Don’t be fooled — there isn’t just one magic question that executives need to ask customers in order to grow.

John H. Fleming, Coauthor of “Manage Your Human Sigma” (Harvard Business Review, July-August 2005) says:
Every so often, an idea comes along that, on the surface, seems so compelling and simple that we’d be surprised if it weren’t true. Just such an idea — that there exists a single question that business leaders should ask their customers in order to grow — has been put forward by Frederick Reichheld. Read the rest of the article …

At NineMSN here in Australia, in the last 6 months the following brains have left the organisation:

• CEO
• CTO
• CFO
• Marketing Director.
• National Sales Manager
• Executive Producer (News & Sport)
• Executive Producer (Sport)
• Head of Search
• Producer (Sport)
• Senior Copy Editor (7+ years @ ninemsn)
• Multimedia Producer (5+ years)
• The entire sports team (20 years experience) left to competitors in < 2 months
• Producer of Hotmail, Messenger and Spaces

Nearly every person on that list has 5+ years experience @ ninemsn. Combined, it’s a total of 80+ years.

More here …

… 2006 has been a busy year of events, publishing, clients and pro bono engagements.

My new book WOMBAT Selling: How To Sell By Word of Mouth (Hardie Grant) is selling well with another one on the way. If you’d like some holiday reading you can download a copy here with my compliments.

There have been some great clients and events this year including the AMP Offshore in Amsterdam; CPA Conference in Brisbane; Masterclasses at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre; Australia Post; Fernwood; Flight Centre; Think Appliances; Telstra and Aussie Bodies plus pro bono engagements for Melbourne Grammar School, Marie Stopes International in Sri Lanka; Yellow Ribbon; Lord Somers Camp and Victoria University.

In November, the School of Thinking celebrated its 27th Anniversary and ‘Thinking’ is now on the curriculum in Victorian schools and other states are about to follow. Also, planning has begun for the World Thinking Congress which we will host in the new 5000 seat Melbourne Convention Centre and the date is set for August 2010.

May I say thank you for your interest in my work and I do wish you a very happy and peaceful holiday season with a bright and productive new year for you in 2007.

I also look forward to seeing you if you are attending the 20th MEA National Conference in April 2007, Hobart, where I will be a keynote speaker.

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• Themes, Topics, Conferences, Seminars, Speaker, Trainer, Thinker, MC, Guru, Coach.

THINK • Lateral Thinking; Creative Thinking; Innovation; Strategic Thinking.
SELL • Newsell vs Oldsell; Entrepreneurship; Customer Service; Word-of-Mouth
LEAD • Strategy vs Tactics; Training Trainers; Succession; Chivalry; Philanthropy.

VIDEO LECTURES:
• http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8711542767099301869
• http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1914750376913106627