Category Archives: Future

Unlocking Innovation: What does our Customer Success Tomorrow look like?

It’s hard to explain to everyone in an organization – that their role includes “marketing”. And focussing on constant innovation. Hence the term “Customer Success.”

[Note: Thanks to the interest of our dear readers this post from September 18, 2018 is updated April 7, 2021. During COVID everyone was forced to become more tech friendly. We hope that this revised post will help our dear readers prepare better for a post COVID world}

The Customer Success term is particularly popular in the SaaS (Software as a Service ) industry. SaaS companies need customer renewals. To do so, SaaS companies try to align the organization including programmers, sales , finance to working towards customer success. SaaS companies also have a separate Customer Success function that faces the customer and helps in getting the most out of the SaaS product.

Blockchain will make supply chains stronger but challenge brands

Blockchain technology will start shaking up supply chains and brands. But first, what is blockchain? Here's our take: Blockchain is a distributed accounting ledger . A mechanism to share how much was paid and received by whom, where each transaction is verified on a peer-to-peer basis. Sort of like verified reviews on Amazon. The personContinue reading “Blockchain will make supply chains stronger but challenge brands”

Trump Victory: Life is local- Business is global

The surprise victory of Donald Trump has brought into sharp focus a  big idea for the 21st century. Life is local-Business is global Here are some things to think about from observing “local life” in  America: Local Newspapers are alive: In the US only small town newspapers are still around. The regional and national newspapersContinue reading “Trump Victory: Life is local- Business is global”

Brand positioning for authenticity: Focus on mission or competition?

Positioning is a market facing concept while authenticity is about looking inward at the organization.Originally introduced by Jack Trout and Al Reis in 1973, positioning suggests that you must be clear about what your brand is to the customer compared to the competition.

Why are sales force incentives so seductive for businesses?-Understanding attribution

The total US sales force incentives paid out to sales people is probably over $240 Billion/year. This compared to about $60 Billion spent on digital advertising according to the IAB. That works out to sales person commissions and bonuses that are four times the digital marketing spend. We exclude sales force salaries and benefits forContinue reading “Why are sales force incentives so seductive for businesses?-Understanding attribution”

Pokemon Go for location based marketing with millenials

 It’s summer and you see lots of young folks (millennials) busy on their cell phones as they vigorously and purposefully seem to be rushing to a destination. Where are they going? you would tend to ask yourself, if you are not familiar Pokemon Go.For a quick overview watch the NBC video on this post.  TheContinue reading “Pokemon Go for location based marketing with millenials”

7 Questions for your Business Model

“A business model is the manner in which you provide value to your customer that is paid for (by whom – is considered in the questions below). You cover your costs and make a profit on a sustainable basis.”

If you are a small business, you rarely think of your business as having a business model. But it does. It does because the moment you have a single paying customer, she is paying for the value you create. It is another matter, if your business makes a profit consistently over the long term. Sustainable profit is why it is important to understand the business model concept.Here is a definition based on the highly cited article by David Teece.

Why its safe to put out most of your market research as web content

Businesses large and small seem scared of putting out their market research on their websites. Common concerns we have heard are: Our competitors will know how we think about the market Our market insights  are our “secret” – sauce- why share the recipe And the one we like best: Speech is silvery but silence isContinue reading “Why its safe to put out most of your market research as web content”

“What is your brand mission? ” ask experts at the Yale Customer Insights Conference

As usual, the The Yale Customer Insights Conference 2016 was great. Leading practitioners and academics came together to tackle some of the most challenging customer insights problems of our time. This as technology moves at warp speed and entire business models get wiped out in a couple of years. And customer behavior changes more rapidlyContinue reading ““What is your brand mission? ” ask experts at the Yale Customer Insights Conference”

Drones for commercial use up ten times in one year- pizza delivered by drone?

The drone industry is booming. And the number of companies authorized to use drones for commercial drones is up from 499 to over 5000 in just one year according to the NBC Today show. The number of personal drones registered has risen to over a million in the USA. Currently the Xponential 2016 Conference andContinue reading “Drones for commercial use up ten times in one year- pizza delivered by drone?”

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