Over the past decade, just about everything about business has changed…irrevocably. Business strategy must change accordingly. I help companies make these changes.
Brands must boldly declare who they are. In the recent economic crisis, many companies cast a wider net, trying to appeal to almost everyone. With multiple marques in a category doing similarly, the lines between the brands blurred; most brands no longer resonate deeply with anyone.
It doesn’t serve your business/ brand to be beige, bland or boring. You can’t, however, be loud simply for the sake of making noise. Not only must you must offer a great product or service, one that offers solid value for the money, today’s customers increasingly buy brands that have a distinct, clearly-identifiable personality and set of values.
People who share or respect these ideals will be attracted to the brand – and vote in your favour when opening their wallets. For the diminishing customer constituent that doesn’t care, this stance will not cost you their patronage – it may, however, earn you their respect.
I keep this in mind while conducting the analysis critical to constructing the kind of recommendations that will work for your company given what’s going on around you. I also ask the same kinds of questions that you might:
Will your business thrive in these days of unprecedentedly fickle customers, rampant global competition and warp speed innovation? Is your brand strong enough to survive given these new realities? Do you know where your sales will come from tomorrow? Will your business grow… even if your category shrinks?
As a business growth specialist, I find these to be very exciting times because one of my passions is helping companies determine what will give them a strong, sustainable competitive advantage today and tomorrow along with the best ways of making this a reality… including how to motivate employees to realize this vision.
Over the years I’ve been fortunate to work with many beloved brands and companies (small, large and multinational), in many industries (automotive, banking, grocery retailing, hospitality, manufacturing, medical devices and facilities, telecommunications, travel and tourism, etc.), in multiple sectors, in different countries around the world (Canada, the US, the Caribbean, France, UAE, Kuwait, Qatar and more) – and in some cases, run the company or division, too.
For the past 15 years, I’ve also taught marketing, research and business strategy courses in the MBA program at the Schulich School of Business and am regularly recognized by my students for “Teaching Excellence”. I am also a Faculty Chair in the Strategy Field Study Program, which is the capstone course of the MBA program at Schulich.
