Sunday Brunch Reads with Social Media ReInvention: 01/05/15 to 01/10/15

Sunday Brunch Newspaper

Photo Credit: Anton Diaz

 

Brrrr! It’s cold in The Midwest (East/West Coaster Translation: The Flyover States). Please keep warm and enjoy these share-worthy links during your Sunday brunch.  (more…)

A Public Fan Letter to Marissa Mayer: Keep Fighting. Don’t Give Up.

Marissa Mayer Yahoo CEO

Photo Credit: TechCrunch

Dear Marissa,

Navy Seals say, “the only easy day was yesterday.”

I can’t imagine what you feel as negative press swirls around you during your CEO tenure at Yahoo!. From an outsider’s perspective, it seems like you’ve been under personal siege since the summer of 2012 when you accepted Yahoo!’s top job. Tomorrow, a well-publicized book will be released about you. I’ve pre-ordered it to review and draw my own conclusions.

But, I don’t have to read the book to conclude how “tearing down Marissa Mayer” exploded into a schadenfreude, spectator sport.

I’m not a Yahoo! stockholder, but I cheer and root for you. Everyday. (more…)

Social Media ReInvention Blog: 2014’s Top 10 Most Popular Posts

WooHoo Subway Graffiti

Photo Credit: Gerard Stolk (vers Noël)

Thank YOU. Publishing and writing for Social Media ReInvention Community Members brings me immense joy and fulfillment. I can’t thank you enough for your amazing support and generosity to read and share my content. Thank you of sticking with me for five and half years! Time’s flown by.


2014’s Most Popular Social Media ReInvention Blog Posts

If you missed some of these, you can check them out here:

1. Lesson 2 of 6: Reinventing You After Age 50 Case Study — Michael Ovitz and Shifting Your Behavior

2. Mark Zuckerberg’s 5 Point Plan for Facebook’s Future Growth and Mobile Domination

3. Lesson 1 of 6: Reinventing You After Age 50 Case Study – Michael Ovitz Proves Status Can Be Taken With You

4. 3 Career Management Lessons for a Social Media Age I Learned From My Dad

5. Lesson 3A of 6: Reinventing You After Age 50 Case Study — Michael Ovitz and Developing Validators

6. Book Review: The New Rules of Sales and Service by David Meerman Scott

7. #FAIL: #AppleLive Debacle Exposes Apple’s Real-Time Marketing Weaknesses

8. 4 More Gifts to Support Others That Power Your After Age 50 Reinvention

9. 3 Tips on Writing and Storytelling from Twitter’s Investor Relations Team

10. Tim Cook’s Killer Innovation Hack: Diversity in Thought in Apple’s Ecosystem (with a Capital D)

 

LinkedIn Pulse Featured Three (3) Posts in Selected Channels

That’s Kind of a Big Deal. I’m grateful because I reached that achievement through your support:

Have a Joyous and Blessed Merry Christmas and Holiday Season

Be Well. I look forward to seeing you soon after the Christmas Holiday!

 

Your Turn

Please let me know if you agree or disagree with my thoughts in the comments. I would love to hear from you. I’m here to read, listen, and learn from YOUR PERSPECTIVE.   Comments are open. So let’er rip!


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Sunday Brunch Reads with Social Media ReInvention: 12/14/14 to 12/20/14

Sunday Brunch Newspaper

Photo Credit: Anton Diaz 

 

My apologies to subscribers who received this post before it was completed. I’m experimenting with an offline blog editor, and I accidently published my working draft. Thanks for your patience as I continue stumbling my way around a dark room before finding the light switch.

Here are your Sunday Brunch Reads. Enjoy your brunch!

 

1. Forbes.com: Four Secrets from a Super Power Connector. Judy Robinett published an important book this past year titled: How to Be a Power Connector — The 5 + 50 + 100 Rule for Turning Your Business Network Into Profits. I downloaded this book to my Kindle as an professional development investment. I want to learn and improve how I can deliver more value to my vast and growing LinkedIn network. Judy’s premise: the more value you deliver to others in solving their problems, the more value you build for yourself — Give Before You Ask.

Here’s a direct quote from the Forbes article (aka Secret #1): 

The Theory: “My network/superconnect theory begins with the idea that all the tough problems are solved with networking—lack of key critical resources; money, connections, knowledge all are attached to people orbiting specific ecosystems.”

 

2. <re/Code>: A Doc in Your Pocket: Doctor on Demand Gets Smarter by Katherine (Katie) Boehert: This insightful article may be the future of primary care medicine, psychotherapy, and psychiatry. It takes telemedicine to a different level by providing the visual component via your desktop or tablet. It makes scheduling a video visit with a real, board-certified physician or PhD easy. Katie described her experience and conducted the appointment from the convenience of her office.

Think about this for a moment. The real estate, time, and physician office investment implications are disruptive:

  • No waiting rooms
  • No inconvenience of finding a place to park your car
  • No office space 
  • No time implications in leaving work or your with driving to and from the doctor’s office
  • No physician office staff

Check out Katie’s video and article describing her experience with Doctor on Demand

 

3.  NYTimes.com: What Happened When Marissa Mayer Tried to Be Steve Jobs. Nicholas Carlson’s book, Marissa Mayer and the Fight to Save Yahoo!, will be published in January 2015. Carlson’s article doesn’t paint an enviable picture of Marissa Mayer’s CEO tenure. His piece describes several rookie CEO mistakes:

  • Lack of a strategic focus
  • Inability to delegate
  • A misunderstanding of the media business versus the technology business
  • Poor senior leadership selection for key executive positions 

I’m not a Yahoo shareholder, but I root for Marissa Mayer everyday. She showed HUGE guts to accept Yahoo’s CEO job more than two years ago. She’s always under the microscope and high profile. And, I want her to succeed. I want our daughters and nieces to see more female CEOs not only in the Fortune 500 but also in Silicon Valley. I want our daughters and nieces to see smart and talented women like this:

 

Did You Enjoy This Post?

If yes, please share it with your friends and subscribe to my blog. Many Thanks!

 

Tony Faustino is a marketing and corporate strategist.  He thinks and writes about how The Internet reinvents marketing strategy in his personal blog, Social Media ReInventionFollow his tweets @tonyfaustino or circle him on Google+.

So Our Daughters Stand Out: 6 C-Suite Traits Among Awesome Female Executives

Father and Daughter

Photo Credit: Peter Werkman

Margaret Heffernan poses a thought provoking question in her Fortune Magazine article titled: "Why Do Only 26 Fortune 500 Companies Have Female CEOs?”. She describes her conclusions via two (2) phenomenon (direct quotes):

Covering: A term used to describe the ways in which outside groups – women, minorities – try to cover up, minimize or disguise their difference. For women, this may manifest in any number of ways: never talking about domestic life, feigning an insincere interest in golf or football, steering clear of discussions on diversity.

