What's Your Edge?

The manufacturing industry is defined by complexity, competition, and opportunity.  Founded by Alfonso Aramburo in 2012 as a product development company, Brecher Manufacturing has evolved into a premier source for Rotomolding, Injection Molding, Sheet Metal Fabrication, Thermoforming, Rapid Prototyping, and CNC Machining, serving clients across Mexico, the U.S., China, and Canada. Alfonso’s journey to profitable growth illustrates what becomes possible when leaders resist the temptation to chase every opportunity, avoid random acts of revenue, and instead make deliberate strategic choices about who they serve and how they grow. For executives and boards alike, this episode of What’s Your Edge? is a powerful reminder that growth without focus often creates complexity, margin pressure, and operational drag. Profitable growth, on the other hand, requires discipline, clarity, and sometimes the courage to say no. Welcome Alfonso. I’m sure everyone is eager to hear your story. How Shifting to Specialized Excellence Created Momentum for Growth  Alfonso, you originally started Brecher Manufacturing as a product development company, then repositioned it as a design and prototype firm, and ultimately as a full-fledged manufacturer. That kind of evolution isn’t trivial. Repositioning often introduces risk, stretches capabilities, and can create internal tension if the organization isn’t aligned. There’s more to repositioning than changing your message. It often takes realigning your entire business to better address evolving market needs and opportunities. Successful repositioning requires a willingness to challenge assumptions, embrace change, and focus on delivering differentiated value. When done well, repositioning can revitalize growth, sharpen competitive advantage, and set the stage for long-term success. What prompted this evolution? Was there a pivotal customer insight, market signal, or operational constraint that made it clear the original model wouldn’t support the kind of growth you envisioned? Laura, you hit on something critical. The main shift was an internal battle against FOMO. Early on, we were in a “yes-man” phase. We offered a massive range of processes, and we were spinning our wheels, quoting everything that walked through the door. I realized we were actually losing existing business because our team was so distracted by chasing the ‘new’ that we couldn’t execute on the ”now”. Our margins were thinning, and we were essentially subsidizing complexity with our own burnout. The breaking point came in 2019. We saw a massive influx of RFQs because overseas supply chains were failing. I looked at our numbers objectively and realized we had a major issue and an opportunity.  We were spending days quoting complex, multi-process projects with low win rates. On the other hand, for our Rotomolding, we could turn a quote around in hours. Our knowledge was deeper, our margins were higher, and frankly, nobody could touch our speed in tooling or molding. I had to make a hard decision. Kill the interesting/great potential projects to save the ‘profitable’ ones. It wasn’t a math problem; the numbers were clear. It was a mindset problem, my own mindset. I had to move from a state of mind of growth-at-all-costs to a clear direction of specialized excellence. Once we decided that Brecher was going to be the authority in Rotomolding and full-product integration, the ‘chaos’ started to clear. We built an execution engine around what we were actually best at, rather than what we were merely ‘capable’ of doing. That shift is what allowed us to scale from a prototype shop to a high-volume manufacturer for industries like Aerospace, Military, and Automotive. A Winning Value Proposition in Eliminating Logistical Friction  As you began working with customers who had larger volumes and more complex requirements, you recognized the need for a single point of contact. From our experience, fragmentation, such as multiple vendors, handoffs, and accountability gaps, often creates friction for customers and inefficiencies for manufacturers. Reducing customer effort is a proven way to enhance both satisfaction and retention. High-performing companies understand that every interaction, especially those tied to quoting, onboarding, or support, should be as frictionless as possible. By measuring and actively managing customer effort, organizations can strengthen loyalty and drive repeat business. How did this realization reshape your service model and operational processes? What did consolidating responsibility change for customers and for your internal teams? Laura, you’ve touched on one of the biggest pain points of manufacturing partnerships: fragmented accountability. Buying different parts from multiple suppliers for one integrated product creates a massive coordination headache. We reshaped our model around a single, non-negotiable principle: One Project, One Face. We understood that by owning the entire lifecycle, we would be solving a gap in the market. Whether it’s good news or bad news, the customer has one person who knows exactly where their project stands, and most importantly, who owns the quality of the project. We went from Yes, we can do it all to We own it all. But the real game-changer was consolidating the supply chain itself. Because we are experts in Rotomolding, we became the ‘hub.’ We took over the sourcing and integration of the sheet metal, the CNC components, and the injection molding. This gave us the ability to eliminate logistical friction for our customers. Now they can focus on their market while we handle the complexity of the execution.” Slow Growth and Low Profit by Saying Yes to Everything  In the early days, you’ve said profitability was good, but not great. That’s a familiar place for many growing manufacturers: busy, revenue coming in, but margins under pressure and complexity creeping in. You’ve shared that learning when and how to say no was critical to unlocking profitable growth. Alfonso, can you talk about the challenges you faced in making that shift? What criteria did you develop to decide which opportunities were worth pursuing and which ones, even though they brought revenue, were actually holding the company back? And looking back, how did saying “yes” too often contribute to what we sometimes call random acts of revenue—work that looks attractive in isolation but doesn’t align with long-term strategy? In the early days, I was my own worst enemy. I had this deep-seated fear that if I said no to a project, I was failing as a CEO. But the truth was that by saying “yes” to everything, I was failing to potentially grow. I realized that price is a commodity. If you compete on price, you are easily replaceable. We decided to compete on expertise and trustworthiness. To do that, we developed a rigid strategic screening process.  This approach improved our margins and our stability. Customer Retention: A Powerful Indicator that the Formula was Working  Despite early profitability, repeat customers were nearly zero, a common challenge in manufacturing, where the industry average retention rate sits around 67%. Retention is often treated as a downstream outcome, but in reality, it’s a leading indicator of product-market fit, operational discipline, and customer experience. Customer retention is a strategic imperative for sustainable growth and profitability. Companies that prioritize retention benefit from lower acquisition costs, higher lifetime value, and more predictable revenue streams. What were the biggest obstacles to retaining customers in those early years? How did you diagnose the root causes rather than just addressing symptoms? From a leadership perspective, when did retention shift from being a “nice-to-have” metric to a strategic priority that influenced decisions? Laura, you’ve hit on a hard truth. In the early days, we weren’t just below the industry average for retention; we were practically starting from zero every month.  We were built for ‘one-off’ product development sprints. We gave the customer a great design, but we didn’t give them a reason to stay. We were effectively ‘firing’ our customers as soon as the project was successful, as entrepreneurs and small- to mid-sized companies are not constantly working on the next product. As we shifted into high-volume manufacturing, I realized that if we wanted to grow, we had to stop the revolving door. Coming from a background of leading Kaizen events, I developed a framework I call Root Cause Branching. In Root Cause Branching, look at the problem holistically and how every part of the organization may have contributed to the problem.  This was the “game-changer” for customer retention. We started evaluating every lost customer we didn’t want to lose and mapped those failures across the entire organization. For example, The Sales Branch: Did we quote an unrealistic SLA just to win the deal? The Leadership Branch: Did we provide the team with the right Direction, or did they feel pressured to cut corners? The Sourcing Branch: Was the raw material choice fundamentally flawed for this application? Once we started solving the branches, our stability increased, our costs went down, and retention moved from a “nice-to-have” metric to the very foundation of our execution engine. Download the CC Worksheet The Voice of the Customer Reveals Actionable Insights  In 2020, Brecher Manufacturing sought out customer feedback that became a catalyst for meaningful change. Effective Voice of Customer research uncovers actionable insights that drive strategic decisions. Organizations that systematically listen to their customers are better positioned to identify unmet needs, improve offerings, and enhance satisfaction. This disciplined approach transforms customer input into a source of innovation and competitive advantage. What did you learn from your Voice of the Customer research? Were there any insights that surprised you or challenged long-held assumptions? How did that feedback directly inform your strategic priorities and operational focus? Laura, the most difficult part of VOC research is that you have to be willing to have your ego bruised. We went in thinking our biggest value was our ‘jack-of-all-trades’ flexibility and our speed. But the feedback we got was a cold shower. Our customers told us: ‘We love that you own the whole process, but because you’re trying to do everything, your expertise is spread too thin, and we’re seeing it in the quality.’ That was a hard truth. It challenged my long-held assumption that ‘more services equals more value.’ This feedback was the final push we needed to double down on Rotomolding as our core expertise and use our other capabilities as supporting integration tools rather than standalone services. But the biggest surprise was about speed. We assumed ‘Speed to Market’ meant ‘How fast can you run the machines?’ The VOC research taught us that the real bottleneck wasn’t production, it was the Design-for-Manufacturing phase. Customers wanted a manufacturer who could do more than follow instructions.  They wanted a partner to tell them when their instructions were wrong. This reshaped our entire strategic priority. We moved from a model of ‘do as you’re told’ to a model of ‘Joint Forces.’ We started getting involved much earlier in the product lifecycle. By partnering with our customers during the engineering phase, we could identify potential quality issues before the first tool was even cut. We realized that true speed meant removing the roadblocks before the race even starts. That insight is a core pillar of what I now call the execution engine. Less Hustle, More Focus, Reduced Customer Acquisition Costs  Alfonso, you’ve described a period when acquiring new customers required enormous effort that kept the organization in constant hustle mode. Growth fueled purely by hustle can mask inefficiencies and exhaust teams. Over time, it also raises an important governance question: Is this growth scalable and repeatable? One of the steps you took was to optimize lead conversion to improve the quality of leads and the efficiency of your sales process. High-performing organizations analyze every stage of the customer journey to identify bottlenecks and accelerate the quote-to-close cycle. By focusing on conversion metrics and process improvement, companies can drive higher win rates and sustainable revenue growth. What steps did you take to analyze your customer acquisition process? What did the data reveal about where time, effort, and resources were being spent and whether those investments were paying off? Laura, you hit on a vital distinction: Hustle is not a strategy; it’s an admission of a broken process. In those early years, our ‘hustle’ was actually masking a massive lack of direction. We were celebrating the volume of RFQs coming in, but when I finally sat down to look at the data, the reality was sobering. We were spending 80% of our engineering and quoting resources on ‘Random Acts of Revenue’. There were projects that had a less than 5% chance of closing or, worse, were for industries that didn’t fit our long-term goals. I realized that our execution engine was overheating because we were feeding it the wrong fuel. To fix this, we moved from a ‘Sales’ mindset to a ‘Governance’ mindset. We analyzed the ‘Quote-to-Close’ cycle and identified the biggest bottleneck: Unqualified Effort. We mapped out exactly how many people-hours it took to quote a complex assembly versus a specialized Rotomolding project. We discovered that the ‘complex’ quotes took 10x longer but yielded lower margins. This data gave me the courage to finally say ‘No.’  We started treating the RFQ states as a gate.  We stopped quoting any project that didn’t align with our ideal customer profile. We mandated a specific set of technical questions be answered upfront to accelerate our internal response time. Because the data was clean, we could quote in hours, not days. The data eventually revealed something powerful: By reducing our total number of quotes by 40%, we actually increased our revenue and boosted our win rate. We focused on managing our focus. That transformed us from a chaotic shop into a scalable, high-EBITDA business. Acquiring Right-Fit Customers Is the Secret to Growing Faster Companies with high customer retention rates are often a direct result of targeting “right-fit” customers, and typically grow 1.5x to 3x faster than their peers. By analyzing your data, you identified tooling as your sweet spot and became far more selective about the customers and projects you pursued. We know from our work that not every customer is the right customer. High-performing organizations consistently profile their best customers and use that insight to focus their customer acquisition efforts. By defining the attributes of right-fit customers and aligning resources accordingly, companies can improve conversion rates, increase average order value, and foster long-term loyalty. How did this focus on right-fit customers, that is, those who needed, tooling change your quote-to-close ratio, average order value, and operational predictability? What changed internally once the organization had clarity around where it should and should not compete? Laura, when we stopped chasing every RFQ and focused on ‘Right-Fit’ customers, specifically those requiring both tooling and production, the transformation was a total step-function change for the business. First, let’s talk about the Quote-to-Close Ratio. Before this focus, we were “spraying and praying”. Our win rate was low because we were competing against specialized shops on their home turf. Once we narrowed our focus to projects that required our specific integration of Tooling and Rotomolding, and positioned Becher as the company that owned the entire technical risk from the first mold to the final assembly, our closing rate nearly doubled. Second, our Average Order Value (AOV) skyrocketed by 2-5X. By focusing on customers who needed Tooling, we were essentially ‘locking in’ long-term production. We moved away from the one-off parts and toward integrated projects. Tooling as the ‘hook’ that secures the production life cycle, drastically increased the lifetime value of every customer we work with. By focusing on where we could compete and win, we became masters of a specific set of constraints, making us 3x faster and more accurate. We were no longer constantly switching setups for random projects. We had a predictable flow of similar high-value work. And we went from Hustle/Panic Culture to Professional Execution. We stopped bleeding margin on the wrong work and started compounding value on the right work. That clarity is what turned Brecher MFG into a much more predictable operation. Doubling Down on Customer Value Drives Growth  By 2022, the impact of doubling down on tooling customers enables you to achieve 2X growth and increase repeat customers from 0% to 70%. That’s impressive given that, as of 2025, the average customer retention rate in manufacturing is approximately 67%. That’s a meaningful distinction in an industry where growth is often driven by volume rather than value. Those results don’t happen without discipline. Organizations that excel at delivering customer value consistently outperform their peers in organic growth. By focusing on what customers truly value and aligning offerings, processes, and communications around those priorities, companies create stronger relationships and accelerate growth. Ultimately, the ability to measure and act on customer value is a key differentiator in today’s competitive landscape. What were the most important operational, cultural, or leadership shifts that enabled this transformation? And today, what metrics do you track to ensure the company doesn’t drift back into chasing misaligned opportunities? From a board or leadership standpoint, what indicators tell you that the business is growing well, not just growing fast? Laura, reaching a 70% retention rate in an industry that averages 67%, especially when we started at zero, was the result of moving from volume-driven growth to value-driven growth. The most important shift was a leadership shift in the Power of No. Early on, I thought growth meant a bigger top line. Now, I know growth means a healthier middle line and bottom line. To get there, I made two internal shifts. First, we stopped treating Tooling as a product and started treating it as the Onboarding Phase of a Partnership. We aligned to realize that a tool isn’t ‘done’ when it’s built; it’s done when the customer has a repeatable, high-quality production run. And second, we stopped incentivizing the Big Win and started rewarding Process Adherence. We taught the team that a small, perfect project is better for the company than a large, chaotic one. Today, to ensure we don’t drift back into chasing the wrong things, I track three key indicators that tell me if we are growing well, not just fast: The Fit Score of the Backlog: Every quarter, we audit our current projects. If more than 20% of our revenue is coming from outside our Direction (integration), we know we’re drifting. Quote-to-Close (Tooling-Production): We don’t just look at the total win rate. We look specifically at our win rate in Tooling-to-Production cycles. If that drops, it means we’re losing our competitive edge. The Friction Ratio: We track customer effort. How many ‘touches’ does it take from the PO to the first delivery? If that number goes up, it’s a leading indicator that our Execution Engine is getting clogged with complexity. Parting Advice: To Grow, Avoid Random Acts of Revenue  Looking back on this journey, what are the most important lessons you’ve learned about profitable growth? If you were advising another company, what would you emphasize about: Knowing when to say no Avoiding random acts of revenue Balancing customer focus with operational discipline First, I’d learn to say NO sooner. Saying “No” protects your team’s capacity for excellence. Every time you say “Yes” to a project that sits outside your core expertise, you are essentially asking your team to pay a “complexity tax.” You lose money in engineering hours, setup times, and mental bandwidth. Looking back, I’d fire the FOMO sooner.  I spent too much time trying to “work harder” to fix a problem that was actually a direction problem Second, I’d avoid Random Acts of Revenue. In the beginning, I trusted my “entrepreneurial gut” to tell me if a deal was good. I should have built my Effort-to-Value dashboards sooner. The data is much more honest than the gut when it comes to margins. Many leaders’ thoughts on balancing customer focus with operational discipline are in conflict. True Customer Focus is providing a predictable outcome. You can only be predictable if you have the discipline to follow a process. If you “bend the rules” for a customer, you usually end up failing them because your internal engine wasn’t designed for that detour. The best way to love your customer is to give them a disciplined process. I have two pieces of parting advice. First, treat your organization’s capacity like a high-end hotel. If you fill all the rooms with “budget travelers” (low-margin, high-friction work), you have no room left when the “VIP” (the right-fit, high-volume partner) shows up. Second, look at your revenue through the lens of repeatability. If a project doesn’t have the potential to lead to a long-term production cycle or a “Directional” partnership, it’s a distraction. Alfonso, thank you for sharing your journey and insights. Your story is proof that profitable growth requires both discipline and courage to say no, stay focused, and eliminate random acts that dilute value. You also reminded us that: Strategic repositioning can unlock sustainable growth. Customer retention is both a growth lever and a profitability signal. Saying no to the wrong opportunities enables focus on the right-fit customers. Data-driven decision-making reduces risk and improves outcomes. Listening to customers and acting on what you hear drives scalable success. For business leaders and board members listening, this raises an important question: Are you growing with intention, or are you simply in hustle mode? If any part of this conversation felt familiar, strong demand, full pipelines, but margins under pressure, it may be time to step back and assess where growth is coming from and what it’s really costing you. If you’re ready to identify where random acts may be creeping into your strategy and replace them with a clearer, more deliberate, customer-centric path to profitable growth, let’s start a conversation.   FAQ: (written by Penn of Sintra.ai) Q1: What does it mean to focus on “right-fit” customers, and why is it essential for profitable growth? A1: Focusing on right-fit customers means identifying, targeting, and serving clients whose needs align with your organization’s core strengths and long-term strategy. This approach increases conversion rates, customer lifetime value, and operational efficiency, while reducing churn and resource drain from misaligned projects. Q2: How can organizations avoid “random acts of revenue,” and why is this important? A2: Avoiding random acts of revenue requires discipline in evaluating opportunities against strategic criteria rather than chasing every potential deal. By saying no to projects outside your expertise or direction, you protect margins, reduce complexity, and create capacity for high-value, repeatable business. Q3: What is the “Voice of Customer” (VOC) and how can it drive meaningful change? A3: Voice of Customer is a structured approach to gathering, analyzing, and acting on customer feedback. Effective VOC research uncovers actionable insights, challenges assumptions, and helps organizations realign offerings, processes, and communications to better serve customer needs—ultimately fueling innovation and loyalty. Q4: Why is customer retention a leading indicator of business health? A4: Customer retention signals product-market fit, operational discipline, and customer satisfaction. High retention rates lower acquisition costs, increase predictability, and foster advocacy. Organizations that prioritize retention typically enjoy more sustainable, profitable growth than those focused solely on new business. Q5: How do process discipline and data-driven decision-making support scalable success? A5: Process discipline ensures consistency, quality, and efficiency across the organization. Data-driven decision-making allows leaders to objectively assess performance, identify bottlenecks, and allocate resources to the most impactful areas. Together, they reduce risk, support customer focus, and drive repeatable, scalable growth. Q6: What are the risks of overextending services or chasing every opportunity? A6: Overextending dilutes expertise, increases operational complexity, and often leads to inconsistent quality or missed expectations. Chasing every opportunity can exhaust teams, erode margins, and distract from building a sustainable, differentiated value proposition. Q7: How can organizations measure whether they are growing “well” rather than just growing “fast”? A7: Growing well means tracking metrics such as fit score of the backlog, quote-to-close ratios for core services, customer effort scores, and retention rates. These indicators reveal whether growth is aligned with strategy, sustainable, and delivering real value—not just top-line expansion.

Today’s episode explores the transformation of a legacy business in the fire protection industry, a sector that is highly regulated, fiercely competitive, and faces ongoing price pressure and low barriers to entry. Perhaps some of you can relate. This is also an industry where many companies experience long periods of stagnant growth or workflow. It’s not because demand disappears, but because differentiation erodes and internal complexity quietly increases. Our conversation is with Shawn Mullen, President and Chief Energy Officer at Protex Central. The company has been serving mission-critical facilities for 60 years. When Shawn took the helm in 2017, the company’s revenue trajectory was flat. Essentially, a parked car in an industry where standing still means falling behind. What’s especially interesting is that the market itself was growing; yet Protex Central wasn’t. That gap between market opportunity and company performance became the catalyst for change. Fast forward to 2025: revenues have doubled, margins are up, and project overruns are down. Let’s find out how Shawn accomplished these results. Shawn, welcome to What’s Your Edge? Industry Challenge: Why Growth Stalls in Mature Markets  Let’s begin by framing the fire protection industry. The U.S. Fire Protection System Market is set to grow from USD 25.94 billion in 2024 to USD 32.26 billion by 2030, at a CAGR of 3.60%. Even so, it is considered an established industry marked by intense competition, thin margins, and constant regulatory scrutiny. This combination often creates a false sense of momentum, where the market grows, but individual companies struggle to translate that growth into improved performance. Shawn, when you took over Protex Central in 2017, what did you see as the biggest challenges? Was there a specific moment or insight that made you realize the company needed a fundamentally new approach? Laura, thanks for the opportunity to visit with you and your listeners today.  It truly is an honor.  When I bought the majority interest from my dad, I had been with the company for over 32 years.  We all knew our single biggest challenge was sales.  But no one on the leadership team, at that time, had a solution to move us forward.  For too long, our corporate mindset was “we wanted what we got” instead of “going and getting what we wanted.”  At that time, I didn’t know how I was going reverse that mindset, but I knew this:  I must get outside of my current echo-chamber and expose myself to other business professionals. So I joined an executive coaching and peer-to-peer advisory group.  I threw myself into all it had to offer – great business speakers, other local business owners, and a talented business coach.  The cumulative effect of being a part of that group was an understanding that it was me – the Chief Energy Officer of Protex Central – who had to change first before I could ask our team to change.  It didn’t happen overnight – in fact, it took me about four years to really get in the groove of working with my coach and asking myself the hard questions that I knew had to be asked and wrestling with the answers. The Value of Customer Segmentation: Profiling for Profitable Growth  One of your first moves was to analyze the attributes of successful versus non-successful customers. This kind of customer segmentation is essential for sustainable growth. We often work with our customers to help them profile their best customers and use those insights to shape acquisition and retention strategies. Many organizations believe growth means more customers, when in reality it often means the right customers and the discipline to say no to the wrong ones. You concluded that to grow, Protex Central needed more of the right customers and a better process to acquire them. Can you share how you approached this analysis? Other than revenue, what are some of the key attributes of a successful customer? Was there anything in the data that surprised you or challenged long-held assumptions about who your “best” customers really were? Wow, great observation, Laura.  You’re spot on.  We did have to “triage” our customer base and determine the qualities of our best customers.  What we found was that our best customers were not necessarily our largest revenue volume customers, but rather, they had attributes that were common across all verticals, systems, and services.  Things like longevity of relationship, a trusted communication style between their team and ours, a designated internal champion for fire/security related systems and services, as well as an expressed progressive corporate recognition of keeping their employees, properties, and processes safe.  Lastly, we had to determine if our value proposition fit within their budget and their expectation.  Again, this didn’t happen overnight, and it hasn’t stopped.  In fact, that discipline continues. Oh, and plus, the good customers always pay on time. Process Mapping Created the Roadmap for Strong Performance Gains  I imagine there were a lot of implications to the company once you identified the customers you wanted to serve, including how to market and sell to them. Process mapping provides clarity, uncovers inefficiencies, and enables organizations to optimize for performance and operational excellence. In our experience, unclear or inconsistent processes often show up as margin leakage, project overruns, and frustrated teams—long before leaders recognize process as the root cause. What were the most significant changes you made to your business processes? How did process mapping help you drive measurable improvements? Wow, another keen observation, Laura.  To be fair, our process mapping at the time was more like Crayola Crayons and Big Chief Tablet paper rather than ChatGPT or GROK.  It was old school for sure. The key benefit was that we were able to see gaps not only in our sales process but also in our engineering, sales ordering, and pre-engineering/installation processes.  Those gaps are now eliminated, but the mindset – and yes, I keep coming back to that – the mindset has changed for every touchpoint in our organization, and that is this: “am what I’m doing helping us want what we get or are we going out to get what we get?”  I believe my role as a leader is to reinforce, champion, and recognize that mindset at every opportunity. Download the CC Worksheet Align the Brand and Customer Value to Boost Messaging  As you transformed your customer base and operations, you also recrafted your marketing messaging. Consistency and clarity are critical. From our experience, we have found that a well-articulated positioning and messaging strategy elevates growth and competitive advantage by ensuring every touchpoint communicates value.  Messaging isn’t only about external communication. It’s a strategic alignment tool that influences sales conversations, customer expectations, and internal decision-making. Shawn, how did you approach this messaging overhaul? What changes made the biggest impact on how Protex Central is perceived today? Laura, this question keeps me up at night.  Are we as Protex Central really consistent across all of our touchpoints with a consistent message?  I fancy myself as one who has articulated at any number of inflection points within our company that I sense that we’re delivering on the consistency of execution and message, but without a sterile and objective measuring tool, I can’t be sure. Maybe it’s part faith and part hope, but given that we have such a very low attrition rate compared to our industry, my sense is we’re making it happen. The Direct Impact of Playbooks on Sales Performance  One of the things I know you invested heavily in was sales training and playbooks. We often say that a powerful sales playbook is more than a script. It’s an alignment tool that ensures everyone is clear on the process, the value proposition, and the customer journey. For many sales teams, adopting a playbook requires unlearning habits that once worked but no longer support growth. Can you briefly walk us through how you built and implemented your sales playbook? What were the most important elements, and how did it change your team’s performance? What was the most difficult shift for the sales team to make? Laura, our playbook is always in flux.  We have intentionally developed it to be a dynamic document that is responsive to changes in the marketplace, regulatory environment, and other outside dynamics. To your question about the difficult shift for our sales team, I would have to say that the emphasis on discipline of daily KPI’s was the biggest challenge.  As I often say, every crusade needs a crusader, and I saw it as my responsibility to be that crusader.   Phone calls, emails, text messages, and the like were and continue to be part of the effort to work “ON” the business rather than “IN” the business.  Standing Out: Service Quality as a Differentiator  In industries like yours, there is ever-present risk of becoming a commodity because it can be difficult for customers to distinguish your offering from others. In this situation, price often becomes the only differentiator, and the race to the bottom begins.  When that happens, growth slows, margins erode, and customer relationships become transactional rather than strategic. How did you ensure Protex Central avoided this trap? What role did customer service play in setting you apart? Once again, Laura, you’ve hit the nail on the head.  Creating the differentiation was a challenge. We had to really had unterstand our value proposition to the customer:  we’re local,  we’re thought leaders, and we are reliable.  In fact, as consolidation in our indstrutry as accellerated, we emphasized that we have local ownership that’s involved in the community.  We, as a company, want to see the entire community succeed and prosper.  That’s something that our new private equity owners can’t say. That was a terrific, pivotal move to have technical talent closer to customers.  We truly believe that service quality is not an afterthought. That it can serve as a key differentiator. We have found that organizations that empower their technical teams to engage directly with customers see faster problem resolution, deeper relationships, and greater loyalty. This kind of proximity often turns service interactions into opportunities for insight, trust-building, and long-term value creation. How has this shift impacted your customer relationships and service outcomes? First and foremost, it didn’t happen overnight.  It was an intentional effort on the part of every member of our team.  Yes, I had to articulate it, but secondarily, they had to live it out.  Often, that means getting up at 2 am to respond to a service call.   I mean, who wants to leave the comfort and warmth of their bed to head out to a service call at 0-dark-thirty?  But that’s what our team does when lives, property, or process are on the line. Here’s the lesson learned: our customers appreciate the effort it takes, and they value that effort and time to protect lives, property, and processes. A New Set of Metrics to Measure Performance Progress  Shawn, let’s talk about one of my favorite topics, performance management and metrics. Metrics shape behavior. What leaders choose to measure determines what teams prioritize, improve, and ultimately deliver. What are the key metrics you track today, and how do they differ from what you measured back in 2017? Which metrics have had the biggest impact on decision-making and behavior across the organization? Wow, again, this is a great question.  As far as key metrics are concerned, we transitioned into a process that measured Key Performance Indicators such as:  number of prospecting calls made; number of targeted customer calls made; and further, number of post-service call follow-up calls made.  We didn’t rely on a BOT to ask those questions; we established an internal tracking system through our CRM to assign a live human being to make those calls.  We believe that made the difference in establishing a long-term relationship. How Leadership Style Played a Key Role in Success  One of the things our community appreciates is hearing about lessons learned. Shawn, what are the biggest lessons you’ve learned on this journey? Looking back, was there anything you initially underestimated or would approach differently today? And what advice would you offer to other leaders in established, highly competitive industries who want to drive meaningful change? To me, as a leader, the biggest lesson learned was that of being “present.”  In other words, you can’t just dictate a direction and expect it to happen.  You must be dedicated to seeing it through.  That means being there for your team – shoulder to shoulder – when they make the call or the follow-up call.  It means role-playing conversations and critiquing them before and after they occur. And finally, it means assuring your team that 24/7, you’re there for them to support and encourage them in their efforts to move the organization to the next level. Shawn, thank you for sharing your journey. Your story is a testament to the power of disciplined process, customer-centricity, and the courage to challenge the status quo. For those listening, growth doesn’t come from random acts—it comes from deliberate choices about customers, processes, and how value is delivered. For those listening, if you’re ready, let’s have a conversation about how to move beyond commoditization and operationalize sustainable growth. FAQ: (written by Penn of Sintra.ai) Q1: What are the most common reasons established companies experience stagnant growth, even in expanding markets? A: Stagnant growth often results from eroding differentiation, increased internal complexity, and a failure to adapt processes or value propositions to evolving customer needs—even when market demand is rising. Q2: How can a customer-centric approach accelerate growth in mature, competitive industries? A: Focusing on customer-centricity helps organizations identify and prioritize their most valuable customers, tailor their offerings, and drive loyalty. This approach shifts growth from acquiring “more” customers to acquiring the “right” customers, resulting in improved retention and profitability. Q3: Why is customer segmentation and profiling essential for sustainable business growth? A: Effective segmentation and profiling reveal which customers align best with your value proposition. By understanding attributes such as relationship longevity, communication style, and operational fit, companies can focus resources where they yield the greatest impact. Q4: How does process mapping drive operational excellence and profitability? A: Process mapping uncovers inefficiencies and bottlenecks across sales, service, and delivery. By optimizing workflows, organizations can reduce margin leakage, minimize project overruns, and create a culture of continuous improvement. Q5: What’s the role of messaging and positioning in differentiating a business? A: Clear, consistent messaging and strategic positioning ensure that every customer touchpoint communicates unique value. This strengthens brand perception, aligns internal teams, and supports competitive advantage—especially in crowded markets. Q6: How do sales playbooks and training support customer-centric growth? A: Dynamic sales playbooks align teams on best practices, value delivery, and the customer journey. Ongoing training and KPI discipline foster adaptability and ensure consistent execution, which is critical for scaling growth. Q7: Why is direct engagement between technical teams and customers important for service quality? A: Empowering technical teams to interact directly with customers leads to faster issue resolution, deeper relationships, and greater loyalty. Service quality becomes a key differentiator and a source of long-term value creation. Q8: What are the most effective metrics for managing performance and supporting growth? A: Metrics should track both activity (e.g., prospecting, follow-up calls) and outcomes (e.g., retention, revenue, margin improvement). The right KPIs shape behavior, support accountability, and drive continuous improvement across the organization. Q9: What leadership practices are essential for driving transformation in established organizations? A: Successful transformation requires leaders to be present, model desired behaviors, support their teams, and reinforce a culture of discipline and accountability. Change is sustained when leaders are hands-on and committed to seeing it through. Q10: How can organizations avoid commoditization and maintain pricing power? A: By differentiating through customer experience, operational excellence, and service quality, companies can shift the conversation away from price and foster strategic, long-term customer relationships.

Today’s conversation explores how a lean process improvement initiative, originally launched to address patient complaints about long wait times, evolved into something much more: a deeply embedded customer-centric culture grounded in customer value and customer-centricy, and a move away from random acts of efficiency toward a systematic, measurable approach to customer experience. Stephanie Collins, CEO of Austin Retina, a practice that has been serving patients since 1979, joins us today as our guest for What’s Your Edge.  Stephanie has been with the organization for 25 years, rising through the ranks to lead the practice through significant growth. The practice has grown from a single provider to 19 physicians and nearly 300 employees. And recently, it became a part of Cencora, a global leader in pharmaceutical and medical supply distribution. Stephanie, I’m looking forward to learning how Austin Retina reframed time as a critical dimension of value, how you operationalized customer-centricity, and how you measure the impact of customer value on growth, loyalty, and performance. Stephanie, welcome to the show. The Inflection Point: From “Just A Number” to Valuable Customer  Stephanie, let’s start with the moment that really catalyzed change. In 2015, Austin Retina initiated a lean process. One of the primary triggers was patient feedback that they felt the practice didn’t value their time—that they were being treated like a number. I imagine most everyone listening has experienced this feeling. In fact, nationally, studies suggest that patients spend roughly 11–18 minutes just waiting to be seen in a doctor’s office, and when you add travel and disruption to the workday, researchers estimate about $89 billion a year in lost time due to medical visits. Now, when we wind back the clock, patients were often in the office for three hours, and these patients often see their physicians every 4–6 weeks. That is a significant time commitment. We can easily see why the initial goal of the lean initiative was straightforward: shorten wait time. Congratulations on achieving your goal and reducing the wait time from three hours to about 90 minutes. Take us back to that period. What were you hearing from patients that made you realize “we have to do something different”? Was there a specific story or piece of feedback that made the leadership team say, “We cannot continue this way”? When I think back to that time, what really struck me wasn’t just that patients were waiting a long time — it was how that wait made them feel. We began hearing consistent feedback that patients felt like they were being processed rather than cared for. One moment that stuck with me came from a long-time patient who very kindly said, “I know you’re all working hard, but it feels like my time doesn’t matter.” For a patient who is already managing a chronic condition, that comment was eye-opening. Many of our patients visit us every four to six weeks, and for many years. When they’re spending three hours in our office each time, it adds up to a tremendous burden. That was the moment when our leadership team realized this wasn’t just about efficiency — it was about respect, empathy, and dignity. We couldn’t continue operating in a way that unintentionally signaled that our time mattered more than theirs. That realization is what pushed us to take bold action and pursue a lean initiative. I personally believe time is our most precious asset. How did you and your team come to frame the problem—not just as an operational issue, but as a patient or customer value issue? As we started digging into the long visit times, we realized the real question wasn’t just “How do we make the process faster?” — it was “Are we delivering what patients truly value?” That shift in thinking was important. We wanted to reduce waste, costs, and redundancies in the process, but never at the expense of the quality of their care or the relationship they have with their physician. Framing the problem through the lens of patient value helped us focus on improving flow and eliminating waste while still protecting the elements of care that matter most. It allowed us to design improvements that were more meaningful, more patient-centered, and ultimately more sustainable. I love the fact you stepped into your customers shoes.  In our work, we define customer value as the balance between what customers receive and what they must give up, such as time, effort, money, and risk, to obtain that value. For many customers, time is one of the most precious currencies.  From your perspective, when did you begin to see time not just as a scheduling issue, but as a core component of the value proposition Austin Retina offers its patients? The turning point for me was recognizing that time is deeply emotional. It’s tied to autonomy, to a sense of control, to quality of life. In retina care, many of our patients already feel like they’ve lost control — their vision, their health, their schedule revolves around injections and follow-ups. So, when we began mapping the patient journey, we realized that if we could give time back to them, we were restoring some of that control. That’s when it became clear that time wasn’t a scheduling matter; it was a core part of our value proposition. Lean as the Catalyst for Better Customer-Centricity  You started with a lean initiative to reduce wait times, but over time, that effort evolved into something deeper—a cultural shift toward patient or what we call customer-centricity. At what point did you recognize, “This is no longer just a process improvement project; this is reshaping our culture”? For us, the moment we realized this had grown beyond a process-improvement initiative and had truly become a cultural transformation was when patients started commenting on their own. We began hearing things like, “I don’t know what you’re doing differently, but keep it up!” Those spontaneous comments were incredibly validating. They showed us that patients weren’t just experiencing a shorter visit — they were feeling a real improvement in how they were cared for. What was just as meaningful, though, was what happened internally. As patients started noticing the changes, our staff re-engaged in a way we hadn’t seen in a long time. They began bringing forward new ideas, suggesting areas where we could streamline or improve the experience for everyone. You could feel the excitement building — this sense that we were accomplishing something important together. That combination of patient appreciation and staff enthusiasm is when we knew we weren’t simply adjusting workflows. We were reshaping our culture around valuing time, reducing frustration, and creating a better experience across the board. What an excellent point about how the process helped reshape the culture. We often talk about the need to operationalize customer-centricity; that is, to move from slogans about being customer-focused to embedding customer value into processes, metrics, and decision-making. What were some of the concrete operational changes that signaled to your patients, “We heard you, and we’re changing how we work to respect your time”? And how did you make those changes stick so they became “the way we do things here” rather than a one-time initiative? Some of the most meaningful changes were: Standardized rooming and diagnostic workflowsto eliminate unnecessary steps. Reviewing patient flow dashboards and metricsso staff could anticipate bottlenecks and improve processes to keep them from happening. Cross-training team members, which gave us more flexibility to keep patients moving smoothly. Redesigning the appointment templateso it accurately reflected the true time needed for different visit types. Physician huddles every morningto align on the day’s flow. What made these changes stick was that we embedded them into daily management. They weren’t “projects”; they became expectations. And as soon as patients started noticing shorter visits and smoother experiences, the team became even more committed. Download the CC Worksheet The Importance of Expectations: Defining and Measuring Customer Value  I think that’s a powerful point about making changes expectations. We often emphasize that customer-centric growth depends on being able to define, measure, and monitor customer value. We’ve written about customer value metrics that facilitate customer-centric growth and about the importance of identifying the variables that matter most to your customers, like time, access, outcomes, relationship, and so on: What measures and metrics are you using to track whether you are delivering that value? For example, do you track average total visit time, wait time by stage, on-time starts, or visit variability? And have you adopted or adapted any form of customer value metrics beyond the measure of time, such as combining time, satisfaction, and clinical outcomes into a composite view of value? To truly understand whether we’re delivering value, we had to measure the elements of the visit that matter most to patients. Today, we focus on a set of operational and experience metrics that give us a clear picture of both efficiency and patient perception. We measure: Total visit time, or what we call “lead time,” from check-in to check-out. Wait time by task, so we can identify precisely where delays occur. Total task time, which helps us understand how long each component of the visit actually takes. Throughput by clinic and by physician, to monitor balance, capacity, and flow across the organization. And importantly, patient satisfaction scores, which allow us to connect operational performance with how patients actually feel about their experience. By looking at these measures together, we’re able to evaluate not just speed, but predictability, consistency, and overall patient value. It helps us pinpoint where improvements will make the greatest difference in the patient experience. Stephanie, these seem like meaningful measures. Thank you for sharing them. We strongly believe that customer value delivers faster organic growth. And that organizations that explicitly manage and measure customer value tend to grow faster and more profitably. Stephanie, how has focusing on patient value, particularly time, influenced your organic growth? And have you seen changes in referral patterns, patient retention, or word-of-mouth as a result of this shift? The shift to shorter, more predictable visits has had a tremendous impact on our growth and our reputation in the community. Patients consistently tell us how much they appreciate not having to spend hours in the clinic, especially given how frequently they need to see us. That positive experience translates directly into word-of-mouth referrals — patients recommending us to family and friends because they genuinely feel cared for and respected. It’s also strengthened our relationships with referring providers. We hear often that patients go back to their optometrist or primary eye care provider and share how smooth and efficient their visit was. That kind of unsolicited feedback builds trust and reinforces the confidence referring doctors have in sending patients to us. And operationally, the improvements in flow and visit time have enabled us to care for more patients in the community. When you increase efficiency without compromising quality, you expand access — and that’s incredibly important in a specialty like retina, where timely care can make all the difference. Relationship Strategy and the Value Proposition  We often describe the value proposition as the customer-centric bridge between your business and your customers’ definition of value. In a specialty like retina, patients are often with you for a long time, returning every 4–6 weeks. That creates not just a series of visits, but a relationship. In what ways has your value proposition evolved as you’ve become more intentional about being patient-centric? Consistency is everything. We reinforce our value proposition by making sure patients feel it at every touchpoint: Schedulingthat sets clear expectations about visit length Front desk teamstrained to welcome patients warmly and keep them informed Clinical teamswho explain each step so patients understand what’s happening and why Physicianswho focus on empathy as much as expertise I couldn’t agree more about the importance of every touchpoint in delivering on the value proposition and promise. Stephanie, How do you communicate and reinforce that value proposition, whether that’s respect for time, quality of care, continuity, empathy across your touchpoints (scheduling, front desk, clinical staff, physicians)? We internally post and discuss metrics with our entire team and celebrate these metrics and the positive feedback we receive on a daily basis.  When patients provide feedback either spontaneously during their visit or via a Google review, we share those highlights with the whole organization thanking them for their commitment. We’ve written about how relationship strategy and brand equity are strengthened when organizations consistently deliver on what customers value and measure that delivery. Have you seen evidence that your patient-centric approach has enhanced your brand equity, for example, in how referring physicians talk about you, or how patients describe you to others? Patients consistently mention shorter and smoother visits and feeling genuinely cared for.  When patients begin describing you as “efficient and compassionate,” you know you are doing something right. Best Practices to Create and Sustain a Customer-Centric Culture  It takes commitment to sustain a customer-centric culture and leveraging best practices.  What practices or mechanisms help you maintain alignment around customer centricity? We use several mechanisms to keep us aligned: Daily huddlesfocused on patient flow Monthly performance dashboardsaccessible to all teams Root-cause reviewsany time our visit times spike Patient feedback loops, including direct follow-ups on comments A Full time “Patient Experience Manager” focused on training team members about Lean, wastes, customer service, and providing feedback for areas where we can improve. In terms of process and best practices, I’m curious about how you reinforce your processes. Are there thresholds or targets you manage to—for example, “no patient should be in the clinic longer than X minutes” or “Y% of visits must start within Z minutes of scheduled time”? Yes, we do track and report on certain metrics and targets for each doctor and their team monthly.  We aim for a 90 min lead time, an efficiency score that looks patients time in clinic compared to the staffing ratio, and of course, always measuring these against patient satisfaction scores and feedback. Advice for Leaders to Embed Customer Value into Your Culture  Many organizations say they want to be customer-centric, but they struggle to translate that aspiration into metrics, processes, and behaviors. They end up with what we call “random acts”.  Random acts of customer experience, random acts of improvement, random acts of efficiency. As opposed to a disciplined, value-driven approach anchored in customer value metrics. How can leaders avoid “random acts” and instead build a systematic approach to customer value, similar to what you did with lean and patient experience? One of the biggest lessons we learned is that you don’t have to — and really can’t — build a full systematic approach all at once. That’s where many organizations get stuck. Creating something from scratch can feel daunting, and when you try to design the entire system upfront, it becomes overwhelming and unsustainable. Lean taught us the value of small, intentional steps. Instead of chasing big, complex solutions, we focused on small-scale trials. We would identify a specific problem, bring the right people together to brainstorm a potential solution, test it on a very small scale, and then track the metrics closely. If it worked, we refined it and expanded it. If it didn’t, we learned quickly and adjusted. Those small cycles of testing and learning helped us avoid what we call “random acts” — one-off improvements that don’t stick. By taking small steps, guided by data, we were able to build a systematic approach over time. And the team gained confidence because they could see the impact of each incremental improvement. That momentum is what ultimately created sustained cultural change. How to Keep Customer Value at the Center of Strategy, Operations, and Growth  In our conversation, I feel like we’ve made the case that customer-centricity is not a project; it’s a way of operating. It requires clarity about what customers value, the right metrics, and a commitment to continuously aligning your processes and decisions with that value. What routines or governance mechanisms help you keep customer value at the center of strategy, operations, and growth? We have internal hard and soft skill training and onboarding programs, internal certification programs for LEAN and Leadership Development, recognition programs, per physician and team scorecards as well as the leadership team has weekly meetings, and quarterly strategic planning discussions. Stephanie, thank you for sharing your experience with us.  Based on your journey, what advice would you offer leaders who want to embed customer value—especially time—into their culture and operations and what are some your biggest lessons learned about listening to customers, redesigning processes, and measuring what matters? My biggest advice is to really listen — and be willing to hear what’s uncomfortable. Patients were telling us the truth long before we acted on it. Second, don’t underestimate the cultural side of operational change. You can have the best processes in the world, but if your team doesn’t believe in the “why,” they won’t sustain them. Third, measure what matters. If you believe time is value, then track it relentlessly. And finally, stay humble. Improvement is never finished. Customer value is a journey; the moment you think you’ve arrived is the moment you start to slip. Stephanie, your story shows how listening to customers, treating time as a critical dimension of value, and embedding customer-centric practices into processes and metrics can transform both the experience and the business. For those of you listening, Stephanie’s experience at Austin Retina is a powerful reminder that time is one of the most important forms of customer value. When you make time visible, measure it, and design your processes around it, you move from random acts of customer experience to a disciplined, customer-centric system that improves satisfaction, loyalty, and organic growth. When you’re ready to move beyond good intentions and truly operationalize customer-centricity in your organization, we’d welcome the opportunity to help you identify practical steps you can take to put time—and customer value—at the center of your strategy, operations, and performance.   FAQ: (written by Penn of Sintra.ai) Q1: What is customer value in the context of healthcare and patient experience? A: Customer value in healthcare is the balance between what patients receive—clinical outcomes, access, reassurance, continuity of care—and what they must give up, including time, effort, money, and risk. In a patient-centric culture, organizations explicitly define what patients value most and design processes, metrics, and decisions to maximize that value. Q2: Why is time considered a critical dimension of customer value? A: Time is one of the most important “currencies” of customer value. Long wait times, unpredictable visits, and frequent disruptions erode trust and satisfaction. When organizations measure and manage time—total visit time, wait time by stage, and predictability—they signal respect, improve the experience, and often unlock capacity for faster organic growth. Q3: How did Austin Retina use lean process improvement to enhance patient experience? A: Austin Retina launched a lean process improvement initiative in response to patient feedback that visits were too long and patients felt like numbers. By mapping the patient journey, standardizing workflows, cross-training teams, and monitoring flow metrics, they reduced visit times from roughly three hours to about 90 minutes, while preserving quality of care and strengthening relationships. Q4: What are customer value metrics, and which ones did Austin Retina focus on? A: Customer value metrics quantify how well an organization delivers what customers value. Austin Retina focuses on measures such as total visit “lead time” from check-in to check-out, wait time by task, total task time, throughput by clinic and physician, and patient satisfaction scores. Looking at these metrics together allows them to evaluate efficiency, predictability, and overall patient value. Q5: How does customer-centricity differ from traditional efficiency initiatives? A: Traditional efficiency initiatives often focus solely on internal productivity or cost reduction. Customer-centricity starts with what customers value—such as time, access, and empathy—and then aligns processes, metrics, and behaviors to deliver that value. Lean becomes a vehicle for operationalizing customer-centricity, not an end in itself. Q6: How can focusing on customer value drive faster organic growth? A: Organizations that explicitly manage and measure customer value tend to see higher satisfaction, loyalty, and referrals. In Austin Retina’s case, shorter, more predictable visits improved patient experience, strengthened relationships with referring providers, and increased capacity to serve more patients—contributing to faster, more sustainable organic growth. Q7: What governance and routines help sustain a customer-centric culture? A: Sustaining a customer-centric culture requires ongoing routines and governance: daily huddles focused on patient flow, monthly performance dashboards, root-cause reviews when metrics slip, structured feedback loops, and dedicated roles such as a patient experience manager. Leadership training, internal certifications, and regular strategic planning keep customer value at the center of decisions. Q8: How can leaders avoid “random acts” of customer experience and build a systematic approach? A: Leaders avoid “random acts” by starting with clear definitions of customer value, selecting a focused set of customer value metrics, and using small, data-driven improvement cycles. Rather than launching one-off initiatives, they test changes on a small scale, measure impact, refine what works, and then embed successful practices into standard work and daily management.

