by Lea Strickland | Oct 2, 2025 | Business Growth, Customer Relationships, Small Business
Customer retention is the backbone of sustainable growth for small businesses. Keeping existing customers engaged is not only more cost-effective than acquiring new ones, but it also boosts profitability—studies show that a 5% increase in retention can lift profits by...
by Lea Strickland | Aug 12, 2025 | Business Articles, Business Growth, C.O.R.E. Business System, Customer Relationships
As business owners, we are all familiar with interruptions, especially those of the unwelcome variety. Think about it: you’re enjoying your favorite TV show, and suddenly, an emergency broadcast interrupts with an amber alert or a weather warning. For some,...
by Lea Strickland | Jun 21, 2025 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Plans, Customer Relationships, Operations
Onshoring Customer Service and Beyond In an era where global supply chains, outsourcing, and offshoring have become the norm, many businesses are beginning to look closer to home for key operational functions, including customer service, manufacturing, and...
by Lea Strickland | May 22, 2025 | Business Articles, Customer Relationships, Operations, Resources, Vendor Relations
The Challenge of Punctuality A Missed Appointment You set an appointment with a vendor for a meeting via telephone call for 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday. At 9:24 a.m., they still haven’t called. You attempt to contact them. You have provided the number they are to call. You...
by Lea Strickland | Sep 23, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, Competitiveness, Customer Relationships, Marketing, Sales and Business Development, Resources, Results, Visibility
These days the term “organic” seems ubiquitous. Organic has come to mean more than the traditional dictionary definition. In this instance, I want to talk about organic growth as it relates to a natural process that is without direct intervention or influence....
by Lea Strickland | Sep 1, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, Business Plans, Capability, Customer, Customer Relationships, Entrepreneur, Operations, Resources, Viability
Does your day start something like this? “How are you today?” “Fine.” This is a typical exchange that occurs for most of us daily. A variation is going to a networking event or business function and “How’s business?” “Fine.” But is your business really FINE?...
