Disruption Tour --- Run To Survive

ON THE GLOBAL FOOD CRISIS

from mashable.com

thegies writes hmmm...175 Billion spend on advertising in the US in 2007 and $165 Billion being thrown in the trash or into landfills due to ineffectiveness.  I wonder what a difference reallocating this money would make to many social issues? Check out http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=323832500

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

The Economist has a timely cover story on the current global food price inflation and resulting unrest.  Here's how they describe the harsh human reality:

"...by almost any measure, the human suffering is likely to be vast. In El Salvador the poor are eating only half as much food as they were a year ago. Afghans are now spending half their income on food, up from a tenth in 2006.

On a conservative estimate, food-price rises may reduce the spending power of the urban poor and country people who buy their own food by 20% (in some regions, prices are rising by far more). Just over 1 billion people live on $1 a day, the benchmark of absolute poverty; 1.5 billion live on $1 to $2 a day.

Bob Zoellick, the president of the World Bank, reckons that food inflation could push at least 100m people into poverty, wiping out all the gains the poorest billion have made during almost a decade of economic growth."

In particular the article does a good job on outlining the myriad market forces than have brought us to this point, and an cogent examination of how market forces may get us out.  As the article points out:

"In the short run, humanitarian aid, social-protection programmes and trade policies will determine how well the world copes with these problems. But in the medium term the question is different: where does the world get more food from?

If the extra supplies come mainly from large farmers in America, Europe and other big producers, then the new equilibrium may end up looking much like the old one, with world food depending on a small number of suppliers and—possibly—trade distortions and food dumping."

But the longer-term answers are not that clear, given the complexity of the many disparate global trends that are coming together at an inopportune time. We need to understand the issues and the problems before we can start to figure out the opportunities and solutions.

Definitely worth a weekend read.

Veteran Producers Turn To Web...

The creative minds behind such TV shows as ''Thirtysomething'' and ''My So-Called Life'' are launching a Web-based show, hoping to find the artistic freedom online that they say is lacking on broadcast networks.

The show, called ''Quarterlife,'' will debut Nov. 11 on MySpace.com and will also be paired with its own social networking site that will include story extras as well as career, romance and other information for the show's young audience.

Centered on a group of recent college graduates, the show started as a pilot for an ABC series called ''1/4 Life.'' It aired once in 2005 and was pulled because of creative differences between the network and creators Marshall Herskovitz and Edward Zwick.

With the explosion of online video and the migration to the Web of such well-known artists as Will Ferrell, Harry Shearer and Bill Murray, Herskovitz and Zwick decided to resurrect the show and give it a cyber twist.

The TV veterans were also attracted by the chance to have full creative control of the project and retain ownership, which could produce greater profit for them if the show becomes popular.

''It's a gamble,'' Herskovitz said. ''We want to prove there is another way to independently create and distribute content.''

The show's 36 episodes will air exclusively on MySpace, which has more than 110 million users worldwide. Additional content, including character profiles, will also appear on MySpace, which is owned by News Corp.

Each episode will be about 8 minutes long with two episodes debuting each week. The producers and

From Technologyreview.com

MySpace will share revenue from ads that will run in the video. Additional revenue will come from product placement deals, Herskovitz said.

In a new wrinkle, the show also will have its own social networking site called quarterlife.com.

Sending viewers in a loop back and forth from episode to the site could help build an audience, Forrester Research analyst Josh Bernoff said.

''If you create a place where your fans can gather and talk, then you reinforce their coming back and make it possible for them to recruit other people,'' Bernoff said.

Bernoff said there is room for professionally-created content online. But the Internet is still decades away from commanding the audiences, and thus the profits, that TV can.

''Making the big time still means being on television,'' Bernoff said.

The Permissions Mirror

Are you aware how marketing “surround sound” is affecting your customers?

When was it you even thought about your Permissions Mirror?

