Growth and Profitability from Outlier Customers
When you deal with the same types of customers, buying the same products and using them the same way, every day, it’s easy to be lulled into a smug confidence that you know everything you [...]
Be Prepared and Take Action Quickly!
One Monday in 2013, my husband and I spent the night in our car. Shortly after midnight, on our way home from playing hockey (this is a new sport for us, and great fun), we were amazed to [...]
How to Learn More About Your Customers
When you want to gain insight into emerging customer needs and behaviors, the first solution you might think of is market research. But research can be costly, and it can take weeks to implement [...]
Six Obstacles That Stop Agility In Its Tracks
Are you struggling to make your company more agile? In my work with organizations in virtually every industry, I find that business agility – the ability to spot and capitalize on new [...]
Look Outside Your Industry for Breakthrough Ideas
I recently met with the leaders of a highly successful company. Sales growth, which had been strong for years, was headed into negative territory. They were desperate to find the next “big idea” [...]
3 Mistakes in Managing Risk and Uncertainty
Not long ago, I stood on a pier near Cape Canaveral, Florida and watched a SpaceX rocket launch. People were wearing SpaceX t-shirts and talking excitedly. SpaceX has brought the thrill back into [...]
Want breakthrough ideas? Look outside. WAY outside.
I recently met with the leaders of a highly successful company. Sales growth, which had been strong for years, was headed into negative territory. They were desperate to find the next “big idea” [...]
Take Away, Don’t Just Add
Don’t fall victim to the temptation to add features, services, products, and markets every year. Consider how you can differentiate by taking away features IKEA is one of my favorite examples. [...]