Calculating: Research shows that women are just as willing to compete in a game if – and it’s a big if – they believe they have a good chance of winning. In the Olympics, women entered confident that they competed on a level playing field – on which they could, and did, win. At work, women are very good at gauging their chances, eschewing contests in which they’re likely to fail.

So the challenge for women isn’t that they lack competitiveness or drive. It’s that they are shrewd estimators of risk and therefore spend too much energy trying to fit in, instead of standing out. And one way not to stand out is not to look ambitious or to ask for stretch assignments that we might not get.

That Highlighted Quote Concerns Me

I’m a Dad and Uncle of Two Remarkable Daughters and Four Incredible Nieces. My daughters are still young (10 and 3 years old). Two nieces are in university (the other two are pre-high school and kindergarten). Every time I see them it’s a gift. Time vanishes as I see their personalities, self-image, and self-confidence transform.

Please Don’t Jump to Conclusions by this Article’s Title. My mission as a parent (and uncle) isn’t to develop the next Most Powerful Women in a Fortune Magazine Most Admired Company. My goal as a parent and role model (I hope a good one on both counts) is to guide and encourage my female loved ones to:

  • Choose To Stand Out 
  • Define What Standing Out Means For Them
  • Make Smart Choices Leading to Healthy, Productive, Fulfilling, and Independent Lives and Careers 


I Value Relationships with Women Who Stand Out

I Gravitate to Proactive and Strategic Thinkers. I’m grateful some of these smart, generous women provide their friendship and advice. Others, I have yet to earn the privilege of meeting face-to-face. I’m lucky they’ve granted permission to directly communicate via emails, social media, blog commenting, etc.

Building and nurturing these relationships are important to:

  • Benefit Each Other. I hope I help them as much as they help me. 
  • Learn and Understand The Female Perspective. I don’t know what I don’t know. I seek first-hand experience from women I know and trust. That’s the only way I’ll be able to help my loved ones face situations when I have no frame of reference (like what Heffernan describes in her Fortune article). 

 

6 C-Suite Traits Emerge Among Female Business Executives Who Stand Out

Forgive Me for Focusing on Business World Examples. I’m aware of success patterns in other fields such as the arts, healthcare, entertainment, and education. I’m a marketing and corporate strategy geek. My stock and trade: identifying and uncovering trends/patterns from multiple industries.

Here’s What I Observe. These are the patterns and traits I am going to advise my daughters and nieces to practice so they stand out:
 

  • They Practice the 4 R’s: Risk, Relentlessness, Resilience, and Reinvention
  • They Write With Purpose 
  • They Possess the Courage to Speak Up
  • They Connect Others
  • They Deliver Generosity (with a Stick of Butter and a Smile)
  • They Fake It, Till They Become It

1. They Practice the Four R’s: Risk, Resilience, Relentlessness and Reinvention

I Read Those Words and Think of Julie Roehm. Julie embodies safe is risky (and risky is safe). I’ve tracked Julie's career moves since 2005. She was THE Marketing Strategy Purple Cow of the automotive industry. She could have stayed in Detroit, but she took a risk in accepting a new challenge in the retail industry with Walmart. 

It didn’t work.

I respect her for leaving an industry she knew like Coach Pat Summitt knows championships. If she stayed in Detroit, Julie could have continued making a great salary and building her sizable expertise and reputation.  She took on a high-profile risk to learn if she could adapt and excel in a different corporate culture and industry (direct quote from a Fast Company 2009 article): 

"I wanted to be able to show that I can adapt anywhere, I can do anything. The thing I learned about myself is that I'm not a full-on chameleon, and there's nothing wrong with that."

Julie Roehm Learned and Recovered from a HUGE Career Setback. That type of public, high-flyer mishap would have crushed most people. Not Julie. 

She battled back for five years before becoming SAP’s Senior Vice President and Chief Storyteller. During her wilderness years, she hustled and scrapped like a Silicon Valley startup to create a dominating social media presence and reinvent her personal brand

Julie was Relentless. She Showed Up Everyday. I’m glad she did. I’d miss her marketing talent, charisma, and chutzpah if she didn't. All successful women (insert your definition of success here) understand and practice the power of reinvention. Here’s great advice from my reinvention hero — the brilliant Dorie Clark:  

 

Julie Reinvented Herself into a Multi-Media Storyteller. She's fearless where this might or might not work intersect. Check out her presentation from the 2013 Inbound Marketing Summit on Customer Storytelling: Elevating the Voice of the Customer in a B to B World. If this isn’t great storytelling AND putting yourself out there, I’m People Magazine’s 2014 Sexiest Man Alive (not Thor):

 

I’ll Counsel My Daughters and Nieces to Seek Out and Welcome that "I’m Afraid Feeling.” If they have that feeling, they’re on track to doing or making something important. If it doesn’t work out, I want them to have the self-confidence and awareness they WILL recover. Because, they’ll be wiser and smarter for attempting "whatever it was."

Like Julie.

 

2. They Write With Purpose 

Everything Ann Handley Writes is a Gift to Humankind. If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it 63 different times, Ann Handley’s the best writer in the business. If you’re serious about your writing and content marketing:

 Here’s a quick Handley Sampler on writing, content marketing, and storytelling:

“How Can I Write Like That?” I ask that question every time I read and study Ann’s work. I can’t (and I wouldn’t expect my daughters and nieces to either). There can be only one.

Ann Handley Everybody Writes Kindle Book Cover

Everybody Writes: Your Go-To Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content is One of 2014’s Most Important Business Books. Thank goodness Ann teaches great writing. She poured her heart and soul into this book (or as Ann says “like giving birth to a Volkswagen”). Invest in yourself and buy Ann’s book. I promise you’ll benefit from her knowledge, her hard-earned talent, and enormous heart. 

Writing Matters. Writing with Purpose Matters More. The media’s endless joy in working up well-meaning, America parents that our children choke on the dust of their global counterparts in the STEM 100 meter dash ignores an important fact: writing and storytelling skills activate financing for ideas and inventions of talented students and entrepreneurs

Here’s Ann purpose for Everybody Writes (direct quote from page eight):

What’s harder is to find a book that functions for marketers as part writing and story guide, part instructional manual on the ground rules of ethical publishing, and part straight talk on some muscle-building writing processes and habits.

What’s also hard to find is a book that distills some helpful ideas about the craft of content simply and (I hope) memorably, framed for the marketer and businessperson, as opposed to say, the novelist or essayist or journalist.

I wrote this book because I couldn’t find what I wanted—part writing guide, part handbook on the rules of good sportsmanship in content marketing, and all-around reliable desk companion for anyone creating or directing content on behalf of brands.