OK---why am I ranting---well here is a personal story. Since it is an attractive time to refinance my home, I applied for home refinancing. After agreeing to share my credit score with the refinancing company, I was bombarded, over a two week period, with more than 70 (yes 70) telemarketing calls to my home. Additionally, I have received no less than 50 refinancing solicitations in the mail, 40 email promotions along with 10 annoying calls to my mobile phone.  NONE of this “surround sound” attention was authorized by me “the consumer.”  NONE of it.

Give me a break---and BOY was I PO’d!  (harsher words are more appropriate) 

Then a day later, I bought a piece of merchandise from an apparel mail order company.  Their name is one of the nation’s most trusted brands. Hmmm---now I am receiving catalogs (so many my mail box is stuffed) from companies I do not know and do not want to do business with.  Please!!!

Did the company I love to do business (or maybe used to love) ask me for my permission to do any of this?  NOPE!  But they did it. Yup!

Will they continue?---keep reading---

And what’s worse, I just don’t know how to shut off this stuff.  I thought I did but what used to work (even being in the business) just doesn’t work anymore and if you think the DMA (Direct Marketing Association’s Mail Preference File) can help; think again.

Imagine how frustrating this must be for your customer without insider information?

Of course, you know why this is happening --- it’s all about MONEY --- lot’s of it, as companies like the refinance and the apparel company are being paid handsomely (up to $3+ for every name on their 12 month database) to tread on permissions or more sadly to abuse them.

Oh--- Geez--- I forget to mention above that I signed up for another company’s electronic e-newsletter and, I shouldn’t be surprised, I am already receiving electronic offer after offer, which has now turned into several every week.

So after analyzing all this insanity including my mailbox glut, annoying cell phone solicitations and mountains of email, I started to wonder when did business STOP looking into its Permissions Mirror?

And as a consumer, I began to wonder, when did I give them permission?

Who did I give permission too?

Which companies took my permission from me?

Will I ever be able to get my permissions back?

Who will help me get my permissions back?

In Phil Rosensweig’s book “The Halo Effect and Eight Other Business Delusions That Managers Face”, Phil discusses nine management delusions.  I am presenting the second group of three below.  Recall last week, I presented the first group.  You can review them at http://thegies.typepad.com/runtosurvive/thegiesrevision/index.html

Delusion Four: The Delusion of Connecting the Winning Dots.
When Data Companies feel they have been successful doing just what they want to do with people’s data/permissions and they have been doing it with more and more frequency over the last 15 years or so --- why won’t they feel they can be even more successful trampling on consumer permissions in the future?

Delusion Five: The Delusion of Rigorous Research.
Does anyone believe the existing Data Companies are going to give up their data ownership position and give control back to the consumer? If you were a CEO wouldn’t giving up control/ownership of your consumer data scare the livin bejeebees out of you? If you were also making a small fortune on the sale of data or were using data to leverage your business model would you give it back to your customer---Heck no!?!

Delusion Six: The Delusion of Lasting Success.
The promise of a data blueprint model for lasting success is attractive but not realistic. So what if a disruptive innovation came into the data marketplace that acted as a catalyst for changing consumer’s permission? Who would be the disruptor? Who could spur this disruptive movement forward?

As Austin Powers says --- It’s The Consumer Baby ---

Till Next Time.
Onward---Upward---Believe---
Jeffery

P.S. If you are interested in hearing more about how you can take part in an Innovative Disruption focused on the consumer permission model drop me an email or post a comment and I will be happy to share how a growing number of people are working to bring about permission change. You can also learn more about the Disruption Tour by downloading a PowerPoint presentation from my website at http://thegies.typepad.com/runtosurvive/speaking_engagements/index.html

