Why can not confuse a development strategy with a list of cases
His Work / / December 26, 2019
The development strategy should define how you build your list, but not to them. "Godfather of Silicon Valley" Steve Blank shared his experience.
Steve Blank (Steve Blank)
Entrepreneur, author technique customer development, teaches at leading US universities.
I remember in the early days, when I was vice president of marketing at Ardent, director once invited me to speak. He offered two complex business strategy and asked for the next year and a half, if I can use them both. Immediately I blithely agreed.
The next moment, the director began to shout at me. It turned out they were mutually exclusive strategies. Applying them at the same time, the company would have gone bankrupt. 25 years have passed, but I still remember his words: "You have no idea what is the purpose of marketing, you simply perform a number of tasks, as if it were one big list. Not knowing why you're doing them, you are a danger to us. "
Only later I realized that the strategic part of my work serves two purposes:
- Find a scalable and repeatable business model. It was necessary to test the hypothesis and to understand who the potential customers of the company, what are their problems and needs.
- Build tactical program (promotional materials, trade shows, analytical reports, prospectuses) to direct end-user demand in the company's direct sales channel and also teach employees to sell products company.
Realizing the strategy of their actions, you will clearly see, and your to-do list. You will be able to set priorities, you are planning what to do and when, and immediately notice the conflicting approaches.
Do not do anything without an understanding of the reasons for this action. Otherwise, it will become just another item on your list of tasks.
conclusions
- Entrepreneurs get a lot of great tips.
- Most of these tips are mutually exclusive.
- It is not necessary to follow someone's advice, if you can not explain why you do it.