The golden question among CEOs, directors, and company presidents alike: “What inspires consumers to buy our stuff? Really – what is it that makes our product or services stand out in a crowded marketplace? Is it all in the name – brand driving buyers? Is it the people behind the service – employees that have internal drive to produce exceptional work because of a strong company philosophy or culture? Maybe a little of both?”

This month in the Webinar Series, we’ve invited Terry Barber, speaker, author, CEO and Chief Inspiration Officer of The Global Institute for Inspiration, to shed some insight on this very topic. Terry created and conducted a survey of 1,752 consumers in the United States who collectively identified a group of the Most Inspiring Companies and what it was exactly that they did to rise to the top in their respective industries. The research produced was the first ever consumer-centric Most Inspiring Companies ranking and was published in Forbes in May 2010.

From his research, Mr. Barber developed Seven Principles of Inspiration that stemmed from these exemplary companies that allowed them to operate on another level in comparison to their counterparts – factors that not only drove employee engagement, and successful customer experience, but ultimately impacted the bottom line. Not surprisingly, when this “inspiration factor” is implemented into an organization, nearly every benchmark metric of the company is positively impacted.

This week’s webinar dives into the shift from ROI to RO-I, return on inspiration; a shift from some of the traditional approaches to drive sales, marketing, and internal performance. Inspiration often comes across as fluffy, happy jargon pulled out by top level management when performance needs a boost or revenue takes a dip. Maybe you have witnessed this scenario in your workplace – did it work? Did it strike a chord of motivation amongst you and your colleagues, and if so, how did it improve your daily output? Join the discussion this Thursday to discover if you company is among the ranks of most inspiring companies!

Simone has been involved with both the sales and marketing teams at ReadyTalk and currently fills the role of Programs Coordinator and manages the monthly ReadyTalk Webinar Series, which is a free forum for professionals to interact with their peers and other experts on topics ranging from sales and marketing to nonprofits and funding to leadership and professional development. Simone is an outdoor enthusiast - skiing, climbing, triathlons, and trail runs with her dog, Bucket, are just a few of the things she enjoys outside of the office.