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Page 1CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY© 2008 Goodmail Systems, Inc
You Can’t Bore People Into Buying
Why Courage and Creativity Are Good Strategies
March 18, 2010
Peter C. Horan
Chairman
Goodmail Systems, Inc.
Page 2CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY© 2008 Goodmail Systems, Inc
Thank you for your sponsorship
Page 3CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY© 2008 Goodmail Systems, Inc
My Five Revolutions
I have been “in the streets” in the early days of five major technology revolutionsHome video gamesPCsCell PhonesWindows computingInternet
Page 4CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY© 2008 Goodmail Systems, Inc
“If I’d asked people what they wanted--they would have told me faster horses”
-- Henry Ford,
inventor and industrialist
Page 5CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY© 2008 Goodmail Systems, Inc
An Oxymoron? Corporate Courage It’s almost impossible to research the future Focus groups can’t define your strategy and
products for youBetter at describing problems than solutions
If research can “prove” the future it will have become the present…and it will be too late
The future belongs to companies with the courage to “take a leap in the dark”
Page 6CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY© 2008 Goodmail Systems, Inc
Example 1: iPod
In 2001 there were already 30 mp3 players There was even an industry leader,
the Creative Labs Rio There were standards Everyone was focused on
incremental improvements
Conventional wisdom said that the world didn’t need another mp3 player
Apple offered things the consumers needed but hadn’t asked for: style; better interface; excitement
Page 7CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY© 2008 Goodmail Systems, Inc
Example 2: Quicken
When Quicken launched, there were already 40 personal finance packages
No one asked for another one There were the usual feature wars Intuit realized that consumers were
still frustrated and unhappy They reinvented the category by
using the ordinary checkbook as the metaphor
Results: One of the few consumer software companies that didn’t get crushed by Microsoft
Page 8CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY© 2008 Goodmail Systems, Inc
Five Success Factors1. Make the Edge your new center
2. Embrace consumers as advocates
3. Learn how to make good decisions faster
4. Make powerful mobile apps a top priority
5. Test and measure– but only the right things
Page 9CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY© 2008 Goodmail Systems, Inc
Lever 1: The Edge of the Network is Your New Center
• In five years you may not even have a meaningful .com site• Instead, you will have multiple points of presence in the world
drawing on IP technology• Push content, commerce and functionality to the edge of the
network • Design programs from the edge of the network in—not from
your office out
Page 10CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY© 2008 Goodmail Systems, Inc
Page 11CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY© 2008 Goodmail Systems, Inc
Lever 2: Embrace Customers As Advocates
The ultimate edge of the network The volume and velocity of “word
of mouth” is growing exponentially Consumers trust peers as much
or more than “experts” Brands are built by passionate
advocates who “sell” their friends Brands are crushed by detractors
Page 12CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY© 2008 Goodmail Systems, Inc
Look Who’s Talking
Page 13CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY© 2008 Goodmail Systems, Inc
Lever 3: Good Decisions Faster “Do things quickly but never hurry”Actively monitor conversations on the social
web about your productsJoin the conversation as a participant not a
broadcaster
Page 14CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY© 2008 Goodmail Systems, Inc
Getting It Right
Google launched the Buzz feature and immediately triggered complaints
Actively monitored the conversations and responded
Quickly turned the tide
Page 15CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY© 2008 Goodmail Systems, Inc
The best day to invest in mobile is yesterday Don’t allow mindless, derivative apps Demand functionality, personalization and location-based programmingHow do you speak to your customers if you know their
identity, location, interests and time of day?New Lucky Magazine app
Lever 4: Make Mobile Apps A Top Priority
Page 16CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY© 2008 Goodmail Systems, Inc
You are what you measure Compensation measurement.
Measurement drives behavior Most corporate measurement strategies reward:
Conservatism “Fighting the last war” Efficiency at the expense of effectiveness
It’s all about the data going forward Design measurement plans that reward activities
that build your future business
Lever 5: Test and Measure The Right Things
Page 17CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY© 2008 Goodmail Systems, Inc
“If you don't like change, you're going to like irrelevance even less. ”
-- General Eric Shinseki, Chief of Staff, U. S.
Army