Solar power has been a topic of discussion and high hopes for decades now. Actually, that is not a very good sign. Solar power technology still needs to “cross the chasm”, to become a widespread technology that can effectively compete with electricity generated from fossil fuels. Success is not so much a matter of popular acceptance of the technology which is high overall, but mostly a matter of cost. Here’s a suitably hot, summer mini-case study on the future of the solar power business.
Archive for the ‘LinkedIn’ Category
Strategic Marketing Case Study: Thin-Film Solar Technology
Monday, June 29th, 20097 Keys To Customer Retention In Tough Times
Wednesday, May 6th, 2009
The customers that have been powering your growth in the good times have the highest potential for being the source of future growth. What can be done in terms of customer retention now to maximize revenue in the tough times and prepare for recovery?
21 Signs That Your Company Is Not Customer-Driven
Monday, April 27th, 2009
Companies talk a lot about being more customer-driven, but it mostly remains just talk. It makes for good PR internally and externally. The question is whether a transition has really been made away from being mostly product-driven. Here is a selection of practical signs that indicate that a focus on products is preventing your company from unlocking real value for customers.
Should Your Company Switch To a Low-Cost Strategy?
Tuesday, April 21st, 2009
When it comes to competitive advantage, the recession is re-dealing the cards. If you suspect that the value your company delivers is seen as being too rich, now is the time to do some forward-looking thinking to decide if the basis on which you are competing needs to change.
Has Your Company Fallen Into One of These Four Strategic Traps?
Tuesday, April 14th, 2009
For a management team, it is hard to accept that a strategy that was birthed after so much work, discussion, and compromise is leading to limited growth, or worse. That is the predicament that many SMBs find themselves in, and it can be painfully apparent especially in these times. Here is a framework that describes four common strategic traps, some of them uglier than others, identified by examining the combination of two strategic biases (see diagram). (more…)
So Little SMM Budget, So Many SMM Experts
Thursday, April 9th, 2009
Those who have accumulated some early knowledge about Social Media Marketing (SMM) bemoan the number of self-proclaimed experts that crowd this new field. Indeed, thousands of Internet professionals are trying to capitalize on the spectacularly successful platform for marketing purposes. It is also true that much of the “expertise” out there is pretty generic and that the myriad blogs and comments often add little original insight. (more…)
Marketing vs. Sales: How do Porcupines Mate?
Tuesday, April 7th, 2009
The litany of stories illustrating the often sour relationship between Sales and Marketing never seems to end. It really should not be so, although some of it is probably inevitable. After all, both groups have a lot of passion all of which is directed towards achieving an identical objective: more revenue.
In This Economy, Does Your Value Proposition Still Hold?
Thursday, April 2nd, 2009
The news is full of stories of companies “battening down the hatches”, going into “cash conservation mode”, and making deep cost reductions in an effort to survive the real or expected drop in demand. This retreat reflex drives business decisions that feel like the right thing to do at the moment. But, statistically, for many companies these measures will prove insufficient (more…)
Six Reasons Why The Future Belongs to Content
Monday, March 30th, 2009
There seems to be a growing concern that the importance of content will wane because technology now enables everyone to be a content creator, and consequently, that there will be too much content for any particular piece to be noticed. While the situation is certainly changing fast and will remain very fluid, it is doubtful that we are moving to a reduced role for content. Here are six reasons why: (more…)
Market Research by Product Launch: When Does It Make Sense?
Tuesday, March 24th, 2009
We all know of companies that put products out in the marketplace like the proverbial spaghetti tossed against the wall just to see if “it sticks”. Spotty planning and tentative execution usually lead to mixed results and perplexity as to what to do next.
But are there circumstances when a solid case can be made for the “let’s see if it sticks” approach? What if throwing spaghetti had real value? (more…)
