“Customer focus” has achieved the status of unquestioned business virtue. Hundreds of books and gurus attest to the power of customer focus to improve sellers’ business results. Customers benefit too by getting what they need. Ain’t it grand, how the invisible hand turns greed into social welfare? That’s the theory—but theory is getting stress-tested. A […]
Suppose you had to give a speech. To which audience would you rather present? The National Speakers Association The International Listening Association Microsoft The NSA might sound the most intimidating. Then again, they’d probably empathize. Microsoft would probably be the worst—doing email and blackberries throughout. Which makes me think, “hey, the ILA would probably be […]
law lawyers trust
One of Harvard Business Review’s all-time best-selling articles is Ted Levitt’s “Marketing Myopia.” It sold 850,000 reprints from its 1960 publication to Levitt’s death earlier this year. Re-read today, it looks more like strategy than marketing. His claim that the railroads failed to see they were in the transportation business is bigger-picture than what most […]
I want to make sure to get tactical and practical every few posts. This is Tip #27, but I’m publishing it first, out of sequence, because I think it’s so provocative. First the rule: then examples: then explanation. Here we go. Rule 27a: get rid of the verb "to be" in all its forms; Rule […]
Ronald Reagan, speaking of diplomacy and the Soviet Union, famously said, "trust—but verify." The statement never made sense to me (except as politics). If you’re going to resort to verification, you’re not dealing with trust, but with risk management. Trust without risk ain’t trust. Something related comes to us from a fascinating interview with Stanford’s […]
Ten days ago, the Wall Street Journal headlined HP’s boardroom clash between no-longer-chairman Patricia Dunn and Director Tom Perkins. It’d be a great made-for-TV movie. There’s venture capitalist and Silicon Valley legend Tom Perkins (as in Kleiner, Perkins, Caulfield), an early HP employee himself, used to getting his own way, his reputation apparently exceeded only […]
Today’s issue of The Wise Marketer suggests that corporate honesty will be the number one key alternative marketing trend for 2007. Here’s how they put it: "While marketers are constantly watching for alternative methods that can give them a competitive edge in over-crowded markets, Drew Neisser, CEO for Renegade Marketing explained to us the ones […]
I had my hearing tested the other day. The examiner told me that with a minor low-end exception, my hearing was quite good—“excellent for my age,” she added (which brought me down off my temporary jolt of pride). “But let me ask you, “ she said, “do you use a blackberry?” “Yes—but what’s that got […]
I attended my 30th reunion at Harvard Business School 2 weeks ago. I learned some trivia; e.g. the only student from the prior year (class of 1975) who took his graduation picture without wearing a tie was one George W. Bush. More importantly—the changes in HBS are a reflection of the changes business in general […]