business
512 posts
How To Guarantee Failure
Do nothing. Don’t start. Sit on the fence. Avoid taking the first step. Stay in analysis. Stand still. Never ship. Look for ten different opinions. Act on none. Stop trusting your gut and feeling like gold dust. You are. Image by Christa Lohman.
How To Get Million Dollar Marketing For Just £3
The UK supermarket chain Sainsbury’s just scored millions of dollars worth of marketing for £3 and the price of a postage stamp, by simply employing someone who gave a damn. This is a heart warming story of a customer service employee who used his initiative, didn’t behave like a cog and treated a t
What Is A Brand?
The American Marketing Association defines a brand as, “A Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller’s good or service as distinct from those of other sellers.” Brands are much more to us than designs and symbols that differentiate. There are an infinite number of de
Only We
Starbucks has been the only coffee chain since the 90’s where you can legally buy a Frappuccino®. Try selling a whipped iced coffee with that name and you’ll be busted by the intellectual property police. You can’t call your customer service centre the Genius Bar® either, that doesn’t mean you can’t
The Comparison Trap
At the gym I can’t take my eyes off the tall, svelte, Scandinavian goddess who is sweating elegantly, on the cross trainer just in front. When I’m attempting a less than elegant blossoming lotus, I long for the balance and flexibility of the raven-haired beauty on the yoga mat alongside. With regula
It’s All Been Done Before
This is what I call ‘the pioneer’s lament’. It’s been my personal lament many a day. It goes something like this… You have a great idea. It could be for a product, service, a book, blog post, or a new kind of dog food. You start planning, taking notes, visualising the impact of said thing…
The Secret To Creating Products People Buy
The secret to the success of Facebook, Pampers, Innocent drinks, Instagram, Basecamp, Little Miss Match, Marie Forleo.com and on and on, comes down to one thing. The ability to stand in the customer’s shoes and see the world from where they are at. Have you questioned what you client’s worldview is
Even The Big Guys Are Guessing
A couple of days ago Cadbury did their first product launch on Google+. The launch was an experiment, their best guess and they went with it. Even they don’t know for sure what will work and what won’t. Yes, they pay people to help them with the process of being more sure, but they never…
The Story You Tell Is A Choice
The story you tell is a choice. Creating a series of lines in the sand. Symbolic of values that you’re not willing to compromise on. Your brand can’t be all things to everyone. This and that. The brands that stand out, that have soul, that win by being different, choose. They choose to stand for…
21 Ways To Nurture Your Ideas
Your mountain is waiting. So… Get on your way. ~ Dr Suess 1. Create an idea saving system. Find tools that work for you, Moleskine or Evernote anyone? 2. Be ready to capture ideas anywhere. J.K. Rowling tells the story of how Harry Potter “fell into her head” on a train journey. 3. Step away…
Change How People Feel Not What They Do
Every marketing decision you make should be prefaced with this question; “How will it make her feel?” Of course you want people to do, but you need them to feel first. When people feel they act. The feeling is what leads to the doing. Think about the websites and cafes you love to visit, the…
If Only
If only there were 26 hours in each day. If only they understood. If only the competition didn’t compete. If only there was more space. If only the economy wasn’t in such a mess. If only chocolate didn’t taste so good. If only the gym wasn’t so far away. If only they hadn’t launched first.…
What Does Success Look Like?
Is it starting or finishing? Getting there in a hurry? Or stopping to take in the view on the way? Is success the elimination of failure or growing with every experience? Big deals? Or a series of tiny impacts? Is success really a destination or more of a journey? One big blinding flash of brillianc
Knowing For Sure
What you often want is a guarantee. The sure fire thing. The one that cannot fail. You will ask, how will I know for sure? What’s definitely going to stick? You will question if you are putting the cart before the horse, then try to work out how ‘most people in your shoes’, put horses…
Something For Everyone
Pineapple Chili flavour ice lollies aren’t for everyone. And plenty of people hated Go The F**k To Sleep, which became a best seller by delighting parents with a particular worldview. If everything was created for the market of everyone, there would be no room for art by Banksy, t-shirts by Threadle
How To Tell A Good Business Story
Start with the truth. Identify the worldview of the people you need to reach. Describe the truth through their worldview. ~ Seth Godin What picture are you painting of your business? Are you trying too hard to sound more professional, bigger, slick, more polished than the competition? Is your story
The One Thing To Remember About Website Traffic
Of course you want more ‘traffic’ to your website. After all; MORE EYEBALLS = MORE AWARENESS MORE AWARENESS = MORE AUTHORITY MORE AUTHORITY = MORE SUCCESS MORE SUCCESS = MORE CHOICES Behind that ‘traffic’, every statistic, every blip on your analytics, every search term that brought them there. Behi
Why Learning To Say No Matters
When you started out you were so glad to get email enquiries, calls and visitors. Getting people through the door, even a virtual one was the best feeling! Someone was interested in what you were doing. Your idea wasn’t going to flop, your services were needed and more importantly wanted. You weren’
Building A Currency Of Trust
It’s tempting when selling your product, service or idea just to focus on what it takes to make a particular transaction happen. That transaction might make a dent in the balance sheet in the short term, but it’s important not to lose sight of what will make a long term difference to your business a
Why Knowing What To Leave Out Matters
The secret of any great book, movie, business, product, or service is in the editing. As an entrepreneur or creative, your understanding of what to leave out is just as important as what you decide to leave in. Christopher Nolan will no doubt leave hours and hours of carefully crafted shots and scen
