If you’re at all familiar with my columns, you know one of the drums I beat regularly is the importance of follow-up —whether you’re trying to win new clients or take care of the ones you already have. Closely tied to that is my frequent soapbox about CRM systems — client relationship management — and […]

I’m sure some rAVe readers know me as “the guy with all the aphorisms.” To be fair, not all of them are aphorisms — some are metaphors, others are sports analogies. But I digress. Not every saying I bust out — here or in person — is a favorite. Some I don’t particularly care for, […]

There’s an old expression I’m sure you’ve all heard that goes, “It’s not what you say but how you say it.” No one likes receiving bad news, and sometimes there’s no alternative: You just have to give it to them straight. That said, there’s always room for nuance. I’m going to bring up a very […]

It’s hard to believe that it’s already August. July just sort of sped past. As the saying goes, time flies when you’re having fun. Part of the reason why July flew by so fast was that it was Stampede season: the Calgary Stampede. This time of year most of my clients who have branches in […]

With the holiday season in full swing, my dealer partners are in the middle of one of two modes, depending on which channel their core business is in. The retailers are nose-down, hard at work to maximize their revenue between the just-passed Black Friday and the still-to-come Boxing Day. Meanwhile, my B2B dealers, who focus […]

The Germans always have the best words for everything. In particular, “schadenfreude” is a real banger. If you don’t know, it means “enjoying the misfortunes of others.” I bring this up because we all love talking about work problems — ours and other people’s. Often, we’re all gossiping about the not-perfect clients who range on […]