Triangulation is a geometric method of locating a point by first determining two angles on a fixed baseline. It is used in times of war to locate hidden radio transmitters, ships on the high seas or aiming an artillery piece.
In business, it is used in a different way—CEOs, for example, triangulate on employees or other sources of information to be sure that they are getting accurate information which is mission critical to any enterprise’s longevity and sustainability. CEOs know that direct reports often tell them what they think the CEO wants to hear instead of the unvarnished truth. That is a reason why many CEOs like to speak directly to customers and suppliers—they disintermediate everyone else.
In business, it is used in a different way—CEOs, for example, triangulate on employees or other sources of information to be sure that they are getting accurate information which is mission critical to any enterprise’s longevity and sustainability. CEOs know that direct reports often tell them what they think the CEO wants to hear instead of the unvarnished truth. That is a reason why many CEOs like to speak directly to customers and suppliers—they disintermediate everyone else.
“Tom Sanders (played by Michael Douglas in the 1994 film, Disclosure) is a manager at tech company, Digicom. He is told by ambitious executive Meredith Johnson (played by Demi Moore) that the drives they are working on are failing at an unacceptable rate due to Tom’s negligence (in software design). Only by triangulating on Meredith (by checking with two independent sources) does Tom discover the truth and save his career—that Meredith had authorized a cheaper solution (they are using a lower level clean room) which is actually causing tiny specs of dirt to foul operation of their new drives.”
by Prof Bruce February 21, 2010
Get the triangulatingmug. A co-opetitor is someone who competes with you but, sometimes, cooperates with you. Someone who engages in co-opetition.
“REALTORS are rivals for listings and buyer clients but when they put them on MLS, they cooperate which means that he or she becomes a co-opetitor.”
by Prof Bruce November 01, 2010
Get the co-opetitormug. You’ve heard of SAAS, Software as a Service, well make way for PAAS, Product as a Service. Customers are subscribing to services that regularly deliver products they need over and over again. This could create a whole new class of business models.
Instead of selling your product to one customer, once, you might be able to turn it into PAAS, ‘product as a service’—people would subscribe to your service and you would deliver the product to them, say, once a quarter. It could be anything people use over and over again— like hair gel, shaving cream, razor blades, perfume, face cream, hey, maybe even socks and underwear.
by Prof Bruce April 20, 2011
Get the PAASmug. If your enterprise cannot connect efficiently and cost effectively with new customers and clients, it will not survive.
To do that, each organization (for-profits, non-profits, charities, even NGOs and government departments) needs to have a magic marketing button: a button they can push, over and over again, that reliably and cheaply makes ‘the phone ring’. It is an ‘easy button’, so to speak.
To do that, each organization (for-profits, non-profits, charities, even NGOs and government departments) needs to have a magic marketing button: a button they can push, over and over again, that reliably and cheaply makes ‘the phone ring’. It is an ‘easy button’, so to speak.
“In the mini storage industry, for example, their magic marketing button can be as simple as sending a postcard to nearby homes reminding them that, if they have too much stuff in their garages, say, they can get rid of it in a hurry.”
by Prof Bruce August 03, 2010
Get the magic marketing buttonmug. A combination of mystery and devious. Used to describe a person whose actions and plans are both mysterious and devious, especially as it relates to business matters.
"Rick's corporate organization is so complex that the only word I can use to describe both it and him is mystevious.
Here's the way it appears to work: he owns all of Acme 1 Inc. in which he has invested $25,000. Acme 1 owns 51% of Acme 2 which has outside investors that invest $25,000 less a dollar in Acme 2. Acme 2 then invests all of the proceeds in Acme 3 in return for 51% of Acme 3. Again Acme 3 has outside investors that put in cash equal to the amount Acme 2 has invested less a dollar.
By the time Rick has incorporated Acme 12, he controls (absolutely) a company that has $51,197,953.00 of cash on hand with an initial investment of just $25k. And it's all perfectly legal to boot."
Here's the way it appears to work: he owns all of Acme 1 Inc. in which he has invested $25,000. Acme 1 owns 51% of Acme 2 which has outside investors that invest $25,000 less a dollar in Acme 2. Acme 2 then invests all of the proceeds in Acme 3 in return for 51% of Acme 3. Again Acme 3 has outside investors that put in cash equal to the amount Acme 2 has invested less a dollar.
By the time Rick has incorporated Acme 12, he controls (absolutely) a company that has $51,197,953.00 of cash on hand with an initial investment of just $25k. And it's all perfectly legal to boot."
by Prof Bruce April 13, 2010
Get the mysteviousmug. In a tough, competitive world, it is crucial for CEOs to have direct and forthright conversations with clients and suppliers. To do that effectively, they have to disintermediate their direct reports and even their techies, which means that they will be able to get accurate information from the field without it being filtered or biased, say, by their direct reports who may only want to tell their CEO what they think he or she wants to hear.
“By using social media tools like Twitter themselves, CEOs can disintermediate everyone from the data stream. They can connect directly with customers, clients, suppliers and others and hear unfiltered reports of what is really going on in their enterprises. Just as importantly, they can make their views known to their followers and stakeholder group without it being filtered by their PR people or the media. In times of crisis, this might save the organization.”
by Prof Bruce February 21, 2010
Get the Disintermediatemug. “Why are you spending so much of your time on Twitter? If you’re not careful, you’ll turn into a Twitterbug.”
by Prof Bruce November 09, 2009
Get the Twitterbugmug.