Tom Peters’
Re-Imagine.2006!
Excellence Through the
Relentless Provision of
“Outrageous” Value-added
CA Americas Sales Kickoff
Orlando/06April2006/LONG
Tom Peters’
Re-imagine Excellence:
The Relentless Pursuit of
Dramatic Difference!
Unglued.
THREE
BILLION NEW
CAPITALISTS
—Clyde Prestowitz
New Economy?
Sergey, Larry
> Harvard
“This is a dangerous world and
it is going to become more dangerous.”
“We may not be
interested in chaos
but chaos is interested
in us.”
Source: Robert Cooper, The Breaking of Nations:
Order and Chaos in the Twenty-first Century
“the
metabolically
dominant
soldier”
Source: Radical Evolution: The Promise and Peril of Enhancing Our
Minds, Our Bodies—and What It Means to Be Human, Joel Garreau
The General’s
Answer.
(And Darwin’s.)
“If you don’t like
change, you’re
going to like
irrelevance even
less.”
—General Eric Shinseki, Chief of Staff. U. S. Army
“It is not the strongest
of the species that
survives, nor the most
intelligent, but the one
most responsive
to change.” —Charles Darwin
My Answer.
“In Tom’s world, it’s always
better to try a swan
dive and deliver a colossal
belly flop than to step timidly
off the board while holding
your nose.” —Fast Company /October2003
Naked
Emperors.
“Forbes100” from 1917 to 1987: 39
members of the Class of ’17 were
alive in ’87; 18 in ’87 F100; 18 F100
“survivors” underperformed the
market by 20%; just 2 (2%), GE &
Kodak, outperformed the market
1917 to 1987.
S&P 500 from 1957 to 1997: 74 members of the Class of ’57
were alive in ’97; 12 (2.4%) of 500 outperformed the market from
1957 to 1997.
Source: Dick Foster & Sarah Kaplan, Creative Destruction:
Why Companies That Are Built to Last Underperform the Market
“I am often asked by would-be entrepreneurs
seeking escape from life within huge corporate
structures, ‘How do I build a small firm for
Buy
a very large one
and just wait.”
myself?’ The answer seems obvious:
—Paul Ormerod, Why Most Things Fail:
Evolution, Extinction and Economics
New Economy?!
Genentech09,
Amgen09
> Merck09
(70K-3/394B-5)
Lessons
Learned.
GE. Me.
De-central-iza-tion!
Ex-ecu-tion!
Ac-counta-bil-ity!
6:15A.M.
Innovate
or
Die!!
“A focus on cost-cutting and efficiency has
helped many organizations weather the
downturn, but this approach will ultimately
Only the
constant pursuit of
innovation can ensure
long-term success.”
render them obsolete.
—Daniel Muzyka, Dean, Sauder School of Business,
Univ of British Columbia (FT/2004)
“When asked to name just one big merger
that had lived up to expectations, Leon
Cooperman, former cochairman of
Goldman Sachs’ Investment Policy
I’m sure
there are success
stories out there, but at
this moment I draw a
blank.”
Committee, answered:
—Mark Sirower, The Synergy Trap
“TOO BIG TO
GROW: Why Wall
Street has soured on
many of corporate
America’s most admired
and feared companies”
—headline, Newsweek, 0313.06
Joined at the Hip. How?
Microsoft
Citigroup
GE
Wal*Mart
Intel
TimeWarner
Scale?
“Microsoft’s Struggle With
Scale”
—Headline, FT, 09.2005
“Troubling Exits at Microsoft”
—Cover Story, BW, 09.2005
“Too Big to Move Fast?”
—Headline, BW, 09.2005
Different!
Inspiration/s: “Dramatic Difference”/Doug Hall,
“Remarkable Point of View”/Seth Godin
Franchise Lost!
TP:
“How many of you
really
[600]
crave
a new Chevy?”
NYC/IIR/061205
Beyond the “Pension Problem”
Sedan, Less Than $20,000.
Sedan, $20,000-$30,000. Sedan,
$30,000-$40,000. Luxury Sedan.
SUV, Less Than $30,000. SUV,
More Than $30,000. Pickup
Truck. Minivan. Green Car. Fun
To Drive.*
This is not a
“mature
category.”
This is an
“undistinguished
category.”
“To grow, companies need
to break out of a vicious
cycle of competitive
benchmarking and
imitation.”
—W. Chan Kim & Renée Mauborgne,
“Think for Yourself —Stop Copying a Rival,” Financial Times/2003
$415/SqFt/Wal*Mart
$798/SqFt/Whole
Foods
7X. 730A800P.
F12A.*
*’93-’03/10 yr annual return: CB: 29%; WM: 17%; HD: 16%. Mkt Cap: 48% p.a.
Cirque
du Soleil!
“Every time we come to a
comfort zone, we will find a way
out.” “No Cloning.” “‘Reinvent
the brand’ with each new show.”
“A typical day at the office for
me begins by asking, ‘What is
impossible that I am going to do
today?’” —Daniel Lamarre, president,
Cirque du Soleil
Cakewalk:
WallopWal*Mart16*
*Or: Why it’s so unbelievably easy
to beat a GIANT Company
The “Small Guys” Guide: Wallop Wal*Mart16
*Niche-aimed. (Never, ever “all things for all people,” a
“mini-Wal*Mart.)
*Never attack the monsters head
steal niche business and lukewarm customers.)
on! (Instead
*“Dramatically
Different”
(La Difference ... within our
community, our industry regionally … is as obvious as the end of
one’s nose!) (THIS IS WHERE MOST MIDGETS COME UP SHORT.)
*Compete
on value/experience/intimacy,
not price. (You ain’t gonna beat the behemoths on cost-price
in 9.99 out of 10 cases.)
*Emotional bond with Clients, Vendors.
(BEAT THE BIGGIES ON EMOTION/CONNECTION!!)
Donnelly’s
Weatherstrip
Service
Weymouth MA
Focus!
“We will not, I
repeat not, pretend
to be ‘all things to
all people.’”
—CEO, Investec (03.06)
The Benefits of … “FOCUSED EXCELLENCE”
Shouldice/Hernia Repair:
1% recurrence.
Avg: 90 min, 10%-15%
30 min,
recurrence.
Source: Complications, Atul Gawande
Big Winners
Lousy industry … Specialty (No
competition) … Smaller than competitors
Sweet spot …
Agility … Discipline
… FOCUS
4 Traits:
Source: Alfred Marcus, Big Winners and Big Losers:
The 4 Secrets of Long-term Business and Failure
Op-ed. Wall Street Journal. 2 March 2006:
“Boutique vs.
Behemoth: Upstarts
Steal Market Share
from the Investment
Banks.”
Easy!
FLASH!
Innovation
is easy!
Innovation’s Saviors-in-Waiting
Disgruntled Customers
Off-the-Scope Competitors
Rogue Employees
Fringe Suppliers
Wayne Burkan, Wide Angle Vision: Beat the Competition by Focusing on
Fringe Competitors, Lost Customers, and Rogue Employees
CUSTOMERS: “Futuredefining customers may
account for only 2% to 3%
of your total, but they
represent a crucial
window on the future.”
Adrian Slywotzky, Mercer Consultants
We become
who we hang
out with!
Measure “Strangeness”/Portfolio Quality
Staff
Consultants
Vendors
Out-sourcing Partners (#, Quality)
Innovation Alliance Partners
Customers
Competitors (who we “benchmark” against)
Strategic Initiatives
Product Portfolio (LineEx v. Leap)
IS/IT Projects
HQ Location
Lunch Mates
Language
Board
“Don’t
benchmark,
futuremark!”
Impetus: “The future is already here; it’s just
not evenly distributed.” —William Gibson
BOLD
“Beware of the tyranny
of making Small Changes
to Small Things. Rather,
make Big Changes to
Big Things.”
—Roger Enrico, former Chairman, PepsiCo
“Reward excellent
failures. Punish
mediocre
successes.”
Phil Daniels, Sydney exec
Speed/
Tempo!
He who has the
quickest O.O.D.A.
Loops* wins!
*Observe. Orient. Decide. Act. / Col. John Boyd
Action
“We have a
‘strategic plan.’
It’s called doing
things.”
— Herb Kelleher
“This is so simple it sounds stupid, but it is amazing
you
only find oil if you
drill wells.
how few oil people really understand that
You may think you’re
finding it when you’re drawing maps and
studying logs, but you have to drill.”
Source: The Hunters, by John Masters, Canadian O & G wildcatter
Relentless!*
*Churchill, Grant, Patton, Welch, Bossidy, Nardelli (GE execs),
UPS, FedEx, Microsoft/Gates-Ballmer, Eisner, Weill, eBay, NixonKissinger, Gerstner, Rice, Jordan, Armstrong
Measurable!
Innovation Index: How many of
your Top 5 Strategic
Initiatives/Key Projects score
8 or higher (out of 10) on a
“Weird”/ “Profound”/
“Wow”/“Game- changer”
Scale?
Personal!
Buy
a Mirror!
Step #1:
“The First step in a
‘dramatic’ ‘organizational
change program’ is
obvious—dramatic personal
change!” —RG
The New Look of
“Organizing”: IS/IT
as a Disruptive
Tool. Period.
We all live in
Dell-Wal*MarteBay-Google
World!
Wal*Mart (!)
& Katrina
FedEx
Economy”
“the
—headline/New York Times/10.08.05
Anything/
Anywhere/
Anytime
“Any3”:
Power Tools
for Power
Solutions/
Strategies!
