Have a Glass of wine

April 27, 2010

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 glasses of wine.
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Discovering Hidden Value

February 7, 2010

With thanks to the O2 Ideas Room for blog posts…

“What we must decide is perhaps how we are valuable, rather than how valuable we are.”  (Edgar Z Friedenberg)

It may take a moment to digest the full wisdom of this brilliant distinction.

However, for businesses in the future, it’s not going to be a case of what is the cost; but more about the value we bring.

Do you ever find that your customers (or employers) are reluctant to talk about the value you bring?  Or would bring… if only they gave you the assignment or the job?

This reluctance is often very real. At other times, however, it is also a reflection of our own reluctance to probe, and thus discover how exactly we are valuable. Who knows what enormous gems lie undiscovered beneath this reluctance?

If we are serious about harnessing the untapped power of undiscovered value, we must equally be honest about the resistance we encounter. We have a natural distaste for those who constantly seek reassurance that they are of value. Those who constantly ask for feedback on their performance may well betray an underlying self-obsession that at best we indulge, at worst we resent.

They are making the mistake of pursuing the question of “how valuable they are“. Let’s be honest, most of us are tired of “rate our performance” questions.

By contrast, take a look at these questions, assembled to discover how we might be of value, rather than how valuable we are:

1.    (at the start of an interview)  “What was it about my CV that prompted you to meet with me?”

2.    (meeting a new client for the first time) “Of these four subjects, which would be most valuable for you to explore today?”

3.    (at the end of any meeting)  “What are you taking from this discussion?”

4.    (in a project review)  “Of all the areas we have worked on – brief recap – which for you had the most value?”

5.    (personally / socially)  “What have you most enjoyed about this evening?”

Questions like these uncover how exactly we are of value, rather than how valuable we are. Value is the ideal basis of effective negotiation, genuine customer-service development, fruitful employee appraisal and lasting business development.

Paul Davis
Davis Business Consultants
paul@davisbusinessconsultants.com

Ideas Room

A Simple Plan for 2010

February 7, 2010

With thanks to the O2 Ideas Room for blog posts…

It’s not big. It’s not sexy. But simple is however a little bit clever when it comes to Marketing Communications.

Many People are coming to the conclusion that a lot of the marketing communications that were created towards the end of the Tiger were relatively flabby and lazy. Not sure what to say? Say loads of things! No idea what is the one real consumer benefit that will unlock sales? Well cram in loads of benefits. Sure what did it matter. People were buying everything anyway. This led to a lot of very bloated, confusing and wasteful communications and a very confused consumer.

People forgot about the primacy and the discipline of a simple idea that arrives from a well-derived insight.

We all have to work really, really hard this year for our sales. They will need to really clearly see and understand the benefit of a product or service (whether functional or emotional) before they even begin to think about handing over their precious metal. Brands can’t afford to be lazy and ’say everything’. From now on success will be saying one thing, the right thing, brilliantly. That is the best way to be value conscious.

I think the companies that have or will embrace this common sense approach will see the benefits of communicating one creative idea cross media. Unfortunately many agencies still come up with an execution, be it a 48 sheet, online display or TV advert, first and then try and make it fit every other medium. This doesn’t work and will waste money. However executing a single creative ideas across all of your marketing channels allows each channel to do what they do best for your brand thereby maximising a brands return on investment.

Digital, with all of its unique advantages, will continue to flourish (as it should) though there are some brands commissioning digital projects based on the great insight of ‘if everyone else is doing it we should be too’. Again let simplicity and sense be your guiding principles. Set out clear objectives and deliverables. Not every brand should be on Facebook. It’s not a viral just because you put it on YouTube. Ask yourself at every stage ‘is this activity enhancing or benefiting my consumer?’.

In summary say less, but say the right thing, better.

Pat Stephenson
Managing Partner
www.boysandgirls.ie

Ideas Room

How can Twitter be relevant to my business?

January 29, 2010

With thanks to the O2 Ideas Room for blog posts…

Social media is now an enormous and continually-important part of peoples’ lives. Many reading this short article will have a Facebook page or perhaps a LinkedIn profile. However, social media is not simply about posting photos of your latest holiday and following people you are vaguely connected with. It is now increasingly a very important market place for businesses and brands. Read more