Manifast

Blog posts related to the Manifast Now mission: business education and solutions.

1 Dec 2014

5 Things I Learned About Customer Retention Just by Eating Dinner

By |2017-04-03T11:02:55-06:00December 1st, 2014|Categories: Current Events, Manifast|

We’ve all had that less than memorable customer experience. Slow or wrong order. Late project delivery. How your staff deals with it is just as important as fixing the mistake. It all starts at the top.

By Barbara Abramson

Restaurant Manager Bad Customer ServiceMy husband and I recently stopped for dinner at a local eatery that had gluten-free options. The chain is a step-down of a national chain, but not quite fast food. You order at the counter, are given a number for your table and servers bring your food to you.

The food is […]

20 Nov 2014

Why Lack of Clarity On Your Vision Will Get You What You DON’T Want

By |2017-04-12T12:39:22-06:00November 20th, 2014|Categories: Business Strategy, Leadership, Manifast|

Vision Clarity Intent Decisions Foggy Road

You are driving down a country road in the foggy, wintry weather with no map, no GPS and no compass. You reach a crossroads. Do you go straight? Do you turn left or right? Do you drive fast or slow?

In this post by our very special guest, Dixie Gillaspie, she shows us the value in not driving your business blind.

“If you don’t know where you are going, any road will take you there.”

By Dixie Gillaspie

In my “former life” of business consulting, we talked […]

19 Nov 2014

The Golden Rule and Influence

By |2017-04-03T11:03:25-06:00November 19th, 2014|Categories: Current Events, Manifast|

“Your influence is determined by how abundantly you place other people’s interests first.”

~ The Go-Giver by Bob Burg and John David Mann

In Brittany Leung’s debut post here, she explores how the basic rule she learned as a child applies more now than ever.

By Brittany Leung

The Golden Rule and Business SuccessI’m realizing that as much as there is to learn about business, there is one component that is foundational and critical to the success of any company.

This single element is so basic that most people overlook it and never apply it.

The Golden Rule

As […]

18 Nov 2014

Tick Tock, Punching The Clock: How To Engage A Team

By |2017-04-03T11:03:35-06:00November 18th, 2014|Categories: Dream Teams, Leadership, Manifast|Tags: , , , , , |

Three of the top reasons people feel disengaged at work include: don’t like their boss, don’t feel connected with other employees and don’t feel they matter. In this post connection expert and coach Barbara Abramson shows you some ways to engage your team and turn this around.

By Barbara Abramson

Disengaged Employees Bored Team PresentationI used to work for a media company that was divided into several autonomous departments, each overseen by a mid-level manager who reported to the division manager.  We operated pretty independently of each other and were in essence, our own […]

17 Nov 2014

Why Manifast Now? The Official Launch

By |2017-04-12T12:43:22-06:00November 17th, 2014|Categories: Manifast|Tags: , , , , , |

Several months ago (my how time flies), I had decided that we need to launch a blog that was a little different from my personal blog.

That time has come.

Well in reality this blog doesn’t look terribly different from the brand new look on my personal blog.

But looks can be deceiving.

We’ve decided to keep a consistent brand across all of our sites so looks alone are not the difference.

It is the character, format and content that will be a bit different.

My personal blog will keep going as a place for me to write […]

6 Nov 2014

Sorry, I Prefer the Dishonest Feedback

By |2017-04-12T12:42:45-06:00November 6th, 2014|Categories: Dream Teams, Leadership, Manifast|

Business Feedback with 2 People

Be careful what you ask for. Some folks are way too happy to dish it out!

 Most of us crave feedback and validation of ourselves, our work and our art. We seek it out either by overtly asking, or through self-deprecation, and we always hope the response will be, “You rocked it!”

The more we are putting it out there and pushing ourselves out of our comfort zone, the more we crave that validation, and the more it leaves us vulnerable to receiving (and believing) destructive […]

16 Sep 2014

Trust is the Real Success Accelerator

By |2017-04-12T13:03:09-06:00September 16th, 2014|Categories: Business Strategy, Current Events, Manifast, Sales|

“All things being equal, people will do business with and refer business to those people they know like and trust.” Bob Burg and John David Mann – The Go-Giver

At first glance the Go-Giver is a book about sales.The Go-Giver

I agree. Following The 5 Laws will help you sell more.

The Laws apply to life and business as well.

Because they are largely about being human, building relationships and putting the interests of others first while being open to receiving.

We are focused on Joe and how his story relates to us.

But there is another […]

8 Aug 2014

3 Key Business Lessons From DIY Projects

By |2017-04-03T11:20:14-06:00August 8th, 2014|Categories: Business Strategy, Doug's Blog, Leadership, Manifast|

The Home DIY Project

At our last house I built a big cedar pergola on our wooden (untreated spruce) 2×4 deck we inherited. I made the pergola only using screws and bolts (no nails) in case I ever needed to repair it. Just prior I had stained the deck with 5 year deck stain. I figured it would last at least 3 years. 

Deck and Clematis DIY Project
The Finished Project

I was wrong.

It started […]

6 Aug 2014

Change Your Focus to Client Value

By |2017-04-12T13:01:47-06:00August 6th, 2014|Categories: Business Strategy, Manifast, Sales|

Maybe you just lost a big client or didn’t win a big proposal. Maybe you are just getting going in your business.

What is the first reaction when you have a cash flow shortage in your business?

If you are like 99% of people your first reaction is “I need more money, fast. How do I quickly get more money?”

You’ve now shifted the focus to you.

Not your client.

I recently caught myself thinking something like this. “How do I make another $10,000 dollars per month?”

If you go to try and sell something in this frame of mind, it will probably not go well. […]

19 May 2014

The 80/20 Go-Giver

By |2017-04-03T11:04:31-06:00May 19th, 2014|Categories: Manifast, Marketing, Sales|

Pareto 80-20 Rule

In this guest post by Certified Go-Giver Coach, Doug Wagner, the very wise and successful entrepreneur takes inspiration from a book by Perry Marshall. Here, he looks at the famous “Pareto Principle” (a/k/a, “the 80/20 rule”), applying it to The Go-Giver and one’s overall business success.

Enjoy Doug’s wisdom! – Bob Burg

 

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I recently read 80/20 Sales and Marketing by Perry Marshall and decided to apply some of […]