Quitting To Win

Dr. Spencer Johnson brought out the importance of change and how human beings should flow with change. He argued through his widely read book who moved my cheese that change should be viewed as a strong motivator in one's pursuit of wholeness and that change is to be expected and welcomed, not shunned away from Seth Godin, one of my favorite writer, has a new site,The Dip, aimed at promoting his new book by the same name. The Street.com interview gives an insight into the theme of the book. Seth profiled a number of "quitters" who eventually went on to launch some of the most innovative businesses in the world – the likes of Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, Michael Bloomberg. Seth argues that sometimes you just need to "quit" to break the mould and create the next best thing in life. A master communicator his words flow out so well. He adds, Beware of quitting when you're in the depths of the dip and the pain seems greatest & that being a quitter isn't enough - you have to be a premeditated quitter. "The old saying is wrong - winners do quit, and quitters do win. Every new project (or job, or hobby, or company) starts out exciting and fun. Then it gets harder and less fun, until it hits a low point - really hard, and not much fun at all. And then you find yourself asking if the goal is even worth the hassle. Maybe you're in a Dip - a temporary setback that will get better if you keep pushing. But maybe it's really a Cul-de-Sac, which will never get better, no matter how hard you try. What really sets superstars apart from everyone else is the ability to escape dead ends quickly, while staying focused and motivated when it really counts. Winners quit fast, quit often, and quit without guilt - until they commit to beating the right Dip for the right reasons. In fact, winners seek out the Dip. They realize that the bigger the barrier, the bigger the reward for getting past it. If you can become number one in your niche, you'll get more than your fair share of profits, glory, and long-term security. Losers, on the other hand, fall into two basic traps. Either they fail to stick out the Dip-they get to the moment of truth and then give up-or they never even find the right Dip to conquer." Common sense is evident in its presence in good measure - one can see that when he says,” If you try to master a lot of things, says Godin, all of them will either fail or become lukewarm successes. "On the other hand, once you learn how to master something, you get good at mastery, and that skill will help you master the next one." So for those beginning to feel edgy in life – next step : Plan your quit moves. You may end up changing many things in your life and for the world. From Sagopan's Blog

Don't Just Listen, Join the Conversation

Click Here For More...

Would Like Being Paid For Your Permissions

Post From Jeff Giesener (thegies)
May 6, 2007.

YouTube, the video-sharing site purchased last year by Google, said on Friday that it would begin placing ads alongside clips from some of its most popular contributors and share revenue from those ads with them.

“In the marketplace, you often hear people talking about user-generated content in a disparaging way,” said Jamie Byrne, head of product marketing at YouTube. “This is content that really has merit and is of equal value to the professional content that is contributed by some of our partners.”

Now Google is evoking a simple and common data sharing model. One that is not new or rocket science. Now imagine if you (The Consumer) could be paid for your permissions...

What is a permission - the right for a marketing organization to contact you on any level of marketing whether it me snail mail, email, cellular, RFID or any other future digital signature mechanism.

So how many consumers would opt-in or our for only relevant messaging delivered to them only on their preselected digital methodologies like email, cellular, payless payments, RFID, BioMetric, Face Recognition? How many more would opt-in if they would also receive "revenue shares" for appropriately controlling their permissions? How many marketers would also adopt such a program?

Certainly marketers costs would go down, their responses would go up and the permissions tipping point moves to the consumer where it belongs.

Consumers would deal with more relevant communication messaging and only from merchants they choose to buy from.

Let's talk about this...Send me a comment...?

Thegies...ReVision -- The Halo Effect

From the book The Halo Effect---by Phil Rosenzweig, Mr. Rosenzweig retells a story about the great Ted Williams, the Red Sox outfielder, once said there was one thing he always found irritating: With runners on base and the opposing team’s slugger coming to the plate, the manager walks to the mound and says to the pitcher, “Don’t give the batter a good pitch, but don’t walk him, “ then turns around and marches back to dugout. Pointless said Williams. Of course, the pitcher doesn’t want to give the batter anything good to hit, and of course he doesn’t want to walk him either. The pitcher already knows that! The only useful advice is “in this situation, is it’s better to throw a strike because you really don’t want to walk this hitter, “ or, it’s better to walk this hitter because in this situation, you really don’t want to throw a him a strike.” But at the end of the day Baseball Managers find it easier to ask for the best of both worlds. 

