How to tell if you are selling to the right person.
The early stages of a B2B sales process can be tricky. Few people are happy to admit that they do not hold the power implied in their role, and those in a corporate purchasing role are particularly reluctant. Rarely will they admit that they are not able to sign a...
Where now for the two big supermarket retailers?
What a fascinating time to be an observer of FMCG. The speed of strategic evolution is ramping up, and the risks to the investors in the two retail gorillas must be increasing as a result. 15 years ago FMCG retailing in Australia was a two horse race. Coles or...
October 5, 2016. Five years on.
Last Wednesday, October 5 was the 5th anniversary of the death of Steve Jobs, on October 5, 2011, aged 59 . How time flies. The words of the great Apple ad that started the ball rolling again when he returned from exile in 1997 to the company he created with Steve...
Is ‘Proprietary Housebrand’ an oxymoron?
Is this range of McWilliams wines a housebrand or not? it is exclusive to Dan Murpy's, so 'yes', but it is a proprietary brand, so 'no'. At the very least, the trading terms conversations would have been interesting. It is also claimed to be an 'Innovation' which...
The compelling essence of leadership demonstrated yesterday
Yesterday the Western Bulldogs won the AFL grand final. I am not an AFL fan, my game is the one they play in heaven, sadly not much down here any more, but that game yesterday stirred emotions in even one who really did not care about the outcome. For the Dogs to win...
How will Australia regulate for ‘Culture’
As a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, I look forward to the events put on by the institute, and attend when I can, when the topic of discussion is of particular interest. Annually there is a general 'Director Update', the 2016 version is...
Things I do not do to make money from blogging
StrategyAudit has been going now for quite a long time, almost 1,500 posts to date, averaging between 2 & 3 a week. Every month there are around 1,000 unique visitors, who consume on average 1.8 posts each visit. By some standards these are pretty modest numbers,...
Should I use Facebook as an advertising medium?
Once again yesterday I found myself in a conversation both extolling and deriding the utility of Facebook as a small business marketing tool. Seems to happen a lot that small businesses hear (urban myth?) of someone making a fortune just using Facebook and think 'Why...
7 sources of great ideas
Where do these great ideas come from, why are some organisations just more innovative than others?. I have pondered those questions for years as a corporate executive and as a consultant, and it seems to me that there are several points that are common in the...
Classic marketing strategy: Before & After
The classic ad for weight loss products is to show a before and after. It also works for make-up, home decoration and renovation, and a myriad of other products, What about yourself, your personal branding? Works there too, and it is a pretty important product....