People and their managers are working so hard to be sure things are done right, that they hardly have time to decide if they are doing the right things. – Stephen R. Covey Strategy is an expression of what an organization intents to do to get from a current state to a future state. Strategic plans […]
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Why a Quantum-Leap Strategy for Emerging Countries?
Gone are the days of incremental changes, whether on the micro or macro level, in sector reforms or a business plan of an SME project. In the globalization era, the business environment everywhere has turned into a process of perpetual dynamic transformations, this despite the onset of the financial crisis, with possibility that the latter […]
A Strategic Competitive Advantage also Requires a Competitive Strategic Sales Strategy
Although Strategic Planning requires alignment of a multitude of separate and critical organizational areas, a major part of any Strategic Plan is a sound, competitive strategic sales strategy with appropriate and effective goals and related action-step / follow-up requirements clearly enunciated. We have alluded several times in my articles to the ever increasing ability of buyers (and competitors) […]
Business Pitfalls to Avoid before Signing a Licensing Agreement
Are you currently a licensee (manufacturer) or licensor (brand owner) or contemplating entering alicensing arrangement? If so, you may have been weighing the business impact and exposure inherent in the definitions, requirements and terms stipulated in the licensing contract. If you have not read the contract language completely or understood it fully you may not be aware of the obligations […]
Oversights to Avoid In Strategic Plan Implementation
We outlined in an earlier article post the importance of EVERY competing business having a Strategic Plan to establish its Purpose, Goals, Strategy, Action Plans, and Plan Implementation procedure. Here, we would like to point out critical areas where our best-laid plans may go awry if certain areas of the plan are ignored during the implementation […]
Don’t Blame Brand Licensing
Jack Trout in his blog published on BrandingStrategyInsider.com “Licensing: Trouble for Brands” dated February 25, 2008 makes a compelling argument for why not to consider licensing as a method of brand extension. Furthermore, he backs it up with multiple examples of established brands with flawed licensing programs that serve to prove his hypothesis. After reading about Pratt […]
Organizations Need a “Competitive” Strategic Plan in Today’s Digital Economy
It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive, but those who can best manage change. – Charles Darwin During my several decades of consulting with clients in a multitude of markets, I almost invariably have found that those organizations who are in greatest need of changing their approach to being competitive, […]
Better Business We Learned from the Creators of ‘South Park’
Great TV shows have creators who spend many hours of many days perfecting every detail of every show before it’s taped. And then there are the co-creators of “South Park,” who do the whole thing in a week. Matt Stone and Trey Parker are the brains and voices behind the wildly popular TV cartoon series […]
How Do You Use Brand Licensing to Extend Your Brand?
Few companies use brand licensing to extend their brands into new categories. Those that do, including Coleman, Newell Rubbermaid, and P&G, have successfully delivered millions of products a year into the marketplace by leveraging the competencies, resources and distribution networks of hundreds of manufacturers throughout the globe. Up until now, licensing has been a nice to have tactic […]
Five Strategies to Improve Your Brand
Before I discuss the five strategies to improve your brand, perhaps I should address what it means to improve a brand and why you would want to. To improve a brand means to increase its value. The value of a brand can be quantified by the market value of a company (total shares of stock outstanding x the […]
A Strategic Framework for Lasting Excellence
In my teens and twenties I was an avid hill-walker (hiker) and occasional mountaineer (ice axe, rope and crampons). Nowadays time, dodgy knees and lack of fitness limit my adventures, but my fascination with mountains and mountaineering history is undiminished. 18 months ago I was lucky enough to make my first trip to Nepal to […]
