Astonish Your Customer(s)

Steve Jobs - More like Lincoln than Edison, Einstein

Steve Jobs:

• Adopted
• College dropout
• Apple III and Lisa computers were flops
• Hired John Sculley
• Fired at age of 30, from Company he founded and led
• Created NeXT Inc., hobbled by exorbitant price tag and key design flaws
• Largely written off as a has-been during 11 year absence from Apple
• Cube-shaped Macintosh
• Pancreatic cancer
• Liver transplant
• Option backdating scandal

Abraham Lincoln:

• Lost job in 1832
• Defeated for state legislature in 1832
• Failed in business in 1833
• Sweetheart died in 1835
• Had nervous breakdown in 1836
• Defeated for Speaker in 1838
• Defeated for nomination for Congress in 1843
• Lost renomination in 1848
• Rejected for land officer in 1849
• Defeated for U.S. Senate in 1854
• Defeated for nomination for Vice President in 1856
• Again defeated for U.S. Senate in 1858

O.D.O.o.O.D.B.

Dream Bigger

"There’s one story that Carmine Gallo thinks will sum up Steve Jobs’ career at Apple. 

An executive who had the job of reinventing the Disney Store once called up Jobs and asked for advice.  Steve’s advice? 

Dream bigger. 

I think that’s the best advice he would give us today and the advice he will continue to offer to Apple as its Chairman.  See genius in your craziness, believe in yourself, believe in your vision, and be constantly prepared to defend those ideas."

TY: Carmine Gallo 

O.D.O.o.O.D.B.

Be like APPLE

1. Have an inspiring and crystal-clear reason-for-being that transcends the product (celebrates the individualists, the rule breakers, the pioneer because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do)
2. Break (hard) with the conventional wisdom of your industry (see below)
3. Celebrate & fight for a very specific audience (even if it is niche at the start) 
4. Eat your young (killed the Mini when it was best selling iPod)
5. If you come into a huge & highly competitive market late - Wow 'em (iPhone, iPod)
6. Launch im-perfect products and introduce rolling improvements (limitations of original iPad) 
7. Pick fights with Goliath (Gates & Microsoft, Music industry)
8. Use a minimalist approach to packaging (product exterior, outer cartons)
9. Make complex things intuitive and simple (device operation)  
10. Don't launch unless you know the consumer will think and say "Wow" when she holds & uses product 
11. Use multiple layers of design to delight shoppers and users (when you have a product in your pocket or hand for hours everyday, your relationship with it is profound, human and emotional)
12. Be aware of, steal and apply ideas from others (a. "Think Different" campaign/positioning that relaunched company inspired by Nike; b. Wanted the Apple II to be the first personal computer people used in their homes, so sought inspiration in the kitchen appliance aisle at Macy's; c. Used Ritz Carlton operating model and concierge service to create Apple Stores )
13. Scratch your own itch (create products for yourself because you are your audience; be idea led rather than consumer led)
14. Everything is marketing and all must reinforce one another (core product, individual elements of core product like ear buds, customer support, outer carton of products, store employee attire, video tutorials, way you answer the phone, etc.)
15. Create advertisements that actually sell the features and benefits of the product (iPad)
16. Say "No" to most ideas, even if they are great, if the idea is a distraction or off course 
17. Kill failures fast (Cube) 
18. Hire people that are genuinely passionate about the mission; who have a track record of meaningful accomplishment; diverse skill sets 
19. Solve problems (Genius Bar)
20. Charge a premium price and reap high margins (see above)  
21. Set and maintain very high standards and then raise the standard (see above) 
22. Listen to your employees who interface with people who use your product (Apple store employees & Genius Bar)

This is my take from what I have read and observed about Apple over the years. For a more expansive and better view of Apple, read this article from Fast Company magazine.

O.D.O.o.O.D.B.

Hiring (would be) giants

Drugstore.com did $500 million in 2010 sales and is one of the few pure-play survivors of the original dot.com era. I was employee #15 and worked there from 1998-2001 - it was a great experience.

Many of the top people and early employees came from Microsoft. We co-opted a number of the MS practices, including interviewing.

Within 10 minutes after you finished interviewing a candidate, you had to send an email declaring a "Hire or No Hire" recommendation and a few words as to why. The process made the interviewers accountable and also made them take the process more seriously. 

I would suggest one addition to increase the likelihood of hiring great employees. If you declare "hire", you must state specific evidence why this candidate is or might be more talented and/or more productive than the people in the work team they will join. The evidence should be tangible things the candidate has done - not their credentials (employers, jobs held, school attended, GPA). 

If your employees know that they can only hire stars, they will look for and over time learn to identify stars and if the new talent is better than incumbents, the organization is more likely to win.

O.D.O.o.O.D.B. 

(re)Align - Never invest ahead of the learning

P&Gs Align brand team was developing a probiotic pill whose daily use could alleviate the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (30 million sufferers in U.S.) The idea was brimming with disruptive potential. A pressing problem with no adequate solutions. "The team stair-stepped to market, never investing ahead of learning." P&Gs Align group reframed its approach to one that was more "invest a little, learn a lot." Instead of trying to come up with a definitive answer about Align's potential, members of the brand team identified which assumptions would have to be true to create a business about which P&G could get excited. Two questions they zeroed in on: Would doctors promote the solution? Would consumers take the probiotic every day? "The training helped us narrow down to the critical things we had to answer before we and management were comfortable moving on to the next step."

