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Sunday, April 27, 2003
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"I'm not so interested in products," my partner explained to a mutual protégé. "Products change with the times. I'm interested in developing a sophisticated understanding of how our market works."
As someone who spends a good deal of time inventing new products, this comment shocked me. But it didn't take me very long to realize he was right.
Products -- good products -- are things that meet certain needs or solve particular problems. The same can be said of services. But what solves today's problem is not necessarily what will work tomorrow. The endless need to refine, reinvent … to make our products "new" … is evidence of that.
A common mistake a lot of entrepreneurs and executives make is becoming very knowledgeable about the product without knowing as much (or more) about how to market it. Product knowledge gives you the illusion of being in control because you can answer all your colleagues' questions and correct the technical guys when they are wrong -- but in the long run, it isn't as important as knowing how, when, and why your customers buy.
Having market knowledge means that you understand the attractiveness of the product rather than the product itself. It means that you understand its benefits, not just its features. It means that you know your customers' wants, needs, and desires so intimately that you can reinvent the product even before they realize it needs to be reinvented.
If you want to be a prime mover in business -- someone who can move your company forward when it has stalled and the person who can come up with that sorely needed blockbuster promotion -- become an expert in your market.
Being a market expert implies having a very good understanding of the selling process. How it's done. Why it works. What is essential and what is not.
Rate yourself by answering these questions:
1. What is the most important psychological benefit your product offers?
2. What is the most common mistake other marketers make when they sell it?
3. How have your customers' needs and desires changed in the recent past?
4. What changes have you made to accommodate those changes?
If you answered those questions quickly and confidently, you are doing the right kind of thinking. If you are hesitant about some of them, you've got to spend more time with your marketing hat on. If you have spent little time asking and answering such questions, you need to start from scratch. [ via www.earlytorise.com ]
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10:00:00 AM 
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Asking for help and support is what networking is all about. But to save yourself -- and your contact -- time, you should always know exactly what it is that you want before you pick up the phone.
In his e-book "Creating Opportunities by Networking," Jeffrey J. Mayer suggests three phrases that will help you be clear and concise:
1. I need ... Do you have any ideas where I could find it?
2. I've got a problem and thought you might be able to help me with …
3. I'm looking for … and thought you might be able to tell me where to go.
Editorial note: If you're tired of calling the same people over and over again- and don't have enough prospects - you probably need to improve your networking skills. Jeffrey J. Mayer’s "Creating Opportunities by Networking" eBook teaches you how to become an expert networker. [ via www.earlytorise.com ]
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9:51:22 AM
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Wednesday, January 08, 2003
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To improve everything from fuel economy to performance, automotive researchers are turning to “mechatronics,” the integration of familiar mechanical systems with new electronic components and intelligent-software control. Take brakes. In the next five to 10 years, electromechanical actuators will replace hydraulic cylinders; wires will replace brake fluid lines; and software will mediate between the driver’s foot and the action that slows the car. And because lives will depend on such mechatronic systems, Rolf Isermann, an engineer at Darmstadt University of Technology in Darmstadt, Germany, is using software that can identify and correct for flaws in real time to make sure the technology functions impeccably. “There is a German word for it: gründlich,” he says. “It means you do it really right.”
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11:47:13 AM
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Sunday, December 29, 2002
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Wednesday, December 18, 2002
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High-speed connections surge. Americans love their high-speed Internet connections, with subscriber numbers jumping by about 70 percent in the last year, according to government figures. [CNET News.com]
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11:31:30 AM
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Wednesday, December 11, 2002
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GPS stories. The Tablet PC has only been out for a month, and already people have figuring out an interesting new use for it: geographically-based multimedia storytelling. Go to latitude 34 North and and longitude 118 West in Los Angeles with a GPS-enabled Tablet PC, where a group of artists have created a "GPS Controlled Interactive Narrative." Depending on where you are and how you move about the site, you experience the story in different ways: "GPS tracks your location and determine how the story is delivered. The landscape becomes the interface. Every version is rendered in real-time, according to your pattern of movement." Read [Via Fimoculous]... [Gizmodo]
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10:36:19 AM
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Brendan Francis. "If you have a talent, use it in every which way possible. Don't hoard it. Don't dole it out like a miser. Spend it lavishly like a millionaire intent on going broke."
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10:31:43 AM
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Wednesday, December 04, 2002
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Timeshifting for Weblogs.
One of the members of the Ryze Blog & Bloggers tribe asked for advice on the message board on how to manage the time to start and run a blog. Lots of good feedback was posted, here was mine:
They say you play soccer the way you are. I think blogging is similar to this self-organizing sport. You blog the way you are.
When confronted with the chronological format of a blog, the pressure to post is at first extreme. How do I start? What if I don't keep it up? Does this go on my permanent record? But the reality is there is no shame in an empty calendar. Post daily, weekly, monthly or occassionally. You blog when you can.
The question that is most personal is what to blog. As one blogger said, "Find a topic and own it." Finding focus is a sure time saver, but it also contributes to the medium, as its one of specialized voices. The more you post on your domain the better. You blog what you are.
The other part, indeed what this tribe is about, is community. When you have others reading, others you know, their feedback and their own posts spark your own. You don't blog alone.
Make a little plan on how you will start, just begin and you will find your rhythm.
The calendar and chronological format of weblogs is threatening to potential bloggers. For readers its a great structure, akin to timeshifting with your Tivo (or other PVR device). Readers can view posts from anytime at anytime. And as news aggregator functions progress, consumption will be less of a burden.
Manila and other content management systems (CMS) offer the ability to schedule posts. If this feature was offered to Radio and other weblog applications, it would decrease the pressure to publish by letting bloggers timeshift. This isn't a presence medium, at least not yet, and such a feature as well as cultural acceptance of occassional bloggers would grow the medium. [Ross Mayfield] [Seblogging News]
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8:12:59 AM
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Tuesday, December 03, 2002
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"It's easy to be anti-American; there's a lot of it about. But remember when and where this alliance was forged: here in Europe, in World War II when Britain and America and every decent citizen in Europe joined forces to liberate Europe from the Nazi evil. My vision of Britain is not as the 51st state of anywhere, but I believe in this alliance. And I will fight long and hard to maintain it."
"America has its faults as a society, as we have ours. But I think of the union of America born out of the defeat of slavery. I think of its constitution, with its inalienable rights granted to every citizen, still a model for the world. I think of a black man, born in poverty, who became chief of their armed forces and is now Secretary of State, Colin Powell, and I wonder frankly whether such a thing could have happened here. I think of all this and I reflect: yes, America has its faults, but it is a free country, it is our ally and some of the reaction to September 11 betrays a hatred of America that shames those that feel it." - Tony Blair
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10:17:39 PM
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Monday, December 02, 2002
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Mac Loyalists: Don't Tread on Us. Mac users are famously loyal. No matter how much Apple upsets users, they stick with it. But why? Experts in psychology, marketing and cults provide answers. Part one in series by Leander Kahney. [Wired News]
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10:06:12 AM
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Sunday, December 01, 2002
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Good resource for webmasters using google
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6:39:55 PM
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Wednesday, November 27, 2002
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Tuesday, November 19, 2002
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Berkeley Labs. Discovery may yield full spectrum solar cell. Extremely interesting if it pans out. Basically, some new work in materials technology for LEDs has led to the development of a low cost compound that works across the full spectrum of visible light. ~70% efficiency vs. ~15-20% currently. I did a little work on what it would cost to power my home, and I found that a $14k system would supply about 1/3 of my needs using existing solar cell technology. If similar price points are in place (based on the size of the panels) with a more efficient system, I could buy a system that supplies all of my needs and provide a recoupment of 100% of the investment in 4 years (and that's in New England!). [John Robb's Radio Weblog]
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11:49:05 AM
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Sunday, November 17, 2002
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David Brinkley. "The one function TV news performs very well is that when there is no news we give it to you with the same emphasis as if there were."
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11:44:17 AM
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Saturday, November 16, 2002
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© Copyright
2003
Rick@Leaders.net.
Last update:
4/27/2003; 10:01:46 AM.
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