I often speak about The DOOM to ZOOM timeline, which our research has determined to be between 9-15 years of a company’s business cycle. Within the timeline a business will have 3-5 years of ZOOM, 3-5 years of ARCing and a possible 3-5+ years of DOOM. Of course the ARC is the most critical component of the timeline.

As such, it is important to not only discover ahead of time “the when” of the ARC period but also when is the right time to step in and provide corrective action (innovation) for the organization to move itself around/miss the ARC period and into the next ZOOM loop. If the organization can’t see or chooses not to see or worse ignores the ARC window it will soon head directly into a DOOM loop.

And a DOOM Loop is never pretty and in most cases results in shuffles of senior management along with people in all of the departments getting hurt. It is especially tragic for these non-C-Level people since they had very little control over the decisions.

So on my last plane ride, I caught up on some reading and read Phil Rosenzweig’s new book, “The Halo Effect and Eight Other Business Delusions That Deceive Managers.” The author has no problem disrupting and debunking company myths, long held management thoughts and theories written by some of the biggest management book authors including those written by Peters and Collins (In Search of Excellence and Good to Great).

But what I also walked away with is that Rosensweig’s theories go a long way to explaining why companies who believe they are ZOOMing can also quickly ARC into a DOOM loop without ever seeing or sensing the Doom Loop. He calls it the Halo Effect. In Good to Great a ton of time was spent discussing who and where people should sit on the bus. But frankly very little if any was spent discussing where should the bus be going. And from my perspective if you don't know where you are going your bus can easily tumble off the cliff. 

So over the next three newsletters, I will share Mr. Rosensweig’s Nine Delusion theories. 

But I’ve already tested his Halo Effect Theory. It was simply amazing to witness his theories come to life during several speaking sessions I gave recently. During my Q&A sections it was interesting to witness a company’s Halo and how proud they were to present it.

But now armed with new questions these same ZOOMing companies (or at least they thought there were ZOOMing prior to the Q&A) were asked simple follow up questions around the Nine Delusions (I knew them they didn’t) and it was interesting to watch how quickly they folded their ZOOMing cards. Using his Delusion tools helps companies see around the corner and determine where their business should be going and or who is/could be gunning for them.

Mr. Rosensweig identifies nine delusions, which your business could be “smoking” and in this newsletter I will share three of them. The remaining will come to you over the next several weeks.

As a fun test, simply check off if your business is traveling down any of them---Here are excerpts from Mr. Rosensweig’s book---

Delusion One: The Halo Effect

“The tendency to look at a company’s overall performance and make attributes about its culture, leadership, values and more. In fact, many things we commonly claim drive company performance are simply attributions based on prior performance.” 

Delusion Two: The Delusion of Correlation and Casualty

“Two things may be correlated, but we may not know which one causes which. Does employee satisfaction lead to high performance? The evidence suggests it is the other way around.” 

Delusion Three: The Delusion of Single Explanations

Many studies show that a particular factor – strong company culture or customer focus or great leadership leads to improved performance. But since many of these factors are highly correlated, the effect of each one is usually less than suggested. 

Back to your company---as you invest Big Dollars in your business whether to expand your physical store, web marketing or dials into your call center, does your organizational blueprint enable your company to prevent itself from falling into the delusion traps above?

How can you tell?

Well simply --- measure the important stuff. Forget about measuring everything. First collectively, determine and AGREE where you business constraint is? And then focus all your measurements on ONLY solving this constraint. Those who are familiar with the Theory of Constraints (TOC) will say nothing else (but solving the constraint) really matters. And when you develop a measuring methodology make sure you benchmark against the delusion guidelines in Mr. Rosensweig’s book.

So let’s consider some simple measuring sticks if you have determined you have a sales constraint.

1. Do you know the visitor count to your home page? Use this tool--- www.alexa.com. Then compare it to your competitors.

2. What is your defection rate off your web home page? Use your stats package and then skip over and find the same information about your competitors at www.compete.com.

