Author Archives: Harry K. Jones

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.

Are Your Customer Service Efforts Ship Shape?

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I’ve been invited to fly out to Los Angeles in a few weeks to join Keri Newell’s “Can’t Succeed Without It” Dream Team to offer tips, tools and strategies to small businesses and entrepreneurs who are striving to succeed in today’s chaotic and competitive environment.

The event will be held at the beautiful Luxe Hotel in L.A. on May 19 from 8 a.m. until 4 pm.

I love the title Keri came up with. It’s certainly good advice:

Get Your SHIP Together … “Keep Your Clients!”

Short, to the point, and certainly words of wisdom for anyone seeking success today.

We’ve invested a lot of time and effort creating content for this event, and I’ve struggled as to where the focus should be.

While many strategies are evident and often very simplistic as demonstrated by leaders in every industry today, it’s often a real challenge to get people to apply them.

Maybe it simply sounds too simplistic. I’m not sure why so many hesitate to apply proven principles … especially when all else is obviously not providing desired outcomes.

Let me give you an example. Take a look at this video … but only after considering this warning! What you’re going to see is NOT new. It’s been around a long time and has proven to be successful time and time again. However, before you dismiss it for those reasons, consider the fact that you seldom see it being practiced.

Worthy of note, those who DO practice these principles have evolved as leaders in their industries. Why then don’t others follow suit? Reveal an answer to that question, and you’ll have a “best seller” on your hands.

As you watch this video, try to think of the last time you saw any of these principles put into practice any place you visit as a customer. It’s simply NOT being done at a time when those in business should be willing to try anything to succeed.

If YOU simply follow the obvious advice offered in this short video, you’ll be well ahead of your competition today. If you choose not to follow this advice, you’d better hope your competition makes the same decision!

Today, you’re either making dust or eating dust … the choice is yours!

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.

What’s It Going to Take?

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How many examples do we have to see before we realize that customer service is rapidly going the way of the family dinners and roof-top TV antennas?

Not only is it disappearing … it’s becoming a joke of sorts. Late night comedians share examples of poor or non-existent customer service on a regular basis. It makes headline news almost daily. Sadly, we’re beginning to accept this unfortunate trend as commonplace!

Last week, two of our nation’s largest casual dining chains—Applebee’s and Olive Garden—accidentally served alcohol to young children. A 15-month-old boy’s sippy cup was filled with margarita mix and alcohol rather than apple juice! In another case, a 2-year-old was served alcoholic sangria rather than orange juice! Either of these incidences could have been disastrous! These two examples are said to be just the tip of the iceberg for the country’s $604 billion restaurant industry at a time when they struggle to overcome the effects of a staggering economy.

The National Restaurant Association reports that more than 150 million meals are served daily in the U.S. How many examples such as these have gone unreported? Restaurant and PR consultants suggests that restaurants must “Retrain Staff” and “Rethink Policies.” Think about that suggestion for just a moment. What does that say of current training and existing policies? I’m afraid it’s going to take more than just that.

Excellent customer service must become an essential element of the culture of any business that strives for success in today’s chaotic and competitive environment!

This issue can be a life-and-death challenge if not taken seriously. Consider the possible outcomes of the above examples alone. And it’s not just one industry facing this challenge.

All of a sudden, air traffic controllers are in headlines from coast to coast, and it’s not good news. They’re falling asleep on the job, ridiculously undermanned in the towers, poorly trained, and even playing video games while directing flights. The FAA reported this week that air-traffic errors have risen 81%! 1,800 errors by air-traffic controllers were reported last year! Consider the lives, both in the air and on the ground, that are in jeopardy as a result of these figures!

A recent three-year study by the National Federation of Independent Business revealed that businesses that focused on customer service were more successful than their price or product-minded competitors.

Where is YOUR focus and what are the future consequences, good or bad, of that focus? Give it some serious thought before it’s too late!

Our Customer Service Training campaign continues across the country. Join us in focusing on this critical issue!

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.

Revelations Surround Us

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Let me begin by defining the word “revelation”: Webster says it is “something revealed or disclosed, especially a striking disclosure, as of something not before realized.”

Now … do revelations actually surround us? I may have contested that fact at one point—until recently. I now totally believe it and have added a very unique, crucial element to my daily existence as a result of that belief.

I certainly can’t speak for others, but I believe those revelations have always surrounded me. I simply didn’t acknowledge them for several reasons:

  1. too busy
  2. lack of proper focus
  3. chaos
  4. lack of awareness
  5. and probably others that I’m unaware of!

