The Main Blog

Because the purpose of business is to create a customer, the business enterprise has two—and only these two—basic functions: marketing and innovation. Marketing and innovation produce results; all the rest are costs. Marketing is the distinguishing, unique function of the business. Peter F. Drucker, Management: Tasks, Responsibilities, Practices (New York: Harper & Row, 1974), p. 61.

One thing is certain for developed countries—and probably for the entire world—we face long years of profound changes. An organization must be organized for constant change. It will no longer be possible to consider entrepreneurial innovation as lying outside of management or even as peripheral to management. Entrepreneurial innovation will have to become the very heart and core of management. The organization’s function is entrepreneurial, to put knowledge to work—on tools, products, and...

In the beginning, there was a plan, And then came the assumptions,And the assumptions were without form, And the plan without substance, And the darkness was upon the face of the workers,And they spoke among themselves saying, "It is a crock of shit and it stinks." And the workers went unto their Supervisors and said, "It is a pile of dung, and we cannot live with the smell." And the Supervisors went unto their Managers saying,"It is a container of excrement, and it is very...

What is evidence-based practice, and why is it important? We can probably all agree that using some method for decision-making is better than simply making decisions at random, especially if the outcome of that decision-making has important consequences. If you are truly doing something that hasn’t been done before, or for which information is not available to you, then you might just have to use a method such as the Plan, Do, Check, Act (PDCA) cycle. If on the other hand information is...

A summary of Glyn's performance, attributes, and what he's like to work and be with.

Companies that have loyal customers have managed to create a Customer Experience that is consistent, intentional, differentiated, and valuable. Consistent – in terms of delivering that experience over time and location (independent of who, when, and where).Intentional – in terms of delivering a customer experience to support the brand (all touchpoint interactions are designed, not left to chance).Differentiated – from competing brands (why you?).Valuable – in terms of offering a customer...

Selling dreams and rainbows is common made even easier by the internet. It leads me to imagine that there are hordes of hopeful, trusting, and sometimes gullible people willing to buy those promises. Equally, I imagine there are hordes of unscrupulous, deluded, ill-informed, and in some cases well-meaning salespeople behind those promises. On a personal level, I have a relative who paid around $5,000 for a website starter kit to enable them to start an online shop. Were they successful? Yes,...

So, can you start up and then run a business all by yourself? It is theoretically possible for you to be the inventor/builder, the marketer, and the financial manager for a really small business. Possible yes. Working with the assumption that you would occasionally like to have some time away from your business for yourself, to spend time with family and friends, and take a vacation as well, AND that you can fulfil the requirements of all the roles to a high standard, then for anything other...

There are several definitions of customer loyalty. The one we find most useful and prefer is the one by Beyond Philosophy, and it goes like this: Customer Loyalty is the result of three major factors: Consistently positive emotional experiences Satisfaction with the physical attributes and or performance of the products and or services The perceived value of the experience, which includes the products and or services “To build loyalty, customer experience management blends the physical,...

Tom O’Toole is world famous in Australia for turning his Beechworth Bakery into an outstanding success as the largest independent bakery in Australia, see www.beechworthbakery.com.au. Tom’s secret sauce for his success comprises 3 rules (all in uppercase as he’s very enthusiastic and loud with his delivery): TAKE CARE OF THE CUSTOMER! TAKE CARE OF THE CUSTOMER!! TAKE CARE OF THE CUSTOMER!!! real rocket science isn’t it! Vineet Nayar wrote the brilliant book Employees First, Customers Second....