Posts Tagged ‘Harvard Business Review’
Monday, July 30th, 2018
A Harvard Business Review case study recently posed a provocative question: when should humans listen to algorithms vs. when should they trust their own experience and intuition? For this case study, the issue related to which of two employees to choose for a promotion. But, given the widespread applications for the use of big data and the power of predictive analytics, the question could be applied to any field or area of business practice—including content marketing.
When should content marketers listen to the algorithms instead of relying on their own instincts, which have been finely honed over time? (more…)
Tags: AI, algorithms, analytics, artificial intelligence, content marketing, gut instinct, Harvard Business Review, machine learning, marketing expertise
Posted in Analytics, Content Marketing, Internet Marketing | No Comments »
Wednesday, April 22nd, 2015
By Justin Grensing, Esq., MBA
There’s a certain feeling one gets when having a light bulb moment – a great idea that is so brilliant it absolutely must be acted upon. Similarly, a polished business strategy or project plan that is the result of hours and hours of consideration and mental exertion can be like a child one has groomed for success. But when that idea or plan gets shot down because it’s too risky or too expensive, or because your managers, customers or business partners simply don’t get it, it’s certainly a bubble-bursting moment.
Just as a great product or service is useless if it can’t be sold to the marketplace, a great idea is useless if it can’t be sold to the right stakeholders. What works for one executive won’t necessarily work for another; different leaders have different motivations, fears and triggers. Identifying those cues really requires knowing what type of executive you’re dealing with. (more…)
Tags: Change the Way You Persuade, Customer Communication, customer engagement, getting your ideas accepted, Harvard Business Review, Innovation, making a pitch, the pitch
Posted in Business Development, Career Advice | No Comments »
Thursday, March 5th, 2015
In a previous blog post, we discussed the difference between blue oceans and red oceans. As a very brief recap, red oceans are the “what is” of the industry; it’s what is being done. Blue oceans, by contrast, are an open frontier. They are the unknown. They are the space where companies create their own new markets.
The benefits of blue oceans are apparent. There’s no competition yet. You invented the market and are in many ways a monopolist. Given the benefits of blue oceans, every business would operate in them if they could; however, it’s not that easy. (more…)
Tags: blue ocean strategy, Harvard Business Review, Innovation, Marketing, red ocean traps, Renee Mauborgne, W. Chan Kim
Posted in Business Development, Marketing and Branding | No Comments »
Thursday, January 29th, 2015
A few years ago I was lamenting my cable bill with a friend who told me she had recently told her cable company she wanted to cancel her service because, based on how little she watched TV, she couldn’t justify the monthly fee. Rather than lose a customer, the cable company offered a steep discount. I’ve heard of others who have used the same strategy successfully.
I recently came across a Harvard Business Review piece called “The Downside of Discounts,” which reminded me of these cable company discounts. (more…)
Tags: Customer Communication, customer discounts, Customer Service, Harvard Business Review, marketing strategy, offering discounts, Pricing, pricing strategy, Sales
Posted in Client Relations, Marketing and Branding, Marketing Communication, Promotions | No Comments »
Thursday, December 4th, 2014
Top executives at successful manufacturing companies will tell you that even if you have the world’s greatest product, your business will struggle if you don’t have a great distribution strategy. The same is true for online content. Often, content providers and marketers focus too much on the message and not enough on the delivery of the message. It’s like coming up with a great idea, but not sharing that idea with anyone.
Jayson DeMers discusses this common shortcoming in an article for Harvard Business Review called “Why No One’s Reading Your Marketing Content.” As DeMers says, “Having a smart distribution model is just as important as developing good content in the first place – it’s how you bring in more business.” (more…)
Tags: branded publications, content management, content marketing, Harvard Business Review, Strategy
Posted in Business Development, Content Marketing | No Comments »
Wednesday, November 26th, 2014
Traditional forms of marketing often pose a challenge for businesses in that they are often necessarily reactionary. Generally, marketers can’t determine customers’ satisfaction with a product or service until it’s already been created and introduced. By that time, it may be too late. (more…)
Tags: Harvard Business Review, Innovation, innovative marketing, new product development, product development, real-time marketing, Regis McKenna
Posted in Business Development, Marketing and Branding, Marketing Measurement | No Comments »
Thursday, October 16th, 2014
Despite the fact that business and advertising classes and textbooks tell us that the first stage in the consumer decision-making process is identifying a need, there are certainly instances when consumers don’t know they have a need. That’s where innovators can have an edge.
Lee E. Miller and Kathleen Hayes Onieal recently wrote a blog post for Harvard Business Review called “Getting People to Believe in Something They Can’t Yet Imagine.” In the blog post, Miller and Onieal discuss the fate that often befalls new, groundbreaking innovations: Nobody believes they will catch on! The very fact that something is so revolutionary and unheard of often makes getting buy-in from key decision-makers next to impossible. The authors point out some of the reasons for this, including organizational inertia, fear of change, financial disincentives and fear of failure, among others.
So what can be done to overcome these obvious challenges? Certainly, companies introduce innovative products and services all the time. What makes the champions of change within those organizations succeed? Miller and Onieal point to several paths to success: (more…)
Tags: Harvard Business Review, Innovation, Marketing
Posted in Business Development, Marketing and Branding | No Comments »
Tuesday, August 26th, 2014
There’s often a big difference between siblings, even those close in age growing up in exactly the same environment. That was certainly the case between my brother and I. He was the kind of kid that would ask for something and not take “no” for an answer–even when threatened with punishment. I, on the other hand, would take rejection or refusal at face value and move on. I have that same tendency today and I know it’s not the right way to approach life–or building business.
The point was driven home to me recently when catching up on some reading. (more…)
Tags: Business development, David Newark, Harvard Business Review, lead generation, prospecting, Sales, sales success, salespeople, successful selling
Posted in Business Development, Marketing and Branding | No Comments »
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