I’m Guarding Ann’s Book for My Daughters and Nieces Because A Significant Portion of Their Careers and Livelihoods Will Depend on It. That’s no overstatement. Whatever careers my daughters and nieces pursue, I’m advising them how writing well delivers lifelong competitive advantage. I'm guarding my hardcover and Kindle versions of Everybody Writes the way our German Shepherds express their protectiveness (with a “stranger/danger don’t mess with that book” 240 – 800 PSI stare).  

Bonus 1: Mitch Joel’s Episode #426 Six Pixel of Separation Podcast: Everybody Writes With Ann Handley.

Bonus 2: Speakers Spotlight YouTube Video — Ann Handley – Chief Content Officer | Bestselling Author.

 

3. They Possess the Courage to Speak Up …

… and The Grit to Keep Speaking Up. Sallie Krawcheck thought she was done. More than once. I’ve followed Sallie’s career since her days as Wall Street’s Last Honest Analyst. I still have Sallie’s article from the March 21, 2005, Fortune Magazine Issue of “The Best Advice I Ever Got — Don’t Listen to the Naysayers (required daughter-niece reading).


Speaking Up Can Cost You Your Job.
It cost Sallie hers as CitiGroup’s Chief Financial Officer and Head of Wealth Management. She published a follow-up LinkedIn article to "Ignore The Naysayers" with instructive advice on sticking to one’s personal principles (direct quotes from article’s conclusion):

I drew on this advice when I was a new research analyst and published less-than-rosy recommendations, when most of Wall Street was bullish and left me feeling exposed. I drew on it when senior executives of a couple of the companies I covered tried to have my boss fire me because they didn’t like that research. I drew on it when I was named Director of Research and we decided to take ourselves out of the investment banking business because we believed the client conflicts were too meaningful. And I drew on it in the recent market downturn, when my then-company and I disagreed on how to treat individual investors who had suffered investment losses from our products.

Those were important. But its greatest impact may have been in less-public ways. Early on, this advice enabled me to “find my voice.” There is plenty of research that shows women are less likely than men to speak up in business meetings or state their opinions;many report that it is because their upbringing conditioned them to not stand out and to wait their turn. But sometimes the meeting is over before their turn comes. Having the confidence that standing out need not be a point of shame – but indeed can be a point of pride, particularly for the right reasons – can make the world of difference….perhaps especially for us southern females.

 

Sallie Krawcheck’s Next Act: Owner, Entrepreneur, Investor, Reformer, and Connector. Her latest ventures are The Ellevate Network and Pax Ellevate Global Women’s Index Fund. I know she’ll succeed because she’s doing something she loves and has personal meaning. She’s badass tough. That grit and mental toughness accounts for everything when confronting adversity.  

 

Speaking Up Means Sharing Your Experiences to Help Others.  Sallie’s LinkedIn Influencer Articles are vital in career development. I love her articles not only because her insights benefit me but also because her experiences guide me as a parent. Here are some of my fave Krawcheck Classics:
 

4. They Connect Others 

Remember The Connectors Malcolm Gladwell Describes in His Book, The Tipping Point? Gladwell discussed why the world’s Lois Weisbergs are influential and important. I’m blessed to know two in my life: Barbara (Barb) Karstrom and Kathryn (Kathy) Feldt. When I read these direct quotes from The Tipping Point, I think of Barb and Kathy:

Sprinkled among every walk of life, in other words, are a handful of people with a truly extraordinary knack of making friends and acquaintances. They are Connectors.

Connectors are important for more than simply the number of people they know. Their importance is also a function of the kinds of people they know. 

They are people whom all of us can reach in only a few steps because, for one reason or another, they manage to occupy many different worlds and subcultures and niches.

The point about Connectors is that by having a foot in so many different worlds, they have the effect of bringing them all together.

It isn’t just the case that the closer someone is to a Connector, the more powerful or the wealthier or the more opportunities he or she gets. It’s also the case that the closer an idea or a product comes to a Connector, the more power and opportunity it has as well.

Barb and Kathy are Living Proof of Who You Know is What You Know. They’re wicked smart, resourceful, successful, and well-connected. They can talk to anyone about anything because each “has a foot in so many different worlds.” They understand the value (and discovery) of diversity in thought. When I lived in Chicago (Barb) and St. Louis (Kathy), they introduced me to different people I’d never meet on my own (or would have access to). 

I’ve Never Forgotten Their Kindness and Generosity. If you’re a current or aspiring Chicago-based or St. Louis-based female executive who's serious about your business career, invest in yourself and build a relationship with either Barb or Kathy. I’ll advise my daughters and nieces to seek out the Barbs and Kathys.

Buy them lunch / breakfast and get to know them. Just don’t talk smack about the Chicago White Sox (Barb) or St. Louis Cardinals (Kathy) when you meet them…

…that may not go over so well.  

Bonus 1: Womenetics.com — Judy Robinett, Super-Connector, Helps People and Businesses to “Fill Their Holes”

Bonus 2: Forbes.com — Dorie Clark's Interview with Judy Robinett: How to Become a Power Connector

Bonus 3: Forbes.com — Dan Schawbel’s Interview with Judy Robinett: How Entrepreneurs Can Become Power Networkers

Bonus 4: Forbes.com — Cheryl Conner’s Interview with Judy Robinett: Four Secrets From A Champion Super Connector

 

5. They Deliver Generosity (With a Stick of Butter and a Smile)

That Attitude is Why Zena Weist Became and Continues to Be One of Kansas City’s Most Important Digital Strategy Leaders and AmbassadorsZena (or “Z" as I affectionately call her) is wicked smart and accomplished. She’s a Gladwell Triple Threat: Connector, Maven and Saleswoman.

The “stick of butter and a smile” reference comes from Jeremiah Owyang’s VentureBeat article: Here’s What Silicon Valley Can Learn from Good Old Midwestern Values. His great article highlights Zena’s thoughts on Midwestern values:

From Zena Weist of Kansas City, I learned about helping others, “A stick of butter and a smile, and no need to pay me back.” 

I Learned That From Zena Too. These past six months, I benefited from her advice, knowledge, and connections so I could follow through on an important career change. I hope my daughters and nieces will practice how Z gives away abundance (without keeping score). There’s an important lesson (and movement) Jeremiah observes in Silicon Valley that’s relevant to delivering generosity (direct quote from his article):

The Midwestern value of helping others without expecting reciprocation is best summarized by the “stick of butter and a smile” axiom when a neighbor is in need. Silicon Valley’s traditional come-get-mine attitude rewards the disruptors and the fiercest competitors. While San Francisco boasts that nearly one of every eight residents are millionaires, a vast majority are not living at middle class standards and are struggling just to get by. The potential for a backlash is rapidly increasing.

 

Be Like Z. I hope the backlash Jeremiah writes about never comes to fruition. We can prevent it from happening one "stick of butter and a smile" at a time.

