Would big data have invented the car?

Here's a question, would you have invented the car by looking at big data? Would Netflix have come into existence looking at big data? The question is will big data lead to great leaps or simply improve performance in the existing paradigm? I think this is a critical question as you look at your business. If a paradigm shift is needed and you're focused on your data dashboard are you going to see the need for a major shift? The case can be made that some of the most innovative decisions would not be revealed in the data. That heads down in the data companies would not see these major shifts in thinking. Maybe I'm wrong, maybe there's a set up that would have resulted in inventing the car. It seems unlikely to me. Maybe it would have resulted in more brown horses or white horses or a faster horse or some aspect that is different, but it's still a horse. Even from an optimization standpoint it seems like you need to make sure that you're asking the right questions and that you have the right data for the correct things to be revealed.

What relationship should technology and data have with the customer relationship?

You hear it all the time. People will start the discussion on customer experience based on what the existing technology can do. The will say "Our technology can do this or can't do this," or "There's a new technology that allows for this," or  "Our relationship with our customers is changing based on technology."  I think this is the exact wrong way to go about defining the customer relationship with your business. Think first about what the ideal relationship would be. Period. Do not even think about the role technology will play as part of the ideal relationship. Once you have figured out the ideal relationship with the customer then think about how technology can get you as close as possible to that relationship. How many businesses would have been saved if they thought about their relationship with their customer this way instead of thinking about technology infrastructure first? This also plays into the discussion around big data.
The starting point is the ideal customer relationship and data can help you recognize how far from the ideal you are or trends.  If big data is helping determine the ideal relationship with the customer that's terrific, but the starting point should never be the data.

Say you're running a bank and you looked at life from the customer experience first, what sort of decisions would you make? I think USAA did a great job thinking this way with remote check deposit. The first question wasn't  "What does technology enable?" The first thought was that people want to be able to make deposits from home and how could USAA develop the technology to  allow their members to do that? And they quickly realized its not even that people want to make deposits at home, really they wanted to be able to make deposits wherever they were and so they enabled mobile deposits. They did this at a time when everyone else was thinking the technology would not allow for it.

 Of course the technology does not allow for it if you don't even think of the idea.

When should I use storytelling for marketing?

I have written before about the power of storytelling and metaphors. I think the ability to tell a good story is important to growth, but to others storytelling may be conceived as just the latest marketing fad.  Why would stories be more effective than just clearly displaying the price, features, and benefits?  If you are selling one product and it is very, very straight forward you probably have no need for stories  (but this is not a simple assessment, mortgages should be a commodity, but Quicken Loans is selling customer service too), you just need to say what it is and the price. But,what if there is more to your product? What if your product is different than any thing else on the market? What if the future state potential is difficult to describe using current paradigms? What if you're creating a customer service experience that is on a whole new level? What then?

The basics just won't cut it because there is nothing in the customer's mind to compare it to. In these instances, a metaphor or story can be the most powerful way and perhaps the only way to convey what you offer and get beyond just words to emotions. Zappos is a great example. Yes, they have exceptional customer service which now defines their brand, but before that was established how could they convey how amazing their service was?  How about a story about an eight hour customer service call?  Zappos offers "wow" customer service and the story about the call is a great way to show what "wow" means.

Another great example is Google's series of ads showing how their products are used in real life.  The commercial below called "Dear Sophie" is a great example. These ads are clearly stories about both life and Google products.  The ads also connect on an emotional level. They are essentially parables, telling a story so we can relate on how we could use the products.  This ad has been viewed almost 10 million times on YouTube which is pretty amazing for an advertisement.  

So when should you use storytelling?  When your offer is different than what else is out there...and really, I hope that applies to 99% of us.  

Why should you look forward to challenges?

I have never worked at a place that did not present challenges. I don't think there is any place you can work that does not present challenges. The reality is that it is the challenges that make you better, that make you stronger for the long run, that ultimately lead to success. If you show me someone who has not been challenged, I'll show you someone that is headed to failure. You don't make Marines by going to the spa and many great businesses rose from the ashes of previous unsuccessful attempts.

That being the case, don't you think that we should embrace challenges? Look forward to the  challenges? Realize that those challenges are how we're going to get better? And as a leader, it is important to challenge those who work for you and as a good teammate it's important to challenge those who you work with. If you go in with the mindset of embracing challenges how much happier will you be when they come then going in with the mindset of dreading them?

Is agile marketing just a better way to manage projects?

I certainly think that managing projects using agile practices is a better method than more traditional approaches, but if you just stop at the practices and never embrace the culture you are leaving the largest opportunity on the table.  

You can get things done more efficiently and improve quality by breaking your work into cross functional teams, working in sprints, having daily stand ups, using retrospectives to continually improve, and creating backlogs.  But, the culture shift of validated learning, team ownership and strategic contribution is what will really propel success.  You don't simply want a more efficient assembly line, you want an inspired team working on the right things. 

As with most of life, the changes with the highest reward are also the changes that are most difficult to make. It is much easier to implement stand ups and backlogs than to give ownership to a team and just as importantly have them take it willingly.