“Networking is complete waste of time!” “You get cornered by the Mr Self-absorbed or the woman who keeps looking over your shoulder to be sure not to miss out on someone really cool. They either want to sell you something, tell you their life story (from birth to now) or eat your brains. Well OK [...]
"At StrategyWorks we craft the strategic conversation, in all of its expected and unexpected shapes and colours." That’s my elevator pitch. It's my response to the question: “So what do you do?” My mini cliff-hanger. One of the ‘unexpected shapes’ turns out to be how the client answers this question. The topic of value proposition [...]
A painting of the Battle of Borodino. In 1812 Napoleon invaded Russia. At Borodino at the gates of Moscow, Napoleon won a decisive victory against the Russian army. This was the bloodiest battle in modern history. There was appalling loss of life on both sides. Napoleon waited outside Moscow for the surrender party. No one [...]
This is how Barnes and Noble elevated their offer beyond the fare of the 'corner bookstore'. In ‘Blue Ocean strategy’, authors Kim and Mauborgne describe a six step process to define and execute Blue Ocean strategy: Redefine your market boundaries The core thinking and conversation tool is the Strategy Canvas for charting the criteria on [...]
One day I will wear a pair of shoes like this: The footwear market is crowded with brands, all clamouring for attention. This is a red ocean. Birkenstocks have responded with shoes that are comfortable but known for their ugly appearance. It is what Youngme Moon has classified as a ‘Hostile’ brand. In her book, [...]
Children singing in the company reception. A window washer writes a message on the window. A lush pot plant is delivered as a surprise. What do these stories have in common? They are creative ways sales people have attracted the attention of prospects. In the first, the celebrated salesman, Anthony Wainwright got the attention of [...]
There is no single personality-profile for the best sales person. Forget what everyone else is like. You have the perfect profile for you. So let’s get on with this business of marketing and selling.