In this episode, we’re joined by Stacie Feller, President of Kanga Roof. Stacie’s journey is a powerful illustration of how the absence, or presence, of customer data can dramatically impact business decisions. We’ll go behind the scenes to explore how a lack of customer insights created missed opportunities, and how a renewed focus on data has since transformed her decision-making. Today’s conversation takes us from instinct to insight and ultimately to impact by exploring how data transforms business decisions into measurable growth. Crises Create Opportunities for Learning and for Growth Stacie, at the outset of the pandemic, uncertainty was the order of the day. Like many leaders, you and your team anticipated a sharp decline in business. Yet, the reality was the opposite. Instead, you experienced a surge in demand for roofing services. Despite this unexpected opportunity, Kanga Roof was unable to fully capitalize. The supply chain faltered, and your organization was caught off guard. This wasn’t simply a story of external disruption, but a wake-up call for the importance of customer data. This scenario is not unique. According to Forrester, “insights-driven businesses” are growing at more than 30% annually—far outpacing their peers.  The difference? These organizations don’t rely on gut instinct; they invest in data-driven decision-making. Let’s start at that critical moment. What were the early warning signs that your assumptions about customer demand might be off? How did you recognize that the root issue was a lack of actionable customer data? During the early days of the pandemic, we assumed business would slow down like it did for most industries. But when the phone started ringing off the hook, we realized our assumptions were off. Homeowners were home, noticing roof issues they hadn’t before, and investing in their property instead of travel. The problem was that we didn’t have good data on who our customers really were, how they found us, what services they needed, or how their priorities were shifting. We were reacting instead of planning. That’s when I realized we needed a stronger system for capturing and using customer insights to guide decisions instead of relying on instinct. Every Delay in Understanding Customers Costs Time and Revenue What you described is something we see across many organizations: decisions made from instinct or urgency rather than insight. We often refer to these as “random acts”. Random acts of marketing, planning, selling, or even customer engagement. They feel productive in the moment, but often lead to inefficiencies or missed opportunities. Once you recognized that pattern, what steps did you take to move from these random acts to more deliberate, insight-driven actions? We had to get intentional. We started by documenting every customer touchpoint—how they heard about us, what problems they were trying to solve, and what factors drove their buying decision. Then we implemented tools to track trends in lead sources, service types, and timing. Instead of reacting to what we thought was happening, we began making decisions based on what the data told us. It wasn’t just marketing; it was operations and staffing.  For example, we have trained our appointment coordinators to gather data that will help them determine who is the best roofing advisor to send to them.  That shift from gut feeling to evidence was a real turning point. Your experience highlights a common pitfall: acting on assumptions rather than evidence. As you reflect, what was the impact of not having real-time customer insights during that period? What decisions do you wish you could have made if you’d had better data? Not having real-time data caused us to miss opportunities. We couldn’t predict demand surges, so we were short on materials and labor when business spiked. Looking back, I wish we’d had a clearer view of customer intent, like knowing who was in research mode versus ready to buy. If we’d had better insights then, we could’ve staffed more efficiently, adjusted pricing based on material shortages, and prioritized the right jobs. It taught us that every delay in understanding our customers costs both time and revenue. Treat Data Like an Ongoing Process to Capture Valuable Insights Many organizations realize they need better insights—but struggle to know where to start. We have found it is helpful to have a practical framework organizations can use to move beyond intuition and experience. That’s why we developed our  8 Steps for Applying Business Data-Derived Insights approach that transforms data into a disciplined decision-making process. The framework offers a systematic way to recognize, validate, and apply insights from quantitative and qualitative data. It emphasizes that data-derived insights, when leveraged through a disciplined, eight-step process, enable more objective, scalable, and predictive decision-making, leading to above-market growth and significant EBITDA gains, somewhere between 15-25%.  Stacie, what were your first steps in building a more robust customer data foundation? Did you focus on capturing customer feedback, transaction data, market trends, or something else? Our first step was organizing the data we already had. We pulled customer information from estimates, service calls, and follow-ups into one system so we could see patterns. Then we started collecting feedback after every job and tracking reviews to understand what customers valued most. We also began layering in operational data—things like lead times, call volumes, and job profitability. It wasn’t just about collecting data; it was about connecting it so we could make better business decisions across departments. Download the CC Worksheet I know you are very familiar with the value of the supply chain.  When it comes to insights, there is a supply chain as well. The insights supply chain entails five critical stages: plan, source, make, deliver, and return. By mapping and continuously optimizing this “insights supply chain,” organizations can efficiently transform vast amounts of data into timely, relevant insights distributed across business functions. Proactive management of this process is essential for maximizing customer value, sustaining competitive advantage, and supporting long-term business success. How do you ensure that your data collection and analysis processes keep pace with evolving customer needs and market conditions? What systems or routines have you put in place to keep your “insights supply chain” flowing and relevant? What obstacles did you encounter as you tried to close the gaps in your data supply chain? We treat data like an ongoing process, not a one-time project. Every quarter, our leadership team reviews trends in customer behavior and operations. We look for shifts—like a rise in roof repairs versus replacements—and adapt our marketing and staffing accordingly. One obstacle early on was data accuracy. We learned quickly that bad data leads to bad decisions. So, we trained our team on why clean data matters, built checks into our CRM, and made data quality part of everyone’s responsibility. Make Smarter Customer Decisions from Trends in Your Data Because effective business planning and decision-making require more than intuition. It demands a disciplined approach to identifying trends and patterns within both internal and external data. By understanding and leveraging these trends (general directions over time) and patterns (repeatable occurrences), organizations can anticipate customer needs, allocate resources strategically, and drive future growth. The real advantage comes from combining data trends and patterns to inform forward-looking, customer-centric business strategies. With a stronger data foundation, how did your decision-making evolve? Can you share specific examples of business decisions—whether about staffing, marketing, or operations—that you can now make with confidence thanks to data? How do you distinguish between a trend and an anomaly when interpreting your data? Today, data drives a lot of our major decisions. For example, we track which zip codes convert best and adjust marketing budgets based on that. We analyze job types to know when to add or cross-train crews. Even our customer service scripts are refined from feedback trends.  We created a dynamic internal webpage for our appointment coordinators to follow that helps with this. To tell a trend from an anomaly, we look for consistency over time and across multiple data points. One busy week doesn’t mean a market shift…but three quarters of the same pattern does. That discipline has made our decisions much more confident and less reactive. Measuring the Value of Data: Time and Speed to Action I can see how important it is to take the right action at the right time. Stacie, a lot of people find it difficult to justify investing in data initiatives. We have found that two key metrics for evaluating the ROI of data are time to insights (TTI) and time to decisions (TTD). By tracking how quickly an organization can transform raw data into actionable insights (TTI) and then convert those insights into informed business decisions (TTD), leaders can quantify the productivity and profitability gains from their data investments. Accelerating both TTI and TTD is essential for gaining a competitive edge, improving operational efficiency, and maximizing the value derived from data-driven strategies. How do you measure the value of your customer data today? What metrics or business outcomes do you track to ensure your insights are driving results? How do you connect your data efforts to tangible business value? We measure success by looking at conversion rates, job profitability, and customer satisfaction.  We also monitor how fast we move from data to action—if it takes weeks to act on insights, that’s a lost opportunity. The faster we turn information into decisions, the more value we get from our data investment. Advice for the Journey: Getting Started and Leveling Up Simply accumulating more data does not guarantee better business insights or outcomes. Throughout our conversation, you’ve mentioned that it is important for organizations to establish a disciplined process for data management. You brought up a great point about the quality of data, its relevance, and the need for structured analysis to extract actionable insights that drive strategic decisions. As you mentioned, value comes not from volume, but from a systematic approach that transforms the right data into meaningful intelligence for business growth. For leaders just starting their data journey, what advice would you offer? What are the biggest lessons learned about collecting, analyzing, and applying customer data? For those further along, what best practices or next-level challenges should they anticipate? Start small and stay consistent. Don’t get overwhelmed by collecting every piece of data—focus on what helps you serve your customers better. For us, that was understanding where leads came from and why customers chose us. Once we had that, we could build from there. The biggest lesson is to actually use the data. Too many businesses collect it but never act on it. Create a rhythm of reviewing, learning, and applying what you see. That’s where the real growth happens. One of the biggest hurdles we see is that many organizations operate through what we call “random acts”.  These are isolated efforts not anchored to a clear data-driven strategy. Avoiding these requires discipline, process, and focus. For leaders just starting out, how do you recommend they prevent these random acts from creeping into their data and decision-making processes? Random acts happen when there’s no clear strategy or accountability. We prevent that by setting measurable goals and reviewing performance regularly. Every initiative—marketing, hiring, or operations—must be tied to a specific data point or outcome. That discipline keeps us focused and ensures that everyone understands why we’re doing something, not just what we’re doing. See Ongoing Success with a Data-Driven Culture Stacie, it’s clear you and your team have found actionable customer insights to be a critical driver of business growth, enabling your organization to anticipate needs, personalize offerings, and build stronger relationships. We believe that by systematically collecting and analyzing customer data, you can see patterns and preferences that inform strategy and foster innovation. And your story seems to bear that out. By leveraging customer insights, companies can differentiate themselves, improve customer value, and accelerate sustainable growth. How do you ensure that customer insights are systematically collected, analyzed, and translated into strategies that deliver measurable value and sustainable growth? We’ve built a rhythm of gathering and sharing insights across the company. Our CRM gives every department visibility into customer trends. We use that data to forecast sales, plan staffing, and even improve training programs. When people see how their input feeds into better decisions, they take ownership of the data. That’s how we’ve sustained a culture of continuous improvement. As we wrap up, let’s talk about building a data-driven culture, which requires more than technology. It takes leadership commitment, clear processes, and continuous investment in data literacy across the organization. It is critical to align people, practices, and incentives to ensure that data and insights are consistently used in decision-making at every level. The key is to foster collaboration, encourage curiosity, and make data accessible and actionable, so organizations can embed a culture where insights drive performance, innovation, and long-term growth. What are the most important steps leaders can take to embed a truly data-driven mindset across the organization, ensuring that customer insights consistently inform strategy and innovation? As a leader, I try to model curiosity—asking questions like “what does the data say?” before making decisions. We include data reviews in leadership meetings and align our KPIs around both customer experience and profitability. The key is making data part of the conversation, not an afterthought. When leaders value it, everyone follows suit. How do you, as President, ensure that data accountability is part of leadership discussions—perhaps even boardroom conversations—so that insight-driven decision-making becomes part of your organization’s governance? Data accountability starts at the top. We are transparent about what’s working and what isn’t. We discuss metrics so everyone understands how their numbers tie to the company’s goals. Over time, that’s built trust and alignment. People know decisions are made based on facts, not feelings, and that’s changed how we lead. Stacie, thank you for sharing your story and the lessons learned from your journey and highlighting how moving from instinct to actionable insights fundamentally transforms C-Suite decision-making.  Through your real-world experience, we see the tangible impact of building disciplined data processes, investing in data literacy, and cultivating a culture where insights drive strategy, operations, and growth. Our conversation underscores that sustainable business success depends on embedding data-driven thinking at every level of leadership. Ready to take your organization from instinct to insight? Connect with us to discover practical steps you can implement today for a more resilient, customer-centric, and competitive future. FAQ:  (written by Penn at Sintra.ai)  FAQ: From Instinct to Customer Insights for Better C-Suite Decision Making  Why is it risky for leaders to rely primarily on instinct rather than data? Instinct and experience are valuable, but on their own they can lead to “random acts” of strategy, marketing, and operations—activities that feel productive but are not grounded in evidence. In volatile markets, decisions based solely on gut feel increase the risk of misallocating resources, missing shifts in customer behavior, and being outpaced by competitors who use data-driven insights to guide their choices. What do you mean by “actionable customer insights”? Actionable customer insights are findings derived from customer data—quantitative and qualitative—that directly inform a decision or action. They go beyond raw data or simple reporting to answer questions such as: Which customers are most valuable? What drives their decisions? Which offers, channels, or experiences are most effective?Actionable insights are specific, relevant, and tied to a clear business outcome.  Whereshould an organization start if it wants to become more data-driven? Start by clarifying the business questions you need to answer, then identify the data you already have that can help answer those questions. Focus on a few high-impact areas—such as lead sources, win/loss drivers, customer satisfaction, or product/service profitability—rather than trying to capture everything at once. From there, establish simple routines for collecting, reviewing, and acting on the data.  Whatis an “insights supply chain,” and why does it matter? An insights supply chain describes the end-to-end process that converts raw data into insights and then into decisions and actions. It typically includes five stages: plan, source, make, deliver, and return. When this supply chain is well-designed and continuously optimized, organizations can move faster from data to insight to action, reduce rework, improve data quality, and ensure that insights are delivered to the right people at the right time.  Howcan leaders distinguish between meaningful trends and one-off anomalies in their data? Meaningful trends show consistent patterns over time and across multiple data points or segments. Anomalies are short-lived spikes or drops that don’t repeat or align with other indicators. Leaders should look at data over multiple periods, compare across segments (e.g., customer type, region, product line), and validate findings with both quantitative data and qualitative feedback before making major decisions.  Whatare “time to insights” (TTI) and “time to decisions” (TTD), and how do they help measure data value? Time to insights (TTI) measures how long it takes to convert raw data into actionable insights. Time to decisions (TTD) measures how long it takes to turn those insights into implemented decisions. Together, they reveal how effectively and efficiently an organization is using its data. Shorter TTI and TTD typically correlate with greater agility, faster response to market changes, and higher ROI from data and analytics investments.  Howcan organizations avoid “random acts” of marketing, sales, or operations? Avoiding random acts requires a clear strategy, defined outcomes, and accountability. Every initiative should be tied to specific objectives, metrics, and customer insights. Leaders can reduce random acts by:  Aligning initiatives to a measurable growth or customer value goal  Requiring data or insight-based rationale for major decisions  Reviewing performance regularly and adjusting based on evidence rather than opinion  Whatrole does culture play in becoming a data-driven organization? Culture is the multiplier. Technology and tools are necessary but not sufficient. A data-driven culture is one where leaders model curiosity, regularly ask “what does the data tell us?”, and reward evidence-based decisions. It also requires data literacy, transparency around metrics, and making data accessible so teams can confidently use insights in their day-to-day work.  Howcan leaders encourage data accountability at the executive and board level? Leaders can embed data accountability by integrating key metrics and insights into regular leadership and board discussions, tying strategic decisions to evidence, and clearly linking data to business outcomes such as growth, profitability, and customer value. Over time, this shifts governance conversations from opinion-based debates to fact-based dialogue and reinforces the expectation that decisions are grounded in insights.  Whatis one practical first step a C-suite team can take after listening to this episode? A practical first step is to select one critical decision area—such as resource allocation, customer acquisition, or retention—and map the current path from data to decision. Identify where data is missing, delayed, or unused, and define one or two changes that would shorten the path from insight to action. Use this as a pilot to build momentum, demonstrate value, and then scale the approach across the organization.   

In this episode of What’s Your Edge? we’re focusing on a foundational driver of sustainable growth: innovation. Research from McKinsey suggests that companies that prioritize innovation generate significantly higher growth than their peers. In one study, “innovation leaders” achieved 2.4 times higher total shareholder returns than laggards over a 10-year period, underscoring that innovation is not a “nice to have,” but a core driver of long-term value.  As everyone listening knows, true innovation isn’t a one-time event or the product of a lone genius. It’s a disciplined, iterative effort, woven into the culture and operations of high-performing organizations. You may have read our article “Massive Action Leads to Business Growth, Innovation, and Operational Excellence,” where we explored how companies that operationalize innovation, where it is everyone’s responsibility, are the ones that consistently outpace their peers.  Today, we’re talking with Ed Trevis, President and CEO of Corvalent, an industrial computing manufacturing company, whose leadership journey offers a compelling blueprint for transforming a legacy business through innovation.  Welcome Ed!  Thank you, Laura, for inviting me to this episode. You’re absolutely right that induced innovation can drive profound transformation. In my 32 years of leading the company, we’ve experienced multiple moments where we had to break from the norm and pivot, whether for technological advancement, shifting markets, or economic and financial pressures. As CEOs, we must maintain a healthy paranoia about the possibility of becoming obsolete, and it’s often in those moments that real action and breakthrough innovation occur. Innovation Cannot Be Exclusive to Products and Services   Ed, I’m so glad you mentioned that innovation starts at the top. And that Leaders must set expectations, model curiosity, and foster accountability. Ed, you’ve led Corvalent since its founding in 1993. Can you share the pivotal moment when you realized Corvalent needed to embrace a culture of innovation? What was the catalyst for this shift? Purchase Your Growth Plan There were several moments in the life of our organization where we had to be more than innovative, but there was one that I even wrote in my Portuguese book about innovation. The chapter is called “The dangerous silence and how demotivation threatened our future”. We faced a silent, but devastating problem: employee demotivation. A widespread feeling of stagnation, low engagement from employees, and a disconnect from the real impact of their work. It was like their tasks just felt like simple tasks, without a greater purpose. Over time, this created a cycle of dissatisfaction, low productivity, and no personal growth.   Worse still, when a team loses the belief that their work doesn’t matter, the team loses vitality.  Disconnection was subtle, but became very evident:  Teams were less collaborative, silos were created throughout the organization, resistance to change, and in some cases, great talents left the organization.  When we identified the silent problem, we realized something fundamental. It wasn’t enough to innovate products and services; we needed to innovate in how we managed people and culture.  I like your phrase, the silent problem. We know from our experience that no transformation is without challenges. Changing culture, especially in a long-established company, requires trust, communication, and clear incentives. How did you secure buy-in across different teams and functions?  Innovation became part of the strategic pillar within our corporate objectives. A living practice throughout the company, across every single department.  We needed to change mindsets.  Talk about Catalytic Coaching (process implemented to stimulate personal and professional growth as well as instigating innovation, pursuit of excellence, and positive change)  Critical thinking, engagement, and energy  Incentive programs, awards and etc.  As a result, we gave everyone a voice, encouraged participation, promoted exchange of ideas, made innovation part of everyone’s life at Corvalent, as well as personally.  Focus on the Entire Organization to Operationalize Innovation Making innovation a part of everyone’s life at Corvalent was quite an undertaking. At VEM, we believe innovation flourishes when it’s systematic and measurable. Encouraging innovation in every part of the organization, from HR to finance to product, and setting a target to innovate every year is a great example. How did you structure the expectation that every team would contribute to innovation annually? What systems or processes did you put in place to support this?  One of the main objectives of our yearly strategic planning is Innovation.   Every department in the organization develops what we call “Rocks” for the year based on corporate objectives. These rocks are like S.M.A.R.T. goals. They are thought of and established before the end of the prior year. Every team member, either individually or in groups, is assigned within every department to help accomplish those goals.  Innovation is always a main corporate objective; the company may have ideas of innovation to be implemented for the year, and teams set them up to support the corporate objective.   Sometimes, the best ideas come from unexpected places. Can you share an example of an innovation that surprised you—perhaps one that emerged from a department not traditionally associated with product development?  As a designer and local manufacturer of industrial computing solutions, it operates through a well-structured organization with multiple departments, including sales, engineering, production, and shipping. Recently, our marketing team developed a new website architecture and design that clearly separates our two distinct product lines, hardware and software, each serving different industry segments. The result is an intuitive, easy-to-navigate, and highly functional online experience that effectively communicates the full scope of Corvalent’s capabilities.  Exploit Listening, Adapting, and Iterating for Innovation Success  That’s a great example. Innovation must solve real problems. You created a new platform, which provides preventive and predictive maintenance data, that was developed in response to customer needs for reducing downtime and costs. What is the name of your platform, and what customer insights or market signals led to its development? How did you validate the need for this solution?  CorGrid Suite is an industrial IoT platform that integrates both software and hardware components, providing a complete solution for data collection, monitoring, and intelligent control across industrial applications.  Key industry segments we focus on today are Industrial Automation Process, Smart Machines, Smart Energy & Utilities, Oil & Gas, Petrochemical, Smart Building and Infrastructure, and Smart Cities. Over the last decade, we observed that our capital equipment customers were closely following the global adoption of Industry 4.0 among large manufacturers. Through continuous conversations and analysis of their competitive environment, we identified a key objective shared across the industry: the need to implement preventive and predictive maintenance, along with some level of operational control of their equipment.  Building on this insight, we designed a solution framework not only to meet those needs but also to empower customers to manage and resolve field issues more effectively, all through a unified, single-pane-of-glass platform that integrates monitoring, tracking, and control.  As we know from “Ensure Strong Innovation Adoption,” even the best solutions can face adoption barriers. Despite a clear value proposition, you mentioned the initial adoption rate was lower than anticipated. What did you learn from this experience, and how did it influence your approach going forward?  Our segments focus, acquisition of proof of concepts, and creation of a full turnkey solution to help customers from assessment, software, to hardware, to installation, are a key part of our approach. A large majority of prospects are not prepared to implement the entire automation on their own, so we developed a process to support customer implementation.  Addressing the Unexpected When an Innovation Enters the Market Successful innovators are relentless iterators. When adoption lagged, Corvalent didn’t just push harder on existing customers. You looked outward, identifying new verticals like smart buildings, smart energy, and smart cities, and leveraged beta sites to build credibility. How did you and your team identify and prioritize these new verticals? What role have beta sites played in gaining traction and validating use cases?  We conducted two years of consultative marketing research and a pre-sales exercise prior of having specific applications designed under our PaaS platform. This enables us to understand the pains of each segment, challenges, market potential, customer ROI, and competitive landscape.  Ed, iteration is a recurring theme in your leadership. How do you foster a culture where experimentation and learning from setbacks are valued?   Learn by doing is part of our culture, the positive state of mind of going through the experience, whether it is a success or a failure. Strategic thinking and Planning, post-mortem, lessons learned, and true positive reinforcement leadership style. Knowledge + Experience (good or bad) = Wisdom as an organization  Measuring Success and Scaling Innovation  We advise our customers to measure not just outputs but outcomes, using clear metrics and feedback loops. What metrics or key performance indicators do you use to measure the success of innovation initiatives at Corvalent? Over the years, we have developed dashboards that encompass not only results, but also metrics for intercompany communication and processes on activities of engineering, marketing, sales, and operations development, focused on constant “team feedback”. Making sure nothing is missed or forgotten.  Plan – Delegate – ongoing, constant feedback behavior rather than follow-up management as a culture.  Some of the key performance indicators and metrics we use in our company are customer and employee surveys. Their feedback helps us understand their input about innovation. Helps us define and measure employee and customer retention. A major part of what we sell, and our ideology, is longevity and consistency.   Driving adoption in new markets requires more than just a great product. What strategies have proven most effective for accelerating the adoption of innovative solutions, especially in unfamiliar verticals?  We use advisory boards, marketing surveys, attend conferences, exhibit at vertical tradeshows, and leverage beta site deals to help drive adoption.  How to Build Momentum for an Innovation Culture  Your long tenure as a CEO gives you a unique perspective on leadership and innovation. How has your leadership philosophy evolved as Corvalent has become more innovation-driven? What personal practices or beliefs sustain your edge as a leader?  Early in my career as a CEO, I realized that leadership can be a lonely place. That realization led me to join Vistage International, a global community of more than 47,000 leaders, where I’ve been a member for 24 years. Through this community, I’ve learned not only from the experiences of fellow executives but also from world-class speakers who cover nearly every topic imaginable in business.  These decades of shared insight have reinforced a fundamental truth: leadership and innovation are inseparable. They are the drivers of longevity in business and the forces that push us to continually improve as leaders and thinkers. To me, the belief (mantra) is simple: to innovate is to live a meaningful, productive life.  Looking ahead, the pace of change will only accelerate. What are your priorities for Corvalent’s next phase of innovation? Are there new frontiers or technologies you’re particularly excited about? I’m truly energized by the emerging frontier of an All-Americas Free Trade landscape, a powerful vision where more than one billion people across over 50 countries and territories come together in unprecedented collaboration. Within a mere 2–5 hour time-zone span, and united by shared linguistic and cultural roots, the entire hemisphere is poised to ignite what could become the greatest economic boom of the next 50 years.  Together, we can share our greatest technologies, elevate innovation to new heights, and build a future defined by peace, partnership, and widespread prosperity. This is more than free trade; it’s a historic opportunity to uplift nations, empower people, and unlock the full potential of all the Americas, estimating an economy of over 50 trillion dollars in less than 20 years.  Thank you, Ed, for illustrating what it means to build and sustain a culture of innovation. I found your message that, rather than treating the silent problem as a human resources issue, you and your team recognized it as a strategic threat and used it as a catalyst to innovate your products and how you managed people, culture, and performance. By elevating innovation to a strategic pillar and embedding it into corporate objectives, you’ve shown us how innovation can make a “living practice” across every department. Thank you for sharing your experiences and insights. For our listeners, remember that building a culture of innovation is within reach for any organization, provided you commit to the process, measure what matters, and never stop learning.  If you’re ready to move beyond one-off initiatives and build a true culture of innovation, start by asking the same questions Ed did: Where is the “dangerous silence” in your organization? How are you equipping every team, not just product, to innovate?  To explore how to operationalize innovation, improve adoption, and use data and process to accelerate growth, check out our resources on innovation, iteration, and performance management.  Let’s talk if you’d like help assessing your current innovation readiness or building a roadmap for your next phase of growth. FAQ:   (Written by Penn at Sintra.ai)  What does it mean to build a culture of innovation? A culture of innovation is one where new ideas, experimentation, and continuous improvement are embedded into everyday work—not confined to a single team or “innovation lab.” In innovative organizations, leaders set clear expectations, provide resources and psychological safety, and make innovation a strategic pillar. Every function—operations, finance, HR, marketing, product, and IT—has a role in identifying opportunities, testing solutions, and learning from results. Why is employee engagement so critical to innovation? Innovation and employee engagement are tightly linked. When employees feel their work has purpose, their ideas are heard, and their contributions matter, they are far more likely to challenge the status quo and propose improvements. Conversely, “silent” disengagement—low energy, minimal collaboration, resistance to change—creates stagnation. Addressing demotivation and giving people a voice is often the first step in unlocking innovation. How can companies make innovation everyone’s responsibility? Organizations can make innovation a shared responsibility by: Making it a formal strategic objective, not a side project  Setting expectations that each team will improve or innovate something every year  Implementing coaching and development programs that encourage critical thinking  Creating incentive programs and recognition for innovative ideas and execution  Establishing simple processes for capturing, evaluating, and piloting ideas  What is iterative innovation, and why does it matter? Iterative innovation is the practice of improving through cycles of testing, feedback, and refinement rather than relying on a single “big bet.” It matters because markets, technologies, and customer needs evolve quickly. Iteration allows organizations to reduce risk, learn faster, and adapt solutions based on real-world data and customer feedback. Why do some innovations struggle with adoption, even when the value is clear? Innovations often face adoption challenges because customers may lack internal expertise, bandwidth, or confidence to implement them. Change can be perceived as risky or complex. Common barriers include unclear ROI, integration concerns, competing priorities, and organizational resistance. Successful innovators address these barriers with education, proof of concept projects, turnkey solutions, and strong post-sale support. What are beta sites, and how do they help with innovation adoption? Beta sites are early adopter customers or partners who agree to test a new product, platform, or solution in a real-world environment. They help organizations: Validate use cases and technical performance  Gather feedback on usability and value  Build reference stories and case studies  Reduce perceived risk for future customers Beta programs are especially valuable when entering new verticals or launching complex solutions such as industrial IoT platforms.  How should organizations measure the success of innovation initiatives? Innovation success should be measured with a combination of outcome and process metrics. Outcome metrics can include revenue from new products, margin improvement, customer retention, or reduced downtime. Process metrics might track number of ideas submitted, experiments run, cycle time from idea to pilot, and cross-functional participation. Dashboards and feedback loops help ensure that innovation remains visible, aligned to strategy, and continuously improved. What role does leadership play in sustaining innovation? Leadership is central to sustaining innovation. Effective leaders: Communicate a clear vision and purpose for innovation  Model curiosity, learning, and resilience  Provide resources and remove obstacles  Celebrate learning, not just “wins”  Build governance and processes that support experimentation and scaling Many CEOs and senior leaders also invest in peer communities, advisory groups, or coaching to broaden their perspective and stay ahead of change.  How can organizations get started if they feel “stuck” or plateaued? If your organization feels stuck, start by diagnosing where the “dangerous silence” may exist—areas of disengagement, stalled projects, or unspoken resistance. From there: Reaffirm or redefine your strategic priorities  Engage employees in identifying pain points and opportunities  Launch small, focused innovation initiatives with clear objectives and timelines  Use pilots and beta sites to test and prove value  Build simple dashboards to track progress and share results  Over time, these steps can help you move from isolated efforts to a repeatable, scalable innovation system. 

You’re probably experiencing what so many of our customers do.  Data pouring in from every direction. Transactions, digital behavior, product usage, customer feedback, and more. As organizations have amassed more information, the real challenge has gone from data collection to translating data into actionable insights and business intelligence. At VisionEdge Marketing, we’ve found that a data-driven culture is a foundational capability for sustained growth and customer-centricity. (See Why a Data Driven Culture Needs to Be at the Top of Your List). To explore this topic, I’m delighted to welcome Kuber Jain, Senior Data Scientist for Product Analytics at Headspace. Headspace is a leader in the mental health and wellness space. He is an expert at leveraging analytics to drive member engagement and retention. Kuber and I share a similar philosophy.  The key to gaining better insights from data is asking the right questions. Kuber works closely with the Chief Product Officer and Product Managers, leading efforts to define the key metrics that matter and to leverage insights for optimizing business outcomes and delivering more personalized member experiences. Today, he helps us unpack how to use analytics to drive engagement and growth, explore practical first steps for any organization, and discuss how AI is reshaping the analytics landscape. Most importantly, we’ll focus on how to move from simply having data to making smarter, faster business decisions. Welcome Kuber! Thank you, Laura. I’m really excited to be here. In my current role at Headspace, I focus on enhancing member engagement and outcomes by partnering closely with executive stakeholders to define key metrics, size business impact, and lead experimentation initiatives. What excites me most is the ability to translate data into decisions that not only drive growth but also make a meaningful difference in people’s mental health journeys. For me, analytics is about more than dashboards—it’s about helping people connect with the product in a way that improves their lives. Gain Actionable Insights by Asking the Right Questions  With so much data available, the most valuable skill in analytics is knowing what to ask. The right questions focus your attention, clarify your objectives, and ensure you’re measuring what truly matters for business performance. At VEM, we regularly advise clients to “count what matters”—to align metrics with business outcomes, not vanity numbers. Framing the right questions is a competitive advantage. For example, in our work with B2B organizations, we seethe difference between teams that ask, “How many users did we acquire?” versus those that ask, “Which acquisition channels yield the highest lifetime value, and why?” The latter question leads to actionable insights and better resource allocation. Kuber, as a Senior Data Scientist at Headspace, what are the most important questions you’re asked to answer by product and business leaders? How do you determine which questions will drive the most value for the business? That’s such an important point. At Headspace, the most valuable questions I’m asked are the ones that tie directly to outcomes—like, “Which experiences are most likely to help members build a lasting habit, and how do we double down on those?” I prioritize questions based on their connection to impact. If a question can help us retain members longer, drive more meaningful engagement, or identify opportunities to grow sustainably, it rises to the top. And often, my role is to reframe questions so they shift from “what happened?” to “why did it happen, and what can we do about it?” That’s when analytics becomes a real driver of business value. Download the CC Worksheet Act Now to Boost Customer Acquisition & Retention Once you’ve defined the right questions, the next step is turning insights into action. This is where many organizations struggle. They have the data and maybe even the answers, but translating those answers into growth strategies is another matter. The key: Take a customer-centric approach. Use data to understand your customers’ journey, identify and eliminate break points, and design interventions that improve both acquisition and retention. For example, map out your customer touchpoints and use analytics to pinpoint where prospects drop off or disengage. By focusing on these critical moments, you can create better experiences or adjust product features to better meet customer needs. Kuber, how does your team at Headspace translate data-driven insights into actions that drive customer acquisition and retention? Can you share a practical example where analytics led to a measurable improvement in member engagement or business results? Translating insights into action is where the rubber meets the road. A big part of my work is making sure the insights we generate are embedded in product and marketing decisions. For example, one insight we uncovered was that members who completed their very first meditation within 24 hours of signing up were far more likely to stay engaged over time. Acting on that, we partnered with product and lifecycle marketing teams to redesign onboarding nudges—making it easier and more natural for people to take that first step right away. That single experiment created a measurable lift in retention and long-term engagement. It shows how small, insight-driven changes can unlock real business impact. Practical Steps for Leveraging Analytics — At Any Level  Many organizations, especially those early in their analytics journey, feel overwhelmed. They may lack the resources of a Headspace or the infrastructure for advanced analytics. The good news is that you don’t need to be a data giant to get started. At VEM, we recommend a stepwise approach: Start by aligning your team on business outcomes. Identify a handful of key metrics that map directly to those outcomes. Establish a regular cadence for reviewing results and making adjustments. Avoid “random acts”—let data drive your priorities. In our experience, organizations that follow these steps and create a data-driven culture —no matter their size—see measurable gains in both efficiency and impact. Research has found that organizations with a strong data-driven culture are 58% more likely to exceed their revenue goals than those that are not data-driven. Kuber, what practical first steps do you recommend for teams that want to use data more effectively, whether they’re just starting out or already have a robust analytics function? How should they prioritize their analytics investments? My advice is: start small, but be intentional. First, align your team on a few core outcomes that matter most to the business. At Headspace, we rally around metrics like retention, daily active engagement, and outcomes tied to well-being. Second, build a cadence of review and action. Even if you don’t have advanced AI or a large analytics team, you can ask, “What story is this data telling us, and how do we respond?” And finally, invest in the basics: clean data pipelines, clear metric definitions, and cross-functional alignment. Once that foundation is set, you can scale into advanced analytics and experimentation with confidence. In my experience, even small teams see outsized impact when they focus on discipline and clarity over complexity. How to Make Smarter Customer-Centric Decisions with AI Well, we certainly cannot have a conversation about data, analytics and insights without touching on Artificial Intelligence (AI). AI is rapidly transforming how organizations unlock value from data. AI can automate the discovery of patterns, surface hidden insights, and enable more personalized, predictive experiences. At VisionEdge Marketing, we’ve explored how AI enhances user intent detection and customer-centricity—making it possible to anticipate needs and deliver the right message or product at the right time. The market is moving quickly: According to Gartner, 61% of global data and analytics decision-makers say their firms are implementing or expanding AI capabilities to drive business outcomes. But AI isn’t just for the data-rich or tech-savvy. Even organizations with limited data can benefit from AI tools that help identify trends, segment customers, or automate reporting. Kuber, how is AI changing the way you approach data analysis and member engagement at Headspace? If you’re a business leader with limited data, how can AI help you get started? And if you have lots of clean data, what should you be doing to maximize value and competitive advantage? AI is changing how we work every day. At Headspace, we use AI to better personalize member experiences—like tailoring recommendations based on behavior—and to automate parts of our  analytics workflows so teams can focus on strategy instead of manual reporting. If you’re just getting started, AI can help with simple but powerful tasks like segmenting customers, identifying common drop-off points, or even automating reporting. For organizations with richer datasets, the opportunity is to move toward predictive modeling—anticipating when a member might disengage, or recommending the next best action in real time. The key is to treat AI as an accelerant. It’s not replacing the human element, but it enables us to ask bigger questions and act faster on the answers. SaaS, Product-Led Growth, and Lessons for Every Company  Headspace, like many leading organizations, operates on a SaaS and product-led growth model. This approach relies on analytics to optimize every aspect of the customer experience—from onboarding to engagement, retention, and upsell. Product-led growth puts the product at the center of the customer journey, using data to inform everything from feature development to support strategies. Lessons from SaaS leaders are broadly applicable: Use analytics to identify and remove friction in the user journey. Continuously test and iterate on features based on user feedback and behavioral data. Align product, marketing, and customer success teams around shared metrics and outcomes. Kuber, as we wrap up, what are some best practices or lessons from Headspace’s journey that any company—regardless of industry—can apply to increase engagement, enhance customer experience, and drive growth? From Headspace’s experience, I’d say the biggest lesson is to stay relentlessly focused on the member experience. A few principles stand out: Guide users to value quickly. We obsess over making that first session simple and rewarding because it drives long-term engagement. Keep experimenting. My role involves leading experimentation initiatives, and we’ve learned that small, rapid tests compound into big wins. Align around shared outcomes. Whether it’s product, marketing, or operations, we measure success in the same way. That alignment is what fuels product-led growth. And finally, remember that empathy matters. The data tells you what is happening, but listening to your customers tells you why. When you combine both, you unlock growth strategies that truly resonate. Unlock Insights Now by Asking Key Questions Thank you again, Kuber, for your insights and candor. As we close, I want to reiterate a few key takeaways that apply to any organization—regardless of size or industry: Actionable insights always start with asking the right questions—questions that tie directly to your business outcomes and customer experience. Translating those insights into action is where true value is created. This means embedding analytics into every decision, fostering a culture of rapid experimentation, and aligning teams around shared outcomes. Remember, analytics is not just about the numbers. Empathy—listening to your customers and understanding their motivations—is what turns data into meaningful impact. With AI and the right foundations, organizations of any size can personalize experiences and drive growth at scale. And finally, this is an ongoing journey. Continuous learning, adapting, and experimenting are the hallmarks of organizations that use analytics to stay ahead. Change is constant, but those who use analytics to inform and adapt their strategies will lead the way. And as always, if you have questions or want to continue the conversation, connect with me on LinkedIn. FAQ: (written by Penn of Sintra.ai) Q1: What is the real challenge organizations face with data today—collection or conversion? A1: Conversion. Most organizations are no longer data-poor; they are insight-poor. Transactions, digital behavior, product usage, and feedback pour in continuously, but the bottleneck is translating that volume into actionable insights and business intelligence. A data-driven culture becomes the differentiator because it turns data into decisions—faster, more consistently, and with clearer accountability. Q2: Why is “asking the right questions” the most valuable analytics skill? A2: Because questions determine what gets measured, analyzed, and acted on. Poor questions produce vanity answers; strong questions produce decisions. The competitive advantage is not simply knowing what happened (“How many users did we acquire?”), but understanding value and causality (“Which channels yield the highest lifetime value—and why?”). The right questions align analytics to outcomes, clarify priorities, and prevent random acts of measurement. Q3: What kinds of questions do product and business leaders ask that drive the most value at Headspace? A3: Kuber prioritizes questions tied directly to outcomes—especially those that improve retention, meaningful engagement, and sustainable growth. A representative example is: “Which experiences are most likely to help members build a lasting habit, and how do we double down on those?” He also reframes questions from “what happened?” to “why did it happen—and what can we do about it?” That reframing is where analytics becomes a business driver rather than a reporting function. Q4: How does Headspace translate insights into actions that improve acquisition and retention? A4: By embedding insights into product and lifecycle decisions. A practical example: Headspace found that members who completed their first meditation within 24 hours of signing up were far more likely to remain engaged. Acting on that insight, they redesigned onboarding nudges in partnership with product and lifecycle marketing—making it easier for new members to take that first step immediately. The result was a measurable lift in retention and long-term engagement. The lesson: small, insight-driven interventions at key moments can unlock outsized impact. Q5: What practical first steps should any organization take to use analytics more effectively? A5: Start small, but be intentional: Align on a few core outcomes that matter most (e.g., retention, engagement, value realization). Define a small set of key metrics tied directly to those outcomes. Build a cadence of review and action so data leads to decisions, not decks. Invest in the basics: clean data pipelines, clear metric definitions, and cross-functional alignment. This foundation enables scale into advanced analytics and experimentation without creating complexity that outpaces capability. Q6: How is AI reshaping analytics—and how should leaders think about it at different maturity levels? A6: AI is an accelerant. At Headspace, AI supports personalization (recommendations based on behavior) and automates parts of analytics workflows so teams spend less time on manual reporting and more time on strategy. If you have limited data, AI can still help with segmentation, identifying drop-off points, and automating reporting. If you have clean, rich data, the opportunity expands to predictive modeling—anticipating disengagement and recommending next-best actions in near real time. The key is to treat AI as a capability multiplier, not a substitute for human judgment and customer empathy. Q7: What product-led growth lessons from Headspace apply to any company? A7: Three practices translate across industries: Guide customers to value quickly: accelerate the “first success” moment to improve long-term engagement. Keep experimenting: small, rapid tests compound into meaningful gains. Align teams around shared outcomes: product, marketing, and operations measure success the same way, reducing friction and increasing execution speed. And a critical reminder: data tells you what is happening; listening tells you why. The combination is what produces durable, customer-centric growth.

In this episode of What’s Your Edge? we’re joined by Doug Norton, Chief Marketing Officer of Inspire Semiconductor, a company founded in the early days of the pandemic that’s now launching its groundbreaking Thunderbird “supercomputer cluster-on-a-chip.” Doug is a veteran in the semiconductor space. With Doug’s help, we’re going behind the scenes of a Go-to-Market (GTM) strategy and talk about what it really takes to bring a new product to market, and how mapping the right ecosystem, focusing on customer needs, and measuring what matters can make or break a product launch. Please join me in welcoming Doug to What’s Your Edge? The First Critical Go-to-Market Decisions  Doug, you joined InspireSemi at a critical juncture. One of the first things you did was make a strategic decision not to chase everyone, but to focus on market segments that were underserved. We believe that segmentation and customer-centricity are critical to the success of launching a new product. Can you walk us through your process for mapping the ecosystem, selecting your initial target markets, and how you decided which segments and partners to prioritize? That’s exactly right, the very first thing was to determine the markets we would – and just as importantly, would not – go after. Believe it or not, the initial target for what ultimately became our Thunderbird was crypto mining.  Our founder saw a lucrative opportunity for some undervalued alt-coins due to the focus on Bitcoin, so he initially created an ASIC for a couple of these algorithms. It was a technical success, but for just a short time, since, unlike Bitcoin, the alt-coins constantly change their algorithms, making an ASIC (Application Specific IC) a dead end. This convinced him what was needed was a very versatile and easy-to-program chip that, of course, also needed to be very energy efficient to profitably mine crypto.  Our CEO, who was an advisor at the time, saw the potential for this to be a much broader and more significant device.  So they brought me on shortly thereafter, given my background in AI and HPC (High Performance Computing). My favorite business book is Blue Ocean Strategy. I suspected the right answer was not to chase the bright shiny object of AI like everyone else, since that is a very “red ocean.”  Just as important, I have partnered with NVIDIA in the past and knew better than to compete head-on with them.  What I could see happening was the HPC market, who invented and drove the h/w and s/w infrastructure AI now leverages, was being left with few options as all the chip companies rushed to cash in on AI. HPC encompasses important applications used every day in the real world for engineering, science, and manufacturing. Areas like computer-aided engineering, finding and producing energy (both renewable and Oil&Gas), vehicle crash simulation & analysis, genomics, financial modeling, nuclear fission and fusion simulations, climate & weather modeling, and cybersecurity. The underlying need for all of these big math problems is highly accurate math, which requires double-precision floating point (aka FP64).  Meanwhile, all the GPU players and AI chips were chasing very low-precision math that GenAI LLMs require (currently 8-bit, moving to 4-bit). It sounds like you realized you needed to pivot, and once you had clarity on the target market, you were able to lock down the feature set, design, and specs. In your industry, this is often completed years before the product launch. Drawing on your experience, what are the biggest lessons learned so far? Buy Your Best-Practices Workbook Never assume anything, especially if creating a product that will take years and millions of dollars to get to market like a high-end semiconductor. Once we knew the market we were targeting, it was important to ensure product-market fit. So, I reached out to my network and did this, with a key decision being which memory technology we should use. Fortunately, most of our choices were exactly what customers and OEMs wanted to see for the HPC market. But including them in the process was important, helping them buy in early. Most importantly, it gave our team, our investors, and our Board of Directors the confidence to move forward with product development. 3 Key Elements to Improve Your Opportunity for GTM Success  You also mapped the ecosystem.  You recognized that your core customers would be big computing centers, national labs, and OEMs in sectors like aerospace, automotive, and pharma. Knowing what the customer needs and values and how your product delivers is essential to creating the positioning, messaging, and strategy. At what point did you address the value proposition, positioning, and messaging in the Go-to-Market strategy? Yes, that was the next step, now that the target market and competitors were identified and engineering was off and running. Another nice thing about focusing on HPC was that open-source software is highly valued. I learned early in my career that hardware is just a platform for software. HPC users were the first to adopt the Linux operating system, and 76% of all HPC applications are open source. And it is often these DOE national labs, universities, and supercomputing centers, including UT TACC here in Austin, that work with these applications and can help port them to a new hardware platform like our Thunderbird. And big enterprise companies in markets like aerospace, automotive, energy, and pharma partner with these organizations and draft off their early work. But we also don’t want to ignore that 24% of software that is commercial, so we have also engaged with some key ISVs in these application areas. To jumpstart the S curve, we needed to get software development going, so we launched an early access program with select customers.  We provided them with simulators and emulators to get going prior to us having actual silicon, and they will be the first to receive the initial Thunderbirds. The ideal scenario is that these orgs will recommend Thunderbird for these apps, or even say they run best on Thunderbird. Ensure You Know the Customer Journey Long Before the Product Launch  Thank you. Having launched numerous products, I know a lot goes into successfully bringing an innovative product to market. It’s a high-stakes endeavor.  Research from MIT Professional Programs found that as many as 95% of new products miss the mark. With so much on the line, having a robust Go-to-Market strategy and the right success measures is more critical than ever. Success depends on what happens long before the product makes its way into the market. What we refer to as Upstream Marketing, that is, where customer insights, competitive intelligence, and strategy are addressed to help ensure faster product adoption. What are the most critical steps you took in the pre-launch phase to support customers rapidly adopting the product, and how did you engage channel partners and technical influencers to build early momentum? For sure, never underestimate this. From the ecosystem work, it was clear to me that the best Go-to-Market path was to leverage what works rather than try to change it. This meant the initial product should be a standard PCIe server add-in card that the computer OEMs and integrators would sell. Customers don’t typically just buy compute accelerator cards and replace the ones currently in their servers.  They buy new servers populated with the new accelerator cards. Plus, Linux has also become the de facto datacenter OS of choice, so the computer OEMs typically ship their servers with Linux. But the challenge with an indirect model vs. direct sales is that they don’t work for you. You can only influence and encourage them. The key was to engage with the OEMs early on, in parallel with doing business development with our target end-user customers and markets. This let them hear early customer feedback, so they saw firsthand customer reaction to our value propositions. It also built trust, demonstrating we are committed to an indirect channel by bringing them in early. Then there is the financial aspect; the old saying is that salespeople are coin-operated. The server OEMs often lament that a compute accelerator card can cost as much as an entire server, and each server usually has many of them installed. The icing on the cake was that they can get a much higher deal size, with much better margins, by working with us. We also continued to work with important industry analysts and various technical press, plus participated in the key trade shows both here and in the UK and Europe. The Vital Role of Alignment in Securing Customer Opportunities  Stakeholder engagement is one of the many key success factors. You’ve talked about the importance of getting both technical and business analysts on board, and now you’re focused on procurement contacts. That’s a complex and multi-layered approach. How do you ensure internal alignment across the InspireSemi team, especially between product, sales, and marketing members, and also with your external partners? Yes, though engaging deeper into our OEM partner organizations is just the next logical step on the journey. This includes continuing to work with the CTO offices and now engaging with server product teams for validation, and of course, the procurement people. Another good thing about our early access program was that it was a paid engagement, so it was a bit of a pipe cleaner to work with those procurement teams and see what they were going to require. For alignment, the key was all of us getting on board with the strategy initially as we pivoted to HPC. This, of course, meant the leadership team and employees, but that was perhaps the easiest part. And I own both sales and marketing, so that alignment is by default. What took more work was that we also had to get our early investors and Board of Directors to agree and stay committed. This is an ongoing process, with regular board meetings and business update webinars for our investors. And of course, having strong analyst, press, and customer validation is good for all our stakeholders How to Measure GTM Success? Selecting Metrics That Matter As you and our community know, at VisionEdge Marketing, we’re passionate about, some would say, obsessed with measurement and performance management. You’ve shared that you’ll be tracking product adoption rates and OEM pick-up rates as key indicators of Go-to-Market success. What was the thinking behind the performance targets and measures you’ve selected? End user product adoption is clearly what will drive everything else since we will be fulfilling through the OEMs once we start to ramp. We will certainly measure which OEMs work best with us and are most successful, which will also help us determine how to help those who are having trouble or are not focused on us. For launch, it will primarily be on the take-up of early units and the different vertical markets they are going into. I have an idea what they will be, and there are a couple of areas I want to focus more on to ensure we have a very diversified mix of industries. The next step will be looking for the increased availability of software applications in the verticals we are targeting. Advice for Launching a Complex, High-Stakes Product  As we wrap up, what advice would you offer to other leaders launching a complex, high-stakes product in a competitive market? Do your homework, starting with strategy and high-level market needs, opportunities, and threats. Engage industry analysts to confirm or course correct.  They can also help give you market sizing and projection numbers to help your business plan and secure investors. Then engage potential customers and partners early, bringing them into the process and working both in parallel, so you will have end customers and a sales channel that is primed and ready to fulfill. As noted earlier, this also helps get the rest of your internal team as well as investors on board. Lastly, hire and partner with A players. Always best to have people who have the experience to know what works – and just as important – what does not. There are some good multi-million-dollar lessons from mistakes made by big companies in many industries. Doug, thank you for taking us behind the scenes of your Go-to-Market strategy and new product launch.  We hope the new product is a huge success and becomes an industry standard. I’m confident that our community will take away at least one good idea for building a data-driven, customer-centric GTM strategy.  Bringing a new product to market? Let’s talk about your GTM strategy. FAQ: (written by Penn of Sintra.ai) Q1: What were the first critical GTM decisions Doug made—and why did they matter so much? A1: Doug’s first decision was as much about restraint as ambition: determine which markets InspireSemi would pursue—and which it would not. In high-stakes product categories like semiconductors, chasing “everyone” creates diluted positioning, unfocused product requirements, and wasted ecosystem effort. By selecting underserved segments and resisting the temptation to follow the crowded AI “red ocean,” InspireSemi increased its odds of product-market fit, partner alignment, and credible differentiation. Q2: How did InspireSemi pivot from crypto mining to a broader market opportunity? A2: The product’s early target was crypto mining, beginning with an ASIC designed for specific alt-coin algorithms. It worked technically, but alt-coins change algorithms frequently—making an ASIC a dead end. That constraint revealed a broader need: a versatile, easy-to-program, energy-efficient chip. Doug and leadership recognized the platform potential and pivoted toward a more durable market where versatility and high-performance computation mattered beyond a single algorithm. Q3: Why did Doug prioritize HPC (High Performance Computing) instead of competing head-on in AI? A3: Doug saw AI acceleration as a crowded arena dominated by entrenched players—and he had firsthand experience partnering with NVIDIA, reinforcing the risk of direct competition. He identified HPC as underserved because chip companies were rushing toward AI workloads optimized for low-precision math (8-bit moving to 4-bit), while many HPC applications require highly accurate double-precision floating point (FP64). This created a strategic opening: focus on real-world, high-value HPC use cases (engineering, energy, crash simulation, genomics, finance, climate, cybersecurity) where the compute requirements and customer needs were not being prioritized. Q4: What was the biggest lesson learned in the pre-launch phase of a multi-year, high-investment product? A4: “Never assume anything.” For products that take years and millions to bring to market, assumptions become expensive. Once the target market was clear, Doug focused on validating product-market fit by engaging his network and involving customers and OEMs in key decisions (e.g., memory technology choices). This early inclusion created buy-in, reduced downstream risk, and built confidence among the team, investors, and the Board to proceed. Q5: When did value proposition, positioning, and messaging enter the GTM process? A5: After target markets and competitors were identified and engineering was underway. With market clarity, InspireSemi could craft a value proposition aligned to how HPC buyers evaluate platforms—particularly the central role of software. Doug reinforced a critical GTM truth: hardware is a platform for software. That insight shaped positioning, partner strategy, and the early-access approach designed to accelerate software readiness before silicon availability. Q6: How did ecosystem mapping shape the GTM path—and why was open-source software pivotal? A6: Ecosystem mapping revealed that success required more than end-user interest; it required software enablement and credible technical validation. HPC buyers value open-source deeply (Doug notes 76% of HPC applications are open source), and national labs, universities, and supercomputing centers often lead porting work for new platforms. InspireSemi engaged these institutions—alongside key ISVs for the commercial portion of the stack—to ensure application availability and performance credibility in targeted verticals. Q7: What did InspireSemi do pre-launch to accelerate adoption and build early momentum? A7: They leveraged what already works in the market rather than trying to change buying behavior. The initial product form factor was designed as a standard PCIe server add-in card sold through OEMs and integrators—because customers typically buy new servers populated with new accelerators, not standalone cards. They also launched a selective early access program providing simulators and emulators before silicon, enabling software development to begin early and creating a pathway for early customers to become advocates (“these apps run best on Thunderbird”). Q8: How did InspireSemi engage channel partners and technical influencers in parallel? A8: Doug engaged OEMs early, alongside end-user business development, so OEMs could hear direct customer feedback and see market pull for the value proposition. This built trust and demonstrated commitment to an indirect channel model. He also engaged industry analysts, technical press, and key trade shows in the U.S. and Europe—creating external validation that supported customers, partners, investors, and internal alignment. Q9: How did Doug approach internal and stakeholder alignment—especially with investors and the board? A9: Alignment began with getting everyone committed to the HPC pivot. While internal alignment was aided by Doug owning both sales and marketing, sustained alignment required ongoing board and investor confidence. InspireSemi supported this through regular board meetings and investor update webinars, reinforced by analyst/press validation and early customer engagement. In high-capital, long-cycle products, stakeholder alignment is not a one-time event; it is a managed process. Q10: What GTM success measures did InspireSemi prioritize—and why? A10: Doug emphasized measures that reflect adoption and channel readiness: End-user product adoption (the primary driver of everything else) OEM pick-up rates and OEM performance (which partners work best and why) Early unit take-up and distribution across vertical markets (with an intentional goal of diversified industry mix) Software application availability in targeted verticals (a leading indicator of platform viability) These measures align with the ecosystem reality: adoption creates pull, OEMs fulfill scale, and software availability accelerates the S-curve. Q11: What is Doug’s advice for leaders launching complex products in competitive markets? A11: Do the homework early and sequentially: start with strategy and market needs, validate with analysts (including market sizing for investors), then engage customers and partners early in parallel so demand and fulfillment are both primed. Maintain internal and investor alignment throughout. Finally, hire and partner with A-players—because experience reduces the likelihood of expensive, avoidable mistakes.