My turning point? A simple 2:49 video clip brought to my attention by a long-time client. This short clip left me dumbfounded! It made me consider so many things I had never given thought to over the decades.

It made me think about how many people I come into contact with on any given day and the thought that every single one of them has their own story. All these years, I’ve never even seen these people I come into contact with. They come. They go. Just a blur. A single second in my long, challenging day. Until I saw this video.

Now, through a single re-frame, my day has decelerated—yet I’ve lost no time or production. I now look closer at those around me. I make more eye contact. I talk less and listen more. I wonder about their story. I even strive to learn some of them. It’s made a difference in how I view people, actions and situations. It’s affected outcomes. It’s been an asset I wish had discovered many years ago. I’m sure it would have made a difference in so many ways.

Invest two minutes and forty-nine seconds of your time to watch this short video. It’s self-explanatory! It may be the best investment you ever made! If you like it, share it. You’ll be glad you did. I am.

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.

How Important Is Branding?

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Branding has been around forever. You’ve seen their logos and mascots, heard their slogans, sang along with their jingles, and viewed their commercials. They come and go in today’s competitive business world at the whim of the general public. Or so it seems.

The truth concerning longevity actually lies in the hands of the organization creating and promoting a particular brand. The extent to which they endear themselves to consumers will determine the success and life span they’ll enjoy.

Billions of dollars are spent every year in the development, promotion and support of powerful brands worldwide. While many are shared globally, others target small regional markets. Regardless, they can mean life or death for the product and/or service they represent.

It’s truly amazing how many people will make a purchase based on their knowledge and comfort level with a “brand.” Many often feel as though they know the brand intimately while, in fact, they know little. That’s the power of the “brand.”

How much do you know about the following well-known brands?

Xerox

Headquartered in Norwalk, CT, and with 136,000 employees in 160 countries, the name “Xerox” has become synonymous with photocopiers and the act of photocopying. The century-old company invented the first electro-photography plain paper photocopier. Xerox is in the top 200 of the Fortune 500 and remains a well-known brand globally. The company’s revenue was $15.2 billion in 2010, with just over $7 billion (46%) coming in from outside of the United States.

Yahoo!

Founded in 1994, Yahoo! was one of the first major web portals. Surviving the burst of the dot-com bubble, Yahoo! is the second largest search engine in the U.S. behind Google. Yahoo!, as of 2010, had the largest market share of online display advertising in the world, according to JP Morgan.

Headquartered in Sunnyvale, California (in the Silicon Valley), Yahoo! provides services via the Internet worldwide. Last year Yahoo! boasted sales of $6.3 billion … 33% of those sales being international. Yahoo! has been one of the most visited websites on the Internet, with more than 130 million unique users per month in the United States alone. As of October 2007, the global network of Yahoo! receives 3.4 billion page views per day on average, making it one of the most visited U.S. websites.

MTV

The original idea for MTV was created by Mike Nesmith, one of the members of the created-for-TV rock group The Monkees in the 70s. He sold the concept of the 24-hour TV music channel to Time-Warner. It actually hit the airways in 1981 and has since grown into an international media giant.

According to current owner Viacom, the channel reached approximately 99 million television households within the United States last year, producing $13.4 billion in sales. On an international level, MTV Networks’ operations reached approximately 635 million households in more than 160 countries last year. MTV has also expanded into film with its MTV Films division, which has produced such popular films as Zoolander and Jackass.

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.

Why Doesn’t Anyone Take Customer Service Seriously?

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The following information has been circulating for decades. It certainly isn’t new and, at first glance, appears to be nothing more than common sense. BUT WAIT! Before dismissing this potentially game-changing advice, consider the fact that it’s just the opposite of common sense — it’s Uncommon sense!

I challenge you to mentally review the last five service interactions you’ve experienced (theater, restaurant, hotel, airport, retail store, etc.). Did you hear any one of the ten following phrases? Could it have made a difference in your level of satisfaction had you heard one or more of these phrases? Think about it. Seriously. Then answer those few critical questions at the end of this page.

Ten Phrases That Will Make Your Customers Feel Loved

The 10 most important words: “I apologize for our mistake. Let me make it right.”
(When something goes wrong, most people just want to be heard and acknowledged. So listen, apologize, then ask what you can do to make it right!)

The 9 most important words: “Thank you for your business. Please come back again.”
(Repeat customers cost much less than new customers and are also more loyal!)

The 8 most important words:  “I’m not sure, but I will find out.”
(It’s ok if you don’t know the answer; it’s not ok to make the customer keep searching for it. That’s your job!)

