Six Imperatives for the Next Normal
December 17, 2020
No one really knows how the Covid crisis is going to end. But following an initial period of retrenchment, most tech management teams today appear to be re-jigging their growth strategy, having seen how some tech companies have benefited from the dramatic flight to working online and increased e-commerce. In collaboration with colleagues at Firebrick Consulting, we produced a “manifesto” describing six strategic imperatives for CEOs and their staffs to consider. Each of us volunteered three critical imperatives. I’ve described my three imperatives in recent articles, and here are Firebrick’s three recommendations...
RECENT POSTS
Segmentation is ‘In’ Again!
November 27, 2020
No one would profess to know exactly how the world economy will look once the Coronavirus pandemic has run its course. But there are already clear indicators of what it takes for tech companies to succeed in the current downturn. Alongside a strong focus on customer business processes broken by Covid and a focus on expanding customer commitments (and wallet share) rather than chasing new logos, segmentation is a key focus for CEOs and management teams that want to achieve growth in spite of the Covid crisis.
If You’re Not Fixing Someone’s Leaky Pipe, What Are You in Business for?
August 3, 2020
It’s no news that the C19 pandemic has caused a sharp once-in-a-lifetime business downturn. Like consumers, businesses everywhere have abruptly retrenched, reducing their household or operating expenses and postponing new outlays in order to conserve resources. Despite this newly hostile environment, tech companies that plug serious leaks in their customers’ critical business processes can still prosper, while those whose products are seen as non-essential “vitamins” are suffering. So what critical leaks do you solve in your customers’ “leaky pipe”?
Why Now’s the Time to Get Customer Success Right
June 5, 2020
2010-2019 was a key decade of growth for enterprise-focused SaaS businesses, and this continued into 2020. At least, until the Covid-19 crisis hit. Now, instead of favoring the pursuit of new logos while frequently neglecting their existing customers, the time has come to really invest in customer success instead of just pretending to do so.
Zoom – The Latest Product to Become a Verb
March 31, 2020
In recent weeks Zoom has rapidly overtaken competitors to become the videoconferencing app of choice for business, government, and individual users as a result of the confluence between the Covid-19 pandemic and the massive spike in demand for an effective way of staying in touch with loved ones or conducting meetings from enforced social distancing or self-isolation in their homes. What explains Zoom’s success, and what risks must Zoom avoid if it is to solidify its leadership?