By the Bye

What not to do in business strategy - A lesson from Jon Huntsman's presidential campaign

Designing business and marketing strategies is a complicated endeavor, often muddled and ill conceived. One of the biggest challenges I overcome when coaching my clients on a new strategic direction is getting them to focus only on on those things that will allow them to win where their competition can not. To do this well, an organization must consciously decide what they WON’T do. These tradeoffs usually make or break a great strategic plan. The world’s leading authority on strategy, Michael Porter from HBS (you’ve heard of his “5 Forces”), believes this to be the crux of what allows competitive strategy to be possible and sustainable.

This is almost universally difficult for businesses to agree upon and commit to, yet it's critical to their success. No one wants to admit defeat, and many businessmen and women still believe that deciding not to ‘do what they have always done’, is a sign of failure. On the contrary, choosing what not to do, free’s up more resources to focus on the right things, shows a willingness to learn from mistakes, and provides clarity of direction that can inspire the organization. 

Deciding what NOT to do isn’t only critical in business strategy; politicians are well served to narrow their focus as well. Jon Huntsman and his team provide us with the perfect example as we march into tomorrows primary in NH. 

Knowing that his rivals had the momentum, awareness, preference and funding to all but completely drown out his message in the first primary, he made a conscious decision to basically ignore Iowa altogether so he could focus his resources on NH. The results of the Iowa primary easily showcase this fact (less than 1% of voters chose him).

Huntsman has been much more visible across national media, and in NH, than he was in Iowa, due to his strategic decision to ignore the first primary of the year. By consciously deciding what he WOULDN’T do, he and his team were able to focus all their attention on where they thought they could make the biggest impact; to showcase that he is able to garner votes, if not win (Romney and Paul will most likely wind up 1 an 2). 

Hunstman knows that if he is able to deliver his unique message in a focused arena, he has the greatest chance to make an impression...and thus, potentially gain as much attention coming out of NH as those that finish at the top of the polls. Imagine if he goes from >1% of the vote in Iowa, to, let’s say, 10% in NH? That would be a ten fold increase in votes, which may not simply show him off to more of the country, but compel his party to give him a second look. Without question a focused strategy, in part born from a clear decision of what not to do. (Note: as of the writing of this post, Huntsman is polling at 7%).

The next time your struggling to figure out how to develop your business, learn a new craft, win an election, or simply improve in any area you work or play, try first starting with what you won’t do. You’ll be surprised by where that leads you.

 

Don't let problem employees hurt your brand

A few quick thoughts about problem employees:

Failing to address and remove a problem employee says more about you (and your brand), then you might think. Since a brand is a set of assumptions and beliefs in the consumers mind about what you stand for, one bad apple can indeed ruin the bunch!

For you: They sap your resources, energy and time, distracting you from doing great work. They send off signals to your team that you are either unwilling to act, oblivious, hand-strung, conflict avoidant, etc.... or worse, you condone their performance.

For your brand: Problem employees generally share their ilks with their peers, customers, partners and colleagues. It's not only a reflection on them and their manager, but the corporation and brand that employees them both. NEVER a good way to build brand equity, develop team morale, or focus the troops on your strategic plans.

The sooner you eliminate the problem, the better. You will rally your team by eliminating the negative energy, freeing you to find the next superstar while allowing you to work smarter not harder.  

Ultimately, problem employees leave anyway. The question is, will your company, job, division or brand go with them??

Brand before Marketing

Here's a chart I threw together to help quickly explain the critical elements of branding as they relate to marketing. There are way too many elements to ever fit on one slide, but I think the big rocks are there.

Anything major I'm leaving out?

Taglines at work: Positioning a Physical Therapy practice.

 

You don’t need to be a fortune 500 company to benefit from a unique positioning statement; even emerging businesses need a fresh angle from which to tell their story .

 
Background

When PT360 came to me for help with positioning their brand, I had a hill to climb to get them to break away from the sameness pervasive in the physical therapy community. (disclosure: my wife is a partner in the business).

They are unbelievable care givers located in a great facility, with a strong passion for their patients wellness. Hmm....sounds like what every other physical therapy practice might claim to be...

 

Opportunity

While their name is clearly a nod to the breadth of their services, it doesn’t convey their uniquesnes as the only physical therapy cooperative in the area. This is what truly differentiates them in the marketplace; perfect for the "help your neighbor" culture prevalent in Vermont.

With each member an owner, they challenge each other daily to do the best for their patients, their practice and their partners. Add to this their philosophy of care: “We give our patients the skills to heal themselves”, and we have the ingredients of a fresh message. 

