We all aim to have a five star rating for our online reviews. It stands to reason that the higher the average review, the more trust consumers will place in our brand. My MBA dissertation centered on market entry strategies for online retailers. Even back in 2005/2006 it was plainly evident that … [Read more...] about Why reviews matter for online sales
CRM Sales Leads versus Opportunities
Often, that which appears straightforward, becomes very complicated. On the train this morning, three school kids were debating whether a BMW with M3 seats is an M3 even if the engine isn’t an M3 engine. I wasn’t particularly interested in the content of the heated exchange however it did highlight … [Read more...] about CRM Sales Leads versus Opportunities
How to Map Brand Positioning
Last week I posted an article explaining the basics of Product and Brand Positioning (a marketing concept). I have received several messages asking for techniques for evaluating positioning. Below therefore is a tutorial of how to map your brand or product against that of a competitor. In this … [Read more...] about How to Map Brand Positioning
Product Positioning Explained
Product Positioning is about consistency in consumer perception. It is a marketing concept popularised by Ries and Trout in their 1980s book ‘Positioning: The Battle for your Mind’. Very simply, Positioning is about creating an identity in the mind of the consumer; Consumers have vast choice of … [Read more...] about Product Positioning Explained
ITIL as a Framework
ITIL is not a set of instructions. It is a set of recommendations based on best practice. The ITIL ‘books’ describe how, at a high level, IT Service Delivery processes should be structured and interact. No two IT service environments are the same and IT service contracts vary greatly therefore it is … [Read more...] about ITIL as a Framework
The Theory of Constraints – in Plain English
The Theory of Constraints (TOC) is a Quality Management System originally introduced by Dr. Eliyahu M. Goldratt in the book called The Goal (1984). TOC uses the ‘Five Focusing Steps’ which is also termed the ‘Process of Ongoing Improvement’. TOC is powerful in that it is logical and, in many ways, … [Read more...] about The Theory of Constraints – in Plain English
Procedures, Processes and Levels Defined
A lot of my work is spent designing and implementing ITIL processes. The one common denominator with all customers I work with is a lack of understanding that processes have various levels and that there is a substantial difference between a process and a procedure (or work instruction). Even if the … [Read more...] about Procedures, Processes and Levels Defined
ITIL, Quality Management and The Theory of Constraints
The Theory of Constraints (TOC) as offered by Eli Goldratt is a very powerful conceptual as well as practical tool of which every Business Analyst should be aware. Many MBA programs recommend the reading of ‘The Goal’ (authored by Goldratt) and cover the core elements of TOC in Operations Management … [Read more...] about ITIL, Quality Management and The Theory of Constraints
Five Steps to Improve your ITIL implementation
"Leading Change: Why Transformation Efforts Fail" published in the Harvard Business Review and authored by John Kotter is the definitive guide to the few steps critical to transformation success. Below are five specific additional steps which will greatly improve an organizations ITIL … [Read more...] about Five Steps to Improve your ITIL implementation