Blog Yes & Know

What is it you believe?

As great leaders, we all need to know what we believe and hold true. Because before we really can lead, we need to be able to connect our beliefs with …

SaaS avoids the Blue Plate Special

Marketing Profs kindly published part 5 of a 6 part series about 2 weeks back. Just catching up from last week’s break, and wanted to share it with you. It’s …

Alpha Dog: Strategies for Entrepreneurs

This last week, I was on a much, much (MUCH!) needed solo vacation. No client, staff, or family responsibilities. No email, no phones, no computer. Instead, I packed the normal …

Give Me That Thing Called Love

Do your customers look at your products with the same eager anticipation as they once did? Have your customers stayed “married” to you? Would you consider them still in love—or waiting it out until someone better comes along?

Don’t Be the Dinosaur Brought Down by Mosquitoes

We work in Silicon Valley… and there are a few hundred new acronyms and technologies introduced each year that we need to understand. Being a trusted advisor means that clients need us to be really smart, on top of the latest trends, and interpreting what really matters so we can engage with them to design new, winning business strategies.

Multiplier Developer Ecosystems

In grade school, one of the key determinants of popularity on the playground was how quickly you were selected when the time came to choose up sides for basketball, baseball or soccer. In the same way, the developing business model for the next ten years depends hugely on which set of developer and ecosystem partners pick you.
However, unlike grade school, you might have more ability to influence this selection.

Go-to-market Mix in the Web 2.0 Era

It’s been 40+ years since E. Jerome McCarthy published Basic Marketing, the business book that introduced the “4 Ps” (product, price, place/distribution and promotion) to the world. While the categories still hold true, what was once considered the leading edge has drastically evolved. Web 2.0 has also impacted the paradigm by changing what product definitions look like, and how things that are sold as ‘free’ can make money. So while the 4 Ps are a good start as buckets, let’s update them for today’s era and discuss what you need to be doing to keep your mix both relevant and impactful.
Here’s my take on what’s happening… and some ideas on what you need to do to win your market.

Blue Plate Special, a la Carte, or All You Can Eat

Do you remember a time when most meals were the sit down, full-service, dessert-included kind? Even if all you wanted was a cup of soup or a simple salad, you were offered the blue plate special with everything at one price. Then the culinary folks came up with small plates, a la carte items, tastings, pairing menus, buffets and the like. Whew! Choices–who knew!

Stepping up to the Microphone

Can you imagine what it would be like to charge 20-200% more than your competitor and own market category dominance? This final part of the Bootcamp series focuses on ways your organization can increase its economic power.
Success isn’t an equation that looks like this:

Great Product + Advertising + Price Point + Distribution = Success