Article
What’s Your Recession Playbook?
Recently a client asked Blue Canyon, “There is a lot of uncertainty right now – we’ve…
Is Price Conflict Disrupting Your Strategic Account Relationships?
Imagine that your company has put in place a bold new plan for growth. The plan…
China’s Future Competitive Environment
‘No Time for Losers’—Is Samsung a precedent? Note: This article is part three of a three…
How to Develop an Effective B2B Brand Strategy
Effective brand strategy is critical for business success. Companies in the B2C world make this abundantly…
Growth Choices: Which Business Units Offer the Greatest Potential?
The lyrics to The Gambler focus on choices: “Know when to hold ’em, know when to…
Houston We’ve Got a Problem
The phrase used as the title to this article, taken from the communication by the crew…
Simple Answers and Hard Tasks
Former President Ronald Reagan once said, “There are no easy answers, but there are simple answers.”…
Newton Was the One Who Asked 'Why?'
I recently had the opportunity to work with a client that had decided to implement a…
If I Were You…
In the new television series Touch, the main character Martin Bohm advises another “I wouldn’t do…
How to Crush the Competition with Customer Service
Price and product quality can only go so far. Value-added services can help manufacturers differentiate themselves…
Sometimes, What You See Is NOT What You Get
In an earlier article on the challenges of managing changes to a firm’s business model, I…
Thinking About China’s Global 500
How China has combined socialism and market forces is seen vividly in the Global 500 list….
Pay Attention to Your Premarket
A number of years ago, I worked with an automotive parts manufacturer, in the division that…
Are Surprises Foolish Things?
I recently had an appointment with a physician who had also been a friend for some…
Planning Change and Leading Change
A senior human resources executive in a large manufacturing firm recently made the following comment at…
Three Essential Growth-Planning Targets for 2013
Make sure your customer is the right ‘fit’ and look beyond mature markets to boost sales…
Manufacturing’s Future in the US
The U.S. is still a market of consequence for the world’s manufacturing companies. What remains uncertain…
China Takes on the Global 500
Fortune just released the list of the 500 largest firms in the world.[1] To us the…
You Thought Globalization Was Hard? It’s Getting Harder.
In an earlier research project on the challenges of making changes to a firm’s business model,…
The Leadership Challenge in Becoming Customer-Facing
The April 26, 2012 issue of Industry Week featured an article titled New Celanese Chief Pushes…
The Challenges of Surrounding Products with Services
Recently, I had the opportunity to work with a manufacturing client that was part of a…
Taking Dashboards out of Wonderland
“When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, “it means just…
The Future Market For Second Mouse Companies
Will Chinese companies begin to evolve and be more like its Western competitors? Note: This article…
Every Road Will Get You Nowhere
In the past several years, second only to a renewed focus on emerging markets, “developing a…
Posing Provocative Questions
Bono, U2’s lead vocalist, once observed “We thought that we had the answers, it was the…
Ten Key Roles of a B2B Corporate Marketing Function
Several months ago a senior marketing executive from a global business-to-business corporation shared the following experience:…
There Is Money to Be Made in Mice
In a recent meeting with one of the partners in a venture capital firm, he cited…
Earning a Return on Your “Relationship Fund”
The case study that follows started off a number of years ago with a quite troubling…
Finding Growth Opportunities During Lackluster Times
Whether or not businesses anticipate lackluster earnings results during the first half of the year, the…
The Sales You Didn’t Make
Bill Gates once said “Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning”. In that…