Business Video Roundup: Customer Service, Problem Solving & Narrative Thinking
In this week’s business video roundup, one of Portland’s oldest companies reminds us why customer service will always be one of the biggest keys to success, bestselling author Frank Rose explains why narrative thinking is essential in business marketing today, and Gary Vaynerchuk reveals what he would do if he owned your business (kind of). Plus, Mark Cuban gives a few tips on growing your business post-pandemic, while Brian Tracy runs down his five-step formula to help solve any problem that comes your way.
This Company Has Been Around for 135 Years. The Key to Its Success? Customer Service.
Portland’s oldest awning manufacturer, Pike Awning, has been in business since 1891. In this 12-minute interview, co-owner Andy Spearing reveals that the primary key to Pike Awning’s success and longevity is customer service. “I’d rather lose money than make a customer unhappy,” he says.
Narrative Thinking: Why It’s Critical in Business Today
In this 37-minute discussion from Columbia Business School, Frank Rose argues why the key to persuasion is not reasoning, as many believe, but storytelling. He reveals how most successful businesses and marketers use narrative thinking to build their products and brands. Rose’s upcoming book, The Sea We Swim In: How Stories Work in a Data-Driven World, deals with this subject in even more depth.
What Would GaryVee Do If He Owned Your Business?
From the NoBullCON event, Gary Vaynerchuk answers a wide range of questions about how to build and grow five different businesses. These businesses are in different industries, at different places in their trajectories, and have different end goals in mind. Lots of wisdom dispensed in Gary’s signature no-nonsense fashion.
Inc.: 4 Tips Mark Cuban Says You Must Do to Be Successful
The Shark Tank investor has a few tips for business growth post-pandemic.
Brian Tracy: 5 Step Formula to Solve Any Problem
Brian Tracy reveals his five-step formula for solving virtually any problem. His advice won’t work miracles, but it will help you think critically and solve problems in an orderly fashion.
READ MORE FROM AMERICAN COMMERCIAL CAPITAL
The Bank Said No. Your Growth Doesn’t Have to Wait.
Part of our Honest Answers series — straight talk about financing a growing business.
You did everything right. You landed the bigger customer, won the contract, or saw demand climb faster than you expected. So you went to the bank for a line of credit or a term loan to fund the growth — and the bank said no.
It stings, and it doesn’t always make sense.…
The Growth Trap: How Staffing and IT Firms Run Out of Cash by Winning Great Customers
There’s a particular kind of failure that blindsides good companies. It doesn’t come from losing customers, botching a project, or getting undercut on price. It comes from winning — specifically, from landing the exact large, creditworthy, name-brand customer the founder has been chasing for years. The contract closes, everyone celebrates, and four months later the company can’t make payroll.
We call this the growth trap, and it’s one…
How Much Does Invoice Factoring Cost — and How Is My Rate Determined?
It’s the first question almost every business owner asks us, and it’s the right one to ask: what is this actually going to cost me? A lot of factoring companies get vague here. We’d rather just show you the math.
Here’s the short version, and then we’ll break down every piece of it: most of our clients pay an average discount rate of about 4.4% per invoice, and…