 

6. They Fake It Till They Become It

Susan Kare’s Advice For Young Designers Applies to Any Woman with an Opportunity for a Stretch Assignment. Kare has two (2) simple rules for designers: 1) Fake It Tlll You Make It and 2) Design Never Really Changes. When Susan Kare applied applied for Apple’s first-ever graphic designer position, she worked at a furniture store. She prepared for her interview by studying graphic design books from the Palo Alto library (direct article quotes):
 

Having designed many of the Mac's early system fonts such as Chicago, the (original) San Francisco, Geneva, and Monaco, Kare is one of the pioneers of early digital typography. But when she first applied to Apple, she was pulling her type design qualifications out of thin air.  

"I was working at a furniture store at the time, and I didn't know the first thing about designing a typeface," she told me. "But I'd studied graphic design, so I said, 'How hard can it be?'" So Kare went to the Palo Alto Library and took out a number of books on typography. "I even brought them to my interview to prove I knew something about type, if anyone asked!" she laughs. "I went into it totally green." 

 
She's not so green now. Here's a great video of Susan Kare sharing her design expertise

Susan Kare, Iconographer (EG8) from EG Conference on Vimeo.

Think About That. If Susan Kare listened to The Resistance, she wouldn’t have achieved designer history. So if my daughters or nieces ever experience self-doubt, I’m going to tell them to have the self-confidence and self-belief to "fake it till they make it." Or, as Dorie Clark of Reinventing YOU, teaches: “Fake It Till You Become It.” 

Bonus: Mitch Joel’s Episode #357 of Six Pixels of Separation Podcast: How To Reinvent You With Dorie Clark

 

Your Turn  

Please let me know if you agree or disagree with my thoughts in the comments. If you disagree, I would love to hear from you. I’m also here to read, listen, and learn from YOUR PERSPECTIVE.   Comments are open. So let’er rip!

 

Did You Enjoy This Post?

If yes, please share it with your friends and subscribe to my blog. Many Thanks for Stopping By!

Tony Faustino is a marketing and corporate strategist.  He thinks and writes about how The Internet reinvents marketing strategy in his personal blog, Social Media ReInventionFollow his tweets @tonyfaustino or circle him on Google+.

Sunday Brunch Reads with Social Media Reinvention: Week of 12/7/14 to 12/13/14

Sunday Brunch Newspaper

Photo Credit: Anton Diaz 

I hope everyone had a good week and is enjoying Christmas parties and celebrations with friends and co-workers. Here are your share-worthy links. Enjoy your brunch!

1) Mitch Joel's Twist Image Podcast with Seth Godin: SPOS #439 – Seth Godin Doesn't Want You To Be Missed When You're Gone! My two favorite teachers recorded this brilliant podcast to share and discuss Seth Godin’s latest book: What To Do When It's Your Turn (And It's Always Your Turn), 

Seth’s Latest book is Remarkable. It’s beautifully illustrated in color and has the look and feel of a slick, high-gloss, soft-cover magazine from the high-end fashion world. Visually, this book is unlike anything published by Seth Godin:

  • Mitch asks if Seth believes it’s the most beautiful expression of Seth's emotional labor. Answer: Yep!
  • The Seth Godin says on the record it’s taken him “120+ essays, 5,700+ blog posts, and 18 books to realize this result.”
  • He remarks: I can’t believe I waited this long to publish in color

The podcast turns instructive between Mentor (Seth Godin) and Student (Mtich Joel) midway through their conversation. It’s a personal moment between two people sharing a mutually genuine respect and friendship. Hint: Even people like Mitch Joel feel the powerful self-doubt The Resistance imposes. How Seth Godin counsels and reassures Mitch Joel during this segment says it all about Seth’s character and class.

2) Apple Insider: Apple's Discontinued iPod Classic commands Hefty Premium on the Secondary Market. People are clamoring for 160 GB iPod Classics like they're going out of style. Wait a minute. They are! The 160 GB iPod Classics doubled in original retail value ($260). As of writing this post, eBay lists some 160 GB iPod Classic versions as high as $530 eBay says my 120 GB iPod Classic ranges in value from $65 (used) to $230 (new). I’ll never give up mine. I’m downloading more podcasts to my iPod Classic than ever for educational purposes. With my iPhone 5S, my hard drive maxes out quickly.

3) ReadWriteWeb: Mastering Apple’s Gigantic iPhone 6 Plus With Puny Hands. Adriana Lee’s informative and funny article describe some cool accessories available for the iPhone 6 Plus. The main criticism of the device iPhone 6 Plus “phablet" — it’s amazing as long as your hands are big enough. Adriana’s article is most insightful in its conclusion. I believe her foresight that the iPad Mini’s days are numbered:

But then I remind myself of one thing: With the 6 Plus—or, for that matter, a Samsung Galaxy Note 4 or Nexus 6—I don’t need a tablet anymore. If the 6 Plus can save a bit of money, why not dedicate a fraction of those savings to accessories?

Did You Enjoy This Post?

If yes, please share it with your friends and subscribe to my blog. Many Thanks!

Tony Faustino is a marketing and corporate strategist.  He thinks and writes about how The Internet reinvents marketing strategy in his personal blog, Social Media ReInventionFollow his tweets @tonyfaustino or circle him on Google+.

Tim Cook’s Killer Innovation Hack: Diversity in Thought in Apple’s Ecosystem (with a Capital D)

 

Tim Cook Pic Black Background

Photo Credit: Andy Ihnatko

 

I’m an Apple Stockholder and Apple Tribal Member with Tremendous Confidence in Our Leader, Tim Cook. He’s the right person to rocket Apple’s fanatic loyalty beyond its fanatical consumer base. Ginni Rometty, IBM’s CEO, describes Cook as the “hallmark of a modern-day CEO. It’s all about clarity of vision and knowing what to do and what not to do.”

Yet, critics shout: “Tim Cook is NOT Steve Jobs!” I disagree. Cook is a lot like Jobs.

 

Apple’s 21st Century Innovation Model is SICC: Simplicity + Inclusion + ControI + Collaboration

SICC Rhymes with SICK (and means the cool kind, not the feeling ill kind). Charlie Rose published his Tim Cook conversations after Apple’s September 2014 introductions for the iPhone 6, iPhone 6+, Apple Pay, and Apple Watch. Their conversations reveal Cook’s strategic vision for Apple and The Apple Ecosystem. His ecosystem-driven strategy explains the rationale for two (2) major 2014 corporate decisions:

  • The IBM Strategic Alliance
  • The Beats Music and Beats Electronics Acquisition

Cook explains these major decisions within the context of these central themes:

  • Apple is about making great products enriching people’s lives.
  • Killer products (and experiences) are designed outcomes by integrating Apple’s hardware, software, and services.
  • Google is Apple’s primary competitor. Their respective battlefields are the Consumer and Corporate Ecosystems.
Important Note: Throughout this post, relevant timestamps for the Charlie Rose – Tim Cook Conversation are referenced in bold (e.g., XX:XX – XX:XX).  As backup, here’s the direct link to the Rose-Cook conversation on Hulu.
 
