A lesson from my new book, Clear Thoughts – Pragmatic Gems of Better Business Thinking, available in June 2009: Show, don’t tell. Demonstrate your mission and values with every action. As a customer, I want good value, not grandiose talk.
Myths about strategy prevent organizations, whether business or non-profit, from taking care of their number one priority. Myth #1: Strategy must be addressed every 1, 2, 3 or 5 years. Many organizations see strategy as a periodic event, often annual, to complete and check off their To Do list. Like prescription medicine, they go through the paces on schedule, whether it seems to improve their situation or not. A year later, or whatever their frequency, they repeat the process. Some hold religiously to their schedule, others may let the whole thing slide when pressing matters intrude.
I received a letter recently telling me that I will receive a gift shortly – a book. The book is obviously part of someone’s marketing plan, though the letter is bizarre enough so that I am not sure who is getting what from this beyond me getting a free book. But wait, that isn’t worth writing about. Here is the interesting part: Enclosed with the letter was a 3″ x 5″ label with the author’s signature. I can stick that in the book when it arrives to make it look autographed!!! I could also stick it on my recycling bin to make THAT look autographed. Should this woman get the award for best labor reduction technique or cheesiest marketing technique? What do YOU think?
In our house, we jockey and scheme to lay first claim to each new issue of The Week magazine. We read it from cover to cover. We read it aloud to each other. We quote it and discuss it. We rip out pages and mail them or file them. This is a tri-generational affliction. Meanwhile, the press is decrying the death of the press.
Innovators! Take heed! Scrambling to get out the door without dropping something? Hands full of miscellaneous along with the jangling key fob and iPhone you grabbed last? Wouldn’t it be great if your iPhone would just open doors and start the car for you so you wouldn’t need keys or fobs? Electronic calendars are great. Unless, of course, you want to add an appointment. A shower stimulates nerve receptors and triggers thinking. But notepads, pens and voice recorders are not waterproof.
We are in a sea change. Business as usual is no longer business as usual. We will emerge, but we will not return. Significant changes will be evident. It is both the change and the pause that provide significant opportunities to those who are alert and agile.
Each morning when I leave my Las Vegas hotel suite, things are arranged the same way so I can work comfortably and efficiently. Chair, light and coffee table moved closer together so I can see to read and put my feet up. Second bathroom waste basket moved near the desk. Magazines, marketing materials, TV guides and remotes moved off the surfaces I need to use. You get the idea.
If you do nothing else to improve your odds of success in these crazy times, improve your responsiveness! Too many people are whining about the recession, complaining about a drop in business, and neglecting the single most important act to ensure credibility and more business: being responsive. I contacted the Boston Globe to ask a question about subscribing and got no response. Meanwhile, I am supposed to feel sorry for newspapers? Do they have any interest in increasing subscribers? Have they given up?
“We can’t act now! Hold on to your cash! There is too much uncertainty.” Everyone is talking about uncertainty. Why? Uncertainty is normal. It is constant. In fact, nothing has ever been more certain than the constant presence of uncertainty. So why are we so preoccupied with uncertainty right now? Why do we allow ourselves to believe that anything is certain, stable or reliable when times are good? Why do the bad times take us so completely by surprise? Expecting uncertainty with open eyes provides the power to face it with calm.
Providing great value for which customers are willing to pay is the name of the game. But great value alone is not enough. If you build it, they won’t necessarily come. You can’t be a well-kept secret. Berkshire Brewing Company is a perfect example of a well-kept secret. As a matter of fact, it says so right on their website: “Western Massachusetts’ Best Kept Secret.” They aren’t a complete secret, of course. They have been brewing great beer since 1994 and have many fans.