—TP
“Ebusiness is about
rebuilding the organization
from the ground up. Most
companies today are not built to exploit the
Internet. Their business processes, their
approvals, their hierarchies, the number of
people they employ … all of that is wrong
for running an ebusiness.” —Ray Lane,
Kleiner Perkins
Sysco!
The New Look of
“Organization”:
The Age of
“Best-sourcing.”
“Organizations will still
be critically important
in the world, but as
‘organizers,’ not
‘employers’!”
— Charles Handy
Not “out sourcing”
Not “off shoring”
Not “near shoring”
Not “in sourcing”
but …
“Best Sourcing”
“global innovation
networks”
vs
“research in large
monolithic companies”
Source: George Colony/Forrester Research
Up,
Re-imagine:
Up,
Up,
Up
the Value-added Ladder.
The New Look of
“Organizing”: The WhiteCollar Tsunami and the
Professional Service
Firm/“PSF” Imperative.
“ ‘Disintermediation’ is overrated. Those who fear
disintermediation should in fact be afraid of
irrelevance—disintermediation is just another way
you’ve
become
irrelevant to your
customers.”
of saying that …
—John Battelle/Point/Advertising Age/07.05
“Imagine you are sitting next to a
stranger at dinner and you have
to describe your job in one
sentence
that they can
understand. If you fail this test,
you are either a nuclear physicist
or your job shouldn’t exist.”
—Lucy Kellaway/personal relevance test/FT/0206.06
The Rule of Positioning
“If you can’t describe
your position in eight
words or less, you
don’t have a position.”
— Jay Levinson and Seth Godin, Get What You Deserve!
Answer:
Answer: Professional Service Firm/PSF!
Department Head
to …
Managing Partner,
IS [HR, R&D, etc.] Inc.
The “PSF35”:
Thirty-Five
Professional Service Firm
Marks of Excellence
The PSF35: The Work & The Legacy
1.
CRYSTAL CLEAR POINT OF
VIEW (Every Practice Group: “If you can’t explain your position
in eight words or less, you don’t have a position”—Seth Godin)
2. DRAMATIC DIFFERENCE (“We are the only ones who
do what we do”—Jerry Garcia)
3. Stretch Is Routine (“Never bite off less than you can chew”—anon.)
4. Eye-Appetite for Game-changer Projects (Excellence at Assembling
“Best Team”—Fast)
5. “Playful” Clients (Adventurous folks who unfailingly Aim to Change
the World)
6. Small “Uneconomic” Clients with Big Aims
7. Life Is Too Short to Work with Jerks (Fire lousy clients)
8. OBSESSED WITH LEGACY (Practice Group and Individual: “Dent the
Universe”—Steve Jobs)
9. Fire-on-the-spot Anyone Who Says, “Law/Architecture/Consulting/
I-banking/ Accounting/PR/Etc. has become a ‘commodity’ ”
10. Consistent with #9 above … DO NOT SHY AWAY FROM THE
WORD (IDEA) “RADICAL”
Point of
View!
The PSF35: The Client Experience
11. Always team with client: “full partners in
achieving memorable results” (Wanted: “Chimeras
of Moonstruck Minds”!)
12. We will seek assistance Anywhere to assemble the Best-inPlanet Team for the Project
13. Client Team Members routinely declare that working with us
was “the Peak Experience of my Career”
14. The job’s not done until implementation is
“100.00% complete” (Those who don’t “get it” must go)
IMPLEMENTATION IS NOT COMPLETE
UNTIL THE CLIENT HAS EXPERIENCED
“CULTURE CHANGE”
16. IMPLEMENTATION IS NOT COMPLETE
UNTIL SIGNIFICANT “TECHNOLOGY
TRANSFER HAS TAKEN PLACE-ROOT
15.
(“Teach a man to fish …”)
17.
Final Exam: DID WE MAKE A LASTING,
GAME-CHANGIN DIFFERENCE?
“PSF” Nirvana
Counselor
Trusted Advisor
The
WOW!
Project.
Your Current Project?
1. Another day’s work/Pays the
rent.
4. Of value.
7. Pretty Damn Cool/Definitely
subversive.
10. WE AIM TO CHANGE THE
WORLD.
“Insanely
Great”
Will you actually
remember it as
worthwhile 10 years
from now?”
—S.H.
The Project 50
The Project 50
CREATE
1. REFRAME: NEVER ... EVER! ... ACCEPT A PROJECT/ASSIGNMENT AS
GIVEN!
2. TRANSLATE YOUR DAILY EXPERIENCES INTO COOL STUFF TO DO.
2A. Become a Benchmarking Fanatic: LOOK at every-small-thing-thathappens-to-you as a Golden Learning Opportunity.
3. Improve your vocabulary! Learn to love “WOW!” Use “the word.”
WOW!
4. There are no “small” projects: IN EVERY “LITTLE” FORM OR
PROCEDURE, IN EVERY “LITTLE” PROBLEM THERE USUALLY
LURKS A B-I-G PROJECT!
4A. CONVERT today's annoying “chore” into a WOW! Project. THE B-I-G
IDEA: THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS A “GIVEN.”
5. Put on the brakes! DON’T BETRAY WOW!
6. LOVE MAKES THE WORLD GO ’ROUND!
7. Will it—the project, our baby—be beautiful? Yes ... BEAUTIFUL!
8. Design-Is-It. I.e.: One of the single most powerful forces in the whole
bloody universe.
9. IS THE PROJECT REVOLUTIONARY? (ARE YOU SURE?)
The Project 50
10. Is the Web factored into the project? In a b-i-g way?
11. Impact. Henry James asked this, as his ultimate question, of an
artist's work: “Was it worth doing?”
11A. Made Anybody(s) Angry Lately?
12. RAVING FANS!
12A. Women-as-Raving Fans. Women take to products/services—and,
thence, “project deliverables”—for (very) different reasons than men.
13. Pirates-on-the-high-seas. “We” are on a Mission/Crusade. We plan to
upset the applecart (convention wisdom) Big Time ... and Make a
Damn Difference.
14. If you can (hint: you can!), create a “place.” That Is ... Pirates Need
Ships at Sea and Caves on Land. (“Safe Houses” in Spy-speak.)
15. Put it in your resume. NOW! PICTURE YOURSELF CROSSING THE
FINISH LINE.
16. THINK RAINBOW!
17. THINK ... OR RETHINK ... OR REFRAME ... YOUR CONCEPT ... INTO A
“BUSINESS PLAN.”
18. Think/obsess ... D-E-A-D-L-I-N-E. Be ridiculously/absurdly/insanely
demanding of yourself/your little band of renegades.
The Project 50
19. Find a Wise Friend. WOW Projects Ain’t Easy! They Stretch You, Stress You,
and Often Vex You. And the Organization.
20. FIND—AND THEN NURTURE—A FEW (VERY FEW) CO-CONSPIRATORS.
20A. Find at least one user/co-conspirator. NOW. Think user from the start.
21. Consider carrying around a little card that reads:
WOW!
BEAUTIFUL!
REVOLUTIONARY!
IMPACT!
RAVING FANS!
SELL
22. Be S-U-C-C-I-N-C-T. Describe your project (its benefits and its WOW!) in T-HR-E-E minutes.
22A. METAPHOR TIME! The “pitch”—and every aspect of the project—works
best if there is a compelling theme/image/hook that makes the whole thing
cohere, resonate, and vibrate with life.
23. SALES MEANS SELLING ... EVERYONE!
24. Hey: WOW Project Life = Sales. Right? So ... WORK CONSCIOUSLY ON
BUZZ. GET VISIBLE AND STAY VISIBLE.
25. Do your “Community Work.” Start to Expand the Network! ASAP.
The Project 50
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
Last is as good as first. If they support you ... they are your friends.
Preach to the choir! Never forget your friends!
Don't try to convert your enemies. Don’t waste time on them.
CREATE AN A-TEAM ADVISORY BOARD.
Become a Master Bootstrapper. You heard it here first: Too much
initial money ... kills!
31. Think B-E-T-A! As in ... Beta Site(s). You need customer-partners ...
as safe-haven testing grounds for rough prototypes.
IMPLEMENT
32. CHUNK! CHUNK! CHUNK! We’ve gotta break “it”—our project, now
on the move—down into tidbit/do-it-today/do-it-in-the-next-fourhours pieces.
33. Live ... Eat ... Sleep ... Breathe: Prototype! I.e.: BECOME AN
UNABASHED PROTOTYPING FANATIC.
33A. Teach prototyping. Prototyping is a “corporate culture” issue. I.e.:
Work to create a Culture of Prototyping.
34. PLAY! FIND PLAYMATES!
35. Scrunch the Feedback Loops!
36. BLOW IT UP! PLAY ... AND DESTRUCTION ... ARE HANDMAIDENS.
The Project 50
37. Keep recruiting! Iron Law: WOW Projects Call for WOW! People.
Never stop recruiting!
37A. WANTED: COURT JESTER.
38. Make a B-I-G binder! This is the Project Bible. It's the Master
Document ... the macro-map.
39. List mania. Ye shall make lists ... and the lists shall make ye
omniscient. (No joke.)
40. Think (live/sleep/eat/breathe) Timeline/ Milestones.
40A. WANTED: MS. LAST TWO PERCENT!
41. Master the 15-Minute Meeting. You can change (or at least organize)
the world in 15 minutes!
42. C-E-L-E-B-R-A-T-E!
42A. CELEBRATE FAILURES!
