Oh crap: What have we done?
Last Wednesday evening I was at a small(ish) gathering of about 50 owners of SME's as news came through of the US presidential election result. It seemed everybody in the room was aghast. Not only at the result, but at the size of it, and the continued...
11 questions to ask to assess a competitive response.
How do you anticipate the reactions of competitors to your initiatives? First you must understand them holistically and well. The better you understand them, specifically the strategic and tactical frameworks they work with, the better able you will be...
The key difference between brand loyalty and situational preference.
There is a big difference between a customer who always chooses your brand because they genuinely love it, and one who may prefer it as one of a group of acceptable products, but picks you just because of a good deal. A truly loyal customer will choose...
Positioning: The Secret Weapon of aspiring market leaders
Imagine you're at a bustling cocktail party. The room is filled with chatter, each person vying for attention. Now, picture your company in that room. How do you make sure it's the one everyone remembers? That's where positioning comes in. What is Positioning?...
Innovation: How to see the invisible problem.
Evolution has given us this ability to act on 'autopilot', or habit, while subconsciously remaining attuned to our surroundings. Our brains have limited capacity, so it needs to save as much as it can to allow it the space to deal with the unexpected, crises. Our...
9 questions to avoid a poor hiring decision.
The cost of a wrong hire is huge, and for an SME can be devastating. Not only do you lose the money put into the process, but you also lose the time of those engaged, the opportunity to find that perfect candidate, and perhaps most importantly, the...
Efficient does not always mean Optimal.
Seeking highly efficient processes is the holy grail of most operational managers. Is it the right goal? 'Garbage in.. Garbage out' still applies, even if the garbage gets a slick coat of paint on the way through. The process as implemented might be...
The Sales Funnel Fallacy
The sales funnel, often depicted in materials promising a path to riches, has profound flaws. It implies two misleading concepts: Gravity: The notion that business arrives at your door via discrete steps in a gravity-driven funnel is nonsensical. No...
An old marketer’s explanation of the ‘Law of Purchase Duplication’
Against my better judgment, I recently engaged in a conversation about the 'Law of Purchase Duplication' with a young marketer. He seemed quite convinced that he was delivering a groundbreaking insight to a marketing dinosaur. In essence, the law argues...
‘How to harness the power of real time feedback’
Real-Time Feedback is the objective of any effective performance management system. We instinctively knew how to generate and leverage feedback as kids. Remember that cricket scoresheet a parent kept during a Saturday morning game? It could just as easily have...