Results Count ... everything else is conversation.

What’s a name change worth … Results Count!

The shoemaker’s kids finally have some new shoes! 

When you are in a client service business, the focus is rightfully on the clients.  And, when you work with some the largest Fortune 500 companies, there never seems to quite enough time to work on your “own stuff”.  The classic saying is that the “shoemaker’s kids are barefoot and have no shoes.”  Well, 2012 became our year to get new look and a new name.  

5,280 … Miles (Not Feet) From Home

IMS Retail University Heads to the Ukraine

In retail we usually talk about feet, that is, square foot metrics of a retailer.  And, you could say we have walked miles touring retail store fronts and sales floors worldwide.  But not this week, the IMS Retail U “professor” found himself 5, 280 miles from his homeland.  IMS Retail University had the opportunity and pleasure to facilitate several different workshops in Kiev, Ukraine.

Adding up “The 12 Days of Christmas” for 2011

Would you pay less if you purchased the gift list online?   

The Twelve Days of Christmas is an old English Christmas carol that enumerates a list of increasingly grand gifts celebrated across a 12 day span for the Holiday.  Each year, companies like PNC Wealth Management do a price index on what it would cost if you purchased the actual gifts mentioned in The Twelve Days of Christmas carol.  The shift to the internet has been getting a lot of press this holiday season … but would you pay less for the 12 Day gift list online in 2011?

Hitting the pause button … Time to celebrate

The rest of the story to “It shouldn’t have happened” 

I haven’t missed weekly blog post in over 3 years.  Would anyone really miss a Results Count blog this week before the US Labor Day weekend?  I doubt it.  Truth be told, I had severe case of writer’s block as I prepare for this special weekend.  Since blogs are supposed to have a “personal flavor”, this week became an opportunity to share the rest of my story to a post almost a year ago entitled:  "It should not have happened but did”.

Find balance by asking: What should I not do?

Filtering choices is the key to balancing business & life

The full description of this blog site is:  “Methods, insights and conversations that focus on results in business … and life.”  The vast majority of our posts are focused on achieving results that count in business.  It’s definitely time to shift gears and focus on the “business of life”.  Is it possible to achieve work/life balance in today’s hectic world?  Deciding what not to do might be just your most important decision.

It’s not information overload. It’s filter failure.

If your email is overflowing … Alltop maybe your answer 

Ok, you’ve made the commitment to stay current on your industry by subscribing to newsletters, blogs and smartbriefs.  Now when your pour that first cup of coffee you cringe as you open email.  It becomes daunting to even begin drudging through 50, 100 or more emails waiting in your inbox!  How can you keep up to speed without suffering information overload?  Alltop might just be the intelligence filter you are looking for.

Survey Says: Women prefer sex over chocolate

But women would rather have $1000 for “Me-covery” 

Let’s face it … most men are clueless as to what women really want.  So just in time for Valentine’s Day, Saatchi Wellness and Time Inc. have completed a survey on women’s preferences.  The survey results make for an intriguing headline that is impossible to ignore.  But believe it or not, this is also a case of some clever insights and actionable marketing.

I am in the 7% … are you?

50 Life Insights worthy of New Year’s Resolutions 

I always ponder what to write for the last blog of the year.  I could attempt to comment on the tough lessons learned in another tough year of retailing.  Since this blog is about the realities of business and life, I opted instead to look ahead to the New Year, and focus on some profound insights worthy of reflection.  Sometimes you just find something so good that you simply must share with others.

Create some special holiday magic!

The amazing power of personalized experience

Is anyone in the US really working this week … or is everyone wrapping up for the holidays?  Ok, that’s not fair.  I have received a number of emails, and a lot of politically correct “Happy Holidays” e-cards this week.  In the spirit of keeping this post both seasonal and “light”, I want to share the most engaging things I have seen from the web lately.  If you want to touch a child’s life, here’s a way you can literally create holiday magic!

Exceptional Results = Cut the Crap & Data Smog

Recent musings and insights from the VCF Conference

I have written previously about how “smart inventory” requires vendor-retailer partnerships: Sign of the retail times: “Smart Inventory”.  In that post I referenced VCF, an organization focused on best practice solutions for supplier-retailer collaboration.  I recently was invited by the Founder of VCF, Kim Zablocky, to speak at the November Conference.  I had an opportunity to share our IMS work and to meet with attendees to candidly discuss what works, what doesn’t and why.