The Customer Mission Podcast with Andrea Belk Olson

Dec 05 2024 160 ep. 3 mins 2

The Customer Mission Podcast with Andrea Belk Olson artwork

Do you truly have a customer-centric organization or do you simply say you do? Do you know how to identify unmet customer needs? Do you have a growth strategy driven by compelling differentiators? The Customer Mission Podcast shares best practices and insights on how to create customer-centric behaviors and mindsets to grow faster, be more competitive, and be more profitable.

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Can't Solve a Problem? Forget About It.

Dec 05 2024 3 mins

It's so frustrating when you've got a problem you need to solve, and nothing's coming to you. No ideas that will help move things forward. Maybe you talk with others to try and gather perspectives. Or you dive into the Google rabbit hole to look at how others have solved the problem. But there's nothing. You want something new, something innovative. Not just the same old approach e

Why Operationalizing Strategy Isn't About Communicating Proclamations

Nov 07 2024 2 mins

Here’s a line in a corporate strategy document from a multi-billion-dollar client I was working with a few years ago: "We need to focus on better understanding the evolving needs of our current and future customers, and tailor solutions to meet those needs." What the hell? Isn’t that what the company should do as just a basic, daily, operating principle? That’s not a strateg

Strategy Requires Creativity. Creativity Requires Time and Practice.

Oct 24 2024 3 mins

Think back to when you were under the gun to come up with a ground-breaking idea or solution to a complex problem. How many of those instances produced something revolutionary? Likely very few. However, too many companies expect employees to spend more time looking productive than being productive. So, with limited time, those appointed to develop a strategy often spend more time

Why Getting Unanimous Agreement is Bad for Strategy

Oct 03 2024 1 mins

Leaders tend to strive for unanimous agreement – especially for large strategic decisions and situations where there’s a lot of uncertainty. If we have full commitment from our team, we must be making the right decision! Who wouldn’t want everyone to be on board? But unanimous agreement doesn’t mean there’s true agreement, no matter how many head nods you get in your meet

Understanding The Types of Non-Customers

Oct 03 2024 3 mins

Your sales are down. You need an influx of new customers. Great! Often the first step is segmenting your prospects into groups, whether by industry, product type, service type, or some other categorization. Then the marketing blitz begins. Maybe you create a special offer on a product. Or a discount for new customers. Or just put up some billboards to build general brand awareness.

Does Your Company Have Mental Shrinkage?

Oct 03 2024 2 mins

Every industry has shrinkage in its way. Those without inventory have shrinkage in the form of innovation atrophy. This occurs when an employee is asked for their ideas and input, and invests time and effort working through them, only to learn it’s all for naught.

Why Strategy is Critical to Giving Goals a Structure

Sep 12 2024 2 mins

Success is the result of choices -- choosing to do one thing over another. This means consciously not spending time, effort, or resources on certain things. A goal is simply a target. For example, say your goal is to double revenue growth in three years. Is that a clear goal? Will that goal create success? No, because there are no clear choices.

Developing Behavioral Principles To Support Your Corporate Strategy

Aug 29 2024 2 mins

When strategy development is complete, most executives start the rollout process. But communicating the strategy isn’t activating the strategy. Activation requires establishing guidance on how to shed old mindsets and embrace new ways of thinking. This necessitates shifting from telling to illustrating.

A Simple Way To Focus Your Messaging

Aug 08 2024 2 mins

As a marketing leader, you want your messaging to resonate with your audience, be memorable, increase awareness, and build brand recognition. But you can't approach your team with that abstract request. You also can't simply share your 140-page corporate strategy and assume they'll glean some magic out of it. Crafting effective messaging requires specificity.

The Little Things

Jul 22 2024 2 mins

I'm not one for big projects. Especially those that I dread. Cleaning out a closet that's been languishing overstuffed for too long. Or reorganizing a file cabinet. It sucks. So I don't. Whether at home or work, big projects don't have to be big. They can be small if you approach them right.