Innovative Solutions: Find the Pain, make it go away.

Marketing, at its very core, revolves around satisfying needs or unmet demand. The most successful sales and marketing people have an uncanny ability to ferret out the pain points and recommend a cure.

It goes by many names: Consultative selling; Needs Analysis, Situational awareness but its not really rocket science, its about effective listening, collaboration and experimentation. I was fortunate enough to be in a position to affect such an outcome when NASCAR had a Pain Point. Wet Tracks make for dangerous racing. Working with a combination of stakeholders, race professionals, distributor partners and us as a manufacturer, we were able to develop and implement a system that dried a NASCAR track in two hours when in the past, it could simple result in a race cancellation.

Today that technology is being introduced throughout the racing circuit. Solution Delivered!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETkWk33UYjo&feature=player_detailpage

Expertise: Publish or Perish

Expertise is sometimes hard to come by... But when you have knowledge, you have power. You also have value. Bring that value to the table and others will recognize you for the contributions you make to the state of your industry.

"Expertise: Expert skill or knowledge in a particular field or subject matter..."

Note the definition does not say "TOTAL UNDERSTANDING". In fact,  there really is no such thing. There is only a partial understanding based on known research, experience and that which is the acknowledged consensus at the time.

Remember, "experts" have KNOWN the earth revolved around the sun. They've KNOWN the earth was flat; and they've KNOWN that man would never walk on the moon.

With those examples we must admit knowledge to be an imperfect thing... Subject to revision and improvement. ALWAYS up for debate. SO BE THE AGENT OF THAT DEBATE.

Share your best understanding of what is commonly understood or Best Practice. Invite discourse and counterpoints to improve your understanding (be open-minded) and the understanding of others.

Do this by putting yourself out there. Join a trade association. Contribute to the discussion. Publish or Perish to establish your own expertise. And dont worry that others will find fault in your logic. Expertise means only that you know a little bit  more than someone else does. and once you share that knowledge they know as much as you. But they also remember the source... And ultimately they will share what they've learned with you. Win-Win. To begin sharing, write something that will benefit others... Share it.

Need an example? See below:

Published Works and Presentations

1.     “Inventory Turns versus Opportunity Costs: Adding Pigment to the Invisible” Blogger May 2014 http://rogercperlstein.blogspot.com/2014/05/inventory-turns-versus-opportunity_26.html

2.     “Enlightened Self Interest in Educating Millennials”  IVY Tech Community College Opening Dedication: Keynote Presentation, Madison Campus, January 2013

3.     “14% of Online Viewers Trust Advertisers…90% Trust Friends. What Does that Imply for Marketers” Blogger December 2012 http://rogercperlstein.blogspot.com/

4.     “Social Media for Sullair” Prezi August 2011 http://prezi.com/t5n1xg6gxex4/social-media-for-sullair/

5.     Dover Industries: Marketing to the Military. January 2011 Lecture

6.     “The Application of Social Media to the Marketing of Industrial Products”. State University of New York Press. December 2010. https://docushare.sunyit.edu/dsweb/Services/Document-190944

7.     “Targeting the Government Market in 2009” Sales and Marketing Management Contributing Author. July 2010. http://www.salesandmarketing.com/article/targeting-government-market-2009?page=51

8.     “Rotary Lift Creates Lift Inspection Program” Fleet Owner Magazine September 2009. http://fleetowner.com/equipment/news/rotary-lift-inspection-program-0914

9.     “The Impact of DC Drive Technology on Competitive Advantage and Profitability” State University of New York Press. September 2009

10.                        “Applicable Codes and Design Considerations for Lifts in Vehicle Maintenance Facilities” American Institute of Architecture. January 2007

11.                        “Technology Maintenance Council Adopts New Recommended Practice December 2008. http://www.rotarylift.com/uploadedfiles/News/Press_Releases/12.04.2008_TMC.pdf

12.                        “Lift Maintenance; It’s the Law”. Fleet Maintenance Magazine Vehicle Service Pros June 2007 http://www.vehicleservicepros.com/article/10333958/lift-mx-its-the-law?page=2

Trap-shooting for business.

Pull the trigger.
Do it sooner versus later.
If you miss, adjust your aim and shoot again.

Being successful in business has a lot in common with Trapshooting. More often than not you have to be able to react quickly. You can study your scenarios, you can make some educated guesses but to enjoy success you have to act.

I enjoyed trap shooting today for the first time. Realized how much like business it really is. You get up there, You've never done this before and you have to make things happen.

As in business you just have to go for it. When the pigeon flies, you can wait, but as you do, it gets further and further away. And the further away it gets, the more your shot is disbursed or unfocused...

Opportunity is almost always linked to risk. You might miss your target, But that's only one type of risk. But failing to act entirely is also a risk and in many ways its a far greater risk then pulling the trigger too soon and missing. Moving swiftly provides feedback... It allows for learning, adaptation and refinement.

But when you understand the basics, you can take a shot without incurring too much risk. Experiment a little, learn what you can from both the successes and failures. Don't hesitate.

Act to succeed... Pull the trigger.