 
Steve Jobs’ DNA Runs Deep Through Apple (10:37 – 13:55). Steve Jobs legacy endures at 1 Infinite Loop. His Cupertino office remains untouched. His core values are imprinted throughout Apple product design. 
  • Innovate By Creating Killer Products (Being First Doesn’t Mean You’re Innovative — See Peter Thiel’s Last Mover Advantage)
  • Deliver Simplicity by Removing Complexity
  • Enter Markets Where Apple Controls the Primary Technology
  • Be The Best
  • Stay Focused

Staying Focused Anchors Apple. Cook elaborated (paraphrasing):

“Unlike other companies, Apple’s objective is not to make larger product portfolios.”

“All of Apple’s major products could fit on this small table.” (in reference to Charlie Rose’s iconic interview set)

“It’s hard to edit. It’s hard to stay focused. The hard part is deciding what NOT to work on.”

Diversity in Thought Fuels Apple Innovation and Design (17:13 – 20:23). Cook’s leadership mission is ensuring Apple senior executives and team members collaborate at an incredible levelThat mission begins with recognizing individuals who are historically strong Apple contributors. During this point in the conversation, Cook enthusiasically mentioned five to six senior executives (by first name) making considerable impacts during their Apple tenure — like Angela Ahrendts).

Brad Stone’s September 2014 BloombergBusinessweek article highlights Cook’s moves to include new perspectives at Apple. From January 2014 to September 2014, Apple hired approximately 20 senior executives from multiple industries (direct quotes below):

“(Cook) is very focused on finding a very wide range of people. It’s not automatically the way you think about diversity. It’s about bringing in experience, skill set, and perspective.”  — Susan Wagner, founding partner and director of asset-management firm BlackRock.

“(Cook) is comfortable enough to say ‘we need help here,’ and then he goes out and gets it.”Jimmy Iovine, Co-Founder of Beats Electronics.

 

 

Apple Ecosystem

Photo Credit: Yutaka Tsutano


It’s the Ecosystem Stupid! (h/t James Carville

Betting the Farm on The Apple Ecosystem. Cook’s strategic bet makes collaboration an Apple strategic imperative. Apple senior executives are functional experts who collectively work as a team. Horizontal product development enables integration of hardware, software, and services to produce a killer product. Cook explains (20:08 – 20:23; paraphrasing):

“Respecting, trusting, and complementing one another (in thought and skills) is what makes this all work.”

This cultural shift drives Apple’s design process work because Cook believes the Apple Ecosystem (not an individual product) will drive consumer and corporate spending:

Collaboration may be a virtue, but Cook insists it’s more of a strategic imperative. Aligning thousands of employees is crucial now that “the lines between hardware, software, and services are blurred or are disappearing,” he says (Cook). “The only way you can pull this off is when everyone is working together well. And not just working together well but almost blending together so that you can’t tell where people are working anymore, because they are so focused on a great experience that they are not taking functional views of things.”

The result is only now becoming apparent with services that work across different Apple devices. Embedded in the iPhone 6 and the new iOS 8 and Mac OS X Yosemite operating system is a feature called Continuity, which lets users start an e-mail or some other task on their Mac, pick it up on their iPhone, and then move it to their iPad or even the Apple Watch. 

(Cook continues)We would never have gotten there in the old model. These new products are reminders of why we exist.

The things we should be doing at Apple are things that others can’t.” 

Google Versus Apple Image

Photo Credit: The Next Web

 

Battle of the Ecosystems: Apple Versus Google — Consumer and Corporate 

Google Is Apple’s Top Competitor (32:30 – 36:00). Cook’s answer to Rose’s “Who’s Your Competition?” question speaks volumes. He recognized Google twice during their conversation as Apple’s most formidable competitor.

He dismissed everyone else including Samsung and Amazon. Microsoft never entered the conversation.

Larry Page makes it no secret he’s pursuing an Android ecosystem-driven strategy. Google acquired Motorola Mobility in 2011 to gain control of the patents bolstering and protecting Android (and subsequent Google products and services). From Google’s Investor Relations Site, Page describes his strategic vision and rationale for selling Motorola Mobility to Lenovo):

“Lenovo has the expertise and track record to scale Motorola Mobility into a major player within the Android ecosystem. This move will enable Google to devote our energy to driving innovation across the Android ecosystem, for the benefit of smartphone users everywhere.”

Google Targets The Consumer Ecosystem. Just ask Tony Fadell, CEO and Founder of Nest. Just ask Walter Isaacson, Steve Jobs’s biographer. In January 2014, Isaacson declared Google passed Apple in innovation supremacy with the Nest acquisition (refer to CNBC video below).

Matthew J. Belvedere’s CNBC article concluded Apple and Tim Cook fell behind:

While acknowledging the China Mobile partnership is a “big deal” for Apple, he said (i.e., Isaacson) Google-Nest exemplifies the “amazingly strong integrated strategy that Google has to connect all of our devices, all of our lives, from our car, to our navigation system, to how our garage doors are going to open.”

Isaacson also pointed out that Nest co-founder and CEO Tony Fadell will be joining Google as part of this deal. “Fadell was one of the team that created the iPod. He was very deep into the Apple culture … when Apple was so innovative.”  To play catch-up, Cook has to think about what industry he wants to disrupt next, Isaacson said. “I think Steve Jobs would have wanted as the next disruptive thing to either have wearable-like watches or TV, an easy TV that you can walk into the room and say put on ‘Squawk Box’ … or disrupt the digital camera industry or disrupt textbooks.”  

“We ought to see in 2014, Apple do something huge,” Isaacson said.

 

 

Does Apple Lag Behind Google? Global Market Share – Yep. Global Market Profitability – #HellNo

Google-Android Commands Global Market Share, but Apple-iOS Captures Highest Profitability. Android is the defacto global, smartphone operating system. Conner Forrest’s Tech Republic article proves Android market share dwarfs Apple-iOS by a factor of four (4). His research strengthens Isaacson’s argument how Google is positioning itself as a consumer ecosystem powerhouse:

Android iOS MktShr Image

Photo Credit: Conner Forrest, Tech Republic


But, Does Market Share Dominance Mean Google Makes More Money than Apple?
Tony Bradley’s November 2013 Forbes article shows Apple dominates profitability capture versus Android. That’s why “staying focused” anchors the Apple’s core values. Though not externally stated, Jobs knew and promoted that making money matters. Making money (or in Apple’s case, tons of it) bestows the rare, parallel luxury to sustain business AND develop new innovation.

