Do you want to grow? Leverage technology to automate everything that can be codified.

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Some are already overly confident that they do matter, but deep down, a tiny piece of doubt lines their confidence. Some have mostly given up, except the last remaining thread of hope wrapped around the belief that they really don’t matter. Most are working furiously to answer the question with substance, and prove it to those they interact with.

Remind them that they do matter with your actions and your words. Please remind me to do the same.

The post Mindspark: The lurking question at the core of everyone we interact with appeared first on Value Creator.

The Sharing Economy is the movement towards better allocation of collective material surpluses due to democratized exchange mechanisms.

We see this movement currently gaining traction under the terms “sharing economy” or “collaborative consumption”.

The model requires increased transparency, more robust and more verifiable digital identities to replace traditional relationship forming and due diligence. Regulation will provide a significant role and will be a key factor to how fast and how successfully this emerging model takes off.

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From Seth’s Blog:

The best approach is to not try to write things that will go viral.

No, the best approach is to write for just one person. Make an impact on just one person. Even better, make it so they can’t sleep that night unless they choose to make a difference for just one other person by sharing your message with them.

The rest will take care of itself.

The post How to write copy that goes viral: Advice from Seth Godin appeared first on Value Creator.

As in any relationship, sometimes there is mis-alignment of expectations and lack of a compelling value proposition for both sides. The opportunity for value exchange changes and evolves over time. The duty of an organization is to continually listen, show empathy, gain a deeper understanding of needs and jobs, and provide a product or service offering that provides significant value for their customers, or better yet, provide a platform for customers to co-create their own products and services, and support each other in their mutual journeys and jobs to be done.

To fail to recognize that some customers are simply unprofitable is to deny the truth. In some cases, it may make sense for the organization, in their best interest and in duty to their shareholders to first attempt to re-establish relational guidelines in order to achieve a better balance for both parties, or in some cases, even “fire customers”.

Understand that the context I am speaking of is one of an endless and tireless pursuit to create value, to delight customers, and to create a community of engaged, happy, and enthusiastic customers. The reality is that each of our respective organizations won’t be a fit for some customers.

In service to those who are engaged, it may make sense to re-allocate human capital away from those who are unprofitable for the organization towards better servicing those who are.

Before anyone screams at me about how customers are about more than profits for the organization, I agree. The challenge is that profits today are only measured in monetary currency. These current limitations ignore things like referral value, or recommendation value.

In short, it’s important to listen, serve, and respect customers. However, not all relationships are equal nor mutually beneficial.

The post Is the customer always right? appeared first on Value Creator.

From a competitive standpoint, this phrase conjures up images of one champion left among the many fallen. One champion bold enough, strong enough, and resilient enough to outlast everyone else.

The immortal words of Hall of Fame Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi come to mind:

“I firmly believe that any man’s finest hour — his greatest fulfillment to all he holds dear — is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle – victorious.”

However, in a networked age, is this mindset still relevant, or does the phrase “And then there was one” take on a completely different connotation?

Humans across the globe continue to assemble into one giant interconnected network, a network of one.

It’s imperative to recognize that this didn’t just happen with the creation and growth of facebook, or my space, friendster, or geocities before that. Civilization has been paving the way towards greater connectedness since the beginning of the 15th century, but more specifically over the last century. The printing press, telegraph, telephone, radio, and television paved the way for the internet. And the internet has paved the way for faster and richer connection and communication, which continues to outpace our comprehension of how to truly leverage these new technologies at mass scale.

In addition, this rapidly assembling network isn’t just humans. It includes machines as well. Assuming the current trajectory, there will ultimately be one interconnected global network of people, machinery, robots, appliances, cameras, smartphones, and devices and meters we haven’t quite conceived yet.

In my session at the CRM Evolution conference last week (and in a few previous presentations), I asked the question that I believe should be at the forefront of every executive’s mind:

“In a world where access to almost anyone and anything is available from almost anywhere…
and in many cases will be automatically recommended…
How will you compete and win?”

Reflecting on this question, I realize that I may actually also be captive to an old way of thinking. In a networked economy, the concept of competing and winning may simply be outdated. Or perhaps, winning is not outdated, just the methods, measurements, and outcomes associated with it may be.

In a networked economy, there are very few clear winners and losers, but nodes that contribute and prosper from participation in constantly evolving flows of value creation. The mindset that infers that business is a zero sum game may be on its way to extinction (especially when there is a seemingly limitless supply of global monetary currency).

Perhaps the better question to ask is:

“In a world where access to almost anyone and anything is available from almost anywhere…
and in many cases will be automatically recommended…
How will you continually create value in constantly evolving complex network?”

How are you and your organization responding to this rapidly descending inevitability?

The post And then there was One appeared first on Value Creator.

The purpose driven journeyman clearly defines their final destination, lays out the steps and calculates all expected costs along the way. They take account of the potential risk factors to be aware of, and is prepared for most challenges, costs, delays, and obstacles along the way.

In some cases, the passionate vagabond arrives at the ideal place before the purpose driven journeyman even begins their journey. In other cases, the vagabond veers wildly off course with no resources, no backups, and no chance to actually succeed while the purpose driven journeyman slowly and steadily navigates with perfection towards the goal.

These are metaphors for business and for life. Which traveller do you most identify with and where are you on your journey?

The post The Passionate Vagabond vs. The Purpose Driven Journeyman appeared first on Value Creator.

Get the right data. It’s foundational.

The post What do you mean you don’t have the data?!?!? appeared first on Value Creator.

Most often, you hear it in a positive spin. A speculative evaluator mentions that a person, a project, an idea has potential.

One of the best and most poignant definitions I ever heard was that potential was simply unused talent.

When a former client and business partner looked at me with much respect and appreciation from the conversation we had just had and said to me “Dude, you have so much potential”, it made me feel good and made me cringe at the same time.

How much “unused talent” do you, your team, and your organization have right now? It’s time to start converting potential to results.

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Everything is a headline. An email subject line. A tweet. The title of a blog post. Even the response when someone asks “What do you do?”

Focus on your headlines and open more doors to deeper engagement.

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