43. Station break! The keynote here is action. Exactly right! But: Don't
allow the action fanaticism to steer you off course re
WOW!/Beauty/Revolution/Impact!/Raving Fans.
44. A Project Has an Identity. It’s Alive. PROJECT = LIFE ... SPIRIT ...
PERSONALITY.
The Project 50
45. Cast the Net a Little/Lot Farther Afield.
46. It's the U-S-E-R, stupid! Never lose sight of the user community.
47. Concoct a B.M.P./Buzz-Management Program. Marketing is
Implementation.
EXIT
48. SELL OUT! It's been “us” against “them” ... and one heck of a
ride. But now the time has come to dance with the suits ... if we really
want full impact.
48A. Recruit a Mr. Follow-up ... Who Is as Passionate as You Are!
(And L-O-V-E-S Administration.)
49. SEED YOUR FREAKS INTO THE MAINSTREAM ... WHERE THEY
CAN BECOME MUTANT VIRUSES FOR YOUR (QUIRKY) POINT OF
VIEW!
50. Write up the project history. Throw a Grand Celebratory Bash!
Up,
Up,
Up,
Up
the Value-added Ladder.
Solve It.
And the “M” Stands for … ?
“Systems
Integrator of choice.”/BW
Gerstner’s IBM:
(“Lou, help us turn ‘all this’ into that long-promised ‘revolution.’ ” )
IBM Global Services*
Services Corp.):
$55B
(*Integrated Systems
Planetary Rainmaker-in-Chief!
“Palmisano’s strategy is
to expand tech’s borders
by pushing users—and
entire industries—toward
radically different
business models. The payoff for IBM
would be access to an ocean of revenue—Palmisano
estimates it at $500 billion a year—that technology
companies have never been able to touch.” —Fortune
“By making the Global Delivery Model both legitimate and mainstream,
we have brought the battle to our territory. That is, after all, the purpose
of strategy. We have become the leaders, and incumbents [IBM, Accenture]
are followers, forever playing catch-up. … However, creating a new
business innovation is not enough for rules to be changed. The
innovation must impact clients, competitors, investors, and society. We
have seen all this in spades. Clients have embraced the model and are
demanding it in even greater measure. The acuteness of their
circumstance, coupled with the capability and value of our solution, has
made the choice not a choice. Competitors have been dragged kicking
and screaming to replicate what we do. They face trauma and disruption,
Investors have
grasped that this is not a passing fancy,
but a potential restructuring of the way
the world operates and how value will be
created in the future.” —Narayana Murthy, chairman’s
but the game has changed forever.
letter, Infosys Annual Report
“Big Brown’s New Bag: UPS
Traffic
Manager for
Corporate
America”
Aims to Be the
—Headline/BW/2004
“Instant Infrastructure:
GE Becomes a
General Store
for Developing
Countries”
—headline/ NYT/07.16.05
“Consulting-added”
GE Commercial Finance ($233B
assets). Gratis advisory service
called “At the customer, for the
Customer” (E.g., GE disciplines
such as Six Sigma, JIT,
succession planning, leadership
development); GE Mentor.
Source: “Michael Neal runs GE’s biggest profit engine. His
secret: “free” advice for the clientele,” Forbes, 11.05
And …
MasterCard
Advisors
“Photo marketers have
to inspire seller
innovation: ‘Retailers
have to redefine what a
camera store is’ ”
—headline, USA Today/ 0227.06
“Customer Satisfaction” to “Customer Success”
“We’re getting better at [Six Sigma] every
day. But we really need to think about the
Are
customers’ bottom lines
really benefiting from what
we provide them?”
customer’s profitability.
—Bob Nardelli, GE Power Systems
Huge: Customer
Satisfaction
Customer
versus
Success
“Security ‘devices’”
to “Turnkey security
solutions” (A/C, elevators, DIY,
photo shops, etc, etc)
The Value-added Ladder/Stuff ‘n’ Things
Goods
Raw Materials
The Value-added Ladder/Stuff & Transactions
Services
Goods
Raw Materials
The Value-added Ladder/Opportunity-seeking
Gamechanging
Solutions
Services
Goods
Raw Materials
Era #1/Obvious Value:“Our ‘it’ works, is
delivered on time” (“Close”)
Era #2/Augmented Value: “How our ‘it’ can
add value—a ‘useful it’ ” (“Solve”)
Era #3/Complex Value Networks: “How our
‘system’ can change you and deliver
‘business advantage’ ” (“CultureStrategic change”)
Source: Jeff Thull, The Prime Solution: Close the Value Gap,
Increase Margins, and Win the Complex Sale
The Value-added Ladder/Opportunity-seeking
Gamechanging
Solutions/
Business Advantage
Services
Goods
Raw Materials
“Game-changing Solutions”:
Core Mechanism
PSF
(Professional Service Firm “model”)
+
Wow Projects
(“Different” vs “Better”)
+
Brand You
(“Distinct” or “Extinct”)
Fleet Manager
Rolling Stock Cost
Minimization Officer
vs/or
Chief of Fleet Lifetime
Value Maximization
Strategic Supply-chain Executive
Customer Experience Director
(via drivers)
Cost
(at All Costs*) Minimization
Professional?
Or/to: Full PartnerLeader in Lifetime
Value-added
Maximization?
“Purchasing Officer” Thrust #1:
(*Lopez: “Arguably ‘Villain #1’ in GM tragedy”/AnonVSE-Spain)
“Technology
Executive” (workin’ in a hospital)
HCare CIO:
Full-scale,
Accountable (life or death)
Member-Partner of XYZ
Hospital’s Senior
Or/to:
Healing-Services
Team
(who happens to be a techie)
Trapper: <$20
per beaver pelt.
Source: WSJ
WDCP*: $150 to remove
“problem beaver”; $750-
$1,000 for
flood-control
piping … so that beavers can
stay.
* “Wildlife Damage-control Professional”
Source: WSJ
I. LAN Installation Co.
II. Geek Squad.
(3%)
(30%.)
III. Acquired by BestBuy.
IV. Flagship of BestBuy
Wholesale Strategy
Makeover.
“What Isn’t
Matter Is What
Matters”
—section title, Branded Nation: The Marketing of
Megachurch, College Inc., and Museumworld,
James Twitchell
Gas ………….….. $1.75 per gallon
Lipton Iced Tea .. $9.52 per gallon
Ocean Spray …... $10.00
Gatorade ……….. $10.17
Diet Snapple …... $10.32
STP brake fluid .. $33.60
Pepto-Bismol ….. $123.20
Vicks NyQuil …... $178.13
Evian water ……. $21.19 ($50B-$200B)
Source: Branded Nation: The Marketing of Megachurch, College Inc.,
and Museumworld, James Twitchell (2004)
VA “Teaching Moment”
“Andy pointed to
a molding,
about halfway
up the wall …”
Experience It.
“Experiences are
as distinct from
services as services
are from goods.”
—Joe Pine & Jim Gilmore, The Experience Economy:
Work Is Theatre & Every Business a Stage
Experience: “Rebel Lifestyle!”
“What we sell is the ability
for a 43-year-old
accountant to dress in
black leather, ride through
small towns and have
people be afraid of him.”
Harley exec, quoted in Results-Based Leadership
“The [Starbucks] Fix” Is on …
“We have
identified a ‘third
place.’ And I really believe that
sets us apart. The third place is that
place that’s not work or home. It’s the
place our customers come for refuge.”
Nancy Orsolini, District Manager
WHAT CAN BROWN
DO FOR YOU?
The Value-added Ladder/Memorable Connection
Spellbinding
Experiences
Gamechanging Solutions/
Business Advantage
Services
Goods
Raw Materials
Beyond the “Transaction”/ “Satisfaction” Mentality
“Good hotel”/ “Happy guest”/
“Exceeded Expectations”
vs.
“Great Vacation”/
“Great Conference”/
“Operation Personal
Renewal”
Warren Goes
Shopping …
Q: “Why did you buy Jordan’s
Furniture?”
A: “Jordan’s is spectacular.
It’s all showmanship.”
Source: Warren Buffet interview/
Boston Sunday Globe/12.05.2004
Dream It.
DREAM: “A dream is a complete
moment in the life of a client.
Important experiences that tempt
the client to commit substantial
resources. The essence of the
desires of the consumer. The
opportunity to help clients
become what they want to be.”
—Gian Luigi Longinotti-Buitoni
The Value-added Ladder/Emotion
Dreams Come True
Spellbinding Experiences
Gamechanging Solutions/
Business Advantage
Services
Goods
Raw Materials
“The Ritz-Carlton
experience enlivens the
senses, instills well-being,
and fulfills even the
unexpressed wishes and
needs of our guests.”
— from the Ritz-Carlton Credo
Six Market Profiles
1. Adventures for Sale
2. The Market for Togetherness,
Friendship
and Love
3. The Market for Care
4. The Who-Am-I Market
5. The Market for Peace of Mind
6. The Market for Convictions
Rolf Jensen/The Dream Society: How the Coming Shift from
Information to Imagination Will Transform Your Business
Six Market Profiles
1. Adventures for Sale/IBM-UPS-GE
2. The Market for Togetherness, Friendship
and Love/IBM-UPS-GE
3. The Market for Care/IBM-UPS-GE
4. The Who-Am-I Market/IBM-UPS-GE
5. The Market for Peace of Mind/IBM-UPS-GE
6. The Market for Convictions/IBM-UPS-GE
Rolf Jensen/The Dream Society: How the Coming Shift from
Information to Imagination Will Transform Your Business
IBM, UPS, GE …
Dream
Merchants!