Apple Google Qtrly Revenue

Photo Credit: Conner Forrest, Tech Republic

2013 Net Income Apple Dominance

Photo Credit: Neil Hughes, Apple Insider

Making Tons of Money Isn’t the Point. Apple almost went bankrupt 17 years ago. That’s the age of a teenager — it wasn’t that long ago. Walt Mossberg‘s November 2014 <re/code> article, The Mac’s Second Act: From Obscurity to Ubiquity, lends important perspective to Apple’s current financial situation versus its dire days in 1997. Jobs knew he needed someone of Cook’s supply chain and operations genius. That’s why Jobs hired Cook.

In 1998, Jobs and Apple needed Cook (not the other way around).

Taking on Google Requires a Little Help From Apple’s Friends (and Former Adversaries)

Lego Avengers

Photo Credit: W_Minshull

Driving Collaboration and Accessing Innovation Extends Beyond 1 Infinity Loop. The Charlie Rose-Tim Cook conversation turns instructive when Rose asks Cook if Apple is “more open (around 22:26).” Cook’s responses on iOS app developer relationship management, the IBM strategic alliance, and the Beats Music and Beats Electronics acquisition signal his mantra that creativity and innovation are a team sport (App Developers: 30:20 – 32:12; IBM: 22:26 – 25:37; Beats: 26:14 – 29:00).

Apple Manages Relationships with 9 Million Registered iOS Developers. MacNN News reported the number of developers registered with Apple has increased 47 percent since last year to 9 million. According to the United States Census Bureau, if “Apple iOS Developer City” was an American city, it’s population trumps New York (with room to spare for Nashville).

Cook recognizes the iOS developer community is key to Apple’s current and future success (paraphrased quotes from Rose conversation; 30:20 – 32:12):

“The June 2014 developer’s convention was all about giving developers access to iOS so Apple and iOS have access to innovation.”

“We treat working with them (i.e., the iOS developer community) that it’s Apple’s privilege.”

“Our (i.e., Apple’s) developers can sell their product (i.e. iOS app) worldwide in the Apple App store in 155 countries.”

Show App Developers The Money. Apple Does. Google Does Too. But, Apple developers earn tons more. Andreesen Horowitz Analyst Benedict Evans proves Apple paid app developers five times (5x) more revenue than Google. In the past 12 months, Apple paid developers $10 billion versus $5 billion by Google.

Apple iOS developer revenue vs Google Android developer revenue

Photo Credit: Benedict Evans

 

Tim Cook Wants the Apple Ecosystem to Command the Enterprise Market (22:26 – 25:37). Steve Jobs transformed our daily consumer lives. Cook wants to reinvent our daily professional lives. That’s the mission objective for uniting with IBM, a former adversary. Cook shared with Rose the following anecdotes (paraphrasing):

“We believe we can change the way people work at an enterprise level.”

“The vision is to fulfill the unmet needs of the industry verticals down to the granular specificity of the job itself.”

“We can change the way people work. We spend so much of our lives working.”


Reuters reports the Apple-IBM alliance is developing inroads into the financial services industry (e.g., companies like CitiGroup)
. Furthermore, the same Reuters article states:

“The iPhone maker has worked closely with a group of startups, including ServiceMax and PlanGrid, that already specialize in selling apps to corporate America. The two people familiar with the plans, but who could not speak publicly about them, say Apple is already in talks with other mobile enterprise developers to bring them into a more formal partnership.”


A Play for The Enterprise Version of The Internet of Things?
 Sounds like it to me. Now, that would be both transformative and lucrative. Stay tuned. I’m looking forward to learning about the Apple-IBM alliance’s penetration and progress after Q1 2015 (even more than the Apple Watch Launch).

 

 

Trojan Horse

Photo Credit: mrgarthem

Apple Didn’t Buy a $3 Billion Headphones Company. They Acquired a Human Centered Design (HCD) Business Loaded with Entertainment Industry Insiders.

On the Surface, Beats Masquerades as a Headphone Company. Unseen by the deal’s critics is how Tim Cook discovered powerful and influential diversity in thought.When Rose asked Cook, “Why did you buy a headphones company?” he responded (26:14 – 29:00):

“Talent. It’s the idea of gaining great talent.”

“The creative genius of Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre.”

“Iodine’s deep knowledge of the entertainment vertical (i.e., music industry)”

“Dr. Dre knows artists and is an artist.”

 

Cook Recognizes Remarkable Human Centered Design (HCD) When He Sees It, Hears It, and Feels It. Cook shared with Rose how “not all subscription services are alike.” His enthusiasm in describing Beats Music after experiencing it himself is palpable (paraphrasing):

“Beats recognized the importance human curation can make in how you feel and experience something.”

“It (Beats) affects how you feel.”

“You know it when you see it and feel it.


Jimmy Iovine
Nails It Why the Apple-Beats Deal Is Smart. 
Apple is about feel and emotional connection. That why the Apple Tribe continues shelling out big bucks to replacing their perfectly working iPhones with more expensive ones at a record pace. Check out Iovine’s commentary on feel, the state of the music industry, and why he believes Apple and Beats are primed to transform it. I can’t wait to see the impact of his influence at Apple in its future product development:

 

Strategy+Business’ Matt Egol and Christopher Vollmer Argue Why Apple Bet Big on Beats Music’s HCD Intangibles. Egol’s and Vollmer’s article describes how both companies focus on delivering an amazing HCD experience. The critics who say this deal is the tipping point for Apple’s inevitable innovation demise fail to recognize this fact. Here’s an excerpt their article:

The story behind the deal is much more nuanced, however. It’s not just about those tangible assets (referring to Beats’ headphone and streaming music platform), but rather a really big bet on capabilities—especially in product development, marketing, and branding. The fact that Beats has achieved a 59 percent share of the high-end headphone market in the United States and launched a high growth, buzz-worthy streaming service demonstrates the power of HCD principles at work.

Apple is well positioned to accelerate this momentum, given its own commitment to HCD.

 

 

Young Boy Says Talk to The Hand

Photo Credit: Gideon Tsang

Shunning Not-Invented-Here (NIH) Critics: Does It Matter in the Long Run How Apple Sources Innovation?

Cook’s critics point to the Beats acquisition as a leading indicator of Apple’s inevitable demise because it “no longer innovates from within.” Nonsense.

The Cautionary Tale and Parallel Paths of Apple and Merck as Fortune Magazine’s Most Admired Companies. From 1987 – 1993, the pharmaceutical company, Merck, graced the covers of Fortune Magazine’s Most Admired Company issues as the Number 1 company in corporate reputation. In 1994, the company tumbled to Number 11. Merck’s CEO at that time, P. Roy Vagelos, declared the company would return to Number 1 (direct quote from Fortune’s Most Admired Companies February 7, 1994 article):

”WE WERE the first company to be selected No. 1 seven years in a row. My plan is that we’ll be the first company to bounce back.”

