Customer-Focus
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…
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…
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…
Assessing Market Opportunities for a New Technology
The Challenge: Our client acquired a specialized firm with the belief that its product, a unique…
Taking Dashboards out of Wonderland
“When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, “it means just…
Pinpointing Growth Opportunities for An Agriculture Equipment Manufacturer
Challenge: An agricultural equipment manufacturer wanted to understand why it was seeing a slipping market share…
A High-Tech Healthcare Equipment Supplier Looks to Counter Competition by Offering Solutions
The Challenge: Our client, a major provider of high-technology equipment to the healthcare market, was experiencing…
Market Exploration of Wind Power Market
The Challenge: Our client was looking to grow its business in the wind power market. Blue…
Defining Market Structure and Opportunities for Value Creation for Utility Equipment Supplier
The Challenge: Our client, a supplier of switch equipment to the utility industry, was interested in…
Acquisition Target Fit Assessment in the Commercial Vehicle Aftermarket
The Challenge: Our client, a provider of aftermarket products for trucks and automobiles, had a high…
Uncovering Growth Opportunities in the Heavy-Duty Vehicle Market
The Challenge: Our client had historically grown successfully in the heavy-duty vehicle equipment market, but had…
Opportunities and Threats Analysis for a Supplier of Components to the Refrigerated Transportation Industry
The Challenge: Our client, a global manufacturer of refrigeration solutions, was looking to better understand the technology…
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:…
Finding Growth Opportunities During Lackluster Times
Whether or not businesses anticipate lackluster earnings results during the first half of the year, the…
Don’t Forget "How"
Recently, I worked with a client that was implementing a new “customer partnering” initiative that provided…
Where’s The Beef?
Many years ago, in a course on information theory, I learned that one way to measure…
Whatever Happened To Growth?
Earlier this year, one of our clients invited us to participate in an off-site meeting involving…
Mistakes That Could Have Been Avoided
As we begin to climb slowly out of the deepest, darkest recession on recent record, it’s…
Implementation Competencies: Creating Long-Term Growth Foundations
A global industrial systems company found that its business environment was shifting rapidly. The firm had…
In-Career Education and Implementation Competencies
Rudy Giuliani once noted that “Change is not a destination, just as hope is not a…
If Speaking Is Silver, Then Listening Is Gold
A recent project provided an opportunity to examine the relationships between a machinery manufacturer and the…
If You Have Too Many Priorities, You Have None
The wisdom inherent in the frequently heard statement “If you have too many priorities, you have…
Learning from the Fast Learners
In previous articles[1], we’ve written about the emerging competitors from China, firms that are beginning to…
Your 2012 Plans: Preparing for the Uncertainty of the New Year
What is the outlook for next year’s economic growth? It’s the $64,000 question. In the United…
Turn Your Customer Into A Partner
Most companies invest a significant level of resources in activities designed to identify business partners and…
Ready, Fire, Aim!
George F. Brown, Jr. identifies four themes for business growth in 2012, and offers his unique…