The 7 most important words:  “What else can I do for you?”
(Be prepared to go the extra mile; there is less competition there!)

The 6 most important words:  “What is most convenient for you?”
(Your customers will be pleasantly surprised when you ask what’s convenient for them!)

The 5 most important words:  “How may I serve you?”
(This question reinforces your role in the relationship. Play that role the best you can!)

The 4 most important words:  “How did we do?”
(Feedback is critical! Your customers have a unique perspective and they appreciate being asked!)

The 3 most important words:  “Glad you’re here!”
(Customers who feel welcome spend more time, more money and are more likely to return!”)

The 2 most important words: “Thank you!”
(Basic manners … but how often do you get thanked when you are the customers?)

The MOST important word: “Yes!”
(Become a “yes” person! Make things happen for your customers, and they will make things happen for you!)

Here’s a perfect example of many people knowing something while few people practice it.

  • How many times have you heard any of those phrases as a customer?
  • How many times have you sincerely used any of those phrases with your customers?
  • How many times have your employees sincerely used any of those phrases with your customers?
  • How many of your customers would appreciate hearing those phrases?

Maybe now is the time to start. Now the choice is yours. Delight your customers, grow your business, and enhance your profitability. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.

I Must Admit I Can’t Keep Up!

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I finally have to throw in the towel. I’ve had it. I can no longer keep up with the unbelievably rapid change in my life today. Just about the time I master what I thought was a real challenge, five more appear in my life! I’m exhausted just thinking about the changes we’ll be facing in the next five years.

I lost my grandfather 35 years ago. I seriously cringe at the thought of having to explain to him, should he come back for a visit today, even a few of the many changes which have occurred over those years. I wouldn’t know where to start.

However, I know it’s not just me. I observe many others struggling as well. On the other hand, I’m amused and impressed at how many people adapt so quickly and comfortably to any change they may encounter. Maybe you’re one of those fortunate “adapters” and don’t even realize it. Check out the following list to discover your current status. Answer honestly.

YOU KNOW YOU’RE LIVING IN 2011 WHEN …

1. You accidentally enter your PIN on the microwave.

2. Your grandmother clogs up your e-mail inbox asking you to send her a JPEG file of your newborn so she can create a screen saver.

3. You didn’t give your valentine a card this year, but you posted one for your e-mail buddies via a web page.

4. Your daughter sells Girl Scout Cookies via her web site.

5. You text your son to let him know it’s time to eat. He returns a text back from his bedroom asking, “What’s for dinner?”

6. You haven’t played solitaire with real cards in years!

7. You chat on-line regularly with strangers all over the country, but you haven’t spoken to your next-door-neighbor in over a year.

8. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of 4.

9. You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see if anyone is home.

10. You e-mail your colleague at the desk next to you to ask if they’re ready to go to lunch.

11. Your reason for not staying in touch with friends is that they do not have an e-mail address.

12. You hear most of your jokes via e-mail rather than in person.

13. Every commercial on television has a web-site address at the bottom of the screen.

15. You buy a computer and a week later it’s out of date and now sells for half the price you paid.

16. You consider second-day air delivery painfully slow.

17. Leaving the house without your cell phone, which you didn’t even have the first 20, 30 (or 60) years of your life, is now a cause for panic and you turn around to go back and get it.

18. You get up in the morning and go online before getting dressed for work.

19. You’re reading this and nodding and laughing.

20. Even worse, you know exactly to whom you are going to forward this message.

21. You are too busy to notice there was no #14 on this list.

22. You actually scrolled back up to check that there wasn’t a #14 on this list.

How’d you do?

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

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We’ve watched the majority of airlines discover unique ways of adding to their coffers … charging for extra bag fees, window and aisle seats, WiFi, movies, snacks, blankets, additional leg room, and boarding sequence to name just a few. There’s serious talk now about charging bathroom use and overhead bins.

Apparently, it’s worked so well for airplanes that the airports are jumping on the bandwagon in their search for potential revenue generators. I’ve recently witnessed a number of terminals that are placing ads in the bins used for transporting our belongings through security X-ray machine.

Now, they’re attempting to sell ads to companies that are willing to pitch their products and services to travelers in the bathrooms! They’ve recently rolled out a campaign using 150 mirror ads at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago. In the future. the man in the bathroom mirror could be someone trying to sell you car insurance or deodorant.

When a traveler walks into select airport bathrooms, he or she will see movie poster-style ad displays over the sinks. Some are still images, while other are high definition videos.

