Strategy + Solutions

IT Industry Strategist Phil Wainewright

As always, Phil Wainewright does an eloquent job of discussing IT strategies and topics related to emerging software industry trends.  He is a a Tour-de-Force of IT knowledge and following his blog will provide your SMB with key information to stay ahead of the curve of the factors and trends that might influence your IT strategy, implementation and purchasing decisions.  This must read article by Phil on ZDNet discusses putting the SaaS back into SOA.  Check it out and keep him on your reading list.

Understanding and Using the McKinsey 7-S Framework

The 7-S model was first mentioned in the Art of Japanese Management by Richard Pascale and Anthony Athos in 1981.  At the same time, Tom Peters ( a genius and strategic maestro) and Robert Waterman were exploring what made companies excellent.  This model was created by all four authors in 1978 and was adopted by McKinsey consulting a a basic business tool to evaluate and help improve company performance.

The 7-S model also appears in In Search of Excellence (a must read) by Peters and Waterman.  7-S describes the 7 interdependent factors to organize a company in a holistic and effective way.  Together these factor determine the way in which a corporation operates. (Take note all you COO's reading this blog.) CEO's, COO's and managers in general should consider the 7 factors below in order to successfully implement a strategy no matter how big or small and whether it is a sales, marketing or technology strategic plan.

1. Shared Values: What does the organization stand for and believe in?  What are the central beliefs and attitudes? (Strategic Intent)

2. Strategy: What are the plans for allocating scarce resources, over time, to reach identified goals?

3. Structure: The way in which an organization units/divisions relate to each other: centralized, functional, divisional (top down) or decentralized; a matrix, network, or a holding.

4. Systems: The procedures, processes and routines that characterize how the work should be done: financial systems, recruiting, promotion, and performance appraisal systems, etc.

5. Staff: Numbers and types of personnel within the organization.

6. Style: Cultural style of the organization and key managers behave in achieving goals (management style).

7. Skills: Distinctive capabilities of personnel or organization as a whole (core competencies).

Consider ways you might be able to leverage these factors to enhance the implementation of your strategies at your SMB or Fortune 500 division.  McKinsey is the global strategic thought leader and using their ideas could help you stand on the shoulders of this giant to improve your strategic outcomes. 

Practical and Tactical Sales Strategy Resources for SMB's

Looking for two great books to jump start your SMB sales strategy efforts.  Strategy+Solutions favorites are Selling to Big Companies by Jill Konrath and Selling to Vito by Anthony Parinello.  Both are indispensable guides to increasing sales efficiency, account penetration, reducing the sales cycle and guide books for helping close the deal.  Jill also has an outstanding blog that should be part of your reading if you need inspiration.  She is a leading sales professional and sharp as a tack when it comes to getting things done!

Interesting Strategy Quotes

Some say Google is God. Others say Google is Satan. But if they think Google is too powerful, remember that with search engines unlike other companies, all it takes is a single click to go to another search engine.
Sergey Brin 

I think Amazon is the preeminent pioneer in building a new way of doing commerce: personalized, database-driven commerce, where the big value is not in the purchase fulfillment, but in knowing as much about a customer base of ten or twenty million people as a corner store used to know about a customer base of a few hundred. In today's mass-merchandising world, that's largely gone; Amazon is trying to use computer technology to re-establish it.
Andrew Grove

The ultimate search engine would basically understand everything in the world, and it would always give you the right thing. And we're a long, long ways from that.
Larry Page 

eBay's business is based on enabling someone to do business with another person, and to do that, they first have to develop some measure of trust, either in the other person or the system.
Pierre Omidyar 

We don’t have a traditional strategy process, planning process like you’d find in traditional technical companies. It allows Google to innovate very, very quickly, which I think is a real strength of the company.
Eric Schmidt 

The general who wins the battle makes many calculations in his temple before the battle is fought. The general who loses makes but few calculations beforehand.
Sun Tzu 

Some of our businesses use more energy than others, but our strategy everywhere is the same.. first, reduce our use of energy as much as possible. Then, switch to renewable sources of power where it makes economic sense. And, over time, as a last resort, offset the emissions we can't avoid.
Rupert Murdoch 

We don't have much in the way of a business strategy. Like no business plan. Which I say to torment all my friends who are VCs or MBAs. That's always entertaining. The deal is, it's a mixture of luck and persistence.
Craig Newmark 

ReviewBasics

Reviewbasics is a fabulous tool for freelancers and even small and medium businesses who need to collaborate, review work products in a variety of forms, share ideas and most importantly get things done!  Kudos to ReviewBasics for providing the SMB marketplace with a powerful technology tool that is easy to use and one that helps its users get immediate results.  Check out ReviewBasics.

Apple Strategy

Here is one bloggers interesting thoughts on Apple's strategy from Google finance:

"Big picture--Apple is putting in place a grand digital strategy, which
guarantees the user the best possible experience.  Most of it is now
visible:

1.  Control the distribution of movies, television, music, podcasts
and games. (iTunes).

2.  Control the consumption of all digital media. (iPods, Apple TV,
computers, monitors, later TVs).

3.  Control the creation of media (Laptops and Desktops, Final Cut
Pro, iPhoto, Aperture, Garageband, Pages etc.)

4.  Control personal communications (iPhone, iChat, email, texting, to
come--video messaging).

What's left to put in place?  Leopard--the solid underpinnings of
everything to come; gaming (just got a commitment from EA to develop
for the Mac); movie distribution deals with both indies and studios
for purchases as well as rentals; making iPhone work WITHOUT AT&T or
any other wireless provider (iChat on wifi and/or creating their own
cell network after the ATT deal allows);  adding functionality to the
iPod/iPhone (GPS, live P2P videocam, a million safari based apps
etc.)  And of course constant improvement of the hardware to do all
this.

Expansion of the stores, upgrading the laptop and desktop lines,
excellent customer service are all in service of the above.

Apple will be making money on every part of the digital media
revolution: creation, distribution and consumption.  Ka-ching, Ka-
ching, Ka-ching.

This is a huge undertaking and will eventually create the world's
biggest digital media company.  There will be two steps forward to
every step back.  Old media will take its time to embrace Apple, but I
believe its a juggernaut that can't be stopped.

As far as the next major product launch, I agree that Leopard is most
likely the next big one.  But I can't emphasize enough that these new
products are all pieces of the puzzle that augment each other, have a
halo effect for Apple products and work together in perfect symmetry."

7-7-07

Today is the lucky 7-7-07.  A number of sites are discussing the announcement for the 7 Wonders of the World.  However, this one from NetworkWorld caught our eye!  Check it out.

iContact Email Platform Ideal for SMB's

iContact, a great new technology service recently raised $5.35 MM and closed on their series A with Updata.  Check out this new service for your small or medium business today and reap the benefits!