Have you experienced the POW! Moment Lately?
on Monday, July 25, 2011 
I have been in business management for a long time (not going to say how long, as then you will say I am a has-been and won’t read on) and have seen a slew of changes; and just when you don’t think there can be any more “POW” a new one comes along and hits you on your blind side!
Most of us try NOT to be hit to often on the blind side (as it tends to hurt), so we have people in our organizations that either are 100% focused on future development, or if you are smaller, and you are the CEO, President, COO, CFO or Principle part of your job is to keep one eye on the day to day stuff and the other scanning the future for the “POW” factors!
All industries have their “POW” challenges – and as a business manager it is all about how we cope with them that makes our business a success or failure.
I am a reader and a gatherer of knowledge so I spend at least 25% of any given day thinking about the future or doing things that will affect change in the future. Some days 75% of more of my time is spent in the future! Why? Because I know I can shape the future, as the present, and past are already locked in. All we can do with the present and past is learn from it.
There used to be Print… then there was the telegram, then the phone and about the same time there was radio… then TV… Print evolved and added direct mail (and the yellow pages). TV evolved and has added commercial breaks, sponsorship, in show use of brands and infomercials, then came the web… emails, banner ads, Google adwords, SEO for Organic searches (the yellow pages died)… in the TV world we saw the rise and fall of betamax and VHS, then the use f the CD, then the DVD, now it is the blue-Ray… Did I mention the phone? Somewhere along this wild ride the phone became “mobile” a status symbol…then the mobile phone became affordable, then it became a camera, now it is a PDA a Personal Digital Assistant? So we all went cellular!
Wow… or should I say “POW”… and what is next?
Chips inserted at birth behind our ears that allow us to communicate with each other, devices that illuminate a holographic image for two way fully visual conversations?
I’m watching with interest the birth of the “Tablet Era” – will Tablet Devices truly make us the paperless world that was imagined in the 60’s? Already universities are stopping purchasing text books for there on campus book stores, because students can get the e-version and read it on their I-Pad, Kindle or now on their Tablet… Watch out I-Pad… the day of the cheap tablet is upon us… a “POW” moment is around the corner for Apple and for the book printing industry!
OK, back on topic… I actually don’t think it is the affect of Multi-Media that creates change it is the delivery vehicle that affects change and how we use it. For example QR codes and MS Tags… they make it easy for a cell phone user to access a URL and now with the advent of wide bandwith 3 & 4 G networks, streaming media can be delivered to your phone (or should I say Personal Digital Assistant).
So instead of a car dealership printing out a huge volume of car sales brochures, they can put QR codes or MS Tags on the windows of the cars in the showrooms, the perspective buyer can scan the code and watch a video of that car and save it for later… this has two impacts.
- Less need for printed support materials
- Less need for Car Salespeople (Ouch and could the world do with less car salespeople?)
- I said two, but there are more… the auto makers can present their brand exactly how they want too… no middle man diluting their message, changing for his or her sales schpeel…
- Higher profits, less sales people, less printing…
- Could this lead to lower car sales prices? Probably not as #4 will kick in!
See what I mean? Take this a step further. The perspective buyer goes to the showroom with his/her tablet and sits down after scanning the QR codes and reviewing the details of the car and then pulls up other dealership websites… reviews their prices online… the salesperson wanders over and “POW” is the customer in the same position in this transaction as they were last year? Where is the power?
The adoption of multi-media is about transparency, it is about the transfer of knowledge, and with that transfer goes the power… POW!
As business leaders it is our job to best manage our business to enlighten our customers about the “benefits” of our products and services vs. the competition’s… if you don’t have a differentiating factor, then you are going to come in second, and second in the world of business can be the same as losing! The purchaser doesn’t buy from the guy in second place, they brought from the guy in first place!
Read and learn about the changes in your industry and the industries that have effects on your world… look at using new-media, combined with traditional media (Print, Direct Mail, TV, Radio and Outdoor). Talk to your vendors, have them come in and present to you the NEW innovations in your industry… look around the corner and be the first to stand there… make it your own!
This is an excellent article, especially where it applies to the world of technology. As a small business serving the technology needs of area businesses, we are in a constant learning mode and testing mode. We need to be able to recommend and support proven technology tools for businesses that make sense FOR THEM. There is such a diverse and ever-changing platform for technology that it can be very confusing what changes need to be made, when they should be made, and how to best implement the changes to make the most of the precious dollar investment. I can sometimes be difficult for small businesses to develop that POW! factor, but it is well worth the effort!