Victor Gichun, Vice President of Business Development at Excess Logic, a nationwide leader in surplus equipment and electronics liquidation, offers businesses a seamless way to manage excess and obsolete inventory. What sets Excess Logic apart is its ability to create value through a robust ecosystem of providers and a laser focus on customer experience and competitive differentiation. In this episode, Victor shares how Excess Logic has engineered its customer-centric processes and ecosystem strategy to create value and growth, differentiated itself in a crowded market, and aligned its operations to deliver measurable results. Victor, I’m looking forward to your insights and hearing how Excess Logic’s ecosystem and differentiation strategies have enabled it to create value and drive growth. Your story highlights the importance of aligning resources, fostering collaboration, and standing out in a crowded market. High-Impact Ecosystem Takes Customer Experience to a New Level Victor, let’s start by discussing the challenges your customers face. Managing surplus and obsolete equipment is a complex and often overlooked part of business operations. What are the most common challenges your customers encounter, and how does Excess Logic help them overcome these hurdles? Hi Laura, thanks for having me here. One of the most common challenges our customers encounter is what to do with the excess equipment and electronics they no longer need. In the US, companies can’t just throw it into a garbage bin; they need to dispose of any electronic equipment properly to make sure it doesn’t end up in a landfill and doesn’t pollute the environment. Excess Logic solves this problem. It sounds like Excess Logic provides a lifeline for businesses struggling with these issues. Given your commitment to creating customer value, how do you ensure your solutions are tailored to meet the diverse needs of customers across industries? To ensure that our solutions are tailored to meet the diverse needs of customers across industries, Excess Logic established a surplus equipment remarketing and disposal ecosystem across the nation. This is something that differentiates us from the competition.  Competing on a Differentiated Customer Experience Facilitated Growth Excess Logic operates in a very competitive and cluttered market, making growth challenging. Yet the company is growing by focusing on customer experience. How do you differentiate your company from competitors, and how do you embed these qualities into your operations and service delivery? To differentiate Excess Logic from competitors, we provide a one-stop solution. Any company has different departments with different types of equipment and electronics. The IT department has laptops and computers, the research department has analytical and R&D instruments, the production department has manufacturing equipment, and so on and so forth. A one-stop solution covers all departments and all types of surplus equipment anywhere in the US at once. A lot of our current clients, and we have over 500 clients now, used two or more different vendors for each location before they started working with Excess Logic, because each vendor they used before helped them dispose of a particular type of excess equipment. If the company has 15 locations, it works with 30-45 different vendors. As a result of our extensive provider network and streamlined logistics. This makes for a better customer experience and major cost savings, which drastically improves our customers’ bottom line. We believe firmly in understanding and mapping the ecosystem and using the ecosystem to identify prospects and better serve customers. It’s a powerful growth strategy. Your nationwide reach and extensive network of providers are impressive.  How does this ecosystem enhance your ability to serve customers efficiently and effectively? This is a very good question. Since 2018, when we started working with Google Excess Logic has developed a true nationwide network. This ecosystem allows us to provide same-day excess equipment removal services anywhere in the US, except Alaska and Hawaii. This flexibility allows our customers to feel confident that the excess equipment sitting in the way of the new equipment will be removed on time and disposed of properly or resold for the maximum value. Take Me to Advisory Services Achieve Better Customer Experience with Data-Driven Insights We have found in our work that customer experience is often the linchpin of long-term success. Where does customer experience fit into your company’s strategy, and how do you ensure it remains a top priority? Over 50% of our business is repeat customers. This is because our clients, once they receive our services, prefer to use Excess Logic again and again because it’s easy, dependable, and valuable. Besides the value of removing and disposing of excess equipment, Excess Logic remarkets excess equipment to recoup the investments our clients made into equipment. Our ability to sell it via online marketplaces to end users and recover the maximum value makes our service invaluable. In our experience, customer experience plays a critical role in customer retention and lifetime value. Data is critical to making sure you deliver what customers want. Without good data products and services, especially new ones, can end up being a market flop. While data is no guarantee you’ll have a hit, it can go a long way toward improving your odds of success. What data do you use to stay ahead of trends and continuously deliver value to your customers? This is another very good question. Since we sell surplus equipment via online marketplaces, we need to make sure that the asking price is right. Excess Logic uses one of the most advanced data sources that shows how much surplus equipment has been sold for the last 90 days anywhere in the world. This data allows us to put surplus equipment on the market at the right price and therefore recover the maximum value for our clients. Data is a powerful tool for identifying opportunities and driving innovation. What are some examples of data-driven insights that have enabled you to be more customer-centric? We use a unique system that provides us with the actual prices the equipment we are selling has been sold for. This system integrates all major online marketplaces such as Amazon, eBay, Alibaba, Rakuten, and many more. Based on this information, we set the asking price, which is the highest price the market can pay. This insight allows Excess Logic to sell surplus equipment for much hire prices than traditional auctions or competitors that don’t have access to this system. Operational Excellence with Analytics Improves Customer Experience and Growth Operational excellence is at the heart of delivering consistent value. McKinsey’s article on analytics and asset management highlighted the importance of analytics and insights in the asset management space to improve distribution effectiveness, investment performance, and productivity. What steps has Excess Logic taken to leverage analytics and insights to improve the efficiency of the ecosystem and enhance the customer experience? Automation, combined with our nationwide ecosystem, enables us to scale efficiently while maintaining high service quality.  For example, this allows us to schedule 5 pickups a day from five different locations and provide unified reports within one week. It’s clear that your focus on process and operational excellence has positioned Excess Logic as a trusted partner for businesses nationwide and accelerated your growth. Boost Growth with Analytics, Operational Excellence, and a Dynamic Ecosystem As we wrap up, is there any advice you have for other companies looking to reengineer their processes for growth or create an ecosystem? My advice to the listeners. If you run a business or want to start one, here are three things to consider: Find an edge, meaning, what would make your company stand out from your competitors. This is crucial for success. Hire only top performers. The first five people you hire will define the future of your company. If you hire underperformers, they will hire underperformers too. If you hire top performers, they will hire people alike, and every new hire will make your company stronger. Implement a compensation system that depends on the results. Average, not high salary and bonuses, and commissions for meeting KPIs. Such a system is a good filter for underperformers. Victor, thank you for sharing your insights and giving us a closer look at how Excess Logic leverages analytics, automation, and a powerful nationwide ecosystem to deliver operational excellence and enhance the customer experience. Your story highlights the powerful role of aligning processes, outsourcing, and leveraging data to scale efficiently while maintaining high service quality. We welcome a conversation with you if you are looking to drive growth, focus on operational excellence, and/or create a seamless customer experience through data-driven decision-making. FAQ: (written by Penn of Sintra.ai) Q1: What customer problem does Excess Logic solve—and why is it more complex than it looks? A1: Excess Logic solves a high-friction, high-risk operational problem: how to remove, dispose of, and/or remarket surplus and obsolete equipment—especially electronics—legally, responsibly, and efficiently. For many businesses, this is not a simple “clean-out” task. Regulations and environmental constraints mean equipment cannot be casually discarded, and operational realities mean excess inventory often blocks new equipment deployment. The complexity is compounded by multi-location footprints and multiple equipment categories across departments. Q2: How does Excess Logic tailor its solution across industries and customer situations? A2: By building a nationwide remarketing and disposal ecosystem—a structured network of providers and logistics partners capable of handling diverse equipment types across geographies. This ecosystem approach allows Excess Logic to adapt to different customer needs without forcing customers to manage multiple vendors, contracts, and processes. The differentiation is not merely service coverage; it is operational coordination at scale. Q3: What is Excess Logic’s primary differentiation in a crowded market? A3: A true one-stop solution across departments, equipment categories, and locations. Most companies previously used multiple vendors—often two or more per location—because vendors specialized by equipment type. For a business with 15 locations, that could mean managing 30–45 vendors. Excess Logic replaces that fragmentation with a single coordinated system, enabled by a robust provider network and streamlined logistics. The customer value is clear: fewer handoffs, fewer failure points, faster execution, and meaningful cost savings. Q4: How does the ecosystem strategy improve speed, reliability, and customer confidence? A4: The ecosystem enables operational flexibility and responsiveness. Since developing its nationwide network (notably strengthened through work beginning in 2018), Excess Logic can provide same-day removal services anywhere in the U.S. (excluding Alaska and Hawaii). This capability reduces downtime and operational clutter for customers, ensuring excess equipment does not become a bottleneck for new equipment deployment. It also increases customer confidence that removal, disposal, and resale will be handled correctly and on time. Q5: Where does customer experience fit into Excess Logic’s growth strategy? A5: Customer experience is a growth engine. Victor notes that over 50% of business comes from repeat customers, which signals that the experience is easy, dependable, and valuable enough to become the default choice. In a service category where switching costs can be low and vendor performance varies widely, repeat usage is a strong indicator of customer trust and operational reliability. Q6: How does Excess Logic use data to create measurable customer value—especially in remarketing? A6: Excess Logic uses advanced market data to price surplus equipment accurately and maximize recovery value for clients. Specifically, they leverage a data source showing what similar equipment has sold for in the last 90 days globally, integrating pricing intelligence across major marketplaces (e.g., Amazon, eBay, Alibaba, Rakuten). This enables them to set asking prices at the highest level the market will bear, often outperforming traditional auctions or competitors without comparable data access. The customer value is direct: higher recovery value, better ROI on equipment investments, and improved bottom-line impact. Q7: What operational excellence practices help Excess Logic scale while maintaining service quality? A7: Automation combined with the ecosystem enables scale and consistency. Victor cites the ability to schedule multiple pickups per day across different locations and deliver unified reporting within one week. This is operational excellence in practice: coordinated execution, reduced administrative burden for the customer, and standardized reporting that supports accountability and repeatability. Q8: What advice does Victor offer to leaders building a differentiated, scalable business? A8: Three principles: Find an edge: Define what makes the company stand out—differentiation is not optional in crowded markets. Hire top performers early: The first hires shape culture and future talent quality. Tie compensation to results: Use KPI-linked bonuses/commissions as both a performance driver and a filter for underperformance. Q9: What is the core takeaway from this episode for growth-minded leaders? A9: Differentiation is engineered—not declared. Excess Logic demonstrates how a customer-centric ecosystem, supported by analytics, automation, and operational discipline, can reduce customer complexity, increase speed and reliability, and create measurable financial value. When the experience becomes easier and outcomes become provable, retention rises—and growth follows.

Most of us operate within a hyper-competitive marketplace.  A compelling value proposition is a critical business asset and one of the most effective competitive differentiators. Companies that succeed in attracting and retaining customers are those that focus on delivering exceptional customer experiences and creating measurable customer value. In this episode of What’s Your Edge?, we explore how Rebecca Woan, founder of Chartwell Insurance Services, a boutique property and casualty insurance provider, built a thriving business by staying true to a customer-centric strategy, using her firm’s value proposition to stand out in a crowded field, and foster long-term loyalty and growth. Rebecca and her team recognize the importance of making customers feel valued and finding value. Rebecca, congratulations on building a customer-centric organization.  I know our community is eager to hear what you and your team do better and differently to deliver value to your customers. What we do is anything but radical.  We take care of people.  We had a retail brokerage that specialized in a very different end of the business, and I had a number of prospects in the high net worth or what is also referred to as the “successful individual” space.  I found markets and serviced them to effusive praise. I thought to myself, I’m just taking care of them.  Then I asked myself why their brokers weren’t taking care of the, and then I had the lightbulb moment that there was perhaps a business opportunity in being responsive and educating clients. This was the recipe for our growth, along with a team of people who care as much about clients as I do.  There is no substitute for hiring good people. Attract Customers Who Want Value and a Good Reputation Let’s jump right in.  I love this topic because we truly believe that a compelling, meaningful, and relevant value proposition is at the heart of finding, keeping, and growing the value of customers. It’s what enables companies to gain market share and charge a premium price.  You operate in an extremely competitive industry. I did a little research and learned that there are over 4,000 property and casualty insurance companies in the US and that the top 25 have nearly 79% of the market share.  And that the average churn rate for the industry is 16 out of every 100 policyholders. Rebecca, what is your value proposition, and how has it enabled you to retain and create loyal customers? Insurance is often sold on price, especially in the consumer sector.  We’ve all seen the name your price commercials and the you’ve been paying too much commercials.  We work with clients who recognize value over price and not as an unavoidable and unwanted expense, but as an important means to protect their real and personal possessions and help guard against assaults on their assets through liability lawsuits from aggressive third parties.  They also want to be placed with insurers who have a reputation for fair and generous claim settlement.  Not everyone is fortunate enough to make that choice, and that’s the market we operate in.  Buy Your Best-Practices Workbook Empower Your Employees to Deliver the Promise of Your Value Proposition I’ve heard you say that “the most recent interaction is the interaction the customer remembers.” We love Jan Carlzon of Scandinavian Airlines book, Moments of Truth.  He defined a “moment of truth“ as any interaction with a customer or any event in which a customer uses or experiences a company’s product.” A moment of truth has a huge impact on customer satisfaction, retention, and advocacy. Employees are the keepers of moments of truth.  What have you done differently to empower your employees to deliver exceptional interactions? That’s so true, however, you can only empower employees once you know they are well-trained. It’s important to have mentorship and make employees part of the conversation so they learn by hearing and observing.  We also share experiences and how we solve problems, so we can be collaborative and offer a team approach to service.  It doesn’t serve a customer well if the one person who knows about their program is out sick or isn’t available.  Having well-documented files makes it easy for someone else to pick up. This requires constant reinforcement, and more than once, I have one of my team members reminding me when I need to do a better job.  No one is perfect, and the converse is also true, so we all have to own our mistakes.  I firmly believe customers cannot be fooled, and they appreciate an apology and a fix more than a cover-up, which only gets worse over time.  The idea that customer experience is essential for long-term growth is not new. For a decade, Gartner has been saying, “companies will compete primarily on the customer experiences they deliver.” Even so, many companies still struggle to map the customer journey and eliminate the breakpoints. Earlier, you said that the challenge is to consistently make customers feel valued and find value in the product.  Process is an integral part of creating customer value.  What kind of processes have you implemented to engage customers and deliver a superior customer experience? I remind my team that we cannot assume our customers understand all the nuances and the insurance lingo, so we need to clarify in our communications.  We start with a welcome call to let clients know what to do in case of an emergency, to call us first, and that we have an emergency 24-hour emergency service.  We are very proud of our collateral materials, which are clean and easy to read for proposals and reviews.  We also follow up conversations with emails to memorialize, because you can never over-communicate, in my opinion. Meet Customers at Their Comfort Level for Better Customer-Centricity  People might not connect innovation with insurance.  Yet you talk about the need to think outside the box and to innovate as a critical factor for competing.  What kind of innovations have you developed, and how have they enabled you to outmaneuver the competition? I’m not sure we have outmaneuvered the competition, but we have looked at how AI can improve our communication and education, and I believe this will be a critical differentiator going forward. I’m delighted to now be part of a larger organization. We sold to EPIC, which has a large national footprint, and they have the resources for the budget that this really needs.  I do feel that in the short term, there will be an advantage for the larger brokerages that have the resources to implement these AI strategies. Two of the many things we have in common are our passion for customer-centricity and strategy. We believe that a good strategy that is customer-centric and well-executed has the ability to positively impact a market and a company’s competitive position. What kind of customer-centric strategies have you employed, which ones have been the most successful, and why? We are in the service business, so I don’t think we could be anything but customer-centric.  We have people who communicate.  We make phone calls to deliver difficult news, and in this very hard insurance market, we have a lot of that.  We like to meet customers at their comfort level. Some want a lot of automation, and others want more interaction.  We’ll make file notes about issues that are specific to them, or how to best approach them, or if one spouse prefers to delegate to another, or if it’s important to include both spouses in interactions.  Crafting a customer-centric strategy takes solid data about who your customers are and which ones are a good fit. I imagine in your industry, it is essential to be able to hone in on the right segments and personas. Rebecca, what data does your firm use, and how do you use it to find, keep, and grow the value of customers? And how do you use the data to distinguish an ideal customer from one that isn’t? We have not been that granular with data.  We do track retention and success with prospects, and also data about how pricing has changed quarter to quarter. There is probably a metric out there, but instead we look at patterns and conversational responses in a prospect call to determine whether there is a good fit before we complete the labor-intensive proposal process.  The goal is to have a very high win percentage for proposals delivered. To Successfully Compete and Grow, Focus on What You Do Best  Win-rate. That’s a terrific metric. As we wrap up, I’d like to return to the start of our conversation about creating a customer-centric value proposition. Customer-centric companies build value props that offer a unique promise of value to their customers and articulate the benefits and solutions customers can expect. One of the key things we help our customers do is shift from value proposition construction to value proposition measurement. Measurement helps ensure a value prop remains strong, relevant, and capable of sustaining the vital connection between your business and its customers. We recommend selecting measures that measure the connection between your business and your customers, such as customer lifetime value, customer effort, customer retention rate, and others.  I’m curious to know what customer-centric measures you track and report, and why? We look at the size of the account we need to be compensated for the cost of servicing. If the account is too small, we have made the difficult decision to politely decline the business. Also, once in a while, we have to tell a client that we cannot make them happy, which is our equivalent of the Dear John conversation.  Sometimes we recognize that our approach is not a good fit for someone who might not understand and appreciate our expertise and has an unrealistic expectation of what we should deliver.  Rebecca, you’ve been at the helm of Chartwell for more than two decades. I imagine there have been both ups and downs. As we wrap up, what is some parting advice and lessons learned that might help our community outsmart their competitors. You need to focus on what you can do best. I once heard a presentation about ideas which has stayed with me.  There are very few unique ideas, and chances are someone else is trying to do something very similar, and success comes from the one who executes best. Small businesses cannot afford to make a lot of mistakes, so they need to figure out where their profit margin is largest and which products or services are scalable.  If they can’t do this, or if the field is too crowded or the product is becoming obsolete, like the typewriter, for example, they need to pivot.  This is an excellent reminder for all of us that to successfully complete and grow, we must focus and execute on what we do best, and that it’s important to know when to pivot. Thank you, Rebecca, for being our guest and revealing how you created and used a clear and compelling value proposition that served as a true competitive differentiator—even in a crowded and price-driven industry like insurance. Customer education and responsiveness and empowering employees, and leveraging processes for superior service delivery are critical to operationalizing customer-centricity. Your journey underscores that long-term success stems from consistent execution, deep customer understanding, and a relentless focus on delivering value. Is your value proposition strong enough to attract and retain the right customers? Let’s talk about how we can help you assess and strengthen your value proposition to create a measurable edge in your market. Contact us to start your journey toward smarter growth. FAQ: (written by Penn of Sintra.ai) Q1: What enabled Chartwell Insurance Services to stand out in a crowded, price-driven market? A1: Chartwell’s differentiation was not built on gimmicks—it was built on a clear, customer-centric value proposition: responsiveness, education, and trusted guidance for clients who value protection and reputation over price. Rebecca identified a market gap: high-net-worth clients were not being “taken care of,” and the opportunity was to win loyalty by consistently delivering what most competitors under-deliver—clarity, follow-through, and human service. In a category where many firms compete on price, Chartwell competes on confidence, credibility, and the quality of the customer experience. Q2: What is Chartwell’s value proposition—and who is it designed to attract? A2: Chartwell serves clients who recognize insurance as a strategic asset—not an unwanted expense. These customers want: Coverage that protects real and personal assets and mitigates liability exposure Placement with insurers known for fair, generous claims settlement A broker who educates, communicates clearly, and responds quickly This value proposition intentionally attracts customers who prioritize value over price, and it filters out prospects who are likely to churn, dispute expertise, or demand service that cannot be delivered profitably. Q3: How does Chartwell operationalize customer experience through “moments of truth”? A3: Rebecca’s principle—“the most recent interaction is the interaction the customer remembers”—is operationally significant. Chartwell treats employees as the keepers of customer moments of truth by ensuring: Strong training and mentorship (employees learn by observing and hearing real problem-solving) Collaboration and shared knowledge (service continuity even when a primary contact is unavailable) Well-documented files so any team member can step in seamlessly A culture of accountability: own mistakes, apologize, fix quickly, and avoid cover-ups This approach protects trust, reduces service variability, and strengthens retention. Q4: What customer-centric processes help Chartwell deliver a superior experience consistently? A4: Chartwell builds experience through proactive communication and customer education: A welcome call that sets expectations and clarifies what to do in an emergency A clear directive: call us first, supported by 24-hour emergency service Clean, easy-to-read collateral for proposals and reviews Follow-up emails to memorialize conversations (“you can never over-communicate”) Plain-language communication that avoids assuming customers understand insurance lingo These processes reduce customer effort, prevent misunderstandings, and reinforce the firm’s promise of being responsive and reliable. Q5: What role does innovation play in a service business like insurance? A5: Innovation is less about flashy product change and more about improving communication, education, and service delivery. Rebecca sees AI as a near-term differentiator—particularly for larger brokerages with the budget to implement it well. Chartwell’s move into a larger organization (EPIC) reflects a strategic recognition: scale can accelerate investment in AI-enabled customer communication and education, strengthening competitive advantage. Q6: What customer-centric strategies have been most successful—and why? A6: The most successful strategies are practical and human: Deliver difficult news by phone (not email), especially in a hard insurance market Match service style to customer comfort level (automation for some, high-touch for others) Capture customer preferences in file notes (who to include, how to communicate, decision dynamics between spouses) This is customer-centricity as an operating model: meet customers where they are, reduce friction, and personalize service without overcomplicating the business. Q7: What data does Chartwell use to qualify prospects and protect profitability? A7: Chartwell is selective with formal metrics, but disciplined in qualification. They track retention, prospect success, and quarter-to-quarter pricing changes. More importantly, they use pattern recognition in prospect conversations to decide fit before investing in a labor-intensive proposal process. The operational goal is clear: a very high proposal win-rate—a metric that protects time, margin, and team capacity. Q8: How does Chartwell decide when to decline or exit business—and why is that customer-centric? A8: Chartwell evaluates whether an account is large enough to justify the cost of servicing. If not, they politely decline. They also occasionally have a “Dear John” conversation when expectations are unrealistic or the relationship is not a fit. This is customer-centric because it prevents broken promises: accepting misfit customers creates dissatisfaction on both sides, strains the team, and erodes service quality for ideal clients. Q9: What is Rebecca’s most transferable advice for leaders competing in saturated markets? A9: Focus on what you do best—and execute better than anyone else. Unique ideas are rare; advantage comes from execution quality, scalability, and margin discipline. Small businesses cannot afford repeated mistakes, so they must identify where profit is strongest and where delivery is repeatable. And if the market is too crowded or the offering becomes obsolete, leaders must be willing to pivot. Q10: What is the core lesson about value propositions from this episode? A10: A value proposition is not just positioning—it is a promise that must be operationalized through people, process, and communication. The strongest value propositions attract the right customers, repel the wrong ones, and are reinforced through measurable customer experience—responsiveness, clarity, reliability, and trust.

Christina Porter, the President of Stallergenes Greer Canada and Vice President of Strategy for Stallergenes Greer North America. The company provides therapies to help improve life for people who suffer from allergies. In 2017, Stallergenes Greer acquired a successful family-owned Canadian company to create a fully integrated Canadian operation. The company encountered several challenges during the transition that required them to take some steps back and re-engineer customer-centric processes, in order to grow and improve service quality and customer experience. And that’s the focus of this episode of What’s Your Edge? Christina, we are grateful that you are willing to share the challenges you faced as a result of the acquisition. Every company we’ve ever worked with that has gone through a merger or acquisition has told us that the integration process was anything but a cakewalk. Some of the issues we’ve heard companies have faced post-merger include cultural clashes, talent loss, customer retention issues, integration cost overruns, and integration fatigue. All of these can impact the customer experience and impede growth. What can you share about the situation you were facing during the transition? It’s all the things you mentioned and in a predictable pattern (although in our naïve optimism, we didn’t predict it, unfortunately!): First: culture clashes: we are a global company purchasing a 2nd generation family business- our expectations regarding policies, procedures, documentation, decision making, almost everything were different, and it was a very uncomfortable, tense time for everyone Second: talent loss: The natural progression of culture clash is talent loss, and when most of the company’s intellectual capital is institutional knowledge, that’s a huge problem.   We lost the 2 owners very quickly, despite our expectation of a 2-year transition.  And many of the key people followed right behind, taking their institutional knowledge with them. Third: production/delivery disruption.  Without the key players in the company, we rapidly became unable to fulfill orders.  Fourth: customer dissatisfaction – you can imagine how our customers reacted. Fifth: more disruption and delay caused by managing angry customers, and trying band-aid, reactionary solutions- training new employees, adding shifts, hiring consultants. Delve Into the Right Data to Pinpoint Service Quality Issues In my career and as part of our work, we’re big proponents of service quality. In the book, “Delivering Quality Service, “ first published in 1990, based on the authors’ research found that reliability and responsiveness account for over 50% of how customers evaluate service quality. What kind of data was your team seeing that indicated you had a service quality process issue that needed to be addressed? Well, the first and most obvious source of “data” was the phone lines and voice mailboxes.  The phones never stopped ringing with complaints, and as fast as we were answering calls in person, more calls were filling the voice mailbox- to the point there was no physical way to answer everything- and anyway, we couldn’t answer the main question we were being asked – we called it WISMO- where’s my order??? The next was the very visual signal of orders piling up. Our orders mainly came in via fax at that time, and they were literally spilling and piling up on the floor, surrounding desks, and any other flat surface. In fact, our first initiative was to create a filing system just to hold backlogged orders- there were hundreds of them. We called it Bertha! As we tried to solve problems, it quickly became obvious that we actually didn’t have the data we needed to pinpoint exactly where things were going wrong and therefore where we should prioritize our efforts.  It was a sobering time when we came to the realization that we couldn’t just work harder to get out of the situation we were in.  Instead, we needed to take a step back and become very analytical to make a sustainable solution. You’re singing our song about taking a step back and being analytical.  As you analyzed the data, what decisions did you make? We knew we had to carve out time to dissect every part of the business if we were going to improve- to get that time, we had to make the very painful decision to reduce the number of customers we could serve.  This led to some difficult, but honest discussions with valued partners to tell them they should go elsewhere because we could not serve them the way they deserved.  We counted on the fact that this transparency would serve us well when we were back on our feet and could reach back out for their support.    We also had to purposely part ways with some long-standing but draining customer accounts where we couldn’t negotiate for a solution that worked in the new reality. Engage Customers in the Process to Regain Forward Momentum  I know you had relationships with many of the clinicians and medical groups you serve. Being a customer-oriented person, I imagine “firing” customers was a very difficult decision for you. We believe that credibility and transparency are critical to maintaining market and customer trust during tough decisions. Beyond lost revenue, what was the impact of the decision on the organization, and what did you do to maintain customer trust? Yes, this was such a difficult period of time for me and all our employees, especially because the business was built on customer service, and this is a core value for our leaders and all the people we hire. The truth is, there was a significant loss of trust as we found our footing, and it was frankly embarrassing. But once the decision was made, we focused on being open and transparent about our situation, communicated regularly about the work we were doing to improve things, brought customers along with our vision as we innovated and finally, provided objective metrics to prove that when we asked them to come back, they could be confident in what to expect. Take Me to Advisory Services There’s a process for analyzing the process and getting to the root cause.  What did you and your team do to analyze the entire process to understand what was creating the service quality problem and close the critical gaps? We started with pure data collection at each point in the production process so that we could start to get a handle on what was going on and create a baseline.  Things like how many calls we are getting, how many orders, how many corrections, what kind of mistakes, how much time every step takes, etc. Next, we attempted to simply see where the easiest and most obvious places to make improvements would be, we picked the “low-hanging fruit.” But then we moved on to the detailed work of process mapping using six sigma tools such as value stream mapping, 7 wastes, 5S, etc. Question Everything to Engineer Customer-Centric Processes and Improve Service Quality It sounds like you employed the power of process mapping. All businesses run on processes. Process mapping provides a clear roadmap for improvement and optimization. What steps did you take to reengineer the process, and how did you envision the revised process would improve the customer experience? We reengineered the org chart for role clarity, we re-designed the physical space for efficiency, we instituted a data management system so documents could be found easily and electronically, we standardized the ordering process, we introduced a prioritization protocol for order processing, we questioned the rationale for everything, we deleted and deleted and deleted any redundant steps or touchpoints we documented everything and created training metrics so skills became transferable and are reproducible, we added clear metrics at each stage of the process and instituted a bonus program that paid for performance, we created transparent dashboards and shared access to information with all employees so they could see the progress and we opened a formal process for feedback for continuous improvement. Today, we are industry leaders in quality, consistency, and speed of delivery. When customers came back, they got what they were promised plus more. In addition to clarifying gaps, process mapping creates opportunities for operational excellence. Did you find that this exercise helped align your team and streamline decision-making? This is very true.  When we began this transformation, we thought we were just trying to get back to the way things were before the disruptions created by the integration, but what we discovered was that there were multiple ways to surpass good to become excellent by making the right decisions on where to focus our energy. From a practical standpoint, once our teams could see the quantitative data, we could set ambitious goals to improve. We found that people became very engaged in making suggestions for incremental improvements in their day-to-day work- it’s now a very motivating part of our culture.  Teams are encouraged, empowered, and rewarded for implementing process improvements that streamline our offering. And because of the dashboards and other reporting tools we created, they can really see when their projects lead to real benefits for customers. Tell us a little more about the steps you took to reengineer the process and how you imagined the revised process would improve the customer experience. In our business, there are two things our customers care about: Quality and speed.  They need to be confident that what they order will be made correctly, using the highest standards, and that they will consistently receive their orders in the expected timeframe.  We worked to improve both of these areas.  In an interesting dichotomy, these two things often run at cross purposes.  High quality takes time, and you can gain speed by compromising on quality. When deciding where to focus, we took the decision to never compromise on quality and to manage expectations on speed. We communicated clearly with our customers about the quality improvements we were making, and we vowed to offer the most transparency in the industry, often educating customers on best practices.  In this way, our customers could be assured, confident, and knowledgeable about what they were getting.  And we let them know what kind of trade-off this emphasis on quality would require.  So instead of going for record-breaking or even industry-leading speed, we promised consistency. This combination, consistent delivery plus the highest quality product, turned out to be the winning formula. Growth Starts with Keeping Commitment to Customers You have shared a lot with us today about process engineering. What advice would you give to someone who is going to reengineer a process? This is hard work that takes patience, persistence, and so much communication inside and outside of the organization.  It’s detailed work that takes precision.   It’s rewarding, but it can feel like you are taking one step forward and two steps back, and for people who are builders, as most entrepreneurs and CEOs are, this can be draining. I think it’s worthwhile to hire someone with the right skills and mindset to both lead and manage this type of transformation.  Operational excellence is not a one-and-done type of event, instead, it should be seen as foundation building and continuous improvement.  This will give you the satisfaction of serving your customers in a consistent and high-quality manner they deserve- and that will mean you can spend your time business building, confident of the commitments you can make and the difference you can ultimately make in the world. Reengineering the process was quite an undertaking. I imagine the next challenge was to win back customers. In our experience, we’ve seen that regaining customer trust and loyalty after a major transition requires a strategic blend of customer-centricity, clear communication, and delivering measurable value. We’ve found that incorporating the voice of the customer can be a game-changer for identifying gaps and improving customer experience. Did you leverage any customer feedback mechanisms, like surveys or advisory boards, to guide your decisions during this time? Deliver Value to Your Customers to Earn a Second Chance I think we were afraid to ask for the voice of the customer!  Actually, it would be a good idea to do that now. Now that our processes have become so standardized, we’re able to implement change without disruption – we’d be able to act on any feedback we receive. I will say that we get excellent feedback from the field about our offerings and especially about our customer service. It’s a great feeling to send salespeople out, knowing that they ask customers to come back with confidence.  It speaks volumes about the level of trust we garnered by being so transparent about our struggles. The company is growing, so clearly the process and the strategy worked. What strategy and steps did you take to bring customers back and accelerate sales? Even though it was painful, we stuck to the strategy of reducing volume, re-engineering our processes, transparently communicating with customers during the bad times, and creating systems for measuring everything.  We’re now able to back up our claims of quality and service with data and leverage word of mouth recommendations from new and returning customers.  We’re growing, and I guess it turns out that sometimes you have to go backward to go forward. Is there any final piece of advice or insight you’d like to leave our community with? I’ve had so many learnings from this experience but the thing that lives in my heart is that even though business can be cutthroat, in the end, if customers trust and believe that your true core value is to put them at the center of what you do, they will give you a second chance- even if you royally mess up! Christina, thank you for sharing your insights and experiences. It’s clear that Stallergenes Greer Canada’s journey required emphasizing data and customer-centric processes to overcome challenges and achieve growth. Your story reminds us that while change is never easy, it can lead to significant improvements in customer experience and business performance. I admire your willingness to embrace a bold initiative to eliminate the chaos of random acts—those reactive, short-term fixes that drain resources and erode trust. If your organization is stuck in a cycle of random acts and reactionary measures, or trying to navigate growth, integration, or customer service challenges, now is the time to take a deliberate step toward operational excellence.  Let’s talk about how we can help you reengineer your processes with a deliberate, customer-centric strategy that drives measurable growth and lasting customer trust. FAQ: (written by Penn of Sintra.ai) Q1: What went wrong after the acquisition—and why is this pattern so common in M&A integration? A1: The integration followed a predictable chain reaction: culture clashes → talent loss → production/delivery disruption → customer dissatisfaction → reactive “band-aid” fixes that created more disruption. This pattern is common because acquisitions often underestimate the operational and emotional friction created when a global organization absorbs a family-owned business. Differences in policies, documentation, decision-making norms, and expectations create strain. When institutional knowledge walks out the door, execution breaks—and customers feel it immediately. Q2: What were the earliest “data signals” that service quality had broken down? A2: The first signals were unmistakable and operationally visible: nonstop complaint calls, overflowing voicemail, and the recurring WISMO question—“Where’s my order?” The second signal was physical: orders arriving by fax were piling up across desks and floors, forcing the team to create a backlog filing system (“Bertha”) just to contain the volume. These signals were clear indicators of reliability and responsiveness failures—two dimensions that heavily shape customer perceptions of service quality. Q3: What was the turning point—what did Christina’s team realize they had to do differently? A3: They realized they could not “work harder” to solve a systems problem. The turning point was acknowledging they lacked the data to pinpoint where breakdowns were occurring and therefore could not prioritize fixes. The solution required stepping back, becoming analytical, and rebuilding the operation with baseline measurement, process clarity, and disciplined improvement—rather than continuing reactionary triage. Q4: Why did they decide to reduce the number of customers they served—and what did that accomplish? A4: They made a painful but strategic decision: reduce volume to create the capacity needed to diagnose and fix the system. This included candid conversations with valued partners and intentionally exiting draining accounts that could not be served well in the new reality. The intent was to protect trust long-term by being transparent in the short-term—so that when the operation stabilized, the company could credibly invite customers back with proof of improved performance. Q5: How did they analyze the process to identify root causes and close service quality gaps? A5: They started with data collection at every point in the production process to establish a baseline: call volume, order volume, corrections, error types, and cycle times by step. They then addressed “low-hanging fruit,” but quickly moved into rigorous process engineering using Six Sigma tools—including value stream mapping, the 7 wastes, and 5S. This shifted the organization from anecdotal problem-solving to structured diagnosis and repeatable improvement. Q6: What specific changes did they implement to reengineer customer-centric processes? A6: The reengineering was comprehensive and operational: Org chart redesign for role clarity Physical space redesign for efficiency Data management system for searchable, electronic documentation Standardized ordering process and prioritization protocol Ruthless elimination of redundant steps (“delete and delete and delete”) Documentation and training metrics to make skills transferable Stage-level metrics, performance bonuses, and transparent dashboards A formal feedback loop to institutionalize continuous improvement These changes created consistency, reduced variability, and made performance visible across the organization. Q7: How did they define customer value—and what tradeoff did they choose intentionally? A7: Christina made the customer definition explicit: customers cared about quality and speed. The team recognized these can conflict—speed can be gained by compromising quality. They chose a clear tradeoff: never compromise on quality, and manage expectations on speed by promising consistency rather than record-breaking delivery. That combination—highest quality plus consistent delivery—became the winning formula and the basis for rebuilding trust. Q8: How did dashboards and transparent metrics change culture and execution? A8: Visibility created engagement. Once teams could see quantitative data, they could set ambitious targets, propose incremental improvements, and observe the customer impact of their work. Dashboards supported alignment, reduced subjective debate, and made continuous improvement motivating rather than punitive. Reward systems reinforced the behavior: teams were encouraged, empowered, and compensated for improvements that streamlined delivery and strengthened customer experience. Q9: What ultimately enabled them to win back customers and accelerate growth? A9: A disciplined sequence: reduce volume → reengineer processes → communicate transparently during the hard period → measure everything → prove performance with objective metrics → invite customers back with confidence. The company could substantiate claims about quality and service with data, and word-of-mouth from returning and new customers reinforced credibility. The strategic lesson is simple and difficult: sometimes you must go backward operationally to go forward commercially. Q10: What is the most transferable lesson for leaders navigating integration, service breakdowns, or customer trust erosion? A10: Customer trust can be rebuilt when customers believe your core value is genuinely customer-centric—and when you can prove it with performance. The combination of transparency, disciplined process engineering, and measurable service quality is what turns a crisis into a durable operating advantage.

Mark L. Vincent brings a wealth of expertise in driving customer-centric strategies at the C-Suite and board level. What I admire about Mark is his commitment to bridge the gap between executive leadership and boardroom strategy. In this episode of What’s Your Edge?, Mark and I discuss how boards of directors (BOD) and C-Suite (CXO) members can collaborate effectively to align goals and accelerate growth through customer-centricity by using data and performance management to support governance and forward-thinking. Mark L. Vincent is a process consulting pioneer and (meta) Systems Convener with more than 30 years of service as an Executive Advisor and Corporate Board Member. He currently serves on the boards of Century Companies and the Center of Steward Leader Studies and chairs the board for Mygrow. Strategic Alignment Depends on the Board-C-Suite Relationship In our experience, the relationship between the C-Suite and the board often determines the direction of an organization. Boards become significantly more effective when they are equipped with actionable insights derived from data. This allows them to support strategy development and make faster, fact-based decisions—critical for driving innovation, excelling at meeting customer expectations, and remaining relevant in the market. Mark, as a board member, what data do you need from members of the C-Suite to help you make key strategic decisions? I’m a fan of the hard work of distilling strategy into one-page plans supported by operating systems, a growing example of which is EOS. This enables information to be shared transparently, accurately, and in real-time, up and down the organization. I like to see this combined with 12-month trailing financial indicators and dynamic budgets adjusted for the next twelve months in accordance with what the data reveals.  When these are used in combination you have the entire organization working with the same data set and from the lens they are to bring to the organization. Many enterprises do not do this.  They use a budget plan that they update once per year, using financial reports that are already a month old. We could do an entire podcast on the many ways employees and executives game this system to their advantage and to the long-term harm of the business. Prepare a Data-Driven Narrative that Speaks to the BOD  I’m a big fan of the one-page plan too, which is why created our patented SaaS application – Accelance®. It visually connects investments and activities to business results on one page. Mark, many organizations are swimming in data and as a result are challenged to identify important patterns and signals needed to tease out the meaning behind the data. In addition, good narratives tell stories. Mark, how can C-Suite executives prepare a data-driven narrative that speaks to board members’ needs for operational resilience, financial performance, and innovation? This is an area where I’ve done a lot of work with organizations across the years. An organization that has a compelling mission backed up with key products or services, and powered by a strategic direction with key initiatives, has a great outline for a budget narrative that tells the story of intention, and the reporting data that tells the story of results. One look at the business plan of the organization will tell you what the real mission and real story is. Either it matches the narrative of the mission/strategy or it doesn’t. And if it doesn’t, then the mission and strategy is a farce. The financial plan and its results tell you where the priorities really are. I agree, it’s easy for distractions to get our attention.  The key is to focus on priorities. I think somebody has written a book about that. A key role of the BOD is to ensure that the leadership team has the resources, support, and framework to successfully embed customer-centricity into every part of the organization. In this capacity, a BOD member’s role is about oversight and alignment rather than day-to-day management. Mark, what role does customer data, like lifetime value, customer effort score, or customer retention, play in these discussions? And how can boards use these metrics to guide discussions about resource allocation and strategic priorities? The BOD does not need to develop customer-centricity nearly as much as it needs to expect it and hold its executive accountable to develop and continually refine it.  Once they are in place, the data becomes useful to measure effectiveness, and then to drill down to where adjustment or refinement of strategy is needed. And this brings us back to the narrative again. It’s tough to spin data when there is a specific outline and cadence of reporting to follow. I’ve been in more than one boardroom where an executive or functional manager’s long history of gaming the system to their advantage is exposed and no longer works. Thankfully, some learn to adjust and grow their ability to better lead the organization. Others do not and end up harming another organization elsewhere.  Either way, the organization becomes healthier. Take Me to Advisory Services Balancing Long-Term Vision with Immediate Results for Growth In our work, we’ve seen that achieving customer-centricity is an essential part of growth and needs to be integrated into the overall strategy. Customer-centricity requires organizations to strike a delicate balance between long-term strategic goals and short-term performance demands. This balance helps ensure sustainable growth while meeting immediate business needs. Boards play a pivotal role in guiding this alignment, helping leadership teams prioritize initiatives that deliver both immediate results and long-term value. Mark, what do you recommend the BOD do to help enable the balance between the long-term strategic goals of customer-centricity with short-term financial performance? There are two ways we might understand the word “balance,” and I prefer the second. The first is to think of it as alternating between short-term and long-term at appropriate times, trying to ensure that neither is neglected. The second is to expect both at the same time and at all times, never losing sight of either. Let’s use the example of triage in a catastrophic medical situation. Triage is not just about quickly providing medical treatment at the moment (short-term). It is about saving lives and as many as possible (long-term). Neither is cast aside. Having described this, I’d like to offer what I consider another method. In executive development, we want executives to think about long-term, mid or near-term, as well as short-term. And, we want to combine this with thinking about the top, middle, and bottom line. The complexities of these dynamics are always present so why not be aware of and respond to them ahead of time rather than constantly being surprised by their interactions and having to devote additional and scarce time and resources to play cleanup. Good Boards Make Governance the Central Point of Reference Many BOD members have served in C-level roles. Making the shift from a leadership role to a board member position presents unique challenges. One of my favorite sayings is ‘noses in and fingers out,’ which is attributed to Jim Brown. In his book, The Imperfect Board Member, he describes the ideal role of a board member—staying informed and aware of the company’s operations (‘noses in’) while not interfering with day-to-day management decisions (‘fingers out’). Building on this idea, Mark, how have you found serving on a board different from running a company or serving in the C-Suite? How does the board’s perspective differ from that of C-Suite executives, especially when considering the strategic role of customer-centricity? I like the metaphor as a way for C-Suite executives to begin learning that the roles are different than what they are doing in their working life.  And yet, there is a weakness in the analogy because the central point of reference is the executive suite rather than the boardroom.  When this happens, almost all of the agenda ties to the operations of the business, with the board feeling rather anemic because it is trying to keep its questions and comments elevated and not wanting to sound like a second-level executive. The board needs to have its noses and fingers in the governance of the org, everything from its charter to its strategy, and all related policies. These set the stage for operations and how they will be measured and reported. The central point of reference for the board is governance. And its agenda should contain a number of governance matters in addition to any standard reporting deck from the executive. This shift in perspective—from operational execution to strategic oversight—offers a unique opportunity for board members to champion initiatives that prioritize customer success. By staying focused on alignment and long-term business outcomes, boards can help ensure that customer-centric strategies remain at the forefront of organizational priorities. To achieve this mission, board members must ask critical questions to ensure the company is on track with customer success initiatives and what we refer to as advantageous excellence. We have found that it’s very important for BODs to focus on assessing the organization’s ability to innovate, adapt, and align operations with customer needs. Mark, as a board member, what kinds of questions do you typically ask related to strategy, data, operational excellence/processes, and performance management? Forward-Thinking is a Key Part of the Board Conversation I’d love to have you unpack more of this, especially how customer success matches up with investor intention. There is a synchronicity here that every organization needs, or everyone (customer, employee, and investor) receives less than desired. My response to this ties back to where we began, with strategy matched up with operational reporting in real-time.  When those are in place, my questions will follow a three-fold priority: Clarifying questions to understand the data in the report. (These questions can often be addressed ahead of time and do not need to take up space in a board meeting if the reports are distributed ahead of time. Analytical questions to understand: What is contributing to our success?  If the executive has already tried to provide this information, I want to ask what else is contributing, or whether new opportunities are being revealed. What is contributing to results that are less than what we want to see? If the executive has already tried to provide this analysis, good for them. Their report should be informational not pre-emptive to the board asking its own questions Forward-thinking question. Questions like, what do we have here? How does this match a market’s capacity?  Again, a lot of reports reflect short or near-term results. I find that as a board member, repeatedly holding up the long-term lens against the data is a key part of the board conversation. One other quick note to make is that a board meeting often operates under a tight time limit. That does not exempt my responsibility as a board member to ask important questions.  I’m on the board because of what someone felt was my unmatched point of view. I’m compensated to bring that and so I must. If I can’t do it at the board meeting, I can do it ahead of or following the meeting.  Again, this is not about making statements and offering opinions, nearly as much as using my insights to bring good questions and expect robust answers.  It’s not about displaying whether I am knowledgeable at all. It is about the enterprise living into its expressed mission. Mission/Vision/Values/Strategy and Operational Metrics Tell the Growth Story in Real Time Thank you for sharing these three questions! Journalist Simon Caulkin is attributed to saying, “What gets measured gets managed—even when it’s pointless to measure and manage it, and even- if it harms the purpose of the organization to do so.” Mark, what do you recommend board members measure to determine the success of customer-centric initiatives, particularly when measuring against traditional KPIs like revenue growth or profit margins? If we’ve done the work to identify who our customer is and how we meet a need or fulfill a desire, then we have items that should be showing up in our strategy, our plan, and our metrics. An ongoing approach is for a board to have a finance committee and perhaps a separate executive compensation committee to make sure that organizational goals held by the board match up well with the operational goals given to key leaders.  Staying on one of my favorite topics, performance management. What specific performance measures or KPIs do you feel are crucial when evaluating customer-centricity, particularly regarding customer loyalty, customer lifetime value, and retention rates? How can leading versus lagging indicators, like referral rates and retention rates, help predict revenue and profit growth?” I spent some time with a business owner of a growing enterprise this past week, where we were drilling down into this. We figured out his business drivers and how they become his lagging indicators of success (or not). We then unpacked them back to the leading indicators of whether enough has been done to continue driving business.  Another way to say this is that we moved in a progression of what produces a sale, followed by what the sales results were, then working all the way back to what continued activities are needed prior to any possible sale. Each business is different in this regard. In this case, it was a leisure business.  If it is the manufacturing of a specific product, the offering of a counseling service, or the provision of medical care, the leading and lagging indicators surrounding the engine driving the business will be different.  And once again, we are brought back to mission/vision/values/strategy and operational metrics that tell the story in real-time, aren’t we?    How Your BOD and C-Suite Can Approach Customer-Centricity More Effectively Yes, we are right back to mission, vision, values, and strategy! And that takes me back to the topic of customer-centricity as an organizational model. Customer-centricity is about how the leadership team makes decisions and runs the company.  We believe that integrating customer-centric practices is essential for long-term growth and profitability. Research from various organizations has found that customer-centricity directly drives increased customer lifetime value, retention rates, and referral rates—all critical for building sustainable, competitive advantages. Mark, in your experience, what are the most effective ways BOD and C-Suites members can integrate a customer-centric approach into their overall business strategies? And how can BODs ensure customer success is treated as a priority? Let me respond with a question.  What does the word “customer” mean here? I think any stakeholder is a customer of the enterprise, either because an investment has been made or a purchase. Or, in the case of an employee, the selling of one’s time for a wage.  And in the case of a vendor, it is the provision of goods or services to the business for a price. If this stakeholder view is true then the answer becomes simple. Centering on the customer and centering on the mission become one and the same. Investors, employees, vendors, and customers likely have individual agendas as they interact with the business.  If we are going to be customer-centric, we will need to engage in a lot of listening before speaking. And that listening metric would be one the board should expect to see. I would hope that listening shows up somewhere in those leading indicators. Excellent point about listening! As an operational excellence expert, I imagine you agree that speed and adaptability are key to being customer-centric. This takes having the right systems, tools, and processes in place. Mark, how can boards assess whether the necessary technology infrastructure and processes are in place to support customer-centricity? Behind the technology are the people. Their desire to listen rather than to use technology as a substitute for their listening matters a great deal.  What we put into the development of the humans needs to lead the way. Then, technology can be chosen in support of the human capacity and speed things along. There is ample evidence that when we get it the other way around, technology leading the way, then humans reduce their capacities and support the technology rather than the customer.  As a board member, this is where I want to start. Customer-Centricity Needs to be the Mission As we wrap up, Mark, what advice would you give to C-Suite leaders who are trying to better align with their Board of Directors to ensure customer-centric strategies are fully supported and executed? I would end where we started. Customer-centricity needs to be in the mission in order for it to be in the values and resulting strategy. Then it can become what we measure, report, analyze, and continuously improve. I couldn’t agree more, customer-centricity needs to be the mission. Thank you, Mark, for your insights today. As we conclude, we invite our listeners to reflect on their own organizations. How can you leverage data and operational excellence to foster a customer-centric culture to drive growth and innovation? What changes might you need to make? For more insights and strategies for leading with change, visit VisionEdge Marketing’s website and explore our resources designed to help you grow and thrive. FAQ: (written by Penn of Sintra.ai) Q1: Why does strategic alignment depend so heavily on the Board–C-Suite relationship? A1: Because the board sets direction through governance and oversight, while the C-suite turns that direction into operational reality. When the relationship is healthy, the board receives actionable insights—not just updates—so it can make faster, fact-based decisions that support innovation, resilience, and customer relevance. When the relationship is weak, strategy becomes performative, reporting becomes stale, and the organization defaults to internal priorities instead of customer and market demands. Q2: What data does a board member need from the C-suite to make better strategic decisions? A2: Mark’s view is pragmatic: boards need distilled strategy and real-time visibility, not a flood of disconnected reports. He advocates for: One-page strategic plans supported by an operating system (e.g., EOS-style discipline) 12-month trailing financial indicators to anchor decisions in reality Dynamic budgets adjusted for the next twelve months based on what the data reveals This combination keeps the organization working from the same dataset and reduces the opportunity for “gaming” outdated annual budget cycles. Q3: How can C-suite leaders prepare a data-driven narrative that actually serves board needs? A3: Build a narrative that connects intention to results. The mission and strategy provide the outline (what the organization says it will do); the financial plan and operating results reveal the truth (what the organization actually prioritizes). If the budget and results do not match the mission/strategy narrative, the gap is not a messaging issue—it is a governance and accountability issue. The board’s job is to surface that gap and require alignment. Q4: What role does customer data play in board-level governance and resource allocation? A4: Customer metrics matter most when the board uses them as an accountability mechanism—not as a marketing dashboard. The board does not need to “do” customer-centricity; it needs to expect it, require it to be operationalized, and hold executives accountable for continuous refinement. When customer-centricity is defined and embedded, metrics like lifetime value, retention, and customer effort become decision tools—helping boards determine where strategy needs adjustment and where resources should be reallocated. Q5: How can boards help leadership balance long-term customer-centric goals with short-term financial performance? A5: Mark rejects the idea of “alternating” between long-term and short-term. He recommends expecting both simultaneously—at all times—using a triage analogy: immediate action is taken in service of long-term outcomes, not at the expense of them. He also encourages leaders to think across time horizons (short, mid, long) and across the top/middle/bottom line, because these dynamics interact whether leaders plan for them or not. Q6: How should board members think about their role—especially the ‘noses in, fingers out’ principle? A6: The phrase is useful, but Mark adds an important correction: the board’s central point of reference is governance, not operations. If the board anchors itself in the executive suite’s agenda, it becomes reactive and anemic. Strong boards keep their “noses and fingers” in governance—charter, strategy, policies, measurement standards, and reporting cadence—because these set the conditions for operational execution and how performance is evaluated. Q7: What kinds of questions should board members ask to drive customer-centric performance and forward-thinking governance? A7: Mark uses a three-part sequence that respects time constraints but preserves board responsibility: Clarifying questions: Ensure shared understanding of the data (often handled pre-meeting if reports are distributed early). Analytical questions: What is driving success? What is driving underperformance? What else might be contributing that we are missing? Forward-thinking questions: What does this data suggest about market capacity and long-term viability? How does near-term performance hold up under a long-term lens? The point is not to display expertise; it is to demand robust answers that keep the enterprise aligned to its mission. Q8: What should boards measure to evaluate customer-centric initiatives alongside traditional KPIs? A8: The recommendation is to define the organization’s “business drivers,” clarify lagging indicators (results), and then work backward to leading indicators (the activities and conditions that make results possible). The exact indicators vary by business model, but the governance principle is consistent: mission/vision/values/strategy must be visible in operational metrics in real time. Boards can also use committee structures (finance, compensation) to ensure executive goals and incentives align with customer-centric outcomes. Q9: What is the most practical definition of “customer” in customer-centricity at the board level? A9: Mark expands “customer” to mean stakeholder: investors, employees, vendors, and buyers all exchange value with the enterprise. If that is true, then centering on the customer and centering on the mission become the same discipline. This also elevates a critical leading indicator the board should expect to see: listening—evidence the organization is engaging stakeholders before prescribing solutions. Q10: How can boards assess whether technology and processes support customer-centricity—without letting technology replace listening? A10: Start with people. Boards should evaluate whether the organization is building human capacity to listen, learn, and adapt. Technology should then be selected to amplify that capability—not substitute for it. When technology leads and humans follow, organizations end up supporting the system rather than the customer. Governance should insist the human operating model comes first. Q11: What is the closing advice for C-suite leaders who want stronger alignment with their board? A11: Put customer-centricity in the mission so it can live in values, strategy, and ultimately in what gets measured, reported, analyzed, and continuously improved. If customer-centricity is not embedded at the mission level, it will remain a program, a slogan, or a quarterly initiative—rather than an operating model the board can govern and the C-suite can execute.

