Darin Myers

B2B Stories

Coach Dave Holdeman: The lifeblood of your business

David Holdeman (Coach Dave) has more than 30 years of experience running or partnering in various service businesses. He is the co-owner of the local TAB (The Alternative Board) franchise, specializing in helping small and medium-sized businesses run more efficiently. TAB is a peer-to-peer advisory board helping business owners work through opportunities and issues. For more info, email david@tabcsra.com. Your sales team is the lifeblood of your business. They are your most accessible brand ambassadors and are often, the only points of contact with your customers. They are the people

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Business Coaching

Coach Darin Myers: When your sales process is way too long and how to fix it

A drawn-out sales process can be the downfall of an otherwise healthy business – or at the very least, a huge drain on efficiency and profitability. Slow sales cycles are more expensive than their streamlined counterparts and profoundly impact the cash flow and financial stability of the company due to the delayed influx of sales dollars. Eager customers who find themselves trapped in a slow sales process often lose interest and perhaps look to even higher-priced or lower-quality competitors to fulfill their needs. Even if a drawn-out deal does eventually

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B2B Stories

Coach Darin: Watch out for blind spots in sales

Let’s assume your company employs one or more salespeople who are responsible for generating leads and closing deals. As talented as these sales professionals might be, some “blind spots” in sales always seem to crop up. It’s up to you and your team to beware of those blind spots and take action when they occur. Here are some tips: Don’t rush into the wrong type of sales. Occasions sometimes arise when the potential ROI of a sale is outweighed by the internal costs of production. As we have noted before,

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B2B Stories

Coach Darin: Why exceeding customer expectations is just good business

Customer service as a whole, has taken a substantial hit since 2020. Throughout the pandemic, customers were primarily willing to overlook the often-bumpy service they received, as everyone at that time understood the stressors in the marketplace. Businesses were understaffed. Employees were exhausted. There were supply chain issues. So, yes, the public was rather forgiving of less-than-ideal customer service. We are now mid-2023, and most businesses have rebounded to some semblance of balance and normalcy. Still, all indications point to a continuing drop in overall customer satisfaction. The American Customer

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B2B Stories

Coach Darin: Which technology strategy is most effective for your remote team?

If, like many businesses these days, you employ a cadre of remote workers, it’s imperative to do all you can to support their offsite efforts. That means, providing the best technology available so they can achieve maximum output and productivity. For example, tools like group chat and management software “help keep team members accountable and ensure deadlines are being met,” said Phil Spensieri, TAB Facilitator, adding, “Production often comes down to the tools you give your employees.” Some obstacles occasionally crop up around a remote workforce. Key IT challenges include keeping technology

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Darin Myers

Coach Darin: Seven things even your best employees hate

The employment market has been brutal for most companies and industries at large. While job seekers are certainly also experiencing employment volatility, it still appears that in many ways, the workforce is still holding the best hand in the high-stakes game of acquisition and retention. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, every month between July and November of 2022, more than 4 million American workers quit their jobs. Do the math; that’s over 24 million resignations in just six months. While those numbers have improved somewhat in 2023,

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Darin Myers

Coach Darin: How employee learning and development can boost retention

The ideal employee is an individual who works hard, acts on their own initiative, seeks to be a high-quality team player, and wishes to grow in their career. If you have employees who fit this description, it’s a good bet they would welcome new opportunities to learn and develop their existing skills. As we have noted before, “Employees who see a potential upward career path within your company are more likely to feel engaged than those who see their job as a dead end.” That’s why it’s so important to actively sponsor

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Darin Myers

Coach Darin: When is it time to fire an employee?

Terminating an employee is never fun. Even for the most polished and seasoned business owner, the process of letting someone go is almost universally stressful, unpleasant, and emotionally challenging. Nobody wants to be the bearer of bad news or the person that squashes someone’s career goals, but as the leader of your organization, it is imperative that you lean on objectivity to guide you in the firing process. Telltales of an Unsustainable Employee While no two situations are identical, there are common signs that a worker just might not be

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Business Coaching

Coach Darin: How to tackle skills gaps in the workplace

Finding the right candidates for your open positions is hard enough, given current labor conditions. The challenge becomes more pressing when you hire a talented individual, only to find out they lack some mission-critical skills needed for continued productivity. That’s where the notorious “skills gap” comes into play. The term is pretty much self-explanatory. When workers lack the relevant skills, businesses face some serious problems. According to the Fellow Blog, a skills gap “is often signaled by a productivity loss, a loss in morale, higher turnover rates, a lack of problem-solving abilities,

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Business Coaching

Coach Darin: How to tackle skills gaps in the workplace

Finding the right candidates for your open positions is hard enough, given current labor conditions. The challenge becomes more pressing when you hire a talented individual, only to find out they lack some mission-critical skills needed for continued productivity. That’s where the notorious “skills gap” comes into play. The term is pretty much self-explanatory. When workers lack the relevant skills, businesses face some serious problems. According to the Fellow Blog, a skills gap “is often signaled by a productivity loss, a loss in morale, higher turnover rates, a lack of problem-solving abilities,

Read More »