 

So says Dr. P. Roy Vagelos, CEO of Merck, no longer America’s most admired corporation. A year of economic turbulence, plus a far more extensive survey of companies, has produced a new crop at the top, with half of America’s ten most admired corporations newcomers to that elite group.

 

The long-reigning king is deposed, relegated to No. 11.


Vagelos’ Bold Proclamation Never Materialized.
Merck’s 2014 Fortune Most Admired Company Ranking is Number 65 (in 2013, it was Number 58). Why’s this important? For seven (7) consecutive years, Merck was Apple.

Guess Who Fortune Magazine Ranked as The Most Admired Company in 2014? Guess who’s monopolized this title for seven (7) straight years since 2008? Apple. But, the similarities end there. How Merck chose to sustain innovation in its “Year 7” (and beyond) proves instructive.

Merck Caved to Not-Invented-Here Syndrome. John Simons, February 2008 Fortune article explores Merck’s research and development insularity post-1994:

“Merck’s scientific excellence had long inspired admiration and envy; corporate leaders voted it America’s Most Admired Company in Fortune from 1987 to 1993. By the early part of this decade, however, Merck was finding it difficult to turn its science into new, profitable medicines. In Merck’s case, there was a unique element added to what was an industrywide drought.”

“Merck was so pleased and proud to be Merck that its research culture had become haughty and insular. The company refused to consider medicines discovered outside its own labs and spurned the mergers and research alliances that were reshaping the industry.”

To Peter Kim’s credit, President of Merck Research and Development from 2003 – 2013, Merck reversed its attitude course. The Simons article continues:

By late 2004, Kim had overseen a new system that allows scientists to mine scientific literature to identify promising chemical compounds. He also encouraged Merck scientists to use their connections to open doors for Merck’s acquisitions department

“In 1999, Merck entered into just ten collaborative licensing deals; by 2006, there were 53 joint-development transactions and small acquisitions.”

10 years passed before Merck transformed its strategic thinking towards developing and accessing innovation. In three (3) short years, Cook’s decisiveness and focus proves what happened to Merck will not happen under his “Apple Watch” as CEO.
 

Tim Cook Tweet Inclusion Inspires Innovation

 

Diversity in Thought (with a Capital D): Innovation Isn’t ONLY From Within Apple Anymore

The Tim Cook Leadership Era Means the “I” in Innovation Means “Inclusion Inspires.” That cultural pillar extends far beyond sexual orientation. He’s driving cultural and strategic shifts at Apple to sustain and grow a core Jobs-Apple value (10:37 – 12:04): “To Be the Best.”

When Your Competitor is “The Most Ambitious CEO in The Universe,” You Better Continue Reinventing and Transforming. Talent isn’t enough. Company culture drives innovation and competitive advantage.

Here are two amazing books on the significant impact of company culture:

Final Thoughts: Blocking Out the Noise and Questioning Conventional Wisdom

Will Tim Cook Continue Being Criticized for Not Being Steve Jobs? Yes. When you succeed an icon and legend, that’s a given. But, Cook won’t blink twice. He described to Rose his skill in “blocking out and filtering the noise.” (20:59 – 22:05)

Tim Cook Bets His Legacy and the Apple Ecosystem on “The Corporate Internet of Things.” That’s a massive pivot for a company whose past successes are rooted in consumer fanaticism. But, Cook has no interest in “following the herd.” Cook described to Rose why he decided to leave Compaq and join Apple in 1998 (36:13 – 37:00; paraphrased):

“Well I’m just thinking I’m going to meet him and all of a sudden he’s talking about his strategy and his vision (i.e., Jobs), and what he was doing was going 100 percent into consumer. When everybody else in the industry had decided you couldn’t make any money on consumers so they were headed to services and storage and enterprise. And I thought, I’d always thought that following the herd was not a good thing, that it was a terrible thing to do right? You’re either going to lose big, or lose, but those are the two options.”

“He was doing something totally different.” (referring to Jobs)

Not Following the Herd. Questioning Conventional Wisdom. Being the Best. Sounds a lot like:

This Guy Steve Jobs

Photo Credit: Apple Website on October 5, 2011

 

 

Your Turn

Thank you for taking time to stop by. Please let me know if you agree or disagree with my thoughts in the comments. If you disagree, I would love to hear from you. I’m also here to read, listen, and learn from YOUR PERSPECTIVE.

Comments are open. So let’er rip!

 

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Tony Faustino is a marketing and corporate strategist.  He thinks and writes about how The Internet reinvents marketing strategy in his personal blog, Social Media ReInventionFollow his tweets @tonyfaustino or circle him on Google+.

Sunday Brunch Reads with Social Media ReInvention: Week of 09/15/14

Share-worthy links Social Media ReInvention Community Members can enjoy during Sunday brunch:

1) Bloomberg Businessweek: Tim Cook Interview: The iPhone 6, the Apple Watch, and Remaking a Company's Culture. Brad Stone shows how Tim Cook transformed a post-Steve Jobs Apple:

  • Collaboration inside Apple among hardware, software, and services. Departments worked in their own silos and defended turfs in the Steve Jobs era. Apple Watch marks the first product launch where multiple departments and large teams worked together. The renegade teams who broke off from the rest of the company and operated in secrecy are history.
  • The turning point – firing Scott Forstall. Forstall led software development for the iPad and iPhone under Steve Jobs. Cook broadened responsibilities among his top leaders. Jony Ive (Apple's Head of Design) assumed leadership of the look/feel of Apple iOS while Craig Federighi (Senior VP for Software Engineering) took mobile operating systems. Stone notes: "It was a plan designed to break down walls and extinguish infighting, executed with precision."
  • Financial discipline. Stone writes: "In meetings once devoted to the hallowed act of reviewing products, he (Tim Cook) asks managers pointed questions about spending and hiring projections, says a person involved. Staff from finance and operations now sit alongside engineers and designers in product road map sessions with key component partners."
  • Collaboration with external partners to penetrate untapped markets (aka the enterprise / large corporations). Anecdotes from IBM CEO, Ginni Rometty, and Cook's rationale for their partnership are gold.

 

2) Fortune: Peter Thiel Disagrees With You. Roger Parloff (Senior Editor of Legal Affairs,  Fortune Magazine) interviews Silicon Valley's Peter Thiel.  Parloff's article describes the philosophies and relationships influencing Thiel's business decisions: 

 

 

3) Fast Company: The $3.2 Billion Man: Can Google's Newest Star Outsmart Apple? Austin Carr's profile of Tony Fadell (Founder and CEO of Nest) details Fadell's decision to join Google, his relationship with Steve Jobs (his former mentor), and Fadell's pursuit of perfection with Nest products. The article concludes with Fadell's comments on Larry Page as his "next mentor."

