A year or so into my career at BT, I decided I would study Marketing. I thought it might be useful as we moved into a deregulated market and competitive environment (this was some time ago – my diploma was from the plain old Institute of Marketing, before it became Chartered). I loved it. It […] Read More…
Picture by Dwight Sipler I recently came across the following statement on an agency’s website. “We are passionate about what we do and strive to offer exceptional service to our clients. We have a proven track record of creating engaging multi-disciplinary visual communications with outstanding results, no matter what size or budget.” Well, of course. […] Read More…
LloydsTSB has just been dragged through the press (again) for the way it has been handling complaints from its customers about mis-selling them PPI (Payment Protection Insurance). To be fair, LloydsTSB are no worse than any other bank in this scandal and they may argue they are a bit better because they fessed-up first and […] Read More…
“If I’d have asked people what they wanted, they’d have said a faster horse”. People (well, geeks and start-ups types) love to trot this quote out about Henry Ford. He didn’t use market research or focus groups, he saw a need people didn’t know they had. It shows what a great visionary he was. Only […] Read More…
“Salespeople are the most important people in the business. Because without a sale, you don’t have any business” I read this old saying in a blog post the other day and it didn’t make any more sense than the hundreds of other times I’ve heard it (normally from salespeople). Sales is just one part of […] Read More…
I was working with a design agency and we were discussing their brand. “What makes you stand out?” I asked. “We do brilliant design” they said. And they do, they have lots of clients who love their stuff. It’s really original. “Great” I said. “But everyone else has brilliant design. No-one says ‘we do OK […] Read More…
I have been known to get a little frustrated with certain Microsoft products. Only really Office. And Windows. So just 75% of the stuff I use. I know I am not alone. This is particularly apparent when they ‘upgrade’ the products. Functions that were once easy to find and use are buried beneath lots of […] Read More…
There’s a lot of stuff in the blogosphere and tech media about the current patent wars between Apple and Samsung. The merits of each side’s case are debated fiercely and people are defending their allegiances with an almost religious zeal. In truth, it shows neither company in a great light as they push the boundaries […] Read More…
When I left corporate life I didn’t really know anyone outside of the companies I had worked in. I didn’t have ‘a network’ of much substance. So, I went on ‘the circuit’ and set about building one. I didn’t know what I wanted to offer either. I had done many different things in my career […] Read More…
When we talk about developing new products and services, we use the words product and service as if they are interchangeable. In fact, the preferred shorthand is to use ‘product’ for both. However, I feel this masks a very real difference and can lead to dangerous misconceptions. To me, the difference is in the delivery. […] Read More…