Reason one for creating a meaningful vision: Align your goals with the customers' goals

My fundamental principle with regard to vision creation is, "Your vision should be the same for your company and for your customers."  At first glance, this statement probably seems a little strange.  The customers' vision for shopping may be something like being able to buy things at a good price and as easily as possible. Can Amazon have that same vision? No, but to achieve long term growth Amazon's vision must enable the customers' vision. It must define its success as the customer's success. The reason this is so critical is that successful customers make successful companies and unsuccessful customers will make unsuccessful companies.  When a company has something else as its vision, something else as its primary goal, the time will come when it will sacrifice customer success to accomplish that goal.  It will take shortcuts to save money, it will increase prices and take advantage of a customer's trust, or it will create hurdles to change behavior.   These actions may work temporarily to improve the organization's financial position, but ultimately those actions will fail because the customer is not satisfied.

Question: Do you have goals that could be in conflict with customer success? 

5 steps to fixing flaws that are holding you back

So you suspect that your company or organization might have an issue...maybe you are missing some goals, you hear grumbling from employees, the energy seems to be missing, or you are getting more complaints from customers.  These are some of the indicators that you might have a larger issue.  For the sake of this article, it doesn't matter what the issue is, the key is to address it correctly.  Here are five steps to address the issue

1. Recognize you have an issue and determine what it is
Sounds simple, right?  I actually think this is the most challenging step.  It is too easy to brush of the indicators of an issue and assign them to some temporary cause that will pass on its own or accept the cause of the warning signs as just the result of how things are.  You can imagine the first conversations when the warning signs showed up at some of the companies that have failed recently because they did not innovate quickly enough, "We can't do anything about the fact that people just don't want to go to stores as much as they used to.  Let's try to make more money on each individual who does shop with us." No issue there...
2. Be humble enough to be willing to take advice from unexpected sources
The second step is almost as challenging as the first, realizing you don't have all of the answers and that the person who has the answer may not be a high-powered consulting firm.   When a problem arises a leader asks the team for a solution what do they propose?  I think it is a fairly common dilemma that they propose more of what they know...  Should we use an open sourced solution?  No, says the developer who is an expert of the current closed platform.  Should we consider agile marketing? No, says the project manager who has invested a lot of time and energy in long term static resource planning methodologies.  This is not done with malice, but because every incentive points to doing more of the same.  The unexpected source can be source with the right answer.  
3. Be prepared to overcome opposition to the solution 
Once you determine a solution, it is almost certain there will be opposition to that solution.  Just like the established players  are hesitant to propose a new solution they will be hesitant to adopt a new solution.
4. Fully implement the solution 
5. Recognize those who contributed to fixing the issue

The challenge is that implementing these steps is difficult prior to the issue becoming a crisis.  You may notice that things seem slightly off, but convince yourself that the issue is temporary or it will resolve itself.  If the issue is now a crisis you can no longer delude yourself.  When an issue isn't a crisis you can convince yourself that you can solve the problem yourself, not needing the opinions of others.
When an issue isn't a crisis the opposition's arguments seem to have more merit making it more challenging to overcome the opposition or to get them on board. No one wants to update business as usual if they don't need to and

Proud marketer

I think this is a great time to be in marketing.

It used to be that marketing was almost a dirty word. The perception being that marketing was using slick techniques to get people to buy things that they may not really need or that marketing was used to mask some of the truth. On the flip side, if marketing wasn't thought of as deceptive, it was thought of as useless, adding no value to the customer. I think all of that is changing.

 Many marketers are using marketing to put the customer first. The great marketers are creating brands that at their core are about customer success. Brands that are about delivering on a vision.  This marketing transformation is everywhere.  I read articles everyday about being honest, talking about the pros AND the cons of your product and posting the good AND the bad reviews. I read articles about using storytelling to help prospects know what it is really like to use your product and really understand the company. I read articles about using content marketing to help prospects accomplish their goal, knowing full well many of those customers will never make a purchase and will be getting something for nothing. I read articles about consultative selling where the end result is not pushing for the sale, but letting the customer know the product might not be a good fit and offering suggestions on a better option. I read articles about consistently measuring customer satisfaction using net promoter score or other metrics and using the results to address situations immediately, not just as a data point in some quarterly review. I read articles about taking the time and effort to perform extraordinary acts for customers and working to delight them. These are just a few examples of how marketing is changing. The list of examples showing marketing adding real value to customers could go on and on. And this change is being embraced by both big and small businesses and both start-ups and established organizations.

I love it. I love that marketing is leading here. Honestly, it makes me proud to be in marketing. I want this new marketing outlook to continue to expand, to be embraced by everyone in marketing.

The other day I was speaking with someone and in trying to make a statement about someone else's sincerity, he said "he really meant it, it wasn't just a marketing technique." I was slightly offended by the statement. Obviously, perceptions about marketing still have a way to go, but with the great efforts I listed above, we are getting there. I look forward to the day when the statement becomes, "He really meant it, it WAS a marketing technique."

P.S. The best news of all for those in marketing is that this shift is not simply altruistic. In the end, treating people right, putting them first, produces results.

Is content marketing a good way to teach customers?

Recently, I wrote that if you value your customer you will teach them. I think content marketing is a perfect teaching vehicle that benefits the customer throughout their life cycle.  A well done content marketing effort should be the content representation of an organization's vision.  Essentially becoming the bible for customers of an organization.  Successful content marketing will be the first stop for the unfamiliar trying to better understand what your organization provides as well as the destination for the loyal customer looking to maximize the value of your product.   Done correctly content marketing will offer content that show how to accomplish the user's goal, that shows what success looks like, and provide insight on how you work and the quality of your organization.  Ideally through teaching your content will always help the user achieve their goal, but it will not always result in a sale.

Marketing value

What if we set a new standard for marketing?  What if the standard is that we only do marketing that adds value to peoples' lives? What would go and what would stay? I think this should be standard.

Data for everyone over big data

I am not a big fan of running your business using big data as the sole driver. Meaning that I believe it is possible to optimize yourself to failure by making short term decisions at the expense of your long term vision. That being said, I definitely believe numbers matter. In fact, everyone in your organization should be tied in to the key metrics. Everyone. If an employee says that they aren't interested, then they need to find something else to do, because numbers matter.

Is a bad customer experience a chance to increase loyalty?