 

Solution

After calculating the messaging of their competition, revealing their true point of differentiation, and honing their rational, emotional and cultural “reasons to believe”, I created a tagline that communicates their brand essence in a creative way, which inspires and imprints itself in their marketplace.

 

PT360    Better Together

They’re literally better together in a new practice of their own, pushing themselves to improve their skills day in and day out. 

Matched with their philosophy of empowering their patients to heal themselves, the message, Better Together, offers a dual meaning that resonates with the team, and their clients. Short, sweet and to the point. 

::

Retrospectively, it seems obvious.....right?

That’s when you know you have it nailed! It just makes sense, while being fresh and approachable - creatively describing their USP.

I love these projects, and can’t wait for the next one!

 

Considerations when developing brand names.

Challenging as it is, with the right guidance, choosing a new name for your business can be a very exciting project.

To get it right you'll need to devote some time to analyzing your current situation, and be willing to consider a broad range of possibilities.

Check out my smarticle on the topic to learn about how you can find the perfect name (like a whitepaper, but not as boring).

 

Download the Brand Naming Smarticle Now! 

Q&A: How to know if you brand is unique

I'll try and answer this one simply,though there is much depth to understanding the originality of brands. The following isa sketchpad overview, and extension of the post: The 3 Elements of a Great Brand

Brands are unique when they inspire, compell to action, and communicate valuable differentiation.

When they are accurately positioned in the marketplace via a fresh voice and inspired message, focused around a trend.

So, let's say you sell organic dogfood. Some elements of your brand might align with: health for your pet, good taste, perceived affluence, and earth friendly manufacturing practices. If no other brand is championing these things, and you are certain that your target market will find them appealing, then you have the start of a unique brand.

You then develop a mantra for your co./brand that epitomizes those critical elements of difference, then translate that into a unique message that conveys your point of difference in a remarkable way (as simple as a tag line, or broader communications that tell your story). While only a small part of "branding", this is the unique message you want your target market to remember, thus quite important.

The brand and company need a clear spirit and personality to display to the world when showcasing those brand elements; something that matches what your audience will be receptive to while providing flexibility for communicating each of the chosen brand elements.

Identity is critical, so a name and logo that match your brand promise and personality must be crafted with care (more about this another day).

Now, here's the scary part.

    This is all simply a smart "strategy" to approach the market with.

Ultimately, the masses decide if your brand is unique, and it's your job to steer them to understanding via an unwavering focus on delivering brand experiences that resonate with your core message, personality and promise.

If you do this in creative, unpredictable (but consistent) ways, you'll have a better shot than most at developing a unique brand.

 

 

 

15 ways to be a great marketer.

Many of my small business clients think they have no idea how to market themselves or their business. While they may lack the acumen to execute the perfect tactics, there are tenants of great marketing that anyone can easily learn and follow.

Off the top of my head, here are some to get you started. Please share your ideas for this list!

Great marketers:

1. Take risks.
2. Learn everyday.
3. Choose the best medium for their audience.
4. Highlight benefits over features.
5. Are relevant and timely.
6. Do things that are DIFFERENT.
7. Persevere.
8. Borrow from others (but don't hedge on #6).
9. Craft strategy first; then tactics.
10. Are consistent without being predictable (just like leaders).
11. Keep it simple whenever possible.
12. Find great partners to help in areas of shortcoming (or amplify #2).
13. Seek inspiration from unusual sources.
14. Harness technology.
15. Did I mention, be DIFFERENT?

Q&A: When to start branding.

If you are asking the question, "when do I start branding".....the time has already arrived!

Assuming you have a viable business model (that should be your first priority), and a passion to bring your offering to the world, the branding process will focus your actions and set you up for success.

Something as "basic" as pricing, has huge implications for the perception of your brand. If you haven't begun the process, yet have set a price, you very well could be constraining your opportunity for success, or worse, creating a situation where you deliver conflicting messages to your market; a certain recipe for hard times.

Unless you have the most remarkable product in the world, that is easy to understand and solves a problem that has never had an answer (errr....a time machine perhaps), success is best achieved with a strategically crafted brand.

The sooner you have one to stand behind, the faster you can make contact with the outside world.

 

 

 

 

Positioning strategy. Actions speak louder than words.

 

In my most recent consulting project, I’ve been uncovering what really makes my client's company remarkable while discerning how their competition positions and sells their story. After 2 months of analysis, we have a strong new direction for the business internally, and a fresh idea for the story they need to tell in the marketplace to create differentiation.