PSFs
(PSF35)
…
Dream
Merchants!
Love It.
“Brands
have
run out of
juice. They’re
dead.”
—Kevin Roberts/Saatchi & Saatchi
Kevin Roberts:
Lovemarks!
Brand …………………………………………………. Lovemark
Recognized by consumers ………………. Loved by People
Generic ………………………………………………… Personal
Presents a narrative ………………….. Creates a Love story
The promise of quality ……………… A touch of Sensuality
Symbolic ………………………………………………….. Iconic
Defined ………………………………………………….. Infused
Statement ………………………………………………….. Story
Defined attributes ……………………... Wrapped in Mystery
Values ………………………………………………………. Spirit
Professional …………………………... Passionately Creative
Advertising agency ………………………….. Ideas company
Source: Kevin Roberts, Lovemarks
“Lovemarks are
owned by the
people who love
them.”
—Lovemarks: The Future Beyond
Brands, Kevin Roberts
Tattoo Brand: What %
of users would tattoo the
brand name on their body?
Top 10 “Tattoo Brands”*
Harley .… 18.9%
Disney .... 14.8
Coke …. 7.7
Google .... 6.6
Pepsi .... 6.1
Rolex …. 5.6
Nike …. 4.6
Adidas …. 3.1
Absolut …. 2.6
Nintendo …. 1.5
*BRANDsense: Build Powerful Brands through Touch,
Taste, Smell, Sight, and Sound, Martin Lindstrom
Top 10 “Tattoo Brands”*
Harley .… 18.9%
Disney .... 14.8
Coke …. 7.7
Google .... 6.6
Pepsi .... 6.1
Rolex …. 5.6
Computer Associates?
Nike …. 4.6
Adidas …. 3.1
Absolut …. 2.6
Nintendo …. 1.5
*BRANDsense: Build Powerful Brands through Touch,
Taste, Smell, Sight, and Sound, Martin Lindstrom
Up,
Up,
Up,
Up
the Value-added Ladder.
Lovemark
Dreams Come True
Spellbinding Experiences
Gamechanging Solutions/
Business Advantage
Services
Goods
Raw Materials
4 of 7
Lovemark
Dreams Come True
Spellbinding Experiences
Gamechanging Solutions/
Business Advantage
Services
Goods
Raw Materials
The Power
Is the Story.
Story >
Brand
“Storytelling
is the core
of culture.”
—Branded Nation: The Marketing of Megachurch,
College Inc., and Museumworld, James Twitchell
“Branding, in the simplest
sense, is the application of
a story to a product or a
service—and is utilized
whenever there is a surplus
of interchangeable goods.”
—Branded Nation: The Marketing of Megachurch,
College Inc., and Museumworld, James Twitchell
Market Power =
Story Power =
Dream Power
Message …
Is Not > Is
Branding: Is-Is Not “Table”
TNT is not:
TNT is:
TNT is not:
Juvenile
Contemporary
Old-fashioned
Mindless
Meaningful
Elitist
Predictable
Suspenseful
Dull
Frivolous
Exciting
Slow
Superficial
Powerful
Self-important
Rules of “Radical Marketing”
Love + Respect Your Customers!
Hire only Passionate Missionaries!
Create a Community of Customers!
Celebrate Craziness!
Be insanely True to the Brand!
Sam Hill & Glenn Rifkin, Radical Marketing
(e.g., Harley, Virgin, The Dead, HBS, NBA)
No Option:
Brand You
World.
“One of the defining
characteristics [of the change] is
that it will be less driven by
countries or corporations and
more driven by real people. It will
unleash unprecedented creativity,
advancement of knowledge, and economic
development. But at the same time, it will
tend to undermine safety net systems and
penalize the unskilled.” —Clyde Prestowitz, Three Billion
New Capitalists
12January2006
Happy 300
th,
Brand You!
“If there is nothing very
special about your
work, no matter how hard you
apply yourself you won’t get
noticed, and that increasingly
means you won’t get paid much
either.” —Michael Goldhaber, Wired
“You are the
storyteller of your
own life, and you can
create your own
legend or not.”
—Isabel Allende
The Rule of Positioning
“If you can’t describe
your position in eight
words or less, you
don’t have a position.”
— Jay Levinson and Seth Godin, Get What You Deserve!
“Imagine you are sitting next to a
stranger at dinner and you have
to describe your job in one
sentence
that they can
understand. If you fail this test,
you are either a nuclear physicist
or your job shouldn’t exist.”
—Lucy Kellaway/personal relevance test/FT/0206.06
Oh, S+&*#!
“Tom, what
have you done
this year?”
—Jessica Sutherland, IIR ME
R.D.A.
Rate: 15%?, 25%?
Therefore: Formal “Investment
Strategy”/
R.I.P.*
*Renewal Investment Plan
Have you invested as
much this year in
your career as in
your car?
Source: Molly Sargent
3 Weeks in May
“Training” & Prep: 187
“Work”: 41
(“Other”: 17)
1%
vs.
367%
Divas do it. Violinists do it.
Sprinters do it. Golfers do it.
Pilots do it. Soldiers do it.
Surgeons do it. Cops do it.
Astronauts do it. Why don’t
businesspeople do it?
Personal “Brand Equity” Evaluation
– I am known for [2 to 3 things]; next year at this
time I’ll also be known for [1 more thing].
– My current Project is challenging me …
– New things I’ve learned in the last 90 days
include …
– My public “recognition program”
consists of …
– Additions to my Rolodex in the last 90 days
include …
– My resume is discernibly different
from last year’s at this time …
New Work SurvivalKit.2006
1. Mastery! (Best/Absurdly Good at Something!)
2. “Manage” to Legacy (All Work = “Memorable”/“Braggable” WOW Projects!)
3. A “USP”/Unique Selling Proposition (R.POV8: Remarkable Point of
View … captured in 8 or less words)
4. Rolodex Obsession (From vertical/hierarchy/“suck up” loyalty to
horizontal/“colleague”/“mate” loyalty)
5. Entrepreneurial Instinct (A sleepless … Eye for Opportunity! E.g.: Small
Opp for Independent Action beats faceless part of Monster Project)
6. CEO/Leader/Businessperson/Closer (CEO, Me Inc. Period! 24/7!)
7. Master of Improv (Play a dozen parts simultaneously, from
Chief Strategist to Chief Toilet Scrubber)
8. Sense of Humor (A willingness to Screw Up & Move On)
9. Comfortable with Your Skin (Bring “interesting you” to work!)
10. Intense Appetite for Technology (E.g.: How Cool-Active is your
Web site? Do you Blog?)
11. Embrace “Marketing” (Your own CSO/Chief Storytelling Officer)
12. Passion for Renewal (Your own CLO/Chief Learning Officer)
13. Execution Excellence! (Show up on time! Leave last!)
Distinct … or
… Extinct
“It’s always
showtime.”
—David D’Alessandro, Career Warfare
100 WAYS TO SUCCEED #35: Lovemark or Bust!
(1) Enjoy your the Holiday Season!
(2) Between now and 1JAN2005, invent 10 actions, solo or with
pals, to Launch Your “Lovemark Journey2005.”
(3) Focus directly—Architect or Lawyer or Realtor—on the following
“KRWs”/Kevin Roberts Words: Mystery … Magic … Sensuality …
Enchantment … Intimacy … Exploration.
(3A) The words in #3 above Do Apply to You!
(4) Develop a “No Bull” Action Schedule that includes 2 Hard First
Steps by 10JAN05, 5 Hard First Steps by 01FEB05.
(5) Report back to this Website, tompeters.com.
Pronunciamento: I HEREBY DESIGNATE, IN ACCORDANCE WITH
THE POWERS GRANTED TO ME (the Inalienable Right To Blog)
THAT 2005 IS PROCLAIMED AS “THE YEAR OF THE
PROFESSIONAL SERVICE LOVEMARK.”
Welcome aboard!
Source: TPBlog/12.17.2004
GE
(more or less)
:
The Sales122:
122 Ridiculously
Obvious Thoughts
About Selling Stuff
Tom Peters/0402.2006
This list was first prepared for GE Energy
sales & marketing people in January. It
started with a half-dozen items, and grew
like Topsy. Possibly, given its origins, it’s a
little tilted toward complex, engineeringbased sales. It certainly is twisted toward
“solutions selling”—but, then, I think all
selling worth the name is “solutions selling”
or “success selling.”
Tom Peters
1. “Strategy” overrated, simply “doin’ stuff” underrated. See
Kelleher and Bossidy: “We have a ‘strategic plan,’ it’s called
doing things.”—Herb Kelleher. “Execution is a systematic
process of rigorously discussing hows and whats, tenaciously
following through, and ensuring accountability.” —Larry
Bossidy & Ram Charan/ Execution: The Discipline of Getting
Things Done. Action has its own logic—ask Genghis Khan,
Rommel, COL John Boyd, U.S. Grant, Patton, W.T. Sherman.
2. What are you personally great at? (Key word: “great.”) Play
to strengths! “Distinct or Extinct.” You should aim to be
“outrageously good”/B.I.W. at a niche area (or more).
3. Are you a “personality,” a de facto “brand” in the industry?
The Dr Phil of ...
4. Opportunism (with a little forethought) mostly wins.
(“Successful people are the ones who are good at Plan B.”)
