Stephen is obsessed with ensuring that leaders cost-effectively establish and strengthen long-term profitable relationships by creating positive and consistent customer experiences. So, its no surprise that he is a strong advocate of using technologies, work processes, training and customer engagement strategies to help companies understand just how effective they are at creating positive customer experiences. Listen to BusinessCast episode #155 and build the customer experience that will be the envy of your industry and ensure your continued success.

Tools You Can Use Now: Scattered throughout BusinessCast episodes, we`ve identified several easy-to-use tools to help you get a sense of what your customers are saying about you and the experience you create for them. For example, begin by setting up a Google Alert with the name of your company. Also,  set up a Social Media Alert (from SocialMedia.com) which is just like a Google Alert but taps into the Internet`s prominent social media sites. Finally, use free Twitter search tools (e.g Twazzup) to get a read on your company in real time.

**UPCOMING EVENT FOR ENTREPRENEURS**: MarketingSherpa and MarketingExperiments are hosting a series of one-day seminars across North America. Check out the Online Marketing ROI conference (coming to Toronto on June 10) where you can also win an iPad.

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But, rather than answer all the questions ourselves, for BusinessCast episode #134, we brought in two of the leading trainers of Canada’s growth companies — Andrew Patricio and Roger Pierce — the founders of BizLaunch. Together, the four of us answer questions spanning Marketing, Sales, Human Resources, Finance, Operations and Technology.

Listen to BusinessCast episode #134 and chances are we’ll be answering questions that you frequently face. Also, listen to our recent episode Q&A — Part 1 where we posed a host of other commonly asked questions to our very special guest, Peter Thomas, the founder of Century 21 Realtors.

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Well, the truth of the matter is that all you have to do is open up a newspaper to find instances of business leaders just like you who have suffered great personal and professional losses from not having a current, relevant and flexible continuity plan (i.e. business disaster plan).

That’s why in BusinessCast episode #133 — Be Prepared: Continuity Planning — we reached out to get the most current insights about how and when leaders in growth companies should plan for emergencies. Our guest is American Express’ VP and General Manager, Howard Grosfield. Howard shares with us the results from American Express’ recent cross-Canada research of growing companies’ current state of continuity planning.

Listen to BusinessCast episode #133 and you’ll understand how your emergency planning stacks up against your competitors. At the same time, you will find practical tips for helping you determine how and when to cost-effectively develop a relevant continuity plan for your company.

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That’s why for BusinessCast episode #129, Robert and I sat down with Dr. Ann Cavoukian, the Ontario Privacy Commissioner along with the two co-authors of an exciting new privacy toolkit — aimed squarely at helping entrepreneurs.

Listen to BusinessCast episode #129 and you’ll get a quick grasp of the privacy issues that are relevant to you and get a sneak peak into a practical tool that will help you transform privacy practices into good business.

**Also check out the ThinData-authored Marketer’s PIPEDA Checklist which instantly provides you with three easy-to-use tools to ensure that you comply with Canada’s Federal privacy laws when marketing online.**

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But, here’s a critical technology question that many entrepreneurs have trouble answering: “Are we evaluating, purchasing and integrating our technologies in ways that ensure it is allowing us to focus on our business — rather than on our business technologies?”

So, in BusinessCast #124 — Buying Technology — Robert and I sat down with Marco Nalli from technology innovator and leader Samsung. Marco has an enviable track record as an expert who helps entrepreneurs negotiate the minefield of purchasing technology so that it effectively balances short- and long-term investments, opportunity costs and business goals.

Listen to BusinessCast #124 — Buying Technology — to hone the processes you use to evaluate, purchase and integrate your technologies. That means you’ll keep your attention where it belongs…growing your business.

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After all, you could find yourself thrown into a very tense situation — trying desperately to deal with members of the media, angry clients, disenchanted employees, wary investors, intrusive regulators and other critical stakeholders.

It’s an emotional time and all it takes is saying ONE wrong word and your business can suffer. That’s why in BusinessCast episode #123, Robert and I “pick the brains” of one of the Nation’s leaders on crisis communications. Dr. Allan Bonner and his team have advised Canada’s most senior business leaders, political figures and sports figures to successfully avoid a crisis, deal with a crisis and turn around a crisis to their advantage.

Listen to BusinessCast episode #123 and get some practical insights on how you can make sure that you’re prepared when a crisis hits your business.

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It turns out that one of the fundamentals to determining success or failure hinges on an often unspoken assumption: entrepreneurs equate business success with their wealth. But, what happens when that isn’t the case? What happens when an entrepreneur’s long-term wealth is hampered by their very own life’s work (i.e. their business)?

In BusinessCast #117 — Family. Business. And, Wealth – Robert and I explore how entrepreneurs can ensure long-term wealth by sitting down with Thomas Deans, author of the widely-acclaimed book: Every Family’s Business. Thomas takes a truly practical — and sometimes controversial — approach to ensure that entrepreneurs can build and sustain the wealth they’ve worked so hard to build…even if that means drastically changing their relationship with the business that’s been in their family for generations. While that might sound sacreligious to many, his disciplined approach and rationale is a wake-up call to every entrepreneur.