Just as we finished this new strategy, I learned of a competitor, who after review, is touting almost a mirror image of the new position we’ve set forth. “Interesting”, I thought. “Back to the drawing board”, thought the client. While this was a seemingly logical first reaction by them, all is not lost.

The competitors message might be true; but thankfully, positioning is more than simply a story of intent. While the corporate narrative is critical, more valuable are the subsequent stories of success that you acquire from doing business in a more remarkable way.

The competition has communicated a particular mission, but, they have not shown the fruits of this labor via case studies, testimonials, examples of superior work, etc... to prove the words they have crafted for their website (the stock photo’s aren't helping either). All they have done is manufactured a message (as far as the outside world can tell).

So, the direction remains to follow our new mission, with a spotlighted emphasis on bringing the exceptional results to life throughout all the chosen marketing venues. In a short amount of time, our message will "look" much different than the hollow facade presented by the competition.

When you relay your successes in a manner that reflects your brand personality, it strengthens your positioning, the trust in your story, and the reason you should be chosen above your competition. Otherwise, it’s just a bunch of hot air.

Actions really do speak louder than words.

_______

Have thoughts on this topic?  Let me know!

If nothing else, please hit the Facebook Like button at the top of this blog to become a fan. Thanks for your support!

The 3 Elements of a Great Brand

To build a great brand, you MUST focus on connecting the 3 elements that make up the foundation of great brands.

When positioning and communicating your product/service/offer, you should consider:

The MIND. (there are practical reasons for someone to choose your brand. what are they?)

The HEART. (humans are sentimental. what sentiments do you connect to?)

The LIFESTYLE. (what's happening in the world that is fresh, and which you can align with?)

Combine all 3 of these factors and communicate them in a unique, concise message.

Then do great things that make them come to life!

You'll be on your way to building a brand that is refreshing and new!

You only get one chance to leave a LAST impression.

Thanks to Bud Caldwell for sharing this thought provoking video of a Ted talk by Daniel Kahneman – Nobel prize winner and a founder of behavioral economics.

If I have wrapped my head around this correctly, what Daniel found (contrary to popular belief), is that experiences are NOT what make people most happy. It appears our memories of these experiences (which we judge them by) are what ultimately affect our happiness.

Our "experiencing self" and "remembering self" are closely linked, but report vastly different things. The remembering self tends to only remember what happened at the end, not the total experience.

________

Considering what this might mean for marketing and business (to say nothing of life in general), I can't help but think I should give more weight to the end of a customer or consumer experience.

While I am a believer in the edict, 'you only get one chance to make a first impression'.....

This talk by Daniel leaves me more concerned than ever with the fact: You only get one chance to leave a LAST impression!

Great leaders have these 14 traits. Do you?

I believe leadership is a tangible quality that you learn over time. 

Others feel that leaders are born, and those conceived without the proper DNA are destined to be cogs in the machine. 

Whatever school you subscribe to, there are distinct qualities exhibited by leaders which allow us to classify them as such.

_____________________

A few years back I read a great HBR article about Anne Mulcahy (chair and former CEO of Xerox corporation) which profiled and dissected her turnaround of the company.  A summary of leadership qualities followed, which I have been meaning to get out of a notebook and onto the screen for some time.

If you meet 80% of these, you're on your way to legendary status...

_____________________

Great leaders:

• Provide clarity around long term direction
• Stay true to their values and the values of the company
• Are willing to step up to unexpected challenges
• Learn from others in their areas of shortcoming
• Have the courage to stand against advisors and withstand pressures from outsiders
• Value long term relationships and loyalty
• Are able to integrate complex issues into clear direction
• Lead through direct engagement with employees and customers

.....and a few more that I will add

• Give credit where it is due
• Admit when they are wrong
• Stir passion in their team
• Focus on the future, but attend to the present
• Take risks
• Never give up

See; Steve Jobs, Bono, Meg Whitman and Seth Godin. (Ohh..and of course, Anne Mulcahy).

______________________

If you are in a position of leadership, or are looking to 'get in front of a parade', think critically about how you stack up against each of these criteria. 

Pick one to improve upon today, and watch what happens.

______________________

Any others we should add to this list? 

......

Here's the list of suggestions from those who have read the post...

Great Leaders:

• Are able to personally accept and enable the team to become comfortable with ambiguity and uncertainty  (Jeff Eckman, CEO, Blue Green Ventures)

The 3 'M's' to strive for in marketing and advertising.

I recently saw a less then extraordinary print ad from a company that I'm working with, which made me sort of sad.  Sad because it was misguided.  

