend Read – Feb 19
By Clemens Rettich, on July 20th, 2010
Image by Clarita
Being a great listener is as much about collecting information as being a great communicator is about having a big vocabulary. The words, heard or spoken, are not the main point.
A great listener not only hears what is being said but treats the act of listening itself as a way of building a relationship.
Use these 10 exercises to become a great listener:
Practice a caring perspective. Cultivate the honest belief that no matter who you are speaking with, they have something to teach you. Great listening . . . → Read More: Great Listening is a Contact Sport
By Clemens Rettich, on April 29th, 2010 Image by Clarita
Business operations just aren’t sexy.
Marketing is sexy. Human resources, or at least employee relations, is pretty cool. Even finance has its moments of glory. But operations conjures up visions of bean counting, performance reviews, inventory lists, quality control reviews, supply chains, equipment, machinery, communication & IT infrastructure, and documentation. Lots and lots of documentation. Not much fun there.
But for all the talk (including mine) about remarkable relationships with customers and employees, of great management, or of building that brilliant brand, none of it matters worth a hill of beans if you don?t have . . . → Read More: Smooth Operations!
By Clemens Rettich, on February 6th, 2010 Image by Clarita
If your business disappeared tomorrow, would anybody miss you?
No one wants to close their doors. But let’s imagine the unthinkable: how would your customers respond if you had to close up shop?
I can think of two scenarios…
Scenario one: you disappear and no one notices… That would be a disaster, but what would it tell you? Maybe it tells you that whatever needs your service or product fulfilled, those needs could be fulfilled by someone else. What you had to offer in the end was just a commodity, and all commodities are replaceable.
. . . → Read More: What if your Business Disappeared Tomorrow?
By Clemens Rettich, on January 29th, 2010
You spend considerable time and effort networking. You think you are doing it all right. You understand the 20/80 rule, and you focus your time and energies on the 20% of connections that get you 80% of your business. Your ‘elevator pitch’ has perfect pitch. You go to all the right functions to see and be seen.
But something’s not right.
Despite all your efforts, you just can’t quite seem to make those connections stick. You meet the right people and say the right things, but your book of business isn’t growing. Why?
Here are 11 things that . . . → Read More: Eleven Ways To Sabotage Your Own Networking
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