3. How many pages and page views are your visitors seeing? Tool--- www.compete.com Also check out your top 3 competitors with this tool.

4. What is coming in the mail from your competitors? Use this tool--- www.usmonitor.com

5. Do you know what your response rate was for your last offer? Use this tool--- Best practice source coding and order capture at point of sales. Tool: check out www.whosmailingwhat.com

6. What is your shopping cart abandonment rate? Tool: Break your shopping experience into 3 trackable steps. Assign unique URL’s for each.

7. How many leads are you converting from your acquisition program? Tool--- Benchmark---How close are you to closing 9% of your leads? Experience www.linkedin.com

8. Does your retail channel capture, mine and analyze Lookers and Leavers (LL’s), Serious Shoppers, First-time Buyers and Transients (people who come in and leave your store and who are lower in priority than LL’s)? Tool--- Data mining and segmentation check out www.crosscountrycomputer.com

9. Do you track the number of store visitors and who converts to buyers each day? Tool--- www.shoppertrak.com

10. Are you tracking what these store visitors are buying on a retail sales per square foot basis? Tool--- www.envirosell.com

11. Do you know who your customers are? http://thegies.typepad.com/runtosurvive/speaking_engagements/index.html

12. How are callers handled in your call center. Tape all calls both in and outbound. Tool: www.calibrus.com

Yes--- so many questions---you may be saying so little time---(by the way I hear that so often) but go back to your business and look for the delusions. reating great ideas without the methodology of solid testing, execution, and roll out is perhaps equivalent to smoking your own Halo Effect. So why am I on my soapbox---because as Thomas Friedman says about what happens next---Flatten or be Flattened.

Till Next Time.
Onward---Upward---Believe---

Jeffery

Differentiating In The Double Bang

In my last two newsletters, I mentioned attending a lecture given by Bob Kierlin, Founder and Chairman of Minnesota based Fastenal (Nasdaq:FAST). The Fastenal Company sells bolts, nuts, screws, studs, and related products though its 2,000+ stores. Mr. Kierlin discussed several simple lessons that made his business successful. I want to share his third lesson, which is to "Differentiate Your Business." Mr. Kierlin discussed "how it is certainly a struggle to sell undifferentiated bolts and/or screws."  Actually they realized early on they couldn't differentiate the product line, but they did realize that they could differentiate themselves by offering their customers exceptional customer service.  He said, "We execute exceptional customer service at each of our 2,000 stores, our call center and website. We expect each of our channels to deliver upon the company's deep-rooted customer service promise." Differentiating in the environment of the Double Bang--- (Brand Commodization and Web Centricity) But when I asked Mr. Kierlin how Fastenal's customer service mission plays out in the broader web centric space he said "he preferred to have his business focus on more of a personal relationship approach."  He indicated his business was leveraged on personal relationships developed at the store level and from in/outbound telephone support.  He wasn't bullish on the web being able to replicate these relationship drivers. So using Fastenal as a jumping off point, let's circle back to your business and challenge how well you are doing at differentiation? Then let's raise the issue of how well your organization is protecting itself from the "Double Bang" which is the intersection of the forces of commoditization and web centricity? Quickly---can you pinpoint your positive points of market differentiation? How are you communicating them? Do you know where to find your customers and how to convert them to buyers? How are you speaking to your customer universe? Are you enabling your customers to share your brand? How would you rate against the above questions? First, if your brand isn't differentiated in some significant and sustainable way it won't make much of a lasting impression. Second, you must assume consumers are connected: they talk among themselves. Marketing and business development campaigns must recognize and leverage this. Talking at consumers doesn't work anymore. Providing consumers with the tools they need to understand, experience, and spread the word about your brand and your products and services does work. The new beachhead for smart marketers/business owners isn't traditional advertising, banner ads or email pushes. It isn't even better customer service across multi-channels. The new beachhead is tapping into social networks, advocating and stimulating buzz around your brand/service. Dave Evans from Hearthis.com says ---"We're experiencing the equivalent of a sonic boom; the velocity of personal messages in social networks now exceeds the rate of dispersion for thousands of commercial messages. Just as you can't hear the sonic boom until after the plane has passed, consumers don't hear your message until long after their friends, colleagues, or other social connections have already told them about you. It used to be consumers found out how good or bad your product was after they bought. Now, they learn all they need to know before." So I ask you --- how will your organization innovate through the "Double Bang?"  How will your organization maximize this new wave of web consumerism? If you watch smart web businesses/marketers they are creating and using tools that connect consumers and facilitate talk. They are driving educational marketing, bloging, stimulating advocates/supporters, buzzmeisters; investing in advergames, campaigns in virtual reality, Facebook, MySpace, wiki's, social spaces, and video mash-ups just to name a few. Certainly if your brand is speaking to Generation Y you already know this. We are seeing the signals that will flip the branding paradigm away from big brand power players to the power of single keyboarders with limber fingers sharing away. If you are not in the process of acquiring this intelligence, your "brand toast is burning." It is just that simple --- You've got to get to them before you hear the next sonic boom (which is your competitor taking your brand place at the table) by playing with your customers in the sandboxes where they play, giving them the tools to voice their views openly and candidly and help them share your brand. Until Next Time. Onward---Upward---Believe--- Jeffery

