Nice tea box

Love how this Embassy Suites used this beautiful Tazo tea box to display their less expensive Bigelow tea bags.

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I don't think they really want to sell this

Up at Sam's this nice Range Rover was in the parking lot with a for sale in the windshield, but no phone number. I can't help but wonder if one spouse wants to sell and the other does not. "Yeah, I took it up there and put the sign in the window. I don't know why no one has called. I guess we should keep it."

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SMG FORUM | Quick Overview

One of my favorite conferences for the last three years has been the annual Service Management Group Forum. It's an opportunity to listen to top-notch industry experts share their wisdom about creating the ultimate customer experience, network with other business leaders, and challenge myself to make more of an impact in my own profession. As always, I walked away with some valuable lessons and actionable ideas, and of course, this year I thought, "Hey, I could get an observation paper out of that."

But my first drafts were nothing more than boring book reports. So and so spoke, and they said, "Blah," and I thought, "Wow." It wasn't keen insights worthy of an observation paper; it was more like the dry transcript from a court reporter. So I've gone back through my notes and looked for rare ah-ha's, patterns from one presentation to the next, and points of contradiction. And that's what my next couple of posts will focus on sharing.

In the meantime, here are a few of my favorite quotes from the conference:

“Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence… and having it last into your absence.”

~ Frances X. Frei

"We are striving for perfection, but we'll tolerate excellence."

~ Jeff from Chick-fil-A

"Raving fans are guests who come often, pay full price, and tell their friends."

~ Jeff from Chick-fil-A

"Human beings aren't horses"

~ Daniel Pink

"Collaboration is not a natural process. You have to demand it."

~ Jim Wright CEO of Tractor Supply Company

"The purpose of a business is to get and keep customers."

~ Peter Drucker via Jack Mackey

"Different" by Youngme Moon

This is a great video that makes me want to read the book.



What's your criteria for a great business book? Leave your thoughts in the comments section.