Instead of putting all their eggs in the shelf-life basket, the Align group decided to offer the product on the Web as an over-the-counter supplement. P&G didn't invest big in advertising. Rather, its existing pharmaceutical sales force promoted the product to doctors in three cities. By selling to consumers online and being able to track sales histories, P&G was able to learn whether consumers were trying Align and repurchasing. "The most surprising thing was how word of mouth spread." "We were only [focusing] in three cities, and in four months we had online sales in 49 states."

Borrowing from birth control packaging, the P&G group created an Align blister pack with days of the week on it to remind consumers to take the pill every day. 

The team talked to people taking the product. They videotaped consumers' touching stories. Some of the stories were amazing. These interviews would come in handy later.

O.D.O.o.O.D.B. 

Rubber Gloves = Productivity & More

How do you get teens to do work around the house, to lighten the load, to learn to contribute, to take responsibility? 

Rubber Gloves. 

My wife and I were preparing to host a baby shower and time was slipping. We needed to compress time and get lots of stuff done and we need the help of our 16 and 12 year old. The girls were less than enhtusiastic about the job assignments. 

Viola! My wife whipped out two pairs of rubber gloves and they were soon busy as beavers, cleaning sinks and bathtubs - the toilets remain the final frontier.  

Rubber Gloves - go figure. 

Could you increase your own productivity or that of your staff if "rubber gloves" were made available? 

O.D.O.o.O.D.B.

Consulting v. Full-Time Employment

I have been consulting for about 2 years, after spending 26 years as a full time employee. 

My mindset as an independent consultant is very different from my full-time employee mindset. 

As a consultant, I am very conscious of making tangible progress every day, whether I am being paid a day-rate or a flat-fee for a project. 

As a FT employee I was less concerned about whether or I'd be there "tomorrow" and I was more focused on my "body of work" over an extended period of time. 

As a consultant, I want my employer to feel my impact in the here and now as well as in the long term. Each day I think to myself - I need to put some points on the board today!

I wonder what would happen if you paid your employees like a consultant. Would they work on more important and valuable things? Would they define their projects better? Would they work quicker and more cost efficiently? Would they be happier? Would the business win? 

O.D.O.o.O.D.B. 

Coaching kids = Managing grown ups

I am presently the coach of a travel basketball team, comprised on nine 6th grade girls. 

The girls are smart and all are good athletes but basketball is the not the #1 sport for any of them. 

We have one 90 minute practice a week and one game. 

Basketball is a complex game. Everyone plays offense and defense. The positions on the floor change constantly based on the flow of the game. Players need to be able to dribble, play defense, grab a rebound, shoot and more. 

So, with a mere 90 minutes per week, what should a coach focus on and how is it related to grown ups. 

Keep things simple. Focus on each players unique ability to contribute and focus on the skills where she can make the greatest contribution. Recognize her progress. Give her a little more.

Easier to say than do but that is the path I am trying to follow. 

O.D.O.o.O.D.B.

Brand management for 181 years

If you are launching a new exciting brand or managing a longstanding successful brand in a big company, it is not uncommon to hear an executive pronounce that she wants the brand managers to behave in such a way to ensure the brand will be not only around but successfully growing 50+ years from now.

Fifty years seems like an eternity to a brand manager that usually spends no more than 2-3 years on a brand and sometimes much less.

The 50 year pronouncement also infers that a brand manager should build the brand with an emphasis on actions that will create value over time vs. pursuing short term gains in sales and share.

Regardless, most brand managers envision taking actions that will spike the value of the brand in the here and now - growing sales and share rapidly to make him and his resume look like a star.    

I was born and raised in Philadelphia, so Yuengling (Ying-Ling) Beer has always been around my life.

It is the oldest brewery in America, 181 years old, always privately held, family owned and family run.

Yuengling has never been in a hurry. It is only distributed in 15 states despite the fact that people clamor for it across the country. It is rock star hot right now - the brand can expand almost wherever it wants. The CEO (last name Yuengling) won't allow it. He just bought a brewery in Memphis for $20MM - the company's biggest expenditure ever. The press is aflutter speculating that the beer company will expand rapidly throughout the Mid-West and South.

According to the CEO, they will pursue their successful 181 year-old strategy of ... not-so-fast. In fact he stated, "we've been around for 181 years, we're not gonna be in a hurry now".   

Distinct product, consistent product, slow, steady, deliberate, conservative, good price/value ratio, staying power. Chasing great vs. money for money's sake and, voila, 181 years later the family still owns a successful business. 

Does the "not so fast" strategy sound like a familiar one used by the people who profess to be building a brand that will stand the test of time? 

O.D.O.o.O.D.B. 

Short cut or Long odds

You'd almost never hear someone in a business planning meeting say, "Let's take the short cut". They be afraid of looking a fool or unprofessional or naive. Similarly, you aren't likely to hear someone say, "Let's take the path with the longest odds of success". 

Yet, in most cases, big companies choose to bet the long odds when they launch the umpteenth me-too or nothing-different line extension. 

So, what is the the short cut to success? I like the postulation by Seth Godin.

1. An idea that disrupts a market 
2. Make (& keep) an audacious promise
3. Over-Deliver

Short does not mean easy, it means best odds. 

O.D.O.o.O.D.B.