A customer bought your product and some sort of unpreventable accident caused it to break, what do you do? Instead of saying you are not responsible and assigning blame elsewhere, I think the best answer is to use it as opportunity to show how good you are and perhaps even perform a miracle.    The customer will be that much more loyal to you because you fixed the situation even though you didn't have to.  I am not saying that you should rectify the situation no matter how many times an individual has an issue, customers who abuse your goodwill are bad customers, and you don't need them. It is just that odds are every customer is going to face a tough situation that is not of their own making.  It simply happens to everyone no matter how hard you work or how great your business is.  The fact that it happens to everyone eventually makes it a great opportunity to make a big difference.

Do you teach?

Of course you sell, but do you teach as well? If you value your customer, you are not satisfied simply with the fact they bought from you. You should aim for them to utilize you and your product to the fullest extent and that requires teaching. The instruction should start from the beginning, even before the purchase and continue throughout the lifecycle.  If you have constructed your vision statement around customer success, there really is no other way than to teach your customer.

Your product and price may be able to matched but your teaching cannot, because in teaching you are giving of yourself and your organization.

What do you do when an employee won't buy in to your change?

You have created a path for change, you asked others to follow but did not require them to be fully convinced, you met with them where they are instead of making them come to you, and yet there are still some on your team who are doing things that are against your new direction. Maybe they don't confront you directly but their behaviors and actions are in direct conflict with you efforts. What do you do? If you know, are absolutely certain, that you will be acting for love of your company or team and not because you feel slighted, then act boldly. Move quickly to remove them. Act with the conviction that these few are hurting the larger group. Do this for two reasons, first if you truly care about your team's success they do not deserve to have someone directly hurting that success, second the team must know that you truly believe what you are preaching and open defiance brings that into question.

Choose your customers

Do you ever think about choosing your customers?  I think you should.

The other day I was grocery shopping with my two boys who are 5 and 4 years old.  They both had those little kid shopping carts and were helping me shop.  We settled in the juice and cereal aisle and while I am the first to admit my boys can be crazy shoppers, at this time they had their carts nicely lined up along the side of the aisle.  A woman came up along side and parked her cart parallel to us effectively blocking the aisle.  Another woman came along and said to my kids, "You must move," in a very harsh tone.  The woman next to us moved her cart and said to the angry woman in a kind fashion, "It was my fault too."

In my best attempt not to be angry, I said to the upset woman, "Ma'am, you are going to be OK." She continued on in her unhappy fashion, not addressing me or the other woman.  The kind woman who was also blocking the aisle looked back to me and said, "I guess she is having a bad day."  Yes, I guess she was having a bad day and doing her best to get me to have a bad day as well.

The thing is, is that the shopping experience gave the woman no reason to be angry.  The store wasn't busy, there was plenty of parking, it was easy to check out, there was no shortage on any items, and yet she is still angry and making me angry, which in turn is making my shopping experience bad, and giving me a negative impression of the store.  The kind woman had the exact opposite effect, I felt better about the store because of her kindness.  So should the store care about the type of customer it has?  I would argue yes.

I love that Uber rates it customers.  There is no getting around the fact that your customer is part of your brand experience.    

Good times

If your employees or customers complain when things are going well, what is your expectation for them when things get tough? No matter what, there is going to be a time when things get tough. Use the good times as a gauge of what is to come and if you don't see the behavior you expect, use the good times to build your team for the hard times. A complaint during the good times can be easily dismissed, but during hard times that same complaint can be infectious. Is complaining negative behavior what you need when the team or organization must rally? Or would a positive can do mind set be the oxygen your team needs?

It may be very expensive for you to address the negative employees during the bad times because you feel even if they are negative, losing them will dig you deeper in the hole.   It is much better to do it while things are going well, when your back is not against the wall.

Who do you serve your vision or profit?

Well, you must serve both, but you must serve your vision first before all else, before even profit. If you strive first for profit, you will get neither profit or your vision, but if you accomplish your vision you will get both. Jim Collins's "Good to Great" is a well known strategy book published in 2001, but there is a rebuttal on the Internet that the companies he designated as "Good to Great" eventually failed to do well.  

I am not here to defend "Good to Great", but my response is that the reason they fell is because eventually profit became the main driver before vision. Not necessarily because there were bad people running the company but because the company was not sufficiently committed to their vision. The vision of your organization can never come second to any other goal.  The world is littered with companies who appeared to have everything but were overcome because they simply could not transition fast enough.

In game theory, there is a concept of the chicken game, where two drivers are driving at each other and the one who swerves first is the loser.  Game theory proposes a solution on how to win the chicken game.  It turns out the way to be the winner is to show total commitment to going straight ahead by throwing the steering wheel out the window. That is the answer to always driving to your vision as well. Once you are pointed towards your vision, you must throw the steering wheel out the window. If you are willing to do that, you can remain great forever, provided you have created the right vision.

What causes your customers to fail?

You have laid out a compelling vision based on your customers' success. You are passionate about your vision. You are creating a brand that is executing against your vision. You are well on your way to amazing growth. So what is stopping you? The better question might be what is stopping your customer?  It is important to recognize the factors that are causing your customers to fail and find a way to overcome them.  It could be something simple like lack of parking or something more significant, think about shipping costs and Amazon.com, which led them to create Prime.  There is also the frequently mentioned case of Febreze, which according to its Wikipedia entry,

"The product initially sold poorly until P&G realised that people had become accustomed to the smells in their own homes, then switched to linking it to pleasant smells and cleaning habits to produce the successful product."

Regardless of the cause, if there is something that is causing your customers to fail, you have to find a way to address it.

The best position

The employee I don't want is the one primarily concerned with their status before all else. The one who always manages up but is hard on those below. The one who takes credit first and the one who takes blame last. 

Your customer needs you

You have a loyal customer who thinks of you first, she loves your organization's product, but the time comes when she needs a little help with your product or service. You are too busy and you know she is loyal so her post sits unanswered on Facebook, your hold times on the phone remain long, or your staff takes your lead and makes her feel second priority.  Later you look and realize she went somewhere else for her next purchase.  She was very loyal, a great customer, but you weren't there when she needed you so she went elsewhere.  The fact is, your failures hit the most loyal customers hardest, because they expect more than a simple transaction from you.   You have your reasons to justify your actions, "We are so busy this time of year" or "We are trying to reduce costs."  No matter how good your reasons are they don't get her back.

It is certain that your customer is going to ask for things when it isn't convenient for you, but think carefully about how you respond, they may invite someone else to help next time.  Are your best relationships with people who let you down when you really need them or with those who are there for you?  The foundation of your brand are the relationships you develop.  Through their stories, the existing customer is the one who will be representing your brand to potential customers the most.  

What standard do you hold yourself to?

