“Jer, please tell my new assistant your story.” The Costco buyer made this request to start the meeting.

Jerry Swain, CEO and founder of Jer’s Chocolates, smiled at his VP of Sales. It was done: They were going to land distribution in Costco, one of the biggest whales in all of retailing. Put a fork in it. Book it.

How did Jerry know? Because they weren’t being asked about … continue reading

1: “Too many companies never take a moment to nail down what they learned and, as a result, are doomed to repeat mistakes or let up on what has been working,” write Mark Moses, Craig Coleman, Chris Larkins, and Don Schiavone in Making Big Happen: Applying The Make Big Happen System to Grow Big.

This week, we’ve been looking at the critical importance of an annual … continue reading

“Agreement is optional; commitment is not.” 

This is Ground Rule #1 for the annual planning session, write Mark Moses, Craig Coleman, Chris Larkins, and Don Schiavone in Making Big Happen: Applying The Make Big Happen System to Grow Big.

Yesterday, we looked at how to prepare for our annual planning session. Today, we look at the specific elements of a successful meeting.

Which starts with establishing … continue reading