5. Little starts can lead to big wins. Most true winners—think
search & Google—start as something small. Many big deals—
Disney & Pixar—could have been done as little-er deals if you’d
had the guts to jump before the value became obvious.
6. Non-obvious targets have great potential. Among many
other things, everybody goes after the obvious ones. Also,
the “non-obvious” are often good Partners for technology
experiments.
7. The best relationships are often (usually?) not “top to
top”! (Often the best: hungry division GMs eager to make a
mark.)
8. IT’S RELATIONSHIPS, STUPID—DEEP AND FROM MULTIPLE
FUNCTIONS.
9. In any public-sector business, you must become an avid
student of “the politics,” the incentives and constraints,
mostly non-economic, facing all of the players. Politicians are
usually incredibly logical—if you (deeply!) understand the
matrix in which they exist.
10. Relationships from within our firm are as important—
often more important—as those from outside—again broad is
as important as deep. Allies—avid supporters!—within and
from non-obvious places may be more important than
relationships at the Client organization. Goal: an “insanely
unfair ‘market share’” of insiders’ time devoted to your
projects!
“Everyone lives by
selling something.”
—Robert Louis Stevenson
11. Interesting outsiders are essential to innovative proposal
and sales teams. An “exciting” sales-proposal team is as
important as a prestigious one.
12. Is the proposal-sales team weird enough—weirdos come
up with the most interesting, game-changer ideas. Period.
13. Lunch with at least one weirdo per month. (Goal: always
on the prowl for interesting new stuff.)
14. Gratuitous comment: Lunches with good friends are
typically a waste of (professional) time.
15. Don’t short-change (time, money, depth) the proposal
process. Miss one tiny nuance, one potential incentive that
“makes my day” for a key Client player—and watch the whole
gig be torpedoed.
16. “Sticking with it” sometimes pays, sometimes not—it
takes a lot of tries to forge the best path in. Sometimes you
never do, after a literal lifetime. (Ah, life.)
17. WOMEN ARE SIMPLY BETTER AT RELATIONSHIPS—don’t
get hung up—particularly in tech firms—on what industriescountries “women can’t do.” (Or some such bullshit.)
18. Work incessantly on your “story”—most economic value
springs from a good story (think Perrier)! In sensitive public
or quasi-public negotiations, a compelling story is of immense
value—politics is about the tension among competing stories.
(If you don’t believe me, ask Karl Rove or James Carville.)
(“Storytelling is the core of culture.” —Branded Nation: The
Marketing of Megachurch, College Inc., and Museumworld,
James Twitchell)
19. Call this 18A, or 18 repeat: Become a first-rate
Storyteller! (“A key – perhaps the key – to leadership is the
effective communication of a story.”—Howard Gardner,
Leading Minds: An Anatomy of Leadership)
20. Risk Assessment & Risk Management is more about
stories than advanced math—i.e., brilliant scenario
construction.
21. Good listeners are good sales people. Period.
22. Lousy listeners are lousy sales people. Period.
23. GREAT LISTENERS ARE GREAT SALES PEOPLE. (Listening
“skills” are hard to learn and subject to immense effort in
pursuit of Mastery. A virtuoso “listener” is as rare as a
virtuoso cello player.) (“If you don’t listen, you don’t sell
anything.”—Carolyn Marland/MD/Guardian Group)
24. Things that are funny to me (American) are often-mostly not
funny to those in other cultures. (Humor is as fine-edged as it
gets, and rarely travels.)
25. You don’t know Jack Squat about other peoples’ cultures—
especially if you are a typically myopic American. (Like me.)
26. Are you a great interviewer? It’s a make or break skill.
(Think Barbara Walters’ skill at extracting unwanted truths from
pros in persona-protection ... in front of 10s of millions of
people.
27. Are you a great (not merely “good”) presenter? Mastering
presentation skills is a life’s work—with stupendous payoff.
28. Work like hell on the Big 2: LISTENING/INTERVIEWING,
PRESENTING. These are “the essence of [sales] life”—and
usually picked-up in an amateurish fashion. Mistake! (Become a
“professional student” of these two areas, achieve Mastery.)
29. Are you good at flowers? Think: FLOWER POWER! (see
Harvey Mackay’s “Mackay 66”—what you should know about a
Client; e.g., birthdays & anniversaries.) (My “flowers budget” is
out of control. Hooray for me.)
30. You can’t do it all—be clear at what you are good at, bad at,
indifferent at. Hubris sucks.
“If you don’t
listen,
you don’t sell
anything.”
—Carolyn Marland/
Managing Director/
Guardian Group
31. The point is not to “prove yourself.” (That’s ego-talk.) Let
the best person present to the Client—perhaps a “lower level”
geek. (“Control freaks” get their just desserts in the long haul—
or sooner.)
32. The numbers will more or less take care of themselves over
the long haul—if the relationship/s is/are solid gold.
33. The Gold Standard in selling: INDISPENSABLE to the Client.
No other goal is worthy.
34. Never stop growing-broadening-deepening the relationship.
The key to “indispensability” is to get the Client more and more
… and more … and then more … imbedded in “our” web. Hence
the so-called “selling process” is only the first step!
35. USE THE WORD “WE” … CONSTANTLY & RELIGIOUSLY!
(E.g.: “We”—the Client & me—“are going to change the world
with this service.”)
36. Don’t waste your time on jerks—it’ll rarely work out in the
mid- to long-term.
37. Genius is walking away from lousy “scores” (deals)—and
accepting the attendant heat. Big Business is the premier home
to Big Egos overpaying by a factor of 2 to 22 with billion$$$$ at
stake. (Think Jerry Levin and AOL Time Warner.)
38. You haven’t a clue as to how this situation will actually play
out—be prepared to move fast in a different direction.
39. Keep your word.
40. KEEP YOUR WORD.
41. Underpromise (i.e., don’t over-promise; i.e., cut yourself a
little slack) even if it costs you business—winning is a long-term
affair. Over-promising is Sign #1 of a lack of integrity. You will
pay the piper.
42. There is such a thing as a “good loss”—if you’ve tested
something new and developed good relationships. A half-dozen
honorable, ingenious losses over a two-year period can pave the
way for a Big Victory in a New Space in year 3.
43. It’s a competitive world out there. New, innovative products
are harder to sell than old stand-bys. Nonetheless, you will be a
long-term star to the extent that you are willing to push the
harder-to-sell-at-the-moment Innovative Products that cement
long-term Client success (Indispensability!) —even if it means a
#s hit this quarter. PART OF YOUR JOB: TAKE CLIENTS ON AN
ADVENTURE THAT PUTS THEM AHEAD OF THE GAME CALLED
(GAMECHANGING—hopefully) COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE!
44. Think “legacy”—what the hell is all this really about for you
and the world? (“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one
wild and precious life?”
—Mary Oliver)
45. THERE ARE NO “MODERATES” IN THE HISTORY BOOKS!
46. Keep it simple! (Damn it!) No matter how “sophisticated” the
product. If you can’t explain it in a phrase, a page, or to your 14year-old ... you haven’t got it right yet.
47. Know more than the next guy. Homework pays. (of course
it’s obvious—but in my work it is too often honored in the
breach.)
48. Regardless of project size, winning or losing invariably
hinges on a raft of “little stuff.” Little stuff is and always has
been everything!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!—or, “one man’s little stuff is
another man’s 7.6 Richter deal-breaker.”
49. In public settings in particular, face saving is all. When
something changes, allow the other guy to come out looking like
a winner, especially if he has lost. (Even if you must accept the
egg on your face—he will always remember you!)
50. Don’t hold grudges. (It is the ultimate in small mindedness—
and incredibly wasteful and ineffective. There’s always
tomorrow.)
51. IT’S ALWAYS “THE POLITICS”—wee private-sector deal or
giant public sector deal. (Every player, small or large, is angling
for something. Master the calculus of advantage.)
52. To beat the “turnover problem” in key Client posts amidst
long negotiations, invest outrageous amounts of time building a
wide & deep set of relationships with mid-level (& lower!!)
“plodding” “careerists.” The invisible careerists are the
bedrock upon which repeated success is built! (My “Capitol Hill
Axiom”: It’s the 24-year-old LA who in the end briefs the
Senator right before she goes to the Floor to vote.)
53. Speaking of “she”: Gender differences are Enormous—
dealing with a woman and dealing with a man are different
kettles of fish—you must become an A+ student of gender
differences. (E.g.: Men are typically more interested in the
short-term “score.” Women are more interested in the longterm consequences.)
54. “LITTLE PEOPLE” OFTEN HAVE BIG FRIENDS.
55. This is not war, damn it. All parties can win (or not lose,
anyway). And losing bidders can walk away from a deal with
increased respect for you and your team.
56. Never, ever dump on a competitor—the Tom Watson IBM
glory-days mantra.
57. Never forget the “Law of Cousins!” In developing nations
in particular, power brokers at all levels are at least cousins!
Consideration for a second cousin can pay off big time.
58. Speaking of “favors,” jail sucks.
59. Work hard beats work smart. (Mostly.)
60. REPEAT: HE/SHE WHO HAS THE MOST-BEST
RELATIONSHIPS WINS. RELATIONSHIPS ARE THE ESSENCE OF
THE WORK OF THE SALESPERSON. THE HARD ... AND LONG ...
WORK OF THE SALESPERSON.
61. Mano v mano “hardball” is seldom the answer—end runs
based and patient multi-level relationship building via deeperwider networks win.
