November 2011 - Shawn Casemore | Sales Growth Consultant

Mitigating Mother Nature.

Tis the time of year for inclement weather. Unexpected rain, wind and unfortunately snow, can make for difficult driving conditions. While arriving late for work may not be detrimental to your business, delayed deliveries of freight and other supplies may be. Plan ahead and implement the following three tips to ensure customers remain satisfied despite […]

Why autocratic behaviour will change your channel.

Engaging team members requires a combination of leadership styles, many of which must be customized relative to the individuals with whom you are dealing, and the surrounding circumstances. The least effective approach in virtually all situations is to be autocratic. The Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) represents a very autocratic behavior in how it […]

How would you respond?

I am often asked how to respond to employee concerns to avoid contention. Here are ten typical employee questions and the most appropriate responses: 1. My way. Comment: “This is how we should solve that problem.” Response: “That’s a great idea John, but let’s consider everyones responses before we decide on a solution.” 2. Wrong […]

Your customers first bad experience is their last.

Not enough companies shop their own business to fully experience the level of service (or lack thereof) provided by their staff. Customer retention and business growth is directly related to the customers experience, which you have complete control over, or at least you should. The exception may be some public service organizations which are unionized […]

Shawn’s effective leadership model

How far would you go to help a stranger?

When was the last time you opened the door for a stranger, said “excuse me,” or bought a coffee for a complete stranger? The later may seem far fetched, but not if you consider whether you would give your life for a complete stranger. The value of human life can not be under appreciated. As […]

Labor unrest? Time to break out the crayons.

The City of Toronto is preparing for labor unrest according to a recent article in the Globe and Mail. The issues appear to be the desire on behalf of the company to make significant changes to the collective agreement, a situation not unlike the recently publicized labor disruptions at Air Canada. I am neither for […]

Leadership and the 6 “P’s”

I have identified over the years six fundamental pillars of effective leaders. Having strengths in less than six of these areas is commensurate to an airplane without fuel; one would appear to have the capacity and ability, but unfortunately they will never be able to get off the ground. Shawn’s six “P”s to effective leadership: […]

Transparency; a strategic competitive advantage.

I recently delivered a workshop on transparency to a small group of companies. The discussions generated during the workshop centered around the increased demand for transparency in several key areas: Product/Service origin (labor practices) Environmental Sustainability (eco-friendly products and practices) Product or service origin (community support) Pricing transparency (understanding cost drivers and opportunities for cost […]