As a traveler walks to the sink to wash his or her hands, the full-frame ads shrink into the corner to “reveal” a mirror.

Brian Reid, the founder and president of Mirrus, the company that manufactures the mirror ads, says:

“Bathrooms are often the last places people stop before they board an airplane, and the first places they visit when they get off an airplane.”

Reid says sensors detect when a traveler steps in front of the mirror and track how long they stand there, but no cameras watch or record reactions to the mirror ads.

Thus far, some pretty big advertisers have signed up, including Pepsi, Geico, Illy coffee, Microsoft, Dove, Spanx and Zappos.com. Airports share in the ad revenues and virtually do little or nothing to maintain the new source of advertising.

Mirror ads are also being used in sports arenas across the country, venues where there are only two places people are guaranteed to visit: their seat and the bathroom.

According to Clear Channel, market research suggests consumers remember brands advertised in mirrors at a rate of five times greater than other methods of advertising. The location of the mirror ads also allows advertisers to target gender-specific audiences.

Take a look at this short video and see how you feel about this newest attempt to make a buck at the expense of your privacy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9J5rygMNFw

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.

Chicken or the Egg?

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The more I search this nation for examples of superior customer service, the more I find just the opposite.

What in the world has happened to the concept of people taking pride in their products, services, and the company for which they work? It’s fast becoming a thing of the past!

Then, of course, when I least expect it … out of nowhere … emerges a perfect example that restores my faith in what can and is being done to raise the bar in a crucial area which is quick becoming a dying art … customer care, concern and service!

The week between Christmas and New Year’s Eve is seldom a favorite choice for organizations to offer training to their employees. It’s simply a hectic, transitional, and often stressful time that many consider non conducive to employee training.

However, this past holiday season I had the opportunity to spend a training day with an organization whose unconventional thinking has continued to pay off in the areas of growth, productivity, and continued success!

Due to the nature of its business, you may not have heard of this organization, but EBS Healthcare is the global leader in birth to 21-year-old programs and the largest provider of services to the pediatric population. It constantly demonstrates an unparalleled commitment to providing the highest quality services, training, mentorship, and support. It is known for its dedication in advancing the field and its passion for developing the best and brightest clinicians possible. Through its family of services it is positively impacting the lives of children. Its comprehensive programs include:

  • Speech-Language Pathology
  • Occupational Therapy
  • Physical Therapy
  • Special Education
  • School Psychology
  • Nursing

This particular seminar was my third opportunity to work with this unique Pennsylvania-based organization as I have spent time with them in Florida and Las Vegas over the past few years. On each occasion, I discovered more interesting aspects of this culture of pride, enthusiasm, focus on quality and growth, and a rare dedication to the satisfaction of each and every client it serves.

When you walk into a room where members of this organization are gathered, you can feel it in the air, hear it in the words, see it on the faces, and marvel at the results. What is it that thrives within a culture like this? What makes them stand out from the rest? There are others who posses these qualities and traits, but they are far and few between.

I guess sharing another day in this environment led me to the age-old question I posed in the title of this article. “What came first?… the chicken or the egg?”

Here’s an organization that already boasts “Raving Fans” all over the globe.

Its continuous training efforts continue to spark its growth and success.

They respect and cooperate with one another as a team at levels I seldom see.

They listen to and communicate with their clients for the benefit of everyone involved.

And yet they still assemble regularly in training sessions similar to the one I facilitated to enhance and support their efforts in all of the crucial areas noted above.

Obviously, they’re already doing these things and doing them better than most.

So did the respect, support, and involvement of employee training come from the heart of the culture OR did the culture result from the “continuous and never-ending improvement” derived from the pursuit of on-going training? The chicken or the egg—that is the question.

I’m not really certain the answer is that important because here we find one of those rare organizations which has mastered the marriage of the culture and continuous search for knowledge to discover and experience the success which follows.

These rare organizations exist in most every industry but they are, indeed, few and far between. Our country is in dire need of many more cultures like this in order to restores to the level of success we once enjoyed as a global leader.

Are you taking steps to achieve such lofty goals?

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.

Want Business? WAKE UP!

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The title of today’s article is exactly what I want to say to so many business owners, C-Level Leaders (CEO-CFO-COO-CRO, etc.) and Board Directors!

I’m so tired of seeing so many companies downsize, reduce employee levels, and even go out of business … for the wrong reasons!

  • Yes, the economy is at an all-time low!
  • Yes, competition is tremendous!
  • Yes, we have no leadership on Capitol Hill from either party!
  • Yes, clients and customers have less to spend and are more demanding than ever!
  • Yes, it’s challenging to find good employees!