Technology-powered innovation

                                                                                      

We all know its getting harder and harder to differentiate. And those nice, friendly "partners" in the big supermarkets will copy your latest product innovation faster than you can say "And by the way we'd like another 5% points of margin or we'll de-list you". This limited and shrinking "window" of innovation advantage vs. the retailers is one of the key arguments of the "emotional branding" brigade, as typified by Saatchi's Lovemarks concept.

Well, another way of looking at this is to for brands to raise their game on innovation, rather than giving up on it and hoping to seduce the consumer to stay away from own label by relying on emotional "sizzle". It was the recent post I did on Nike + iPod that got me thinking about this...

One great example is the phenomenal success of Dowe Egbert's joint-venture with Philips to develop the Senseo coffee machine system. This machine uses single-serve pouches that look a bit like teabags to make an espresso or latte at home. In the first market where Senseo was launched penetration is now at a mind-boggling 40%, 4 years after launch. And 30% in Belgium. That's 1 in 3 consumers who have been upgraded to a whole new and more premium experience that's much harder for own label brands to copy (though I'm sure they're busy trying to copy the pods). Sure, this might impact on sales of instant coffee, but the new sales will be more profitable. And, its a way for coffee brands to fight back against the growth of coffee chains like Starbucks, by making the at-home drinking experience more exciting.

The one issue with the Senseo launch is whether they been fast enough to roll out. For example, in the UK Kraft have launched Tassimo in response not long after Senseo, and Nestle are now launching a more accessible, mainstream machine called Dolce Gusto to complement their upmarket, super-premium Nespresso line. We've got one of these ones, which are very snazzy. The beautiful little capsules are almost jewel-like, and ordered online or in the chic Nespresso boutiques like the one near the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. This works out at about 30p for a single shot, or 60p for one of my home-made lattes with an extra shot! This compares to £2.44 for 100g of Nescafe's (already premium) Gold Blend instant coffee.

From Technotrends.com

David Taylor
Founder and Managing Partner, the brandgym

Our new branding blog:
http://wheresthesausage.com

Thegies...ReVision...Listen To Your Businesss

n my last newsletter, I mentioned a lecture given by Bob Kierlin, Founder and Chairman of Minnesota based Fastenal (Nasdaq:FAST). The Fastenal Company offers bolts, nuts, screws, studs, and related products though its 2,000+ stores.  Mr. Kierlin started Fastenal in 1964 with five investors each putting in $7,000 a piece. The company does more than 1.2 billion in sales. Mr. Kierlin discussed how his company continues to innovate and he offered the group several simple lessons that made his business successful.

I want to share with you his second lesson, which is to "Listen To Your Business."

