Interline

HOW TO LOSE A CUSTOMER

Jim Nowakowski — Tue, 21 May 2013 12:57:18 +0000

Chapter One. Very early in my business I was sitting across from a seasoned magazine sales rep. Our company had just created a methodology for the study of advertising, landed five clients, and we were talking to him about that method, which his boss just purchased . The methodology measures advertising in print with [...]

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THE MASLOW CHALLENGE

Jim Nowakowski — Tue, 14 May 2013 19:22:41 +0000

There’s a lot of smart people in the world. James McQuivey is one of them. He’s top notch and a principal and VP at Forrester Research (http://goo.gl/6hRmC). Actually, he is the foremost analyst tracking and defining the power and impact of digital disruption on traditional businesses. His book, DIGITAL DISRUPTION, is a must read for [...]

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JUST ANOTHER NUMBER

Jim Nowakowski — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 12:00:43 +0000

I’ve always liked to ask, “Why?” I remember as a kid, I’d kept asking why of my Mom, until after a string of “Whys” I would frustrate her so much she would say, “Because I say so!” Then I’d ask again, “Why?” And she’d smack me, or pretend to smack me as I ran out [...]

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GETTING IN THE DOOR

Jim Nowakowski — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 22:34:38 +0000

Our company likes to surprise publishers and reps. When they think they are going to take one of us to lunch, we reverse roles and have lunch for everyone brought in, and then turn the event into an open discussion on issues. It makes for good conversation, sometimes heated, but always stimulating about where we [...]

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WHY YOU SHOULD SHOOT MESSENGERS

Jim Nowakowski — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 13:43:40 +0000

A very respected ex-CFO friend of mine forwards a lot of interesting articles to read. Right after Christmas, this (http://goo.gl/l6yhD) appeared in my e-mail, with the headline, “Bernie Madoff Sent A Letter To CNBC On Christmas Eve.” Now, I have a great respect for my friend. He’s smart, wealthy, knows a lot of the right [...]

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WHAT ARE WE TALKING ABOUT?

Jim Nowakowski — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 14:47:05 +0000

Acceleration in business, while necessary, causes extreme stress, and sometimes painful change – change that doesn’t always turn out for the good. For example, how do you “redefine yourself” when you face unpredictable, complex markets? Can you, in fact, redefine in the face of such conditions? Create a definition, and by definition of business acceleration, [...]

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49 TWEETS INTO THE FUTURE

Jim Nowakowski — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 02:23:35 +0000

Predicting what will happen in business is hard. In the construction business, it’s even harder in today’s economy. The Regional Outlook Conference by McGraw-Hill is one of the events where you get to hear a first-hand view of upcoming trends and economic conditions that will affect construction in the coming year. Presented by Robert Murray, [...]

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PUNCH PRESS

Jim Nowakowski — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 11:03:24 +0000

In manufacturing, 67% of respondents to a Deloitte survey reported moderate to severe shortage of available, qualified workers http://goo.gl/VLJ4g. With our unemployment so high, how can that be? According to Nick Schulz writing in the Wall Street Journal (http://goo.gl/7sASV) simply finding someone who can properly answer the telephone is sometimes a challenge. Schulz referred to [...]

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WHERE’S THE FIRE?

Jim Nowakowski — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 11:00:51 +0000

One of the legends about Nero was that he was fiddling while Rome was burning. People use that story to describe people who, while there’s a fire raging around them, go about their business as if there is no fire. Here is the question: what is a fire in business? If you read our piece, [...]

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THE PROBLEM WITH DOTS

Jim Nowakowski — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 20:42:25 +0000

You probably hear this once a day: “Just connect the dots.” Or, “All you have to do is connect the dots.” But here is the problem with dots: what if you don’t see them all when you start connecting? I was born red-green color blind, but didn’t know it until I got to college. I [...]

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