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This Land of Strangers - Robert E Hall

This Land of Strangers

"..the most important book of the decade." — Richard Boyatzis, co-author of best seller Primal Leadership

Relationships, in all their varied forms, have been the lifetime study of Robert Hall. He brings a rare combination of experience as a researcher, consultant, writer, teacher and CEO in dealing with the real-world relationship challenges of modern organizations. When coupled with a decade of hands-on experience in the gritty world of inner-city homeless families it translates into a tapestry of vivid stories, well-researched and oft startling facts, and strategic insights that weave together the yet untold narrative of society's gravest risk and most stellar opportunity.

Blog & Articles

Robert has published more than 150 columns, articles, white papers, and research studies on relationship. In addition to being a regular contributor at Huffington Post, his work has been published and discussed in Forbes, American Banker, Sales & Marketing Management magazine, The CEO Magazine, ABA Bank Marketing magazine, Computerworld, The Daily Beast, Business Week, The Dallas Morning News, Los Angeles Times, The Detroit News, The Indianapolis Star and in international publications including Sydney Morning News (Australia), European Financial Management Association (London) and Relational Thinking Network (Cambridge, UK).

Loss of Customers, CEOs and Trust: It’s Time to Get Real

… the British all industries average customer defection rate was 16.9% per annum [in 2003]. By 2005 our annual average had risen to 19.1%. In 2007 it stands at 22.0%. Survey: Customer Churn Rate Rises by 15 Percent – Pitney Bowes Group 1 Software, 4/4/08

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Here I am again – and I hate to bring this up – again. But, well, customer defections are – well, they are up again. I know, I know – we have discussed this […]

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Article

Dogged Relationships

Dog owners who agree that their dog “is just like a family member and just as important” has risen from 55% in 1995 to 84% in 2003 … 67% admit to bragging about them. – Harris Interactive, 2007

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It was only a matter of time. I pulled into lane one at the drive through – you know the one that sidles right up next to the branch. As I was making a deposit, the teller’s eyes lit up and she […]

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Article

Nuisance Fees and The Brand: You are What You charge

FeeDisclosure.com … allows mortgage customers to break down the fees they can expect to pay if they buy a new house or refinance their current one. It calls out the fees that are bogus. Example: $100 email fees. It benchmarks more standard costs, such as title searches across the country, and it’s bringing sorely needed transparency to that business. Its tagline: “Transparency breeds trust.” – By Don Peppers & Martha Rogers, Ph.D.

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My wife and I recently experienced one of those […]

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Article

Be Careful What You Wish and Incent For

“The whole commission structure in both prime and subprime was designed to reward salespeople for pushing whatever programs Countrywide made the most money on in the secondary market,” the former sales representative said. – Gretchen Morgenson, Inside the Countrywide Lending Spree, The New York Times, August 26, 2007

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The Dr. Phil question for the mortgage industry: And, how is that working out for you?

For many of us, there has been considerable concern over the years that sales incentives were […]

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Article

Building Customer Relationships – Getting to Yes

“It sounds simple, but in fact you could capture all of my research findings with the metaphor of a saltshaker. Instead of filling it with salt, fill it with all the ways you can say yes, and that’s what a good relationship is.” – John Gottman, Making Relationships Work, Harvard Business Review, December 2007

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Getting to yes in as many ways as possible – yes, that certainly sounds simplistic. Yet the spirit of yes is a very powerful and […]

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Article