How to Innovate: Start With the Customer Innovation isn’t just for technologists or scientists. At its core, innovation is about finding a new way to address an unmet need. Organizations that learn how to identify their customers’ unmet needs before generating ideas can become excellent at innovation. If you ask the right questions of the …
Why I Went Into Business I grew up wanting to be a psychologist or a journalist. I lived in a community in Philadelphia where business was seen as crass, as selfishly grasping for material wealth instead of seeking to make a positive difference in the world. But shortly after graduating from college, I found myself …
The Value of Learning How to Conduct a “Customer Diagnosis” A lot of damage has been done to the profession of sales — and capitalism in general — because business people often think their objective is to “make a sale” or “maximize shareholder value.” For many people, the very words “sales” and “selling” convey pushing …
A Better Way to Conduct a Competitive Analysis Traditional competitive analysis can be helpful for businesses that truly understand their customers’ needs, but that approach is inadequate and possibly dangerous for companies that don’t. Many companies think they need a competitive analysis when what they really need is both a customer analysis and a competitive …
How a Customer Analysis Can Uncover Your Company’s Strengths (and Weaknesses) Previously, I’ve proposed that the first step toward creating a competitive advantage is to redefine your market as “a group of people who share a common task they want to get done.” For example, the market for a traditional city newspaper might be defined …
The First Step Toward Creating a Competitive Advantage Without a competitive advantage, your business is at risk. Every business leader who wants to drive growth must establish a competitive advantage. Your competitive advantage answers the question all target customers will ask: “Why should I do business with you?” GE’s legendary former CEO Jack Welch said, …
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