Do you hold you or your organization to the standards of everyone else around you or to some higher standard? If you say, "Well, they do this, so can we" or "I know this isn't great, but it is good enough," you will earn the distinction you deserve. None. If you choose not to stand out, don't be surprised that when it comes to recognize stand outs you are not included. If all you have to give is what everyone else gives, you are not giving the best of who you are.  The standard you meet becomes your brand.  Not being the worse is not the place you want to be.    No one talks about the company jumping the low bar, no one wants to evangelize for the low bar, and guess what people want to pay for the low bar?  A little bit less than the price that the next company crossing the low bar is charging.

Feel free to give

If you live up to your vision you are going to give many gifts for which you can expect no return. I do not mean literal presents, but assistance, advice, knowledge, listening, work for which you may never be repaid. Do I think you or your business will ultimately benefit from these gifts? Yes, but if you give them with that expectation they are not gifts at all, but simply transactions with offset timing. So why give? Because you have a vision where you are creating a better world. Because you can do great work because there is no payment. Because you will be better. What if you gave gifts expecting nothing in return?

Your attitude is viral

You know that awesome Internet meme, the one that gets spread around social media, gets talked about by celebrities, gets a million YouTube views? Your attitude is like that meme. Your team's attitude, your group's attitude, your company's attitude is like that meme. Your attitude goes from you to your co-workers and from them to their co-workers, from those co-workers to your customers and so on. It is up to you whether you are infecting people with an upbeat, positive, motivating message or if you are infecting people with negativity, complaining, and ill will. It is up to you alone. Not your boss, your boss's boss, the CEO, the guy in the elevator, just you. Did your attitude make someone's life a little better today, the world a little better or did you take a little away?  The most amazing thing is the amount of change your attitude can bring.

 Don't believe it? It definitely applies to ethical behavior. NPR did a story in May, 2013 on a study at the University of Michigan about how your colleagues are one of the primary drivers of ethical behavior.

Key quote, "That's right, David. He's finding that the effects of having an ethical supervisor are completely neutralized, if people felt their peers were unethical. So when people felt they had ethical peers they reported problems. When they felt that coworkers were unethical they were much less likely to speak up."

The fact that you have such influence on your peers' attitudes, means that we must own our own culture. It isn't just what you say to your teammates, it is also how you respond to their comments. Is what they are saying making you better? Is it constructive? Would you want them to say that your customer?

What are you asking for?

There has never been a successful person who did it completely alone.  Never.  Even the lone novelist locked away in her cabin in the woods needed someone to print the book, needed someone to read the book, needed someone to provide the ink and paper.  Because of this, the time is going to come when you are going to need to ask someone for something.  More likely, you are going to ask a lot of people for many things. You will ask things of your employees, your boss, your customers, your suppliers.... The question is, how do you ask?  Do you ask clearly so there is no doubt what you are asking for?  Or are you sheepish in asking, so that the ask is fuzzy and lacks certainty? Do you ask once and then are shocked when it doesn't happen and complain that you can't believe the person is ignoring you? Or do you ask again knowing that people are busy and have other concerns? There is no need to be obnoxious or rude in asking, but make sure that the person you are asking knows what you are asking for. A clear ask is an important part of open and honest communications.

A house divided

It is critical that your objectives are stated as clear as possible and that you get clear acknowledgement back that those goals are supported by everyone. No soft statements or assumed support. Your team cannot knowingly or unknowingly work against itself. There is perhaps no more damaging result than this and can destroy a team. the shame is that morale can be destroyed by this even when everyone has the best intentions.

What ties you together?

If you look at your organization what practices or experiences give everyone a shared experience or shared understanding?  Is there anything that allows every person to say I know the employee sitting next to me does this and the employee across the country does this and the employee working 5 years ago did this and the employee working 10 years from now will do this? This experience should create a common bond between all.  For example, every enlisted Marine knows that every enlisted Marine went to bootcamp.  The Marines emphasize that fact, even if you were a staff sergeant in the Army, if you want to become a Marine, you are going to bootcamp.  Do you remember the story of Riddick Bowe?  He was a world champion boxer who decided to become a Marine.  His first stop? Bootcamp.

Or think about Alcoholics Anonymous and the serenity prayer.    

Ask others to follow and then meet them where they are

When you are a leader and are asking people to change, ask them to follow you, not be convinced, not be fully bought in, but to simply follow.  Once they choose to follow, meet them where they are.  Don't force them to come to you, but seek them out, understand their situation, their concerns.  Why? How often are you convinced by one interaction?  Before you are bought in, don't you want to know what you are buying into?

Allow yourself to be amazed...

What is our reaction when someone does something amazing? Do we take the time to recognize it? It is OK to be amazed. If fact, I think it should be one of life's pleasures that someone can give you the gift of amazement. We should celebrate the amazing accomplishments.  ESPN has the Top 10 plays of the day, plays that are astonishing, worthy of being recognized outside of the rest of the game.  I am sure  amazing plays are occurring in the workplace as well, but instead of just appreciating them, we start to attach meaning to them.  Is there some ulterior motive?  Does that make me look bad?  She had help putting that together...Don't do that, appreciate the accomplishment, savor it, for it happens infrequently, and use it as inspiration for what you do.  

Don't be a slave to the slaves of the past

As soon as you start to implement change, you will hear it, "That isn't how we have done it" or "We have always done it this way"  The unstated assumption, that because it has always been done a certain way, that it is the right way.   The argument against change a tautology, we can't change, because we can't change.  Of course, I respect the past, and would never propose change simply for the sake of change, but the argument that we have always done it this way, is among the worst arguments one could offer against change.

What to do when YOU want to stop?

Earlier, I wrote that as you become more successful, someone is going to want to stop you, but the time may come when you are tempted to stop on your own.  Why? It may be something small like the frustration of the day.  You may be tempted to give up faith in yourself or your idea.  It could be something big, like the opportunity to make a real gain on your effort.  Before you stop, before you give in to the temptation, think it through.  Is it worth it?  Is it worth giving up all you have invested or the opportunity to make a difference?

Do you take the time to think?

Do you take the time to separate yourself from the day to day to give yourself time to think?  I am not talking about a minute here or a minute there, or seconds you have walking from your car into the office, I am talking about a set amount of dedicated time away from the hectic life, away from the calls, away from the email, away from the interruptions.  Do you give yourself that time?  If not, why not?  Do you have too much to do?  Step back for one moment and think about what, as a leader you are getting paid for.  Are you getting paid for work that in all likelihood someone else could do or your thoughts?  Hopefully, the answer is your thoughts, and if so why aren't you taking the dedicated time to develop them?

Who do you hire first?

