Tags |
|
|
Links |
|
|
Will You Add? - Positioning For Success
Coaching for success is a term that is becoming popular throughout the managerial workforce. It is used for bringing lower productive employees up in performance, and to bring the top producing employees into excelling at what they do. It is a hidden way of treating everyone equally while targeting the weaknesses that people have. If weaknesses are not improved upon, a performance improvement action plan is put into place. These performance improvement action plans are also used to move negative behaviors into positive ones.It normally takes about 20 days to change a person’s behavior. Managers are keying into this daily as the word spreads like wildfire. To legally change a negative behavior (attitudes, subordination, etc), performance improvement action pl
In short, our business exists within a context which includes both the market and our overarching business strategy.
POSITIONING FOR SUCCESS
Positioning begins with establishing an identity. The concept is easily understood when you look at examples. McDonalds and Bellisio’s have created two very different identities in the Duluth eatery market. Is one right and one wrong? Absolutely not. Each has targeted a different consumer niche. McDonalds is fast food with no surprises, the same burgers that you get it in Ohio or Michigan or South Carolina. By way of contrast, from the wine racks to the menu selection Bellisio’s speaks to a different class of consumer.
Positioning is more than branding. When you think of McDonalds you not only have golden arches in your head, but you have a product and e
Are you looking for a clear definition of corporate culture? You have come to the right place!I have developed a definition of corporate culture after nearly 20 years of working with organizations and viewing them from the perspective of a cultural anthropologist as well as a strategy consultant with an MBA in finance.The easiest way to think of corporate culture is that it is an energy field that determines how people think, act, and view the world around them. I often compare culture to electricity. Culture is powerful and invisible and its effects are far reaching. Culture is an energy force that becomes woven through the thinking, behavior, and identity of those within the group.Corporate culture is created naturally and automatically. Every time
To what did Chandler attribute Napoleon’s great string of successes? First, he was a master of translating theory into action. And second, in addition to being a man of action Napoleon was not concerned about being original. He borrowed from history, developing and perfecting the ideas of others.
Napoleon made no secret of this secret of his success. “Read and meditate upon the wars of the great captains,” said he. "This is the only means of learning the art of war."
Success in marketing is precisely the same. There is no need to re-invent the wheel, the chariot, or the smart bomb. Marketing successes and failures are well documented. Books on marketing are abundant. Those who read them, and learn what is valuable through trial and error, action and evaluation, will become increasingly powerful.
THE SEARCH FOR SILVER BULLETS
In my two decades of experience thinking about marketing related problems, a number of observations have impressed themselves upon me so that they have now become personal marketing principles. Among these I include the well worn maxim, “There are no silver bullets.”
I know that a lot of business people wish there were indeed a silver bullet, a top secret marketing tip that they might be privy to. This would help them find relief from having to do any further homework, any further study or thinking or work.
When you stop and think about it, virtuosity in any endeavor is the result of a hours of practice, preparation and sweat equity. Some people have natural abilities, but unless sharpened and honed the most gifted musician, athlete or sales professional will falter. Applying oneself to think from a marketing point of view is not natural to many of us. It is a skill, however, that we can learn.
Unfortunately, most books on marketing are an attempt to chronicle universal truths that apply to all businesses. They do not and can not necessarily address all the particulars of our specific situations. Each of us in a different set of circumstances. Thus we must each do our own homework to think through how this principle applies to one’s unique place.
Rod Johnson, Director of Marketing & Business Development at Eventis Telecom, once observed that successful people do the things that are necessary, not just the things that are enjoyable. “It is interesting,” said Johnson, “that by doing these necessary things routinely and developing skills in those areas, they become enjoyable or at least not unpleasant.”
So it is with finding business and marketing solutions. We must invest time to think, to gather information, and do our homework.
ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS
“If we would first know where we are, and whither we are tending,” Abraham Lincoln once said, “we could better judge what to do and how to do it.” This is a requirement in our business planning today as well.
Too often we simply blunder forward without a plan. Many people have found early success simply on the sheer force of their personalities. Eventually, without a plan they will come up against a wall or end up in a corner.
Lincoln observed that we need to have a clear understanding of where we are first, before we act. A lot of money is wasted in advertising because we do not take the time to figure out what is really happening. By this I mean, what is our situation? Who are our customers? What is their opinion, if any, of our products and services? Who are our competitors and how are we perceived in relation to these competitors?
In short, our business exists within a context which includes both the market and our overarching business strategy.
POSITIONING FOR SUCCESS
Positioning begins with establishing an identity. The concept is easily understood when you look at examples. McDonalds and Bellisio’s have created two very different identities in the Duluth eatery market. Is one right and one wrong? Absolutely not. Each has targeted a different consumer niche. McDonalds is fast food with no surprises, the same burgers that you get it in Ohio or Michigan or South Carolina. By way of contrast, from the wine racks to the menu selection Bellisio’s speaks to a different class of consumer.