Aligning your business strategies with customer expectations is essential for fostering loyalty, differentiation, and long-term success. In this episode of What’s Your Edge?, Karen Norheim, President and CEO of American Crane, discusses how data-driven insights, innovation, and a customer-centric mindset can overcome challenges and deliver exceptional business and customer value. From navigating leadership transitions to leveraging smart technologies, recount the actionable strategies used to reimagine how customer value is delivered to drive sustainable organic growth. At VisionEdge Marketing, we believe that anticipating and understanding customer needs is fundamental to enduring growth. This requires leveraging customer insights, market intelligence, and competitive analysis. Aligning business strategies with customer expectations creates a compelling value proposition—one that fosters loyalty, differentiation, and long-term success. In industries like Karen’s, where competition is fierce, a customer-centric approach is a necessity. Karen, I’m delighted to have you with us today. Thank you for joining us. Let’s dive right in. Failure is an Essential Part of Growth American Crane, a company renowned for building high-quality specialty lifting equipment, has faced its share of challenges over the years. What are two or three of the biggest hurdles you’ve encountered, how did you tackle them, and what lessons did you learn? One of the biggest challenges we faced was navigating the transition to new leadership after my father’s passing in 2021. While we had succession plans in place, there were still unforeseen emotional and operational hurdles that required quick adaptation. I had to establish my leadership style while ensuring continuity and honoring the foundation my father built. To tackle this, I leaned on my team, prioritized clear communication, and remained committed to our core values to provide stability during the transition. This experience reinforced the importance of preparation, teamwork, and adaptability during periods of change. Another major challenge was balancing innovation with execution. Early in my leadership, I had ambitious plans for modernization, technology integration, and process improvements. However, I quickly realized that pushing too much change too quickly could lead to resistance. For example, when we introduced new technology to improve efficiency, some employees struggled with the transition, leading to frustration instead of immediate buy-in. This taught me the importance of meeting people where they are, providing support, and implementing change at a pace that allows employees to adapt. Change is most successful when people feel involved and supported throughout the process. Finally, workforce development has been an ongoing challenge, especially during times of high demand. Instead of rushing to hire at any cost, we took a strategic approach by analyzing recruiting data, refining our hiring strategies, and focusing on cultural fit. This ensured that we brought in the right talent without compromising the integrity of our company. Additionally, I’ve learned that some challenges, like process inefficiencies, can build up over time if not addressed early. In the past, we assumed minor delays would resolve themselves, but over time, these inefficiencies compounded into larger operational bottlenecks. Now, we focus on early intervention to prevent small issues from becoming major obstacles. Through these challenges, I’ve come to embrace the idea that failure is an essential part of growth. It’s not about avoiding mistakes, but about how quickly and effectively we learn from them. By staying open to feedback, being adaptable, and maintaining a long-term perspective, we continue to grow stronger as a company and as leaders. What a great point about failure being an essential part of growth.  Most of our customers grapple with similar obstacles, and we’ve found that agility, adaptability, and resilience are key to overcoming these. A growth mindset is equally essential. Companies that embrace a growth mindset leverage data in five critical ways: Making Informed Decisions – By analyzing customer behavior, market trends, and operational efficiencies, businesses can refine strategies to stay ahead of the competition. Deepening Customer Understanding – Data serves as the backbone of customer-centricity, helping companies identify what customers truly value, anticipate needs, and seize new opportunities. Enhancing Operational Efficiency – Pinpointing inefficiencies and optimizing processes leads to cost savings, improved productivity, and a stronger foundation for growth. Fueling Innovation and Adaptability – A data-driven approach enables companies to experiment, iterate, and strategically pivot in response to evolving market conditions. Measuring and Strengthening Business Performance – Establishing and tracking meaningful performance metrics ensures that business efforts align with growth objectives. How Data-Driven Insights Empower Customer Success and Forward-Thinking In short, data empowers organizations to make smarter decisions, elevate customer experiences, and future-proof the organization. Karen, how does American Crane leverage data to fuel its growth initiatives and create customer value? At American Crane, data plays a critical role in driving our growth initiatives and enhancing customer value. By leveraging advanced technologies such as NorLink Smart Crane Systems and NorLink MHIot, we collect and analyze real-time operational data to improve equipment performance, enhance predictive maintenance, and reduce downtime. These data-driven insights enable our customers to optimize their operations, proactively address potential issues, and increase overall efficiency. These innovations have also expanded American Crane into a whole new industry—data-driven industrial solutions. By integrating smart technology into overhead crane systems, we are not only providing lifting solutions but also equipping industries with intelligent, automated tools that transform the way they manage maintenance and productivity. This expansion allows us to serve a broader range of industries, positioning American Crane as both a leader in material handling and a forward-thinking provider of cutting-edge industrial technology. Beyond technology, we leverage data to refine our internal processes and continuously improve our products and services. By analyzing customer feedback, equipment performance metrics, and industry trends, we ensure that our innovations are directly aligned with real-world needs. This data-driven approach allows us to enhance the durability, functionality, and usability of our equipment, ultimately delivering greater value to our customers. Looking ahead, we remain committed to leveraging data and smart technology to help our customers stay ahead. Whether through automation, predictive maintenance, or process optimization, we are dedicated to creating solutions that not only improve equipment performance but also drive long-term success. Embrace Innovation to Create Long-Term Customer Value It’s clear that American Crane fosters a growth culture—one that embraces change and prioritizes data-driven insights. One of the things I most admire about you and your team is your relentless focus on delivering customer value. Exceptional customer value is the cornerstone of a successful business strategy. It’s about solving customer problems, exceeding expectations and creating lasting impact. The ability to deliver value consistently is what separates industry leaders from the rest. Karen, what does creating and delivering customer value mean at American Crane? With a legacy dating back to 1972, American Crane is a well-established leader in its field. Many long-standing companies struggle to break away from traditional ways of doing things. Yet, innovation—whether through new products, services, or operational improvements—is essential to staying relevant and competitive. What an amazing legacy. We too have found that innovation is essential to staying relevant and competitive. Karen, what are your customers’ expectations when it comes to innovation at American Crane? Innovation often requires reimagining how value is delivered. Our customers expect innovation at American Crane to go beyond just new technology—they look for solutions that enhance efficiency, reliability, and safety in their operations. They want smart, data-driven systems that make it easy to predict maintenance, reduce downtime, and improve overall performance. With advancements like the NorLink Smart Crane System and MHIot Devices, we’re not just meeting these expectations; we’re exceeding them by leveraging real-world data to refine our technology continuously. Our focus is on delivering practical, customer-centric innovations that drive measurable improvements, ensuring that our solutions provide long-term value and adapt to evolving industry needs. Innovation is More Than Technology; It’s About Delivering the Best Solutions  I imagine you need to rely on technologies and processes to facilitate innovation. What new technologies and processes have helped you enhance customer value, and how have they impacted your business? At American Crane, we are continuously leveraging new technologies and processes to enhance customer value by improving efficiency, safety, and reliability. In 2019, we made a deliberate move toward integrating modern technologies into our equipment, recognizing that staying at the forefront of innovation is critical for long-term competitiveness. This commitment led to the creation of our Innovation Lab, where cross-functional teams explore and develop advanced solutions such as NorLink Smart Crane and NorLink MHIot. These technologies allow for enhanced automation, remote monitoring, and predictive maintenance, which improve uptime and reduce operational disruptions for our customers. Purchase Your Assessment However, innovation isn’t just about technology—it’s also about how we work. To ensure we are delivering the best possible solutions, we have enhanced communication between our engineering, manufacturing, and service teams, ensuring that real-world customer insights directly influence product development. This has allowed us to refine our solutions in response to actual field needs, making our equipment more efficient and user-friendly. Beyond technological advancements, we have also focused on addressing industry-wide challenges such as workforce development and supply chain resilience. By investing in employee training and fostering strong supplier relationships, we have built a more agile and adaptable operation that allows us to meet customer demands with greater reliability. Looking ahead, we see significant opportunities in automation, data-driven decision-making, and predictive maintenance, all of which will continue to enhance customer value. By embracing new technologies, expanding into new markets, and staying committed to our core principles, we are ensuring that our customers benefit from cutting-edge solutions that improve their operations and drive long-term success. Use Performance Measures to Deliver Customer and Business Value I know firsthand—through initiatives like developing our SaaS application, Accelance®—that innovation demands enormous commitment and investment. How have your investments in innovation and customer value strengthened American Crane’s ability to deliver on customer and business value? Investments in innovation and customer value must translate into tangible business outcomes. That’s why it’s crucial to establish meaningful performance measures that track impact and guide strategic decisions. At VisionEdge Marketing, we emphasize using performance metrics to ensure companies stay relevant to customers while maintaining a competitive edge. Karen, what key performance measures—especially related to customer value and innovation—does American Crane track? We track key performance measures that ensure we are delivering customer value and driving innovation. One of the most impactful ways we do this is through our continuous development and refinement of the innovative products we can bring to market. Beyond technology performance, we also track customer satisfaction, operational efficiency, and long-term reliability. By leveraging real operational data and direct customer feedback, we continuously improve our products and services to deliver top-quality solutions and superior customer support. This commitment to innovation, data-driven decision-making, and continuous improvement reflects our dedication to making our customers’ lives easier and ensuring their long-term success. I truly believe that data-driven decision-making is at the heart of business success. Dashboards and reporting tools provide real-time visibility into key metrics, enabling organizations to make timely and informed decisions. Karen, can you share an example of a strategic decision you’ve made based on your performance measures? To meet the industry’s demand for smarter, data-driven solutions, we launched pilot programs in 2024 to introduce the NorLink Smart Crane System and MHIot Devices in real-world environments. These pilots enable us to collect usage data, performance analytics, and customer feedback to refine features, enhance usability, and optimize data insights. By leveraging real operational data, we ensure our technology delivers measurable benefits such as reduced downtime, increased efficiency, and improved predictive maintenance. This commitment to continuous improvement ensures our NorLink Solutions line of products evolves into customer-driven solutions that provide lasting value to the industry. Using pilots is an excellent way to experiment and gain customer feedback. Karen, thank you for being our guest and providing insights into how American Crane navigates challenges, leverages data and innovation to create long-term customer value, and sharing your organization’s passion for helping your customers succeed.  I am confident our community has taken away at least one actionable idea from our conversation.  Congratulations to you and your team for being adaptable, and maintaining a long-term perspective, to support American Crane’s growth. We wish you continued success. FAQ: (written by Penn of Sintra.ai) Q1: What were the biggest hurdles American Crane faced—and what can leaders learn from them? A1: Three hurdles stand out: leadership transition, balancing innovation with execution, and workforce development. The throughline is that resilience is not accidental—it is operationalized through communication, pacing, and disciplined decision-making. Leaders can learn two practical lessons: (1) transitions require both emotional intelligence and operational continuity, and (2) modernization succeeds when change is sequenced at a pace people can absorb, with support and involvement built in. Q2: Why is “failure is an essential part of growth” a strategic advantage—not a slogan? A2: Because it reframes failure as feedback. Organizations that treat mistakes as learning signals build agility faster, intervene earlier, and prevent small inefficiencies from compounding into major bottlenecks. A growth mindset becomes real when it is paired with data, feedback loops, and a bias toward iteration—so the organization learns quickly and adapts before the market forces the change. Q3: How does American Crane use data-driven insights to fuel growth and create customer value? A3: American Crane uses smart technologies to collect and analyze real-time operational data—improving equipment performance, enabling predictive maintenance, and reducing downtime. The value to customers is measurable: better uptime, fewer disruptions, and improved operational efficiency. Strategically, this data capability also expands the company beyond lifting equipment into data-driven industrial solutions, creating new market opportunity while strengthening differentiation. Q4: What do customers expect from innovation in a legacy industrial company? A4: Customers expect innovation that is practical and outcome-driven—not novelty. In this case, expectations center on efficiency, reliability, and safety, delivered through smart, data-enabled systems that make maintenance more predictable, reduce downtime, and improve performance. The key is that innovation is tied to real-world field needs and continuously refined using usage data and customer feedback. Q5: What technologies and processes helped American Crane reimagine how customer value is delivered? A5: Two categories matter: Technology: Smart crane systems, IoT-enabled devices, automation, remote monitoring, and predictive maintenance capabilities. Process: An Innovation Lab with cross-functional collaboration, stronger communication between engineering/manufacturing/service, and a deliberate mechanism for feeding field insights back into product development. This combination ensures innovation is not isolated; it is connected to execution and customer outcomes. Q6: How should leaders think about performance measures in the context of innovation and customer value? A6: Measures are what convert innovation investment into business outcomes. American Crane tracks performance through continuous product development and refinement, customer satisfaction, operational efficiency, and long-term reliability—using both operational data and direct customer feedback. The discipline is to measure what customers experience (uptime, reliability, usability) and what the business needs (adoption, efficiency, support performance), then use dashboards to make timely decisions. Q7: What is an example of a strategic decision driven by performance measures? A7: Launching pilot programs for smart systems in real-world environments. Pilots generate usage data, performance analytics, and customer feedback that inform feature refinement, usability improvements, and better insights delivery—ensuring the solution produces measurable outcomes such as reduced downtime and improved predictive maintenance. This is a strong example of using measurement to de-risk innovation while keeping the customer at the center. Q8: What is the bottom line for leaders seeking sustainable organic growth? A8: Sustainable growth comes from aligning strategy with customer expectations—and operationalizing that alignment through data, disciplined innovation, and performance measurement. When you combine a growth mindset with real-time insight, cross-functional execution, and customer-driven iteration, you do more than modernize—you reimagine how customer value is delivered and create durable differentiation.

Many of us at the helm of our companies are often faced with implementing changes to remain competitive and relevant to our customers, and to create more customer and business value to achieve long-term sustainable growth. This was the case for Kelly Van Winkle, President and CEO of King of Texas Roofing Company, when she took the reins of the third-generation company. In this episode of “What’s Your Edge?“, Kelly tells us how small incremental changes helped strengthen customer retention, accelerated customer acquisition, and fostered a more customer-centric business. For over 40 years, King of Texas Roofing has installed commercial roofs on multi-purpose structures, ranging from office complexes, sporting arenas, and retail centers, to large industrial warehouses, food storage, data centers, churches, and medical centers. The company is licensed in 16 states and averages 20-25 large-scale multi-million-dollar projects each year. In recent years, the growth in Texas and Oklahoma has kept Kelly and her team busy. In addition to managing the construction load, Kelly recognized that long-term success required some internal changes. Some of the changes included shifting the company from a directive to a more collaborative culture, instilling a stronger focus on customer-centricity throughout the company, and recognizing that it needed to balance the “tried and true” techniques, skills, and protocols of the “King of Texas Way” with new technologies and techniques. We’re so excited to hear Kelly tell us how she went about successfully making these changes. Welcome to “What’s Your Edge?” Kelly! Embracing Change for Sustained Growth Those of you familiar with VisionEdge Marketing know we are avid fans of Peter Drucker and love his quote that the “purpose of business is to create a customer.” Kelly, I know from our previous conversations that a large portion of your revenue, as much as 90% in some years, comes from existing customers, many of whom have been with King of Texas Roofing for 15 or more years. What are 2-3 of the practices you and your team employ to improve customer retention? You are correct, at King of Texas Roofing, customer retention is paramount. Our customers include building owners, property managers, and general contractors. Roofs are one of the biggest investments for anyone constructing a building. It’s imperative to get a roof properly installed and regularly maintained because even the smallest roof leaks lead to catastrophic expensive losses. So, we work very hard to serve as trusted advisors to our customers. That means staying engaged and maintaining a relationship even when there isn’t a project in progress or on the horizon. Educated customers are easier to deal with, and as a result, we create and deliver a lot of educational content to help our customers prolong the life of their roofs. This requires regular communication, from quarterly check-in phone calls to lunch and learns at customer offices. Credibility is Fundamental to Customer Retention I love your point about being a trusted advisor. Being a trusted advisor takes credibility. There can be no growth without trust. Credibility is invaluable in any industry. Kelly, what are some changes you’ve made to build on the company’s credibility? In our industry, safety, accuracy, attentiveness, efficiency, and keeping a job on track are top priorities for our customers. We implemented a safety program that sets the standard in the industry. We have 2 full-time safety directors, and that has helped ensure we maintain an excellent safety record. In addition, we implemented processes and procedures to address accuracy and timeliness, job hazard analyze, and project production plans. Our credibility and safety reputation also go a long way toward acquiring new customers. I’m glad you brought up new customers. Kelly, what are some of the changes you’ve implemented to accelerate new customer acquisition? One change we implemented is to survey our customers to identify opportunities to improve our processes, our communication, and the quality of our work and products. I’m delighted to hear that you are conducting customer research. We are strong proponents of voice of customer research and customer advisory boards. Both can provide meaningful insights that will positively impact the customer experience. Take Me to Advisory Services Enhancing Customer Experience Through Internal Alignment Speaking of customer experience, what are some of the changes you’ve made to your team and your internal processes to improve the customer experience? Two key changes come to mind. First, we focused on improving field and office communication. When these two parts of the team are misaligned, jobs are impacted. This is where creating a more collaborative culture and modeling the way became paramount to success. By being willing to be more transparent, share information, and explain WHY things are done in a particular way, communication and collaboration improved. Second, we implemented a process and software to improve internal alignment and accountability. As a result, we are now better at goal setting, task ownership, tracking, and reporting. These examples sound like they are helping you make better data-driven decisions.  Now you’re singing our song! We are staunch supporters of leveraging data to understand customer needs, aspirations, and market trends. By doing so, businesses can tailor their offerings to improve customer retention and customer acquisition to meet customer expectations better, stay ahead of the competition, and identify opportunities for growth. Kelly, as the president and CEO, what are some decisions your data has helped you make? Market data surrounding commercial construction trends helps us understand what our customers are looking to achieve and what they value.  Data that we have internally on things like average daily production and various safety measurements also has helped us decide how to differentiate ourselves with customers. Customer Value Creates Business Value I can tell you that you value data. As a leader who values data, what measures inform you that the changes are effective? We have many measures but these three customer measures are very important to use: Customer Tenure, that is how long they are a customer. We have customers who have been with us 10 years and many longer than that. Negotiated vs. Bid Work: In our business, it’s common to have to bid on every project. We are fortunate that as a result of investing in relationships with our customers and serving as a trusted advisor, we primarily engage in repeat business that is negotiated rather than bidding.  Referrals: This is business we acquire because we were recommended by a general contractor, building owner, or someone in one of the other trades. Overcoming Challenges in Change Management These are solid examples of useful measures. It’s clear you too believe that creating business value requires delivering customer value. Kelly, I’m sure these changes took time and had some challenges. Change is a fact of life but that doesn’t make it easy, especially when change involves making alterations to the organization’s purpose, culture, structure, and processes. In our work, we have seen how effective change management facilitates prosperity and growth, even in volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous environments. It helps to have a framework to support change management.  In the words of author Dallas Willard, implementing change takes intention, and getting your team on board is essential to success. What were some of the challenges you and your team faced in making these changes, and how did you overcome them? The older generation of leaders felt “put out to pasture” with our changes. We had to work hard to ensure that the previous leader of the organization felt appreciated for his 40 years of leadership and included in the new efforts.  The previous leader was offered an advisor role (VP of Risk Management), where he has been truly invaluable.  This has allowed us to successfully retain and utilize his 40 years of experience while still moving forward with our work on cultures, processes, and protocols.     Are You Leading with Change? Kelly, thank you for sharing the journey of King of Texas Roofing and how you implemented small changes that fostered a more collaborative and customer-centric culture. It sounds like your approach to balancing traditional methods with innovative technologies has strengthened the company’s foundation for long-term growth, and the internal improvements you’ve made have enhanced the customer experience. The journey wasn’t without its challenges, but your commitment to effective change management and your leadership have clearly been instrumental in overcoming obstacles. As you would imagine, a key takeaway for me from our conversation is the importance of serving as a trusted advisor for maintaining strong customer relationships. We believe that while it is an investment, this approach enhances customer loyalty and builds credibility, crucial factors in both customer retention and customer acquisition. As we conclude, we invite you to reflect on your own organization. How can you leverage data and foster a customer-centric culture to drive growth and innovation? What changes might you need to make? For more insights on how to  Realize the Full Financial Benefits of Customer-Centricity check out our white paper “Bring Your A-Game to a Customer Empowered Market.” FAQ: (written by Penn of Sintra.ai) Q1: What is the core lesson from King of Texas Roofing’s story for leaders trying to drive sustainable growth? A1: Sustainable growth often comes from small, intentional, customer-centric changes—not dramatic overhauls. Kelly Van Winkle’s experience shows that long-term success requires strengthening the internal operating system (culture, communication, accountability, and data discipline) so the external customer experience becomes more consistent, credible, and differentiated. The result is improved retention, accelerated acquisition, and stronger trust—especially in industries where risk and reliability matter. Q2: What practices helped King of Texas Roofing improve customer retention? A2: The company treated retention as a relationship discipline, not a renewal event. Two practices stand out: Trusted-advisor engagement between projects: Staying connected even when no work is active—through quarterly check-ins, lunch-and-learns, and ongoing relationship maintenance. Customer education as value delivery: Creating and sharing educational content that helps customers prolong roof life and reduce risk, making customers easier to serve and more loyal over time. In high-stakes categories (where small failures create catastrophic costs), education and proactive engagement build confidence and longevity. Q3: How did the company strengthen credibility—and why did that matter for growth? A3: Credibility was built through operational proof: safety, accuracy, attentiveness, and job execution discipline. Implementing a best-in-class safety program (including dedicated safety leadership) and formalizing processes (job hazard analysis, production planning, timeliness and accuracy procedures) reinforced reliability. This matters because credibility is not only a retention lever—it is also a customer acquisition advantage, especially when buyers are risk-averse and reputation-driven. Q4: What internal changes improved the customer experience? A4: Two internal shifts improved alignment and execution: Field-to-office communication improvement: Moving from a directive culture to a more collaborative one, with transparency and clear “why” behind decisions. Misalignment between field and office directly impacts job outcomes, so fixing communication improves customer experience. Alignment and accountability systems: Implementing process and software to strengthen goal setting, task ownership, tracking, and reporting—making execution more consistent and measurable. Q5: What role did data play in decision-making and differentiation? A5: Data informed both strategic direction and operational differentiation. Market data on commercial construction trends helped the company understand what customers value and where demand is shifting. Internal operational data—such as production and safety measures—supported decisions about how to differentiate credibly in the market. In other words, data was used to strengthen both relevance (market fit) and reliability (execution proof). Q6: Which customer measures signaled that the changes were working? A6: Three customer-centric measures provided clear evidence of progress: Customer tenure: How long customers stay—an indicator of trust and sustained value delivery. Negotiated vs. bid work: A proxy for relationship strength and trusted-advisor status; negotiated work signals confidence and reduced competitive pressure. Referrals: Proof of advocacy and credibility in the ecosystem (GCs, owners, other trades). Q7: What change-management challenge did Kelly face—and what was the solution? A7: The key challenge was ensuring the prior generation of leadership did not feel displaced. The solution was respect, inclusion, and role clarity: the previous leader was offered an advisor role (VP of Risk Management), preserving institutional knowledge while enabling cultural and operational modernization. This is a strong example of change management that balances continuity with progress. Q8: What is the bottom line for leaders listening to this episode? A8: Customer-centric growth is built from the inside out. When you invest in credibility, proactive relationship value, internal alignment, and data-driven accountability—then measure what matters (tenure, negotiated work, referrals)—you create a durable foundation for retention, acquisition, and long-term sustainable growth.

For this episode of “What’s Your Edge?” I’m thrilled to welcome Heather Valentine to the conversation. Heather is a seasoned growth executive with over 25 years of experience leading high-performing teams in the SaaS-based healthcare and life sciences technology sectors. Her career spans the entire innovation lifecycle, making her a perfect fit for our Barriers to Revenue Growth discussion today and strategies to overcome these. I’ve had the privilege of working with Heather over the years and know she will be sharing some valuable customer-centric insights with us. Heather, welcome to “What’s Your Edge?” 3 Barriers to Growth that Transcend Across All Organizations At VisionEdge Marketing, we emphasize the importance of identifying growth barriers as early as possible. Heather, to kick things off, what do you think are the 3-5 biggest barriers to growth for most organizations?   Of course, the answers to this question can be highly dependent upon whether you are talking about a start-up or a large global established company.  However, there are some universal areas/categories that I believe transcend across all types of organizations trying to grow: The second is then give the team the right tools. And with this category, I mean the right value statements, value use cases, and value examples of how your company can bring real, documentable value to your customers. The third is somewhat related to category #2 above but it is so critical it deserves to be separated out and that is: “Put the customer and the center of your business”. This is what I call “Customer Experience Excellence” and is always a growth category in every growth formula that I put together for any of the organizations that I have led over the years. Can you share a specific example from your career where you encountered one or more of these barriers? How did you and your team address them? Because I attempted to choose some universal growth challenges, I have dealt with all three.  That said, I think the second category is worth digging into in more detail (even though I am passionate about getting all three right on a continuous basis). I usually call this category “Value Engagement” which really is about Value Identification, Value Realization, and Value Execution (documentation so you can replicate it for the next customer). At VisionEdge Marketing, we believe that the better an organization can align itself around business strategies to create customer value, the better.  We have a number of Proven Business Frameworks to help organizations designed just for this purpose. But identifying the barriers is just step one. To truly drive growth, operational excellence is critical. Innovate and Optimize to Achieve Operational Excellence that Drives Growth At VisionEdge Marketing, we define Operational Excellence as executing business strategy more consistently and reliably than the competition—with lower operational risk, reduced costs, and increased revenue. Heather, in your experience, what operational changes have been the most impactful for accelerating revenue growth? Truly measuring what is working and what is not working and being a metrics-driven culture.  I am not talking about micromanaging at all, but rather measuring what activities are producing the right results and how an organization can double down on what is working and reduce time spent on what is not working. What are your thoughts on how organizations can balance efficiency with the need for innovation to maintain a competitive edge? This is such a large topic in and of itself, and I think it is truly one of the most difficult areas that stifle company growth. In a nutshell (so to speak), many companies think they are measuring the right growth metrics when they are not. I will give you an example: relying on a Net Promoter Score and thinking that if you have a good score, all is well. Not so. One thing we advocate at VisionEdge Marketing is to implement a continuous improvement culture, where teams are encouraged to innovate and optimize workflows regularly.  As part of this culture shift, we use a term, Advantageous Excellence, which focuses on strategic innovation and differentiation, to enable our customers to develop unique capabilities that will set them apart. The benefits of Operational Excellence include improved efficiency and cost savings, while Advantageous Excellence drives innovation and competitive differentiation. Operational changes are crucial, but they must be aligned with a customer-centric approach to truly drive growth. And that takes us to one of my favorite topics: customer-centricity. We believe that customer-centricity is the foundation for creating stellar customer experiences. While customer-centricity is a term we hear a lot about these days, it’s much more than a buzzword. At VisionEdge Marketing, we define it as putting the customer at the heart of every decision and action. It ensures that every interaction adds value and meets customer expectations, leading to satisfaction, loyalty, and advocacy. Take Me to Advisory Services Is Your Data Informing Your Growth Strategy? Heather, what does customer-centricity mean to you, and how does it relate to Customer Experience Excellence? To me, it means truly understanding the industry, market, and the specific needs that your customers have.  This seems like a generalization, but I do not mean it that way. Rather, you can become an “industry expert” but also apply that expertise to the specific customer issues you are trying to solve. A customer-centric approach is only as effective as the data that informs it. Let’s discuss the types of data that are most valuable for making informed, customer-centric decisions. Heather, what types of data have you found most valuable in making customer-centric decisions? The answer here circles back to some of my previous points in that an important growth driver (actual customer centricity itself) is truly understanding their issues and needs and how to help them reduce “lags” in their own growth trajectory. Creating customer-centric “replication stories” (use cases) and building up many of these to use in future customer engagements really helps the team be super “customer-centric.” This is what I meant previously about giving your teams the right “tools.” Leveraging Data for Strategic Decisions Data-driven decision-making is critical for aligning customer needs with business strategies. At VisionEdge Marketing, we recommend using both qualitative and quantitative data—like customer feedback, purchase history, and engagement metrics—to guide these decisions. So, my last question for you is, what data have you found most helpful in making customer-centric decisions? To build upon what I have already mentioned, I find that to ensure that you are documenting value effectively, interviewing your customer base is critical and I find too many companies do not do this, or rely on really “thin” surveys only. As you know from working together, we are passionate about selecting measures, metrics and key performance indicators that align with strategic initiatives with business results. Measures such as customer engagement, customer effort, and customer lifetime value can provide a clear picture of how effective customer-centric initiatives are. How do you think organizations can better leverage advanced analytics to uncover hidden opportunities? As we wrap up, do you have any last thoughts you’d like to share with our community? Carry On the Conversation about Overcoming Growth Barriers Heather, thank you for such an insightful conversation. Listeners, take a moment to think about your organization. What’s one barrier to revenue growth you could overcome by focusing on operational excellence, customer-centricity, and data-driven decision-making? Start there. For more tools, insights, and strategies, visit our website or connect with us on LinkedIn. Let’s keep the conversation going; visit our website and connect with us on social media. FAQ: (written by Penn of Sintra.ai) Q1: What are the most common barriers to revenue growth that transcend company size and stage? A1: Three categories consistently show up across organizations—whether start-up, mid-market, or global enterprise: Strategic alignment and execution discipline: Teams may be working hard, but without shared priorities, clear outcomes, and accountability, effort fragments and growth stalls. Equipping teams with the right “value tools”: Many organizations lack strong value statements, value use cases, and documented examples that prove outcomes—making it harder to win, expand, and replicate success. Customer Experience Excellence (putting the customer at the center): Growth suffers when customer-centricity is treated as a slogan rather than an operating model that shapes decisions, workflows, and experience delivery. Q2: What does “Value Engagement” mean—and why does it matter for growth? A2: Value Engagement is the discipline of making value explicit and repeatable. It includes: Value Identification: Clarifying the customer’s problem, desired outcomes, and success criteria. Value Realization: Ensuring the customer actually achieves measurable outcomes. Value Execution (documentation): Capturing proof—use cases, results, and “replication stories”—so the organization can scale what works and shorten future sales cycles. This is where growth becomes systematic rather than episodic. Q3: What operational changes most reliably accelerate revenue growth? A3: A shift to a metrics-driven culture—not micromanagement, but measurement that links activities to outcomes. The most impactful operational change is building the ability to identify what is working, double down on it, and reduce time and spend on what is not. This requires clear KPIs, consistent review cadences, and the operational discipline to adjust quickly. Q4: How can organizations balance efficiency with innovation without stalling growth? A4: By measuring the right things and building a continuous improvement culture. Many companies believe they are tracking “growth metrics” but rely on proxies that do not predict retention, expansion, or loyalty (for example, treating NPS as a sufficient indicator). The balance comes from pairing Operational Excellence (reliability, efficiency, lower risk) with Advantageous Excellence (strategic innovation and differentiation)—so the organization runs well today while building unique capabilities for tomorrow. Q5: What does customer-centricity mean in practice—and how does it connect to Customer Experience Excellence? A5: Customer-centricity is the operating discipline of understanding the customer’s industry, market, and specific needs—and applying that expertise to solve real problems in a way that reduces friction and accelerates customer outcomes. Customer Experience Excellence is the visible result: every interaction consistently adds value, meets expectations, and builds trust—driving satisfaction, loyalty, and advocacy. Q6: What data is most valuable for making customer-centric decisions? A6: The most valuable data is the data that proves value and enables replication. Two high-leverage categories are: Customer interviews (qualitative depth): Direct conversations reveal needs, constraints, decision criteria, and what “value” truly means—far beyond thin surveys. Documented value stories (use cases and outcomes): Proof of impact that can be reused in sales, onboarding, customer success, and expansion. When these are combined with quantitative engagement, effort, and lifetime value measures, organizations gain a clearer view of what drives growth. Q7: What is the best “next step” for leaders listening to this episode? A7: Identify one barrier to revenue growth you can address immediately by strengthening operational excellence, customer-centricity, and data-driven decision-making—then define the measures, owners, and cadence required to act. Growth accelerates when value becomes measurable, repeatable, and operationalized across the organization.

Bringing a new B2B product and/or service (solution) to market is a multifaceted process. At the very minimum it requires a solid understanding of the customer, a compelling value proposition and associated positioning and messaging, an excellent go-to-market (GTM) strategy, and a keen awareness of the competition. Each phase of this process is crucial. Missteps in the process from development to launch to adoption can result in the product being obliterated in a competitive market. If you’ve ever built a sandcastle at the beach, you know to avoid seeing your creation be completely washed out to sea it needs a strong foundation and core structure, well-constructed towers, and defenses against the rising water. This episode of What’s Your Edge? explores four critical steps to successfully create and bring a new B2B solution to market. 1: What Customers Value is the Key to a Solid Foundation How well a sandcastle survives starts with the foundation. Without a solid base, it will be overwhelmed by the tides. This is also true for a successful B2B solution, which relies on customer insights as its strong foundation. Customer insights are critical for developing and launching a customer-centric product that meets real needs and delivers value. Here are three basic components for laying a solid foundation: Before you start building your sandcastle, choose the right spot—one with firm, wet sand that will hold up. In the business world, this translates to conducting thorough market research to identify where opportunities exist. By analyzing market trends, you can find the areas where customer needs are not being fully met and where your product can make the most impact. Market research provides the context for understanding the broader landscape in which your solution will compete. Once you’ve chosen your spot, the next step is to test the sand to ensure it’s stable. In product development, this means diving deep into customer needs, passions, and pain points through interviews, focus groups, and surveys. Understanding what frustrates your customers, what they aspire to achieve, and where they face obstacles allows you to create a product that addresses these issues head-on. This step ensures your foundation is stable and your product is built on a true understanding of the customer. If you’re like me, you’ll build a moat to protect your sandcastle from the encroaching tide. Segmentation helps protect your solution from becoming too generalized and losing its appeal. By dividing your market into distinct segments based on specific needs and behaviors, you can tailor your product to meet the precise demands of each segment. This targeted approach ensures your foundation is strong and your product will resonate with the right customers. IBM provides a good example of a company that laid a strong foundation. For its Watson Analytics, the company conducted extensive market research and customer interviews to understand the unique challenges of enterprise customers—identifying key pain points in data management and decision-making before developing a product that directly addressed those issues. This customer-centric approach enabled IBM to build a solution that stands firm in a competitive market. 2: Your Value Proposition Creates the Core Structure With a clear understanding of the customer, the next step in product development is to define a compelling value proposition. This phase is similar to shaping the core structure of a sandcastle—the walls, towers, and gates that make it stand out and capture attention. The value proposition answers the fundamental question: What unique value does this product offer to the customer? Here are four initial thoughts on how to approach shaping the value proposition: A clear blueprint outlines what your sandcastle will look like. In product development, this means identifying the key benefits your product will deliver. What specific problems does it solve for the customer? How does it make their life easier or their business more successful? Answers to these types of questions will help you articulate the advantages of your product, much like sketching out the features of your sandcastle before construction begins. With your blueprint in hand, you’re ready to start building the walls and towers of your sandcastle—the elements that give it form and structure. In terms of your product, this means directly addressing customers’ pain points. Every feature and benefit needs to connect to a specific challenge, opportunity, or frustration faced by your customers so you deliver a strong and relevant solution that resonates with your customers. To make your sandcastle stand out on a crowded beach, you will need to include unique features—perhaps a towering spire or intricate gate. Similarly, your value proposition needs to highlight what sets your product apart from competitors. This could be a unique feature, superior quality, or exceptional customer service. Differentiation is key to ensuring your product doesn’t just blend in but stands out in the marketplace. Before you finish building, you’ll want to check that your sandcastle can withstand the elements. This is where you test your value proposition with your target customers. This can be done through pilot programs, beta testing, or gathering feedback on a prototype. Testing ensures your product’s value proposition is not only compelling on paper but also resonates with customers in practice. It’s like making sure your sandcastle won’t crumble at the first wave. HubSpot illustrates this step. It shaped its value proposition by clearly identifying the key benefits of its inbound marketing platform—helping businesses attract, engage, and delight customers. The company built its product’s core structure by addressing the pain points of traditional marketing methods and differentiated it through a user-friendly interface and comprehensive toolset. Before fully launching, HubSpot tested its value proposition extensively with beta users, refining it to ensure it met customer needs and stood out in the market. 3: Your Go-to-Market Strategy is the Entryway to Your Castle Once your value proposition is clearly defined, the next crucial step is to develop a GTM strategy. This step is about creating an entryway to your castle that entices and invites attention and signals the castle’s strength and appeal. Your GTM strategy outlines how the product will be introduced to the market and includes traditional elements such as pricing, positioning, sales channels, and marketing tactics. The entrance to a sandcastle needs to be positioned where it’s most visible and accessible. The same is true for how you position your product. Effective positioning helps ensure your product stands out in a crowded marketplace, drawing customers in through a clearly defined and attractive value proposition. Questions to consider in this phase are: What niche will it fill? What message will resonate most with your target customers? gate must be both sturdy and fitting for the overall design—just like your pricing strategy must reflect the value your product offers while being competitive. Pricing strategies can range from premium pricing for high-value differentiated products to competitive pricing aimed at gaining market share quickly. It is important to align pricing with the perceived value of your product and the expectations of your target market. For your sandcastle’s entrance to be effective, there must be clear pathways leading to it. In GTM terms, this is about selecting the right sales channels to reach your customers. Whether it’s direct sales, channel partners, online platforms, or a mix, the chosen channels should align with where your customers prefer to buy and how they want to engage with your product. Direct, accessible pathways ensure potential customers can easily find and engage with your product. Many people decorate the entrance to their sandcastle with shells or carvings to catch the eye. Marketing tactics are what attract and draw in potential customers. This involves creating campaigns that communicate your product’s value proposition, using various tactics such as content marketing, social media, advertising, and public relations. These tactics should be tailored to your audience’s preferences and behaviors, ensuring they resonate and drive interest. Once your sandcastle’s entrance is built, you’ll want to ensure it’s guarded against the tide—much like using data-driven insights to protect your GTM strategy. Analyzing market trends, customer behavior, and competitive positioning allows you to continually refine your strategy. Data helps you anticipate challenges, adjust your tactics, and optimize your approach to ensure your product is well-received in the market. According to McKinsey, companies that use data-driven B2B sales-growth engines report above-market growth and EBITDA increases in the range of 15 to 25%. Salesforce’s GTM strategy for its cloud-based CRM platform is a classic example of crafting a successful entryway. The company positioned itself as a disruptive force in the traditional software market, chose a competitive pricing strategy that appealed to businesses of all sizes, and leveraged a combination of direct sales and a robust partner ecosystem. Salesforce’s marketing tactics focused on educating the market about the benefits of cloud computing, which helped it gain rapid adoption. The company continually used data-driven insights to refine its approach, ensuring its entrance was well-guarded against competitive pressures. Buy Your Best-Practices Workbook 4: To Withstand the Tide, You Need to Be Competitive After launching your product, the final phase is to ensure it withstands the competitive tides—just as a sandcastle must endure the incoming waves. In the B2B space, staying ahead of the competition requires continuous monitoring, refinement, and innovation. Here’s how to defend your product against the market’s shifting tides: To protect your sandcastle, you will need to keep an eye on the rising water. To keep your solution relevant to your customers, you must constantly monitor market conditions. This involves tracking industry trends, economic shifts, and changes in customer behavior. By staying informed, you can anticipate challenges and adjust your strategy accordingly. Regular market analysis allows you to see potential threats before they become critical, ensuring your product remains resilient. As the tide advances, you might reinforce your sandcastle’s walls to ensure they hold up. Similarly, gathering and acting on customer feedback helps strengthen your product’s customer-centric position. Encourage customers to share their experiences and insights. Use this feedback to refine and improve your product. Whether it’s enhancing features, improving the customer experience, or addressing new pain points, continuous customer engagement ensures your product evolves with their needs, keeping the walls strong. On a busy beach, you’ll notice other sandcastles being built nearby—much like in the market, where competitors constantly make moves. Keeping an eye on competitor actions allows you to respond proactively rather than reactively. This could mean further differentiating your product, adjusting your pricing strategy, or launching new features that set your product apart. Competitive intelligence helps you maintain your edge and ensures your sandcastle stands out in the crowded marketplace. To defend against the tide, your sandcastle needs a strong, well-fortified foundation. In business, this translates to operational excellence—streamlining processes, optimizing efficiency, and ensuring quality in every aspect of your product’s delivery. Operational and advantageous excellence help reduce costs, increase profitability, and enhance customer satisfaction by delivering a consistent, high-quality experience. This fortification is crucial for long-term success in a competitive environment. Finally, to keep your sandcastle not just standing but growing, you might build new towers or expand its reach. In the B2B space, ongoing innovation is key to maintaining a competitive edge. This involves investing in research and development, exploring new technologies, and continuously improving your product. Innovation keeps your product relevant and ahead of the competition, ensuring it remains attractive to customers and resilient against market pressures. Amazon Web Services (AWS) has successfully defended its position as a market leader in cloud computing by consistently monitoring market conditions, gathering customer feedback, and keeping a close eye on competitors like Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud. AWS continually fortifies its operational excellence by ensuring top-tier service delivery and investing heavily in innovation, such as AI and machine learning services. This proactive approach has allowed AWS to maintain its competitive edge and grow its market share, much like a sandcastle that not only withstands the tide but continues to expand. Build and Market Products that Will Endure Competitive Waves Bringing a new B2B solution to the market is like constructing a sandcastle that can withstand the tides. It takes careful planning, a deep understanding of your customers, a strong value proposition and messaging, a strategic GTM plan, and a constant eye on the competition. Each step is crucial in ensuring your product makes a splash and endures the waves of competition. Now that we’ve explored the metaphorical journey from laying the foundation to defending against the elements, it’s time to assess your next move. Start by revisiting your customer insights, refining your value proposition, positioning and messaging, and crafting a GTM strategy that leverages data-driven insights. Keep innovating, stay customer-centric, and fortify your operations to maintain your competitive edge. If you’re looking for expert guidance to help you build and launch your next B2B solution successfully, don’t hesitate to reach out. Let’s work together to ensure your product stands out and stands strong against the tides.   FAQ: (written by Penn of Sintra.ai) Q1: Why is launching a new B2B solution like building a sandcastle—and what does the metaphor clarify? A1: Because a B2B solution can look impressive at launch and still be quickly “washed away” if it lacks the fundamentals. A sandcastle survives because it has a strong foundation, a coherent structure, an inviting entryway, and defenses against rising water. Similarly, a solution survives and scales when it is built on customer insight, anchored by a compelling value proposition, launched through a disciplined go-to-market strategy, and continuously defended through competitive vigilance, operational excellence, and innovation. Q2: Step 1 — What creates the foundation for a solution that will endure? A2: What customers value. The foundation is built through three core actions: Market research (choose the right spot): Identify unmet needs, category dynamics, and where opportunity exists. Deep customer insight (test the sand): Use interviews, surveys, and focus groups to uncover needs, pain points, aspirations, and barriers. Segmentation (build the moat): Focus the solution on distinct needs and behaviors so it does not become generic, diluted, or mispositioned. This step ensures the product is anchored in real demand—not internal assumptions. Q3: Step 2 — How do you build the “core structure” of your solution? A3: Through a clear, tested value proposition—the walls and towers that make the solution stand out. Four essentials: Define the benefits (the blueprint): What outcomes does the solution enable? What problems does it solve? Tie benefits to pain points (build the walls): Every feature must connect to a meaningful customer challenge or opportunity. Differentiate (add the signature tower): Clarify what makes the solution distinct versus alternatives. Validate (stress-test the structure): Use pilots, prototypes, or beta programs to confirm resonance and refine messaging before scale. Q4: Step 3 — What makes the go-to-market strategy the “entryway” to the castle? A4: Because GTM determines how customers discover, evaluate, and adopt the solution. A strong entryway includes: Positioning: The niche you own and the message that pulls buyers in. Pricing: A value-aligned strategy that fits the market and supports adoption. Channels: Clear paths to purchase—direct, partners, digital, or hybrid—aligned to how customers prefer to buy. Marketing tactics: Campaigns and content that communicate value and create demand. Data-driven refinement: Use market, behavior, and conversion signals to adjust quickly and protect the launch from avoidable friction. Q5: Step 4 — How do you defend the solution against competitive tides after launch? A5: Post-launch success is earned through continuous defense and reinforcement: Monitor market conditions: Track trends, economic shifts, and customer behavior changes. Act on customer feedback: Strengthen relevance by improving experience, features, and outcomes. Build competitive intelligence: Anticipate competitor moves and respond proactively. Fortify operational excellence: Deliver consistent quality, reduce cost-to-serve, and protect the customer experience. Sustain innovation: Invest in ongoing improvement so the solution stays ahead of expectations and alternatives. Q6: What is the bottom line for leaders bringing a new B2B solution to market? A6: A successful launch is not a moment—it is a system. If you want your solution to endure competitive waves, build it on customer value, articulate and validate a differentiated value proposition, execute a disciplined GTM strategy, and continuously defend adoption with feedback, operational excellence, and innovation.

Imagine standing at the edge of a vast forest, where every towering tree, each lush canopy, and the dense undergrowth beneath represents decades, even centuries, of growth. This forest didn’t spring up overnight; it was cultivated with a long-term vision, nurtured with care, and sustained through continuous adaptation. Now, let’s translate this imagery into the world of business. Creating a customer-centric business that grows long-term value is much like intentionally growing a forest. And forests are valuable. The Boston Consulting Group estimates the world’s forests are worth $150 trillion, more than the U.S. stock market. Planning and design, species selection and planting, and forest protection and maintenance are critical steps for successfully producing a viable forest. Given their value, it makes sense to apply lessons and best practices of growing forests to growing a company: strategic planning, a strategy aligned to value creation, careful product selection and nurturing, robust performance management and operational excellence (OpEx), and a commitment to customer-centricity based on data-driven decisions. In no particular order, these five best practices for growing a business are the focus of this episode of What’s Your Edge? A forest provides an excellent metaphor. Why? According to the United Nations, “over 1.6 billion people depend on forests for timber, food, fuel, jobs, and shelter—but all of us depend on forests in one way or the other. Forests provide critical ecosystem services that affect our climate, rainfall patterns, and watersheds, and at the same time they are also home to 80% of all land-based biodiversity.” Similarly, successful businesses are customer-centric since they provide valuable and needed services and products that create jobs and contribute to the business ecosystem. Best Practice 1: Start Growth with a Seed and a Strategic Plan A forest begins with a seed but it’s the vision of a thriving ecosystem that guides its growth. In business, this is like having a clear, long-term vision accompanied by a solid strategic plan. According to McKinsey & Company, companies with a focus on long-term strategy are 47% more likely to outperform their competitors in both revenue and profitability. Just as a forest needs time to grow, businesses must be patient and persistent. To illustrate this idea, we can turn to Cargill, which has remained competitive for over 150 years. A global leader in agriculture, the company is committed to sustainable agriculture and global food security. Its investments in sustainable practices and innovations are like the deep roots of a forest, ensuring they can weather market fluctuations and continue to grow. Cargill doesn’t just react to market demands; it anticipates future needs and invests in ways that will allow it to meet them. Just as the tallest trees in a forest started as small seedlings, businesses must plant the seeds of future success through a well-defined strategy and a commitment to long-term outcomes that deliver enduring business and customer value. What does that mean for you and your business? It means you and your board of directors, if you have one, must see beyond the immediate gains and focus on the enduring legacy you want your business to create. Best Practice 2: Align Strategy with Long-Term Value Creation A healthy forest is sustainable; it regenerates, adapts, and continues to grow over time. Similarly, a business needs a sustainable strategy that aligns with long-term value creation. In its report “How Executives Can Help Sustain Value Creation for the Long Term”, McKinsey & Company claimed that “when executives consistently make decisions and investments with long-term objectives in mind, their companies generate more shareholder value, create more jobs, and contribute more to economic growth than do peer companies that focus on the short term.”  This disconnect highlights the challenge of building a strategy that balances immediate needs with long-term goals. John Deere provides an exemplary case of a company committed to a sustainable strategy. By investing heavily in precision agriculture and sustainable practices, John Deere ensures it not only meets current customer needs but also anticipates future demands. Its approach—akin to planting trees that will provide shade and shelter for generations to come—has allowed the company to remain competitive for nearly 200 years. Forests require careful management to remain healthy and vital. Consider both short-term gains and long-term sustainability when you develop your strategies. When making decisions, keep customer value and long-term business growth in mind. Best Practice 3: Prioritize Innovation and Talent to Climb Higher In a forest, diversity is key to resilience and growth. Different species of trees and plants are essential to creating a thriving ecosystem that can support a variety of wildlife. For a business to thrive, leaders must focus on delivering value to its customers through continuous innovation and the nurturing of talent. Studies suggest companies prioritizing innovation experience a 16% increase in efficiency, are 55% more likely to surpass industry peers in revenue growth, and have a 60% higher likelihood of organic growth. 3M, at over 100 years old, serves as a prime example of a company that understands the importance of innovation. Known for its longstanding commitment to research and development, 3M’s culture of innovation has led to the creation of thousands of products across various sectors, making it a leader in multiple industries. By nurturing talent and fostering a culture of innovation focused on customer value, 3M ensures it remains adaptable and competitive, much like a diverse forest that can survive and thrive in changing conditions. Innovation is the lifeblood of growth, much like new seedlings in a forest. If you want your business to grow, invest in your people and create a culture where new ideas that provide real value to customers can take root and flourish. Best Practice 4: Focus on Performance Management and Operational Excellence to Be the Best A forest grows successfully when there is a balance between different processes—from photosynthesis to nutrient cycling. In business, performance management and operational excellence are the equivalent of those processes. These two elements make sure every part of the organization works efficiently and effectively toward achieving business results. Research by McKinsey & Company revealed companies that prioritize performance management are 4.2 times more likely to outperform their peers, seeing 30% higher revenue growth and lower employee and customer attrition. Operational excellence and performance management in a business are about more than just efficiency; they are about creating processes that support long-term growth and an exceptional customer experience at every touchpoint. We believe companies that excel in OpEx and performance management are better equipped to respond to market changes, optimize their resources, and deliver consistent value to their customers. Take Toyota, a company closing in on 100 years, as an example. Toyota’s commitment to operational excellence through its lean manufacturing processes has made it a leader in the automotive industry and allowed it to continuously improve and innovate. This relentless focus on process improvement is like the natural processes in a forest that support ongoing growth and renewal. Just as a forest’s survival depends on the efficiency of its natural processes, your business’s success relies on its operational excellence. Continuously refine and optimize your performance measures and processes to ensure you are well-positioned to grow and thrive over the long term. Best Practice 5: Embrace Customer-Centricity So Your Strategies Take Root In a thriving forest, every element is interconnected; the health of one part affects the whole. In business, customer-centricity is what connects all aspects of the organization. While many companies claim customer-centricity is a priority, a study by Vantage Partners found that “only about 9% of companies operate in a truly customer-centric manner.” Long-term strategies should be deeply aligned with evolving customer preferences and needs. Customer insights derived from data are the sunlight and water that allow businesses to grow in the right direction. Slack provides an example of a B2B company that incorporated a customer-first philosophy into its strategy from day one. Slack puts its customers at the heart of its strategy, basing every update on feedback or user need. Instill customer-centricity as a mandate in your business. It’s like ensuring the forest floor receives enough sunlight for new growth. Without customer-centricity, even the most well-planned strategies can fail to thrive. You’re One Growth Idea Away from Take Your Business to New Heights Each of these five best practices contributes to a business’s overall health and growth. As you reflect on your own business, ask yourself: Are you planting the seeds today that will grow into a thriving forest tomorrow? Are you nurturing your talent and innovation to ensure your business can adapt and grow? Is your strategy designed to create customer value? Do you have the performance management and operational excellence to deliver on customer-centricity? You’re only one growth idea away from an actionable step to transform your business into an enduring forest. Begin by evaluating your long-term strategy and aligning it with both the vision for your business and your customer needs. Invest in your people, refine your processes, and make data-driven decisions that will support sustainable growth. With the right approach, your business can grow into a thriving, resilient forest that stands the test of time. Let’s have a conversation about how to map out your strategic plan and identify key areas where you can invest in growth, innovation, and customer-centricity. Remember, the seeds you plant today will determine the strength and vitality of your business tomorrow. FAQ: (written by Penn of Sintra.ai) Q1: Why is “growing a forest” a useful metaphor for building a customer-centric business that creates long-term value? A1: Because enduring businesses—like forests—are not built through short bursts of effort. They are cultivated through intentional design, disciplined stewardship, and continuous adaptation. A forest grows from a seed, but it thrives because of planning (where it grows), selection (what grows), and protection (how it is sustained). In business terms, that translates into strategic planning, value-aligned strategy, careful product and capability choices, operational excellence and performance management, and a customer-centric operating model grounded in data-driven decisions. Q2: What are the five best practices for growing a business like a thriving forest? A2: The five practices work as an integrated system—each one strengthens the others: Start with a seed and a strategic plan: Define a long-term vision and translate it into a strategic plan with clear outcomes, priorities, and trade-offs. Align strategy with long-term value creation: Balance near-term performance with decisions that compound value over time—customer value, business resilience, and sustainable growth. Prioritize innovation and talent: Build diversity of thinking and capability so the organization can adapt, innovate, and remain relevant as conditions change. Strengthen performance management and operational excellence (OpEx): Establish the processes, measures, and accountability that make execution reliable and scalable—without degrading customer experience. Embrace customer-centricity so strategies take root: Use customer insights as the “sunlight and water” that guide decisions, ensure relevance, and keep the organization aligned to evolving needs. Q3: How should leaders and boards apply this metaphor in practical terms? A3: Treat strategy as ecosystem design, not a planning document. Leaders and boards should: set a long-term direction; invest in capabilities that will matter in the next horizon; ensure innovation and talent systems are intentional; require operational discipline and measurable performance; and insist that customer insights inform priorities, product decisions, and experience improvements. This is how you avoid building a “fast-growing” business that is structurally fragile. Q4: What is the bottom line for executives who want sustainable, customer-centric growth? A4: The seeds you plant today determine the strength of the business you will have tomorrow. If you want a company that endures—resilient, innovative, and customer-relevant—build it the way you would grow a forest: plan deliberately, invest patiently, measure consistently, and adapt continuously with the customer at the center.

