Category Archives: Uncategorized

You only have to worry about a few employees (maybe)

Posted on May 15, 2012 by

You were probably taught, as we were, that all naturally occurring phenomena are distributed along a “normal” or Bell curve.  Take talent, for example.   In this case, very  untalented people would make up a small percentage of a population (say, … Continue reading →

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Lack of Marketing is killing the Blackberry and more marketing won’t fix it

Posted on February 29, 2012 by

Pundits are discussing the future of Research in Motion (RIM) and its once ubiquitous Blackberry. In 2009 the Blackberry had 44% market share (including me as a user). Today their market share has dropped to less than 10% including the … Continue reading →

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Why does everyone forget how to do surveys?

Posted on January 6, 2012 by

The third-party survey company, doing a quality survey for my health care provider (doctor’s office), just caught me at a weak moment and I agreed to answer their questions.  20 minutes later, I’m off the phone.  What could possibly be … Continue reading →

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We Need to go Back to a 1950s Definition of Marketing

Posted on December 7, 2011 by

We need to go back to an OLD definition of Marketing to succeed in the future. Studies by the Association of National Advertisers among others have found that the Chief Marketing Officer of most companies is really only responsible for the … Continue reading →

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Hidden costs

Posted on August 23, 2011 by

When I was leaving the Ontario, CA airport the other day after watching the Southwest Airlines credit card people at work (as discussed in an earlier blog post), I decided I needed an ice cream. (People who know me realize … Continue reading →

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Language and negotiation

Posted on July 29, 2011 by

Occasionally we delve into politics in this blog, but not often. Today is one of those days because there are lessons, regardless of your political leanings. First the marketing lesson. The media and many of the politicians are using the … Continue reading →

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Was Jack Welch really an exceptional CEO?

Posted on June 30, 2011 by

Seems like an heretical question, but it is serious. There is no doubt that he did a great job increasing the value of GE for its shareholders. However, he is also credited with creating a highly vaunted management program that … Continue reading →

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Sacrificing effectiveness in the name of efficiency

Posted on April 29, 2011 by

In all downturns companies look for ways to become more efficient. Truth be told, they should always look for ways to become more efficient by removing waste from the process. However, just because you can spend less money doing it, … Continue reading →

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Is greed going to cost them a generation?

Posted on March 21, 2011 by

Just came back from a cruise. Always fun. Since, as my wife points out, I am always working, I needed Internet access on this cruise, as I always do. Since my first cruise about 12 years ago up to and … Continue reading →

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Mural dyslexia

Posted on January 28, 2011 by

Heard that phrase today for the first time in a meeting. Translation: Unable to read the writing on the wall. Mitch

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