Be Different or be dead

August 20, 2012

Why the surprising purpose of a business is not to make a profit

Source: Unsplash

Why the surprising purpose of a business is not to make a profit.

What’s the end game in your business plan?

Some say to generate a profit, but I think that’s a bit short sighted.

Others say to acquire and hold customers, which gets closer to what I believe the correct answer is.

In my experience, successful organizations are amazing at creating these ‘strategic responses’ to what they do:

Uniqueness
Distinction
Remarkabity
Gaspworthiness
Indispensability
Memorability
Unforgettability
Authenticity
Joy
Happiness
Trust

These represent the end game of the standout organizations.

They will result in loyal customers and, yes, a profitable undertaking in the long run.

What business are you in?

If you didn’t mention one of the above, give the question some more thought.

Cheers,
Roy
Check out my BE DiFFERENT or be dead Book Series

• Posted 8.20.12 at 09:16 am by Roy Osing
• Permalink

August 6, 2012

3 important reasons your business plan needs a ‘strategy hawk’

Source: Unsplash

3 important reasons your business plan needs a ‘strategy hawk’.

The true success of any business plan lies not in it’s intent but rather in it’s execution

Give me a strategy that is just about right that I can flawlessly execute over a pristine one that can’t be executed any day.

Execution is forever drawing the short straw; there are entire departments charged with developing strategy; it’s about time execution gets a fair shake.

So who owns execution?

Generally since many functions share in the responsibility to execute the plan it rests with an executive team. But it needs a specific owner.

It needs single finger accountability to ensure that it gets done. Shared responsibility, however noble, is simply not up to the task.

You need a voice for execution — the strategy hawk — in an organization to ride herd on execution.

To monitor progress. To kick ass when things are not proceeding as planned.

Someone who has currency in your organization. Who is tenacious. Who has a high pain tolerance.

Here are 3 reasons you need the hawk:

◾️Your progress towards your strategic goals won’t be as effective without the role.
Execution requires a pusher. No pusher, little progress, as everyone regresses back to business as usual rather than focusing on the new journey.

◾️You will waste tons of money due to mis-aligned activities and false starts.
The hawk ensures synergy among all the projects and activity going on. Keeps everyone on the same page. Dissipated energy is avoided.

◾️Your competitive position will erode as others who choose to have a hawk role will eat your lunch.
Lack of execution precision allows your competitors a window to attack you and win business from you. And they will.

The job description of the hawk looks has these essential elements:

— Follows up on commitments made by people to deliver components of the strategic plan;

— Questions and determines the reasons for any results that fall short of expectations;

— Reports on the status of the execution of the plan to the leadership team;

— Challenges project owners to understand why commitments are missed;

— Pushes for actions that remedy missed execution milestones;

— Encourages, harasses, cajoles and nurtures people on how to fulfil their obligations to the plan;

— Doesn’t accept any other responsibility than the above; there is no higher priority than executing the strategic plan.

Not a role for the faint-of-heart!

Strategies get executed because there is someone with fire in the belly who is constantly in the faces of the deliverers

It doesn’t happen naturally. People are too busy?

Accept this reality and appoint your hawk to ensure your strategy gets executed. Dedicate your hawk to the task.

Give them no other responsibilities. Pay them only on how effectively they perform this role and achieve plan progress.

Pay them handsomely when they succeed. Honour them among their peers.

Cheers,
Roy
Check out my BE DiFFERENT or be dead Book Series

• Posted 8.6.12 at 10:49 am by Roy Osing
• Permalink

July 30, 2012

5 excellent business lessons you can learn from a rock star

Source: Unsplash

5 excellent business lessons you can learn from a rock star.

Everyone loves a rock star.

Here are 5 lessons we can learn from these icons to make your business remarkable.

1. Play what your fans want to hear. Regardless of whether you like the song or the fact you have played it a million times. Give ‘em what they want — be relevant. Remember it’s about them not you.

It’s not about what you want to play, it’s about what they want to hear.

2. Go over the top on occasion. Do something outlandish. What’s your answer to bustin’ a guitar during a concert? Never be predictable and boring.

Spice up your life every once in a while. Keep your fans guessing what you will do next.

3. Rev people up. Get ‘em screaming over you. You’re in the feelings generation business. What feelings do you want your fans to experience what they do business with you?

4. Get ‘em talking about you. Engaging with other fans to spread your word. Traditional marketing is out; engaging your fans to talk you up to others is the most effective way to enhance your popularity.

If you can’t get viral you won’t go anywhere.

5. Give your fans special attention. The Grateful Dead provided the best deals and the best seats ONLY to their best fans.

What are you doing to treat your top customers the same way?

Think about your business as a rock concert where you as the performer tries to blow the minds of your fans.

Study what the great rockers do.

Apply what you learn.

Rock on!

Cheers,
Roy
Check out my BE DiFFERENT or be dead Book Series

• Posted 7.30.12 at 10:36 am by Roy Osing
• Permalink

July 23, 2012

2 audacious examples of businesses that go against the flow

Source: Unsplash

2 audacious examples of businesses that go against the flow.

An effective business plan attempts to find a way to make the organization standout from their competition.

An unusual and rarely used strategy that achieves this distinctiveness objective is based on the notion of contrarianism, doing something that is so outrageously different from everyone else that people are curious to check the organization out.

Here are two examples of organizations who are not only outlandish according to most standards but are also memorable to the people they are speaking to.

And they attract curiosity and conversations.

▪️ The Hans Brinker Hotel in Amsterdam .

From their website:

“Welcome to the Hans Brinker: quite honestly not the best, but definitely the most memorable hostel in Amsterdam. At the Hans Brinker Hostel you get what you pay for. And because you don’t pay much you won’t get any of the following things: a swimming pool, room service, honeymoon-suites, a gym, tiny bottles of shampoo, a spa-bath or bellboys in silly hats.

You will simply get a basic room in the centre of Amsterdam that is worth every penny.
We offer single, twin and dorm rooms, which fit up to 8 persons. We serve breakfast (for free), lunch and dinner (for money). In Amsterdam, after having drinks in our hostel bar, the shortest route to oblivion leads right to our basement.”

“We can go up, we can go down, but we’ll never be average”

A brutally honest claim of who they are and what people can expect. Brilliant. Different. Contrarian.

▪️ The Heart Attack Grill in Las Vegas.
Founded in 2005, the Heart Attack Grill positions itself as a Hospital Theme Restaurant.

The most popular item on the menu is a “Quadruple Bypass Burger” worth 8,000 calories. People over 350 lbs. (and you have to be weighed to confirm your weight) eat for free.

Waitresses (“nurses”) take orders (“prescriptions”) from the customers (“patients”).

“Jon Basso gets 5 stars for having a gimmick, nerve, and marketing skills. He doesn’t pretend to have a great restaurant. In fact, he doesn’t care if you like it or not, as long as people are curious enough to come and pay to eat.” — about.com Review

Again, in-your-face. Contrarian. Over the top. Check this for a more in-depth review of the place.

Two good examples of businesses wanting to step out and take a chance to be unique by going against the flow of well established business and societal principles.

I applaud the spirit of leaders who are willing to take this type of risk in the face of the obvious criticism and cynicism that crashes down on them from such moves.

Cheers,
Roy
Check out my BE DiFFERENT or be dead Book Series

• Posted 7.23.12 at 10:15 am by Roy Osing
• Permalink