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Last year I was lucky to be involved as a Lead Facilitator for The Gathering at meetings held in Longford, Portlaoise, Tullamore and Birr. Far from being what actor Gabriel Byrne called an attempt “to shake them [Irish Americans] down for a few quid”, The Gathering meetings offered each county and community a canvas to build their own local events, to celebrate what was great about their region and their county. Failte Ireland provided a whole battery of supports to […]
- Categories: Facilitation, Strategy
- Comments Off on Unstoppable Momentum of The Gathering
In our case study on customer retention, we interview Janine Patterson of Sodexo. She explains how, over the past seven years, Sodexo has steadily increased its customer loyalty levels. Today Sodexo Ireland is outperforming Sodexo’s global average with over 95% retention levels. It’s an amazing achievement. But it starts in an unusual place – first you’ve got to let some of your customers go. Find out more…..
This article was published in the June 2013 issue of Hotel & Restaurant Times.https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/59286216/Sodexo%27s%20Customer%20Retention%20Strategy.pdf
- Categories: Customer Experience, Customer Loyalty, Customer Retention, Marketing, Strategy
- Comments Off on Find out how Sodexo has over 95% Customer Retention levels in Ireland
In a week that saw, yet again, that Obama had literally outsmarted his opposition, we should consider just how smart are we as individuals, companies or countries. I remember when the battle was between John McCain and Obama, McCain recognised that he was a bit of a lame duck when it came to technology. To allay voters’ fears, he said he used ‘The Google frequently’. Ouch!
I came across an interesting article by Boston Consultancy Group recently that suggested that as […]
- Categories: Business Communications, Marketing, Strategy, Uncategorized
- Comments Off on Ireland – A right shower of Laggards!
We are so seduced by those short, self-administered tests that promise to reveal our ‘true north’. They will help us identify all sorts of hidden strengths, from our ability to brainstorm through to our natural leadership talent. The fact that it only takes 60 seconds to run the test is also a big attraction…..
But now and then, you may come across a really worthwhile article that goes beyond the over-simplified diagnosis so beloved of the Cosmo-style questionnaire.
In January 2011, McKinsey […]
Lynx Man Gets Lucky
When Unilever carried out research on what men really want when pursuing the opposite sex, they discovered that it wasn’t a Boy meets Girl happy ending that young men were searching for. Way too boring!
The male phantasy, as discovered after researching thousands of men in an anonymous survey, was to be irresistable to many women – simultaneously. They also discovered – based on observations of men on a night out – that they could segment […]
It’s like being in the ring with Mike Tyson: getting punched
on all sides. The wave of bad news hitting people within companies and out in
the market place in general is enough to send anyone reeling. For many
organisations, maintaining employee confidence, engagement and motivation is a
critical issue. But how can you motivate people when salaries and staffing
levels are down. Yes, you certainly can.
At Neary Marketing and Communications we have been […]
- Categories: Marketing, Selling, Strategy, Uncategorized
- Comments Off on Use Work-Out to Deliver a Killer Punch!
In a career that spanned from the end of the Mad Men era to the digital age, Shelly Lazarus has always believed 'If you think you can do it, you can do it!'
Looking back on a huge advertising career, Shelley Lazarus, Chairman of Ogilvy & Mather worldwide, knows what her biggest career challenge was: turning a near dead business around. Lazarus tells the story of how she got Ogilvy Advertising in New York up off its knees in […]
- Categories: Business Communications, Marketing, Strategy
- Comments Off on Restoring Belief in a Struggling Business – Case Study: Ogilvy & Mather
Right now I’m preparing two sessions on innovation for delivery at the Irish Management Institute (IMI) and want to talk about where great ideas come from. Look in the obvious places! Customers are one of the greatest sources of ideas. But for real insights, we often need to look at our brands ‘in the wild’, as they are used in our customers’ everyday lives.
The head of Heinz, William Johnson, tells the story that he discovered – in his […]
- Categories: Customer Experience, Marketing, Selling, Strategy
- Comments Off on For the best advice, ask your customers…
One of the most important articles I ever read was about the link between how employees are treated and rewarded and bottom line sales, profitability and customer loyalty. You might say: isn”t that obvious! Yes, I agree but often the best articles are telling us stuff we know already but don”t deliver on.
Like motivation. How many of our internal communications conversations are designed to motivate staff? Not that many, yet we know that a motivated team is much more […]
- Categories: Business Communications, Customer Experience, Marketing, Selling, Strategy
- Comments Off on Why employee engagement is the new buzz term
Recessions make people Slam on the Brakes (SOB)!
In one of Olivia O’Leary’s contributions to Drive Time at the beginning of the recession, she talked about some of the good things that have come out of the recession. One was that you can now tell your kids that “you can’t afford it” when they demand a new phone, a new pair of runners or something new to wear.
That is what we are saying to ourselves about so many potential […]