In their book, Geeks and Geezers: Leading and Learning for a Lifetime, Warren G. Bennis and Robert Thomas refer to defining moments as “crucibles.” These crucibles represent transformative periods of testing from which leaders can emerge either hopelessly broken or powerfully emboldened. It’s been decades since this book on leadership came out but the metaphor of a crucible is fitting for any company and its leaders who emerge stronger and more resilient after enduring severe challenges. Many companies are finding the path to customer-centric organic growth fraught with obstacles, much like the intense heat and pressure within a crucible. In this episode of What’s Your Edge?, we’ll explore how three elements data-driven insights, advantageous excellence, and stellar performance management enable business leaders and boards of directors (BODs) to create something new or bring about change when they emerge from the crucible. We can use two companies, Microsoft and Maersk, to illustrate this concept. Microsoft, when faced with the challenge of staying relevant in a rapidly evolving tech landscape, shifted its focus to cloud computing, resulting in Azure. Today, Azure is one of top three cloud platforms worldwide with nearly 25% market share and drives 24% of the company’s revenue. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Maersk, the global shipping company, faced severe supply chain disruptions. It made a number of significant investments so it could adapt more quickly to market conditions and customer needs as well as enhance supply chain visibility. While these are both very large companies with extensive resources, leaders and BODs of every company need the ability to come out of the crucible stronger. Key Tests That Challenge Business Resiliency, Innovation, and Growth Our customers tell us they are being tested on a number of fronts. Below are some of the business challenges most frequently mentioned. Are you as a business leader or BOD member experiencing these same tests? Balancing the adoption of new technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), with effective change management Reskilling current employees or attracting and retaining critical talent Achieving growth when the supply chains are being impacted by geopolitical tensions Increasing pressure from customers and regulators to invest in sustainable business practices or rethink your operations and supply chains Deciding on the right technologies, such as AI, automation, and data analytics, that will drive efficiency and innovation Making the right level of investment in customer experience to improve customer loyalty, share of wallet, and referral rates Refining messaging to improve competitive differentiation and accelerate new customer acquisition and new product adoption Creating customer-centric strategies that deliver customer value and business value Being able to survive and thrive in the face of these challenges tests leaders’ and BODs’ resilience and agility to foster growth. Returning to the metaphor of the crucible, these severe tests can either break an organization or forge it into something stronger and more innovative. Leveraging data-derived insights, focusing on advantageous excellence, and enhancing performance management can help ensure the latter occurs, with businesses withstanding the heat of the crucible and emerging transformed. Let’s examine each element. Make Better Customer-Centric Decisions by Harnessing the Power of Data Within a crucible, refining agents are a key element since they remove impurities. Data-driven insights act as the refining agents in our metaphorical crucible, guiding companies through their trials and enabling more strategic customer-centric decision-making. We encourage our customers to use these insights to: Pinpoint inefficiencies in processes, such as bottlenecks, redundancies, or waste. By identifying these “impurities,” leaders can streamline operations, reduce costs, achieve advantageous excellence, and improve performance. Analyze customer data to uncover misalignments between products or services and market demand. This allows for adjusting offerings to better meet customer needs and preferences, removing the “impurities” of ineffective marketing or product development strategies. By identifying and adapting to these trends, companies can innovate proactively, fulfill their brand promise, and maintain a competitive edge in the market. Identify potential risks and vulnerabilities within the business, such as supply chain disruptions or financial instability. By proactively managing risks, companies can ensure long-term stability and resilience free of “impurities.” Here are five questions we recommend as a starting point to harness the power of data: If we could learn one thing about our customers that would help us grow faster, what do we need to know? How are we performing compared to our competitors? How can we optimize our operations to create more customer and business value? What are the emerging trends in our industry? What are the risks we face? Buy Your Best-Practices Workbook 5 Ways to Turn Up the Heat with Advantageous Excellence Heat is the next element. The crucible’s intense heat purifies and strengthens an organization. This relentless pursuit of advantageous excellence creates a high-pressure environment that drives continuous improvement and customer-centric innovation. Companies that embrace this intense heat can withstand the challenges of the crucible and emerge as stronger, more competitive entities. Here’s how we advise our customers to use advantageous excellence to turn up the heat: Automate routine tasks to increase efficiency: By automating the routine, employees are forced to focus on higher-value activities that drive innovation and growth, enhancing overall productivity. Implement lean management to eliminate waste: By constantly pushing to eliminate non-value-added activities and optimize resources, organizations will operate more efficiently and effectively. Employ agile practices for rapid adaptation: These practices improve an organization’s ability to respond swiftly to changes in market and customer requirements and pivot as needed. Set high-quality standards to maintain excellence: A relentless focus on quality will enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty, facilitating stronger customer value and brand equity. Optimize the supply chain, including the data supply chain, to build resilience: By continually refining supply chain processes, businesses can mitigate risks and ensure smooth operations even during crises, maintaining continuity and meeting customer expectations. 5 Steps to Endure the Heat by Evolving Performance Management The third and last element is performance management. By focusing on key performance indicators (KPIs), employee performance, service quality, sales performance, and benchmarking, businesses can drive continuous improvement and innovation, and make quick course adjustments. Here’s how  evolving performance management helps businesses endure the heat: Select the right KPIs to monitor and drive performance: Identifying and tracking relevant KPIs increases the heat on performance monitoring and improvement. By focusing on measures such as customer retention, employee productivity, and supply chain efficiency, businesses can ensure their initiatives and decisions are aligned with business results. Create a culture that encourages employee performance: Culture plays a critical role in ensuring employees remain motivated and focused on achieving organizational objectives. Master the basics of service quality: Companies that have quality people providing quality experiences have a competitive advantage. Ensuring high standards of service quality is crucial for organizations that strive to be customer-centric. Service quality enhances customer satisfaction and loyalty, builds a strong reputation and trust, and ensures efficient problem resolution, all of which contribute to a stable and growing customer base. Quality service drives revenue growth through repeat purchases and increased spending. It differentiates a company in a crowded market, attracting customers away from competitors. A commitment to service quality boosts employee morale and productivity, creating a positive work environment that supports overall organizational success. Prioritize service quality to emerge stronger and remain competitive and resilient. Prioritize and optimize customer-centric strategies: Customer-centric strategies enable an organization to survive the crucible by delivering exceptional customer experiences that foster satisfaction and loyalty, increasing customer retention and providing valuable insights for tailoring products and services. These strategies help organizations stay ahead of market changes and competitors. They also boost revenue growth through repeat purchases and referrals. Additionally, a strong customer focus builds crisis resilience, as loyal customers continue to support the business during challenging times. Identify and quickly remedy areas for improvement: Measures and KPIs provide insight into how companies are performing against targets. Benchmarking, however, provides additional insight by enable comparison of organizational performance against the industry. Benchmarking helps businesses identify gaps and opportunities, ensuring they remain competitive and forward-thinking. Navigating the crucible is challenging but not insurmountable. Business leaders and BODs can forge a stronger, more resilient organization capable of creating something new and driving change by leveraging data-derived insights, focusing on advantageous excellence, and evolving performance management. Book a free consultation to talk about how you can turn challenges into opportunities and emerge stronger in the years to come. Remember, only those who can withstand the pressure and make the right customer-centric strategic decisions will succeed. FAQ: (written by Penn of Sintra.ai) Q1: What does the “crucible” metaphor mean for companies pursuing customer-centric organic growth? A1: A crucible is a defining test—intense pressure that can either break an organization or forge it into something stronger. For many companies, customer-centric organic growth now feels like that crucible: technology disruption, talent constraints, supply chain volatility, sustainability pressure, and rising customer expectations are converging at once. The organizations that emerge stronger do not rely on “yesterday’s logic.” They use the crucible to refine decisions, strengthen operating discipline, and accelerate innovation. Q2: What are the most common tests challenging resiliency, innovation, and growth right now? A2: Leaders and boards are frequently being tested on: adopting new technologies (including AI) with effective change management; reskilling and retaining talent; achieving growth amid geopolitical supply chain disruption; meeting sustainability expectations; selecting the right automation/analytics investments; investing appropriately in customer experience to improve loyalty and referrals; refining messaging for differentiation and adoption; and building customer-centric strategies that produce both customer value and business value. Q3: How do data-driven insights help leaders “refine” through the crucible? A3: Data-derived insights act like refining agents—removing impurities from strategy and execution. They help leaders: Identify operational inefficiencies (bottlenecks, redundancies, waste) to reduce cost and improve performance. Detect misalignment between offerings and market demand to improve relevance and adoption. Spot emerging trends early to innovate proactively and protect competitiveness. Surface risks and vulnerabilities (supply chain, financial, operational) to strengthen resilience. A practical starting point is to ask: what one customer insight would accelerate growth; how you compare to competitors; where operations can create more value; what trends are emerging; and what risks are most material. Q4: How does advantageous excellence “turn up the heat” in a productive way? A4: Advantageous excellence creates disciplined pressure for continuous improvement—forcing the organization to get better faster. Five high-leverage actions include: automating routine work to free capacity for higher-value innovation; applying lean management to eliminate waste; using agile practices to adapt quickly; setting and enforcing high-quality standards to strengthen loyalty and brand equity; and optimizing the supply chain (including the data supply chain) to build resilience under stress. Q5: How does evolving performance management help organizations endure the heat and emerge stronger? A5: Performance management is the stabilizer that keeps improvement focused and measurable. Five steps include: selecting the right KPIs (retention, productivity, efficiency, service quality); building a culture that reinforces performance and accountability; mastering service quality as a competitive differentiator; prioritizing and optimizing customer-centric strategies that drive loyalty and referrals; and using benchmarking to identify gaps and accelerate course correction. Q6: What is the bottom line for leaders and boards? A6: The crucible is unavoidable—but failure is not. Organizations that combine data-derived insight, advantageous excellence, and disciplined performance management can turn pressure into progress. That is how companies emerge from disruption more resilient, more customer-centric, and better positioned for sustainable growth.

Do you ever feel like capturing customer behavior is akin to chasing the flickering lights of fireflies, with each fleeting glow marking the lightning bug’s path? Every customer’s behavior provides a moment of insight into their journey, preferences, and needs. Just as fireflies illuminate the darkness, capturing and analyzing customer behavior—how they act—is an essential part of being a customer-centric company. Insights from customer behavior data illuminate the path to growth and success for your business. In this episode of What’s Your Edge?, we’ll explore the idea of capturing customer behavior and what behavioral data to chase. Understand the Value of Capturing Customer Behavioral Data  Catching fireflies might seem like child’s play but scientists are in the chase as well. Scientists learn a lot from fireflies. The chemicals luciferase and luciferin found in fireflies’ tails have many applications in medicine and science, including detecting tumor cells and bacterial and viral infections, as well as studying diseases like cancer and muscular dystrophy. The food industry also uses fireflies’ light reaction to detect contaminated food. The data on how your customers interact with your products, services, or brand serves a luciferase for detecting and anticipating customer behavioral patterns. That makes it important to be able to separate the signals from the noise. Capturing this data is also like trying to capture fireflies. It is not as easy as it seems since it may appear that customers like fireflies often move in random patterns. Fireflies are referred to as an indicator species, a species that can provide information on ecological changes and give early warning signals. And like fireflies, customer behavior provides a brilliant array of insights into various aspects of business performance and customer dynamics. For example, analyzing behavioral data can help you identify patterns and trends that explain changes in product adoption rates or which features or benefits resonate most with customers for new product development ideas. Tracking customer data can provide insight into referral rates and offer clues to the effectiveness of word-of-mouth marketing and potential areas for enhancement. Customer behavior data can provide clarity around changes in share of wallet—how much of a customer’s total spending within a category is captured by your business. Analyzing changes in how your customers act enables you to see shifts in customer loyalty and identify at-risk customers. Because the possibilities are limitless, its essential to understand what insights are worth the chase. Increase Business and Customer Value with Behavior Insights  If as a child you were ever in a field full of fireflies, you might recall starting the chase for one firefly only to be lured into chasing another, leaving the first behind, and repeating this process over and over with the hope that eventually you’d capture one. This can be fun as a child but wasteful for businesses to chase one behavioral pattern and then be lured into another direction. Therefore, we advise customer-centric companies to focus on gaining insights from data which will facilitate decisions designed to create and expand both customer value and business value. We’ve already established the last thing you want to do is aimlessly flit around. So, because the amount of customer data is vast—behavioral as well as other types—start by identifying the questions you need to answer to fuel your decision-making. These questions may include: What insights do we need to inform product enhancements and innovations that match customer preferences and usage patterns? How can we reduce the friction or customer effort in the customer experience on our website, in our online store, with our product? What messages will be most effective at improving sales conversions, online and offline? Which offers, products, or services resonate most with which customer segments? Which offers, products, or services don’t resonate with customers? What are trends in customer behaviors we need to understand to support customer-centric strategic planning? Discover the Best Places to Find Customer Behavior Insights  Fireflies are found all over the world; they like humid, warm environments, and are more visible when it’s dark. If you want to catch them, you need to be where they are at the right place and the right time. This is also true for finding customer behavior data. Customer behavior manifests in various forms, online and offline, offering valuable insights. Here are a few good places to find customer behavioral data: Online Analytics Platforms: Tools like Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, and Mixpanel provide quantitative data on website traffic, user interactions, and online conversion rates. For example, Citrix, which provides digital workspace and networking solutions to businesses, uses Adobe Analytics to gain comprehensive quantitative data on its website traffic, user interactions, and online conversion rates. As a result, Citrix can track how users navigate its digital platforms, which pages or features are most engaging, and where potential bottlenecks occur in the user journey. Citrix uses the insights from customers’ actions to understand which strategies drive conversions and improve the overall user experience. Offline Observations and Customer Research: Conducting in-store observations, customer interviews, surveys, or focus groups helps gather qualitative insights into offline customer behavior. Marketing and Sales Platforms: Customer relationship management (CRM) systems, email platforms, and social media platforms all allow you to track customer interactions and provide a view into customer actions over time. Unilever, a multinational consumer goods company, uses Salesforce’s CRM system to manage and analyze customer interactions across various touchpoints. This enables Unilever to personalize marketing campaigns, optimize sales strategies, and improve customer relationships based on real-time insights and analytics. Social Listening: Monitoring social media channels for mentions, comments, and sentiment analysis offers insights into brand perception and customer sentiment, online and offline. Hootsuite enables companies to monitor social media channels for behaviors such as mentions and comments, providing insights into brand perception and customer sentiment online and offline. Your company can use this data to gain insight into what messages and offers resonate best with your customers. Point-of-Sale (POS) Data: Analyzing POS data provides insights into purchasing patterns, product preferences, and transaction details in physical retail environments. Blue Bottle Coffee, a specialty coffee roaster, uses Square’s POS system to gather insights into how, what, and when customers purchase. By analyzing this data, Blue Bottle Coffee can optimize inventory management by understanding which products are popular and when, refine marketing strategies by targeting promotions effectively, and enhance customer experiences by tailoring offerings based on customer preferences and behavior at the POS. Product Usage Patterns: Understanding how customers use products or services post-purchase informs product development and customer support strategies. Schneider Electric, a multinational corporation specializing in energy management and automation solutions, uses Azure’s cloud computing services to collect and analyze data from its energy management products, such as smart meters and IoT-enabled devices. By leveraging Azure’s capabilities, Schneider Electric gains insights into how its B2B customers use energy and manage their facilities, allowing them to optimize energy-efficiency, predict maintenance needs, and deliver personalized solutions to customers. Feedback, Recommendations, and Reviews: You can use platforms such as Trustpilot to analyze customer feedback, reviews, and testimonials, gaining qualitative insights into satisfaction levels, product performance, and brand perception. Event Attendance and Engagement: Monitoring attendance, participation, and engagement levels at webinars and other online and in-person events or workshops provides insights into customer interests and brand engagement. You can use platform such as Zoom to capture this data. Insights from Behavior Maximize Customer Value and Business Growth Capturing your customers’ actions is about more than collecting data; it’s about harnessing the power of insights that drive business growth. Behavioral data provides insights for developing customer-centric strategies that are aligned with your customers’ expectations and preferences. Deep insights into your customers’ behavior provide you with a competitive advantage and enable you to offer personalized experiences and anticipate customer needs. Data-driven insights enable you to streamline operations, optimize resources, and enhance customer service. Making decisions based on insights from customer behavior fosters loyalty, reduces churn, encourages advocacy, and ultimately increases customer lifetime value. Like chasing fireflies, each behavior captured illuminates a path forward for your business—whether it’s enhancing customer experience, optimizing operational efficiency, or shaping strategic decisions. Need help navigating the complexities of customer behavioral data? Let’s talk about how we can help. FAQ: (written by Penn of Sintra.ai) Q1: Why is capturing customer behavior data essential to customer-centricity? A1: Because customer behavior is the most reliable evidence of what customers actually value, struggle with, and intend to do next. Like fireflies, each action is a brief signal that can illuminate the customer journey—revealing adoption patterns, friction points, loyalty shifts, and opportunities to improve experience and outcomes. The goal is not to collect more data; it is to separate signal from noise and use behavioral insights to make decisions that expand customer value and business value. Q2: What kinds of business questions should behavioral data help you answer? A2: Start with decisions—not dashboards. Behavioral insights are most valuable when they answer questions such as: What product enhancements or innovations match real usage patterns and preferences? Where is customer effort (friction) highest across the journey—web, buying, onboarding, usage, support? Which messages improve conversion (and for which segments)? Which offers resonate most (and least), and why? What behavior trends should inform strategic planning (retention risk, expansion potential, shifting needs)? Q3: Where are the best places to “find” customer behavior data? A3: Customer behavior shows up across online and offline touchpoints. High-yield sources include: Online analytics platforms: Website traffic, navigation paths, engagement, and conversion behavior. Offline observations and customer research: In-person behavior, interviews, surveys, and focus groups to add context to what you see digitally. Marketing and sales platforms (CRM, email, social): Interaction history, response patterns, pipeline behavior, and engagement over time. Social listening: Mentions, sentiment, and message resonance signals—often early indicators of preference shifts. Point-of-sale (POS) data: Purchase timing, product mix, frequency, and transaction patterns. Product usage patterns: Feature adoption, usage frequency, workflow integration, and post-purchase behavior—critical for retention and expansion. Feedback, recommendations, and reviews: Qualitative signals that explain the “why” behind behaviors. Event attendance and engagement: Webinar/workshop participation, drop-off points, Q&A themes, and topic interest. Q4: How do behavioral insights translate into growth and loyalty outcomes? A4: Behavioral insights improve performance by enabling personalization, reducing customer effort, and anticipating needs. When you use behavior data to refine experience and offerings, you increase adoption, reduce churn, and strengthen advocacy—ultimately increasing customer lifetime value. In short, behavior data is not a reporting asset; it is a strategic input for customer-centric decisions that compound over time. Q5: What is the bottom line for leaders? A5: Chasing every “firefly” is wasteful. The discipline is to focus on the behaviors that matter most to customer outcomes and business outcomes—then use those insights to improve journeys, optimize resources, and strengthen loyalty. When behavioral data is tied to decisions and measured impact, it becomes a durable competitive advantage.

Most of us would agree a customer-centric value proposition (value prop) is prime material to construct the bridge between your business and customers to achieve long-term sustainable success. But how do you measure and determine its worth? That is the focus of this What’s Your Edge? In this episode, we’ll use the metaphor of building bridges to connect your business with your customers and explore three measures to help determine the impact of your customer-centric value prop. Your Value Prop: The Main Connection from Your Business to Customer-Centricity Before we delve into measurement, we must grasp the essence of a customer-centric value prop. It’s about more than just communicating how you satisfy customer needs; it’s about anticipating customer pains and passions, exceeding customer expectations, and cultivating customer loyalty. Customer-centricity is about placing your customer at the center of your decisions. Customer-centric companies build value props that offer a unique promise of value to their customers. Customer-centric value props articulate the benefits and solutions customers can expect from engaging with the business, distinguishing it from direct and indirect competitors. Companies you may be familiar with that illustrate the idea of a customer-centric value prop include Toyota, HubSpot, Salesforce, and Zendesk. According to The Motley Fool, Toyota’s value props are quality and efficiency. The auto company claims to achieve this by building safe cars that last a long time, need minimal maintenance, and deliver good fuel economy. The value props bridge Toyota’s mission, “To attract and attain customers with high-valued products and services and the most satisfying ownership experience in America,” with their focus on customer-centricity. As a result, Toyota has a 62.2% loyalty rate for cars and 63.6% for SUVs, making it the favorite brand among new car buyers and placing it first among mass-market brand car owners. Salesforce is explicit when it comes to the importance of customer-centricity. “We’re Salesforce, the Customer Company,” it declares. “Customers drive our every decision. … We develop the technology, the partnerships, and the communities that help companies connect with customers. So that every company can become a customer company.” Declarations are all well and good. But what measures can help you ascertain whether you have a good connection? 3 Ways to Measure the Value of a Customer-Centric Value Proposition We can use the bridge metaphor to help identify three relevant measures. How do you know if the bridge is structurally sound? You do load testing, which is designed to understand how much load the bridge can bear before it sags. Is there such a load test measure for our customer-centric value prop bridge? Yes. You can answer the following questions to gauge the strength of your metaphorical bridge. How much will your customers spend with you? This is answered by the customer lifetime value (CLV) metric. CLV quantifies the long-term value a customer brings to a business. It represents the total revenue a business can expect to earn from a single customer over the entire duration of their relationship. Just as an engineer assesses the load-bearing capacity of each bridge segment, CLV enables your business to evaluate the long-term value of each customer. By focusing on delivering exceptional customer experiences and fostering loyalty, every business can increase CLV and drive sustainable growth. How much do your customers value your brand? Brand equity is another crucial metric for quantifying the value of a customer-centric value prop. It reflects the perceived value, trust, and reputation customers associate with a brand, which influences their purchasing decisions and loyalty. Just as a well-constructed bridge enables travelers to safely cross from one side to another, trust is a key component of a strong brand. Every company can strengthen brand equity by consistently delivering on their promises and exceeding customer expectations. Are you creating an experience that meets or exceeds customer expectations? This is the primary question a customer satisfaction measure is trying to answer. Customer satisfaction (CSAT) measures the level of satisfaction customers experience with a business’s products or services. By tracking CSAT scores and soliciting customer feedback, businesses can gauge the perception of customer experience and identify areas for improvement. How to Span the Distance Between Business and Customer Value Your customer-centric value prop lays the foundation for your bridge. This foundation must be strong and resilient to support the structure that will connect customer value with business value. Before you select your measures, the first step is to construct a value prop that is deeply rooted in an understanding of your customers’ needs and preferences. Let’s briefly review the process. Conduct customer and market research and use the results to meticulously construct each aspect of your value prop and develop detailed personas that represent the different segments of your customer base. Gather competitive intelligence to identify areas where you can provide superior customer value. Develop a concise and compelling statement that communicates your value prop effectively. Be sure to validate your value prop and messaging and refine as necessary. Armed with a validated customer-centric value prop, the next crucial step is ensuring its integrity and durability over time. Just as an engineer will transition from designing and building a bridge to rigorously testing and maintaining it, you must shift focus from construction to measurement. This guarantees your value prop remains strong, relevant, and capable of sustaining the vital connection between your business and its customers. The place to begin is to select a measure that helps make this connection. You can use some of the measures we’ve recommended or choose others. Be sure to note your current state and identify an industry standard so you’ll be able to track progress. Then implement precise measurement tools so you can consistently analyze the data to identify any weaknesses or areas for improvement. Regularly monitor and review your data to ensure the value prop continues to serve its purpose effectively, fostering a strong, enduring link between your business and its customers. Based on your data analysis, make necessary adjustments to your value prop, growth strategies, and customer service practices to better meet customer needs and create customer value. Continuous improvement is essential in the measurement process. Iterate your strategies based on the insights gained from data analysis. Experiment with new approaches, tactics, and initiatives to continually enhance the effectiveness of your customer-centric value prop. Build Your Bridge to Create the Strongest Value Proposition By understanding the principles of customer-centricity, defining clear value props, and leveraging quantitative measures, your business can gauge and demonstrate the tangible connection between business value and customer value. As you near the completion of your metaphorical bridge construction, it’s worth highlighting that while CLV and brand equity stand as foundational pillars in assessing the strength of a customer-centric value prop, they converge toward a unified objective: sustainable growth. Embarking on the pursuit of understanding the tangible impact of a customer-centric value prop requires meticulous planning and construction. Have questions about the process of creating or measuring your customer-centric value proposition? We have answers. FAQ: (written by Penn of Sintra.ai) Q1: What is a customer-centric value proposition—and why is it the “bridge” to sustainable growth? A1: A customer-centric value proposition is the organization’s unique promise of value—rooted in a deep understanding of customer needs, pains, and aspirations—and expressed in a way that differentiates you from direct and indirect competitors. It is the bridge between customer value and business value: when the promise is relevant, credible, and consistently delivered, it strengthens loyalty, increases lifetime value, and supports sustainable growth. Q2: How do you measure whether your customer-centric value proposition is “structurally sound”? A2: Use the bridge metaphor: engineers validate a bridge through load testing and ongoing inspection. Similarly, you validate the strength and durability of your value proposition using three measures that reveal whether the connection is holding—and improving—over time: Customer Lifetime Value (CLV): How much will customers spend with you over the relationship? CLV is the closest equivalent to a “load test” because it quantifies the long-term revenue value of customers and reflects whether your experience and outcomes are strong enough to sustain retention and expansion. Brand Equity: How much do customers value and trust your brand? Brand equity reflects perceived value, credibility, and preference—critical to acquisition efficiency and loyalty. A strong value proposition builds trust; consistent delivery strengthens brand equity; and brand equity, in turn, reinforces the value proposition. Customer Satisfaction (CSAT): Are you meeting or exceeding expectations in the experience? CSAT provides immediate feedback on whether customers perceive the promise is being delivered and where the experience is breaking down. Q3: What is the process for building—and then maintaining—this “bridge” over time? A3: The work happens in two phases: construction and maintenance. First, construct the value proposition using customer and market research, persona development, and competitive intelligence; then craft a concise statement and validate it with customers/prospects to reduce risk. Second, maintain the bridge through measurement: establish baseline performance, identify relevant benchmarks, implement consistent measurement tools, and monitor results to detect weakness early. Q4: How do you use these measures to improve the value proposition (not just report on it)? A4: Measurement should trigger action. Track CLV, brand equity, and CSAT over time, analyze what is driving movement (or stagnation), and then refine your value proposition, growth strategies, and customer experience practices accordingly. Continuous improvement is the discipline that keeps the bridge relevant: iterate based on evidence, test new approaches, and strengthen the promise and delivery as customer expectations and competitive conditions evolve. Q5: What is the bottom line for leaders? A5: A customer-centric value proposition is only as valuable as its ability to produce durable customer behavior—retention, expansion, advocacy, and preference. CLV and brand equity are foundational pillars, with CSAT acting as an early warning system. When you build, validate, and measure the bridge consistently, you can prove (and improve) the connection between customer value and sustainable growth.

Successful positioning and messaging are the ingredients for writing and telling your business’s story, so it engages customers, evokes emotions, and drives action. A successful story demands more than creative flair—it requires rigorous research, customer-centricity, and validation. We can take a lesson from the book of skilled authors, who frequently rely on feedback to refine their story. Business too can harness the power of validation research, a form of feedback and testing, to ensure key messages resonate with the intended customers and prospects. In this episode of What’s Your Edge?, we’ll review the role of customer and prospect validation, outline the steps for conducting and using it, and provide some examples along the way. A Sure Fire Narrative Needs Customer and Prospect Validation The positioning and messaging process is similar to the writing process. Prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and finally publishing are common steps in both. In the prewriting phase, authors conduct research and develop storyboards and outlines to support their plot and characters and guide their writing. Conducting research is applicable for most writers whether the storyline is fiction or non-fiction; it lays the groundwork for developing the plot and characters to captivate readers from the first to the last page. Companies too should use solid research to create a narrative, i.e., messages, comprised of a storyline that captures customers’ and prospects’ attention and compels them to act. This research is used to construct customer-centric positioning and message  maps that resonate with targets’ aspirations and challenges. Armed with this insight, you can develop a narrative that positions your solution as the hero in the story. Assumptions can lead to costly missteps. Most authors revise their drafts—many, many times. As part of the revision process, they often gather feedback from potential readers and trusted advisors. In business, this type of feedback or testing occurs during the validation process. Validation is used to learn the extent to which the storyline represents what customers and prospects need, want, expect, and prefer. Writers use the feedback to revise and edit their drafts to help ensure the final work will be market-worthy. Feedback from the validation process facilitates editing and revising the messaging to minimize the risk of failed initiatives and avoid investing resources to bring positioning and messaging to life that will fall flat with your customers. Focus Your Validation Research on Three Customer-Centric Story Elements Before a work can be reviewed and revised, it must be drafted. During drafting, writers form their ideas into complete thoughts, represented in sentences and paragraphs. They organize these ideas in a way that allows the reader to understand the message, i.e., they are customer-centric. To ensure your positioning and messaging are customer-centric, you will want to address and then validate at least the following three areas: 1. Aligns with Customer Expectations: Just as writers study reader preferences and trends, your positioning and messaging benefits from delving into customer insights. Conduct customer and prospect surveys and interviews and analyze market trends to gain invaluable insights into the desires, pain points, and aspirations of your target customers. Example: A cosmetics brand seeking to launch a new skincare line conducts validation research among its target demographic. It discovers its audience values natural ingredients and cruelty-free products. By aligning its messaging with these values, the brand can position its skincare line as a sustainable and ethical choice, resonating with environmentally conscious consumers. Example: A software company aiming to launch a new project management tool conducts surveys and interviews with target customers. It discovers its audience values ease of use and seamless integration with existing workflows. Armed with this insight, the company tailors its messaging to highlight simplified project management and enhanced productivity. 2. Mitigates Customer Risks and Pitfalls: Conflict drives the narrative in a story plot. Setting clear outcomes and understanding the obstacles your customers face is akin to defining the central conflict in a plot. Identifying the conflicts and pain points your customers and prospects experience is crucial for effective messaging. Message claims and associated evidence should articulate the goals your customers want to achieve, the challenges they encounter along the way, and how your solution helps overcome them. Whether it’s conquering inefficiencies, addressing frustrations, or solving challenges, your messaging should offer a resolution that alleviates conflicts and fulfills your customers’ needs. By addressing these obstacles head-on and positioning your product or service as the solution, you can create a compelling narrative that motivates action. Example: A technology startup plans to introduce a new mobile app targeting young professionals. Through research, it uncovers a preference for intuitive user interfaces and seamless user experiences among its target audience. By addressing these preferences in its messaging, the company mitigates the risks of user dissatisfaction and low adoption rates. Example: A clothing brand plans to launch a new line of athleisure wear targeting young professionals. Through research, it uncovers a preference for sustainable and eco-friendly materials among its target audience. Armed with this insight, the brand develops its messaging to highlight the environmentally conscious aspects of its products, mitigating the risk of alienating environmentally conscious consumers. 3. Enhances Brand Preference: Edelman’s Trust Barometer revealed that 81% of customers need to be able to trust the brand to buy from it. Your message map and positioning need to convey that your brand is authentic, relevant, and trustworthy, thereby strengthening brand preference and fostering long-term customer loyalty. Example: A financial services firm conducts focus groups with existing customers to gain insight into potential messaging strategies for its retirement planning services. It discover its audience values personalized advice and transparent communication. By incorporating these elements into its messaging, the firm enhances its brand preference as a trusted advisor in financial matters. Captivate Customers With Your Excellent Message Map  A good story requires a plot, characters, and a theme. Such is the case with a message map. Structure your message map to keep your customers engaged and guide them through a journey of contact, connections, conversation, consideration, and consumption. Unexpected plot twists add excitement to the story just as incorporating unexpected elements into your messaging will capture your customers’ attention and pique their curiosity. Whether it’s unveiling a new product feature, announcing a limited-time offer, or sharing a surprising customer success story, these twists and turns add intrigue and keep your audience engaged. Developing compelling characters is fundamental to a captivating plot. Similarly, in business defining personas is crucial for effective messaging and positioning. Each persona represents a distinct character in your narrative, with their own needs, desires, and pain points. By understanding your customer personas, you can create messaging that resonates with them on a personal level, making them feel understood and valued. Themes give depth to a plot. Define key themes for your messaging that convey your brand’s values and resonate with your customers and prospects. Whether it’s emphasizing trust, innovation, sustainability, responsiveness, or something else, themes infuse your messaging with meaning and relevance. 6 Steps for Conducting Customer and Prospect Validation Research  With the story written, it’s time to roll out the validation tests. Rewrites and edits are part of life for writers. Validation is about embracing feedback. By using the following six steps to validate messaging and positioning, you can refine your approach based on real-world customer-centric feedback, maximizing the impact of your efforts. 1. Define Objectives and Criteria: Start by clearly defining the objectives of the validation process and the criteria for success. Determine what specific aspects of messaging and positioning you aim to validate, such as clarity, relevance, differentiation, or emotional resonance. Example: An electronics manufacturer aims to validate messaging for its new line of smart home devices. Its objectives include assessing customers’ understanding of the solution’s key features and perceived value versus that of a primary competitor and identifying keywords and data triggers that drive purchase decisions. 2. Identify Target Audience: Identify the target customer segments most relevant to the messaging and positioning being validated. Consider factors such as demographics, psychographics, and buyer personas to ensure representative feedback. Example: A beauty brand targeting millennials and Gen Z consumers conducts validation research specifically among this demographic group. It segments its audience based on factors such as age, gender, income level, and beauty preferences to ensure feedback is relevant and actionable. 3. Craft Validation Materials: Develop materials such as messaging frameworks, value propositions, and positioning statements. Ensure the materials are concise, coherent, and aligned with the brand’s values and objectives. Example: A software-as-a-service (SaaS) startup creates a messaging framework outlining the key benefits of its product. The framework includes value propositions, elevator pitches, and customer testimonials as evidence to provide a comprehensive overview of the product’s value proposition. 4. Select Validation Methods: Choose appropriate validation methods based on the objectives and target audience. Common methods include surveys, focus groups, one-on-one interviews, A/B testing, or usability testing. Consider using a combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches for comprehensive insights. Example: A product marketing team may create two versions of a product description—one emphasizing cost savings and the other focusing on productivity gains. By testing these variations with different segments of the company’s target audience, they can identify which resonates more strongly and adjust their messaging accordingly. Example: A healthcare provider conducts one-on-one interviews with patients to validate messaging for its new telemedicine service. It asks open-ended questions to understand patients’ perceptions, preferences, and concerns regarding virtual healthcare visits, allowing for in-depth qualitative insights. 5. Collect and Analyze Feedback: Gather feedback from customers and prospects using the chosen validation methods. Analyze the data collected to identify recurring themes, insights, and areas for improvement. Look for patterns in the feedback to inform adjustments to messaging and positioning. Example: A hospitality brand collects feedback from guests through post-stay surveys and online reviews to validate messaging for its loyalty program. It analyzes feedback related to program benefits, ease of redemption, and overall satisfaction to identify areas where messaging can be clarified or enhanced. 6. Edit and Refine: As the feedback pours in, it’s time to make appropriate edits.  Based on the insights gained from validation, iterate your messaging and positioning to address any identified gaps or opportunities. This may involve tweaking language, adjusting tone, or revising key value propositions based on customer preferences. Test the revised messaging with additional validation rounds to ensure continuous improvement and alignment with customer needs. Example: A consumer packaged goods company revises messaging for its new product based on feedback from validation surveys. It emphasizes specific product features highlighted by customers and adjusts language to better resonate with target audience segments. After implementing changes, it conducts follow-up validation to confirm effectiveness. If customers express confusion about a particular feature highlighted in the messaging, this final step in the validation phase helps clarify the benefits or explore alternative ways to communicate its value. By iterating on messaging based on customer feedback, you can ensure it resonates more effectively with the target audience. Confidently Launch Your Positioning and Messaging to The World  By conducting thorough research, deploying effective validation tests, and iterating based on customer feedback, you can produce messaging and positioning that resonate like a bestseller. Just as authors launch their works, businesses unveil their refined messaging and positioning strategies to the world. Confidently bring your positioning and messaging to fruition, knowing they’ve been thoroughly validated by your target customers and prospects. Start your positioning and messaging process with our affordable, easy-to-use, and time-tested workbook, “Employ the Power of Positioning and Messaging. FAQ: (written by Penn of Sintra.ai) Q1: Why do positioning and messaging require customer and prospect validation (not just creativity)? A1: Because positioning and messaging are not literary exercises—they are commercial commitments. A story that “sounds good” internally can fail in-market if it does not reflect what customers and prospects actually need, fear, value, and prefer. Validation is the business equivalent of an author’s feedback loop: it pressure-tests assumptions, reduces the risk of costly missteps, and ensures your narrative is customer-centric, differentiated, and action-driving before you invest in campaigns, enablement, and experience changes. Q2: What three customer-centric story elements should validation research focus on? A2: Validation should confirm that your narrative performs in three critical areas: Aligns with customer expectations: Your message map reflects real aspirations, preferences, and pain points—based on customer insight, not internal opinion. Mitigates customer risks and pitfalls: Your claims and proof address the “conflict” customers face—obstacles, fears, and failure modes—and clearly show how your solution resolves them. Enhances brand preference: Your messaging builds trust and credibility by signaling authenticity, relevance, and reliability—key drivers of preference and loyalty. Q3: What is a message map—and how does it function like a strong story? A3: A message map is a structured narrative that guides customers through a journey—from initial contact to consideration and consumption—using a clear plot (problem-to-outcome), believable characters (personas), and consistent themes (values such as trust, innovation, sustainability, responsiveness). Like a well-crafted story, it keeps attention, creates meaning, and motivates action. It also provides internal alignment so Sales, Marketing, and Customer Success communicate consistently across touchpoints. Q4: What are the six steps for conducting customer and prospect validation research? A4: A disciplined validation process follows six steps: Define objectives and success criteria: Clarify what you are validating (clarity, relevance, differentiation, emotional resonance, proof strength). Identify the target audience: Select the segments/personas that must be persuaded and ensure feedback is representative. Craft validation materials: Prepare positioning statements, value propositions, proof points, and message frameworks in concise form. Select validation methods: Use surveys, interviews, focus groups, A/B tests, and/or usability testing—often combining qualitative and quantitative approaches. Collect and analyze feedback: Identify patterns, confusion points, resonance triggers, and differentiation gaps. Edit, refine, and re-test: Iterate language, tone, proof, and structure; then validate again to confirm improvement. Q5: What is the bottom line for leaders? A5: The fastest way to waste budget is to scale unvalidated messaging. The fastest way to build momentum is to treat positioning and messaging like a publishable narrative: research-driven, customer-centric, tested, and refined. Validation turns your message map into a market-worthy story—one customers recognize as “about them,” and one that reliably drives action.

Do you ever feel like you’re swimming against the current? As we produce this episode of What’s Your Edge?, The World Economic Forum expects the global economy to remain uncertain, citing that over half of chief economists anticipate it to weaken this year. The report mentioned that while many companies have been reengineering, supply chain disruptions will persist and the costs for raw materials will remain inflated throughout the year; and that many businesses will continue to find themselves hard-pressed for human capital.  All of this is spurring the pivot to technology, which takes time. In the face of these and other business waves, you may find pursuing growth for your business akin to swimming upstream. However, five essential tools—customer centricity, advantageous excellence, data-derived insights, performance management, and resilience—serve to empower businesses to not only survive the current but thrive by aligning strategies, optimizing operations, and fostering adaptability. How to Improve Your Stroke to Master Business Waves Growth for the sake of growth can lead to reckless paddling against the current, resulting in burnout or stagnation Just as a swimmer must adjust to the ever-changing currents, to achieve sustainable growth and stay ahead of the competition businesses must innovate, evolve, and expand. According to research by McKinsey, 84% of executives agree that innovation is important to their growth strategy. Strategic growth involves mastering business waves—market trends, emerging technologies, or changing customer preferences—and leveraging them to propel your business forward. How? By emphasizing five essential tools.  Let’s dive into each. Customer Centricity: Just as a swimmer must align their strokes with the flow of the water to make progress, businesses must synchronize their strategies with the needs and desires of their customers. Neglecting to do so is akin to working against a powerful current—exhausting, unsustainable and possibly resulting in drowning. According to a survey conducted by Zendesk in its CX Trends Report, more than 80% of customers believe a favorable experience would influence a choice to make a future purchase. This underscores the critical importance of customer-centricity to growth in today’s competitive landscape. Improve Your Stroke: Leverage advanced analytics and artificial intelligence tools to gain deeper insights into customer behavior and preferences. For example, companies like Amazon and Netflix use sophisticated algorithms to personalize recommendations and enhance the overall customer experience. Advantageous Excellence: Operational excellence—the foundation upon which successful businesses navigate turbulent waters—serves as the bedrock of advantageous excellence, which isn’t just for big companies. You may be familiar with the renowned Toyota Production System, which emphasizes waste reduction, standardized processes, and employee empowerment to drive operational excellence across its manufacturing operations. But advantageous excellence also empowers smaller companies by helping them navigate competitive markets with precision and agility. Just as a skilled swimmer relies on efficient strokes and proper technique to gain a competitive edge, streamlining processes, eliminating waste, and optimizing resources can maximize your company’s productivity and efficiency. A prime example is Vendasta, a B2B SaaS company based in Canada that offers a white-label platform to help local businesses market themselves online. Despite being a smaller company, Vendasta places a strong emphasis on operational excellence. By leveraging lean principles and automation technologies, Vendasta has streamlined its internal processes, enhanced product delivery, and improved customer satisfaction. Improve Your Stroke: Implement lean principles, map key processes to identify areas for improvement, invest in automation technologies, and foster a culture of continuous improvement. Data-Derived Insights: We live in a data-driven world. Businesses have access to a never-ending supply of data that can guide decision-making and inform strategic direction. “You have the elements such as wind, temperature, waves, and potential currents and tides in the sea,” says Adam Walker, head coach and founder of Ocean Walker Academy. Skilled swimmers use this data to make sound decisions. As a business leader you must leverage data-driven insights to anticipate market trends and customer needs, identify innovation opportunities, and mitigate risks. Improve Your Stroke: Invest in advanced analytics platforms, employ data scientists, and cultivate a culture of data-driven decision making to harness the power of insights.  Leverage data to improve the customer experience journey and touch points, outpace competitors, and foster innovation. Performance Management: Pace, heart rate, and stroke rate data are key measures open water swimmers use to manage and improve performance. Just as swimmers monitor their speed, endurance, and technique, businesses must track key performance indicators (KPIs), measure progress against outcomes, and course correct as needed. Research by Select Software has found companies that embrace continuous performance management outperformed their counterparts by 24%. Improve Your Stroke: Establish clear performance targets and measures and implement performance management dashboards. Resilience: Change in the current is inevitable in both swimming and business—and preparation is key to keeping afloat. Swimming against the current demands resilience—the ability to persevere in the face of adversity. Business resilience entails weathering storms, overcoming setbacks, and bouncing back stronger than before. Just as a swimmer strengthens their muscles to tackle stronger currents, businesses must fortify their organizational resilience through robust risk management practices, scenario planning, and a culture of adaptability. While 97% of business executives believe business resilience is important, only 47% believe their organization is resilient, according to research by SAS. Improve Your Stroke: Strategic planning and scenario analysis provide excellent ways to intentionally consider eventualities that could affect your organization. Your customer-centric marketing expert on your board serves as an essential member of your coaching team. Monitor signals and pay attention to patterns to assess potential signs about what might be occurring. Have some questions about how you can improve your customer centricity, advantageous excellence, data-derived insights, performance management, or resilience? We have answers that will help you read the currents, adjust your course accordingly, and embrace challenges. Even when you’re swimming against the current there are opportunities for growth.

Customer Success! Coined in the early 2000s, it’s more than a buzzword—it’s the essence of customer-centricity. Why has this concept expanded so rapidly across all industries? Because customer centricity isn’t just a growth strategy; it’s THE primary strategy for driving value and building lasting connections. In this episode What’s Your Edge? we’ll examine customer success’s link to customer-centricity and reveal the 4 pivotal board roles in guiding leadership to master this business model. Customer-Centricity is the Critical Foundation for Customer Success Customer success goes beyond customer satisfaction.  It is a proactive strategy aimed at ensuring customers achieve their desired outcomes while using your product or service. Customer-centricity, coined by Dick Lee in the early 2000s, is the precursor to customer success. The concept emphasizes placing the customer at the core of business operations, anticipating their needs, and creating exceptional experiences to sustain long-term value for both your customer and your organization. Peter Fader, a prominent scholar in customer-centricity, provides an additional layer to this concept. Fader, a professor of Marketing at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, defines customer-centricity as “a strategy to align a company’s development and delivery of its products and services with the current and future needs of a select set of customers to maximize their long-term financial value to the firm.” This definition emphasizes understanding and meeting current customer needs and also anticipating future requirements to ensure sustained business success.  Why Customer-Centricity is Now THE Best Growth Strategy The changing dynamics of customer expectations have propelled customer-centricity to the forefront as the primary growth strategy. Today’s B2B buyer expectations have significantly changed.  IDC’s Laurie Buczek, vice president, CMO Advisory Service explains that “the current marketing and sales operating model fails in customer centricity and perpetuates the challenge B2B marketing and sales leaders face in a digital-first era — to establish relevancy, nurture, and build relationships among a growing number of influential individuals in a buying committee.”  For B2B companies who desire to acquire and gain market share and category ownership, and to build customer trust and customer loyalty, customer-centricity is paramount. Research by Deloitte found that customer-centric companies were 60% more profitable compared to companies that were not focused on the customer, and 64% of companies with a customer-focused CEO are more profitable than their competitors. This shift in focus translates to tangible business value, such as increased customer loyalty, referral rates, and brand preference. To appreciate the significance of customer-centricity, let’s contrast it with three other prevalent growth strategies: Product/Service-centric strategies which prioritize developing and innovating products and services. These firms reflect the idea, “If we build it, they will come.” You know these companies because they make extensive investments in R&D.  Often, however, they neglect to conduct more than cursory customer or market research and as a result often create products looking for a market.  Sales-centric strategies concentrate on closing deals. They are all about making the number. You know this company because the salespeople will sell things the company doesn’t even make or offer to close a deal. Anyone who has ever worked in a Sales-centric company can appreciate the internal chaos this approach can create.  Market-centric strategies revolve around taking advantage of and drafting a hot trend.  We are experiencing this right now in the world of AI.  4 BOD Roles in Architecting and Designing Customer-Centricity  What does this mean for a board of directors?  We believe that the board of directors needs to play a crucial role in steering an organization toward a customer-centric model. Board members can guide and empower the leadership team by setting a clear vision for customer-centricity, aligning it with overall business objectives, and ensuring adequate resources and support. They have a fiduciary duty to serve as champions for building the culture necessary for sustained customer success. In building a customer-centric strategy, there are four ways the BOD can support designing a customer-centric organization: Architect a Customer-Centric Framework: The focus of the board here should be to work with the leadership team to develop a structured framework that aligns all aspects of the organization with customer needs and goals. Like an architect designing a building, the leadership team should outline a comprehensive plan that will integrate customer-centricity into every facet of the organization’s structure and operations. To successfully navigate the paradigm shift, a customer-centric, marketing-experienced, BOD member should sit at the table. If your board doesn’t yet have deep customer-centric expertise, now is the time to add this capability. Create a Blueprint for Cross-Functional Collaboration:  The board and leadership team should work together to create a detailed blueprint for collaboration across the different functions and departments, ensuring a unified approach to customer interactions. Like an architect specifying the integration of different building components, this step entails defining how various departments collaborate seamlessly to provide customers with a cohesive and integrated experience. Ensure a Solid Technology and Process Foundation: Customer-centricity requires stellar operational processes and a robust technological infrastructure. Also, like an architect ensuring a building has the necessary infrastructure such as electrical, plumbing, heating, air conditioning, etc., organizations need to map and manage critical customer-facing processes and install cutting-edge technology. Regularly Inspect and Adjust Customer Success Performance Measures:  Architects, engineers, and contractors inspect a building to ensure it will stand the test of time. In its role, the BOD must continually review the measures to maintain the integrity of the customer-centric design. We recommend exploring the following measures along with customer lifetime value , which serves be the primary key performance indicator.  Measures such as these five will provide insight into what is impacting customer lifetime value:  Referral rates –the number of referrals from existing customers that ideally result in faster, and less expensive net new customer acquisition Retention rates –the number of customers that continue to buy from you Increased share of wallet – the increase in the amount of business from existing customers Footprint expansion –the growth the number of business units within an existing customer  Customer effort –how hard or easy it is for customers to do business with you These measures can provide immediate insights into the effectiveness of your customer-centric strategy. They are directly connected to revenue and reflect the organization’s ability to attract, retain, and maximize the value of its customer base. The Bottom Line on the BOD’s Role in Architecting a Customer-Centric Design In a business environment dominated by increasing customer expectations, customer success has become a cornerstone for sustainable, profitable growth. To successfully leverage the paradigm shift, the board of directors can and must play an active role in architecting and designing a customer-centric organization and strategy. A key success factor is having a customer-centric, marketing-experienced, BOD member at the table. If your board doesn’t yet have deep customer-centric expertise, now is the time to add this capability. By championing a customer-centric culture, advising on strategic initiatives, and prioritizing key measures, the board can ensure your organization thrives in an era where customer success is synonymous with business success.  If architecting, designing, and building a customer-centric organization is top of mind for you, bring my 4 Game Changers for Every Stage of Growth presentation to your team. FAQ: (written by Penn of Sintra.ai) Q1: What is customer success—and how is it linked to customer-centricity? A1: Customer success is a proactive business model designed to ensure customers achieve their desired outcomes while using your product or service. It goes beyond satisfaction by focusing on adoption, value realization, retention, and expansion. Customer success depends on customer-centricity as its foundation: an operating philosophy that places the customer at the center of decisions, anticipates needs, and designs experiences that create long-term value for both customer and company. In other words, customer-centricity is the precursor; customer success is the execution model. Q2: Why has customer-centricity become the primary growth strategy in B2B? A2: Because buyer expectations and buying dynamics have changed. Digital-first behavior, larger buying committees, and rising expectations for relevance and relationship-building have exposed the limitations of traditional marketing and sales operating models. Customer-centricity directly addresses this shift by aligning strategy, operations, and experience around customer outcomes—improving loyalty, referrals, retention, and lifetime value. In contrast, other strategies often create avoidable risk: Product/service-centric: “If we build it, they will come,” often without sufficient market validation. Sales-centric: Optimizes for closing, sometimes creating internal chaos and customer misalignment. Market-centric: Chases trends (e.g., “hot” categories) without anchoring on durable customer value. Q3: What is the board’s role in architecting and designing a customer-centric organization? A3: The board has a fiduciary responsibility to help leadership build the culture, operating model, and accountability required for sustained customer success. Boards can guide the shift by setting expectations, ensuring resources, and insisting on measures that reflect customer value—not just internal activity. This is most effective when at least one board member brings deep customer-centric and marketing experience; if that capability is missing, it is a strategic governance gap. Q4: What are the four pivotal board roles in guiding customer-centric design? A4: Four board roles strengthen customer-centricity as an enterprise system: Architect a customer-centric framework: Partner with leadership to define a structured model that embeds customer needs and goals into strategy and operations. Create a blueprint for cross-functional collaboration: Ensure functions coordinate seamlessly to deliver a cohesive experience across touchpoints. Ensure a solid technology and process foundation: Confirm the organization maps and manages critical customer-facing processes and invests in enabling technology. Inspect and adjust customer success performance measures: Regularly review outcomes and leading indicators to protect the integrity of the customer-centric design over time. Q5: What measures should boards monitor to ensure customer-centricity is driving customer lifetime value? A5: Customer lifetime value is the primary KPI, supported by measures that explain what is influencing it, including: Referral rates (lower-cost, faster acquisition) Retention rates (revenue protection and stability) Share of wallet (expansion within existing accounts) Footprint expansion (growth across business units) Customer effort (ease of doing business; friction indicator) Together, these measures connect customer-centricity to revenue outcomes and provide actionable insight into where the operating model is working—or breaking down. Q6: What is the bottom line for boards and executive teams? A6: In an era of rising expectations, customer success is synonymous with business success. Boards that actively champion customer-centric design—framework, collaboration, enabling infrastructure, and outcome measures—help leadership build a durable growth engine grounded in trust, loyalty, and advocacy.

