More is… more
You’ve been told or heard “less is more”. As in the belief that simplicity and clarity will always mean more, by taking off what’s not necessary. However, what if it’s not less, but actually more? More focused More thoughtful More defined More effective More intentional It’s about finding more clarity, more focus so that you can bring simplicity. You get rid of the irrelevant extras. You cut to the chase. And you’re clear.
Working on the sale —as a process
Have you got your own sales process/checklist? This week I ran into a RFP template process checklist. It gave great insights on how to see certain things when preparing / training Sales for improving numbers and reaching your goals easier. However, in this whole checklist, they talked about: customer fit costs competitor analysis differentiators potential objections roadmaps prep proof of competence and case studies make it look good make it sound and read compelling Yet, there was never,…
How do you experiment?
How do you explore… New approaches? New products and services? New models? New content? New ways of working? Do you go there at all?
When you’re with your competition…
Could you sit down next to your strongest competitor and have a conversation that feels like this? Where your prospective customer, your competitor and you are at the same table. where you see if there’s a right fit for you and your customer. Where you say what you’re amazing at, and what you’re not. And if it’s not the right fit, recommend them to go with your competitor? A conversation that looks, feels and goes like this ????? It doesn’t feel like “losing” business to me. It feels like…
The only power
The only power you truly have in business: to walk away. And that, it gives you freedom.
Experimentation means risk
Experimentation can take MANY ways to achieve MANY outcomes. It requires ways to try new things, and these new things involve a certain risk. How can you get to de-risk the decisions to follow experimentations? Because to experiment, you’ll have to incur into waste. Odds of making a new thing that works in the first try are quite low. So how do you make the process to feel less risky and —hopefully— not get overinvested in the process itself?
Solution- and brand-agnosticism
Look, you don’t need to “reach the 10% of this market/segment”. We can all play the numbers game. Basic math ain’t that hard. You know what’s hard? Taking a stand for something and sticking to it. Finding the ones who actually care about that something. And forget about your solutions —and your brand. Because when you can help them, your solution comes second.
A marketer’s reflux
Is copying others for the sake of “what’s working for other brands” feels like. Is talking about “purpose marketing” when you don’t actually care about shifting the whole system in your business (or whatever “purpose marketing” means). Is saying “you’re the brand, you’re the product”, as if you’re a thing and not a person. That you can be sold/bought. Is pricing based on the costs, as if your clients should care about your cost structure. Is tactics of pressure, FOMO or “scarcity” that we all…
You’re the only one
You’re the only one who cares about their brand. Everyone else is too busy with life to care about your brand. And that’s ok. Because what you need to care about is your customers and how to make their lives easier. You need to know how to focus on the right things to better serve them. To provoke them to think of a different future. A different present. Because once they’re the focus, they’ll build your brand. Not the other way around.
Provocation
In business You price is a provocation. Your insight is a provocation. Your voice is a provocation. They’re not a response to the market. The provocation To push them to consider. Think. Wonder. It’s to shift the conversation from “Could this expert help me?” into “How could this expert help me?” (compare your proposed options) Because, if you can’t provoke them to think different of things, how can they innovate and take better risks?