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"How is it that the likes of MapMyFitness or Mint end up being purchased by the likes of Under Armor or Intuit for hundreds of millions of dollars instead of being created by these same companies?
Isn't it time companies asked the same questions as these entrepreneurs, but instead of articulating this in a creative brief and being satisfied with a jingle, tagline or even real-time tweet as the output, fast tracked and super sized this expectation in the form of a disruptive technology-led solution?
Isn't it time to look towards the tens of thousands of viable startups out there for collaboration opportunities?
And if the solution doesn't already exist, why wouldn't you start it yourselves?"
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"The age of 'buy from us because we say we're awesome' is over, and has been replaced by an age of 'I'll buy from them because someone I trust says they're awesome.'
We commissioned a survey on customer service, and the results will shock you. ... 25% of customers report an instance of poor customer service in the past two months alone! Each instance is estimated at resulting in over $700 in lost sales from that customer—and then spreading the word to an estimated 700 additional people on social media!
However, the overwhelming majority of businesses think that their customer service is superior. There is a huge disconnect."
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"There's one part of the country where, I think, many brands are completely missing the mark: it's what I call the New Heartland. It's made up of the Southwest, Midwest, and parts of the Southeast and is home to 60% of all U.S. consumers. It's a massive and influential cultural segment that is largely misunderstood and underserved by advertisers—and a huge opportunity for brands willing to make the effort.
So how do brands effectively reach the New Heartland?"
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"There are freedoms and opportunities in the technical industry that are not as readily available in other trades and professions. These freedoms and opportunities are left largely untapped by the millions employed in this industry. What are these freedoms? What are these opportunities? [...]
Programmers, developers, solution architects, and technical consultants—all of you have the basic skills necessary to become highly successful outside the confines of traditional employment. You have to take on the activities of a businessperson. This is easier than it may seem; it is a natural progression from where you are today, and one which will pay immense dividends."
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"As a leader, you cannot motivate anyone. What you can do is cultivate a workplace where it is more likely for someone to experience optimal motivation.
Optimal motivation means having the positive energy, vitality, and sense of well-being required to sustain the pursuit and achievement of meaningful goals while flourishing. Optimal motivation is the result of satisfying three basic psychological needs that lie at the heart of every human being's ability to thrive: autonomy, relatedness, and competence.
Why care if people are optimally motivated? Optimal motivation fuels employee work passion. Actively engaged employees have positive intentions to stay and endorse your organization, use discretionary effort and organizational citizenship behaviors on behalf of the organization, and perform above expected standards."
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