62. If the deal is wired from below, truly wired, than the socalled “big negotiations” are essentially irrelevant.
63. If every quarter is a “little better” than the prior quarter—
then you are not taking any serious risks.
64. Phones beat email.
“Nothing is so
contagious as
enthusiasm.”
—Samuel Taylor Coleridge
65. A THREE-MINUTE CALL TODAY CAN AVOID A GAME-LOSER
OF A FIASCO NEXT MONTH. There was always a time when a
little thing could have been addressed that headed off a
subsequent big thing. As to avoiding that call, didn’t someone
say, “Pride goeth before the fall”?
66. Be hyper-organized about relationship management—you
are in the anthropology business. Study the great pols! Brilliant
NRM (network relationship management) is not accidental! It is
not catch-as-catch can. (Football analogies are cute—but deep
political understanding pays the private-school tuition.)
67. Obsess on ROIR (Return On Investment In Relationships).
68. “THANK YOU” NOTES: World’s highest-return investment!!
69. The way to anyone’s heart: Doing a nice thing for their kid.
(But, gawd, does this take a gentle touch.)
70. Scoring off other people is stupid. Winners are always in the
business of creating the maximum # of winners—among
adversaries at least as much as among “partners.”
71. Your colleagues’ successes are your successes. Period.
(Trust me, my greatest personal success—financially as well as
artistically—has been creating a bigger pond in which everyone
wins, even if my “market share” is down.)
72. Lend a helping hand, especially when you don’t have the
time. E.g. share relationships—the more you give away the
more you get in return (just like they say in church).
73. Listen up: “It was much later that I realized Dad’s
secret. He gained respect by giving it. He talked and listened
to the fourth-grade kids in Spring Valley who shined shoes
the same way he talked and listened to a bishop or a college
president. He was seriously interested in who you were and
what you had to say.” —Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot, Respect.
(I.e., Respect is Cool.)
74. Mentoring is a thrill—and the practical payoff is
enormous. The best mentors have the whole world working
its buns off for them!
75. Hire for enthusiasm. Promote for enthusiasm. Cherish
enthusiasm. REMOVE NON-ENTHUSIASTS—THEY ARE
CANCERS. (“Nothing is so contagious as enthusiasm.”—
Samuel Taylor Coleridge. “A man without a smiling face
must not open a shop.”—Chinese Proverb.)
76. IT’S ALWAYS YOUR PROBLEM—you sold it to them.
77. It’s never over: While there may be an excellent service
activity in your company, the “relationship” belongs to You!
Hence the “aftersales” “moments of truth” are at least as—if
not more than*--important to the Continuing Relationship as
the sale “transaction” itself. (*I vote for “more than.”) You’ll
get your biggest “points” with the Client for being an effective
after-the-fact go-between with your company.
78. Don’t get too hung up on “systems integration”—first &
foremost, the individual bits have got to work.
79. For God’s sake don’t over promise on “systems
integration”—it’s nigh on impossible to deliver.
80. On the other hand … winners clamber Up the Value-added
Ladder, and offer ever so much more than “mere” product. ALL
SUCCESSFUL SALES PEOPLE ARE IN THE “SOLUTIONS
BUSINESS”—no matter how jargony that may sound.
81. “Systems” / “Solutions” selling means grappling directly
with “culture change” in Client organizations. (“The business of
selling is not just about matching viable solutions to the
customers that require them. It’s equally about managing the
change process the customer will need to go through to
implement the solution and achieve the value promised by the
solution”—Jeff Thull, The Prime Solution: Close the Value Gap,
Increase Margins, and Win the Complex Sale)
82. Shit happens. That’s what they pay you for.
83. This is not a “GE” or “Ben & Jerry’s” sale—it is a Joe
Jones/Jane Jones sale. YOU ARE THE “BRAND” THE CLIENT
BUYS—especially over the long haul.
84. Duh: You make money, the company makes money—on
repeat business.
85. Master—yes, you—the “PR” Game. “Word of Mouth” is not
accidental! You want Word of Mouth? Make it happen!
86. GOAL #1: MAKE YOUR CLIENT A HERO—YOU ARE NOT THERE
TO GET CREDIT. (“Taking credit” is for egomaniacs. And losers.)
87. “Decent margins,” over the mid- to long-term, are a product
of better relationships, not better “negotiating skill.” (Mostly.)
“You can’t behave
in a calm, rational
manner. You’ve got
to be out there on
the lunatic fringe.”
—Jack Welch
88. In the immortal words of ex-GE Vice Chairman Larry
Bossidy, more or less, “Realism rocks.” (“Bullshit artist” and
“great salesperson,” contrary to conventional wisdom, are
Diametric Opposites. “Truthteller” and Great Salesperson is
more like it.)
89. Be the first to tell the Client bad news (e.g., slipped
delivery); his intelligence sources will tell him fast—you want to
be there first with your story and to enhance your rep as
Truthteller!
90. Work like hell to get a reputation as a valued industry
expert, to become an industry resource.
91. Work the Trade Association angle for all its worth—it may
take a decade to pay off—e.g., when you become an officer or
are on an important panel or testify Before Congress.
92. PAY YOUR DUES IN THE CLIENT ORG AND IN YOUR OWN
ORG!
93. It’s all bloody tactics.
94. You must ... LOVE .... the product! (Period.)
95. YOU MUST LOVE THE PRODUCT!
96. Don’t over-schedule. “Running late” is inexcusable at any
level of seniority; it is the ultimate mark of self-importance
mixed with contempt.
97. Women are better salespeople. (See Addendum.)
98. Women alone understand Women.
99. Actually, Women by and large understand Men better than
Men understand Men.
100.Women purchasers buy Stories and recommendations.
101. Women take longer to become Loyal purchasers, but then
stay Loyal.
102. Men buy Stats.
103. Men decide fast, but are fickle.
104. Men & Women are … VERY, VERY … Different.
105. Women buy most things. Consumer. Increasingly,
professional goods and services.
106. Women’s Market is Opportunity #1.
107. Boomers. Many, many. Lots & lots & lots of … $$$.
108. Boomers-Geezers are very different purchasers than those
in other categories.
109. It takes time to get to know people. (DUH.)
110. The very idea of “efficiency” in relationship
development is ... STUPID.
111. MBWA (still) rules.
112. “Preparing the soil” is the “first 98 percent.” (Or
more.)
113. WORK THE PHONES!
114. Rule 5K-5M: 5K miles for a 5-Minute meeting often
makes sense. (Yes, often.) (Even with constrained travel
budgets.) (Thanks, super-agent Mark McCormack.)
115. Become a student! Study great salespeople!
(Including Presidents.) (“Natural” is a little bit true—but
then Naturals are always the ones who study hardest—
e.g., Jerry Rice.)
116. Become a student! Yes, you can study Relationship
Building. So, study …
117. Beware complexifiers and complicators. (Truly
“smart people” ... Simplify things.)
118. The smartest guy in the room rarely wins—alas,
he usually is aware he’s the
smartest guy. (And needn’t waste his time on
that “soft relationship crap.”)
119. Be kind. It works.
120. Be especially kind when there are screw-ups.
(There’s plenty of time later to
Play the Great Accountability Game.)
121. Presidents never tire of being treated like
Presidents.
122. Luck matters.
So: Good luck!
ADDENDUM: Women Rock … as Salespersons (From Item
#98.)
And the answers are?
“TAKE THIS QUICK QUIZ: Who manages more things at
once? Who puts more effort into their appearance?
Who usually takes care of the details? Who finds it
easier to meet new people? Who asks more questions
in a conversation? Who is a better listener? Who has
more interest in communication skills? Who is more
inclined to get involved? Who encourages harmony and
agreement? Who has better intuition? Who works
with a longer ‘to do’ list? Who enjoys a recap to the
day’s events? Who is better at keeping in touch with
others?”
Source: Selling Is a Woman’s Game: 15 Powerful
Reasons Why Women Can Outsell Men, Nicki Joy & Susan
Kane-Benson
Getting Things Done:
Power &
The
Implementation34.
*Send “Thank You” notes!
It’s (always)
“all about relationships.” And at the Heart of Effective Relationships is …
APPRECIATION. (Oh yeah: Never, ever forget a birthday of a co-worker.)
*Bring donuts! “Small” gestures of appreciation (on a rainy day, after a long day’s
work the day before) are VBDs … Very Big Deals.
*Make the call! One short, hard-to-make call today can avert a relationship crisis
that could bring you down six months from now.
*Remember: There are no “little gestures” of kindness. As boss, stopping by
someone’s cube … for 30 seconds … to inquire about their sick parent will be
remembered for … 10 years. (Trust me.)
*Make eye contact! No big deal? Wrong! “It” is all about … Connection! Paying
attention! Being there … in the Moment … Present. So, work on your eye contact,
your Intent to Connect.
*Smile! Or, rather: SMILE. Rule: Smiles beget smiles. Frowns beget frowns. Rule:
WORK ON THIS.
*Smile! (If it kills you.) Energy & enthusiasm & passion engender energyenthusiasm-passion in those we work with.
*It’s all … RELATIONSHIPS. Remember: Business is a relationships business. (Period.)
We’re all in sales! (Period.) Connecting! Making our case! Following up! Networking!
“Relationships” are what we “do.”
*You = Your Calendar. Your true priorities are “given away” by your calendar. YOUR
CALENDAR NEVER LIES. What are you truly spending your time on? Are you
distracted? Focused?