Who do you hire first? Talent or personality? If for the sake of this blog post you think about great personality and great talent as two ends of a continuum, where a 10 in personality means you are hiring someone who is always giving, passionate, dedicated to the cause, but lacks skills in the specific talent you are looking for and a 10 in talent is a person who is a amazing in a specific area you need, but is only looking out for themselves, which would you hire first? Assuming all other things are equal, unless I am hiring someone like a sprinter who runs 100 meters or a novelist who writes entirely alone, I would hire the personality.  Why? Because a bad personality can destroy an entire team, can destroy the key asset of passion, while a great personality will have the passion and dedication to find a way to get the job done. Of course, a continuum is too simple a way to look at this, but still a helpful context when you are hiring.  

One other aspect of that should factor in to the decision, is that everyone has some expertise, or as Seth Godin says, everyone can be a linchpin.  

Who evangelizes for you?

I have written previously about the need to find evangelists to spread your message, and how you should not beg people to be your evangelist, but finding evangelists is actually a two way street.  Your evangelists should not be a part of your organization, but they should hold  and espouse your same values, and make your customers glad that you have the association.  A person who is out shilling for 100 companies is not an evangelist and may well not be someone with whom you want to be associated.  An evangelist lends their most valuable thing to you, themselves, and you are borrowing from them, you need to make sure it is a positive return.   

How the present ties to your history

I wrote earlier about the need to document your story and of how important it is to be great at storytelling, but there is more to it than those two aspects.  It is important to tie a direct line of how the great people and efforts of the past tie directly to the great people and efforts of today.  Even if your organization is only a year old, start telling stories related to your past, "Your action reflects perfectly what we were founded to do." or "What you did reminds me of when so and so did X..."

This is not just about putting employee of the month plaques up on the wall, there is research showing that the happiest families are those with strong ties to their family history,

After a while, a surprising theme emerged. The single most important thing you can do for your family may be the simplest of all: develop a strong family narrative.

I would try developing the family narrative at home first and then developing your work narrative...

Who are you talking to?

In open new markets, I talk about the idea of taking your product to new markets to help drive growth.  The first step in opening new markets is to consider who you are talking to.  How often do products find amazing success in markets other than the original intent?  Twitter in the Arab Spring, Skype as a tool for grandparents, Post-It notes, WD-40...here is a list of products that found success beyond their original purpose. 

You may be in technology, so you don't spend the time speaking with your grandfather or younger kids, instead looking for the big score with some tech guru.  That could be a huge mistake.  For instance, as of July 24, 2013 Facebook has 100 million monthly users of its low tech feature phone app. 

In an effort to improve the Facebook experience on the simple, cheap “feature phones” prevalent in emerging markets, a pair of Facebook researchers spent most of last July conducting user research in Indonesia, India, and Nigeria. After a month of navigating cell phone markets, visiting homes, and watching locals use Facebook in these countries, the researchers, Mateo Rando and Lufi Paris, brought back several insights that helped inform a revamp of Facebook’s feature-phone experience.

They sent researchers to Indonesia, India, and Nigeria to find out how to improve the app.  That is a long way from Silicon Valley.  So who are you talking to?

Someone is going to want to stop you...

When you produce your brilliant idea, you should expect that someone is going to want to stop you.  Who?  Your competitors, the status quo, those who don't like change etc... The reality is that there is nothing you can do about it, but to continue on, to do what you do best.  Why do they want to stop you? You are exposing them, you are exposing that they do not have the best interest of the customer at heart.  Never forget that, never forget that their desire to stop you is coming from weakness, use their failings as motivation to do better for your customer.  The more brilliant your accomplishment the greater the opposition.

I had that idea...

It is a horrible feeling, someone gets rich or famous on the great idea you had years ago. Do you have something brilliant you are working on? You need to get it out there and let people know.  That half written book, the blog you started with a few postings but no traffic, the business plan sketched out in your notebook, find a way to finish and announce it.  When you finish, make sure you announce it boldly.  Creating brilliance and not letting people know is worse than coming up with an idea and never working on it.  Why? Because you put the effort in to developing the product, writing the book, posting to a blog, but your fear of letting people know means just as many people benefit from your work as if you had done no work on it at all.  Zero.  Wasted time, wasted energy, time that could have been spent with friends, family, etc...

If you don't speak about your work, no one will.  If you aren't producing work that you want to speak about, then stop producing it. 

What applies to good fortune applies to bad fortune as well

Perhaps it goes without saying, but my two posts from the past two days about accepting good fortune and great work breeds good fortune,  apply to bad fortune as well.  When bad fortune comes to your business (and it will), you can't ignore it, but you also can't let it occupy your every thought.  View it as an opportunity to become stronger and an opportunity to improve.  You have no idea what road you are headed down, all you know is that you need to do all you can do, do your best, think smarter, and enjoy the day.  That's it.  Remember the best stories are written about those who overcame difficulties to win.  

Great work often brings good fortune

In Jim Collins book "Good to Great" he writes about the fact that many of the Good to Great leaders felt like a good portion of their success could be attributed to luck. Not that they were lucky enough to be in industries that just took off due to technology or marketplace changes, actually none of the Good to Great companies achieved their success in that fashion, it was that the leaders felt they had good fortune in many aspects of their companies' transformation. So they were doing great work and good luck came to them. I think that is a lesson for most of us as well, great work breeds good fortune.  

Accept good fortune for what it is

You can't plan your business around good fortune, but when it comes accept it and be thankful. Two common reactions to a fortunate situation is to expect it going forward or to question it too much.  If you question it too much you are bound not to make full use of it and if you expect it you are bound to fall short in the future.

Have you taken the time to write your story?

Your organization's history is important, important enough to take the time to document it.  To many it probably seems like a very low priority, but how many companies still look back to how they were founded as an inspiration and guide for today?  The list is long and contains many of the most successful companies of the era.  Any guesses to which companies Thomas Edison and Henry Ford help found?  

Only one thing is needed...

I am just finishing up "Good to Great" by Jim Collins and in it he outlines the "Hedgehog Concept" which Wikipedia summarizes as:

• Hedgehog Concept: Three overlapping circles: What lights your fire ("passion")? What could you be best in the world at ("best at")? What makes you money ("driving resource")?

It is actually a little more than that, fundamentally it is about focus on one crystal clear strategy, that is defined by answering the questions in these three overlapping circles.  

Here, your vision, the vision for your customer, is the hedgehog concept.   You need to relentlessly pursue that vision first.  It is the only thing needed for you to pursue.  Pursuing many things will simply mean you do not accomplish any of them.  

Come on, Flanders, there's gotta be something you hate.

