Professionalism

One of my clients, Kelsey Cottrell Realty Group, is owned by a dynamic duo – Kevin Cottrell and Stephanie Combs. They are the leading independently owned residential real estate agency in the St. Louis metropolitan area. Their approach to residential real estate is setting the local real estate market on its ear. They are trailblazers […]

Last month, I met with a prospect where I felt we made a good connection and had a strong shot at earning their business. They interviewed several other agencies. Another firm was selected. (They choose a great independently owned firm in St. Louis, and I know they will receive strong public relations results.) I was […]

In communications, one of the first questions I ask when meeting with prospective clients is, “Who is your target audience?” The second is, “Who is your competition?” The reason that these two questions are asked in tandem is that not all of their competitors are serving the same client base. This month USA Today has […]

Last week, the cashier at the local grocery store kept asking me questions about the food I was purchasing, mainly winter vegetables, as she was running them through the scanner. “What’s this?” “That is a rutabaga.” “I’ve never seen a white carrot.” “That is a parsnip.” “What are these things?” “Those are turnips.” (I like […]

Recently, I have started thinking about the difference between an expert and an experienced professional. There may not be much of a difference by definition. I feel that expert is a person who has reached a pinnacle of his or her career while an experienced professional is one who is continuously learning. Last week, Ed […]

In the August 28-September 3, 2009 issue of the Phoenix Business Journal, Don Henninger, the publisher, had a great topic for his weekly column, “Why nice guys can finish first.” Mr. Henninger wrote about the results of a recent study by the Thunderbird School of Global Management on how workplace incivility costs U.S. companies $300 […]