Changing economic environments can kill business predictability. High level executives may have to work cross-departmentally when needed to galvanize the right combination of efforts. But they must do one thing for sure: stop thinking about it and get out there.
Salmon are destined to die after swimming upstream. Downturns can make businesses feel like they’re nearing the end too. But companies and their CEOs have the potential to re-invent themselves, depending on their environment. Here are five forces that determine whether your environment is “structurally favorable.”
The market and your competition are changing all the time. Similarly, the sales and marketing function of your business needs tending all the time. But which principles apply to business aspects that are 80% science and 20% art?
People like to do business with other people, not with organizations. Alan Olsen, CEO of Groco, shows us how unusual marketing tactics can generate unusual results and help you stand out from the crowd.
Too many entrepreneurs focus on the controllable risks, figuring that’s all they can manage. But John Keagy, CEO of ServePath, shows us how to focus on creating value while factoring in the uncontrollable risk: market acceptance.
Though small retailers struggle to compete with mega-stores, they have the potential to provide services their large competitors can never match. A changed mindset may transform the traditional retail relationship.
Having the cash to grow is usually the last prerequisite before implementation of the growth plan. But there are many other prerequisites that take longer than getting money. You need a proven, repeatable, scalable process that you’ve tested, that can produce predictable results.
Richard Bravman, CEO of Intelleflex, helped build his last company from a four person team to a 1.7 billion dollar firm. The trick: He works to build companies that innovate to create entirely new product categories in which they take commanding market share leadership.
Relationships are critical to success, but many of us stop short. David Takeuchi built Bedrock Brand Consultants on a solid foundation: the four cornerstones of branding.
The degree of specialization in our world has reached this point: many businesses offer services that their potential customers don’t understand. If prospects don’t understand your value proposition, they won’t buy from you. Bob Brown, CEO of Teladata, found a way to leverage free education into higher sales.
Robert Sher is founding principal of CEO to CEO, a consulting firm of former chief executives that improves the leadership infrastructure of midsized companies seeking to accelerate their performance. He was chief executive of Bentley Publishing Group from 1984 to 2006 and steered the firm to become a leading player in its industry (decorative art publishing).