And it was certainly evident by Mr. Kierlin's responses to follow up questions that the meaning of  "Listening" to him was all about measuring the important things in his business.

It was inspirational to hear Mr. Kierlin's speak about Measuring because I/Direct Contact has been talking with clients about business metrics for years. We are also passionate about setting up Balanced Scorecards that deliver the "Listening Tools" that company innovation is built upon. Measuring, Balanced Scorecards and Listening Tools are the platform for measuring RESULTS.

So was it a coincidence that I recently came across an article written by Ken Magill for DirectMag.com about measuring business success?

In the article, Ken discusses innovation and defends his opinions by suggesting innovative growth is tightly tied to measuring.  Ken further supports his position with additional research conducted by Jupiter Research.

Ken writes, "Ahh---measuring. Yes the quantifiable, unemotional, accurate attempt at measuring business things. Actually what we are supposed to be accountable for in our businesses. You know---Results."

So here is my "KISS" question ---What are you measuring? And I am not speaking about getting a broad-brush answer or guesses. Do you know what it costs your company to acquire a customer or piece of business? Do you know what it costs your company to measure the important stuff?

In fact, will it surprise you to learn Jupiter Research determined that when given a series of fairly obvious success-gauging metrics to choose from-such as revenue per customer, average order size, customer acquisition and conversion rate, sales per book and costs per book - and further when asked which of these metrics are used on used on a monthly basis 50% of business-to-consumer marketers and 56% of business-to-business marketers, picked "none of the above."

As Ken says---"let's just let those facts just sink in for a moment" ---

Yes, can you imagine --- none of the above and unfortunately --- yes --- this is very consistent with our/Direct Contact findings when we begin a client engagements.

So here is a conversation that must be taking place between managers and Chief Marketing Officers (CMO's) across the country:

CMO: How's the e-mail marketing going, Bob?

Manager: Really great, Susan.

CMO: That's great. What's our revenue per subscriber these days?

Manager: High. It's very high.

CMO: Wonderful! How high? Can you peg a dollar figure to it?

Manager: Well, not really. We don't measure our campaigns that way.

CMO: Oh, well that's OK, I guess. What's our e-mail customers' average order size?

Manager: Average order size?

CMO: Yes, Bob, average order size: the average dollar amount our customers spend per order. What is it?

Manager: Oh, right! That average order size! Of course! Well, it's about average. You know, somewhere between high and low --- Right about --- you know, um. --- in the middle.

CMO: Bob, you have no idea what our e-mail customers' average order size is, do you?

Manager [Bob now [pointing over the CMO's shoulder]:
Oh my god! Susan! Look out behind you!!

CMO [jerking her head around in fear]:  What?!     What is it?!

(A sole of a shoe is now heard running in the distance) [thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump]

CMO Bob? --- Bob? Damn, he's gone again.

CMO How does he disappear like that?

But to be fair to the CMO's and the Bob's out there, David Daniels, the Juniper Research report's lead author, said the measurement problem seems to mainly stem from a lack of resources rather than ignorance on the part of business organizations.

Well that's good, better to be under resourced than ignorant I guess --- but Mr. Daniels also says --- "I think the big syndrome here is 'I've got to make the donuts,'" referring to the 15-year Dunkin' Donuts television ad campaign in which sleepy-eyed "Fred the Baker" says: "Time to make the donuts."

Although I hear David, his excuse doesn't hold water.
And it doesn't hold water for ZOOM companies who have figured out how to Make the Donuts without excuses.

So here is your second "KISS" test --- if you are finding and/or hearing from your organization that your people do not have the time or resources to "make the donuts",
I would suggest that you interpret this as another signal your organization is headed away from the ZOOM Loop and into the DOOM Loop.

Mr. Kierlin's said it best --- when you listen to your business and you do not hear answers to the key measurement questions --- it isn't time for Donuts! ---
it is time to get help now!

Till Next Time---
Onward---Upward---Believe---
Jeffery