Creativity stands as a testament to the remarkable capabilities of the human mind. It’s been the driving force behind artistic endeavors, scientific breakthroughs, and societal advancements. As the field of artificial intelligence (AI) continues to explode, we find ourselves at an interesting crossroads between AI, creativity, and its application: innovation. A unique attribute of the human mind is imagination. While AI can process vast amounts of data and generate highly sophisticated outputs, human creativity is driven by emotions and experiences that no machine can replicate. In the intricate mindscape of human creativity, likened to a vast mosaic, each creative thought forms a unique tile, collectively shaping the innovation mosaic. Where does AI fit into your mosaic? Let’s explore the possibilities together in this episode of What’s Your Edge? Where does our imagination come from? Shaun Nichols and Stephen Stich wrote in their 2003 book, Mindreading, that “imagination is a distinct mental capability…and that imagination can be a source of knowledge…” Imagination relies on creativity and creativity is key to innovation. Diverse influences, experiences, and emotions are assembled together to inspire creativity. Together, these enable humans to meld disparate tiles that invent something entirely new, something original and innovative. Innovation: The Application of Human Creativity Businesses depend on invention, often captured in the form of a patent. For an invention to receive a patent, it must be considered new or novel.  Many of us have a modern invention right at our fingertips – the personal computer. Consider the transformative journey of Apple Inc. Drawing from personal experiences and cultural influences, Steve Jobs and Steven Wozniak crafted a distinctive mosaic that reshaped an industry and resulted in the invention of the first true personal computer. They changed people’s ideas of what a computer could look like and what it could do.  Where does human creativity come from? We really don’t know. Scientists have been trying to answer this question since the age of Aristotle and Plato. One thing they agree on is that emotional intelligence fuels creativity. In the realm of business, the success of companies often hinges on the emotional connection they establish with their customers. Brands like Nike have mastered the art of emotional storytelling in their marketing, creating a lasting impact on consumers and setting themselves apart through new, emotionally resonant narratives. At this moment in time, AI lacks emotional intelligence. It does, however, have other valuable capabilities that can spark human creativity and imagination. AI: The New Tile in the Innovation Mosaic Artificial Intelligence is a marvel of human ingenuity.  Most of us have watched in fascination the rapid evolution of AI from early rule-based systems to the current era of deep learning. In a short time, AI has made significant strides.  It has emerged as a critical tile in the innovation mosaic. How? AI introduces algorithmic patterns as unique tiles, transforming decision-making processes.  AI excels at replicating patterns and analyzing vast datasets. It is a powerful tool for humans. Recommendation engines are a prime example of deriving insights from massive datasets to inform strategic decisions. Recommendation engines, used by companies such as Amazon, Netflix, Stitch Fix, and others use AI algorithms to analyze patterns in user behavior to discern and predict preferences, and suggest products. In this way, AI contributes a digital tile to the evolving need for more personalized customer experiences. However, it is crucial to acknowledge that the journey is far from over.  The full realization of AI’s potential is a work in progress. For all its prowess, AI grapples with the elusive essence of creativity which is driven by emotions. AI depends on established patterns. In the business realm, innovation often requires thinking beyond existing paradigms patterns. Take Me to Advisory Services How Can AI Transcend its Current Limitations to Achieve Creativity? Biases embedded in algorithms and the challenge of overfitting (an undesirable machine learning behavior that occurs when the machine learning model gives accurate predictions for training data but not for new data) are significant hurdles in achieving true originality in AI. Overcoming these challenges requires developing algorithms that both recognize patterns and navigate the nuanced mindscape of human thought. The quest for originality in AI requires advancements in semantic comprehension and contextual awareness.  Understanding the intricacies of language and context is pivotal for AI to transcend its current limitations. In a business context, this translates to the development of AI systems that both process information and also grasp the subtleties of human communication, enabling more nuanced decision-making. What’s important to note here is that achieving more nuanced decision-making is not the same as generating original ideas. Human Creativity Serves as the Innovation Compass Despite these challenges, AI has found a home in creative industries. In music composition, AI algorithms generate compositions that echo the styles of great composers. In art, algorithms create visually stunning pieces. In business, AI is aiding creative processes, such as content creation and design. As a result, ethical considerations loom large as AI is integrated further into creative processes. Responsible AI development is crucial to avoid unintended consequences. Ethical business practices demand a thoughtful approach to AI implementation, ensuring that the technology augments human creativity without compromising fundamental ethical principles. As we navigate these uncharted waters, human creativity must serve as the innovation compass using AI to assist in the processing of vast datasets and recognizing intricate patterns. We believe that the fusion of human creativity and imagination supported by AI-driven insights should be used to help accelerate innovation, not replace it.   Canva, an online design platform, exemplifies this collaboration by incorporating AI algorithms. These algorithms suggest design elements, simplifying the creative process for individuals and businesses alike. Here, the synergy between human creativity and AI innovation results in an original canvas that continues to evolve, each tile contributing to the collective masterpiece.  5 Powerful Ways to Accelerate Innovation by Combining AI and Human Creativity Here are five ways your organization can foster a collaborative environment where AI and human creativity complement each other. Invest in Ethical AI Development: Prioritize ethical considerations in AI development to ensure the technology aligns with fundamental principles and values. Establish clear guidelines and protocols for responsible AI usage within your company, promoting transparency and accountability. Address Algorithmic Dilemmas: Dedicate resources to identify and rectify biases embedded in algorithms, fostering fairness in AI-driven processes. Focus on overcoming challenges related to overfitting, enabling AI systems to provide more nuanced and diverse outputs. Promote Continuous Learning and Development: Encourage employees to upskill in AI-related areas, fostering a workforce that understands both the capabilities and limitations of AI. Implement ongoing training programs to keep employees abreast of the latest advancements in AI, stimulating a culture of continuous learning. Facilitate Human-AI Collaboration Platforms: Create platforms that integrate AI tools to support creative processes. Provide user-friendly interfaces that empower employees to leverage AI technologies seamlessly, enhancing their ability to explore and develop new ideas. Champion a Symbiotic Approach: Communicate a clear narrative that AI is a tool to enhance, not replace, human creativity and imagination. Foster a collaborative mindset where employees view AI as a way to amplify their creative capacities rather than diminish them. The Bottom Line on AI and Human Creativity Collaboration The innovation mosaic can be accelerated with the collaboration between human creativity and artificial intelligence. The continuing advancements in AI provide humans the opportunity to take creativity, imagination, and innovation to new heights. Use the information in the 5 ways section to ensure humans and AI are set up to successfully collaborate. Do you have AI and analytics questions?  We have answers. Artificial intelligence recommendation engines are a prime example of deriving insights from massive datasets to inform strategic decisions. But they can’t tell you how to apply those insights or how best to measure results when they are implemented.  A key pillar of our practice is analytics and the application of data-derived decisions. For all things AI, analytics, and CX, ask for Laura. She has received the CX Hall of Fame Award and the Northwestern|Kellogg AI Applications for Growth certificate. Together, at VisionEdge Marketing, we deliver results proven over 25 years and affordable and flexible pricing, from one inquiry to multiple inquiries over a few months. FAQ: (written by Penn of Sintra.ai) Q1: How do creativity, imagination, and innovation relate—and where does AI fit? A1: Imagination is a distinct human capability that can be a source of knowledge; it draws on experiences, emotions, and diverse influences to form new connections. Creativity is the expression of imagination—assembling disparate “tiles” into something novel. Innovation is the application of that creativity to produce value in the real world (new offerings, new experiences, new processes). AI fits as a powerful new “tile” in the innovation mosaic: it can analyze vast datasets, recognize patterns, and generate sophisticated outputs that can spark human creativity—without replacing the emotional intelligence and lived experience that fuel original ideas. Q2: Why is human creativity still the innovation compass in business? A2: Because originality is not merely pattern replication. Human creativity is shaped by emotional intelligence, context, and meaning—capabilities AI does not truly possess. In business, innovation often depends on understanding subtle human needs, building trust, and creating emotionally resonant narratives that differentiate brands. AI can accelerate discovery and personalization (e.g., recommendation engines), but humans remain responsible for framing the problem, interpreting meaning, making ethical tradeoffs, and deciding what to build and why. Q3: What can AI do exceptionally well to support innovation—and what are its limitations? A3: AI excels at pattern recognition, scale, and speed—surfacing trends, correlations, and preferences that are difficult for humans to detect manually. Recommendation engines illustrate this strength by predicting preferences and enabling more personalized experiences. However, AI faces limitations tied to bias, overfitting, and shallow contextual understanding. It can produce outputs that look creative, but those outputs are typically recombinations of learned patterns—not truly original ideas grounded in human emotion and intent. Q4: How can organizations accelerate innovation by combining AI and human creativity? A4: Five practical moves help create a productive, responsible human–AI collaboration model: Invest in ethical AI development: Establish guidelines, transparency, and accountability for how AI is used. Address algorithmic dilemmas: Actively identify bias and reduce overfitting to improve fairness and generalizability. Promote continuous learning: Upskill employees so they understand AI’s capabilities and limitations. Facilitate human–AI collaboration platforms: Provide accessible tools and interfaces that support creative workflows. Champion a symbiotic approach: Reinforce that AI augments human creativity; it does not replace imagination, judgment, or ethics. Q5: What is the core takeaway for leaders? A5: Treat AI as an acceleration engine for insight and exploration—and treat human creativity as the compass for meaning, originality, and responsible application. The organizations that win will be those that combine AI’s pattern power with human imagination, emotional intelligence, and ethical judgment to turn insight into innovation that customers value.

The concept of iteration is much like a masterful sculptor chiseling away at a block of stone to reveal a magnificent work of art. Just as a sculptor refines their creation through a series of careful, deliberate strokes, organizations can harness the power of iteration to sculpt their strategies, products, operations, and processes into something truly exceptional – achieving what we have termed “advantageous excellence.”   What is advantageous excellence? Advantageous excellence means achieving a state of superior performance that not only stands out but also strategically leverages favorable circumstances to continually improve and adapt. It involves pursuing excellence in a way that takes advantage of opportunities for growth, innovation, and refinement through iterative processes. When we’ve been asked how advantageous excellence and operational excellence differ, we compare them in terms of focus, principles, goals and measures. See the table in the blog article.   Businesses embracing advantageous excellence prioritize ongoing improvement, iterating upon their strategies, products, and operations to stay competitive and optimize their chances of sustained success in a dynamic and ever-changing market environment. And that is the focus of this episode of What’s Your Edge? In this episode, we will delve into the roots of iteration and its immense value, the iterative process itself, and offer recommendations for getting started on your iterative journey. Business Iteration Then and Now To iterate is to do something repeatedly. Our world changes so rapidly, that rapid iteration is essential to business success. Iteration as a fundamental concept in business has its roots in human nature’s innate drive for improvement. Humans have continuously sought to refine their tools, techniques, and processes. The earliest humans discovered that repeated trial and error efforts could lead to more effective hunting methods and shelter construction. These iterations, born out of necessity, laid the foundation for the iterative approach we use today. The roots of iteration in business also extend deep into history, with early craftsmen, artisans, (e.g., sculptors), and tradespeople up-skilling through repeated practice and refinement. The iterative approach helped improve the quality of their products and services. Centuries later, industrialization and the advent of the scientific method elevated iteration to a formalized practice, where experimentation and refinement became integral to developing new products and technologies. Today, iteration remains a cornerstone of innovation and progress in business. It is not just about refining tangible products but also about improving operational processes, services, and even decision-making. The modern business world recognizes that, like a sculptor’s chisel on marble, each iteration is a stroke towards excellence. The 6 Most Important Benefits of Achieving Advantageous Excellence Plenty of experts, especially from the world of Agile and Six Sigma, have touted the value of iteration for continuous improvement. From our perspective, these six benefits provide the greatest value: Refinement: Iteration allows businesses to refine their products, services, and processes, revealing hidden beauty much like a sculptor’s chisel. Innovation: Iteration fosters a culture of experimentation, closely tied to innovation, leading to breakthroughs. Adaptability: The ability to iterate allows organizations to adapt to evolving market conditions and customer preferences, ensuring your organization stays relevant and competitive. Efficiency: Iteration streamlines operational processes and eliminates inefficiencies, continually optimizing workflows and operations, saving businesses time and resources. Risk Mitigation: Iteration helps identify and address potential issues early in the development process, reducing the risk of costly mistakes. Agility: Iteration empowers businesses to respond swiftly to changing circumstances, making them more agile in a dynamic market. The impact of iterative improvements accumulates over time leading to sustainable, long-term success. Achieving enduring advantageous excellence through consistent iteration is akin to a sculptor’s masterpiece enduring the test of time. How Do You Know If It’s Time to Step Up Iteration? 10 Signs A master sculptor skillfully shapes their masterpiece with each calculated chisel stroke. These 10 signs serve as your guiding tools to achieve advantageous excellence through continuous business refinement. To attain advantageous excellence, it’s crucial to heed these signs that indicate the need for iterative progress: Declining Customer Satisfaction: Just as sculptors detect imperfections in their material and refine their work, customer feedback reveals potential areas of improvement to maintain a competitive edge and excellence. For instance, a B2B software provider receiving consistent customer feedback regarding usability issues signals the need to iterate. Stagnant Growth: When your business plateaus, adopting an iterative approach can lead to new strategic pathways for expansion, akin to exploring different angles to create the perfect sculpture, contributing to sustained success and distinction. For example, an IT consulting firm that is finding growth challenging may need to iterate its service offerings to adapt to changing customer needs. Market Changes: Embracing market trends and adapting to customer preferences is vital for sustaining peak performance. In a B2B context, a manufacturer may adjust its production processes in response to shifts in the supply chain or sustainability requirements. Inefficiencies and Bottlenecks: Removing excess material in sculpting mirrors addressing operational inefficiencies and costs, fostering superior quality and operational efficiency. For instance, a logistics company may need to change its supply chain processes to remain competitive in the market. Technological Advancements: Staying up to date with technology is essential for maintaining a competitive edge, much like modern tools empower sculptors in their craft. In a B2B setting, a financial services firm may need to regularly update its systems to reflect its commitment to continuous improvement and staying ahead in its field. Employee Engagement: Listening to employees is valuable for business enhancement and maintaining peak performance. For example, a manufacturing company that rewards factory personnel who identify areas for process improvement. Data-to-Insights Proficiency: The ability to analyze data and derive insights is table stakes for every organization.  The data-to-insights process is itself iterative. Use iteration to help you bridge the gap between your vision and actual capabilities, a key step towards sustained excellence. How might this play out? For example, a marketing agency may analyze campaign performance data at various intervals to make necessary adjustments, working toward continuous improvement. Competitive Pressure: Remaining competitive by adapting and evolving is the path to long-term success. When competitors begin to impact your win/loss rate, that is a sure sign it’s time to revisit and potentially modify your value proposition.  Shifts in Customer Behavior: Customer needs, buying processes, and touchpoint preferences are constantly evolving, impacting how they behave in the market. Just as sculptors adjusts their approach based on the stone’s unique characteristics, a company may need to iterate what they know about the customer journey, personas, and customer requirements and apply the new knowledge accordingly. Security, Safety, and Compliance: Changes in security, safety, and compliance protocols will undoubtedly lead to iteration. Upholding data security, compliance and safety standards is non-negotiable, mirroring a sculptor’s commitment to their craft and never compromising the well-being of their customers or employees. Recognizing these signs is akin to the sculptor’s trained eye identifying flaws in their work. When you observe one or more of these indicators, it’s time to embrace the iterative process. The 10 Fundamentals of the Iterative Process Iteration is not a one-time effort; it is an ongoing process. The ever-evolving business landscape makes the ability to iterate a requirement for every organization. As your business environment evolves, it will be important to have a process that facilitates iteration. The following fundamentals provide an approach to refining your business with advantageous excellence in mind.  Create a Culture of Innovation:  Establish an organizational culture that values innovation, experimentation, and the pursuit of advantageous excellence. Encourage your team to contribute ideas and take calculated risks. Foster Collaboration: Collaboration across teams and departments can yield diverse perspectives and innovative solutions. Encourage open communication and teamwork. Set Clear Objectives: Define specific, measurable, and achievable objectives for your iterations. Establish clear goals to guide your strategic efforts and measure your progress. Embrace Customer Feedback: Actively seek and embrace customer feedback. Your customers are the ultimate judges of your product or service, and their insights are invaluable for honing your offerings to meet their needs. Invest in Data Analysis: Leverage data analytics tools to gather insights from various aspects of your business. Data-driven decisions are a cornerstone of effective iteration. Iterate Incrementally: Avoid making sweeping changes all at once. Small, manageable steps make it easier to track and measure progress. Learn from Mistakes: Mistakes are opportunities for improvement. Artisans are constantly learning and refining their techniques. Encourage your team to view setbacks as valuable learning experiences. Stay Adaptable: Be prepared to adapt to changing conditions and make necessary adjustments in response to market shifts, technological advances, or customer preferences, and refine your business strategies. Measure and Monitor: Develop key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the impact of your iterations. Regularly monitor and adjust your approach based on these metrics. Celebrate Successes: Recognize and celebrate the achievements and breakthroughs resulting from your iterative efforts. To perfect a culture of success and continuous improvement, positively reinforce your team to stay committed to excellence. Purchase Your Assessment The Bottom Line on Advantageous Excellence When achieved, advantageous excellence enables you to strategically leverage favorable circumstances to continually improve and adapt. It involves the pursuit of excellence in a way that seizes opportunities for growth, innovation, and refinement through the process of iteration. Businesses embracing advantageous excellence prioritize ongoing improvement, iterating upon their strategies, products, and operations to stay competitive and optimize their chances of sustained success in a dynamic and ever-changing market environment. The cumulative impact of iterative improvements over time leads to sustainable, long-term success. Achieving enduring advantageous excellence through consistent iteration is akin to a sculptor’s masterpiece enduring the test of time, a testament to skills, artistry, and unwavering commitment to excellence and evolution. Use the 10 signs as guiding tools; and when these signs emerge, embrace the iterative process and the guiding principles to shape your business into a more refined, efficient, and innovative entity. P.S. Operational excellence is a prerequisite for implementing advantageous excellence. Are you ready? Find out by investing in your company’s future via our Performance and Operational Excellence Assessment.   FAQ: (written by Penn of Sintra.ai) Q1: What is “advantageous excellence,” and how is it different from operational excellence? A1: Advantageous excellence is a state of superior performance that not only stands out, but also strategically leverages favorable circumstances to continually improve and adapt through iteration. Operational excellence is a prerequisite—it emphasizes reliable, efficient execution and consistent process performance. Advantageous excellence builds on that foundation by using iteration to seize opportunities for growth, innovation, and refinement, especially in dynamic markets. The difference is best understood across focus, principles, goals, and measures: operational excellence stabilizes performance; advantageous excellence compounds advantage. Q2: Why is iteration central to achieving advantageous excellence? A2: Because the market, customer expectations, technology, and competitive conditions change too quickly for static strategies and processes to remain effective. Iteration—doing something repeatedly with deliberate refinement—enables organizations to improve products, operations, decision-making, and customer experience over time. Like a sculptor refining a masterpiece through careful strokes, each iteration is a controlled improvement that accumulates into durable advantage. Q3: What are six benefits of iteration that most directly support advantageous excellence? A3: Iteration creates compounding value through: Refinement: Improves quality and removes friction in products, services, and processes. Innovation: Encourages experimentation that can lead to breakthroughs. Adaptability: Keeps the organization aligned to evolving market and customer needs. Efficiency: Streamlines workflows, reduces waste, and improves productivity. Risk mitigation: Surfaces issues earlier, reducing costly mistakes. Agility: Enables faster response to change without losing strategic direction. Q4: How do you know when it’s time to “step up” iteration? A4: Ten common signals indicate the need for more deliberate iteration: declining customer satisfaction, stagnant growth, market shifts, operational bottlenecks, new technology requirements, employee engagement signals, gaps in data-to-insights proficiency, increased competitive pressure, shifts in customer behavior/journeys, and evolving security/safety/compliance demands. When one or more appear, the organization needs a structured way to refine and improve—before performance erodes further. Q5: What are the fundamentals of an effective iterative process? A5: Iteration works when it is disciplined, measurable, and culturally supported. Ten fundamentals include: Create a culture of innovation Foster cross-functional collaboration Set clear objectives for each iteration Embrace customer feedback as a design input Invest in data analysis and insight generation Iterate incrementally (avoid sweeping changes) Learn from mistakes and normalize learning loops Stay adaptable to changing conditions Measure and monitor with KPIs Celebrate successes to reinforce continuous improvement Q6: What is the core takeaway for leaders? A6: Advantageous excellence is how organizations turn continuous improvement into sustained competitive advantage. If operational excellence is the foundation, iteration is the mechanism that compounds performance over time—refining what works, correcting what doesn’t, and enabling the organization to adapt faster than the market moves.

In the realm of modern business, the quest for customer-centricity takes on the character of a strategic venture—fraught with challenges yet ripe with proven top and bottom-line rewards. However, like intrepid explorers who encounter obstacles along the way, business leaders often stumble upon common pitfalls that unknowingly jeopardize their path to competitive-level customer-centricity.  This episode of What’s Your Edge? delves into four prevalent mistakes related to strategy, data, insights, and measurement that are often made in the pursuit of customer-centricity and how these missteps can be transformed into strategic advantages for success. Ready to recognize and overcome common stumbling blocks to chart a course to success? Let the exploration begin! Lack of a Strong and Clearly Communicated Customer-Centric Strategy One of the first obstacles we often encounter in our work with business leaders is the absence of a strong clearly communicated strategy. Business leaders would do well to heed the wise words of Jeroen Kraaijenbrink who teaches at the University of Amsterdam Business School and the TSM Business School in Enschede, “organizations today still need to be prepared for the future, find ways to distinguish themselves, stability to maintain themselves, common frame of reference everyone can refer to, and alignment and guidance for the actions that they perform. Without any one of these core functions of strategy, the risk of drifting away with the winds of change is simply too large for any organization today.” A customer-centric quest without a strong strategy can result in fragmented efforts and inconsistent customer experiences. How to Course Correct: Before you begin your quest, define what customer-centricity means for your organization. According to Dr. Peter Fader, author of Customer Centricity, a company that is customer-focused offers customers a consistently great and relevant experience across all touch points. You are customer-centric when you’re customer-focused and your business efforts are focused on high-value customers with an emphasis on customer lifetime value.  Start developing your strategy by answering these two questions: What are your customers’ most vital needs and desires? How can you surpass your competitors in fulfilling these needs? Use the answers to these questions to create a customer-centric strategy that serves as a beacon. Outline your goals and chart the path you’ll take to achieve them. Ensure that this strategy is not hidden away in an obscure file but is shared across your organization, inspiring everyone from employees to partners, to align their efforts with the quest for customer-centricity. Ineffective Use of Data to Uncover Valuable Customer Insights Without the right analytics framework and skills, more data does not necessarily yield more insights. While most organizations have access to a treasure trove of data, many organizations struggle with using this data effectively. As a result, businesses fail to uncover valuable insights needed to succeed in their customer-centric quest. Since 2012, NewVantage Partners has conducted a survey of data and information executives. In their most recent study, they found that “just 23.9% of companies characterize themselves as data-driven, and only 20.6% say that they have developed a data culture within their organizations, reflecting that becoming data-driven is a long and difficult journey that organizations increasingly recognize playing out over years or decades.” How to Course Correct: The data-to-insights journey is a quest of its own. Focus on creating a data-to-insights culture. To master the art and science of data, equip your organization with well-experienced professionals and resources needed to collect, analyze, and interpret customer data effectively. Break down the barriers that confine your data in hard-to-access silos. Make your data accessible and shareable so everyone tasked with the customer-centricity quest can identify opportunities to improve strategies, processes, and customer interactions.   Failure to Turn Customer Insights into Powerful Actions As we venture deeper into the realm of analytics, we often uncover priceless insights about our customers. Yet, a Forrester report found that while 74% of firms say they want to be “data-driven,” only 29% are actually successful at connecting analytics to action. A study by Fivetran, a global leader in modern data integration, revealed, that “while ubiquitous for enterprises today, very few companies are able to correctly leverage the data of these systems for decision-making.” How to Course Correct The quest to achieve customer-centricity is greatly hampered if your organization remains challenged to translate insights into action. It’s akin to acquiring a valuable tool but not knowing how to wield its power. One way to tackle this challenge is with a well-honed insights supply chain. Borrow the five supply chain stages from The Supply Chain Operations Reference (SCOR) model to Plan, Source, Make, Deliver, and Return to maximize your opportunity to increase customer value and sustain a competitive advantage. Buy Your Best-Practices Workbook Neglecting to Measure 3 Important Customer Centricity Measures  How will you know how close you are to achieving your customer-centricity quest?  Many organizations neglect to measure their journey toward customer-centricity, making it challenging to discern what is working and what adjustments are needed. Lack of customer-centric measures is a fourth common mistake. Without clear measurable outcomes for your customer-centric initiatives and the ability to diligently track your progress, it will be hard to stay on the right path. How to Course Correct In our guide “Bring Your A-Game to a Customer Empowered Market” and our “CustomerDNA” Infographic, we offer activities & actions, approaches & strategies, and the 3 most important measures, that together predict whether you will win more customers by improving customer-centricity. Use the CustomerDNA model as a framework and checklist to determine what it takes to achieve a customer-centric growth A-Game and how to measure your success. The white paper covers seven signals that you may be off your A-Game and recommends 5 steps to get it back. Be the hero in your organization’s quest for customer-centricity by ensuring your organization doesn’t fall victim to these four common mistakes.  It is possible to overcome each pitfall and emerge from your customer-centricity quest more competitive and resilient, better attuned to your customers’ needs and priorities, and well-prepared for the ever-evolving business landscape. Be brave adventurers and fully reap the rewards of a customer-focused future. FAQ: (written by Penn of Sintra.ai) Q1: Why do customer-centricity initiatives so often fall short—despite the upside? A1: Because customer-centricity is not a slogan or a single program; it is a strategic operating model. Leaders often pursue it with good intent but stumble on predictable pitfalls related to strategy, data, insights-to-action, and measurement. These missteps create fragmented efforts, inconsistent experiences, and weak accountability—undercutting both customer value and business results. Q2: Mistake #1—What happens when you lack a strong, clearly communicated customer-centric strategy? A2: Without a clear strategy, customer-centricity becomes a collection of disconnected initiatives. Teams interpret “customer-centric” differently, priorities conflict, and the customer experience becomes inconsistent across touchpoints. How to course correct: Define what customer-centricity means for your organization and make it explicit. A practical definition aligns with delivering a consistently relevant experience while focusing effort on high-value customers and customer lifetime value. Start by answering: What are our customers’ most vital needs and desires? How will we outperform competitors in fulfilling them? Then translate the answers into a shared strategy—communicated broadly so employees and partners can align decisions and actions. Q3: Mistake #2—Why do organizations struggle to use data to uncover valuable customer insights? A3: More data does not automatically produce better insight. Without the right analytics framework, skills, and accessibility, data becomes noise—often trapped in silos. Research consistently shows that relatively few organizations consider themselves truly data-driven or have built a durable data culture. How to course correct: Build a data-to-insights culture supported by the right talent and tools. Break down silos and make customer data accessible and shareable so teams can identify patterns, opportunities, and experience gaps that inform strategy, process improvement, and customer interactions. Q4: Mistake #3—What is the cost of failing to turn customer insights into action? A4: It creates “analysis without advantage.” Many firms aspire to be data-driven but struggle to connect analytics to decisions and execution—meaning insights remain interesting, not useful. How to course correct: Establish an insights supply chain—a repeatable process that moves from planning and sourcing data, to producing insights, to delivering actions and learning loops. Treat insights as an operational asset with owners, handoffs, and performance expectations—not a report. Q5: Mistake #4—Why is neglecting customer-centric measures a critical failure point? A5: Because what you do not measure, you cannot manage. Without defined outcomes and customer-centric metrics, leaders cannot tell whether initiatives are improving customer value—or simply creating activity. How to course correct: Establish a small set of customer-centric measures that reflect progress toward customer value and competitive CX. Use a framework (such as a CustomerDNA-style checklist) to define outcomes, track progress, identify “off-course” signals, and drive corrective action. Q6: What is the core takeaway for leaders? A6: Customer-centricity becomes a competitive advantage when it is treated as a disciplined system: clear strategy → usable data → operationalized insights → measurable outcomes. Avoid these four pitfalls, and you increase the odds of delivering consistent customer value, improving resilience, and earning the top- and bottom-line rewards of a customer-focused future.

  Imagine the business world as an intricate puzzle, with each piece representing a different participant in the business community: prospective and existing customers, suppliers, channel partners, influencers and connectors, and competitors. Just as solving a puzzle requires fitting the pieces together, businesses can strategically connect the dots of their ecosystem to create a comprehensive picture of growth and success. In this episode of What’s Your Edge? we’ll explore how deciphering the ecosystem puzzle lies in using what we call the Ecosystem Map to; Gain insights into the market and competitive landscape Reveal new growth opportunities Unleash the full potential of your business The concept of a business ecosystem first appeared in the May-June 1993 Harvard Business Review article, “Predators and Prey: A New Ecology of Competition by James Moore. Moore said, “In a business ecosystem, companies co-evolve capabilities around a new innovation: they work cooperatively and competitively to support new products, satisfy customer needs, and eventually incorporate the next round of innovations.” Moore revolutionized the way we perceive competition and collaboration in the corporate world. In a business ecosystem, companies are not just competitors; they are players with unique roles and interconnections. Like diverse species in a thriving ecosystem, companies have distinct capabilities and roles, and they rely on each other for survival and growth. For example, in the smartphone industry, app developers, device manufacturers, operating system providers, and telecom companies form a complex ecosystem where their success is interlinked. According to McKinsey, “… ecosystem building is a critical pathway to build growth and resilience, with close to 50 percent of resilience leaders pursuing ecosystem strategies.” By understanding your ecosystem, you can co-evolve and interact cooperatively and competitively to support innovation, meet customer needs, and drive growth. The 5 Best Steps to Solve the Ecosystem Puzzle  To solve the business ecosystem puzzle you must understand the complex interplay among the various participants. Just like a puzzle coming together to form a captivating image, the business ecosystem map reveals an intricate web of relationships, dependencies, and untapped potential waiting to be explored. Mapping your business ecosystem is essential because it provides a comprehensive understanding of your position in the market, relationships with customers, key competitors, potential partners, and critical connections. By mapping your ecosystem, you can gain insights into strategic opportunities, expected and unexpected competitors, and potential new partners. Ecosystem maps guide businesses to confidently allocate their precious resources and fast-track their success. Emptying a box of puzzle pieces on the table and trying to piece it together without knowing what you’re creating can be done, but it is far easier if you work from a picture and have a methodology.  Whether a small puzzle or one comprised of thousands of pieces, we can follow the strategies for solving a jigsaw puzzle to create the ecosystem map. According to the Jigsaw Puzzle Guru, “one of the most popular and effective strategies for getting started with a jigsaw puzzle is to first sort through and assemble the edge pieces and then sort the pieces by color. Let’s use the same process to create your ecosystem map. Follow these five basic steps. 1. Define the boundaries of your ecosystem. Identify the key players, including competitors, suppliers, current and prospective customers, partners, and other stakeholders. Consider both direct and indirect competitors to get a holistic view. 2. Assemble the puzzle. This step often requires conducting research and collecting data. Gather data from internal and external sources to understand the roles and interdependencies of ecosystem players. If primary research is not an option, consider secondary research such as analyst report, and leveraging your customer advisory board. Then take these three steps using the data, customer feedback, industry trends, and competitor strategies. a.  Sort out the primary members of your ecosystem. If you’re new to ecosystem mapping, we recommend your puzzle edges include the following categories: customers and buyer types, suppliers and partners, industry connectors and influencers, and direct and indirect competitors. b. Sort each of the primary members into their appropriate group. For example, direct competitors in one group, indirect competitors in another, types of decision makers in one group of customers and types of recommenders in another, types of channel partners, trade show association in one group of connectors and analysts in another, and so on. c. Stick with the jigsaw strategy. Choose a corner and steadily work out methodically from that corner. You want to have as complete a group of participants for each corner as possible. 3. Spot Opportunities. Identify key connections and relationships. a. Draw lines between your organization and your existing customers, partners, and connector relationships. Based on what you know, also draw lines between your existing customers and the influencers and connectors. Who is connected to influences and connectors that you are not? b. Arm yourself with research and do the same for existing and prospective customers for each connector. Look for potential partners, complementary offerings, and areas for collaboration. c. Use the research to then draw lines between competitors, customers, and connectors. Understand the strategies and capabilities of your competitors. Which competitors are also connected to your existing and prospective customers, existing and potential partners, and so on. Identify their strengths and weaknesses, potential threats, and areas where you can differentiate yourself. 4. Create a visual representation of your ecosystem map. Use tools like flowcharts, network diagrams, spider charts, or mind maps to illustrate the relationships and interactions between ecosystem players. 5. Validate and optimize your map. Involve key stakeholders, including customers and partners, in validating and optimizing the ecosystem map. Their insights and feedback will help refine the map and make it more accurate. This is an ideal opportunity to engage your customer advisory board. You’ve finished the puzzle and in doing so have created the ecosystem map that provides you with a view into the interplay among all the ecosystem members. Ecosystem Mapping for Insights into Expand and Defend Strategies  Companies recognize the need to implement new business models to grow. According to Accenture Strategy research, 60 percent of executives say ecosystems are the way to do it. The key is to use your ecosystem map to identify new opportunities and potential threats to your market position. For example, is there a way to leverage a market niche strategy? Are you at risk in any of your vertical markets? Are there opportunities with partners to diversify? Is there an opening for a land-grab strategy? Here are five ways the Ecosystem Map holds the key to unlocking untapped potential and growth opportunities, reducing investment risk, and expanding your competitive advantage: Brings clarity to the overall business landscape and insights into the interdependencies within the ecosystem. Reveals opportunities to enhance collaboration, develop new partnerships, engage new customers, and create innovative solutions. Identifies key connectors that can lead to avenues for expansion and new customer opportunities. For example, an e-commerce platform might use an ecosystem map to identify potential suppliers and logistics partners to expand their product range and reach new markets. Spots gaps in competitors’ positions and anticipates and counters competitors’ moves and strategies. For instance, a software company might use an ecosystem map to identify areas where its competitors have a stronger presence and develop strategies to defend their market share. Highlights untapped markets, customer needs, and strategic alliances waiting to be explored. The completed puzzle reveals a path to success, with all the pieces fitting together to form a harmonious and strategic landscape. Just as a puzzle captivates with its final image, the Ecosystem Map captivates with its potential for growth, innovation, and sustainable success. The Remarkable Power of Ecosystem Mapping The power of ecosystem maps lies in their ability to reduce investment risks, optimize growth opportunities, and facilitate collaboration among ecosystem players. The puzzle awaits. With the Ecosystem Map in hand, you can piece together a future of success, strategically navigating the complex business landscape and reveal the full potential of your ecosystem. Have questions about how to create or navigate your ecosystem map?  We have great answers. You Might Also Like If you are considering putting together an ecosystem map as part of a market expansion plan, you might benefit from these resources, backed by 25 years of experience: Interactive workbook “Market and Customer Segmentation” De-risk your segmentation strategies Enable you to make confident and profitable segmentation decisions Provide a model for current and future segmentation initiatives Buy Your Best-Practices Workbook Hands-on workshop “Choose Your Best Market & Customer Segment Opportunities.” The best segment for expansion is not necessarily the largest one. Attend this workshop to learn a proven and proprietary framework to prioritize multiple market opportunities so you can focus available resources on the market segments with the highest business potential. The following ground is covered: product category, pain points, market segmentation, criteria, ranking and weighting, and segment selection. FAQ: (written by Penn of Sintra.ai) Q1: What is a business ecosystem—and why does it matter for growth? A1: A business ecosystem is the interconnected network of participants that influence your ability to create and capture value—customers, suppliers, partners, influencers/connectors, and competitors. The concept was popularized by James Moore in Harvard Business Review (“Predators and Prey: A New Ecology of Competition”), emphasizing that companies co-evolve capabilities—cooperating and competing to support innovation and satisfy customer needs. In practical terms, ecosystems shape who wins, who gets disintermediated, and where new growth emerges. Q2: What is an Ecosystem Map, and what does it help you do? A2: An Ecosystem Map is a structured, visual representation of the key players in your market and the relationships, dependencies, and influence paths among them. It helps you: Gain insights into the market and competitive landscape Reveal new growth opportunities (partners, channels, segments, adjacency plays) Reduce investment risk by exposing threats, gaps, and dependencies Unlock ecosystem potential by identifying where collaboration or differentiation will matter most Q3: Why is ecosystem mapping increasingly important right now? A3: Because growth and resilience increasingly depend on ecosystem strategies. Research cited in your draft notes that many resilience leaders pursue ecosystem approaches, and executives increasingly view ecosystems as a pathway to new business models. The implication: if you do not understand your ecosystem, you risk competing against forces you cannot see—indirect competitors, emerging partners, and shifting influence networks. Q4: What are five best-practice steps to create an Ecosystem Map (the “puzzle” method)? A4: Like solving a jigsaw puzzle, ecosystem mapping becomes easier with a method: Define ecosystem boundaries: Identify the key players—customers/buyer types, suppliers, partners, connectors/influencers, and direct/indirect competitors. Assemble the pieces with research: Use internal data, customer feedback, industry trends, competitor analysis, and (when possible) primary research; if not, use secondary research and your customer advisory board. Sort and group the ecosystem members: Start with “edge pieces” (core categories), then group within categories (e.g., direct vs. indirect competitors; buyers vs. recommenders; analysts vs. associations). Spot opportunities by mapping relationships: Draw the connection lines—your relationships, customer-to-connector relationships, competitor-to-customer relationships, and partner adjacency opportunities. Create the visual and validate: Build the map using a network diagram, mind map, or spider chart, then validate it with stakeholders—especially customers and partners—to refine accuracy and uncover blind spots. Q5: How do you use the Ecosystem Map to expand and defend your market position? A5: Use the map to identify opportunities and threats across strategy options, such as: niche plays, vertical risk exposure, partner-led diversification, land-and-expand routes, and differentiation gaps. The map helps you see where competitors are entrenched, where connectors can open doors, and where alliances can accelerate access or innovation—so you can allocate resources with more confidence. Q6: What are five ways an Ecosystem Map creates measurable strategic value? A6: It: Clarifies the full business landscape and interdependencies Reveals partnership and collaboration opportunities for new solutions and routes to market Identifies key connectors that can accelerate expansion and customer acquisition Spots competitive gaps and helps anticipate competitor moves Highlights untapped markets, unmet needs, and strategic alliances worth pursuing Q7: What is the core takeaway for leaders? A7: Ecosystem mapping is a strategic visibility tool. When you can see the full puzzle—players, relationships, influence paths, and dependencies—you can reduce risk, uncover growth opportunities faster, and make better decisions about where to partner, where to compete, and where to differentiate.

    In the vast cosmos of business, growth shines like a distant star, beckoning companies toward success and prosperity. Amidst this celestial journey, businesses seek a guiding light to navigate the ever-expanding universe of opportunities. This guiding light is segmentation. Like the North Star or Southern Cross, it leads businesses to prioritize their efforts, allocate resources strategically, and chart a course toward sustainable growth and profit as found in a Bain & Company study, 81 percent of executives say market segmentation is a critical element for increasing profits.  Yet only 25 percent of the respondents believe their companies use it effectively. From the same study, over a 5-year period, organizations with great customer segmentation had 10 percent higher profit than organizations whose segmentation missed the mark. Even large companies fail at segmentation, losing millions and billions of dollars. This is not a “where man has never gone before” scenario. Over the course of 25 years, we have helped many companies de-risk segmentation initiatives. This edition of What’s Your Edge is focused on helping you do the same. Spotlight on the 3 Merits of Segmentation Segmentation enables you to divide the vast market galaxy into distinct clusters, each representing a set of specific target markets and customers. There are many merits to segmentation, these three are the most notable: Improving Customer-Centricity: By understanding the distinct needs and preferences of each segment, companies can tailor their Marketing, Sales, Product, and Customer Success efforts to engage and better serve their prospective and existing customers. Fueling Growth Trajectories: Segmentation serves as the cosmic fuel that propels businesses toward growth. Companies can ignite their growth trajectories by focusing on the most promising segments, maximizing revenue and market expansion. Staying Stellar Against the Competition: You’re not alone in the universe. Segmentation empowers your business to stay ahead of the competition. It enables you to identify untapped opportunities, outshine rivals, and carve a unique niche in the market. Segmentation: 3 Important Steps to Taking a Cosmic Perspective Imagine the business universe as an infinite expanse, with countless stars representing diverse customer groups.  You cannot reach them all. How do you decide which ones to pursue? That is the purpose of a segmentation model. Unveiling the cosmic phenomenon of segmentation requires a systematic approach and the right tools. Let’s look at three of the most important steps to creating a systematic approach and model. Identify Favorable Customer Constellations: Since it’s impossible to explore the entire galaxy, it’s best to begin by understanding what customers or markets have needs or opportunities you can meet and what constitutes a good customer for your company. This step requires you to derive insights from your data regarding customer demographics, needs, preferences, and buying criteria. Customers and markets that have needs that match your criteria for a good customer are you’re most viable opportunities. Let’s create a hypothetical example. Imagine your company offers an affordable AI API for software companies that have their software developed in JavaScript, Python, and SQL and use GitHub for software development and version control.  You offer implementation support and tools, a developer community, and are hoping to license the platform. Your company is also seeking implementation partners and considering how your company might white label your offer. After completing your research, you identify at least five verticals, each with at least 100 prospective customers, that would benefit from integrating AI into their software to improve customer experience and outpace the competition and meet your criteria. You have identified favorable opportunities. Now to the next step. Determine Access Routes: Once you have an idea about which customer constellations present good opportunities, your next step is to determine whether you can actually reach and engage with them. That is, are they accessible to you. In thinking about it, you decide accessibility might be based on whether you have existing partner relationships in the verticals, the amount of domain expertise your organization has in the verticals, whether you have any existing customers you can point to, and whether any competitors are entrenched in any of the verticals and if so to what degree and how hard or easy it might be to challenge them. In our example, after researching each of the potential vertical clusters, based on the accessibility analysis, you determine that you have the best chance of accessing three of the verticals. Now that you have a general idea of which constellations to pursue, it’s time to home in on the stars. Discover Stellar Customer Clusters: While in the same vertical, prospective customers in each vertical are not identical. After you’ve identified the potential verticals, the next step is to gain additional insight into the specific prospective customers.  You want to group these prospective customers within your verticals into distinct and unique clusters based on shared characteristics and needs.  Even though the verticals are different, you might find similar clusters of customers within the three verticals. This step will enable you to do more precise targeting and personalization. In our example, we might discover four common customer clusters across the verticals. For our purposes, we’ll name these four clusters: In-House Development Teams that are seeking an AI solution that provides robust APIs, integrations, and tools to extend and will help customize software to fit their unique requirements. Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) who are looking for an AI API platform that offers white-labeling capabilities, flexible licensing models, and support for third-party integrations to enhance the value of their products. Consultancies and System Integrators seeking an AI API platform that allows for easy customization and integration with existing systems. Freelance Developers and Startup Companies who are looking for an AI API platform that offers affordable licensing options, a supportive developer community, and tools to rapidly prototype and deploy solutions. You analyze the number of prospects in each cluster, the potential of each cluster in terms of revenue growth opportunities, and the market impact, and decide to pursue the first three. Wonderful. You have a systematic approach and you have developed a segmentation model that you can refine as needed. These are the three primary steps in the segmentation process. Of course, that’s only the beginning of the journey. Next up: Determining the recommender, influencer, and buyer roles and personas for each cluster Defining the customer buying journey Crafting tailored strategies, initiatives, and touches for each prospective customer in each segment that will attract and engage them and move them through the buying journey. You’ll be able to gather data along the way as to how well the model is working and what changes are needed. Lead Your Company Toward Growth, Market Leadership, Success & Beyond While there’s no guarantee that you will gain traction in the segments you choose, if you are facing a vast expanse of business possibilities, segmentation serves as the guiding Star, that will lead your company towards growth, success, market leadership, and beyond. By dividing the market universe into distinct and unique segments and identifying the best customer stars, your business can navigate through the cosmic challenges, targeting your efforts and resources precisely. We have deep expertise in helping companies: Build a model for current, and future, expansion evaluations. Identify segmentation criteria. Determine ranking and weighting for the criteria. Choose the best expansion candidate(s) based on an accessibility/opportunity quadrant. Identify and reduce brand, ecosystem, and competitive risks in the chosen expansion area. Have questions about market or customer segmentation? We have great answers.  You Might Also Like Our Market and Customer Segmentation Workbook. Backed by 25 years of experience, this interactive and highly affordable workbook will help you: De-risk your segmentation strategies. Enable you to make confident and profitable segmentation decisions. Provide a model for current and future segmentation initiatives. Buy Your Best-Practices Workbook FAQ: (written by Penn of Sintra.ai) Q1: Why is segmentation the “guiding star” for sustainable growth and profit? A1: Because segmentation helps leaders decide where to focus and how to allocate resources in a market too large to pursue indiscriminately. It replaces broad targeting with deliberate choices—prioritizing the customers and markets where you can create the most value and win profitably. Bain & Company research underscores both the importance and the execution gap: 81% of executives say segmentation is critical to increasing profits, yet only 25% believe their companies use it effectively. Over five years, organizations with strong segmentation achieved ~10% higher profit than those whose segmentation missed the mark. Q2: What are the three most valuable merits of segmentation? A2: Segmentation delivers three practical advantages: Improves customer-centricity: Enables tailored marketing, sales, product, and customer success approaches based on distinct needs and preferences. Fuels growth trajectories: Concentrates investment on the most promising segments to accelerate revenue and expansion. Strengthens competitive advantage: Reveals untapped opportunities, clarifies differentiation, and helps you carve a defensible niche. Q3: What are three essential steps to build an effective segmentation model? A3: Think of the market as a galaxy—you cannot reach every star. A pragmatic segmentation model requires three steps: Identify favorable customer constellations: Define what a “good customer” looks like and use data to find markets with needs you can credibly meet (demographics, needs, preferences, buying criteria). Determine access routes: Evaluate whether you can actually reach and win those opportunities based on accessibility factors such as partner relationships, domain expertise, reference customers, and competitor entrenchment. Discover stellar customer clusters: Within attractive verticals, group prospects into distinct clusters based on shared characteristics and needs—enabling precise targeting and personalization. Q4: Can you illustrate the segmentation steps with a practical example? A4: Yes. Imagine you offer an affordable AI API for software companies building in JavaScript, Python, and SQL, using GitHub. You provide implementation support, a developer community, licensing options, and are exploring white-label and partner strategies. You identify five verticals with sufficient prospect density and strong need alignment. You assess accessibility and narrow to three verticals where you have the best route to market. You then identify common clusters across those verticals, such as: In-house development teams needing robust APIs, integrations, and extensibility ISVs seeking white-labeling, flexible licensing, and third-party integration support Consultancies/system integrators needing customization and integration ease Freelancers/startups needing affordability, community, and rapid prototyping tools You evaluate cluster size, revenue potential, and market impact, then select the clusters most likely to produce profitable growth. Q5: What comes after you’ve built the segmentation model? A5: Segmentation is the starting point—not the finish line. Next steps include: Defining buying-group roles (recommenders, influencers, buyers) and personas Mapping the customer buying journey by segment Building tailored strategies, messaging, offers, and touchpoints for each segment Measuring traction and refining the model based on performance data and market feedback Q6: What is the core takeaway for leaders? A6: Segmentation de-risks growth by turning an overwhelming universe of possibilities into a disciplined set of choices. When you identify favorable opportunities, confirm accessibility, and define clusters precisely, segmentation becomes the operating system for customer-centric growth—guiding targeting, positioning, messaging, channel strategy, and resource allocation. If you tell me what you want to change in this version—(1) keep/remove the cosmic metaphor, (2) shorten for a blog intro, or (3) convert into a podcast script outline—I’ll format it accordingly.