*What’s in a number? EVERYTHING! While we all “do a hundred things,” we may
not/should not/cannot have more than 2 (or 3) true “strategic” priorities at any point in
time. BELIEVE IT.
*She (he) who is best prepared wins! Out study, out-read, out-research the
competition. Know more (lots more!) than “the person on the other side of the table.”
*“Excellence” is the Ultimate Cool Idea. The very idea of “pursuing excellence” is a
turn on—for you and me as well as those we work with. (And, I find to my dismay, it’s
surprisingly rare.)
*Think WOW!
language!
Language matters! “Hot” words generate a Hot Team. Watch your
*Take a break! We need all the creativity we can muster these days. So close your
office door and do 5 (FIVE) minutes of breathing or yoga; get a bag lunch today and eat
it in the park.
*You are the boss! Old ideas of “lifetime employment” at one company (maybe
where Dad/Mom worked) are gone. No matter what your current status, think of your
self as CEO of Brand Me, Inc. We are all Small Business Owners … of our own
careers.
*Do something in … the next half hour! Don’t let yourself get stuck! There is …
ALWAYS … something little you can start/do in the next thirty minutes to make a wee,
concrete step forward with a problem-opportunity.
*Test it! NOW! We call this the “Quick Prototype Attitude.” One of life’s, especially
business life’s, biggest problems is: “Too much ‘talk’, too little ‘do’.” If you’ve got a
Cool Idea, don’t sit on it or research it to death. Grab a pal, an empty conference, and
start laying out a little model. That is, begin the process of transforming the Idea to
Action … ASAP. Incidentally, testing something quarter-baked in an approximation of
the real world is the quickest way to learn.
*Expand your horizons. Routinely reach out beyond your comfort zone. TAKE A
FREAK TO LUNCH TOMORROW! Call somebody interesting “you’ve been meaning to
get in touch with;” invite them to lunch tomorrow. (Lunch with “the same ole gang
means nothing new learned. And that’s a guarantee.) (Remember: Discomfort =
Growth.)
*Build a Web site. The Web is ubiquitous. Play with it! Be a presence!
Start You.com … ASAP!
*Spread the credit! Don’t build monuments to yourself, build them to
others—those whose contributions we wholeheartedly acknowledge will
literally follow us into machine gun fire!
*Follow Tom’s patented VFCJ strategy! VFCJ = Volunteer For Crappy
Jobs. That is, volunteer for the crummy little assignment nobody else
wants, but will give you a chance to (1) be on your own, (2) express your
creativity, and (3) make a noticeable mark when it turns out “Wow.”
*VOLUNTEER! Life’s a maze, and you never know what’s connected to
what. (Six degrees of separation, and all that.) So volunteer for that
Community Center fund raising drive, even though you’re busy as all get
out. You might end up working side-by-side with the president of a big
company who’s looking for an enthusiast like you, or someone wealthy who
might be interested in investing in the small business you dream of starting.
*Join Toastmasters! You don’t need to try and match Ronald Reagan’s
speaking skills, but you do need to be able to “speak your piece” with
comfort, confidence and authority. Organizations like Toastmasters can
help … enormously.
*Dress for success! This one is old as the hills and I hate it!! But it’s true.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS DO MATTER. (A lot!!!)
*Follow the Gospel of “Experience Marketing” in all you do. The shrewdest
marketers today tell us that selling a “product” or “service” is not enough in
a crowded marketplace for everything. Every interaction must be reframed
as a … Seriously Cool Experience. That includes the “little” 15-minute
presentation you are giving to your 4 peers tomorrow.
*Think of your resume as an Annual Report on Brand Me Inc. It’s not about
keeping your resume “updated.” It is about having a Super-cool Annual
Report. (Tom Peters Inc 2004.) What are your “stunning” accomplishments
that you can add to that Report each 6 months, or at the most annually?
*Build a Great Team … even if you are not boss. Best roster wins, right?
So, work on your roster. Meet someone new at Church or your kid’s birthday
party? Add them to your team (Team Tom); you never know when they might
be able to assist you or give you ideas or support for something you are
working on.
*She or he who has the Fattest & and Best-managed Rolodex wins. Your
Rolodex is your most cherished possession! Have you added 3 names to it
in the last 2 weeks? Have you renewed acquaintance (email, lunch, gym
date) with 3 people in your Rolodex in the last month? “MANAGE” YOUR
ROLODEX!
*Start your own business! Sure that’s radical. But people are
doing it—especially women—by the millions. Let the idea percolate.
Chat about it, perhaps, with pals. Start a file folder or three on
things you Truly Care About … that just might be the basis for Cool
Self-employment.
*There’s nothing cooler than an Angry Customer! The most loyal
customers are ones who had a problem with us … and then
marveled when we went the Extra Ten Miles to fix it! Business
opportunity No. 1 = Irate customers converted into fans. So … are
you on the prowl for customer problems to fix?
*All “marketing” is Relationship Marketing. In business, profit is a
byproduct of “bringing ’em back.” Thus, systematic and intense
and repeated Follow-up and After-sales Service and Scintillating
New Hooks are of the utmost importance.
*BRANDING ain’t just for Big Dudes. This may well
be Business Mistake No. 1 … the idea that “branding”
is only for the likes of Coke and Sony and Nike.
Baloney! Branding applies as much for the one-person
accountancy run out of a spare bedroom as it does for
Procter & Gamble.
*Credibility! In the end … Character Matters Most.
Does he/she give their word, and then stick to it …
come hell & high water? Can you rely on Her/Him in a
pinch? Does she/he … CARE?
*Grace. Is it “a pleasure to do business with you”? Is
it a pleasure to “be a member of your team”?
Presentation
Excellence: The
PresX56
“The problem with
communication ...is the
ILLUSION that it has
been accomplished.”
—George Bernard Shaw
Presentation Excellence
1. Total commitment to the Problem/Project/Outcome
2. A compelling “Story line”/“Plot”
3. Enough data to sink a tanker (98% in reserve)
4. Know the data from memory; ability to manipulate the
data in your head
5. Great Stories/Illustrations/Vignettes
6. Superb “political antennae” (you must “play the room”
like a Virtuoso and be hyper-attentive to the likes of
Body Language)
7. By hook or by crook … CONNECT
7A. CONNECT! CONNECT! CONNECT!
8. Punch line/Plot Outline/WOW/Surprise in first
one to two minutes
Joe Kramer, welder: “When my
mother’s toaster went on the
fritz, I asked myself, ‘If I were
that toaster and didn’t work,
what would be wrong with me?’”
—Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal
Experience, on “empathetic identification” (Joe: “burdens” vs
“opportunities” to master complex problems)
Presentation Excellence
9. Once you’ve “won” … stop pushing (don’t “rub it in”)
10. Be “in command” but don’t “show off” (if you’re
brilliant they’ll figure it out for themselves)
11. Pay attention to the Senior Person present, but not
too much (don’t look like/act like/be a “suck up”)
12. Brief the hell out of your “champions” before the
presentation; insist that they make changes/fine tune ...
they must “own” the outcome before the fact!
13. Don’t try to “score off” your detractors … be
especially courteous to them (even if/especially if they’re
jerks)
14. Adjust as you go: LET THE GROUP ARRIVE AT
“YOUR” CONCLUSION! THEY MUST OWN IT (“I knew
that”) IN THE END!
Presentation Excellence
15. No more than THREE key points! Come at them in several
different ways.
16. No more than ONE point per slide!
17. Slides: NO CLUTTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (no wee print/ charts/graphs)
18. Slides: Good quotes from the field. (Remember you’re “telling a
story”)
19. Be aware of differing cognitive styles, especially M-F
20. There must be “surprise” … some key facts that are not
commonly known/are counter-intuitive (no reason to do the
presentation in the first place if there are no Surprises)
21. Summarize the argument/story from time to time
22. Include an Action Agenda that involves some small items that will
be started/accomplished in the next 72 HOURS (this ices
commitment/practicality)
Presentation Excellence
23. If you don’t know something … ADMIT IT! (this is actually a good
thing—as opposed to appearing as a “know it all”)
24. ASK FOR THE SALE! (Remember to be a “closer”)
25. This is War (a war for Hearts & Mind), but never forget that you
are the Supplicant!
26. Data are imperative, but also play to Emotion.
27. Consider bringing along a “customer” (internal or perhaps
external) for support
28. Be precisely clear where/when you intend to prototype … and
that the prototype guinea pig is lined up (better yet, do the first, at
least partial, prototype before the presentation)
29. Compromise but don’t yield! (Lost battles are normal, no matter
how agonizing)
30. Assume that you may be cut off at any moment, and be prepared
to give on the spot a compelling 30-second to one- minute (no
longer!) Brilliant Summary including Sales Pitch
Presentation Excellence
31. Follow the Law of Recency: Make sure that you have been in the
field with the key “operating” players more recently than anyone in
the room
32. Make it clear that you’ve done a Staggering Amount of
Homework, even though you are exhibiting but a tiny fraction …
allude to the tons of research that are available if desired by
participants; offer deeper one-on-one briefings if desired
33. SMILE! RELAX (to a point) (fake it if necessary) (“up tight” is
disastrous) (remember you are doing them a favor by sharing this
Compelling Opportunity!)
34. EYE CONTACT!!!!!!!
35. Be shrewd: Override some interruptions; be attentive to others
(distraction is okay and normal … within limits!)
36. Becoming an Excellent Presenter is as tough as becoming a
great baseball pitcher. THIS IS IMPORTANT … and Presentation
Excellence is never accidental! (Work your buns off!)
