Lessons learned from my former head coach Don James

Coach James was a phenomenal influence on my life.  He taught be so much about life, dedication and achieving success.  He taught by example and setting systems that everyone had to follow to win championships.  The following are observations made during my time there.  Great lessons for all businesses.  

• Setting high goals, no matter how absurd they may be at the time, will result in levels of success that you never expected.
• As a team leader, success comes from surrounding yourself with outstanding people.  The exec should coach the coaches and hold them accountable.  James used to have a wooden plaque on his desk that read: “It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.”
• Time management and attention to detail gives you the edge you need to win when things get complicated. He was the most detail-oriented person I’ve ever met. I’ve worked in the business world for 36 years, and no one comes close. When I became a graduate-assistant coach, Coach James instructed me on the correct way to staple a game plan: upper left corner, one quarter inch from the top, parallel with the top line of the page.
• Never stand in the way of letting good people advance their careers. Highly qualified prospective candidates will see this and they will want to join your team.
• Always teach and coach in a positive manner. Desired behaviors are established quicker when people are receiving positive reinforcement and believe they are getting better.
• It’s OK for people bring you bad news. No penalties. If bad news and potential problems are withheld, then you won’t know what problems you need to fix.
• You don’t have to be considered a pleasant, approachable person to be successful or engender admiration, loyalty and respect.  The only similar person I’ve ever met was a pretty successful guy – Lou Gerstner, former CEO of IBM.

The Rise of Social Commerce

For too long, e-commerce has been all about how fast a customer can get in and out of a site to complete a purchase. Immediate gratification has helped turn Amazon into a retail giant. But now, companies are trying a new approach — social commerce. 

Social commerce is all about inspiration and product discovery. Sites like Pinterest, Wanelo, OpenSky, and others are more like digital catalogs or virtual malls where shoppers can browse and connect with people interested in the same products and brands. But entrepreneurs and retailers are anxious to transform that interest into sales. 

In a new report from BI Intelligence, we analyzed the most recent data and spoke to leaders in the social commerce space to understand how their companies are adding value at different stages of the retail and e-commerce process. To do so they're building social networks around e-commerce platforms, partnering with brands, or otherwise transforming social commerce's strengths in Pinterest-style digital window-shopping into a clear value proposition.

Access The Full Report, Graphics, And Data By Signing Up For A Free Trial Today >>

Here's how social commerce companies are driving sales: 

• It's not about click-to-buy: Social commerce is not simply transactional — it's not just about offering a click-to-buy link next to an offer on Facebook. Social commerce will never be what some have wanted it to be, an "Amazon killer." It will be about enveloping the shopper in an experience, akin to a digital catalog or a virtual shopping mall. 
• What will help social commerce grow as a sales driver? The key is to help connect the funnel end-to-end, or to connect different mediums — say, social media and TV — to help coax a consumer down the funnel. The shopper may not buy the first time, but social commerce will become a valuable link in the chain. 
• There are a few ways to encourage purchases: Retargeted advertising may be one missing link. It enables social commerce to connect the sales funnel from end-to-end by serving ads that remind users of products they have browsed across the Web but have not yet purchased. So far, only Facebook has developed this capability.
• Also: Clever merchandising and user interfaces allow for sticky merchant-to-consumer relationships that can help nudge a consumer toward purchase over time. 
• Finally, referrals shouldn't be discounted: Another solution is for social commerce to develop as a sales referral engine, and take a cut of the sales. If social commerce sites have a large enough audience, even a low referral and conversion rate will result in a good revenue stream. But tracking needs to improve. 

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/the-rise-of-social-commerce-2013-10#ixzz2hnzn7kSV