Ultimately, it was not inspiring or noteworthy in any way.  Short on funds, this company took a shot at advertising (in the most static medium possible) with essentially no hope of ever getting a return on their investment (yes...it was that bad).

It got me thinking about how I could easily and effectively convey to them where this ad fell short, and how they might avoid this same fate in the future (hint...don't advertise in magazines...instead, there's this little thing called the internet floating around...) 

It's really not that hard to explain. Marketing, and the ad's that surmise entire marketing budgets for some companies, should be MEMORABLE, MEANINGFUL & MOTIVATING. These 3 factors provide a simple test to judge your creative idea.

Is the action/ad/tactic/program unforgettable?  

Is the photo or copy odd, fresh, arresting, nostalgic, scandalous, challenging, etc...Is it presented to the customer at the appropriate time? (time is relative.  Surprising moment can be the 'right time').

With 3000+ brand messages a day delivered to each and every one of us, it better me memorable. This might be the hardest of the three to get right, but if you push the limits you can get there.

Does your ad resonate with your audience?  Does it speak to them on an emotional level?  Rationale aspects are important to show that your product is worthy of consideration, but connecting on a higher level is the only way to capture your audience's attention in a significant, long term way. Brands and companies, like people, have emotions, so show them!

 Being relevant, insightful, problem solving, joyous and empathetic are just a few ways to be meaningful.

Is the consumer inspired?  Do they want to tell their friends, make a purchase, or find out more info?

It's frequently known as your 'call to action', and it's amazing how many brands fail to do this, either explicitly or in a more subtle way. Regardless, you must motivate your audience, and whenever possible, give them the tools, resources, information, support, etc....to act.

Measuring your efforts by these three factors will get you closer to a more remarkable effort, which is what it's all about.

___________________________________

Do you have a similar checklist?

Am I missing something??

A different kind of illusion. The meaning of life.

I just came across this interesting quote from Carl Jung.

In his memoir, Memories, Dreams, Reflections, Jung wrote that meaning comes “when people feel they are living the symbolic life, that they are actors in the divine drama. That gives the only meaning to human life; everything else is banal and you can dismiss it. A career, producing of children, are all maya (illusion) compared to that one thing, that your life is meaningful.”

....what if all those things that are illusion, are the necessities to make you feel that your life is meaningful?  By that token, they should not be dismissed as banal, since they produce the meaningful life.

A bit chicken/egg. but I thought it was worth sharing.

How to get things done through the art of illusion.

Recently I set up a meeting with some mutual friends/acquaintances that have a shared interest in movie making (two of them have a screenplay they're trying to film and the third has made a couple hit movies). I was the connector, but I may become involved in the production of said screenplay, so I had an visible interest in what we might learn from the accomplished filmmaker.

Yes, add "Producer" to my list of endeavors.  Next stop, the Miller/Gold Agency in Hollywood. (I'd love to hear Ari yell at Lloyd in person).

 

It turns out, movie making isn't that different from production of other consumer products. You need capital up front, with precise distribution on the back end. A great product helps, but even movies that are mediocre get made. Much like the trinkets and trash that fill dollar stores, if you have the funding to make the movie, and contracted placements for screening (on-line, direct to video, in theaters...etc...), then even the worst movie can find a home.

Ok, so we knew that much going in, but "what are the tricks" found in the movie business that we need to know? How can we get the backing and build the relationships that will help us make the movie??

The answer lies in the art of illusion. 

The easiest way to compel people to help you make a movie, is to make them believe it's already being made. Create the illusion that it's in the works and eventually it will come to be.

How do you create the illusion ?

Be positive.

One isn't simply "trying" to make a film. One IS making a film. You need to talk about production like it's actually happening. Exude confidence and communicate a clear vision. This lays the foundation for belief in the plan, which is what you must have, and what partners will want to see.

Do something.  Anything. 

Ask people for help, insights, connections. Meetings, discussions, edits, feedback, etc...are all part of the process of film making, so talk about your plans for these things, even if they aren't set in stone. Even though the camera's aren't rolling, there is work to be done. Get people together under the pretense of 'making a movie' and it doesn't matter if you've secured talent or a location for filming, it will seem like you are making a movie, even if you aren't ready to film.

Eventually, you will actually begin to make the connections, receive the funding and accumulate the resources/support you need to make the film.

The funny thing is, the easiest way to create the illusion is to ACTUALLY do these things, which means, it's not illusion at all.....

.....It's execution. 

Calculated progress, day in and day out, no matter how small the gain.

Achievement in film-making is a lot like achievement in life and business. Build great relationships, always move forward, push your limits, have a dream and be grateful along the way.

Ohh...and don't forget to be positive.