Presentation Excellence
37. Practice … but don’t leave your game in the locker room.
38. Seek tips on how various participants “play the [presentation]
game”
39. A Presentation is an Act (FDR: “The President must be the
nation’s number one actor”)
40. Remember, the presentation is about Change … RESISTANCE IS
NORMAL (in fact if there’s little resistance then your Project is hardly
a “game changer”)
41. Dress well. Don’t over-dress.
42. Be early (obvious, but worth saying)
43. GET THE A/V RIGHT/PERFECT.
44. Don’t bring a supporting horde … a couple of back-ups is
okay/enough
45. No matter how good you are you’ll have crappy days … WEEP
AND THEN GET BACK ON THE HORSE
Presentation Excellence
46. Speak in “Plain English” … keep the jargon to a
minimum
47. Make your Personal Commitment clear as a bell!
48. Emphasize “competitive advantage” and timeliness
(act now), without stooping to ridiculous war-like
language (“tear the heart out of the competition”) (in
audiences with heavy female component, if you are
male, avoid repetitive “football analogues”)
49. Underscore the USP/Unique Selling Proposition
50. Emphasize the Positive
51. Sell Novelty yet “fit” with “core values”
52. Remember JFK’s immortal words: “The only reason
to give a speech is to change the world”
Presentation Excellence
53. Say what you have to say Clearly … and then Say It
Again & Again from slightly different angles
54. Make it clear that you are a Man/Woman of Action …
and Execution Excellence is your First, Middle, and Last
Name!
55. Energy! Enthusiasm! (don’t know the answer to, “If
you ain’t got it how do you get it?”)
56. Enjoy it! This is a Hoot! THE ULTIMATE TURN ON!
Remember your Goal:
Change the world!
“The only reason
to give a speech
is to change the
world.”
—JFK
“Speech is
power: speech is
to persuade, to
convert, to
compel.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson
“If all my possessions
were taken from me with
one exception, I would
choose to keep the
power of speech, for
by it I would regain all
the rest.” —Daniel Webster
“In classical times when
Cicero had finished speaking,
the people said, ‘How well he
spoke,’ but when
Demosthenes had finished
speaking, they said, ‘Let
march.’”
us
—Adlai Stevenson
Let us
march.
The Interviewing
Excellence:
The IntX31
Interviewing Excellence
1. INTERVIEWING IS AN “ART” WORTH MASTERING! (Think
Christiane Amanpour, Mike Wallace)
2. Don’t overschedule—2 or 3 in depth interviews are a solid day’s
work. (More than that is lunacy and will lead to shallow results.)
3. Save, if possible, the “Big Guy/Gal until last—that is, until you
know what the hell you’re doing!
4. Find a comfy/“safe”/neutral setting. THIS IS ALL IMPORTANT!
(Worst case: You on the other side of his/her desk.)
5. Start with a little bit (LITTLE) of local small talk. But get some tips
on the interviewee ahead of time; he may be one of the “brusque
ones” who considers any small talk a waste of his Imperial Time.
6. DO YOUR DAMN HOME WORK! (On the interviewee, the subject
matter.)
7. Concoct a … LONG LIST … of questions. (You’ll only use 10% of
it, but that’s okay.)
Interviewing Excellence
8. Prepare a … SHORT LIST … of questions you must get answered.
9. Begin by briefly reviewing your assignment—why you’re here.
10. ALWAYS ASK FOR EXAMPLES! (When she says “Customer
Service is in good shape,” you ask for specifics—hard data, recent
Customer Service successes (and failures). And: PRECISELY WHO
YOU CAN FOLLOW UP WITH TO GET MORE DETAIL.
11. STORIES! STORIES! STORIES! (You are in the “Story Collection
Business.)
12. Dress well. DON’T OVERDRESS. (Look like they look, more or
less; perhaps a touch more formal—this is a Serious Affair you are
engaging in.)
13. Assume you’ll never get another chance to talk to this person.
14. Be personable, but more or less match the interviewee’s style.
(THIS IS HARD WORK!)
15. THINK … SMALL! “Please walk me in great detail through the
[complaint resolution] process. Here, let’s diagram it.”
Interviewing Excellence
16. For God’s sake, get to the Front Line! (The devil is in the details,
and the details are to be found on the loading dock at 3a.m.) (YES …
3A.M.)
17. Don’t quit until you understand. THE INTERVIEWEE ALWAYS
TALKS IN SHORTHAND—using the jargon of the Corporate Culture.
You’ve got to crack the code. (THIS IS ABOUT THE HARDEST THING
TO DO, ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE YOUNG AND UNCERTAIN: Tell
yourself you are here to ask “Dumb” Questions—this is not a job
interview. Again, think Mike Wallace: “So did you in fact murder Mrs.
Smith?”)
18. Ignore generalizations! YOU ARE HERE IN SEARCH OF
SPECIFICS!!!
19. CONTEXT! “Get” the “corporate culture”—e.g. Shell is not
ExxonMobil! Find out (from a set of interviewees) “Core Values” (in
theory and in practice).
Interviewing Excellence
20. Engage the Interviewee! GET HER TO DO SOME OF THE WORK!
E.g., write out her view of the Ten Key Operative Core Values—or
some such.
20A. ENGAGE! ENGAGE! ENGAGE!
21. You must come across as “trustworthy.” YOU ARE A DUMBO
HERE TO LEARN—NOT AN FBI AGENT IN DISGUISE.
22. “Take me through yesterday.” Get past the theoretical crap. Give
me in excruciating detail an average day: YESTERDAY! (One
hour/meeting at a time.)
23. “If you’re comfortable, let’s go over your Calendar for the last
month, so I can understand the flow of things.” (Remember TP’s
Rule #1: YOU = YOUR CALENDAR.)
24. DON’T LET YOUR NOTES AGE!! Immediately after the interview
set aside some time to do a “stream of consciousness” recap. And
to clean up the obscure scrawl on your notes.
Interviewing Excellence
25. Ask the interview if you can get back to her by phone tomorrow to
fill in holes that your tin ear missed. NO MORE THAN TEN MINUTES.
26. LEARNING! Tag along with “great interviewers” in your
organization. (I made three PBS films with a Director who had been
Mike Wallace’s director at 60 Minutes—oh my God, how much I
learned—or, rather, how little I learned: He could drag stuff out of
people that you couldn’t believe. (Secret: “I’m just a dumb old fart
trying to figure out what goes on here. HELP ME. PLEASE.”)
27. “Work on” your Level of Dis-satisfaction: BE MAD AS HELL
WHEN YOU SPENT 1.5 HOURS ON AN INTERVIEW WITHOUT
REVALATIONS!
28. No, you’re not FBI—BUT YOU ARE HERE TO FERRET OUT THE
NON-OBVIOUS. So: Keep Digging! (Think Woodward & Bernstein.)
Interviewing Excellence
29. Repeat: INTERVIEWING IS A CRUCIALLY IMPORTANT “ART.”
Study it! Work on it! It’s no different than golf or underwater basketweaving. The more & harder you work, the better you get.
30. Yes, we need “facts” (e.g., stories), but remember alWays:
INTERVIEWS ARE PURE & SIMPLE ABOUT EMOTIONAL
INTERACTION!
31. Tom Wrap-up Note: FEW THINGS IN LIFE PISS ME OFF MORE
THAN GOING THROUGH SOMEONE’S INTERVIEW NOTES AND
FINDING A DEARTH OF “SOLID EVIDENCE”—examples., stories,
detailed process maps, etc. (I BLOODY HATE Generalizations!)
(Think doctor’s office: Come hell & high water they start with weight,
blood pressure, pulse.)
Leading2006:
The Passion
Imperative.
Leadership23
Tom Peters/0405.06
Leadership23
1. Enthusiasm. Energy. Exuberance.
2. Action. Execution.
3. Tempo. Metabolism.
4. Relentless.
5. Master of Plan B.
6. Accountability.
7. Meritocracy.
8. Leaders “do” people. Mentor. (“Success creation business.”)
9. Women. Diversity.
10. Integrity. Credibility. Humanity. Grace.
11. Realism.
12. Cause. Adventures. Quests.
13. Legacy.
14. Best story wins.
15. On the edge. (“Wildest chimera of a moonstruck mind.”)
16. “Reward excellent failures. Punish mediocre successes.”
17. Different > Better. (“Only ones who do what we do.”)
18. MBWA. Customer MBWA.
19. Laughs.
20. Repot. Curiosity. Why?
21. You = Calendar. “To Don’t.” Two.
22. Excellence. Always.
23. Nelsonian! (“Other admirals more afraid of losing
than anxious to win.”)
Kevin Roberts’ Credo
1. Ready. Fire! Aim.
2. If it ain’t broke ... Break it!
3. Hire crazies.
4. Ask dumb questions.
5. Pursue failure.
6. Lead, follow ... or get out of the way!
7. Spread confusion.
8. Ditch your office.
9. Read odd stuff.
10. Avoid moderation!
Sir Richard’s Rules:
Follow your passions.
Keep it simple.
Get the best people to help you.
Re-create yourself.
Play.
Source: Fortune on Branson
No Less Than
Excellence.
Ever.
The greatest danger
for most of us
is not that our aim is
too high
and we miss it,
but that it is
too low
and we reach it.
Michelangelo
“You can’t behave in a
calm, rational manner.
You’ve got to be out
there on the lunatic
fringe.”
— Jack Welch