Most eyes were on the world’s leaders this past weekend as they sought to limit the devastating effect of the downgrading of the United States financial rating. Meanwhile in Las Vegas a weekend contest dealt with a topic of almost equal concern. The world’s largest hacking convention showed one reason why big corporations seem to be such easy prey for cyber criminals: their workers are poorly trained in security.
Adam Bryant has an intriguing article in the New York Times covering Google’s Quest to Build a Better Boss. As a Google-phile rather than a Google-phobe, it covers a topic that I am delighted is being covered by Google.
Outside in is perhaps the best pair of words to express that you are looking at something from a different perspective. It is a very short way of suggesting that the view is coming from a different direction. The words are being used currently in a number of different and interesting ways.
Although you might assume we are about to discuss that new Ford Focus automobile, that is the resultant of what we really want to talk about.
The word focus is what Peter Drucker felt so strongly about that he emphasized it three times: focus, focus, focus. Although it is clearly essential advice for small and mid-sized companies, it is equally applicable in mega corporations too.
According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, that is what Ford’s Renaissance Man is now pushing.
Alan Mulally, an engineer from Boeing, arrived three-and-a-half years ago when Ford seemed on death’s door. It suffered a $12.6 billion loss in 2006, when industry-wide car sales were strong. But in 2009, Ford became the only U.S. car company to avoid bankruptcy, and posted a $2.7 billion profit. After plunging below $2 a share a year ago the company’s stock is now bumping $12.
“Improve Focus, Simplify Operations,” is for Mr. Mulally a sacred mantra. Soon after his arrival Ford began shedding brands – Jaguar, Land Rover and Aston Martin among them – that the company couldn’t afford to support. Volvo will be next to go. Meanwhile, the core Ford brand got an investment infusion to replace aging cars and revive a model lineup that had been heavily tilted toward gas-guzzling trucks.
In the process, Ford cut its number of global platforms, or chassis, to eight from more than 20, and the number of nameplates to 25 from 97. Each platform and model involves hundreds of millions of dollars of engineering costs, which translated to billions of losses when Ford couldn’t sell enough of each model.
Product-development chief Derrick Kuzak is methodically implementing the “One Ford” strategy of developing cars in a single region (say Europe, or North America) and selling them globally, instead of developing slightly different cars in each region at enormous extra cost. The first of these, the subcompact Fiesta, was engineered in Europe and will arrive in the United States this summer. In 2011, we will see a new version of a slightly larger car, the compact Focus, also engineered in Europe and designed as a global car from the start.
It’s all another triumph for that KISS principle. As Albert Einstein said, “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.”
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=39ce3600-93c4-4b2f-a0a0-fdd6617b2fa5)
Most posts on this blog derive from incidents and events that come up on my radar screen. I was delighted to see that one of my online friends, Rand Fishkin, was Bringing SEO to Small Business in Scotland.
I spent a day with small business owners in Glasgow, Scotland teaching the basics of online marketing and SEO. It was a remarkable experience to be faced with such a different crowd than what I’m used to. As a comparison, the week prior, I’d been in Mountain View presenting to the Silicon Valley Search Engine Roundtable, comprised of heads of SEO and marketing directors from Fortune 500 companies – all very savvy operators.
This was all in support of a program, Online Xcellence, sponsored by the Scottish government and organized by Brian Mathers, a real enthusiast in the search marketing world.
Two things came to mind as I read this post. The first was that this is another example of the generosity that Rand Fishkin so often displays. This not surprisingly permeates the culture in the company he founded, SEOmoz. It is part of what they call the TAGFEE Tenets. The acronym stands for:
Recently SEOmoz has taken a new direction and a new focus: The End of Consulting: A New Partnership & Our Focus on Software
Today I have two very big announcements. First, SEOmoz is exiting the consulting business to focus exclusively on our software model. And, second, we have an expanded partnership with Distilled (new US site: Distilled LLC), who’ll be taking over many of our consulting clients and opening offices here in Seattle. I’m going to … add detail on why we’re so bullish about the SEO software market.
I will have more to say on this change in a future post. What I wished to comment on in this post was the indication that Scottish entrepreneurs think online search engine marketing is central to future success.
Indeed it is. However there is a topic that is even more essential and must be discussed prior to this. It is the whole question of strategy. It can be called a marketing strategy since unless a company works well in its market place, it will not survive. I find that many companies slide by this question and do not answer the tough questions that deciding on strategy should pose. As Michael Porter, the strategy guru, said, strategy is about what you must say no to. It’s all about focus, focus, focus.
All this is by way of introduction to the E-Book, Marketing Right Now. This is now available as a free download. (This is a 1 Mb PDF file so please be patient.) Although it is intended for entrepreneurs and SOHOs (small office, home office), there are many big companies that could benefit from the rules set out in this slim book.
Some readers will find this book challenging. It has some very simple rules which most would accept as important and yet they do not apply them. Growing a business should take you out of your comfort zone. Unless you do that, you are not likely to succeed. This book’s chapter headings can give you a checklist of the key steps you must take to have a chance of being successful. Why not download it now and see what you should be doing differently.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=bea1c05b-2da4-4ac2-bce8-689ed414a2dd)
Marketing Right Now was originally an 8-part blog series that appeared on the Cre8asite Flow blog in the fall of 2008.
