Strategy
1,155 posts
What Don’t You Do?
You are challenged at least ten times every day to explain to people what you do and why you do it. This happens on your about page, at networking events and even as you sit next to someone ten thousand feet up on a transatlantic flight. A great place to start is by unapologetically telling…
Do You Have A Human Business Strategy?
When I was a little girl buying new shoes was always an event. We went to a local shoe shop, the one that advertised the credentials of their ‘specially trained fitters’ in the window. We patiently waited our turn for the magic that was about to happen. This usually involved a matronly woman and wha
The Most Dangerous Thing About Your Competition
….is your obsession with them. Yes, we live in a giant digital goldfish bowl. This makes it possible to get stuck watching and worrying about what our competitors are doing. Almost every move they make, every accolade, acquisition and award is there for the world to see. It’s far more productive and
10 Ways To Stand In Your Customer’s Shoes
When LEGO was developing a castle play set they brought fans of all ages together to get feedback. The adults loved it. “But where’s the dragon?” the children asked. The adults explained that there were no dragons in Medieval times. “Where’s the fun in that?” the kids replied. So, the dragon was bor
How To Get The World To Beat A Path To Your Door
Traditional marketing in essence has been about doing something today in the hope that your business will reap the rewards in sales tomorrow. The marketer then has her eye firmly fixed on the future. Asking the question, ‘what do I need to do to get us from here to there?’ And yet the best marketing
Thinking About Your Assets
Take a blank page. Draw a line down the centre. On one side list your tangible assets, things like stock, equipment, products and your website. On the other side make a list of your intangible assets, stuff like intellectual property, trademarks, brand names, the skills of your team, your customer d
5 Things Your Brand Name Must Do
Brand naming is tough. There are so many variables to consider and the finality of saying ‘that’s it’, feels like a huge decision. Your name is probably the first encounter a potential customer will have with your business. A brand name has to stand the test of time and wear a lot of hats. 5…
It’s Here—The Book That Will Reinvent Your Marketing
It’s incredible to think about the changes that have happened to our lives and businesses in the last decade. Now instead of guessing what our customers are thinking we can actually listen to what they want. We can see what they are doing all of the time, in real time. And yet, we’re still using…
Was Everything Okay?
The table was clean. The waitress arrived to take coffee orders within a couple of minutes. We tried to ignore the peeling corners of the laminated menu. The food and the coffee were fine. The waitress polite in a ‘going through the motions’ kind of way. Her parting question as we paid the bill….. “
It’s Harder To Matter On Purpose
It’s easy to think about what it would be like to build your business around the quick win. To be the author of the book discovered by a random stranger at the airport, or the designer who gets picked by the awards committee. It’s much harder to matter on purpose, to be intentional about the…
30 Questions Every Startup And Entrepreneur Should Answer
We’ve become really good at looking for answers. So good in fact, that we get close to asking a billion questions every day in Google search. And yet as busy business owners and idea creators, we struggle to find time to ask really important questions of ourselves. Here then, are questions worth tak
Significance Could Be Your Competitive Advantage
You’re late for an appointment and in your rush to get out the door you forget to put everything into your bag. QUESTION Which would you rather FORGET to bring with you, your wallet or your phone? 2006 ANSWER PHONE. 2014 ANSWER WALLET. A competitive advantage isn’t always as tangible as the patents
Redefining What It Means To ‘Go Viral’
Your idea is not a virus and here’s why. A virus doesn’t care who it infects. Everyone is a target. A virus’s only reason to be a virus is to survive. You actually care about the people who use your products, read your book, or sign up for your service. You are not in the…
Blonde Or Brunette?
Still or sparkling? Red or white? Stuffed crust or deep pan? These questions might give people a reason to choose in the moment, but they are not the foundation of a lasting relationship. You don’t win in the long run by simply being one of the alternatives. You win by being ‘the one’. What will…
The Number One Way To Create Value In Any Marketplace
In an era when we can push a button on our phones to summon a driver, why is shopping for a television still a nightmare? I doubt that there is a single person in the history of the universe who has enjoyed shopping for a TV. That row upon row of yellow stickered, feature described…
Two Golden Rules For Choosing Clients
I have a couple of simple rules that I live by when making the decision about which clients to work with. First—if I’m not jumping out of my skin to work with someone and excited by the difference (big or small) their business creates then we’re probably not a good fit. You have to care…
How Apple Succeeded, While Others Failed
When Apple designed their first store, they made sure that over half of it was dedicated to what they called, ‘solutions’. The store wasn’t stacked ceiling to floor with inventory, instead it was a wall-to-wall space of discovery. While most retailers were showing people what they had in stock, Appl
Why We Advertise
Ad spending is set to increase this year. And yet, some of the smartest and fastest growing companies on the planet elect to grow their businesses through word of mouth, by delighting their customers. So, why do we still buy banner ads? Is it because……? 1. Our products and services don’t create diff
Why Attention Is No Longer Our Scarcest Resource
If you want to capture someone’s attention you’ve got about ten seconds to convince them that you are the one. Attention spans are shrinking. People have so many demands, diversions and distractions right there in their pockets every minute of every day that it’s getting harder and harder to hold th
Value Is A Story We Want To Believe
If you’ve ever doubted that we are, as Jill Bolte Taylor says, “feeling creatures who think” just stop in the salt section of your local supermarket. Salt is as close to free as any product can get. You can buy a kilo for a dollar, or a Pink Himalayan variety for sixty times that price.…
