What's Inside...

• Prioritize Client Experience
• Schedule Your Spring Retreat
• ​Working Together in 2026​

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1. Prioritize Client Experience

Happy New Year!

I hope you enjoyed a rejuvenating holiday season & 2026 is off to a great start.

After almost a month back in the trenches, the holidays seem distant!

I had a wonderful time disconnecting and returned to a note from one business service provider that my annual premium was set to increase by 19.33%.

Whoa!

So, I made some calls.

Call #1. Couldn't explain the increase. Promised to elevate. Nothing happened.

Call #2. Couldn't explain the increase. Said I was welcome to shop around. Elevated the issue. Never heard back.

Email follow up #1. Heard back. Still no coherent explanation.

Email #2. Requested cancellation. No response.

Email #3. Asked for confirmation of cancellation.

Email #4. Finally done with service provider #1.

New Call #1. Secured more affordable service in under 5 minutes.

The whole experience was a hassle.

But two things stood out -

1. The importance of reviewing recurring business expenses at least annually to see what makes sense & what needs to change, if needed.
2. The way I felt treated as a client.

I was actually encouraged to shop around!

I did and found a much better deal - AND better service.

It got me thinking about - not just WHAT we do - but HOW we do it.

As a New Year spins up, many are in the throws of strategic planning.

We can create the most beautiful plans (in fact, you can start here!)

But if we're not focused on nurturing client relationships, those plans will fail.

Here are 3 simple CX strategies as your business scales and grows.

• Focus on the customer in front of you – It’s tempting to be in constant business development mode. The best way to hone services and develop a reputation for excellence is to deliver to your current client base and deliver well.
• Make it easy to engage – Many businesses think people know what you do and how to work with you. They don’t. People are busy. Give them a step-by-step process for how to engage. And follow through.
• Standardize & consistently communicate – Create standardized internal and external processes and then train your team for a consistent experience. Prioritize communication - early and often - to ensure clients feel well-served, seen, heard, and valued.

How can your business improve client experience to fuel growth?

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2. Schedule Your Spring Retreat

Position for 2026 and beyond.

Schedule a call to discuss your team’s spring leadership retreat now.

Here’s a sampling of topics we can cover:

• Define/refine Vision, Mission, & Values
• Develop 3-year strategy
• Create clear 1-year & 90-day plan
• Clarify roles & responsibilities
• Improve cross-team communication
• Streamline processes to save time & money

Make time to work ON, not just IN, your business.

It’s key to driving revenue, engagement, & impact.

​​Schedule a call for help with your company’s spring leadership retreat.

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3. Working Together in 2026

Here are a few ways we can partner this spring -

• Leadership Offsite: Define your growth strategy & priorities, clarify your go-to market plan, & improve your team's communication. (Learn More)
• ​Fractional Executive: Embed strategic advisory services within your C-Suite as part of your leadership team. (Learn More)
• Strategy with Susan: 45 mins to "pick my brain,” brainstorm go-to-market strategy, & chat about business-related questions. (Schedule)
• Big Business to Small Business: Explore 10 Strategies to grow your company and find work you love. (Order Here)

As always, thanks for reading.

To your strategic success,

Susan

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