  

 
4) eMarketer: Millennials Respond to Brand Transparency—for Health and Other Products. Erin Byrne (Chief Engagement Officer, Grey Healthcare Group) shares her thoughts on how pharmaceutical manufacturers and healthcare companies can earn the trust of millennials:

  • Give them information to make their own decisions. They trust their own research via an information journey. "You can't scare them into behavior."
  • Recongnize millennials are a "multi-screen generation." They consume information via their smartphones, tablets, laptops, and print magazines. Make sure your content "syncs up."
  • Be honest and transparent. Millennials trust social sources. Channel-optimize your message and explain the brand/service benefits. 


5) The Paley Center for Media: Jerry Seinfeld and David Letterman (Full Program). Mitch Joel published a blog post about the link between Seinfeld's ideas for Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee and creating differentiating content:

  • Season One is ten (10) individual garage experiments. Seinfeld wanted to test his theories on attracting online audiences for a new show (e.g., movement of the guests, movement of the cars, etc.). He guessed on what might work (or might not). He wanted to learn from the experience.
  • The original episodes weren't written or optimized for smartphone viewing. Seinfeld produced the show for desktop viewing. Analytics proved people watched the show at work on their laptops/desktops via time of day viewing.
  • He pitched the show to Facebook, YouTube, and other Silicon Valley royalty. They passed. 
  • Four (4) people create, produce, and edit the show (Seinfeld included). Production costs are $100,000 per episode. The Internet allows Seinfeld creative freedom a cable network won't provide. That's why he enjoys doing the work.

 

 

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Tony Faustino is a marketing and corporate strategist.  He writes about how The Internet reinvents marketing strategy for organizations and individuals in his marketing strategy blog, Social Media ReInvention.  Follow his tweets @tonyfaustino or circle him on Google+. 

Book Review: The New Rules of Sales and Service by David Meerman Scott

New Rules of Sales & Service Book Cover

The New Rules of Sales & Service by David Meerman Scott

"Sooner or later the world will be interested in your area of expertise."  David Meerman Scott from The New Rules of Sales and Service: How to Use Agile Selling, Real-Time Customer Engagement, Big Data, Content, and Storytelling to Grow Your Business.

But, will YOU (companies or individuals) be able to deliver YOUR expertise at PRECISELY the RIGHT time when the customer needs it?

That's just one of several game-changing concepts David Meerman Scott describes in hs latest book.

BOTTOM LINE: Buy and study it. The New Rules of Sales and Service (NRSS) ROCKS!! It's destined to become another Meerman Scott classic.

Social Media ReInvention Community Members know I'm a huge fan and student of David's teachings.

I own and constantly refer to these classic books: 

  • The New Rules of Marketing & PR: How to Use Social Media, Online Video, Mobile Applications, Blogs, News Releases, and Viral Marketing to Reach Buyers Directly
  • Marketing Lessons from the Grateful Dead: What Every Business Can Learn from the Most Iconic Band in History

As soon as I learned about this book, I pre-ordered the NRSS hardcover and Kindle versions.  My review is based on an advance, draft copy of The New Rules of Sales and Service on which I'm basing this review.


A Rebel with a Cause

The New Rules of Sales and Service is written in David's trademark style: challenging marketing strategy's status quo (with a rebel's heart). His thoughtful, entertaining, and case study-rich content applies to Fortune 100, small businesses, and individuals who genuinely desire to competitively differentiate themselves.  

David Meerman Scott – Real-Time Sales and Marketing Speaker from David Meerman Scott on Vimeo.



Game Changing Rules in Selling and Customer Service

Among the game changing arguments David makes in numerous case studies (~10 per chapter) is how marketing, sales, and service can no longer exist in functional silos. Every employee is (and should be) accountable for marketing, selling, and servicing new and existing customers because the social tools are available online to everyone.

The New Rules of Sales and Service extend beyond it's a "cross-functional" thing. It's now an "all-hands-on-deck" thing.  

Executing and sustaining an NRSS-driven culture requires top-down, CEO-driven leadership. Successful New Rules of Sales and Service practitioners instill a participative and trusting company culture. These leaders enable all employees to capitalize in social, one-to-one, real-time, customer communications throughout the entire buying process. David interviewed company leaders who trust and expect their team members (regardless of departmental function) to:  

1. Acquire NEW customers and MAINTAIN existing customer relationships using social tools in real-time interactions (e.g., concepts of AGILE selling and real-time speed & engagement; Case Study: Avaya)

2. Contribute and share valuable content to educate and inform customers in the pre- and post-sale process AT THE PRECISE TIME THE CUSTOMER NEEDS IT (e.g., CONTEXTUAL & consultative selling vs. hard-selling tactics; Case Study: Kendall PRess)

3. Collect and analyze real-time customer data to support real-time content delivery, service actions, and sales interactions (e.g., salesperson comes in later in buying process OR no salesperson; Case Study:GadCAD)

4. Convey stories about the company's products / services aligning with the customer's view of themselves (e.g., buyer persona research, newsjacking; Case Study: MultiCare Health Systems)  

That opportunistic mindset drives competitive differentiation at both a tactical and strategic level.  

By the way, David's research confirms blogging is far from dead. Long form content may be the best social tool in authentically demonstrating one company's "truth" to a competitor's public relations "spin."  


Closing Thoughts

Will more and future leaders trust their teams and David's rich teachings in NRSS? Time will tell. But, why wait? Gain the upper hand by buying and studying David's work. The hardcover book officially ships today, September 2nd. 

Bonus #1: David published this free eBook on SlideShare, The New Rules of Selling: How Agile and Real-Time Sales Grow Your Business Now. It's 158 pages of New Rules Classic Goodness!

 

Bonus #2: David's Agile Marketing Presentation At the MCT 14th Marketing Summit in Istanbul, Turkey

Agile Marketing by David Meerman Scott from David Meerman Scott on Vimeo.

  

Bonus #3: (STILL A WORK IN PROGRESS) Mind Maps of Chapters 1-7. The goal is to have the remaining Chapters 8-10 completed by the end of next weekend. I'm still experimenting w/ the XMind Mind Mapping Software to make the maps easier to read in slide show mode.

Please be patient, and I'll update this post as quickly as I can. Here's what they look like so far (I know I can't read'em either):

 

 

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If yes, please share it with your friends and subscribe to my blog. Many Thanks!

 

Tony Faustino is a marketing and corporate strategist.  He thinks and writes about how The Internet reinvents marketing strategy in his personal blog, Social Media ReInventionFollow his tweets @tonyfaustino or circle him on Google+.