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Marketing Focus – 1. CHANGE 2. MARKETPLACE FORESIGHTS, INSIGHTS AND REFLECTIONS 3. CONFUSION – THE MARKET LEADER WINS – EVERY TIME 4. SOCIAL MEDIA IS ANTI-SOCIAL 5. BIG DATA – LITTLE RETURNS 6. A SERVICE TO CLIENTS – BETTER PROSPECTS 7. FIRED WITH ENTHUSIASM OR, BE FIRED, WITH ENTHUSIASM
1. CHANGE It’s a challenge just to contemplate it, let alone address it. Which is more challenging? The magnitude of change, or the rapidity of it? In Australian politics the prevailing belief is that like public transport, one shouldn’t chase a Prime Minister, because a new one will come along in five minutes. Both are…
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Marketing Focus Newsbrief – Much Small Business Self-Induced
Many local businesses are losing revenue opportunities because of inadequate access, poor/no responses to initial enquiries, non-adherence to appointment times, indifferent service standards and a lack of follow-up. Price discounting and major global competitors are secondary issues. Profit from invaluable insights. Australians are turning off loyalty and preference to local small businesses. …
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Marketing Focus – 1. WHAT IS IT ABOUT OCTOBER? 2. TRUE TO YOURSELF 3. GIFT CARDS – REDUNDANCY 4. INVENTION, REINVENTION – IT DOESN’T MATTER 5. UNSOCIABLE MEDIA 6. THE EMPEROR’S GOT NO CLOTHES
1. WHAT IS IT ABOUT OCTOBER? Volatility seems innate to this monthly time span. It does little good for consumer, investor and business confidence. References to terms like “corrections” are not reassuring. Overall, sentiments get infected. Seasoned executives, analysts and consultants have seen it all before, or have studied the dramatic downturns of the Great Depression…
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MARKETING FOCUS – 1. GOOD SERVICE 2. COMPROMISED BY ASSOCIATION – WITH LAWYERS, ACCOUNTANTS, BANKERS AND RECRUITERS 3. AUTHORITY TO FAIL 4. THE LOST ARTS – Of Prospecting and “Closing” Sales 5. GOING TO HELL – In a One-use Plastic Bag
1. GOOD SERVICE By what measure? There is a new dawning, and more hopefully, an awakening that many currently applied matrices related to customer service are not truly reflective of consumer experiences, or indicative of their collective satisfaction levels. Celebrations that echo through the corridors of corporate and public service power are, in many instances,…
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Marketing Focus Newsbrief – Be aware. The Migration to Online Business Transactions is Having Unintended Consequences
Be aware. The migration to on-line business transactions is having unintended consequences. Anxiety is up, satisfaction is down. Brand integrity and equity are being impacted. On-line purchases have unintended consequences for consumers and businesses, many of which are not good. Participating consumers feel increased anxiety, qualified measures of confidence, a sense of isolation and exposure,…
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Marketing Focus – 1. TWO-SPEED ECONOMY 2. DIGITAL AND SOCIAL MEDIA FATIGUE 3. “NEPHEW” – DRIVEN UNDER-PERFORMANCE 4. THE SAME OLD STORY – A DRAG ON THE FUTURE
1. TWO-SPEED ECONOMY In that concise three-word phrase, property developer Ross Neumann dissected, probed and provided, over lunch, a detailed diagnosis and prognosis of the prevailing global, national and local marketplaces. The seeming mysteries and complexities of contradictory public statements and contentions dissolved in an instant. Acceptance of the explanation will be relatively easy, and…
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Marketing Focus Newsbrief – Australian Service Standards Costing Business Big Time
The customers have spoken. Australian customer services are consistently falling short of expectations. It is costing businesses pedestrian traffic, sales enquiries, revenue, profits, repeat business and customer loyalty. Many of the key contributing issues are cultural and systemic. On the road to “redemption” there are no shortcuts. However, the potential rewards are bountiful. Recent experiences…
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Marketing Focus – 1. THE “HAWTHORNE EFFECT” LIVES ON. 2. SERIOUSLY, FUN 3. TRUE TO YOURSELF 4. INITIATING, NOT MANAGING CHANGE 5. GUARANTEED – REALLY?
1. THE “HAWTHORNE EFFECT” LIVES ON. It warrants attention, involvement and refinement by all the lessons learnt have been profound, but often unexpected. During the 1950s academics from University of Chicago undertook a study of employee performance at The Western Electric plant in the locality of Hawthorne, Illinois, United States of America. They were studying,…
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Marketing Focus – 1. IT’S TIME – TO GET SERIOUS ABOUT SERVICE 2.CONNECTED, NOT ENGAGED – COULD BE OUTRAGED 3. ELASTICITY-PRICES: DEMAND OR LOYALTY? 4. CUSTOMER SERVICE SKILLS UNSHACKLED
1. IT’S TIME….TO GET SERIOUS ABOUT SERVICE Key takeouts from the proceedings and revelations of the Australian finance sector Royal Commission are that the conduct of, “Customer First,” and similar service initiatives is superficial, lacks delegated authority for front-line providers to deliver the promises, and is not reflective of a true, underlying corporate culture of…
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Marketing Focus – Let’s Get Physical
Ah, the ebbs and flow of commerce. In recent times there has been a noticeable migration from dedicated on-line business channels to the acquisition, commencement and implementation of traditional bricks and mortar premises. At the forefront is Amazon, with its acquisition of the retail network Whole Foods, and its 450 + outlets in some 43…