Positioning is more than branding. When you think of McDonalds you not only have golden arches in your head, but you have a product and ex
Probably the hardest task that every senior marketing manager regularly faces is planning to maximise budget efficiency. Nowhere is this more challenging than when deciding on where to spend the marketing communications budget.The exponential growth of new media covers every aspect of life from the second your (digital of course) radio alarm goes off in the morning through all the traditional offline media you’re exposed to over the course of the day. Once we go online and explore the huge demands on the budget related to email marketing, search engine optimisation, pay per click, web design and a plethora of other online marketing opportunities, the budget dilemma seems to become impossible. Various studies indicate the average person living in a developed count
THE SEARCH FOR SILVER BULLETS
In my two decades of experience thinking about marketing related problems, a number of observations have impressed themselves upon me so that they have now become personal marketing principles. Among these I include the well worn maxim, “There are no silver bullets.”
I know that a lot of business people wish there were indeed a silver bullet, a top secret marketing tip that they might be privy to. This would help them find relief from having to do any further homework, any further study or thinking or work.
When you stop and think about it, virtuosity in any endeavor is the result of a hours of practice, preparation and sweat equity. Some people have natural abilities, but unless sharpened and honed the most gifted musician, athlete or sales professional will falter. Applying oneself to think from a marketing point of view is not natural to many of us. It is a skill, however, that we can learn.
Unfortunately, most books on marketing are an attempt to chronicle universal truths that apply to all businesses. They do not and can not necessarily address all the particulars of our specific situations. Each of us in a different set of circumstances. Thus we must each do our own homework to think through how this principle applies to one’s unique place.
Rod Johnson, Director of Marketing & Business Development at Eventis Telecom, once observed that successful people do the things that are necessary, not just the things that are enjoyable. “It is interesting,” said Johnson, “that by doing these necessary things routinely and developing skills in those areas, they become enjoyable or at least not unpleasant.”
So it is with finding business and marketing solutions. We must invest time to think, to gather information, and do our homework.
ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS
“If we would first know where we are, and whither we are tending,” Abraham Lincoln once said, “we could better judge what to do and how to do it.” This is a requirement in our business planning today as well.
Too often we simply blunder forward without a plan. Many people have found early success simply on the sheer force of their personalities. Eventually, without a plan they will come up against a wall or end up in a corner.
Lincoln observed that we need to have a clear understanding of where we are first, before we act. A lot of money is wasted in advertising because we do not take the time to figure out what is really happening. By this I mean, what is our situation? Who are our customers? What is their opinion, if any, of our products and services? Who are our competitors and how are we perceived in relation to these competitors?
In short, our business exists within a context which includes both the market and our overarching business strategy.
POSITIONING FOR SUCCESS
Positioning begins with establishing an identity. The concept is easily understood when you look at examples. McDonalds and Bellisio’s have created two very different identities in the Duluth eatery market. Is one right and one wrong? Absolutely not. Each has targeted a different consumer niche. McDonalds is fast food with no surprises, the same burgers that you get it in Ohio or Michigan or South Carolina. By way of contrast, from the wine racks to the menu selection Bellisio’s speaks to a different class of consumer.
Positioning is more than branding. When you think of McDonalds you not only have golden arches in your head, but you have a product and e
The most valuable asset your possess is your ability to earn a living. You have invested time, money and a significant amount of effort into your career. You have settled into a job that is, at best, comfortable. You often wonder what else you could do. You wonder how much more you could make. You wonder how much earning potential you have. You would love to have a career where you are energized by your work.Your annual review offers anxiety and confusion. After a brief conversation with your boss – one that is filled with phrases that seem to have come from some textbook – you receive your 3% increase. In the year ahead of you (the time period before your next performance review) you can expect more of the same. Sure, you have the potential to be a top pe
Unfortunately, most books on marketing are an attempt to chronicle universal truths that apply to all businesses. They do not and can not necessarily address all the particulars of our specific situations. Each of us in a different set of circumstances. Thus we must each do our own homework to think through how this principle applies to one’s unique place.
Rod Johnson, Director of Marketing & Business Development at Eventis Telecom, once observed that successful people do the things that are necessary, not just the things that are enjoyable. “It is interesting,” said Johnson, “that by doing these necessary things routinely and developing skills in those areas, they become enjoyable or at least not unpleasant.”
So it is with finding business and marketing solutions. We must invest time to think, to gather information, and do our homework.
ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS
“If we would first know where we are, and whither we are tending,” Abraham Lincoln once said, “we could better judge what to do and how to do it.” This is a requirement in our business planning today as well.
Too often we simply blunder forward without a plan. Many people have found early success simply on the sheer force of their personalities. Eventually, without a plan they will come up against a wall or end up in a corner.
Lincoln observed that we need to have a clear understanding of where we are first, before we act. A lot of money is wasted in advertising because we do not take the time to figure out what is really happening. By this I mean, what is our situation? Who are our customers? What is their opinion, if any, of our products and services? Who are our competitors and how are we perceived in relation to these competitors?
In short, our business exists within a context which includes both the market and our overarching business strategy.
