The World's Best Book Summaries
What is word-of-mouth marketing? What are the best ways to generate word-of-mouth referrals? Word-of-mouth (WOM) marketing is a way of promotion where customers spread goodwill about a brand and its products through conversations. There are two primary channels you can use to create a word-of-mouth marketing strategy for your business: vertical media and business press. We’ll discuss both of these strategies below.
Do you often communicate with people from other cultures as part of your job? What differences have you noticed between different cultures’ communication styles? Learning how to communicate effectively is essential for good business. But contrary to popular belief, the techniques for good communication vary depending on the place you’re in. Cultural communication expert Erin Meyer places cultures on a communication spectrum and defines the two extremes as “high-context” and “low-context.” In this article, we’ll look at the difference between high- and low-context cultures and present some strategies for working well with people whose communication styles differ from yours.
How do different cultures approach conflict? Does the culture you come from tend to express disagreement openly or tacitly? Conflict and disagreement are necessary realities in the business world. But the rules for appropriate disagreement vary across cultures. In discussing conflict and culture, cultural communication expert Erin Meyer divides disagreement styles into two extremes: “confrontational” and “avoids confrontation.” In this article, we’ll look at why it can be so hard to determine where a culture falls on the disagreement spectrum and present some strategies you can use to ensure that disagreements don’t harm your business relationships.
What is the biggest “chasm” in Geoffrey Moore’s Technology Adoption Life Cycle (TALC)? How do you know that your business has reached the chasm between the early adopters and the early majority? According to Geoffrey Moore, the most significant chasm in the TALC occurs between early adopters and the early majority. The telltale signal that your business has reached the chasm is plateauing sales: when you first release your product, you may see exponential growth of sales in the early market, but then sales revenue hits a plateau or even trail off as the early market saturates and you enter
Why is small talk so important? Are there benefits to mastering small talk? The need for small talk comes up more than many of us would like—at work, with neighbors, on dates, and even with family members. So, whether you like it or not, you should learn to get better at the art of small talk. In this article, we’ll explore the purpose of small talk generally and in business relationships.
What is the “late majority” in the context of technology adoption? How does the late majority market adopt new technology? The late majority is the group of customers who favor stability and familiarity over progress and novelty. They are not interested in new technology or the advantages it affords, but as it becomes standard and the technology that it replaces becomes obsolete, they will eventually upgrade to mitigate risk. Learn about the characteristics of the late majority market.
What is a product positioning statement? What is the purpose of writing a product positioning statement for your business? A product positioning statement is a description of your target customers and the value you provide to them. Marketing and sales teams use the product positioning statement to inform customer messaging and ensure all communication is consistent. Here are some tips on how to write an effective product positioning statement for your business.
Why do people buy technology products? What are the different types of tech buyers? If you are in the business of selling technology, you’d know there is a huge adoption gap between tech users. Some are in the line for the latest model the first day it drops while others only give in when the old tech is either broken beyond repair or obsolete. In this article, we’ll take a look at the four critical factors that drive the purchasing decisions of tech customers.
What is the difference between consensus and individual decision-making? Why do people from different cultures tend to make decisions based on different factors? According to Erin Meyer, the author of The Culture Map, every culture has a prevalent approach to decision-making. She defines two primary types of decision-making styles: consensus (where people decide by unanimous agreement) and individual (where all opinions are considered but the final decision is made by the chief decision-maker). In this article, we’ll explore how a culture’s decision-making style interacts with its leadership style.
How can partnering with other tech companies benefit your business? What are the different types of technology partnerships? Technology partnerships are mutually beneficial on two fronts: supplying your product and boosting your reputation by association. According to Geoffrey Moore, there are two types of technology partnerships: “strategic” and “tactical” alliances. We’ll look at both of these concepts below.