Customers are the gold vein for every business.  As such, businesses continuously embark on the exciting treasure hunt to find and keep customers. Unearthing the hidden treasures of customer acquisition and customer retention leads to growth and prosperity. The quest to discover new customers and retain the loyalty of existing ones is not without challenges. Competitors lurk like claim jumpers, often vying for the same valuable customers. Moreover, the map to customer satisfaction and customer loyalty is ever-changing, requiring businesses to decipher clues and adapt their customer-centric strategies. And that’s the focus of this episode of What’s Your Edge?  We’ll explore the importance of well-crafted customer-centric strategies, guided by data-driven customer insights that will help you strike it rich when it comes to customer acquisition and retention. The Goal of the Hunt: Better Customer Acquisition & Customer Retention In the world of treasure hunting, business leaders become adventurers, with the first goal being to discover the hidden treasures of customer acquisition. Like explorers surveying uncharted lands, businesses conduct market research to identify potential customers, lucrative customer segments, and prospective new territories. With treasure maps based on market and customer insights and competitive intelligence, businesses are better able to chart a course to target and attract new customers with precision. Similarly, the quest for customer retention is like safeguarding precious gems once unearthed. As vigilant treasure keepers, business leaders must focus on providing exceptional customer experiences to retain high lifetime value customers. Data-driven insights act as a map of clues, guiding businesses to deliver personalized experiences designed to achieve customer loyalty and advocacy. The 4 Steps for Successfully Unearthing Data-Driven Customer Insights Treasure-hunting strategy success begins with knowing where to look. Seasoned treasure hunters decode ancient manuscripts and rely on a well-crafted treasure-hunting strategy guided by data-driven insights.  Seems obvious, right? And while 74% of firms say they want to be “data-driven,” only 29% say they are good at connecting analytics to action. But there is significant value to your business when you can harness the power of data-driven insights. According to a McKinsey and DataMatics study, the likelihood of generating above-average profits and marketing earnings is around twice as high for those that apply customer analytics broadly and intensively compared to those who aren’t strong in customer analytics. The foundation for leveraging data-driven insights begins by having a data-driven culture. In addition to fostering a data-driven culture, here are 4 other efforts every company can undertake to acquire data-driven customer insights: Equip Your Team with Advanced Tools and Gear: Armed with state-of-the-art tools and gear, treasure hunters can navigate treacherous terrains and overcome obstacles. In the data-driven world, investing in cutting-edge data infrastructure and analytical tools provides the essential equipment for the team to acquire data and process and analyze it effectively. This may include data storage solutions like data warehouses or data lakes, data integration platforms to consolidate data from various sources, and advanced analytics tools for data processing, visualization, and analysis. Implementing the right technology stack empowers your teams to derive meaningful insights. This advanced gear ensures they can dig deeper into the data mines, revealing hidden gems of insights. Assemble the Adventurous Crew: Just like an experienced treasure-hunting team, a company needs to build a crew of skilled data professionals who will be the fearless adventurers in this data-driven quest. Data scientists, analysts, and engineers form the backbone of this crew, bringing their expertise to decipher complex datasets and unlock the secrets they hold. Furthermore, investing in ongoing training and upskilling programs for existing employees can help create a data-literate workforce throughout your organization. This ensures that insights are not only generated by specialized teams but are accessible and understood by various departments, enabling data-driven decision-making across the board. Navigate the Data Labyrinth: Data can be a maze, with vast amounts stored in various locations and formats. Like a treasure hunter exploring a vast jungle, the data crew must navigate this labyrinth to gather all the relevant information. Data integration platforms become the compass guiding them through this tangled data jungle, ensuring they collect a comprehensive dataset for analysis. Wondering what kind of data to navigate? Successful treasure hunters gather intelligence about the terrain they will explore. Similarly, companies must conduct thorough market research to gain insights into the competitive landscape, industry trends, and customer preferences. This investigation equips your organization with valuable knowledge to tailor your approach and gain a competitive advantage. Decode the Clues: In both treasure hunting and data exploration, valuable discoveries are hidden behind intricate clues. The data adventurers, armed with their knowledge and expertise, must decode the data, uncovering patterns and connections that lead to actionable insights. This process is akin to deciphering ancient scrolls that reveal the secrets of the treasure’s location. Like deciphering these ancient scripts, every business needs the expertise to use data-driven insights to decode changing customer preferences and market dynamics to adapt their strategies and stay ahead of competitors. Customer Acquisition: The Process of Finding Hidden Treasure Embarking on a treasure hunt for new customers is an exciting endeavor for any company. It begins with a map that marks the location of potential riches. Similarly, companies need to define their target audience, map the customer journey, and create customer personas. By understanding who their ideal customers are, what they need, and where they can be found, you can lay the groundwork for an effective customer acquisition strategy. As part of being a well-prepared treasure hunter, you will need to assemble a skilled Sales and Marketing team to spearhead the customer acquisition efforts. This team will leverage various strategies to attract and engage potential customers, choose the appropriate marketing channels and technology to effectively reach your target audience, develop an opportunity scoring model, and navigate the customer journey. The ultimate goal of the hunt is to find valuable prospects that convert, ideally sooner than later, into customers. Buy Your Best-Practices Workbook Guard Your Found Treasure: 5 Best Practices for Customer Retention While it’s important to celebrate the acquisition of new customers, business leaders must act as vigilant guardians, protecting the treasure of customer retention and advocacy. Use customer insights to provide excellent post-purchase support, personalized experiences, and exceptional service in order to turn new customers into loyal brand ambassadors who will contribute to future customer acquisition efforts. Satisfied customers can be powerful advocates who refer new customers and more importantly, it is good business. Here are five best practices for customer retention: Provide Exceptional Customer Service and Experience: Customers value excellent service. According to a study by PwC, 73% of customers say that customer service plays a significant role in their purchasing decisions. And according to Ebbo, 93% of customers with excellent brand experience are more likely to repurchase. Going above and beyond to meet customer needs and promptly resolving issues can create loyal customers who are more likely to stay with your company. Offer Personalization and Customization: Customers appreciate personalized experiences. According to a report by Epsilon, 80% of customers are more likely to do business with a company that offers personalized experiences. Utilize your customer data and preferences to tailor interactions, product recommendations, and offers to enhance customer loyalty. Build Strong Customer Relationships: Research by Harvard Business Review shows that increasing customer retention rates by just 5% can lead to a 25% to 95% increase in profits. Take the time and make the investment to build strong relationships through consistent communication, feedback collection, and appreciation to create a loyal customer base. Speaking of loyalty, consider implementing a customer loyalty program. According to Bond’s 2021 Loyalty Report, 83% of customers say they are more likely to continue doing business with brands that offer loyalty programs. Implementing a well-designed loyalty program that offers incentives, exclusive perks, and rewards for repeat purchases can significantly impact customer retention Seek Customer Feedback: Treasure hunters refine their strategies with each expedition, and businesses should do the same. Use Voice of Customer research, your customer advisory board, and social listening to actively seek feedback. Demonstrate you care about customer feedback and quickly address customer concerns. By continuously improving products, services, and customer experiences based on feedback and market trends, you can stay ahead of competitors and retain your customers. Anticipate and Address Churn Signals: Treasure hunters watch for signs that might lead them off course. Similarly, companies should actively monitor customer behavior to identify potential churn signals. By employing customer analytics and predictive models, you can proactively intervene and address issues before they lead to customer attrition. Discover the Riches of Growth and Long-term Success Successful treasure hunters need persistence and dedication. Both customer acquisition and customer retention require ongoing efforts and a commitment to providing value and exceptional experiences. Embrace the transformative power of customer insights to strike it rich. Data-driven decision-making leads to above-average profits and enhances customer acquisition and retention initiatives. Have some questions on how to find clues and craft treasure-hunting customer acquisition and retention strategies supported by data-driven insights? We have great answers. You Might Also Like Our Four Customer-Centric Tools to Better Align Sales and Marketing and Accelerate Customer Acquisition Workbook. Backed by 25 years of experience, this interactive and highly affordable workbook will help you: Build a growth engine that fires on all cylinders Master 4 essential customer acquisition tools to better align Marketing and Sales Create a sales enablement playbook Give your teams the right information to increase their success rate FAQ: (written by Penn of Sintra.ai) Q1: Why are customer acquisition and retention the “gold vein” of business value? A1: Because profitable growth is ultimately a function of how well you acquire customers, retain them, and expand their lifetime value. The challenge is that the terrain keeps shifting—customer expectations evolve, competitors pursue the same accounts, and the signals that indicate loyalty (or churn risk) change over time. That is why customer acquisition and retention require customer-centric strategy guided by data-driven insights, not static plans or intuition alone. Q2: What is the goal of the “treasure hunt” for acquisition and retention? A2: The acquisition goal is to identify and convert the right prospects—high-fit customers and segments—using market and customer insights plus competitive intelligence to target with precision. The retention goal is to protect and grow the “gems” you already have by delivering exceptional experiences, personalization, and proactive support that increase loyalty, advocacy, and customer lifetime value. In both cases, insights act as the map: they reduce guesswork and improve the odds that investments translate into measurable outcomes. Q3: What are four steps to successfully unearth data-driven customer insights? A3: Four efforts consistently strengthen an organization’s ability to generate and use customer insights: Equip the team with advanced tools and infrastructure: Data warehouses/lakes, integration platforms, and analytics/visualization tools to capture and analyze data at scale. Assemble the right “crew”: Data scientists, analysts, and engineers—plus upskilling to build data literacy across functions so insights are understood and used broadly. Navigate the data labyrinth: Integrate data across systems and pair internal data with market research and competitive intelligence to build a complete picture. Decode the clues: Apply analytics to uncover patterns, relationships, and shifts in preferences—then translate findings into decisions and actions that improve customer outcomes. Q4: What does an effective customer acquisition process require? A4: It starts with clarity: define the target audience, map the customer journey, and build personas. Then align Sales and Marketing to execute—select channels, use enabling technology, develop an opportunity scoring model, and guide prospects through the journey with relevant value. The objective is not volume; it is high-quality prospects that convert faster and more predictably. Q5: What are five best practices for customer retention (and advocacy)? A5: Five practices protect and expand customer value: Deliver exceptional service and experience: Resolve issues quickly and reduce customer effort. Offer personalization and customization: Use customer data to tailor interactions, recommendations, and offers. Build strong relationships: Maintain consistent communication, show appreciation, and consider loyalty programs where appropriate. Seek and act on feedback: Use VoC, advisory boards, and social listening; demonstrate responsiveness through visible improvements. Anticipate churn signals: Monitor behavior, apply predictive analytics, and intervene early to prevent attrition. Q6: What is the bottom line for leaders? A6: Acquisition and retention are not separate missions—they are two sides of the same value engine. Organizations that operationalize customer-centricity and build a repeatable data-to-insights-to-action capability will “strike it rich” by improving conversion, reducing churn, increasing loyalty, and compounding customer lifetime value over time.

Business leaders must continuously engage in strategic planning to steer their organizations toward growth and success, especially when facing a dynamic and unpredictable environment. In this episode of What’s Your Edge, we’ll explore 12 ways you can de-risk your strategic planning and execution. Strategic planning has both advocates and detractors, especially as to whether it positively impacts operational performance. Bert George, Richard Walker, and Joost Monster conducted an extensive analysis to determine whether strategic planning improves organizational performance. Their study found evidence of significant performance benefits related to strategic planning effectiveness. We concur with their conclusion that “simply having a plan is not enough. Strategic planning must entail an informed process during which the internal and external environment is analyzed, clear strategies and outcomes are defined based on the analysis, and different courses of action are generated and considered before making final decisions.” To stay on course, it is paramount for leaders to think like a ship’s captain and undertake three essential steps as part of their strategic planning to ensure a superior foundation for growth and successfully navigate the ever-changing business seas: 1. Review and recalibrate performance. 2. Set realistic outcomes and objectives. 3. Select and implement winning strategies. Here’s what we’ll cover in this episode: 1. What to Assemble Before Starting your Strategic Plan Relevant Data Past Performance SWOT Analysis 2. Key Attributes of a Best-in-Class Strategic Plan Specificity and Clarity Actionable Milestones and Relevant Performance Targets Operational Feasibility 3. Strategy Questions to Ask Yourself Are We Positioned for Success? Have We Fully Assessed Opportunities and Risks? Do We Have a Culture of Innovation? 4. Execution Success Requirements Aligning and Securing Resources Monitoring Execution and KPIs Creating Effective Communication Channels Evaluate these 3 Elements Before Crafting Your Growth Plan It is paramount when setting a future course that you first review past performance and recalibrate performance targets.  This step provides valuable insights into what did and didn’t work and informs decision-making. Sailors keenly observe the position of the stars, wind direction, and the ship’s speed. So too must business leaders analyze key performance indicators and evaluate the effectiveness of their strategies. By regularly reviewing performance, you can identify areas of strength, pinpoint potential weaknesses, and make informed course corrections to ensure your ship stays on course. These three elements are essential to conducting a comprehensive organizational performance review: 1. Data: Just as sailors use instruments and navigational tools to assess progress, business leaders need to collect relevant data. Valuable performance data sources include financial reports, sales figures, customer feedback, employee performance data, and market trends. Analyze this information to identify patterns, trends, and areas for improvement. 2. Performance Measurement: Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) act as the compass for every business, indicating whether the business is moving in the right direction. If you haven’t already done so, define and track measures, metrics, and KPIs that are aligned with your business outcomes. This could include metrics such as rate of growth compared to the competition/market, customer lifetime value, market share, and employee productivity. Regular tracking and evaluation of your KPIs will help you gauge progress, identify gaps, and make data-driven decisions. 3. SWOT Analysis: Captains constantly assess their vessel’s strengths and vulnerabilities. It’s no different for a business leader. Evaluate your organization’s internal strengths weaknesses, external opportunities, and threats, known as a SWOT analysis. This analysis helps identify competitive advantages, areas that need improvement, potential market opportunities, and external factors that may impact your business. Insight from the SWOT analysis enables you to adjust your strategies and allocate resources accordingly. A successful strategic plan is market and customer-oriented with a focus on expanding market share, improving customer experience, accelerating customer acquisition, retaining more high value customers, and growing customer lifetime value. Your customer-centric, marketing-experienced board member can provide valuable growth, market, customer, and competitor insights as well as guidance throughout the planning process and beyond. The Darden School of Management Research Gate report “When and How Board Members with Marketing Experience Facilitate Firm Growth” found when analyzing 64,086 board member biographies that a company’s annual revenue increased by 6.7% if the board included at least one marketer and that not having one put companies at a competitive disadvantage. Purchase Your Assessment The Best Strategic Growth Plans Consist of Realistic Outcomes and Objectives Like a sailor mapping their journey with defined waypoints, your business needs clear outcomes and objectives to guide your team’s efforts and gauge progress.  Matching your outcomes and objectives with your company’s mission and vision is essential. This is an effective way to align your teams, monitor progress, and ensure your organization stays on track. Superior outcomes and objectives incorporate these elements: 1. Specificity and clarity: Outcomes should be specific and well-defined, outlining the organization’s goals. Appropriate functional objectives should directly link to an outcome enabling you to form a logic and metrics chain. Each outcome and objective should be measurable, allowing progress to be tracked and evaluated. Ideally, they are customer-centric and market-oriented, reflecting your organization’s understanding of customer needs, market trends, and competitive dynamics. The prioritization of customer satisfaction, market growth, and innovation act as guiding stars, providing strategic direction and purpose to the organization’s journey. 2. Actionable milestones and relevant performance targets: Ship captains break down the journey into manageable legs and use navigational tools to measure progress. As the captain of your ship, establish actionable milestones, performance targets, and measures to track and measure the achievement of both outcomes and objectives. Break down objectives into smaller, achievable milestones, to ensure steady progress. Choose metrics that are aligned with the defined outcomes and objectives and quantify performance. Measures can be related to net new customer acquisition, customer retention, customer loyalty, referral rates, footprint expansion, share of wallet, market share, product adoption rates, etc. Setting relevant and meaningful measures enables leaders to monitor progress, measure performance, and make informed decisions.   3. Operational feasibility: While it’s important to set ambitious outcomes and objectives, leaders must also ensure that these can be effectively operationalized within the organization’s capabilities and resources. Skilled sailors maximize their vessel’s potential and teamwork to reach their destination. Stellar leaders know they must ensure operational viability and empower their organization to steer toward success. How? Just as sailors consider the capabilities of their vessel and crew and rely on collaboration among the crew, be sure your organization has the capacity to deliver on, and the collaboration skills to achieve, the established outcomes. This includes evaluating the availability of resources, expertise, technology, and infrastructure, promoting cross-functional teamwork, and encouraging knowledge-sharing. By understanding the organizational strengths and limitations and fostering a culture of collaboration and open communication, the probability of turning outcomes and objectives into reality improves. Create and Select Better Strategies to Position You for Success Just as skilled sailors strategically adjust their sails to harness the wind and optimize their course, business leaders must select and implement winning strategies that position their organization for success and growth.  Ideally these strategies are customer-centric and encompass not only the direction of the organization but also the messaging and value propositions that differentiate it in the market. To select winning customer-centric growth strategies, leaders should be able to answer these three questions: 1. Are you positioned for success? Insights into market dynamics, customer needs and preferences, and competitive forces enable you to identify opportunities for differentiation, define clear value propositions that set your organization apart from competitors, showcase your strengths, and deliver customer value that enables you to create a compelling position in the market. Invest the time to craft effective messages that convey the value and differentiation of your organization. Effective messaging ensures that the organization’s strategic direction is clearly communicated, resonates with the target audience, and supports the overall strategy.   2. What are the opportunities and risks? Often there is more than one route to reach a destination. The direct route is not always ideal because it can result in the ship passing through the eye of a typhoon, a storm with high waves, or other unsafe places. But by bypassing these obstacles, your ship may arrive late or run out of fuel.  The captain and senior officers assess different routes and weather patterns with a focus on choosing the best route and knowing they may need to chart alternatives should something quickly change. This approach holds true for business leaders who need to choose strategies that will allow the business to capitalize on market and customer opportunities and potential growth areas, and leverage the organization’s strengths, resources, and capabilities while considering risk and uncertainty. Choose strategies that factor in risk and are aligned with your outcomes and objectives. Develop contingency plans. By performing scenario analysis, proactively addressing risks, and establishing mitigation strategies, leaders can navigate uncertainties with greater resilience and adaptability. 3. Do you have a culture of innovation? It takes the right culture to continuously adapt to changing conditions at sea. Encourage your teams to embrace innovation and learn from both successes and failures. Create an environment where ideas are welcomed, experimentation is encouraged, and continuous improvement is valued. Like a crew that collaborates and shares knowledge to optimize their voyage, fostering a culture of innovation empowers employees to explore new ideas, challenge the status quo, and navigate uncharted territories. A culture of innovation enables organizations to stay ahead of the competition, adapt to market shifts, and seize opportunities that arise along the strategic journey. Success Requires Both a Great Plan and Great Execution As Otto von Bismark has been known to say, “A bad plan that is well executed will yield much better results than a good plan that is poorly executed.”  Successful strategy implementation is crucial for achieving desired outcomes. Just as skilled sailors navigate their vessels with precision, business leaders must steer their organizations toward successful strategy execution. Successful execution requires leaders to: Align resources, allocate budgets, secure necessary tools, and technology, and assign accountable individuals or teams to execute specific aspects of the strategy. Closely monitor the execution of their strategies. This involves establishing KPIs, tracking progress against milestones, and regular performance evaluations to make timely adjustments to maintain momentum and maximize the chances of success. Create communication channels for sharing information, encouraging feedback, and promoting cross-functional collaboration. By fostering effective communication and collaboration, leaders can ensure that everyone is aligned, challenges are addressed promptly, and the execution process is streamlined. Ultimately, the success of a strategy depends not only on its formulation but also on its effective implementation. Just as skilled sailors navigate their vessels through rough seas, leaders who prioritize implementation can navigate their organizations through the complexities of the business world. With a steadfast commitment to strategic planning, your organization can make its strategic vision a reality, achieve your organizational performance goals, and realize new horizons of growth.   Are you in the thick of your strategic planning and have some questions?  Tap into our Advisory Services for valuable answers. FAQ: (written by Penn of Sintra.ai) Q1: Does strategic planning actually improve organizational performance?A1: Yes—when it is done effectively. Research examining strategic planning effectiveness finds meaningful performance benefits, but the key is that a plan alone is insufficient. Strategic planning must be an informed process that analyzes internal and external conditions, defines clear strategies and outcomes based on that analysis, and evaluates alternative courses of action before final decisions are made. Q2: What are the three “captain’s steps” to de-risk strategic planning and execution?A2: Leaders should think like a ship’s captain and consistently apply three steps to stay on course in dynamic conditions: Review and recalibrate performance (use evidence to understand what is working and what is not) Set realistic outcomes and objectives (define measurable, customer-centric targets and waypoints) Select and implement winning strategies (choose routes that account for opportunity, risk, and capability) Q3: What should you assemble before starting a strategic plan?A3: Best-in-class planning begins with inputs that reduce bias and improve decision quality, including: Relevant data (financials, sales, customer feedback, employee performance, market trends) Past performance (what worked, what did not, and why) SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats to clarify advantage and exposure) Q4: What are the key attributes of a best-in-class strategic plan?A4: A superior strategic plan is: Specific and clear: Outcomes and objectives are defined, measurable, and understood. Milestone-driven with performance targets: Progress is broken into actionable legs of the journey with relevant metrics. Operationally feasible: The plan can be executed with available resources, capabilities, and cross-functional collaboration. Q5: What strategy questions should leaders ask before selecting growth strategies?A5: Three questions help ensure strategies are grounded and differentiated: Are we positioned for success? (clear value proposition, differentiation, and messaging that resonates) Have we fully assessed opportunities and risks? (scenario analysis, route options, contingencies) Do we have a culture of innovation? (experimentation, learning, adaptation, continuous improvement) Q6: What are the requirements for execution success once the plan is set?A6: Execution requires operational discipline, including: Aligning and securing resources: budgets, tools, technology, and accountable owners Monitoring execution and KPIs: milestone tracking, performance reviews, course corrections Creating effective communication channels: cross-functional collaboration, feedback loops, rapid issue resolution Q7: How does board composition influence growth planning effectiveness?A7: A market- and customer-oriented strategic plan benefits from board-level marketing experience. Research indicates that companies with at least one board member with marketing experience can see measurable revenue lift, while the absence of that perspective can create a competitive disadvantage—particularly when growth depends on customer insight, differentiation, and experience.

Business-to-business(B2B) success is measured by growth. Companies that sustain profitable growth over time know how to make sure all aspects of their organization create and/or enable customer value through customer-centricity. This includes every functional department within the organization from Human Resources/Talent Management to R&D, to Finance, to Production/Manufacturing, from Marketing, to Sales, to Implementation/Shipping, and Customer Service. And that all the associated processes such as product conception, product development, and service delivery, are firing on all cylinders to create customer value and drive growth. What does it mean to fire on all cylinders in your company? How do you spot misfires? What can you do to keep your engine humming? The answers to these questions are the focus of this episode of our What’s Your Edge? podcast. When your growth engine is at maximum efficiency, it means that every department within the company is operating at peak performance, aligned around the organization’s business outcomes, and working together to achieve these.  Sounds relatively easy, right? But it takes only one weak link in the engine to result in an engine misfire. Engine Misfires are Costly and Put Businesses in Growth Jeopardy Worn out plugs, dirt or carbon in the fuel injector, a failed ignition coil pack, vacuum leaks, or a faulty oxygen sensor are among the reasons for engine misfires.  When an engine, such as your car engine, isn’t operating on all cylinders, the result can be expensive and/or dangerous: Decreased gas mileage which results in increased fuel costs. Slow acceleration or noticeable loss of power can impact maneuvering in traffic or being able to avoid an accident. Engine stalling potentially setting up a scenario for an accident. While there may be a number of signs an organization isn’t firing on all cylinders, these three are among the most common. A noticeable loss of customers or market share. Success in any industry requires keeping your customer retention rates above the average. And for most organizations, that means close to, or above, an 80% retention rate. High customer acquisition costs, difficulty closing net new customers, or a poor win/loss ratio. In B2B companies the average rule of thumb for customer acquisition costs is 3:1, that is you spend approximately 33 percent of the average Lifetime Value on acquiring new customers. According to research by the Rain Group, the average win rate across industries is 47%. Low customer engagement across the customer journey resulting in low pipeline coverage ratio. According to Investopedia, analysts expect a pipeline coverage ratio of three or better. It is easy to see that these types of engine misfires are costly and potentially put your business at risk. Let’s examine some of the major functions in an organization and how they provide the power necessary to grow your business and create customer value.   Purchase Your Assessment How do Major Cylinders Improve Your Growth Mileage? An engine, specifically a car engine, converts your fuel (gas or electricity) into energy that causes your wheels to turn in order to move the car.  The same is true for the functions and processes that serve as the engine for your business.  Let’s briefly look under the hood at five important cylinders that comprise your business engine and enable your organization towards growth and customer value: Product Development and R&D: Without a great product or service, it’s difficult to achieve growth. However, it’s not enough to simply have a great product. It’s also important to continuously innovate and improve upon it. This is where R&D comes in. Companies with superior R&D capabilities have higher revenue growth rates than those with inferior R&D capabilities. Companies that invest in R&D are able to stay ahead of the competition and continue to provide value to their customers. Marketing: Once a great product or service (solution) has been developed, it’s important to let the world or at least your target market know about it. Marketing is the process of attracting and keeping customers to generate revenue. Marketing and the strategies they develop and execute are the keys to creating demand for your solution. When you have demand, you have a sales pipeline. We’re not talking about measuring the number of qualified leads, we’re talking about creating demand from new and existing customers. Ultimately this demand is captured in the sales pipeline. The sales pipeline is a great way to gauge a company’s health. Customer Support/Service: Once a product has been sold, it’s important to provide the necessary support to ensure customer satisfaction, retention, and referrals. This includes everything from training and implementation to ongoing maintenance and support. HubSpot research found that 93% of customers are likely to make repeat purchases with companies that are customer-centric and offer an excellent customer experience. Sales: Sales is the department that is responsible for closing the deal and bringing in profitable revenue. Sales teams, whether direct or indirect, need to be knowledgeable about the product or service and be able to effectively communicate its value to potential customers. By calculating the profit ratio (net income divided by sales revenue) businesses can reveal how much of every dollar brought in by sales actually makes it to the bottom line. Human Resources (HR)/Talent Management: HR improves the company’s bottom line with its knowledge of how human capital affects organizational success. Pay, performance management, training and development, recruitment, and onboarding, and reinforcing the values and culture of the business are all within the domain of HR. Effective human resource management enables companies to recruit and retain employees, improve and enhance the organization, and ensure the organization creates an environment conducive to a positive employee experience.  According to the recent Forbes Insights Research, “The Experience Equation: How Happy Employees and Customers Accelerate Growth”, companies that deliver great employee and customer experiences are growing almost twice as fast as companies that stumble in both areas. Of the executives surveyed, 70 percent agreed that a better employee experience leads directly to a better customer experience. The Importance of KPIs to Drive Alignment and Collaboration Each of these functions plays a critical role in achieving your organization’s business outcomes. However, it’s not enough for each function to operate independently. A study by Deloitte found that companies that prioritize collaboration are twice as likely to be profitable. This level of performance can only be achieved when each department is aligned with the company’s outcomes and is working collaboratively towards achieving those goals. Just like an engine needs all of its cylinders to fire as designed in order to operate at peak performance, your company needs all of its departments to work together. Planning and performance management are two parts that support alignment and collaboration.  The organization’s overall strategic and operational plans serve as the foundation for each department’s plan.  To achieve alignment its essential that the individual department’s plan ladder up to the umbrella plans. Two critical aspects of a good plan are that it is customer-centric and measurable. How do you decide the overarching metrics for every department’s plan?  You ensure the measures in the plan will logically link to the organization’s key performance indicators (KPIs), that is the metrics your organization is willing to invest in to improve, create customer value, and accelerate growth.  In this way, KPIs serve as an excellent alignment and performance management tool. Therefore, it is crucial to wisely select your KPIs.  Because we live in the age of the empowered customer, in addition to traditional KPIs around financial measures, we recommend three customer-centric KPIs that every department impacts: Customer Engagement: The degree of commitment a customer has to your company and its products and services. There can be NO growth without engagement. Customer Effort: The degree of effort (easy or hard) a customer must exert to interact with your company. Customer effort is your leading indicator of a competitive customer experience. Customer Lifetime Value: The value of a customer over the span of time this customer purchases AND uses your company’s solutions. This measure provides insight into how well your company is functioning. Is Your Growth Engine in Sure-Fire or Misfire Mode? Take a moment to check your engine and take quick action to address any warning lights: Do you spot any misfires? Are all cylinders firing? Do you have the alignment and performance management to keep your engine humming? Are you following the regular maintenance schedule? The growth of your company depends on your answers. If you have questions, we have answers. FAQ: (written by Penn of Sintra.ai) Q1: What does it mean for a B2B company to be “firing on all cylinders”? A1: It means the organization’s functions and processes are operating at peak performance, aligned around customer-centric business outcomes, and working together to create customer value and sustain profitable growth. In this model, every department—from HR to R&D, Finance, Production, Marketing, Sales, Implementation, and Customer Service—contributes to the same growth engine, and one weak link can create a costly misfire. Q2: What are common signs your growth engine is misfiring? A2: Three of the most common warning lights are: Loss of customers or market share: Retention slipping below acceptable levels puts growth at risk. High acquisition costs and poor conversion: Difficulty closing net new customers, a poor win/loss ratio, or CAC that is out of proportion to lifetime value. Low engagement and weak pipeline coverage: Low customer engagement across the journey often shows up as insufficient pipeline coverage and stalled growth momentum. Q3: Which “cylinders” most directly power customer value and growth? A3: Five core cylinders often determine whether the engine produces sustainable growth: Product Development & R&D: Creates and continuously improves market-worthy solutions. Marketing: Creates demand and generates pipeline by attracting and retaining customers. Customer Support/Service: Protects retention, referrals, and lifetime value through experience quality. Sales: Converts demand into profitable revenue through value communication and deal execution. HR/Talent Management: Ensures the organization has the right people, skills, culture, and performance systems to execute consistently. Q4: Why do alignment and collaboration matter as much as functional excellence? A4: Because functions cannot optimize in isolation. Organizations that prioritize collaboration are more likely to be profitable, and collaboration only works when teams share outcomes, definitions, and measures. Planning and performance management create the operating system that keeps functions aligned—ensuring departmental plans ladder up to the organization’s strategic and operational plans. Q5: How do KPIs help keep the engine humming? A5: KPIs create shared accountability and reveal whether the organization is producing customer value and growth. In addition to financial KPIs, three customer-centric KPIs are especially powerful because every department influences them: Customer Engagement: There is no growth without engagement. Customer Effort: A leading indicator of CX competitiveness and friction in the journey. Customer Lifetime Value (LTV): A summary measure of how well the organization creates and sustains customer value over time. Q6: What is the core takeaway for leaders? A6: Growth is an engine, not a department. If you want sustainable B2B growth, ensure every cylinder is healthy, aligned, and measured—then address misfires quickly using customer-centric KPIs, disciplined planning, and performance management.

Building a brand is like building a house. You need a solid foundation, strong walls, and a roof that keeps everything inside safe and dry. When you have an authentic brand, you have the foundation for building customer trust and customer loyalty, as well as trust with employees, and partners. But, without authenticity, your brand reputation is like a house of cards, ready to come tumbling down at the slightest gust of wind. Brand authenticity is the degree to which a brand is perceived as being genuine, honest, and true to its values and promises. It’s not just about having a strong logo or a catchy slogan; it’s about creating a brand that customers can trust and believe in. Authenticity means being true to who you are as a brand and consistently delivering on your commitments.  As a key element of customer-centricity, the bottom-line impact of an authentic brand includes:  Amplified customer trust, loyalty, and advocacy   Higher revenue from existing and new customers  Better brand equity which moves in tandem with customer equity (LTV)  Improved profitability  Increased shareholder value  B2B Companies Reap the Benefits of Authentic Branding  Before you say, branding matters more for B2C (business-to-consumer) than B2B (business-to-business) companies, I want to reassure you that is not the case. In fact, 70% of B2B buyers cite company reputation as the most influential factor when choosing with which company to do business.   Authentic branding can help B2B companies differentiate themselves from their competitors, establish customer trust and credibility, and increase customer loyalty. We believe that to be successful, all brands need to be authentic. Buy Your Best-Practices Workbook Here are three examples of B2B companies that have successfully created an authentic brand by staying true to their values, remaining consistent in their messaging and positioning, and focusing on their customers’ needs and expectations:  HubSpot is a marketing, sales, and customer service software company that has built its brand around the concept of inbound marketing. The company’s brand values, which include being helpful, transparent, and empathetic, are reflected in its marketing campaigns, blog posts, and customer interactions. HubSpot’s commitment to helping its customers succeed has helped the company build a loyal following among B2B marketers and sales professionals.  Salesforce is a customer relationship management (CRM) software company that is known for its commitment to social responsibility. The company’s brand values, which include trust, innovation, and equality, are reflected in its marketing campaigns, events, and product offerings. Salesforce’s commitment to social responsibility has helped the company attract customers who value sustainability and ethical business practices.  Mailchimp is an email marketing software company that has built its brand around the concept of simplicity. The company’s brand values, which include being easy to use, fun, and empowering, are reflected in its marketing campaigns, product design, and customer support. Mailchimp’s commitment to making email marketing accessible to everyone has helped the company build a loyal following among small businesses and startups.  Why Having an Authentic Brand is Important Why is brand authenticity important? Because brands perceived to be authentic garner more customer satisfaction, retention, and advocacy, which ultimately leads to increased revenue and growth. When a brand is perceived as authentic, it creates a sense of dependability and reliability, just like a house that is built to last. When customers believe that a brand is authentic, they are more likely to buy from that brand and remain loyal over time. Authenticity also helps businesses stand out in a crowded market. In a world where your customers are bombarded with marketing messages at every turn, an authentic brand can cut through the noise and capture their attention. Finally, brand authenticity is critical for customer-centricity. Authentic brands are more likely to focus on the needs and preferences of their customers, leading to better products, services, and overall customer experience.  Here are a few additional data points that back up these claims.   Prior to merging with BCW, Cohn & Wolfe surveyed 15,000 people around the world and found that 91% of them are willing to reward a brand they consider authentic through purchases and recommendations.   64% of participants in a study by Edelman said they are more likely to buy from a brand that shares their values.   A study by the Harvard Business Review found companies that are perceived as authentic by their customers outperform their competitors by a factor of three.  73% of participants in a PwC study say that a good experience is key in influencing their brand loyalties.  Keep the Brand Authenticity Spotlight on All Messaging and Positioning   The implications of having an authentic brand are significant when it comes to messaging and positioning. Customers are becoming increasingly savvy and skeptical. They can easily spot a brand that is trying too hard to be something it’s not. The effects of messaging that fails to be perceived as authentic are long-lasting.   Messaging is the way a brand communicates with its target audience. An authentic brand has a clear and consistent message that resonates with its target audience. This message is reflected in everything the brand does, from product development to selling to its customer service.   Positioning is the way a brand is perceived by its target audience in relation to its competitors. An authentic brand that delivers on its promises can position itself as a leader in its industry and stand out from its competitors. An ever-changing market, including new look-alike competitors, or entry into new markets or segments, can necessitate a change in your positioning and messaging strategy.   The 5-Step Ladder of Success to Build Brand Value So, how can a business create an authentic brand? Here are five steps to get started:  Define your foundation: Just like a house needs a strong foundation, your brand needs a set of core values that serve as the foundation for everything you do. What do you stand for as a brand? What are the core principles that guide your business? Defining your values is the first step to building a strong foundation for your brand. Construct solid walls: With a strong foundation in place, it’s time to build the walls of your brand. These walls represent the consistency and reliability of your brand. Be transparent about your business practices, products, and services. If something goes wrong, own up to it and work to make it right. By building solid walls of trust and transparency, you’ll strengthen brand reputation and create a strong sense of reliability and dependability around your brand. Install a sturdy roof: A sturdy roof protects your house from the elements, and in the same way, your brand needs to protect your reputation. Make sure you deliver on your brand promises no matter what. If you promise exceptional customer service, make sure your customer service is exceptional every time. By delivering on your promises, you’ll build a strong brand reputation, as well as customer trust and customer loyalty. Listen to the sounds outside: Just like a house needs to be aware of the sounds outside, your brand needs to listen to its customers. Pay attention to what they are saying and need. Use their feedback to improve your products and services, and to inform your marketing and sales initiatives. By listening to your customers, you’ll build a brand reputation that is responsive to their needs and concerns.  Make sure everything is in sync: Just like a house needs everything to be in sync to function properly, your brand needs consistency across all touch points. Make sure your messaging, product and service processes, and customer experience are aligned to the customer journey and synchronized across all channels. By doing so, you’ll create a sense of professionalism and dependability around your brand, therefore building your brand reputation. An authentic brand is essential for B2B companies that want to differentiate themselves from their competitors, establish customer trust and credibility, and increase customer loyalty. You can successfully begin building an authentic brand by staying true to your values, being consistent in your messaging and positioning, and staying committed to being a customer-centric organization. Building a house takes time and resources. When well-built and maintained your home appreciates in value. So does building an authentic brand. View the effort as a long-term investment that ultimately pays off in the form of long-term success.  Have questions about how to create an authentic brand? We have expert answers. FAQ: (written by Penn of Sintra.ai) Q1: What is brand authenticity—and why is it the foundation of trust? A1: Brand authenticity is the degree to which a brand is perceived as genuine, honest, and true to its values and promises. It is not a logo exercise; it is the consistent delivery of what you claim to stand for. Like a house, authenticity is the foundation—without it, reputation becomes fragile and collapses under pressure. With it, you earn trust with customers, employees, and partners. Q2: Does authentic branding matter for B2B companies as much as it does for B2C? A2: Yes. Reputation and trust are decisive in B2B buying. Buyers often face higher perceived risk, longer decision cycles, and more stakeholders—making credibility and consistency essential. Authentic branding helps B2B companies differentiate, establish trust, and increase loyalty, which directly supports retention, referrals, and growth. Q3: What is the business impact of an authentic brand? A3: Authenticity strengthens customer-centric performance and drives measurable outcomes, including: higher trust, loyalty, and advocacy; increased revenue from existing and new customers; stronger brand equity (which moves with customer equity and lifetime value); improved profitability; and increased shareholder value. In crowded markets, authenticity also helps cut through noise because customers can sense when a brand is performative versus dependable. Q4: What are examples of B2B brands that have built authenticity successfully? A4: Examples often cited include: HubSpot: Built around inbound marketing with values such as helpfulness, transparency, and empathy—reinforced through content and customer interactions. Salesforce: Known for social responsibility and values such as trust, innovation, and equality—embedded in brand actions and offerings. Mailchimp: Built around simplicity and empowerment—reflected in product design and support experience. Q5: How do authenticity, messaging, and positioning relate? A5: Authenticity is the standard; messaging and positioning are the expression. Messaging is how you communicate with your audience; authentic brands maintain clarity and consistency across what they say and what they do. Positioning is how you are perceived relative to competitors; when you consistently deliver on promises, you strengthen your position and credibility. In changing markets, positioning may evolve—but authenticity must remain constant. Q6: What are five practical steps to build an authentic brand (the “house” model)? A6: Define your foundation: Establish core values and principles that guide decisions and behavior. Construct solid walls: Build consistency through transparency, reliability, and accountability—especially when things go wrong. Install a sturdy roof: Protect reputation by delivering on brand promises every time. Listen to the sounds outside: Use customer feedback to improve solutions and experience. Keep everything in sync: Align messaging, processes, and customer experience across touchpoints and channels—mapped to the customer journey. Q7: What is the core takeaway for leaders? A7: Authenticity is a long-term asset, not a campaign. When you stay true to your values, deliver consistently, and align messaging and experience to customer needs, your brand appreciates in value—strengthening trust, loyalty, and growth over time.

Scaling a business is the focus of this episode of What’s Your Edge? Scaling, regardless of the company stage, has been a recurring topic in many of our customer, partner, and prospect conversations of late.  We, too, have been exploring how to scale, which is why we launched our online store.  Scaling a business is often compared to climbing a mountain, and for good reason. Both endeavors require perseverance, dedication, a willingness to take risks, and performance management. In this episode, we’ll explore seven success factors for scaling, with particular emphasis on planning, preparation, technology, guide,s and sherpas. Scaling your business allows for increased revenue without a proportional increase in costs. In other words, it’s about achieving organic growth without sacrificing profitability or performance. Scaling, however, doesn’t come for free. It requires significant financial investment. And it can be particularly challenging because it often involves expanding into new markets, developing new products or services, and managing larger teams. All of these initiatives require investment and make it difficult to maintain the momentum needed to achieve success.  Why is scaling important? Here are several reasons. It:  Allows your business to increase revenue, performance, and profitability, which is crucial for long-term success.  Helps your business stay ahead of the competition.  Enables your business to offer more to your customers than your competitors can.   On thought we want you to keep in mind given the current economic environment is that scaling can be about climbing up as well as down. Should demand decline or there are fundamental shifts in the economy, scaling is important. In either instance, scaling your business can be a difficult and sometimes treacherous journey. With the right approach and a willingness to learn from mistakes, it is possible to reach the summit or manage a descent in way that achieves success.   The 7 Best Mountaineering Tips to Scale Confidently Climbing is fraught with obstacles, including treacherous terrain riddled with competitive predators, unexpected market and economic conditions, and team exhaustion. We can apply seven success factors for mountain climbing to any business that wants to scale. Set a clear outcome: Just like a mountain climber needs to have a clear vision and a well-defined success outcome, scaling requires a clear vision and an outcome that is specific, measurable, and achievable. Vision and outcomes guide your decision-making and ensure that everyone in your organization is properly mobilized to achieve the result. Assess the terrain: Before climbing, a climber does their research about the mountain – everything from gathering information about the mountain terrain itself as well as the surrounding area, weather conditions, and any dangerous animals and plant life. In the business world, this translates to conducting research and assessing the market and competitive environment. Assemble the right team with the right skills: Mountain climbing and scaling most often require a team effort. To successfully scale you may need to recruit different people, work with the right partners, and build a strong network. It is important to hire and contract people with the skills you need to thrive, and who can work together to achieve your outcome. When scaling a business, a board of directors can be likened to a team of experienced mountain guides and sherpas who can help you navigate the terrain and provide valuable guidance and support to reach your destination safely. Leverage your board’s collective expertise and experience to help you make informed decisions and avoid potential pitfalls. Develop a plan: A mountain climber needs a detailed plan that outlines each step of the route they intend to take. Climbers consider various scenarios they might encounter and develop contingency plans in case of one of these scenarios emerges. Be sure you have a detailed plan that outlines each step of the scaling process, including contingency plans in case of unexpected obstacles. Take calculated risks: Mountain climbing involves taking calculated risks informed by data and experience. Scaling your business also involves taking calculated risks. Collect and analyze data that will help you weigh the potential benefits against the potential risks to inform major decisions. Establish performance targets and monitor progress: Mountain climbers set milestones for each part of the climb, monitor their progress, and adjust their plan accordingly. The same applies to business. Set clear performance targets for each stage of your climb.  Stay focused: Both mountain climbing and scaling a business require a great deal of focus, resilience, and perseverance. It is important to stay committed to the outcome and keep moving forward, even when the going gets tough. Trying to do too many things at once can be overwhelming and can lead to a loss of focus. When scaling your business, start with your core strengths and build from there. This could be your success with a set of products or in a particular market. Buy Your Best-Practices Workbook How to Avoid the Need for a Mountain Rescue: 3 Factors Many factors contribute to scaling success; there are three, however, that are critical for a successful climb: 1) your plan and preparation, 2) gear and equipment, and 3) sherpas and guides. These three deserve a deeper dive; otherwise, your climb will face extreme difficulty. Your plan and preparation: Climbing a mountain requires careful planning and preparation. This includes researching the mountain and its conditions, developing a detailed itinerary, and ensuring that all necessary permits and equipment are in place. It also involves physical training to build strength and endurance, as well as mental preparation to manage the stress and uncertainty of climbing. Scaling your business requires a well-thought-out strategy and the ability to adapt to changing circumstances.   Before you try to scale, create your plan.  A business scaling plan is different from a business plan in that it specifically focuses on the strategies and tactics that a business will use to scale after it has already established itself. A traditional business plan typically outlines the overall business concept, target market, financial projections, and other key elements. A scaling plan is more focused on the next phase of the organization’s life stage, ideally growth and expansion.  The market analysis for scaling typically focuses on existing markets to identify new opportunities for success. Marketing, sales, and operations efforts address optimizing and expanding strategies and existing operations and logistics to drive customer growth and support expansion.   As with any plan, the scaling business plan should be a comprehensive roadmap that outlines the specific strategies and tactics that your business will use to achieve its growth goals.  Gear and equipment: Mountain climbers know that the right gear and equipment can make the difference between success and failure. This can include the right technology, processes, and systems. Technology can be a powerful tool. It can help streamline processes, improve efficiency, and provide valuable data insights. The key is to identify the areas that will benefit most from the scaling initiative and then invest in the right tools and resources.   These three technologies are fundamental because of their overall impact on processes and business sustainability.   Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software: This technology helps businesses manage their interactions with customers and prospects, track sales and marketing efforts, and analyze data to improve customer engagement. As a business evolves, managing customer relationships becomes increasingly important, and a CRM system can help streamline these processes.   Cloud computing: This technology allows businesses to store and access data and applications over the internet, rather than on local servers or computers. This can be particularly helpful for scaling businesses, as it allows them to quickly and easily expand or contract their infrastructure as needed. According to a report by Cisco, “cloud computing has become an essential technology for business growth, as it enables companies to scale up and down quickly, be more agile, and reduce IT costs.”   Marketing automation software: This technology can help businesses streamline their marketing processes and scale their marketing efforts. They can automate tasks such as email marketing, opportunity nurturing, and social media management, allowing businesses to focus on other areas.   Guides and Sherpas: Experienced Sherpas and guides are critical for a successful mountain climb. They provide essential support and guidance to climbers, including route planning, navigation, and technical assistance. They are also trained in mountain rescue techniques and can provide emergency assistance if needed. In the world of business, your board of directors serves in this capacity. Just like a mountain guide who can help you choose the best route to the destination, a board of directors can help you develop a clear strategy for scaling your business. They can offer insights and perspectives that you may not have considered, and help you identify potential opportunities and risks. In addition to providing strategic guidance, a board of directors can help you build a strong team. They can provide advice and support when it comes to hiring and retaining top talent, and can help you create a culture of excellence and innovation within your organization.  Finally, a board of directors can help you navigate the complexities of scaling a business by providing accountability and oversight. Just like a mountain guide who can help you stay on track and avoid treacherous terrain, a board of directors can help you stay focused on your goals and ensure that you’re making progress toward them.  These three factors in particular help climbers to mitigate risks and overcome challenges on the mountain. And they will help you scale.   Your Scaling and Growth Success Hinges on Product Adoption Scaling is about increasing revenue without sacrificing profit and adding costs. Just as a climber needs climbing skills, a plan, equipment, a team, and a basecamp for support, a company needs a market-worthy product to support its scaling efforts. Success hinges on how well what your produce, that is your product and/or services, market and sell, is adopted. Product adoption is a key performance indicator (KPI) for any organization that wants to scale. Without rapid product adoption, a company may struggle to scale and will certainly struggle to achieve significant growth. Here are three ways in which rapid product adoption can support a company’s scaling efforts.   When more people adopt a company’s product, the company can generate more revenue, performance, and profitability, which can fuel further investments.  Higher product adoption rates can lead to increased brand recognition, enabling a company to retain customers and attract new customers, thereby gaining a larger share of the market.   Higher levels of product adoption can lead to economies of scale, which can lower production or utilization costs, resulting in increased efficiency and profitability.  Rapid product adoption is the foundation for performance growth and the support of a company’s scaling efforts. Scaling can be both a challenging and rewarding experience, much like climbing a mountain and enjoying the vast view. And like scaling a mountain, scaling a business comes with risk. With careful planning, a clear vision and outcome, good equipment, a strong team, excellent guides, and a willingness to take calculated risks, you can successfully scale your business and achieve your business performance goals.   Let’s talk about how to effectively scale your business by booking a meeting or emailing me directly. [email protected]  FAQ: (written by Penn of Sintra.ai) Q1: What does it mean to scale a business—and why is it important right now? A1: Scaling means increasing revenue without a proportional increase in costs—growing organically while protecting profitability and performance. It matters because scaling is how you stay ahead of competitors and offer more value to customers. In today’s environment, scaling also includes the ability to scale down intelligently if demand declines or conditions shift—protecting resilience, cash, and long-term viability. Q2: Why is scaling often compared to climbing a mountain? A2: Because both require perseverance, preparation, calculated risk-taking, and performance management. The terrain is unpredictable—competitive pressure, market shifts, and team fatigue can derail progress. Success depends on having a clear destination, the right route, the right gear, and the discipline to monitor progress and adjust. Q3: What are seven success factors for scaling confidently? A3: Set a clear outcome: Define a measurable, achievable outcome that mobilizes the organization. Assess the terrain: Research the market, competitors, and ecosystem conditions before expanding. Assemble the right team and skills: Hire, partner, and build networks aligned to the scaling outcome; leverage board expertise as “guides and sherpas.” Develop a plan: Create a detailed scaling plan with contingencies for obstacles and setbacks. Take calculated risks: Use data to weigh benefits versus risks and make informed bets. Establish performance targets and monitor progress: Set milestones, track progress, and adjust course as needed. Stay focused: Build from core strengths; avoid trying to scale too many initiatives at once. Q4: What three factors help you avoid the “mountain rescue” scenario when scaling? A4: Plan and preparation: A scaling plan is distinct from a traditional business plan; it focuses on the next phase—growth and expansion—using strategies and tactics to optimize and extend what already works, with scenario planning built in. Gear and equipment (technology, processes, systems): Invest where it will streamline work, improve efficiency, and increase insight. Three foundational technologies often include: CRM to manage customer/prospect interactions and improve engagement Cloud computing to scale infrastructure up or down quickly and reduce IT burden Marketing automation to scale nurture, email, and campaign execution Guides and sherpas: Your board (and other experienced advisors) provides route guidance, risk identification, talent counsel, and accountability—helping you avoid treacherous terrain and stay on course. Q5: What KPI most determines whether scaling efforts succeed? A5: Product adoption. Scaling depends on how well your solutions are adopted in the market. Rapid adoption fuels revenue and reinvestment, increases brand recognition and market share, and creates economies of scale that improve efficiency and profitability. Without adoption, scaling stalls—regardless of how strong the plan or technology stack appears. Q6: What is the core takeaway for leaders? A6: Scaling is a disciplined climb. Define the outcome, assess the terrain, build the right team, create a scaling plan with contingencies, invest in the right “gear,” leverage experienced guides, and manage performance like a GPS. Above all, prioritize product adoption—because it is the foundation that makes scaling financially possible.

If you’re like many of our customers, you compete every day to find new customers, and keep and grow the value of your existing customers. Welcome to What’s Your Edge? – a series of VisionEdge Marketing podcasts dedicated to helping you use data, analytics, process, and measurement to create a competitive edge for you and a superior customer experience. This is Laura Patterson and in this episode, we will leverage learnings from the movie industry to help ensure that your organization’s products and services (solutions) succeed and enable growth, or in the vernacular of the movie industry achieve blockbuster status. Let’s begin with a story. Very early in my 14-year career at Motorola, I participated in a management development program (MDP) under the auspices of Gary Daniels, who at that time ran the Microcontroller Division.  Over the years, you’ve probably heard me mention Gary and how much I admired his leadership and appreciated his mentorship.  Something you may not know is that his father ran a movie theater. In one of our first MDP meetings he asked this rhetorical question, “how do you get people to come to your movie theater?” He didn’t wait for a reply, he said, “show a film people want to see.”  His follow up question was, “how do you get them to come back?” He said, “make sure their experience met and exceeded their expectations, from the bathrooms to the concession stand, to the lighting, and so on.” The movie industry, like the microcontroller industry, and very likely your industry, is a competitive and constantly evolving landscape. To succeed, movie theaters need the studios to produce high-quality content that is in line with what audiences want to see. This same concept applies to organizations of all kinds. To achieve blockbuster status, you need your product and service development teams to create solutions customers want and the service quality to boost customer experience and keep them coming back for more. Use Data to Make Sure You Don’t Produce a Flop How do you decide on the right solution concept, deliver it the way customers want, with the right services wrapped around it? You decide with data. Movie studios conduct extensive market and customer research to gain insights into audience trends. Movie producers use the data to determine what types of movies to make and which audience segments are most likely to pay to see it. While not every movie is a blockbuster and some may flop, this is a critical step in the movie production process. Buy Your Best-Practices Workbook Organizations must do the same. Armed with customer and market research you are more likely to understand your prospective customers and develop solutions that meet their needs. It’s not enough to simply create a solution and hope that people will use it. You need to be proactive and understand what your customers want and what will make them choose your offering over alternatives. Yes, you might get lucky without the data.  And while data won’t guarantee market success, if your offer doesn’t solve your customers’ problem(s) or enable them to capitalize on an opportunity, the solution will be a flop. This is why it’s important to make the investment to understand your customers and what they want from your product or service. This is a good start, but there’s more to making a blockbuster hit. 5 Ways to Succeed at the Customer-Centricity Box Office When it comes to making a successful movie, tips abound. Let’s walk through five customer-centric tips for being successful in the movie business that are just as applicable to every organization. Tastes change. Markets evolve. Stay relevant. In writer Cameron Crowe’s conversation with legendary film maker, Billy Wilder, he recounted this statement by Billy: “audiences are fickle.” As a result, the movie industry is continuously adapting and evolving in order to stay relevant.  The same applies to every industry. Very likely your market is always in flux.  It is vital to continuously innovate and improve solutions to remain relevant to your customers, provide customer satisfaction, and ideally stay ahead of the competition. Brand matters. Consider this, 97% of independent feature films fail to turn a profit. Having brand recognition inherently gives the “big-six” film studios: Disney, 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros, NBCUniversal, Sony Pictures, and Paramount Pictures a competitive advantage over other studios. The films backed by these brands tend to have greater success in terms of profit. This is why every organization needs to take creating and investing in a brand seriously. A strong recognizable brand that delivers on the customer promise enables an organization to stand out from the competition. This includes elements such as having a clear and consistent brand message, value proposition, a recognizable logo and visual identity, and a strong online presence. Research suggests that having a recognizable brand increases the perceived value of your products and provides a platform for the introduction of new solutions. People prefer the familiar. The mere exposure or familiarity effect refers to the phenomenon by which people tend to develop a preference for things or people that are familiar to them. Research has shown that repeated exposure increases familiarity. This explains why the movie industry tends to produce sequels and remakes. These films are often popular because they’re familiar and easy to market. This is why it’s smart business to invest in creating familiarity for your organization, brand, and solutions. This is one reason why organizations invest in solution line extensions and capitalize on customer experience. While there may be some variation, it is part of a familiar line that suggests a safe choice. Of course, new and innovative offers are important as well and crucial to keeping customers interested and customer satisfaction high. Building it isn’t enough. “If you build it, they will come”, sounded great in Field of Dreams, but it has not proven to be true when it comes to solution market success.  Most research suggests that it rarely works. In the movie industry, a film’s success depends highly on its marketing and promotion. The same is true for your organization. No matter how great your product or service is, if you don’t effectively market and promote it, it won’t reach its full potential. This is why it’s essential to have a well-thought-out Go-to-Market strategy and growth plan. It must be easy to get a seat. Deciding what movie or solutions to make, then producing and marketing it is just the beginning.  Movie studios must have a strong distribution network so audiences can see the film whether from the comfort of their living room or a seat in the movie house.  Your organization needs a way to reach your customers and build customer experience. Whether you’re selling your solution online, through a retailer or reseller, or via direct agents or salespeople, you must have a reliable and efficient system in place that ensures your product is easily accessible to customers, therefore stabilizing customer satisfaction. Easy is the operative word in today’s competitive environment. Prioritize Service Quality for Improving Customer Retention and Lifetime Value We cannot leave this episode without addressing the second question posed by Gary, securing repeat business from customers.  Making it easy is one critical factor. The other is service quality. Service quality plays a key role in ensuring customer satisfaction and loyalty, both in the movie industry and in your organization. Gary’s father knew that movie theater customers expected a clean, comfortable, and enjoyable experience. He understood that the quality of service greatly impacts the customer’s decision to return. This includes factors such as the friendliness and professionalism of staff, the speed and efficiency of the concessions stand, and the overall atmosphere of the theater. The same is true for every organization. The quality of service you provide greatly influences whether a customer will return and continue to do business with you. Customers expect prompt and effective solutions to their problems, knowledgeable and helpful customer service representatives, and a positive overall experience. Failing to meet these expectations can lead to negative reviews, decreased customer satisfaction, and a decrease in repeat business. Therefore, prioritize service quality and continuously strive to improve it, to retain your customers, grow customer lifetime value, and increase customer satisfaction. What Will You Measure to Recognize Box Office Success? Our episode wouldn’t be complete without touching on the subject of measurement. Measuring the success is essential for both the movie industry and businesses to understand performance and identify areas for improvement. In the movie industry, box office revenue and audience reception are two key measures of a film’s success. The box office revenue provides a financial measure, while audience reception, such as movie reviews and ratings, are non-financial measures that give an indication of how well the film was received by audiences. For movie theaters, measures include seat occupancy, concession sales, and customer satisfaction. There are variety of success measures for any organization and its solution, such as adoption, market share, category ownership, share of wallet, and customer lifetime value along with win/loss ratio, referral rate, and overall revenue and profitability. How your organization will declare success impacts which measures matter and are worthy to include in your performance management dashboard. Circling back to Gary’s point, whether it’s a movie or a semiconductor, having a product or service that customers want and use is the first key to producing a blockbuster. Just as movie studios must produce high-quality content that is in line with audience trends, every organization must understand their target market and develop solutions that meet their needs. Continuously innovating, having a strong brand that delivers on the promise, and effective Marketing and Sales are all key success components. By following these principles, your organization can increase its chances of market success and ensure your solutions are adopted and achieve blockbuster status and a category leader, or in the case of Motorola microcontrollers, becomes industry standards and category owners. Want more information on how to make your solution a star? FAQ: (written by Penn of Sintra.ai) Q1: What does “blockbuster status” mean for a business solution? A1: It means your products and services (solutions) achieve market success—driving adoption, growth, and repeat business—because customers want them and the experience meets or exceeds expectations. The movie industry analogy is useful: studios must produce content audiences will pay to see, and theaters must deliver a high-quality experience that brings customers back. In business, the parallel is solution-market fit plus service quality and accessibility. Q2: How do you avoid producing a “flop” solution? A2: Decide with data, not hope. Movie studios conduct market and audience research to understand trends and segment preferences before investing in production. Organizations must do the same: use customer and market research to validate needs, problems, and opportunity areas—then design solutions that solve those problems better than alternatives. Data does not guarantee success, but without it, you increase the probability of building something customers will not adopt. Q3: What are five “box office” lessons for customer-centric growth that apply to any organization? A3: Tastes change—stay relevant: Markets evolve; continuous innovation and improvement are required to remain valuable to customers. Brand matters: Recognizable brands reduce perceived risk and increase perceived value, making it easier to introduce and scale new solutions. People prefer the familiar: Familiarity drives preference; repeated exposure builds comfort and adoption—supporting line extensions, consistent experiences, and trust. Building it isn’t enough: Solution success depends heavily on marketing, promotion, and a disciplined go-to-market strategy—not just product quality. It must be easy to get a seat: Distribution and accessibility matter. Customers must be able to find, buy, implement, and use your solution with minimal friction. Q4: Why is service quality essential for retention and customer lifetime value? A4: Because repeat business depends on experience, not just the offer. Just as theater customers judge cleanliness, staff, speed, and atmosphere, business customers judge responsiveness, professionalism, problem resolution, and overall ease. Poor service quality leads to negative reviews, reduced satisfaction, and lower retention—directly eroding lifetime value. Q5: What should you measure to know whether your solution is a “hit”? A5: Define success first, then measure accordingly. The movie industry uses box office revenue (financial) and audience reception (non-financial). Businesses can use measures such as adoption, market share, category ownership, share of wallet, customer lifetime value, win/loss ratio, referral rate, revenue, and profitability. These measures should be reflected in your performance management dashboard so you can monitor performance and improve outcomes. Q6: What is the core takeaway for leaders? A6: Blockbusters are engineered, not wished into existence. Use data to validate what customers want, invest in brand and familiarity, execute a strong go-to-market plan, make access effortless, and prioritize service quality. Then measure what matters so you can improve performance and increase the odds your solutions become category leaders.