It now has been updated and brought together in one place in an e-book (PDF file). Here are more details on the Marketing Right Now e-book. The aim is to help entrepreneurs and SOHO (small office, home office) workers start their business in the right way and then grow it successfully. It covers all aspects of this in a concise 55 pages.
It is intended as a work book, which is the reason for presenting this as an e-book. It discusses throughout what are the success keys of business and in an Annex presents these keys to success in a single page work sheet. It does suggest ways of doing extra reading, but the action-oriented entrepreneur will find the essential first steps are covered so that the action plan can start quickly.
Why is this book different from all the others that appear so frequently? The major difference is that this is geared for rapid action rather than slow and leisurely planning.
There are also three important principles that influence how actions should be taken:
One reaction to an e-book may be to question why it is not free. There are so many things written on the Internet that are free. Why would someone not explore those?
Well of course they can but their own time must be factored into the equation. It is the principle that Chris Anderson discusses in his book, Free: The Future of a Radical Price
The advantage of an e-book is that you know exactly what you are paying for. Many sources of marketing information are put behind walls and you must pay a monthly entry fee to have access. One cannot be sure exactly what is the ROI for such more hefty investments, but usually there are a few glowing customer references to encourage you to enter the door.
If you want to get a better appreciation of such ‘closed gardens’, Chris Garrett wrote a description of how he Built His Authority Blogger Member Site. As he says there is a good deal of interest in Teaching Sells and membership sites in general, so he wanted to set out how you can easily create your own membership site using WordPress.
Membership sites are certainly one possibility if you think you will have the time and dedication (and money) to follow all that they have to offer and then take the necessary actions. If you are not sure about what is in that ‘brown paper bag’, then a more appropriate way to go may be a modestly priced e-book that covers all you need.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=c868cefb-cb69-4385-9127-3ce3e890ab4b)
All the headlines this morning confirm that Microsoft, Yahoo agree on long-sought search deal:
Microsoft Corp. has finally roped Yahoo Inc. into an Internet search partnership, capping a convoluted pursuit that dragged on for years and finally setting the stage for them to make a joint assault against the dominance of Google Inc.
The 10-year deal announced Wednesday gives Microsoft access to the Internet’s second-largest search engine audience, adding a potentially potent weapon to the software maker’s Internet arsenal as it tries to better confront Google, which is by far the leader in online search and advertising. Microsoft didn’t have to give Yahoo an upfront payment to make it happen, as many Yahoo investors had hoped.
It will take up to 2 years to get put in place, so don’t expect sudden changes. It’s the kind of headline to yawn about.
There’s another headline that really should be getting all the attention: Google Pulls Apple from Search Results. Since it is the kind of headline that cool thought may attempt to bury, here is the start of the story:
Perhaps the final paragraph of the story, although humorous, may correctly indicate the seriousness of this item:
Some industry analysts think the retaliatory moves could result in all-out war like back in 1939, when a Polish sausage company stopped using pork from Germany. In response Germany invaded. “We don’t want another situation like that,” said Bank of America’s George Pendry.
It all confirms that the company which has set as its high ideal to catalogue all knowledge while doing no evil is driven by the advertising bottom line. Relevancy of results takes second place to that.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=6c1b3460-ca76-49ea-ab78-974fec17b5d5)
During the global financial crisis, one might question whether currency markets followed traditional patterns. Now according to the Guardian U.S. dollar slides as other currencies strengthen.
The dollar hit its lowest level in more than four months against a basket of major currencies on Wednesday, continuing its slide as investors stuck to the view that the worst of the global financial crisis had passed. That reduced safe-haven demand for the dollar and bolstered assets perceived to have higher risk, such as emerging market currencies, including commodity-based units such as the Australian and New Zealand dollars.
This view that the Fundamentals Are Returning to Currency Trading was a widely held view:
Not only did the currencies rally versus the dollar yesterday, but gold and silver took part in the proceedings too! It’s been a long time since we’ve seen this happen. For the most part, whenever the currencies (minus yen) rallied, gold would back off, and vice versa… Not yesterday! For the first time in a long time, the negativity toward the dollar was front and center.
A return to more normal currency markets does not reduce the risk involved in currency trading. Trading foreign currencies on margin carries a high level of risk, and may not be suitable for all investors. Before investing in forex currency trading you should carefully consider your investment objectives, your level of experience, and your appetite for risk. You should not invest money that you cannot afford to lose. You should seek advice from an independent financial advisor if you are in two minds about this.
If you do want to get involved in currency trading, then you may well wish to use forex trading software, which can provide all the background knowledge you wish to have and analysis of your trading actions.
With the right forex charts, you can better analyse trading patterns and spot trends and deviations. This ongoing analysis of what is happening in the foreign exchange currency markets is essential if you are to manage the risk that is involved in currency trading.
This is a guest post by Ben Johnson of Logoinn, custom logo design service provider based in the UK.