I know many businesses find it distasteful to speak of enemies, but is there nothing in this world you would like to get rid of?  Poverty? Injustice? Illiteracy? How about some smaller items? Bad customer service, prices that are too high, bad user experiences....eliminating these things can provide motivation and define your organization.  Beating those organizations that practice them is a likely outcome.  For those who avoid organization who avoid the discussion of enemies, I am reminded of the Simpsons episode Hurricaine Neddy.

Homer: Come on, Flanders, there's gotta be something you hate. What about mosquito bites?

Flanders: Mmm mmm! Sure are fun to scratch! Mmm! Satisfying!

Homer: What about, uhhhhh, florescent lights?

Flanders: Oooh, they hum like angels! You're never lonely if you've got a florescent light!

Flanders: I don't like the service at the post office. You know, it's all "rush rush! get'cha in, get'cha out!" Then they've got those machines in the lobby, they're even faster, no help there. You might even say, I hate the post office. That, and my parents. Lousy beatniks.

One last quote from the episode to close,

Homer: [directly towards mirror] Aw that's it, you just can't insult this guy. You call him a moron and he just sits there, grinning moronly.

Flanders: [to mirror] Hi, neighbor!

Homer: You know what your problem is, Flanders? You're afraid to be human.

Flanders: Ho ho, now why would I be afraid of that?

Homer: Because humans are obnoxious, sometimes. Humans hate things.

Flanders: Well, maybe a few of them do... back East.

Emotions are an important part of life, you should care for your customers and their success, and that very well may mean making an enemy of those things that do not enable their success.  Don't be afraid to care, to be human. 

Don't change your product to open new markets

If you have created an offering based upon the vision recommendations outlined on this site and then followed the branding thoughts then you should have an offering that will be well received in other markets as is.  Your messaging may change but the core offering should be the same, because you have developed based on what the customer actually needs.

Some questions: What new markets should we target? How do you define a new market? When do you take it to a new market?

Your price must be free at first...

As I have stated previously, it is true that people will be willing to the pay the price for your offering, but first you must let them gain some exposure, some benefit, some usage for free.  Of course many reading this will say I sell X product, how can I just give it away for free? To that I say is your offering really just X? Is there nothing else you bring? If your offering is just X, then you probably need to take a close look at your vision. It seems likely that you may have bigger concerns than just the price of your product.   Look at Amazon.com they sell goods online and yet they do give part of the offering away for free.  What do they give away for free? Reviews, how tos, manuals, price comparisons etc...The offer should always be be bigger than just the product you are selling.

What stories do you want to be associated with?

What story do you want to associate with? The scrappy new comer who battles the odds to win or the established behemoth who can't win on the merits so resorts to cronyism and lawsuits? Do  you want to associate with the company devoted to its customers or the one that basically tricks customers for the quick sale?  At the end of the day results are what matters, even if you have the best story with a bad offering you are going to lose, but to grow, a great story helps.

Consider the case of t-shirts offered by Nike and Reebok mentioned here

" The average consumer's relationship with Reebok was much shallower. Sure, Reebok had a story (Cybill Shepherd wore them to the Emmys!), but that story didn't amount to anything substantial or meaningful. Despite its strong sales, the Reebok brand lacked meaning.

To get that story point across to Reebok, we devised a simple test that we called "The T-shirt Test." We put two stacks of identical gray T-shirts on a folding table on a Manhattan sidewalk. The only difference between the two stacks was the logo on the shirts: the Nike logo was on one stack, Reebok the other. We put a sign on the table, "Free T-shirts, One Per Customer," and retreated to a safe distance to film the result. One by one, as pedestrians saw the sign, stopped, and examined the T-shirts, they went for the Nike stack. When those were all gone, the Reebok shirts went, too.

People didn't hate Reebok. But when given a choice, they were quick to show their allegiance to Nike because its story was clearer, and therefore more useful for helping people express themselves and their beliefs. A Nike T-shirt signaled membership in the Nike tribe — a tribe that believed in something bigger than shoes or apparel. Nike was fast becoming a religion. Reebok was just a shoe company." 

Was it Nike's story the key factor in its growth?  No, certainly not, but to have this example repeated on a huge scale across the consumer universe is a huge advantage to Nike.  These principles never operate in isolation, but   it possible to be great at one and horrible at another. 

Would You Wear That Company's T-Shirt in Public? - Passion and Inspiration to Fuel Greater Success

Would You Wear That Company's T-Shirt in Public? - Ty Montague - Harvard Business Review

I think this is a critical notion is building your organization's success, the key quote, "A Nike T-shirt signaled membership in the Nike tribe — a tribe that believed in something bigger than shoes or apparel. Nike was fast becoming a religion. Reebok was just a shoe company." This is so much more than just visual branding and it leads to passionate employees and customers which will in turn fuel success.

What would it mean to go beyond word of mouth?

Of course, many, many companies create word of mouth campaigns, but what would it look like to create something beyond a campaign?  To actually have your business structured around customer participation.  What if your customers were no longer passive participants, but active players in your success?  Imagine how dynamic your organization could become with active customers.  Actually is probably pretty hard to imagine,  because it has rarely been done.

A few questions:

What would it look like to have a fully involved customer?

Why would they participate at that level?

Has any company developed a structure with customer participation being a key component?

You shouldn't have to beg people to become evangelists

If you are doing the other things right you shouldn't need to beg influencers to become evangelists, you should only have to ask. What they are giving you is even more valuable then the space or ink, they are giving you a part of themselves, they are attaching their name to you.  What sort of organization are you willing to give a piece of yourself to?

Why align your vision statement with your customer?

Imagine dealing with a company that your truly believed had your interests first.  Actually, more than having your interests first, their success was dependent on your success.  What would that relationship look like?  Gone would be the short term cost cutting to make numbers, competitive practices that may benefit the company but be to your detriment, and deceptive pricing set up to maximize return on the single transaction.  The effects would not just be overcoming negative practices though, product planning would be focused on what you were truly trying to accomplish, changes in technology would be evaluated to see if they could be put to your use, and a community that benefited every customer would be established.

What inspires people?

As  I wrote about, I think inspiration and passion are the fuel for success.  But what inspires people?  What are people passionate about?  Can we learn from those things to make the people of our organization more inspired and passionate about what they do?

A good place to start, what things are people so passionate about that people are willing to share that passion with total strangers, what stickers are people willing to put on their car?  Politics, religion, sports teams, their kids achievements, hobbies, where they vacation, funny sayings, causes, their college...

What do people argue about?  The list is actually pretty similar.

What are some aspects of these things that would cause people to be passionate?  What stands out is that the either call for some greater meaning in their lives or they make a statement about the person.