Whether you’re managing a family business, selling a family business, investing in a family business or purchasing a family business, you’ll want to listen to Thomas’ insights in this episode of the BusinessCast podcast.

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And, we’re always adding to our library of practical business books. In fact, recently, we added several new titles including:

• Business Lessons from the Edge – Learn How Extreme Athletes Use Intelligent Risk Taking to Succeed in Business
• Digital Strategies for Powerful Corporate Communications
  
• Financial Statements Demystified
• Click: Ten Truths for Building Extraordinary Relationships
• Fearless Leadership
• Winning Sales Letters
  
• Every Family’s Business – 12 Common Sense Questions to Protect Your Wealth
• Turn Small Talk Into Big Deals
  

To get any of these free resources,  just send a note to robert@BusinessCast.ca.

Later this week, we’ll be posting an interview with Tom Deans, author of Every Family’s Business. Because this book is focused, practical, easy-to-read and truly universal, it’s become  a “BusinessCast Essential” book — that is, a critical resource that we believe all entrepreneurs should spend time with. Tom takes a fascinating, controversial and unique approach to ensure that every entrepreneur — buying or selling a family business — can retain wealth.

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To answer these questions, in BusinessCast Podcast #106, we sat down with John Loewen, CEO of Loewen & Partners, a specialty private equity investment bank, to help provide clarity about what life is like for entrepreneurs after receiving investment funds. It turns out that this can be a great time — if the “fit” is right. John brings a wealth of experience as well as provides some straight-talk and practical insights.

After listening to BusinessCast Podcast #106, you will be much better informed about what you can expect after you receive investment and therefore when it’s truly the right time for you to seek and secure investment.

When you are ready for investment make sure that you listen to BusinessCast Podcast #74 – Money Magnet -- where we review one of the finest and most effective resources to help entrepreneurs secure investment funding.

Don’t forget to enter the contest to win a Blackberry Bold! All it takes is 100 words (or less) on why a Blackberry Bold will help your business.

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Currently the BusinessCast Podcast ‘Great Book Give-Away‘ includes the following titles — mostly from the folks at McGraw Hill:

• The Four Pillars of Profit-Driven Marketing (2009) – Leslie Moeller and Edward Landry
• Turn Small Talk Into Big Deals (2009) – Don Gabor
  
• How to Talk to Anyone: 92 Little Tricks for Big Success in Relationships (2008) – Leil Lowndes (OUT OF STOCK)
• Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs (2009) – Karen Berman and Joe Knight(OUT OF STOCK)
  
• Sales Coaching: Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach (2009) – Linda Richardson
• The Inspiring Leader (2009) – John Zenger, Joseph Folkman and Scott Edinger
  
• Blogging for Fame and Fortune (2009) – Jason Rich (OUT OF STOCK)
• Business Lessons from the Edge (2009) – Jim McCormick and Maryann Karinch
  
• Smart Networking (2009) – Liz Lynch
• The Customer Rules: The 14 Indispensable, Irrefutable and Indisputable Qualities of the Greatest Service Companies in the World (2009) – C. Britt Beemer and Robert L. Shook
• Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies (2009) – Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff (OUT OF STOCK)
  
• The Extraordinary Leader (2009) – Joseph Zenger & Joseph Folkman
  
• Get Content Get Customers (2009) – Joe Pulizzi and Newt Barrett
• Am I the Only Sane One Working Here (2009) – Albert Bernstein
  
• The Organizational Champion (2009) – Mike Thompson
• The Purpose Linked Organization (2009) – Alaina Love and Marc Cugnon
• Every Family’s Business (2009) – Thomas William Deans
• Performance Intelligence at Work (2009) – Julie Bell
• Databases: A Beginner’s Guide (2009) – Andy Oppel
• Digital Strategies for Powerful Corporate Communications (2009) – Paul Argenti
• Winning Sales Letters (2009) – Ralph Allora
• PowerPoint Presentations That Sell (2009) – Adam Cooper
• Mastering Communication at Work (2009)
• Fearless Leadership (2009) – Loretta Malandro
• Click: 10 Truths for Building Extraordinary Relationships (2009) – George Fraser
• Financial Statements Demystified (2009) – Bonita Kramer and Christine Johnson
• Upstarts: How Gen Y Entrepreneurs Are Rocking the World of Business (2009) – Donna Fenn
  
• Succession and the Family Business (2009) – John Geddes
  
• Loops: The Seven Keys to Small Business Success (2009) – Mike Chaet and Stephen Lundin
  

Some of these books or so new they aren’t even available in stores yet! So, why not get a jump on your competitors by sending an email to Robert (Robert@BusinessCast.ca) to get a FREE copy of one of these business tools.

*Note: These titles are among the BusinessCast Business Book Essentials List.

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