Prof Bruce's definitions
To bring people on board or to get them onside with an idea or a proposal or an initiative of some type by getting them 'intricated' into the process bit by bit, almost without their noticing that they are making a commitment.
When a group was trying to Bring Back the Ottawa Senators in 1990, a team that had not played in the National Hockey League for nearly 60 years, one of their key advisers, former US Attorney General, Elliot Richardson (now deceased) said: "First we'll intricate the League then we'll get the (expansion) franchise!"
by Prof Bruce March 5, 2009
Get the Intricate mug.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 mystevious mug.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 3, 2010
Get the magic marketing button mug.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 1, 2010
Get the co-opetitor mug.Today, pro teams are highly restricted in what they are allowed to do in their local markets by League head office. For example, fans are often not able to create images, merchandise, videos, mashups, stories or music about their favorite team without getting a ‘cease and desist’ letter from highly paid League lawyers who are looking to protect league licensees. So fans need to create underground websites, Twitter/Facebook/YouTube accounts, blogs, podcasts and other online as well as real life properties that hide their real identity—they are forced to become underground fans.
“A while ago I created a bunch of t-shirts with my favourite football players on them using the motif of the film 'SIN CITY'. The idea was to create cool stuff that folks could buy during the playoffs with all the funds raised going to benefit local charities. But after I got a bit of media traction, we received a cease and desist letter from a League lawyer and we had to stop. Now I am an underground fan of my team—if I ever do this again, I’ll do it anonymously. The thing that gets me is that league policies destroy any creativity by fans as well as local teams, everything is just the same everywhere.”
by Prof Bruce May 21, 2010
Get the Underground Fan mug.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 Disintermediate mug.A prime consideration for every enterprise, even not-for-profits and charities, is what their sales or distribution channels are or will be. These are channels that you sell into and can take years to develop.
If you can not acquire customers and clients in a cost-effective manner, your company is doomed. Sales channels can help you do that. They are a ‘Magic Marketing Button, MMB’—every time you find a way to effectively ‘ping’ a channel, new clients and customers appear, as if by magic.
Once you have developed these effective sales channels, you can also look for other products and services that you can resell or distribute through them—which will raise your margins since the cost to add products and services produced by others to your sales channels is usually small and quite often zero. You may also be able to thereby create new recurring revenue streams for your enterprise.
By bundling other company’s products and services with your own, it may also be possible to co-brand or co-promote with them—they can promote your enterprise to their clients, customers and suppliers and you can do likewise, opening up whole new markets for both.
If you can not acquire customers and clients in a cost-effective manner, your company is doomed. Sales channels can help you do that. They are a ‘Magic Marketing Button, MMB’—every time you find a way to effectively ‘ping’ a channel, new clients and customers appear, as if by magic.
Once you have developed these effective sales channels, you can also look for other products and services that you can resell or distribute through them—which will raise your margins since the cost to add products and services produced by others to your sales channels is usually small and quite often zero. You may also be able to thereby create new recurring revenue streams for your enterprise.
By bundling other company’s products and services with your own, it may also be possible to co-brand or co-promote with them—they can promote your enterprise to their clients, customers and suppliers and you can do likewise, opening up whole new markets for both.
“Craig Miguelez met up with Jack MacGregor to discuss Craig’s new auto feed system for major bulletin board and classified ad services. Craig realized at once that Jack had developed an amazing sales channel over the last four years—he does professional photography for REALTORS and has more than 1,200 clients. Craig’s pitch to Jack was simple: ‘You resell my auto feed system through your sales and distribution channel to your clients for $30 and you keep $10. My system will make sure that their listings are always up to date on these bulletin board and classified ad services, you’ll make $12,000 per month of recurring revenue with almost no marginal cost and I’ll be able to acquire 1,200 new clients in one fell swoop.’”
by Prof Bruce April 12, 2010
Get the Sales Channel mug.