POSITIONING FOR SUCCESS
Positioning begins with establishing an identity. The concept is easily understood when you look at examples. McDonalds and Bellisio’s have created two very different identities in the Duluth eatery market. Is one right and one wrong? Absolutely not. Each has targeted a different consumer niche. McDonalds is fast food with no surprises, the same burgers that you get it in Ohio or Michigan or South Carolina. By way of contrast, from the wine racks to the menu selection Bellisio’s speaks to a different class of consumer.
Positioning is more than branding. When you think of McDonalds you not only have golden arches in your head, but you have a product and e
In today's workforce there is a new phenomenon happening - there are four distinct generations that are out there working together. What does this mean for your cleaning company? Each generation is unique, which means they bring different attitudes and opinions to their job. This affects you in everything from recruiting to solving conflicts to motivating your cleaning company employees.To understand what motivates each group, it is important to take a step back and look at their values in general:The Traditionalists or veterans group were born before 1946 and are now 60 years or older. This is a postwar generation and their nature is to be loyal to a single employer and they expect the same loyalty in return. This generation typically did not grow up with
ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS
“If we would first know where we are, and whither we are tending,” Abraham Lincoln once said, “we could better judge what to do and how to do it.” This is a requirement in our business planning today as well.
Too often we simply blunder forward without a plan. Many people have found early success simply on the sheer force of their personalities. Eventually, without a plan they will come up against a wall or end up in a corner.
Lincoln observed that we need to have a clear understanding of where we are first, before we act. A lot of money is wasted in advertising because we do not take the time to figure out what is really happening. By this I mean, what is our situation? Who are our customers? What is their opinion, if any, of our products and services? Who are our competitors and how are we perceived in relation to these competitors?
In short, our business exists within a context which includes both the market and our overarching business strategy.
POSITIONING FOR SUCCESS
Positioning begins with establishing an identity. The concept is easily understood when you look at examples. McDonalds and Bellisio’s have created two very different identities in the Duluth eatery market. Is one right and one wrong? Absolutely not. Each has targeted a different consumer niche. McDonalds is fast food with no surprises, the same burgers that you get it in Ohio or Michigan or South Carolina. By way of contrast, from the wine racks to the menu selection Bellisio’s speaks to a different class of consumer.
Positioning is more than branding. When you think of McDonalds you not only have golden arches in your head, but you have a product and e
I’ve had the same barber for the last 10 years and the same deodorant for the five. How about you?I’ll bet that you have a trusted barber/stylist, and if you’re like me, once you find a deodorant you like, you stick with it. Okay, enough about barbers and antiperspirants, the question is, “Why are people so unwilling to try new products and services?” Even though when you ask people if they think there might be a better alternative out there, why don’t they make a switch? Risk - the risk is too great.Hair and sweat probably have nothing to do with your business, but no matter what business you’re in, there are customers – good customers that want to buy from you but their perceived risk is too high. If you own your own business, ask yourself, “
In short, our business exists within a context which includes both the market and our overarching business strategy.
POSITIONING FOR SUCCESS
Positioning begins with establishing an identity. The concept is easily understood when you look at examples. McDonalds and Bellisio’s have created two very different identities in the Duluth eatery market. Is one right and one wrong? Absolutely not. Each has targeted a different consumer niche. McDonalds is fast food with no surprises, the same burgers that you get it in Ohio or Michigan or South Carolina. By way of contrast, from the wine racks to the menu selection Bellisio’s speaks to a different class of consumer.
Positioning is more than branding. When you think of McDonalds you not only have golden arches in your head, but you have a product and experience as well. Getting the name Bellisio’s into the market means nothing unless there is also an association made with the identity.
Al Ries and Jack Trout, authors of Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind, talk about capturing the mind of one’s prospects. One can hardly talk about this subject without tipping the hat to the two men who popularized this concept (and claim to have invented it, thereby positioning themselves as the ultimate authorities.) The book is an easy read, and widely recommended, with anecdotes and case histories that bring clarity to the key idea.
SUMMING UP
Advertising, like any investment, involves risk. There are no silver bullet universal truths that eliminate the need for strategic thinking. That is, even the best marketing concept requires that we think through how it applies to our specific situation, our specific market. This homework is foundational to our success.
Knowing who we are is not the end of the matter. Do our products or services have value in the market? Do they meet a need? Once we have determined who we are and what we have to offer, we must find the most effective means of communicating this message to those who need our goods and services.
I once attended a direct mail seminar in which the speaker stated that 95% of all mistakes occur before the pen hits the paper. Understanding who we are and who are customers are will help us craft promotional messages that are targeted to connect with the right hearers, achieving the results we seek. We can never eliminate risk entirely. But we can certainly improve our odds.
HTTP = HTML link (for blogs, profiles,phorums):
<a href="http://www.atriclecheck.com/article/29761/atriclecheck-Positioning-For-Success.html">Positioning For Success</a>
BB link (for phorums):
[url=http://www.atriclecheck.com/article/29761/atriclecheck-Positioning-For-Success.html]Positioning For Success[/url]
Related Articles:
Top 10 Reasons To Move Your Internet Business To Panama (While You Stay Home)
5 Ideas To Leverage The 3 Stages Of Career Development In Your Organization
Marketing Without Money: Free Promotion Of Your Products
Bookmark it:
|