Verizon forgot the most important branding lesson

What branding lesson did Verizon forget? Namely, that everything is branding.

We recently moved to a new home, new to us and newly built.  As a result of it being a newly built home, it has a brand new, never been used before address.  At our old house, we had been happy Verizon customers.  We had even switched from Comcast to FIOS when we were unable to get good reception on one of our TVs.  So knowing we were about to move, I call Verizon and give them the new address, the rep tells me she can't find the address in the system and has entered a ticket for engineering to do an assessment of the address which typically takes 72 hours and after the assessment they would give me a call.  That was April 25th.

May 3rd comes along and still no call, so I call back.  The new rep tells me he can see the ticket entered, but he will enter a new ticket again to get the assessment and that Verizon will call me back. Again no call. I go through this process a few more times to no avail.

Finally, I call Comcast.  They send out an engineer within 72 hours, my address is in the system, and the installer comes (on time) 48 hours later.  The thing is, is that the cable pole is in my front yard, Verizon could have invested 5 minutes with me, maintained their brand, and a customer.  Is it the end of the world? Of course not, but Verizon has spent millions branding FIOS, running ads, developing a slick website, and even creating a good product, but all of that was thrown away by not executing on their brand throughout the process.      

Compose your story for career success

I think storytelling is one of the key components in a strategy to drive growth, but the concepts I discuss here also scale down to an individual level as well.  Have you defined your story?  In telling your story you need to get beyond what you do and to who you are.  If the CEO came into your office and asked you what you do, what would say? I am a project manager, a graphic designer, digital director?  Those titles are what you do, and the expectation is that you can do that thing well, but what else do you bring?  How do you help the company deliver on its vision? The story you tell ultimately should lead to your vision for yourself.

Marketing Definitions: Logo

A logo is a company's seal of approval.  The logo appears on experiences that the company approves as representative of its brand.

When to change your company's logo

To some people the answer to every problem at a company is to change the logo...

Our customer satisfaction is down...it's because the logo doesn't do a good job representing our brand promise.

Sales are down...our logo is not recognizable.  

We have a bad reputation...let's change the logo.  

Here are some other reasons...

The GAP

"We want our customers to take notice of Gap and see what it stands for today," she said. "We chose this design as it's more contemporary and current. It honors our heritage through the blue box while still taking it forward."

Wendy's

“Wendy’s brand transformation is re-energizing all of our touch points with consumers,” chief executive Emil Brolick said in a statement. “We’re transforming our brand, from bold restaurant designs to innovative food that consumers want, to improved customer service. This exciting evolution of our brand reinforces our mission to position Wendy’s as ‘a cut above.’”

JCPenny

“The new jcpenney logo, which combines the elements that have made jcpenney an enduring American brand, by evoking the nation’s flag and jcpenney’s commitment to treating customers Fair and Square. The square frame imagery will be evident throughout all of jcpenney’s marketing, to remind customers to frame the things they love.”

Microsoft

This wave of new releases is not only a reimagining of our most popular products, but also represents a new era for Microsoft, so our logo should evolve to visually accentuate this new beginning.

So when should you change it?  

I view a company's logo as its seal of approval.  The logo appears on experiences that the company approves as representative of its brand.  The only time I think a company should change its logo is when its brand has failed so completely that you need to create a new seal of approval.  Any other time, I think every dollar spent on developing a new logo would be better spent on executing on your real brand.  

  

Strategy over tactics J.C. Penney Desperately Needs a Strategy - Roger Martin - Harvard Business Review

I don't know much about the situation with J.C. Penney, but I think this statement is true for all organizations: The problem with J.C. Penney is that it serves no compelling customer purpose — and neither did Borders. It doesn't have an aspiration for winning — just for improving from the current pathetic state. 
This is good too...
Investments in improvements without a clear definition of strategy are simply a waste, whether or not the CEO came from a company with an awesome strategy or not. The only competitor against which the 'new J.C. Penney' is actually advantaged is the 'old J.C. Penney'.

Apple Product Launches are Like the Federal Reserve

Interesting interview with Don Tapscott about secrecy at Apple. I think that Apple's product launches are almost like Federal Reserve announcements now: They don't wow us enough to get a surprise for a bump, as a result most announcements are treated as disappointing, but they make long term planning difficult because you don't know when change is coming. Being open and honest is a critical factor to long term success. 

Leadership lessons from the Game of Thrones

I know a lot of people love The Game of Thrones, I put it more in the good category, but it is certainly entertaining.   My day to day life in the workforce doesn't involve dragons or swords, but I a line by King Robb caught my attention as very applicable to leadership. In the second season episode, "The Prince of Winterfell", he is walking with Lady Talisa and speaking of his father Ned Stark.  Through the discussion, it is very apparent that he very much admired his father.  He says that his father said being a lord is like being a father.     This registered with me as applicable to leadership generally.  Obviously, it is possible to take this analogy too far, but the thought occurred to me that real leadership requires a more involved relationship.  As a father, I am willing to put my children first, to care for them, to teach them, to encourage them, and obviously always want the best for them.  As a leader, I think I should be willing to do the same things as well.

Are the Ads Worth Spreading any good?

Have you seen TED's Ads Worth Spreading?  If so, you have seen 10 very well done ads that for the most part are very engaging.  They are also for the most part worth spreading, but are they any good as advertisements?  I am not going to review each ad, but the short answer is no.  I would use the following acronym for criteria:

Shareable
Emotional connection
Applicable
Response oriented

Shareable is more than whether the content is engaging enough to share, I think all of these ads meet that criteria, but also could someone share the ad and concept verbally as part of conversation.

Emotional connection is whether the ad registers with an individual emotionally.  These ads score very well here.

Applicable, do you know what the product is, how the story being told relates to you and the product, and how you will benefit from the product?  This does not need to be a hard sell, but it needs to be conveyed.  These ads are much less successful on this count.

Response oriented means that you are moved to take some action as a result of the ad.  Again not great here either.

Do you need a mission and vision statement (or why some people hate vision statements)?

As I have written numerous times, I love well written vision statements that are passionately followed, but I understand why people can think they are a waste of time or hate the discussion of vision and missions statements. For example, using Google, I searched for "mission vs vision" and the first result defined the vision statement as unchanging, outlining where you are going and the mission statement how you get there. The second result essentially flipped the meanings. These were the top two search results in Google and they had a completely different understanding of vision and mission statements! No wonder people roll their eyes at the mention of either one. But, it doesn't have to be this way, in fact it shouldn't be this way. I actually don't think it matters if you call it a mission statement, vision statement, a what we do statement, a purpose statement as long as it addresses three key points and it is followed passionately: The key points 1. It aligns your goals with the customers 2. Focuses on what will bring true success, not strategies or technologies 3. Defines your market and who you serve And to wrap up, you certainly don't need a vision and a mission statement as long as your statement addresses the points above.

