Blog

10 Habits of Hyper-Productive People

By Cindy Donaldson | September 10, 2016

I\’m Jenn (that\’s not me in the picture). I’m known at the Red Barn as the Ops Beast – and I didn’t get that name by procrastinating. I take pride in being efficient and quick while still maintaining the level of quality needed to do my job. Don’t get me wrong – I’m not perfect […]

Delight Your Customers

By Cindy Donaldson | September 5, 2016

We’re all familiar with the 10 commandments of customer service: The customer is always right, know your customers, listen to your customers, etc. But in a world when news and opinions are widely shared on social media and stories go viral on the internet, why not delight your customers. ReferralCandy, which operates a customer referral […]

You’re Wasting Time

By Cindy Donaldson | August 22, 2016

Productivity is your thing. You worked through the weekend…You wrote emails, put together a sales meeting agenda, and answered phone calls. So what if you were late for your friend’s birthday party and the lawn didn’t get mowed. You were still productive. Were you really? Research shows that working long hours actually saps your productivity […]

Dogs Make the Best Assistants

By Cindy Donaldson | August 10, 2016

Dogs make the best office assistants, really. One of the perks of working for Red Barn Consulting, is being able to work from home. I used to work the usual 8-5 office job, and my dogs hated it. They would start getting destructive because they missed me – and maybe my husband a little too. […]

Leadership: What\’s the Real Scoop?

By Cindy Donaldson | August 1, 2016

I’m sitting on a plane to Hawaii right now. A well-deserved….and needed vacation with my better half. Last night before I left, I was chatting with my business guru buddy, Robin Bienemann from Crimson Rook, about leadership. She said: lots of people talk about it (leadership), write about it – but what is it really […]

Leadership: What\’s the Real Scoop?

By Cindy Donaldson | August 1, 2016

I’m sitting on a plane to Hawaii right now. A well-deserved….and needed vacation with my better half. Last night before I left, I was chatting with my business guru buddy, Robin Bienemann from Crimson Rook, about leadership. She said: lots of people talk about it (leadership), write about it – but what is it really […]

6 Steps to Creating an Effective Marketing Strategy

By Cindy Donaldson | July 30, 2016

Winging it just doesn’t work when it comes to marketing – ever. You need a strategy, one that is well thought out and you need an action plan. That means you can’t just say – yea, I’m going to toss some posts up on Facebook, pay for a couple ads in the newspaper and hope […]

You Might Need a Digital Detox

By Cindy Donaldson | July 16, 2016

Would you rather clean your toilet than your email inbox? Do you find yourself checking your cellphone when it’s not ringing? Does a walk on the beach do little to relieve your work stress? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you might be in need of a digital detox. But don’t try […]

Creating New Banking Customers – The Art of the Email Drip

By Cindy Donaldson | February 1, 2016

If you oversee the marketing or sales for a bank or credit union, you’ve probably placed your fair share of ads in local newspapers, had some promotions on the local radio show, and launched a fabulous Facebook page. Hopefully, you’ve gotten some feedback, adjusted your strategy, and carried on. One marketing avenue you might have […]