bwagy, the blog of Ben Young

This is the final post for 2011.

Posts have been a bit sporadic of recent, due to an ever increasing timetable, things are back in balance now though.  So we should scream into 2012.

Few things to celebrate with Young & Shand, 290 proposals written in the last year, 250% revenue growth, 1 prototype product, 2 in development.  Couldn’t be more stoked with progress!

How’s your year been?

Time to take some time off, reflect, read some good books, figure a plan of attack for the new year.  Wherever you are – enjoy the festive season.

Look forward to tackling 2012.

Two years ago running a user generated initiative was hard work.  A lot of work for little entries.

Now it’s 10 times easier, getting feedback, pictures, participation.

People feel more confident creating & sharing their personal content.

It’s now a habit, it’s that easy.

If you’ve given it a go in the past but didn’t work, time to rethink.

People speak of Steve Jobs & his reality distortion field.

If you’re in the business of change, it is your job to make it easy.

Break it up, provide the path, make it super easy for people to take the first step & get started.

Ultimately they may go off the path but it’s easy to readjust and get them back on it.

If you can do that, synthesise big ideas, make it easy to understand, get started & take part. You’ll be massively effective.

Paying for the attention of the exact same people over and over.

It’s a habit that marketers have fallen into.  Yes we should use the opportunities available to get our message out there.

But do we really need to keep paying exorbitant sums of money to talk to the same exact people? Probably not.

Simply ask for permission.  Permission to talk to them again.

It doesn’t necessarily mean we stop doing the former, it’s just we are missing out on massive value from the latter, the exact people that want to hear from us, that care about us.

It’s about spreading consumption.

• 2 for 1.
• Happy Hour.
• Early bird.

All mechanisms to flatten the consumption curve, that is pull it up where it lacks.

They’re not only for restaurants & parking either.  You could look at:

• Cheaper rate for longer timeframes.
• Discount for cash upfront.
• Get 2 for 1 if you bring someone who hasn’t been before.
• Cashback if you refer the next customer.

What could you do to change that?

Has it actually?

No really?

If it hasn’t, your initial decision probably still holds true.

If you’re having difficulty getting to a place of understanding step back and look at your assumptions.

Sometimes you need to put more effort into explaining your conclusions & assumptions before you get to your idea.

They’re the platform that you’re idea stands on, if people don’t understand them (or are even aware of them) they won’t get it.  Or see the value.

That is knowing a thing or two about a subject matter.

Sometimes your domain expertise is being a specialist in five different generalist areas (as I’ve talked about here).

But don’t confuse that with expertise in a vertical.

People like Richard Branson are the rare exception however they partner with people that have domain expertise.

If you don’t have it, make sure your partner does.

Time is often the missing component, it’s something none of us have but we all use.

Surprisingly it’s often left out of planning, what is the real cost (or value) of the time that passes? Does it work to our advantage or against it?

It’s also what our customers give us, their time, their attention, we should reward them for that.

Through using up less of it or creating more enjoyment with it.  Either or.

That is, a place where you keep your ideas.

Ideas that are neat, novel but not quite right.  Even the ideas you do execute.

This is standard practice for Creatives, people whose careers live and die by their ideas.  But you don’t have to be one to do it.

It’s like a photo album, helps you see where your ideas have come from, where they’re going but most importantly act as a way of inspiring yourself when you need fresh ideas.

Whether it’s an actual bottom drawer, a notebook or Evernote.  Start it.

Once people understand they can get something last minute, they will.

Decisions will be more impulsive, as less commitment is required, average spend will go up.

I wonder what industries aren’t last minute, that could be.

Managers are having difficulty managing Gen Y.

There are tonnes of reasons why, one that’s no so obvious though is the need for high feedback loops.

Everything around Gen Y has instant feedback, Google, Taking a photo, Playstation.  The one place that isn’t prevalent is the workplace.

It’s actually amazing that here’s a generation that actively seeks and wants feedback so that they can improve!

Don’t get frustrated, work with it and you’ll reap the rewards.

It’s often a great way to achieve the result you desire faster, especially when the result requires input from external parties.

Such as raising money.

Pitching ideas.

Building distribution.

You learn as you go, maintains momentum and inevitably should lead to a conclusion sooner than later.

can make the sale on the spot.

I was reminded of that on a recent trip to Beijing when the classic opening line was “Is this your first time here?”.  A simple question with an obvious answer but it creates a dialog and that’s all they’re keen to do initially.  The sale of course comes later.

I’ve seen the same in many developing countries, they’re good as they can’t afford the procrastination most of us tolerate.  If you ever need some business inspiration, go to one to find how people that have to think (and live) on their feet everyday do it.  You’ll be amazed at what you learn.

And what your organisation adds massive value in.

It’s always a call you have to inevitably make.

A refreshing one though.