Even my wife goes to Home Depot now

Been to Home Depot lately? If not, go and see how a good HR strategy equals a good marketing strategy!  And no, they're not paying me for this.

In the midst of this record heat wave, I got up early to replace a hose so my lawn doesn't burn out, and some weed killer, and Home Depot is conveniently close by. Several years ago, I would drive elsewhere because, IF I could find a clerk, they might have known where these were, IF I could get their attention.

How not to write sales letters

Occasionally I get a sales letter that is so bad I can only scratch my head. Here are extracts from two that inspired me to write this post, in the hopes that none of you will similarly ever waste your resources.

The first was accompanied by a slick (expensive) brochure:

When the tough get going, the going gets tough...

Regardless of which side you are on, the US is clearly in one of the most fundamental debates on the role of government in a long, long time. Passions are high. Rhetoric is flying. Fears abound. Yet neither side wants to budge - 'tough' rules the day.

Which may be the only salvation.

There are no simple solutions left. And the realization is starting to sink in. Lou Gerstner once said, "No institution will go through fundamental change unless it believes it is in deep trouble and needs to do something different to survive." Andy Grove said it differently: "only the paranoid survive."

Survival ruled the day at IBM. It did in Greece. And it will in the US.

The question is, does survival rule the day at your organization?

If not, get tough.