Water wasn’t invented by a fish
Digital Equipment Corporation didn’t survive the death of the minicomputer. K&E didn’t survive the death of the slide rule. GEISCO didn’t survive the death of mainframe timesharing. Why? One of Marshall McLuhan quotes I love is, “I don’t know who … Continue reading
Learning marketing tricks from bowerbirds
A common marketing challenge is getting prospects to take your company seriously. Your company may in fact be the perfect partner for a specific prospect. This will be a moot point, however, unless your prospect perceives you as such. Unfortunately, … Continue reading
What strategic planners can learn from honeybees
New research on how honeybees choose a location for a new hive reveals a decision process that parallels how the most successful companies identify new markets to enter. There is an ideal size for a new hive, according to an … Continue reading
The next big thing could be in front of your face
My wife Mary and I love seasoning our food with black pepper. When I was growing up, I concluded that my mother considered black pepper an exotic spice, since I never saw her use it. We always had salt and … Continue reading
If you want to hunt buffalo then dress like a buffalo
I joined Scientific Time Sharing Corporation (STSC) in December 1969 as a programming elf. I was in the Army, stationed in Northern Virginia, with excess time on my hands. In grad school I had adapted a prototype Fortran implementation of … Continue reading
Make sure your pricing doesn’t hide your true value to the customer
You are at risk whenever you “bundle” elements of your product to simplify billing. You are vulnerable to inappropriate price comparisons when a substantial portion of your value is hidden from your customers’ view. Continue reading
Optimizing plant visits with a big show
The key step in the marketing process is having the V/C level executive and their supporting staff visit the plant. This visit utilizes the existing facility to visually communicate the capability to handle mission critical business. Continue reading