Growth Initiatives... Part III

"Commerce is the art of exploiting the need or desire someone
has for something." - Edmond de Goncourt

Consider McDonald's... see, aren't people tired of eating fries,
burgers, et cera? You answer. Yet how do they retain and
continue to attract customers? They "invent" new products
and "innovate" on existing ones then let packaging and
advertising do its magic. They protect their image despite
branches sprouting like mushrooms while continuously
emphasizing and training their people on customer service.
More so... they partner. In short, their think tanks
"relentlessly" -- think.

Now, growth has always been a target for entrepreneurial
souls but sustaining it has many times been perplexing.

Here are the rest of the steps toward growth...

• Manage your organization, bottoms-up, down, and across functional areas through teamwork, empowerment, and business partnering, instead of doing the usual management from the top then down the line.
• Create a single-minded approach. Multiple message approach doesn't usually work in effectively reaching fast the intended target audience.
• Think out of the box. Think differently. Think from a new perspective. Be novel and creative in marketing practices.
• Manage customer lifeline value through customer intimacy and relationship marketing by focusing on making a profit on each transaction.
• Integrate marketing communication tools into one message and one voice. It is better than planning each communication tool separately.
• Understand and meet customers' real needs and wants, not just selling the product.
• Market an experience, not just an assortment of goods or services. Notice bookstores, food outlets, and clothing stores include coffee bars, which would now and then feature lectures and performances.
• More than just exceed customers' expectations by satisfying, delighting, and surprising customers beyond the 4Ps of the marketing mix by satisfying customers' needs and wants.

"Once all the surviving contenders in a market can offer value,
the battle shifts to speed and innovation. To distinguish
themselves, companies must offer something unique."
~ Noel M. Tichy

Remember -- speed and innovation.

Oh, we all know that. Sure. Still if you simply rest on your
laurels, you would just be an "overnight" success. No need for
speeeeed and innooooovation then, just wait until your product
matures and declines. That's it. The story's finished.

Is that what you want? Of course not, you have even been
following this series, you realllly want a continuing saga.

However...

Realize that we could only make it if we not only deliver on our
promise, but deliver it with speed and precision; not only
produce a useful and attractive product, but incessantly
enhance on its features. When the dusts of battle has settled,
even a 1% "uniqueness" could spell victory, it's a fortress we
could build on.

Don't just smile there... make things happen!

Take note...
"Markets are not created by God, nature, or by economic
forces, but by businessmen." - Peter Drucker

Growth Initiatives... Part II

If you have been following my blogs, you want to grow; and
wanting growth is being ambitious... and being ambitious is
good. And why not, why are you in business anyway?
Or why do you work with a company you believe you could
well contribute and help you move forward?

Unlike evolution, growth is not a natural phenomenon --
it's initiated.

"The strategic challenge for the transnational corporation
is the simultaneous achievement of efficiency, flexible
responsiveness, and worldwide learning and innovation."
- Christopher A. Bartlett

In our previous article, we delved into a handful of steps that
would help bring in the bacon -- not just regularly but
incrementally.

Here now is the continuation of those measures...

• Form networking and alliances with other firms through "coopetition" and "collaboration".
• Instead of making the usual product, make customized products through "house branding", "private labels", or "exclusivity contracts".
• Benchmarking is determining who is the very best, who sets the standards, and what those standards are. In the marketing industry, benchmarking is very useful. If you do not know what the standards are, you can not compare yourself against them. You have to know where your competitors stand. When you have decided to benchmark, you get to know how to improve your products or services. You also get to determine what you have to do to achieve your marketing goals.
• Consider a paperless marketing environment. A paperless office makes paper redundant for routine tasks such as record-keeping and market reporting. Computerization can do the conversion of paper documents, photos, marketing plans, and other paper-based systems. The paperless work system has its advantages: productivity gains, costs savings, space saving, and easy sharing of information and it is environment friendly.
• The internet has paved the way for e-business. This refers to the application of internet technology, to streamline business processes. It is also advisable to market your products or services over the internet. Build an online presence where your company is showcased and detailed information provided. Use the internet to conduct payment, handle transaction details, and support automated customer inquiries.

"Small opportunities are often the beginning of great
enterprises." - Demosthenes

See, actually, most everything we want to do in this planet is
achievable by just using the common sense... including
business. But what makes that difference is fire -- to climb
and continuously climb mountains. This is why one's level of
courage and enthusiasm is what sets apart achievers from
regular performers; unfortunately, not many companies are
manned by "forward thinking" personalities and that explains
their fluctuation and eventual fold up.

To be that Leader, learn to spot potentials, in every form, and
cash in on them. After all, your business... is to grow.

Take note...
"There is no resting place for an enterprise in a competitive
economy." - Alfred P. Sloan, Jr.