Death To Core Competency: Lessons From Nike, Apple, Netflix | Fast Company

Death To Core Competency: Lessons From Nike, Apple, Netflix | Fast Company  I agree companies need to look beyond their core competencies and actually focus on helping customers achieve their goals. For instance, if Nike is there to help people get fit, then moving into fitness technology makes complete sense. That being said, death to your core competency? It seems to me that Amazon is doing pretty well, not killing its core competencies, but offering them as a service. Amazon Web Services and letting other vendors use the Amazon.com platform to sell their goods are two prime examples of this. As I discuss , Open Markets, their are three reasons opening new markets is a good idea:

Reason 1: Diversification
Reason 2: Low cost market
Reason 3. Different competition, competing on different qualities

Great vision statements and bad advice

I speak a lot about vision statements, in fact I think establishing a great vision statement is critical to success. One of the key reasons for this is because a great vision statement allows your company to focus on what will bring true success, not specific technologies or strategies.  One reason not to focus on specific technologies or strategies is that it is natural for employees to advise you to continue on the current path because that is what they know.  For instance, if your marketing department was built around buying print ads, it is going to be hard for them to suggest buying digital ads.  Not because they are dishonest or don't have the best interests of the company at heart but because it is what they know, the infrastructure is built to support the current system, and it is in their best interest to continue to buy print ads.  

This inertia is built into all decisions, from the smallest to largest. Things will need to get pretty bad before change is the recommendation and pretty bad is too late.  

The Coming Customer Workforce

I think we are entering an era where the customer's role is going to switch from a passive recipient of a organizations efforts or products to and active participant in an organization's success.  The seeds have already been sown in many different instances.  I categorize the models as follows (though admittedly there is no bright line separating these models) :

Affiliate - Here participants receive compensation for marketing for a company.  Amazon's affiliate program or refer-a-friend campaigns represent affiliate relationships.
Open source -  Participants actively contribute to improving a product directly and in return receive the enhancements others contribute as well, but rarely receive monetary compensation.  Drupal and Firefox are two great examples of this model.    
Crowd sourcing - Participants provide information or services that improve a product or service but the participants and others do not benefit directly from the enhancements, but may be compensated for their participation.
Financial - Financial participation is where customers contribute money in order for a product to be developed or improved.  Kickstarter is the most well known of this model, but traditional stock purchases could be viewed this way as well.
Marketplace - Marketplaces are instances where suppliers and buyers are brought together by a platform that serves as the marketplace.  For instance, Etsy or Craigslist use the marketplace model.
Participation -  Where the customer provides information that improves an offering usually without compensation.  Amazon's reviews or Yelp are good examples of this model.

The ideal model would be where a customer participates and they directly benefit and the organization benefits as well.  The best example of this actually working is Facebook.  When a user would ask a friend to join, the user, the friend, and Facebook would all benefit for the same reason, the network was now a little richer because of the new participant.

Definitely more to come on this...

Sticker Worthy Brands

If your brand reaches a point where people feel aligning with you says something positive about their own personal brand, I think you have achieved something special.  I can't think of many brands that have managed such success.    Apple, Harley-Davidson,Disney yes; Ford, Chevy, Nike, a little bit, others?  There are also niche brands that have loyal followings, but the list of big brands is pretty short.

Looking at bumper stickers is a good hint to see if a brand achieved this level of meaning. The next question is how did these brands do it?

Related articles

Bumper Sticker Branding

The Bumper Sticker Factor in Marketing | The Buzz by Mike Schaffer

Great Vision Statements: Whole Foods

There is a whole lot to like here.  This has the makings of a great vision statement:

"Our motto — Whole Foods, Whole People, Whole Planet — emphasizes that our vision reaches far beyond just being a food retailer. Our success in fulfilling our vision is measured by customer satisfaction, Team Member excellence and happiness, return on capital investment, improvement in the state of the environment, and local and larger community support."

Pros: I love the concept of interdependence.  We have something to give to customers and employees and they have something to give to us. We are successful if our customers are successful.  Ties in very nicely with the principle that Your vision and your customers' vision should be the same.
They are also doing a great job of defining their brand as everything that really matters and putting the customer first.
Another strong point, is the honest communication you see in this document.  They openly admit they are publicly traded and that profits are OK.  It is important to be open and honest about that.  In addition, this is really powerful, When Whole Foods Market fails to measure up to its stated Vision, as it inevitably will at times, we should not despair. Rather let us take up the challenge together to bring our reality closer to our vision. The future we will experience tomorrow is created one step at a time today."  Finally, I love the passion in the entire vision statement.  It really speaks beyond simply selling food.  

The biggest negative I see in this vision is that they barely define what the vision is.  What is the end state?  What do they hope for their customers to accomplish?
Score 8 out 10

American Airlines unveils new logo with FutureBrand | The Drum

American Airlines unveils new logo with FutureBrand | The Drum I think it looks pretty good, I just hope it didn't take away too much focus from the things that really create a better airline.

Great Vision Statements: Amazon.com

I plan on doing a series of posts on great vision statements that align with the I VIEW THE TOP philosophy.  First up is Amazon.com. Amazon.com has a great vision statement:

Our vision is to be earth's most customer centric company; to build a place where people can come to find and discover anything they might want to buy online.  

Pros: 
Amazon's goals are aligned with their customers' goals
Amazon's potential growth is defined by their vision (the earth, people) 
For the most part, it is not prescriptive in how they achieve it which allows them to be focused on delivering on their vision, not technology or strategy

Cons: The minor quibble I have with their vision statement is that it includes the word "online".  I guess you can expand the definition of online to cover mobile and other digital channels, but what if the concept of online goes away or becomes less meaningful?  Amazon could be too focused on online delivery and miss other opportunities.  

"Packaging Redesign" cartoon | Tom Fishburne: Marketoonist

"Packaging Redesign" cartoon | Tom Fishburne: Marketoonist This cartoon makes you think about what is really branding?  Is it packaging or is it the execution of your vision?  It is both to a certain extent, but I think it is worth asking, are my customers better served by updated packaging or by better execution of the vision?  

Want Motivated Employees? Put Them In Contact With The People They Help | Fast Company

Want Motivated Employees? Put Them In Contact With The People They Help | Fast Company How do you give employees' work meaning? Show them what their work really means to people. I think this is going to become an increasingly important leadership tool.

