COVID-19 is dramatically changing consumer and business behaviors today. Undoubtedly, many of those behaviors will remain long after the diminishment and defeat of the virus. New behaviors become permanent the longer they are in place. And in this case, one of the primary human emotions, FEAR propels and engrains the behavior changes.
Fri, Nov 9, 2018 — Pity the burden that the dollar sign is forced to carry. If you think about it, for generations, this simple character has symbolized the hopes and dreams of enterprises of all sizes. The numbers that follow, went conventional wisdom, would make the difference between success and failure in the marketplace. Indeed, it is an oft-repeated lament of companies that price pressure from competitors is the key culprit that is squeezing today’s margins, causing market share to slump. Conversely, many salespeople, in fact, still believe that price is the key determining factor in B2B vendor selection.
Mon, Jun 11, 2018 — Recently, the management of the Tsukuba Express train line, between Tokyo and the city of Tsukuba in Japan, had a serious problem. This “problem” was grave enough to warrant a public apology and touched off a wave of social media attention, in Japan and around the world. What was this grievous issue that required a public issuance of corporate regret and captured the attention of a global audience? Astonishingly, the “offense” was one that would be lauded in about 99.99999 percent of the remainder of the world: One of Tsukuba Express’s trains had departed Tokyo 20 seconds earlier than its scheduled departure time. Worldwide reaction ranged from amazement at the commitment of the Japanese railway to service times, to surprise that such a minor deviation from precision would be headline-making news.
Wed, Jul 19, 2017 — What’s wrong with learning from others who are not like us? You can “borrow” or in consultant-speak, maybe “re-purpose” or “leverage,” best practices from industries which are more advanced than your own. My simple premise is this: we can all get too insular within our businesses and industries and miss the opportunity to take advantage of best practices from industries outside our normal field of view.
Thu, May 18, 2017 — Do you ever wonder how power windows on cars and trucks came about? Try to buy a vehicle with hand crank windows today. Good luck with that. The story of power windows is also a story about value hierarchies. Value hierarchies are graphic depictions of your value proposition. Value hierarchies are usually organized as pyramids with three tiers of value:
