The Simplest Way To Add Value

We just moved house. You can probably empathise—so many logistics to arrange and tiny details to keep in your head, no matter how much help you have. By 3pm on moving day we had Internet (no mean feat). At about 9pm we realised there was no hot water. Too late to contact anyone of course,…

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How Will You Get To Where You Want To Go?

There are always things we know we’d like to change or improve about our businesses. Often we’re just not sure what’s missing, how to begin or even where to start. To make change happen you need to have the vision to know where you’re going, the skills and resources that enable you to get there…

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The Downside Of Buying Attention

Some of the most sad and frustrated emails I get are from business owners who have invested money to get people to visit their websites. Often they have paid for search engine optimisation or Google AdWords and waited for the traffic to come—which is does, it just doesn’t always convert or deliver the result the…

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Not Everything Is An Opportunity

We first met casually, in a social situation one Saturday morning. Less than five minutes into the small talk Terry asked what I did for a living. No sooner had the words “I run my own business” left my lips, than his hand reached into his back pocket to draw out some business cards (one…

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Context And The Value Story

How much is nail polish removal worth? It all depends on the circumstances in which it’s executed. Use a tissue and liquid remover at home and we’re talking a cent or two. Individually wrapped polish removal wipes for use on the go, cost as much as $1 each and a trip to the nail salon…

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The New Rules Of Brand Awareness

If you conducted a survey of entrepreneurs or business leaders, asking them to name their three biggest challenges, I can guarantee that nine times out of ten, attracting more customers and creating brand awareness would be on that list. The default method for creating brand awareness goes something like this. Old rules of brand awareness:…

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A New Book To Help You Create Ideas That Fly

I’ve spent the last two years writing, speaking and consulting about how to succeed by making your ideas resonate with the people you want to serve. My new book Meaningful: The Story Of Ideas That Fly is the culmination of that work. Our new digital landscape has spawned an entrepreneurial culture and the belief that…

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Before You Pitch

At the end of the event a small group gathered around the presenter. He had flown in from Europe the day before and was bound to be jet lagged. Despite that he had delivered an informative and inspiring keynote about how his company—one of the most powerful brands in the world, used customer insights to…

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Most Marketing

Most marketing is designed to…. Get attention in the moment. Make people choose. Create awareness among many. Persuade people to decide. Most marketing is not designed to…. Build loyalty over time. Make people care. Create affinity with a few. Help people to feel good about their decisions. What makes your marketing unlike most marketing? Image…

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Why We Have A Hard Time Communicating Value

No self-respecting (or smart) cafe owner would describe his drip-filter coffee as 85% boiling water. Instead he tells the origin story of the coffee beans and the slow pour-over brewing process that augments the flavour. The barista creates retail theatre while you wait in line. We all know that the line is also part of…

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