Google's Vision and fundamental truths

Ten things we know to be true – Company – Google I stumbled upon this page from Google today.  The page outlines 10 fundamental truths for Google.  I like it and I think it has been a major factor in their growth.  A few of them align very nicely with the I VIEW THE TOP principles.

1. Focus on the user and all else will follow. this aligns well with Vision 
2. It’s best to do one thing really, really well. aligns well with Brand
6. You can make money without doing evil. aligns with Open and Honest Communication
8. The need for information crosses all borders. aligns with Open Markets
10. Great just isn’t good enough. aligns with Perform Miracles

What is wrong with Net Promoter Score...

...nothing actually. I love net promoter score, but I do think there could be an opportunity to improve NPS.  I read someplace once that a customer with a great experience will on average will tell 4 people about it, but a person with a bad experience will tell 10 people about it.
 I don't have any research or supporting data on this other than one data point, me.  For me, I definitely tell more people about a bad experience than I do about a great experience.  When I had some significant difficulties with our home security provider (they could only do their software updates at 3am in the morning which caused the system to beep repeatedly), trust me, everyone around me heard about. I am also a person who makes a conscious to let people know about great experiences as well, but even for me the ratio of negative referrals is definitely greater.

Long story short, NPS should be updated to reflect how influential really negative reviews affect an organization.

Management Is (Still) Not Leadership - John Kotter - Harvard Business Review

Management Is (Still) Not Leadership - John Kotter - Harvard Business Review  I purposely do not spend a lot of time on this blog talking about how a business should actually be run apart from marketing (maybe at some future point), but leadership is required to make all of it happen.

How Marketing Will Change In 2013: The Strategic Forecast | Co.Create: Creativity \ Culture \ Commerce

How Marketing Will Change In 2013: The Strategic Forecast | Co.Create: Creativity \ Culture \ Commerce

If you give marketers an open forum to speak, you are going to get a lot of buzzwords, but there are a few diamonds in the rough here. I like this one, "Content (as in "happy customers") Marketing: Content marketing was all the rage in 2012, despite being misunderstood in terms of its scope and potential as a way of approaching sales and brand growth. Its full potential will begin to be realized in 2013, as marketers come to understand that: a) It’s simply a customer-first philosophy that dictates you deliver marketing consumers value, and b) It can--and must--be measured in terms of creating behavioral changes such as increasing consideration and, yes, sales."

Seth's Blog: What people buy when they buy something on sale

Seth's Blog: What people buy when they buy something on sale  I think organizations should be open and honest about their prices, which in general means that pricing games will ultimate be to a company's detriment, but the one exception is if sale promotions are part of the companies vision because their customers like to play the game.

Stop Talking About Apple, And 7 Other Brand Resolutions | Fast Company

Stop Talking About Apple, And 7 Other Brand Resolutions | Fast Company

Great article and a couple of really standout points, the first on big data which supports what I was saying earlier about is big data good and of course I love investing in customer service.

5. Don’t let big data blind you from universal truths. That’s no doubt that the business intelligence that comes from epic crunching of endless numbers can yield unprecedented insights into behavior, patterns of consumption, and unexpected connections. Like more insomniacs in the Midwest wear more purple and are earlier technology adopters than those who are sleepless in Seattle.

But turning marketing into atoms and algorithms can only go so far. Great, enduring brands are based on universal truths, and the best marketers will combine the computational skills that divide, with the psychological insights that conquer.

6. Over-invest in customer service. Your 800 number is the front line of brand building. Yet I’m continually stunned by how little attention the critical world of customer service receives from senior management. And how much of that attention is spent on how to take costs out, how to get people off the phone faster, how to hide your number on your website so people won’t call.

Customer service needs to be reinvented for a world where consumers are demanding more, where comparisons happen in real time, where loyalty is fleeting and there’s diminishing friction in changing brands. Customer service is where social starts.

My proposal for 2013 is that every CEO and CMO spend an hour a week listening in on some of their customer service calls. The result would be eye-opening--and a revolution in customer service, I assure you.

The key to future success in mobile apps

A VC: App to App Handshakes At first blush this seems fairly trivial, but the reality is that this is a huge issue.  Fundamental to success.  In fact, I read an article about the Ubuntu mobile OS the other day and how it would struggle to find footing, if they focused on this aggressively and did not worry so much about things like swipes in the UI, they could find success.  Why?  Because there are so many great apps that can accomplish a small task, but true ecosystem greatness will only come when they can work together.  

From Zipcar to the Sharing Economy - Arun Sundararajan - Harvard Business Review

From Zipcar to the Sharing Economy - Arun Sundararajan - Harvard Business Review I like this a lot. The idea of the customer of being more than just a customer, but a participant in the success of an organization, is very powerful.

Jeff Bezos on Leading for the Long-Term at Amazon - HBR IdeaCast - Harvard Business Review

Jeff Bezos on Leading for the Long-Term at Amazon - HBR IdeaCast - Harvard Business Review

Excellent interview with Jeff Bezos. Probably not much new here, but I think the focus on long term planning combined with putting the customer first is a great way to achieve success. I also like the fact that Bezos is considering physical stores and an Amazon phone but Amazon won't do those unless they have a different angle than what exists today. Amazon doesn't want to be just the 101st store on the block or the 101st phone on the shelves

Is Big Data Bad For You or Your Business?

You cannot read an technology or marketing publication today without a bunch of articles on big data and how it is changing the world.  I love the idea of big data and with every article I start to envision how it can fix things, but the reality is that for most organizations big data is not fundamental to success at this point.  Why?  Because there ARE fundamental issues that need to be resolved first.  Issues around vision, brand, employees, etc... Just replace advertising with big data in this cartoon by Tom Fishburne and the outcome is the same.

5 Lessons Microsoft Must Learn To Compete In 2013 | Fast Company

5 Lessons Microsoft Must Learn To Compete In 2013 | Fast Company This is an interesting article about what Microsoft has to do to in 2013.  I agree with most of the points, but I think they are symptoms of a larger cause, which is lack of comprehensive vision.  And of course I like point number 5, "Storytelling Is Important!"

Avis Budget snaps up car sharing leader Zipcar for $500M — Cleantech News and Analysis

Avis Budget snaps up car sharing leader Zipcar for $500M — Cleantech News and Analysis

I like this move by Avis, instead of their vision merely being how can we best rent cars, it is "Our customers temporarily need a vehicle, how can we best serve them?"

Instead of Making Resolutions, Dream - Whitney Johnson - Harvard Business Review

Instead of Making Resolutions, Dream - Whitney Johnson - Harvard Business Review

This is an excellent article and illustrates how the power of passion, vision, and brand scale from the individual to the corporation.