Idea of the Day: get your company to go incognito...

Here’s a new idea that blends transparency, anonymity and crowdsourcing. But it’s a meritocracy too. What if there were a website that: Encouraged companies to anonymously post a problem and ask for suggestions Allowed anyone to recommend a solution Allowed registered users to create personal profiles and recommend solutions. Encouraged companies to give positive feedback (stars, or a thumbs-up rating) to users...

The turnaround: turning angry customers into brand...

There’s an old marketing adage that says “customers are 10 times as likely to talk about negative experiences as positive interactions.” I learned this in my first semester at college. Yesterday, I witnessed two completely completely different approaches to how a company could resolve this unfortunate but realistic situation. Here’s the full story. Or, if you prefer, here are the highlights from two case...

Ask for What You Want: Corporate transparency or a...

My newest thought leadership essay explores our culture of anonymity, compares the emergence of transparency and wonders what happens when we mash them up. In it I talk about Customer Relationship 101 (and why some people make it to Hollywood), why it’s so important to ask for what we want, dealbreakers and the real way to build rapport. This leads to an observation about the Incognito event at Santa Monica Museum...