Have you ever wondered when and why people felt the need to create logos to stand out from others? The history of logo designing dates back more than 2,000 years when the Ancient Greeks used to have ciphers on their coins. They carved in different designs on different coins just to give them an identity and recognition. This practice proved to be very effective in distinguishing between coins from different regions. The importance of logo designing became even stronger in the pre-industrial era, when many people began to get involved in barter trade. At that time, everything that was sold or bought carried a signature stamp that differentiated one trader from another.
The next evolution was that people expanded their trading activities and set up companies for their trading. Just as traders felt the need to identify themselves, companies also wished to have instant recognition.
Logos have stood the test of time and if anything, there is now an even stronger need for logo designing. IBM is a great case study to see how one company has adopted this idea of creating an identity and instant recognition for itself and how much this logo has been modified over time.
IBM is perhaps the most recognized name in the field of IT products and services. But, people may not realize that it was not IBM when it started its operations in 1888. Its name then was the International Time Recording Company (ITR), whose major products were mechanical time recorders, invented and patented by William L. Bundy. This is ITR’s initial logo with its initial letters, ITR, inscribed on it.
In 1891, ITR decided to make changes in its logo again and came up with this. The changes they made were quite complex and the logo was not easy to understand at a glance. Nevertheless this logo lasted for 20 years till they made a merger with another company.
Later in 1911, ITR was merged with the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company and as a result the company had to modify the logo. Clearly companies must alter their logos to reflect the changes they are undergoing and the evolving IBM is a really good example. When one company merges with another company, they need to create a new identity to signal the change to the rest of the world.
However, in 1924, the company wished to signal an expanded business role. The ornate, rococo letters that formed the ‘CTR’ logo were replaced by the words ‘International Business Machines’ which were written in more contemporary sans-serif type font. The design of it was arranged to have the look of a globe, which confirmed the company’s intention to be ‘International’.
Over 20 years later in 1947, International Business Machines (IBM) decided to eliminate the globe from its logo. Besides this, they also had a major change in their business; they expanded from the punched-card tabulating business to the new world of computers. The typeface of this logo was called Beton Bold. The logo was cut short to IBM alone.
After 9 years, in 1956, Thomas J. Watson appointed Tom Watson Jr. as the CEO. As soon as he took over, he decided to change the logo of the company. He hired Paul Rand, who was a famous logo designer. He asked Paul to make subtle changes to the current logo and make it more solid, grounded and balanced. He wanted a logo, which would be an evolution of their logo and not a design which would look entirely different.
So, IBM retained the basic design of their logo and made a subtle change of filling black color in place of white in the letters to give it a solid look. Later Paul Rand decided to design another logo with horizontal stripes on it which depicted ‘Speed and Dynamism’. He also changed the color as well.
After that the logo has remained basically the same, with just a color change. It was blue previously, and this is now changed to black. However, there have been no design alterations in the logo.
There are several lessons that can be drawn from the evolution of the IBM logo design. There are countless other companies who have also gone through major alterations in their logos. Any business owner must realize that your logo needs to be refreshed from time to time in line with changing business goals and objectives. Only in that way can the world have the best image of your company and what it offers.
The way logos evolve is a fascinating study. If you are struck by other examples of how particular company logos have evolved with time, why not add your thoughts in a comment.
A global recession such as we are all suffering is not easy for anyone. Some companies will not survive since sloppy business practices only work in good times. The half-full glass can thus be seen as a time of opportunity for the survivors who apply high performance practices. On the other side of the recession, the survivors will be in good shape and will have less competition.
That message is to be found in a Business Interview in The Hindu: Hard-edged diagnostic of business is critical in a downturn. The Four Laws in the book, ‘Breakthrough Imperative – How the Best Managers achieve outstanding results’, are fundamental.
Mr Mark A. Gottfredson, a co-author of the book, and a Partner in Bain & Company, Inc., US, affirms that the Four Laws are timeless concepts that work in economic boom times and in times of downturns. A performance improvement diagnostic using the four laws will identify the key imperatives for surviving the downturn and for gaining advantage as the market turns back up.
The Four Laws in a way reflect a view on what is happening around and outside the company. The Balanced Scorecard approach (bsc) suggests that the organization should consider its strategy with respect to four key dimensions, rather than only the Financial dimension. These dimensions are:
A downturn bsc forces a more holistic view of performance as organizations develop and review their strategic objectives, rather than just adopting a shedding-assets and cutting costs approach. Taking the right corrective actions in line with your recession scorecard means that the organization will be in the best possible shape once the recession passes.
Weaker competitors who do not adopt this downturn scorecard approach will either not survive or will have fallen back in their competitivity. The Chinese curse says, ‘May you live in interesting times’. Provided you take the right steps that curse can signal an opportunity.
This is one of the SMM blogs. Contact us for Local SEO and Social Media Marketing (Google+, Facebook, Twitter) for SMBs and NPOs in Langley, Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley.
Can You Have More Sales, Too?Helping over 102,000+ businesses like yours raise profits and build customer relationships using AWeber's opt-in email marketing software for over 10 years.
Take a Free Test Drive today!
