Hey guys! I home you’re having a great Monday so far. For many of us it’s the beginning of Thanksgiving week so it’s a little bit slower….or it’s frantically busy with everyone trying to get things done before everyone disappears for the holiday. To get your week started off right, as I typically do, I wanted to share some of the best reads I have come across in the last week. So here ya go!

• Can’t set it and forget it. Your marketing plan needs to evolve: bit.ly/2g68ns0
• Here’s a great list of 15 FREE ebooks every entrepreneur really should read: on.inc.com/2g2JZqZ
• Listening to your customers isn’t always enough. You need to also WATCH for unsaid cues: bit.ly/2fAEn8R
• Looking for the right niche for your online business? Here are some models to consider: bit.ly/2f4DAJt
• Less than 25% of small businesses are on Instagram. Should YOUR business be there? bit.ly/2fWWJhc
• Ever wonder why your business isn’t as profitable as it could be? Here are 7 reasons: bit.ly/2eXBxa4
• Can your email subject lines turn people off? Probably. bit.ly/2fdQfdZ
• We always read about why someone SHOULD become an entrepreneur. Here are some reasons NOT to: bit.ly/2eXkZii
• Some tips to remember to help make your blog successful: bit.ly/2fQmz6t
• How to make your message more memorable: bit.ly/2eY4CWe
• Have companies gone TOO far looking for great design and innovation? on.inc.com/2f9Vw6i

Last week I had an experience that made me think a lot about the idea of how we define what our jobs actually are. In my last blog post I used the example of a waste truck driver. Is his job to simply drive around and have his truck pick up dumpsters and dump them in his truck? Or is it to haul the trash for each of his customers – and keep their surroundings clean. (The one I observed didn’t stop to pick up trash that had fallen out of the bin as he lifted it and ended up on the library’s parking lot.) How we look at our jobs defines how we do our jobs and serve our customers. It’s important to think of the problems we solve for customers first.

• Make sure your HR process surfaces the right people – those who know that solving customer problems is their REAL job.
• Customers hire your company to solve their problems; NOT to just buy a product or service.
• Ensure that employees are rewarded for behavior that solves customer problems (even beyond their job descriptions).
• Your employees need to understand that the REAL purpose of their job is to solve a customer’s problem. NOT sell stuff.
• The TRUE value you bring to customers is solving their problems, not just selling something. What problem do you solve?

As I mentioned above, I wrote my last blog post about this entire issue. I’d love you to read it and let me know your thoughts. You can read it here: “What’s Your REAL Job?”. Let me know what you think. How does your company view your relationships with customers? How do you keep customer problem-solving front and center?