IX-ONE and Cornerstone Partnership

The Data Council Announces IX-ONE Content-Rich QR Code-based ELI Codes® through its Partnership with Cornerstone Consulting.

ELI Technology’s® patent pending QR Code platform provides users with access to rich product content directly from the IX-ONE Exchange.

 

The Data Council (TDC) is excited to announce its partnership with Cornerstone Consulting, Inc. to provide content rich, QR Code-based ELI Codes® for all member items captured within the IX-ONE exchange.

ELI Codes® are enhanced QR Codes, built on a patented technology platform that is highly configurable, responsive, and easy to use. Each member-based item captured within the IX-ONE network will be issued an ELI Code® which will be stored within the IX-ONE platform. Supplier, broker, retailer, and distributor members will be able to download the ELI Codes® and use them to easily, effectively, and accurately communicate product content. As product information is updated within IX-ONE, it will automatically be updated within the ELI® network – ensuring ELI Codes® are always up-to-date.

IX-ONE members now have the added value and use of these ELI Codes® included with their membership at no additional cost. Suppliers will also have options to enhance their ELI Codes® with additional content such as videos.

“We are very pleased to offer this exciting and innovative value-added service for our members at no additional cost or effort to them,” says Troy Benscoter, The Data Council’s EVP of Business Development. “IX-ONE is the industry’s leading solution for product data and images and ELI Technology® is the leader in QR-Code based product content and marketing solutions. Working together will be very synergistic to us and extremely valuable to our members.”

“As the clear leader in the space, The Data Council’s IX-ONE has revolutionized product content capture and sharing,” added, David Boos, President of Cornerstone Consulting. “Through our partnership with The Data Council to deliver our innovative ELI Codes® for their member-items, we will be helping to enhance their product content initiatives while offering a tremendous benefit to their members.”

Both The Data Council and Cornerstone Consulting will be attending New Hope’s Natural Products Expo East, September 11-14 in Baltimore MD, to meet with IX-ONE members and formally introduce this service.

[Click HERE to Sign Up to Meet With Cornerstone At Expo East]

About Cornerstone for Natural
Cornerstone for Natural™, a division of Cornerstone Consulting, Inc., is the natural product industry’s premier provider of Business Management Software solutions. Our modular software systems integrate the main functional areas of an organization’s business processes into a unified system. We help our clients be more efficient, productive and profitable by connecting, integrating, tracking and reporting on all aspects of their business operations. Cornerstone for Natural™ specializes in small, medium and large organizations within the natural product space. Our on-premise and cloud-based solutions are tailored specifically to meet the needs and the priorities of the discerning and passionate clients we serve. For more information visit http://www.CornerstoneForNatural.com

About IX-ONE
The Data Council is a division of Advantage Solutions, a leading provider of customizable and technology-enabled sales and marketing solutions. The Data Council’s IX-ONE platform is the industry’s choice for product data and images. Launched in collaboration with industry-leading retailers, distributors, brokers and associations, we combine rich packaging data and images with a robust member base to revolutionize the exchange of product information across the industry. Learn more at http://www.TheDataCouncil.com.

 

Click HERE to view the Press Release on PR Web®

Should We Just Agree to Disagree?

A wise man, while defending his position in a disagreement with the company’s CEO, once said, “If no one is comfortable disagreeing, there’s a pretty good chance that decision is wrong.  If we’re willing to object and disagree until we can all reach alignment, our odds of being right go up dramatically.”  That wise man was, well, me.

OK fine… maybe I’m not all that wise (just ask my wife), but I am a big fan of decisions based on data.  Don’t get me wrong, intuition and experience are essential — arguably, critical! However, without good, reliable, timely data, we’re doomed to hoping and guessing.

In order to utilize data, we first need to dig into what information would be useful in decision-making. That’s why it’s important to encourage a culture of respectful disagreement. That doesn’t mean someone needs to object to everything, just because they can; it does mean that when someone feels there is a different perspective that needs to be explored, they should feel comfortable voicing it.

So many managers profess to “not being micro-managers,” but instead micro-manage by not providing an environment where disagreements are welcome.  Those same managers seldom take responsibility when a plan goes bad.

Take it a step further and ask for an opposing view or perspective. Have someone play the role of Devil’s Advocate once in a while. If no one can, you’re likely heading in the right direction. Better yet, if someone comes up with an alternative, discuss it and make your decision with the opposing view in mind.

But, in all cases, unless you’re trying to decide on where to have lunch, make sure you’re leveraging all the data available to you (even picking a restaurant will be better if you reference the menu, hours and maybe even current traffic conditions).

If you don’t feel you have the COMPREHENSIVE, RELIABLE, and TIMELY data you need to make good decisions — talk to me.  If you don’t know what data you’re missing – talk to me.  Your Business Management Software should be providing you all that data in real-time.  If it’s not, you need to address it – now (and I’d love to hear the opposing view on that).

Years ago, Business Management Software (previously called ERP) was expensive and difficult to implement – not anymore.  Remember how difficult it used to be to program a VCR, activate a new cell phone, edit a video?  Times have changed.

We help natural product suppliers and distributors from startups to very mature, large businesses. Visit www.CornerstoneForNatural.com to see what you’re missing.

by David Williams | www.LinkedIn.com/in/RetailDave | (813) 321-1300

Stop Telling Me How Busy You Are!

Call any business contact and ask them how they’re doing, and you almost always hear the same thing: “I’m good, but b-u-s-y.”  Our culture has gone so far as to come up with phrases around the concept…“Busy, busy, busy,” “busy as hell,” “busier than a one-handed paper hanger,” “so busy, I haven’t been to the restroom all morning.”  The list goes on… and I’ve been guilty of this for years.

Why do we insist on telling people how busy we are? Why is being busy seen as a sign of success?

The truth is, it isn’t.

“Busy” is a sign of something, but it’s not success. It’s a sign of poor planning, poor time management, poor staffing, bad culture, or inefficiency.

We’re focusing on all the wrong things. We’re not busy; we’re wasting time.

Do you feel like you’re always busy? Ask yourself why. Odds are, with some introspective insight, you’ll identify the culprit. After all, leaders of multinational conglomerates can find some flexibility in their schedules… and so should you.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, as if you are the glue holding everything together in your business, maybe you’re not as efficient as you once thought.  If that’s the case, maybe we can help. Visit us at www.CornerstoneForNatural.com and learn how we help our clients Simplify Their Lives, Sell More Products and Have More Fun.  (Unless, of course, you just like being busy!)

And even if you are busy, stop telling everybody! Not only are you bragging about being inefficient, you’re also telling them you don’t have time for them. They’ll feel put-off by you, and you’ll both lose.

I get it… sometimes you really don’t have time for someone. That’s fine. You can tell them you are walking into a meeting, or needing to handle a call, or working on a short deadline. But, when you begin every call by telling everyone how busy you are, you train callers to not call you. Business is built on relationships; don’t teach yours to leave you alone.

Then again, if you’re just trying to get some knucklehead off the phone because you just don’t want to talk to them; then stick with, “busy, busy, busy.”  Or, better yet, send that call to voicemail.

by David Williams | www.LinkedIn.com/in/RetailDave | (813) 321-1300