HOWEVER, while every one of the above conditions can be crucial to the success of any business today, the two most obvious reasons for failure are not on that list!

  1. Poor leadership!
  2. Poor customer service!

While many will immediately dismiss these two elements for any number of unsubstantiated reasons, it takes only a moment to discover credible evidence to the contrary.

Let me give you an example that most of us have witnessed in our own communities. Best Buy vs. Circuit City.

Consider the following data:

  • Both stores were usually located within a mile of one another.
  • Both stores appeared very much the same inside and outside.
  • Both stores served the same customer base.
  • Both stores hired from the same potential employee base.
  • Both stores carried pretty much the same product lines.
  • Both stores charged relatively the same prices as they both price matched.

Consider this data and you can pretty much eliminate the majority of the initial reasons listed earlier for the failure of businesses today! Based on this data, how do you explain one company “busted” while another “boomed”?

As the world watched the demise of Circuit City, a large number of magazines wrote articles suggesting why this may have happened. Time Magazine was one of many that discovered the obvious. Here are a few of its findings:

  1. Circuit City stopped selling appliances. (poor leadership and poor customer service)
  2. It didn’t move as aggressively into gaming as it should have. (poor leadership and poor customer service)
  3. It missed out on big in-store promotions with thriving companies like Apple Computer. (poor leadership and poor customer service)
  4. Circuit City neglected to improve its Web presence, just as online retailers like Amazon.com were hitting their stride. (poor leadership and poor customer service)
  5. Circuit City laid off its highest-paid hourly employees, including salespeople, and replaced them with cheaper workers. That same year, the CEO received $7 million in compensation. (poor leadership and poor customer service)
  6. Circuit City became complacent — a fatal mistake in the fiercely competitive and fast-evolving business environment. (poor leadership and poor customer service)
  7. Circuit City’s most obvious failing was its customer service. A quick Web search on “Circuit City complaints” would bring up hundreds of thousands of entries. (poor leadership and poor customer service)

I could go on and on, but at this point anything I might say would be redundant.

Sit down with your Board if you have one, your leadership team, and even your employees to discuss the obvious facts listed above. It doesn’t matter if you own one location or close to 600 like Circuit City. It doesn’t matter if you’ve been in business for less than a year or more than 60 years as Circuit City was at the time of its closing.

Apply this information to your own current situation and create an action plan to eliminate negatives and create and/or accentuate the needed positives you may discover.

You can do very little to impact or change the many excuses companies are using for not doing well today.

However, you can do a great deal to enhance the two areas which are most critical to your success … Good Leadership and Good Customer Service! Will you?

If you’d like some assistance, we travel all over North America assisting our clients in their enhancement efforts in both critical areas! Call us at 1-800-886-2629 today!

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.

AOL – Bigger Not Always Better

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Everyone has heard of AOL (America Online) for one reason or another. Many utilize the service, others saw the movie, and some simply relate to the term “You’ve Got Mail.” However, few are aware of the history or continued acquisitions of this media giant. Here’s a quick update of what’s been going on behind the scenes.

  • Headquartered in Dullas, Virginia, near Washington, D.C., the Internet giant has done little for its shareholders over the past 25 years. It has acquired blogs, search engines, e-mail providers, social networks, ad networks, and Internet service providers (50 in total) — $11.3 billion to date with little to show for it from the investors’ standpoint.
  • AOL recently purchased the Huffington Post for $315 million. Arianna Huffington certainly benefited financially from that transaction, but time will tell if the same can be said for AOL.
  • In 1998, it purchased Netscape, a browser already on the decline, for $4.2 billion.
  • It purchased MapQuest for $1.1 billion in 1999 just as Google entered the competition.
  • In 2008, AOL purchased Bebo, a social network, for $850 million. AOL sold it in 2010 for less than $10 million.
  • How many of you were aware of the following? Tegic ($350 million in 1999), Quack.com ($200 million in 2000), or Third Screen Media ($105.4 million in 2007) to name just a few.
  • Of course, you can’t overlook AOL’s $184 BILLION (with debt) takeover of Time Warner which made headlines world over.

New CEO Tim Armstrong has continued the tradition since arriving in 2009 by masterminding 14 deals totaling over $600 million in the 15 months since AOL was spun off from Time Warner. The acquisitions continue to appear, but the value has yet to emerge for investors. AOL is fast approaching a do-or-die challenge and should prove interesting for those who monitor media progress.

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.