Cái này thì cực hay - Crisis-Time Marketing Calls for Leaders with Humility -

“Times of humility have arrived at last. For too long, corporate leaders have let the E of Ego prevail over the E’s of Efficacy and Efficiency. Over the years we’ve seen corporate take-overs at ridiculous prices, with gigantic leveraged debts, based on fantastic market forecasts. All this so the CEO’s grandchildren may say: ‘Grandpa had a real big enterprise!’

“We seem to have forgotten that sustainable business is about the balance among these three E’s. These stand for doing the right thing, doing things right, and—as Peter Drucker said—leadership, leaving a mark.”

“In the short term we will see a stronger emphasis on Efficiency. Cut costs. Cut jobs. Cut away fat. Get rid of fringes. It’s happening all around us as we speak. Painful but not a bad thing, really.

“However, companies will have to pay focus much more effort on Efficacy in the end. How can we distinguish ourselves and our products? How to create value-added for our customers, and value for ourselves as an enterprise? Make no mistake: profit is not an option. It’s a duty.”

“Moenaert takes up pen and pencil to illustrate his point. “Look, the way I see marketing is: ‘building sustainable business’. A company that makes a profit, has permanence. Creating value for its customers, its employees, its shareholders and the board.

“If and when those four interests are served in a well-balanced fashion, only then the company has a rationale to exist and a chance to survive. Only then will products or services flow out from the gates, and the money will come flowing in.”

“I always tell my students and clients: Marketing is not just done by some people sitting behind a door with a sign that reads ‘Marketing Department’. Everyone in a company is involved in marketing, from the switch board operator to the CEO. Literally everyone contributes to building a sustainable business:

• business: turning the company’s goals into reality, not: collecting advertising trophies

• sustainable: creating lasting value for the client and for the company; this is not an easy call by any means, it takes continuous attention and innovation

• building: from the beginning to the end of the fiscal year, using your brains and hands to achieve good results

“Most people’s pitfall at this point is the focus on Efficiency--a useful gut reaction to be sure. But the flipside is a glaring neglect of Efficacy. That’s the ‘distinguishing’ part I just mentioned. Not ‘working hard’ but ‘working smart’ on a company level. Strategic analysis of the interplay of forces amongst suppliers, buyers, incumbents and new entrants, and substitute products, in Michael Porter’s way of looking at things.

“Next, departing from your core competences, react, anticipate and lead. Gary Hamel and C.K. Prahalad did wonderful research and wrote excellent articles on this very issue. Bye the way, Prahalad was here in Tilburg just a while back, to accept our honorary doctorate. Brilliant guy.”

“In these days of smaller cash flows I think there are three things companies should be doing. First of all, less E of Ego. Business leaders, especially of big corporattons, should act more like entrepreneurs, not like managers. Company capital is not chips to play their favourite casino games but serious stuff, real stuff, to create value with for all parties that I mentioned earlier.

“Next: a tad more Efficiency would not hurt. Keep on using your resources as best you can. Company processes can always be tweaked up to a smarter level. If you do not do it, your competitor surely will. But beware: competing on price is the highway to the abyss. But there is still a wealth to be mined from better cross-selling to existing customers.

“Finally: a good shot of Efficacy. Strategy, please. Look. Listen. Think. How can we transpose our core competencies to other products or product categories, or even different channels or markets? Make a plan to do it, and make it happen. In these tough times, smart alliances are an affordable way to grow turn-over and market share.”

Time is up. Moenaert’s next client is waiting in the door.

Prof.dr. R.K. (Rudy) Moenaert is Professor of Strategic Marketing at TiasNimbas Business School en owner of Vision 2B Strategic Marketing Consulting.