Performance management serves essentially as your business GPS for navigating growth. By tracking, evaluating, and reviewing performance along the way, your business can: identify areas for growth and development, foster a culture of measurement and accountability, and facilitate alignment between the organization’s customer-centric business outcomes and your various functions objectives.   So, what exactly is performance management?  Performance management provides a method for assessing how well your company meets specific growth goals and achieves critical path milestones. It encompasses the process your organization uses to motivate, measure, and develop the performance of the organization overall, teams or departments within the organization, and an employee’s individual job performance. It is a hallmark of a high-performance-oriented culture.   Purchase Your Assessment Implementing a performance management strategy might seem so obvious it would be hard to imagine any company lacking one. Yet, a Deloitte study shows that only 8% of companies believe their performance management process is highly effective in driving business value and 58% say it’s not an effective use of time.   Let’s explore how performance management works as the GPS for your business. Just as a GPS helps you navigate to your destination; it provides valuable information and guidance to help your business reach its goals. By regularly tracking and evaluating performance, you can calculate the best route to achieve results, revise performance targets, and make smarter data-driven decisions. Just like a GPS, performance management serves as an essential tool for businesses that want to stay on course and reach their destination, quickly, cost-effectively, and safely. Like GPS, to chart a route to reach your destination you need to know three things: how to use it, where you are at the moment, and where you need to go.   Deploying a successful business performance management strategy and process entails more than implementing an employee performance review process.  Business performance management is not a talent management function. A major tenet of a good business performance management plan is a consistent focus on strategic goals and progress. In this context, performance management is a leadership function. Developing a strong business performance management strategy and implementing a plan takes a lot of effort. When properly implemented it is a time-worthy investment for every business leader who has growth as a priority. What are the 3 Most Valuable Benefits of Performance Management?  Performance management delivers many business benefits. These three are among the most valuable, it provides: Navigation for improvement. First and foremost, it provides valuable insights and helps identify areas for improvement. When everyone understands how performance is measured and evaluated, they are more likely to take ownership of their work and strive to improve. This can lead to increased engagement and productivity, which ultimately leads to better business outcomes. As with any navigation tool, especially with GPS, performance management offers guidance into faster ways and ideally more effective ways to move forward, and when necessary, alternative approaches that may require course corrections.   A guide for accountability. Measurement is a crucial aspect of performance management. Just like a GPS provides regular updates on your progress to your destination and alerts you when you need to adjust, defining and using the relevant measures of success can help you stay on track and avoid potential pitfalls.  Facilitation of course alignment: It helps businesses align their activities with their goals and objectives. By regularly tracking and evaluating performance, businesses can ensure that their efforts are focused on the areas that are most important and that they are making progress toward their goals. Just like a GPS helps you avoid detours and stay on the most efficient route; performance management can help your business stay focused and avoid wasting time and resources on activities that are not aligned with your goals. This can help to increase efficiency and ensure that the business is moving in the right direction to grow.   5 Routes to Better Performance Management and Accountability  Without a doubt, performance management and accountability are inextricably linked. So, how can businesses improve their performance management and accountability? Here are five routes to consider:  Start with the end in mind.  Before you can manage performance, you need to know what you’re trying to achieve. Take the time to establish clear, measurable customer-centric outcomes for your business and objectives for each business function and the associated plans or roadmaps. This is like setting your destination in a GPS – without a clear destination, it’s difficult to know which route to take.  Know what measures matter. With the data available today, measures are not the challenge.  The real challenges are selecting measures that matter and identifying the right set of relevant key performance indicators (KPIs). Once you decide on these, then, it is critical that everyone understands the measures, metrics, and KPIs and how they will be used to evaluate performance. These are like the roads and highways on a map – they provide the framework for your journey and help you track your progress.  Have a process. Implement a performance management process and system. A performance management system is a tool that is used to track and evaluate performance. There are many different performance management systems available, so choose one that is tailored to your business needs. Inevitably you will want a performance management dashboard. This is like the GPS device itself – it provides the technology and tools you need to track and evaluate your performance.  Monitor and adjust. Things happen on the road. Performance management is an ongoing process, so it’s important to regularly review and adjust your processes to ensure that they remain effective. Use your performance management dashboard to monitor the data that you are collecting and provide insights from the data being collected to improve the accuracy and relevance of your performance measurements. Just like a GPS provides regular updates and adjusts its route based on current traffic and road conditions, your performance management processes should be flexible and adaptable.  Provide regular feedback and support to employees. Performance management is about more than tracking and evaluating data – it’s about business success. To succeed, your teams and people need feedback about the business and their performance. Regularly communicate with your team leaders, employees and even critical suppliers about their contribution and progress and provide them with the resources and support they need to improve. Just like a GPS provides regular updates on your progress and alerts you when you need to make adjustments, regular feedback and support can help your team stay on track and reach their full potential.  By following these 5 routes, you will reap the 3 most valuable benefits of performance management, improve accountability, and successfully arrive at your ultimate destination – growth.  We hope you found this episode of What’s Your Edge? helpful. What’s Your Edge? is the creation of VisionEdge Marketing. VisionEdge Marketing, founded in 1999, helps our customers solve the most difficult challenges when it comes to using data, analytics, process, and measurement to accelerate growth, create customer value, and improve performance. We always welcome hearing from you.  FAQ: (written by Penn of Sintra.ai) Q1: What is performance management in a business context? A1: Performance management is the method your organization uses to assess how well it achieves growth goals and critical milestones. It includes the processes used to motivate, measure, and develop performance at three levels: the organization overall, teams/functions, and individual roles. Done well, it is a hallmark of a high-performance culture—and it functions as a leadership discipline, not merely an HR activity. Q2: Why do you describe performance management as the “GPS” for business growth? A2: Because it helps you navigate to a destination. Like a GPS, performance management provides ongoing visibility into where you are, whether you are on track, and what adjustments are required to reach your goals efficiently and safely. It enables leaders to evaluate progress, revise targets when conditions change, and make smarter data-driven decisions—rather than operating on assumptions or lagging outcomes alone. Q3: Isn’t performance management just employee performance reviews? A3: No. Employee reviews may be one component, but business performance management is not a talent management function. It is a leadership function anchored in strategic goals, customer-centric outcomes, and measurable progress. The objective is organizational performance and growth—not simply individual evaluation. Q4: What are the three most valuable benefits of performance management? A4: Navigation for improvement: It identifies where performance is strong, where it is weak, and where improvement will yield the greatest impact—driving engagement and productivity through clarity. A guide for accountability: It establishes relevant measures and regular review, helping leaders detect issues early and make timely course corrections. Facilitation of course alignment: It aligns activities and investments to goals, preventing detours and reducing waste on work that is not tied to outcomes. Q5: Why do so many companies struggle with performance management effectiveness? A5: Because many organizations treat it as a compliance activity rather than an operating system for growth. A Deloitte study highlights the gap: only 8% of companies believe their performance management process is highly effective in driving business value, and 58% say it is not an effective use of time. The problem is rarely the intent—it is the lack of clear outcomes, meaningful measures, and a disciplined operating cadence. Q6: What are five practical routes to better performance management and accountability? A6: Start with the end in mind: Define clear, measurable, customer-centric outcomes and functional objectives—your destination. Know what measures matter: Select the KPIs that truly indicate progress and ensure shared understanding of how they will be used. Have a process and system: Implement a performance management process supported by tools—often a dashboard—to track and evaluate performance. Monitor and adjust: Review performance regularly, derive insights, and update measures and targets as conditions change. Provide regular feedback and support: Communicate progress and expectations, and equip teams with the resources needed to improve. Q7: What is the core takeaway for leaders? A7: If growth is a priority, performance management is not optional—and it is not an HR exercise. Treat it as your business GPS: define the destination, choose the right measures, build the dashboard and cadence, and use it to drive accountability, alignment, and continuous improvement.

How do you plan for and predict what’s going to happen in the near future? Predicting what’s next and planning for it takes more than the ability to read the tea leaves, AKA experience, emotion, gut, and intuition. Instead, look for trends and patterns in your data. You don’t need to be a sophisticated data scientist to derive solid insights from data and make data-driven decisions. So, grab your favorite cup of tea, and let’s talk about what you need to look for in your data to inform decisions and guide your planning.    Purchase Your Assessment To begin, good planning is based on decisions made from a variety of data points. The first place to start is to identify accessible data, from both external and internal sources. For example:  Market and economic data, such as the consumer confidence index and the labor participation rate, are examples of external and provide some informative signals and directional indicators. Data specific to your industry, geography, and that of the customers you serve also provides valuable external data points. Customer data, such as purchasing frequency or referral rates, and your financial data, such as booking trends and your win/loss ratio provides valuable internal data points.   Once you know what data you have, determine if you have any data gaps. Explore how to close those gaps that will be essential to your decision-making. Conducting primary and secondary research are among key methods often used to close gaps. Now you’re ready for the next step: deriving data trends and patterns, including patterns that may not be obvious.  2 Keys to Better Decisions: Data Trends and Data Patterns  In the realm of data science, data trends and patterns refer to two different phenomena and both are important to data-derived insights. Let’s synch our terms for each of these.  First, data trends. A data trend indicates a general direction. Examples of trends include unemployment rates, housing starts, and commercial building permits. In your business, it might be the adoption of your new product or customer engagement. Trends are generally displayed in trend lines that indicate the direction of the trend: up, flat, or down, over some time period.    How might you use trend data for decision-making? If, for example, you know that over the past few years your organization has had higher win rates among customers in Segment 1 versus Segment 2, you would plan your resources accordingly. This trend might guide your planning regarding the number of product sales and/or customer service personnel you will hire, a particular skill set for your professional services team, more resources in a particular geography, or an investment in a special type of equipment.  Second, data patterns. A data pattern suggests a repeatable occurrence. An example of patterns might be customers in Segment 1 tend to buy before year-end whereas customers in Segment 2 tend to buy in the spring.  Or companies on Platform X tend to prefer features A and B, and services like C whereas companies on Platform Y tend to prefer features B and D, and services like E.   How might you use data patterns for decision-making? Data patterns help you with the likelihood something will occur, such as how likely Platform X type customers might respond to an offer with feature Z and with service E.  By combining data trends and data patterns you gain insight into a trend for a pattern that supports the ability to answer critical questions, therefore prompting growth. For example, are Segment 1 customers on Platform X on an upward buying trend?  If they are, what does that mean for our business?   This is the primary purpose of both of these types of analysis – helping you make decisions to support future-forward planning.  Tea is Good, but Data Trends and Patterns are Better for Planning   Decision-making facilitates the selection of a course of action that is then transformed into a plan to achieve the desired future state. From this perspective, decision-making is at the core of planning. A plan can only be created or implemented once you have made key data-driven decisions.   While Frances Hardinge said, “Tea is the magic key to the vault where my brain is kept,” for most of us, data is the key to the vault for better decision-making.   Consider how you might use the combined power of trends and patterns to answer these questions and make better business and growth decisions about:  Which customers to target? Acquire? Retain?  What touch points appear to better engage new and existing customers?  Which markets should we pursue and invest in, and which should we avoid?   Which solutions should we develop and are there solutions we should sunset?    What processes enable us to be more effective and efficient, and which are bogging us down?  What’s the Bottom Line on the Benefits of Data-Driven Insights?  The data-driven decisions you make based on data-derived insights and answers to questions like these, impact the plan you develop. The challenge is to discern trends and patterns in your data that enable you to make the right decisions and use them to develop a plan that creates a stronger competitive advantage, fosters more customer centricity, and ultimately achieves greater profitability and growth.   An expert soothsayer does more than read the tea leaves for someone, they also bring their own experience and insights. They know what to do with the tea leaves.  Expert data scientists know what to do with the data, how to interpret it, and make sense of it for the people who need it to make data-driven decisions.     We hope you found this episode of What’s Your Edge? helpful. What’s Your Edge? is the creation of VisionEdge Marketing. VisionEdge Marketing, founded in 1999, helps our customers solve the most difficult challenges when it comes to using data, analytics, process, and measurement to accelerate growth, create customer value, and improve performance. We always welcome hearing from you.    FAQ: (written by Penn of Sintra.ai) Q1: How do you plan for and predict what will happen in the near future—without relying on gut and intuition? A1: Use data to replace “reading the tea leaves” with evidence-based planning. You do not need to be a sophisticated data scientist to do this. Start by identifying the internal and external data you can access, close critical data gaps, and then look for trends and patterns that can inform decisions. Planning is downstream of decision-making—and decision-making improves when it is grounded in data-derived insights. Q2: What data should you use first to inform planning decisions? A2: Begin with accessible data from both external and internal sources: External data: market and economic signals (e.g., consumer confidence, labor participation), plus industry- and geography-specific indicators relevant to your customers. Internal data: customer behavior (purchase frequency, referrals, engagement), and business performance data (booking trends, win/loss ratio). Once you inventory what you have, identify data gaps and determine how to close them—often through primary and secondary research. Q3: What is the difference between a data trend and a data pattern? A3: They are related but distinct: Data trends indicate a general direction over time (up, flat, down). Examples include adoption rates, engagement levels, or win-rate movement by segment. Trends help you allocate resources and plan capacity based on directional movement. Data patterns indicate a repeatable occurrence (a predictable “when” or “what”). Examples include seasonal buying behavior by segment, or consistent feature/service preferences by platform type. Patterns help you estimate the likelihood of a specific behavior or response. Q4: How do trends guide planning in practical terms? A4: Trends help you make resourcing and investment decisions. For example, if Segment 1 consistently produces higher win rates than Segment 2, you might allocate more sales coverage, customer success capacity, professional services skills, geographic investment, or equipment toward Segment 1—because the trend suggests higher probability of return. Q5: How do patterns improve decision-making? A5: Patterns help you anticipate what is likely to happen and design more effective offers and experiences. For example, if Platform X customers repeatedly prefer features A and B and service C, you can tailor packaging, messaging, enablement, and offers accordingly—and better predict response to a new feature or service combination. Q6: Why is combining trends and patterns more powerful than using either alone? A6: Because it helps you answer higher-value questions about what is changing and what is repeatable. For example: Are Segment 1 customers on Platform X on an upward buying trend? If so, what does that imply for our growth plan? This blend supports future-forward decisions rather than backward-looking reporting. Q7: What kinds of planning decisions can trends and patterns help you make? A7: They can inform decisions about: Which customers to target, acquire, and retain Which touchpoints best engage prospects and customers Which markets to pursue or avoid Which solutions to develop or sunset Which processes enable effectiveness—and which create drag Q8: What is the bottom-line benefit of using trends and patterns for planning? A8: Better decisions produce better plans. Data-derived insights help you build a plan that strengthens competitive advantage, improves customer-centricity, and increases profitability and growth—especially when uncertainty makes intuition less reliable.

This episode of What’s Your Edge? explores the importance of having enough resources to achieve your growth strategies, performance target and KPIs. Over the past few weeks, I’ve talked with several customers who were disappointed with the results of their current growth strategies, programs, and tactics.  In each instance, a key challenge was having enough wood behind the arrow. Here’s a snapshot of the challenges faced by three of these customers. Perhaps one of these scenarios will resonate with your experience. Here are the focal points of these conversations:   Leveraging events to create conversations with new customers.    Implementing a land and expand strategy that was dependent upon existing customer referrals and introductions.    Planning an integrated initiative comprised of email, press and influencer outreach, and advertising on LinkedIn to support the launch and adoption of a new product.    While the challenges faced were experienced by different-sized companies in different industries, all three examples had one thing in common, they didn’t have what we refer to as enough wood behind the arrow. Buy Your Best-Practices Workbook Are Your Growth Strategies in Jeopardy of Missing the Target? What does “not having enough wood behind the arrow” mean?  It reflects whether the arrow has the necessary weight. The weight of an arrow helps determine its speed, drop rate, and target penetration. An arrow with no, or too little, wood behind it goes nowhere and will never reach the target.  This is also true of growth strategies.   Without enough tactics and associated activities and resources behind a strategy, the success of the strategy is in jeopardy. In each of these examples, there was not enough weight in terms of tactics and activities and associated resources to maximize performance for the strategy.  A Practical Case Story that Brings the Metaphor to Life  Let’s delve a little deeper into the first example to illustrate the point.  Here are a few details to provide context to their challenge of leveraging events to create conversations with new customers:  Performance target (KPIs). The Sales and Marketing teams calculated that there would be 1500 people at the event that met their target prospect criteria. Their performance target was that 10% of these qualified prospects (150) would follow up on an email, with 10% of these (15) accepting a meeting, with a goal of five qualified prospect conversations per event day.  Tactics. The company had access to a list of prospective event attendees along with a list of potential prospects created by their partners and internal sales team.  This list included names, titles, company, email and LinkedIn addresses, and phone numbers. Activities. They executed two activities. A few weeks in advance of the event, Marketing sent an email from a key member of the leadership team that would be attending the event asking for a “meet up” at the event.  Each sales representative also sent a personalized email to their contact list, with the same request.  Results. Every one of the target KPIs fell short. There were only 5 meetings.  When probing further, it turned out that only about 20 people responded to the email. The email sent on behalf of the leadership team member had an open rate of 1% (15 people) with a 5% click-thru rate.  Debrief. They reached out to us to do a debrief to understand how they could improve. While the open and click-thru rates suggest the subject lines and calls-to-action (CTA), needed improvement; the real issue was that they needed more weight behind their arrow. Here’s why. The average person receives over 120 emails per day.  People are in meetings, out of the office, or engaged with their own deadlines. The odds of one email being received, opened, and answered, are low. The same applies to the email sent by the Sales team.   Conclusion: They needed more wood behind their arrow, e.g., by sending more emails and connecting via other relevant touchpoints   Helpful Ideas so You Don’t Miss New Conversations Performance Targets  What might more wood have looked like in this scenario? It is our experience that it takes at least 3-4 emails to hear back from a warm prospect. A HubSpot statistic suggests that it takes an average of 18 touches to actually connect with a prospect.  For the program associated with this growth strategy, they needed to augment their email marketing with additional tactics. For example, in addition to sending more emails, they could have done outreach via LinkedIn, partners’ contacts, phone calls by sales representatives, and posts on LinkedIn. More arrows with more weight.  Understand the Arrow Weight to Growth Strategy Relationship  Arrows come in three weight categories: light, midweight and heavy. Lighter arrows fly faster and can group more tightly, but they’re often harder to tune. Heavier arrows fly slower but resist wind better and penetrate deeper.   The same can be said of growth strategies. Some strategies can be light in weight, for example, strategies that entail selling existing products/services to existing customers.  Ideally, familiarity and trust have already been established, so there is less wind/resistance, or in the business world, noise, and competition.   Strategies that entail penetrating new markets or connecting with prospects who do not know you with new products or services, face more resistance and potentially more competition.  These strategies will need heavier arrows and most likely more of them.   Just as it is essential to be able to calculate your arrow’s weight to ensure you’re shooting the right setup for your bow, the same is true for calculating the weight to support your strategy. When it comes to arrows, grains per inch (GPI) is the industry standard for measuring arrow weights. An arrow’s GPI determines the arrow shaft’s weight. It includes the arrow’s length, diameter, wall thickness, and shaft material.   While such a metric doesn’t exist in the business world, we can borrow the concept.  Growth strategies are intended to increase market and customer share, product/service adoption rates, brand equity, and customer lifetime value. These serve as valuable key performance indicators (KPIs). Make sure you have the weight needed for your strategy to achieve the KPIs you set.      Achieving Your Growth Strategy Goals Requires More than Wood  It takes more than effort to have enough wood behind the arrow for any strategy to succeed. A strategy without the right tactics and associated activities and resources to support execution will very likely miss the performance target. To ensure your arrows reach and penetrate the target and KPIs, start with a well-crafted customer-centric measurable growth plan.   We hope you found this episode of What’s Your Edge? helpful. What’s Your Edge? is the creation of VisionEdge Marketing. VisionEdge Marketing, founded in 1999, helps our customers solve the most difficult challenges when it comes to using data, analytics, process, and measurement to accelerate growth, create customer value, and improve performance. We always welcome hearing from you.    FAQ: (written by Penn of Sintra.ai) Q1: What does “wood behind the arrow” mean in the context of growth strategy execution? A1: It’s a metaphor for having enough tactical weight and resources behind a strategy to reach and penetrate the performance target. Just as an arrow with too little weight won’t travel far or hit the target, a growth strategy without sufficient tactics, activities, and capacity is unlikely to achieve its KPIs—regardless of how sound the strategy looks on paper. Q2: What kinds of growth initiatives commonly suffer from “not enough wood behind the arrow”? A2: The pattern shows up across industries and company sizes, especially in initiatives such as: Leveraging events to generate new customer conversations Land-and-expand strategies dependent on referrals and introductions Integrated launch initiatives combining email, PR, influencer outreach, and LinkedIn advertising to drive adoption The common failure point is not intent—it’s insufficient execution weight relative to the resistance the strategy faces. Q3: How can you tell if your growth strategy is in jeopardy of missing the target? A3: When performance targets assume optimistic conversion rates but the program includes too few touches, channels, or follow-through activities to realistically produce those conversions. If the plan relies on one or two actions (e.g., a single email) to generate high-value outcomes (e.g., meetings and qualified conversations), the arrow is almost always too light. Q4: What did the event example reveal about why KPIs fell short? A4: The company had clear KPIs and a qualified attendee list, but executed only two activities: one leadership email and one sales rep email. Results were far below target (only five meetings). While subject lines and CTAs likely contributed, the deeper issue was that one email is rarely enough to break through noise—especially when prospects receive well over 100 emails per day and are distracted by meetings and deadlines. Q5: What does “more wood” look like in practical terms? A5: More wood means more touches across more relevant channels, not just more effort. In this scenario, it could have included: 3–4 email touches to warm prospects LinkedIn connection requests and direct outreach Partner-enabled introductions and outreach to partner lists Sales phone calls or voicemail drops LinkedIn posts before and during the event The point is to increase both repetition and reach—more arrows, with more weight. Q6: How does “arrow weight” relate to the type of growth strategy you’re pursuing? A6: Strategies face different levels of resistance (“wind”). Lightweight strategies (e.g., selling existing offerings to existing customers) often require fewer touches because trust and familiarity reduce friction. Heavyweight strategies (e.g., entering new markets, selling new offerings, targeting prospects who don’t know you) face more noise, competition, and skepticism—so they require heavier arrows and usually more of them. Q7: What is the core takeaway for leaders planning growth programs? A7: A strategy is only as strong as the execution weight behind it. If the tactics, activities, and resources don’t match the resistance the strategy will face, the program will miss its KPIs. Start with a customer-centric, measurable growth plan—and then ensure you have enough “wood behind the arrow” to reach the target.

It seems like there’s a downpour of gloomy economic news. That’s the only way to frame the most recent headlines such as “Stocks sink as investors wait for the Fed’s rate hike”; “Climbing Housing Costs Could Prop Up Inflation for a While”; “Surveys of households and business leaders point to a lukewarm U.S. economy.” Adverse market conditions call for being an instrument flight rule rated pilot and that’s the focus on this episode. In aviation, when the weather turns stormy, you need to use instrument flight rules (IFR). Current conditions suggest it’s to take this advice so you can pilot your business through the current storm. In the business world, planning, customer-centric processes and insights from data reflects instrument flying.  Flying a plane or running a business is hard. Both take skills and practice. Flying is even harder when the weather gets rough. Or in our case, when the economic environment becomes gloomy. Developing a customer-centric data-to-insights culture, creating a growth plan, employing performance management processes, and creating and leveraging a customer advisory board, will begin to give your organization the necessary instrument flying skills.  For those of us who have pilots for family or friends, you’re probably familiar with the terms visual flight and instrument flight rules. If you’re not, here’s a brief explanation. Visual Flight Rules (VFR) refer to flying the aircraft as it was intended in nice and clear weather. Visual flying means the pilot primarily controls and navigates the aircraft using outside visual references. Instrument Flight Rules) apply in adverse weather conditions, such as clouds, heavy precipitation, and low visibility. Instrument flying means that the aircraft is flown using only the instruments with no visual references to the outside world. When Do Market and Customer Conditions Call for Instrument Flying? Visual flight rules and instrument flight rules are about more than the weather. Under VFR there are certain guidelines around weather and airspace. Under visual flight rules, pilots can choose which rules are best suited for them. Pilots are skilled at reading visual cues correctly. When the weather is good and you can see the horizon, you can rely on your eyes and the instruments. This is true for business leaders as well. Like the leadership team in any organization, piloting your company under VFR means you decide the best course of action based on what you can see and how skilled at reading market, customer, and competitor cues. You can choose to pilot by experience, instinct, or by deriving insights from data. Visual flight rules mean a pilot can fly pretty much anywhere they like, so long as they avoid controlled airspace, abide by cloud clearance requirements, stay out of the clouds, and avoid bad weather situations. Like the VFR pilot, however, there comes a point when as a pilot you want to enter controlled airspace with higher density, fast-moving traffic, fly cross-country or travel in new parts of the world. For businesses, this represents the opportunity to enter new markets, where the organization has less expertise and information. Instrument flying is required when looking for new growth opportunities or the market environment is uncertain .  Instrument flying is the complete opposite—everything a pilot does is planned in advance and approved by air traffic controllers. The pilot must file an IFR flight plan—and what’s more, the pilot must receive permission to do absolutely everything.  In the business world, we live in the age of the empowered customer, and customers are your organization’s air traffic controllers. Bringing your A-Game to empowered customers takes a customer-centricity framework, processes, and best practices.  Listening to customers becomes critical to surviving and thriving in adverse conditions. One way to improve your customer listening skills is to establish and operate a customer advisory board. Well-implemented customer advisory and technical advisory boards provide strategic insight and feedback to help you understand the issues driving customers’ and prospects’ business requirements and decisions.  Buy Your Best-Practices Workbook Why Every Business Leader Should Become an Instrument Flight Rated Pilot We can compare the criteria for deciding whether to use visual or instrument flying rules to how we pilot our business. At a minimum to fly a plane, to hold a private pilot’s license, a pilot needs to be visual flight rule rated. This training entails learning how to use landmarks, highways, bodies of water, and so on as visual references. VFR- rated pilots learn how to look out for other aircraft. They can be flexible and are not required to file a flight plan, although it is highly recommended. Executives are business pilots They are always on the lookout for competitor or customer issues, so they can see and avoid them. Just as pilots file a flight plan, we highly recommend that every organization have a strategic growth plan. VFR pilots have altitude and flight level constraints and are dependent upon the weather. Any sudden changes and they are grounded. Sudden changes happen in the business world too. Whether it’s customers merging, new competitors emerging, an existing competitor with a new solution, supply chain challenges, talent or skills gaps, and so on, adverse conditions can bring your organization’s growth plan to a halt.  That’s why many pilots prefer flying under IFR all the time. IFR provides flexibility, safety, and efficiency. IFR-rated pilots fly with nothing but their instruments, their ears, and their wits. They rely on Air Traffic Control (customers in business) for communication and instructions. A flight plan is required to help ensure the pilot and crew have the fuel they need to reach their destination. In business, the flight growth plan helps ensure the organization has the resources it needs to achieve desired outcomes. Master 4 Instrument Flying Skills to Weather Any Market Condition As the pilot for your business, there are four instruments you and your team need to master:  A customer-centric culture. In its most basic terms, customer-centric means you place your customers at the center of how you operate and the decisions you make. Deriving insights from data. Data-driven decisions and analytical models help you make better informed decisions to improve growth and reduce risk – both now and in the future.  Exceptional processes. Make sure your processes drive operational excellence. Performance management. It is vital that you develop and implement a performance management framework for your organization, and in particular for your Marketing organization since it is your growth engine. These four are the business leaders’ instruments for navigating market conditions and improving decision-making. When you are IFR rated, you have developed the expertise to fly a plane in visibility that may end at the windshield. And that’s what it’s like for businesses now, it’s hard to see very far in the future to make the best decisions. Let’s talk about how you and your organization can expand your customer-centric data-to-insights culture, create a growth plan, employ performance management processes, and create and leverage a customer advisory board to give your organization the necessary instrument flying skills for any market condition.  We hope you found this episode of What’s Your Edge? Helpful. What’s Your Edge? Is the creation of VisionEdge Marketing. VisionEdge Marketing, founded in 1999, helps our customers solve the most difficult problems when it comes to using data, analytics, process and measurement to accelerate growth, create customer value, and improve performance. We always welcome hearing from you.  FAQ: (written by Penn of Sintra.ai) Q1: What does “instrument flying” mean as a metaphor for leading a business in a gloomy economy? A1: It means shifting from “flying by sight” to “flying by instruments.” In aviation, Visual Flight Rules (VFR) work in clear weather when pilots can rely on outside visual cues. Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) are required in stormy, low-visibility conditions—pilots fly using instruments, a filed plan, and air traffic control guidance. In business, IFR translates to planning, customer-centric processes, and insights from data—disciplines that help leaders navigate uncertainty when the horizon is hard to see. Q2: When do market and customer conditions require “IFR” leadership? A2: When uncertainty increases and visibility decreases—such as during adverse economic conditions, rapid competitive shifts, supply chain disruption, talent constraints, or when entering new markets where you have less experience and fewer reliable cues. In these conditions, relying primarily on instinct and what you can “see” becomes risky; you need a plan, instruments, and disciplined decision processes. Q3: Who is “air traffic control” in the business version of IFR? A3: Your customers. In the age of the empowered customer, buyers increasingly shape the rules of engagement—what they will consider, how they evaluate, and what they require to move forward. Listening becomes a survival skill, and customer feedback becomes directional guidance for where to invest, what to fix, and how to compete. Q4: Why should every business leader become “IFR rated”? A4: Because IFR provides greater safety, flexibility, and efficiency when conditions change quickly. Just as VFR pilots can be grounded by sudden weather shifts, businesses can be stalled by unexpected market events—mergers, new competitors, new solutions, inflation, supply disruptions, or changing buyer behavior. IFR-rated business leaders are prepared to operate even when visibility “ends at the windshield.” Q5: What four “instruments” must business leaders master to fly through uncertainty? A5: A customer-centric culture: Put customers at the center of decisions and operations. Insights from data: Use analytics and models to reduce risk and improve growth decisions. Exceptional processes: Build operational excellence so execution remains reliable under pressure. Performance management: Implement a framework (especially in Marketing as the growth engine) to track outcomes, diagnose drivers, and guide course corrections. Q6: How does a customer advisory board fit into the IFR model? A6: It strengthens your “communications channel” with customers. Well-run customer and technical advisory boards provide strategic insight into evolving requirements, decision criteria, and market realities—helping leaders anticipate shifts, validate assumptions, and adapt plans before uncertainty becomes disruption. Q7: What is the core takeaway for leaders facing economic storms? A7: When the environment is gloomy and unpredictable, don’t rely on visibility alone. Build IFR capability: a customer-centric culture, data-to-insights discipline, strong processes, performance management, and structured customer listening. These instruments help you pilot the business with confidence—even when you cannot see far ahead.

Well-conducted primary research can yield valuable actionable insights to guide strategic growth decisions. The quality of your insights often depends on the quality of your research, especially the research questions. Rating scales, especially Likert Scales, are common in research instruments. Composing these properly is the focus of this episode of What’s Your Edge?  Conducting primary research has been a fundamental part of my career since the late 70’s and key part of VisionEdge Marketing’s work since we began in 1999. Effective research starts with identifying survey objectives tied to business decisions. This might include research to define and validate new products that are market worthy, identify ways to improve customer experience to increase share of wallet and/or referral rates. Ideally, when the survey instrument is fielded and the responses are analyzed, the data gleaned from the answers provide actionable insights.  Buy Your Best-Practices Workbook How Great Questions are Like Great Melodies  In addition to designing and fielding the studies, our customers rely on our expertise in survey and discussion guide question development. How questions are composed is extremely important to the quality and usability of the responses. Just as a melody is critical to music. A melody, the main idea on a track, is a sequence of individual, consecutive notes or musical pitches that when combined in a particular order, create pleasing sounds. The same is true for questions used in primary research. Songwriters and composers use melodies in their music to tell stories. In the business world, we organize insights to tell an actionable story from the research we conduct. There are some common characteristics between composing good melodies and crafting good research questions, especially ranking and rating questions. Rating scales help us quantify an intangible or abstract concept.  Make Sure Your Rating Scales Produce a Good Melody  To make sure we’re singing from the same sheet of music, let’s define our terms, beginning with what a rating scale is. Rating scales, such as the Likert Scale, are a common type of survey question that uses closed questions to gain information from a respondent. Each question offers a range of choices that are constrained to a single value. Respondents choose a response from a series of statements that best reflects their position, opinions and/or feelings. For example, should you create a question that asks how likely a prospect or existing customer is to purchase a particular song, and the available responses offer a range of choices from extremely likely to extremely unlikely, you are using a rating scale. Rating scales are often used to gain actionable insight into choices around satisfaction level, degree of agreement, or recommendation likelihood. Creating a research instrument and crafting rating scales share some common elements with music, especially melodies. There are four primary elements of melody that are relevant to research instruments. The 4 Powerful Survey Elements  Intervals. By definition a melody uses more than one note, so there’ll always be at least one melodic interval. The same holds true for research instruments. There is typically more than one question related to a topic. This allows researchers to capture nuances and ensure validity and reliability. Contour. The shape and sequence of movements. For example, in an ascending contour, the notes in a melody increase in pitch. In terms of research, this would be the sequence of your questions.  Scale. Most melodies are formed from scales, which are like a bank of the specific notes used to create a melody. Results from rating scales reflect an individual’s assessment of value. When results are collected the answers form a comparative dataset to examine trends. Range. The distance between the highest and lowest note of the melody. For rating scales, the most common number of choices on the scale range are 1-5, 1-7, and 1-10, with the highest of the numbers typically reflecting a very strong preference, such as strongly agree, and the lowest number the opposite, such as strongly disagree. We’ll talk more about the range in a bit. Just like musical notes which are always read from left to right, rating scales run left to right on a horizontal axis. 1’ always represents the lowest scale end. As a participant moves to the right of the scale, the numbers increase. Let’s delve deeper into range, one of the most important elements for rating scales.  Why Extremeness Aversion Is Important When Creating Likert Scale Ranges  A great deal of research has been done around scale points. When it comes to range, go for a wider scale range. Why? Because of the concept of Extremeness Aversion. Psychologists explain extremeness aversion as the tendency for people to avoid the outmost edge or ultimate poles of a situation, preferring a compromise or middle position. A Duke University study provides a good example. Researchers asked people to go on a “virtual road trip.” As part of the exercise, participants were asked to make virtual meal choices along the way. In each meal option, participants were offered three drink choices: small, medium, and large, but the sizes of each were randomly changed throughout the trip. So, at one restaurant the small was 16 oz. and the large was 30 oz., and at another restaurant, the small would be 24 oz. and the large would be 55 oz., and so on. Researchers found that regardless of size, participants chose the middle-sized option. Why Scales with a Middle Option Usually Fail to Provide Quality Results  This is why we strongly advise against 5-point rating scales. Most people will avoid the two endpoints (1 and 5), leaving a 3-point scale (2, 3, and 4). With a 3-point scale, participants are most likely to choose the middle option (3). Too few response options/scale points, force participants to select the next best alternative which introduces a measurement error. Additionally, the analysis of a series of 3 from most of your participants will generally yield little to no actionable insights. What about using 7- or 10-point scales? Some researchers argue that 7-point response scales are the maximum number that an individual can process. But if you eliminate 1 and 7 from the scale, 2-6 remain. Once again there’s a middle option, 4. The middle option is generally a neutral response. Use a 7-point scale only if neutral responses add value.  Why a 10-Point Scale is a Powerful Option We recommend a 10-point rating scale. While it may be hard to come up with “adjectives,” people better grasp the concept of something out of 10 options. Research has found that respondent preferences are highest for 10-point scales and allow respondents a greater range in which to adequately express their feelings. When 1 and 10 are eliminated, there is no middle choice. The 1 – 10 range forces participants to choose either a lower or higher score than the mid-point, which says a lot more about the participant’s point of view and is thus more actionable and valuable. The numbers 8 and 9 become far more meaningful as do numbers below 5. Plus, research suggests that the greater the number of response options, the more reliable the scale will be. Now, it’s Up to You  Composing winning rating scales takes the same elements as a good melody: Having a healthy interval of questions to ensure reliability and validity  Carefully considering the contour sequence of your questions  Choosing the right scale of answer choices, and, most importantly, Setting a wider range of options for respondents to choose from. Successful melodies are not monotone. Listeners will better recognize the meaningful changes in pitch that make up the melody that they are hearing. Questions using rating scales provide valuable growth-related insights when properly crafted. Let us know if you need help in any aspect of crafting effective primary research: Asking the right questions to define the objectives  Designing and fielding the survey instrument including ensuring your Rating Scales offer a wide range of highly relevant options  Interpreting the responses to provide more actionable business insights for you and your business going forward. FAQ: (written by Penn of Sintra.ai) Q1: Why do rating scales matter so much in primary research? A1: Because the quality of your insights depends heavily on the quality of your questions—and rating scales are often the mechanism used to quantify intangible concepts such as satisfaction, agreement, or likelihood to recommend. If the scale is poorly designed, you can end up with data that looks precise but produces little actionable guidance for strategic decisions. Q2: What is a rating scale (including Likert scales), in plain terms? A2: A rating scale is a closed-ended question format that asks respondents to select one value from a constrained set of options that best reflects their opinion or feeling. For example, a scale from “extremely likely” to “extremely unlikely” helps quantify purchase likelihood, satisfaction, agreement, or recommendation intent—turning abstract perceptions into analyzable data. Q3: What does “great questions are like great melodies” mean? A3: It means question design is not random—it is composed. Like melodies, effective research instruments rely on structure and sequencing to produce clarity and meaning. The goal is to create a set of questions that, when combined, tells a coherent, actionable story from the data. Q4: What four “melody elements” apply to survey rating scales? A4: Intervals: Multiple related questions on a topic help capture nuance and support validity and reliability. Contour: The sequence and flow of questions—the shape of how respondents move through the topic. Scale: The set of response options that creates comparable data across respondents. Range: The distance between the lowest and highest response options (e.g., 1–5, 1–7, 1–10). Range is one of the most consequential design choices. Q5: What is “extremeness aversion,” and why does it affect scale design? A5: Extremeness aversion is the tendency for people to avoid the endpoints and choose a compromise or middle option. Research shows that when offered three choices, people disproportionately select the middle—even when the “middle” changes. In surveys, this bias can compress responses and reduce the usefulness of results. Q6: Why do 5-point scales often fail to produce actionable insights? A6: Because many respondents avoid the endpoints (1 and 5), effectively collapsing the scale into a 3-point range (2–4). With a strong pull toward the middle, you often get a flood of “3” responses—creating limited differentiation and weak insight for decision-making. Too few response options can also force “next best” answers, increasing measurement error. Q7: When is a 7-point scale appropriate—and what is the tradeoff? A7: A 7-point scale can work when a neutral midpoint adds value (e.g., true neutrality is meaningful for the decision). The tradeoff is that midpoint bias still exists, and respondents may cluster around the center—reducing signal strength unless the survey design intentionally addresses that risk. Q8: Why is a 10-point scale often the strongest option? A8: Because it provides more resolution and reduces the gravitational pull of a single midpoint. When 1 and 10 are excluded, there is no single “middle” choice, which encourages respondents to indicate a directional preference. Respondents also tend to understand “out of 10” intuitively, and research suggests more response options can improve reliability and make high and low scores more meaningful. Q9: What is the practical checklist for composing better rating scales? A9: Ensure: Enough related questions (intervals) for reliability and nuance A deliberate question sequence (contour) Response options that match the construct (scale) A sufficiently wide set of choices (range), often favoring 10-point scales when neutrality is not essential Q10: What is the core takeaway for leaders using primary research to guide growth? A10: Primary research can be a strategic asset—but only if the instrument is designed to produce differentiation and meaning. Treat rating scales as a composition exercise: structure the question set, avoid midpoint traps, and choose a range that yields actionable insight rather than comfortable averages.

Are you feeling like me, wondering “what’s next” at the start of each business day? Trying to be agile and grow in an environment that feels ever more unpredictable? “We have entered a pronounced Era of Uncertainty”, claims colleague Tony Zambito, a leading authority on buyer insights. Today’s business leaders who want to grow their, market share, customer value, global footprint and competitive advantage need to have a strategy and plan for how to tackle and prepare for a world with more hard-to-predict events. Growing your business in the sea of uncertainty is the focus of this episode of What’s Your Edge? Buy Your Best-Practices Workbook Uncertainty has always been an element of business. Business leaders recognize that they must navigate tidal waves. Tidal waves are created by the gravitational forces of the sun or moon. They cause changes in the level of water bodies and can be predicted far in advance and with a high degree of accuracy. When preparing for tidal waves, using past events and historical data enables meteorologists to make relatively accurate predictions about the future. In rocky waters, it’s even more important for businesses to up their investment in six areas: voice of customer research frequent conversation with customer competitive, and other ecosystem, intelligence guidance from customer advisory boards data mined and analyzed from internal systems such as ERP, CRM, and other analytical tools to surface insights industry and market reports from analysis These investments serve as primary inputs to anticipate the future. They are the principal ingredients for analytics to support what is known as statistical predictions. Business leaders combine this information with their experience and intuition to make smarter decisions and investments with greater confidence. Head Out into Deeper Waters to Operate in Unpredictable Times What happens when there isn’t enough historical quality data? Uncertainty increases. I imagine, you like every business we work with is trying to maneuver, better than your competitors, in this sea of uncertainty. Lack of predictability makes running a business hard. It is even harder when there is one tsunami wave after another. Tsunamis are difficult to predict. They are triggered by large earthquakes that occur near or under the ocean, volcanic eruptions, and underwater or onshore landslides. Tsunamis move through the entire depth of the ocean, from the surface to the floor, causing rapid changes in water level and unpredictable dangerous currents. Such is the current business environment. We’ve experienced a series of tsunami’s based on unexpected but nonetheless extremely disruptive events such as: a global pandemic, supply chain issues people challenges, like team shortages, and immature skill levels raging inflation and a regional war that threatens to expand in scope These tsunamis have created a rapidly changing business environment. They are altering the market landscape and contributing to the it unpredictability. What do you do if you’re in a boat under the threat of a tsunami? Don’t head for a port or shore. Instead head out to deep water. At sea, with deep water under the keel, you are safe, because the added volume of water created by the tsunami is spread out within that depth. “Boats can survive tsunamis only when they are distantly offshore, in deep waters, when it passes.” 5 Maneuvers to Achieve Growth in Times with Tsunami Waves of Uncertainty Businesses need to heed this advice. Rather than running for port, if you want to grow and thrive, head out into deeper waters. The motto of the day, “always be prepared for rogue waves.” What encompasses preparation? Here are five maneuvers to help navigate the sea of uncertainty. Strategy: Hunkering down only works in the short term. The long term requires sustainable growth. Consider implementing iterative decision-making sessions structured around three imperatives: discover, design, and execute. Use scenario analysis or outlook planning to consider all the potential options and create contingency plans for each. Step back and review your market landscape, especially your ecosystem map. It may have altered significantly. This will have ripple effects in several areas, such as your competitor, partner and other key relationships, the type of talent you hire in terms of domain expertise and experience, and your processes. Value and Supply Chain: Speaking of value and supply chain. There has been a movement for companies to respond to the increase in supply-chain complexity with a plan for simplification. As a result, many organizations reduced their number of suppliers, partners, and staffing levels. That comes with risk. Check in with suppliers to understand the impact of uncertainty on their business. Should your suppliers face disruptions, such as loss of offshore talent or an agency that could not weather the storm, your organization may be left high and dry. Use your contingency plans to identify where to expand the potential list of approved suppliers to support all of your options. Keep in mind the need for quality data during times of uncertainty. Check to make sure your data supply chain is fully operational. It may be necessary to actively seek expert advice that can contribute to better decisions by filling gaps in existing management knowledge. All hands-on deck: Crises may galvanize your organization in its initial phase. But once that adrenaline fades, continuing uncertainty becomes exhausting, taking a toll on your teams’ mental and physical health. “The stress of uncertainty, especially when prolonged, is among the most insidious stressors we experience as human beings,” says Aoife O’Donovan, PhD, an associate professor of psychiatry at the UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences. This stress ultimately impacts organizational effectiveness, from a decline in responsiveness to customers and suppliers to a deterioration in the overall quality of work. We learned a lot during the pandemic on the importance of meditating, exercising, sleeping well, and nurturing social connections to manage stress and anxiety. Leaders need to model the way. Allow for flexibility. Employ the sprint huddle process to communicate with your internal and external teams. Run experiments: Tsunamis impact your customers as much as they impact you. The value of a regular cadence of conversations with customer and customer advisory boards in a hard-to-predict world is priceless. Being able to rapidly test, iterate and quickly bounce ideas off your customer advisory boards increases your ability to support constantly changing customer needs and market conditions. Operational Excellence: In times of great uncertainty, keeping and growing the value of customers needs to be top of mind. This takes a customer-centric perspective, that is, putting your customers at the center of all decisions and how you run your business. This means your processes must support customer-centricity and agility. If you haven’t already done so, audit and map your processes to see where modifications might positively impact how you engage with customers. Define the high-level approach that will guide how you will operate when the environment is less predictable. Knowing what to do is the easier part. Bringing best practices to your organization’s growth initiative, across all its functions, with many moving parts and processes, and planning and implementing the changes and making them stick is the hard part. We have helped many of our customers grow, even during stormy weather. Contact us so we can help you too. FAQ: (written by Penn of Sintra.ai) Q1: Why does it feel harder to plan for growth right now? A1: Because we are operating in what many describe as an Era of Uncertainty—a business environment shaped by more frequent, harder-to-predict disruptions. Traditional planning assumes a relatively stable baseline and enough historical data to forecast. Today, leaders are navigating conditions that resemble repeated “rogue waves,” where volatility is persistent and predictability is lower. Q2: What is the difference between predictable disruption and true uncertainty? A2: Some business “waves” are like tidal waves—driven by known forces and more forecastable using historical patterns and data. True uncertainty is more like tsunamis—triggered by sudden, disruptive events and difficult to predict. Recent examples include a global pandemic, supply chain disruption, talent shortages and skill gaps, inflation, and geopolitical conflict. These forces alter markets quickly, creating dangerous currents for strategy, operations, and growth. Q3: What should leaders invest in to anticipate the future in uncertain times? A3: In rocky waters, businesses need to increase investment in six inputs that strengthen decision-making: Voice of customer research Frequent customer conversations Competitive and ecosystem intelligence Customer advisory board guidance Internal systems data (ERP, CRM, analytics tools) mined for insights Industry and market reports These inputs support statistical prediction where possible—and, combined with leadership experience and intuition, improve decision confidence. Q4: What does it mean to “head out to deeper waters” in business? A4: It means resisting the instinct to run for “port” (hunkering down, freezing decisions, retreating to short-term tactics) when uncertainty rises. In a tsunami, boats survive by moving offshore into deep water where the wave’s energy disperses. In business, “deep water” is a posture of preparedness: stronger intelligence, better scenarios, faster learning cycles, and operational agility—so you can absorb shocks and keep moving. Q5: What five maneuvers help companies grow amid tsunami-like uncertainty? A5: Strategy: Use iterative decision cycles (discover, design, execute), scenario analysis, and contingency planning. Reassess the market landscape and ecosystem map because relationships, partners, and competitors may have shifted. Value and supply chain: Avoid over-simplification risk. Revalidate supplier resilience, expand contingency supplier options, and ensure your “data supply chain” is operational. Fill leadership knowledge gaps with expert input when needed. All hands-on deck: Prolonged uncertainty exhausts teams and degrades responsiveness and quality. Leaders must model health practices, allow flexibility, and use sprint huddles to maintain alignment and communication. Run experiments: Maintain a steady cadence of customer conversations and advisory board engagement to test ideas quickly, iterate, and adapt to changing needs. Operational excellence: Use a customer-centric lens to audit and map processes, then modify what inhibits agility and customer value delivery. Define the operating approach that will guide decisions when predictability is low. Q6: What is the core takeaway for leaders trying to grow in unpredictable times? A6: The work is not merely knowing what to do—it is building the discipline to execute and sustain change across functions while conditions shift. Companies that invest in customer insight, ecosystem intelligence, scenario readiness, team resilience, experimentation, and operational excellence are better positioned to navigate uncertainty and achieve sustainable growth.

Hootsuite.  Slack. Toggl. Dropbox. All of these Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions have one thing common.  They are all examples of consumer-grade solutions. B2B solutions designed to be intuitive, create a user-friendly experience, require no human interaction to implement and use, and immediately deliver value.  They illustrate what is known as a product-led growth strategy (PLG).  A product-led growth strategy is a result of a shift in the expectations and requirements of B2B users.  Today’s users demand software that is powerful, easy to use, and affordable.  The trend toward a product-led strategy has been underway since Forrester’s 2015 report which found that “B2B buyers now favor do-it-yourself online options for researching and buying products and services.” In the past few years, this has expanded beyond research and buying, to do-it yourself implementation and usage. This shift has forced software solution companies to rethink their processes, from design to marketing to sales to customer support.    2 Key Elements of a Product Led Growth Strategy Value is the battleground for a PLG strategy to succeed.   You must achieve the high ground for two key elements in a product-led growth strategy.  First, focus on giving customers access to your product at any time, so they can experience it and the value of the product for themselves on their own schedule. This has significant implications to design and development.   Buy Your Best-Practices Workbook Second, a customer needs to understand the value of a product upfront and quickly receive value from using it. This impacts how you position, market, and sell the solution.   Without these two elements, your SaaS solution will face an uphill battle for market traction and adoption.    Now, let’s talk about the benefits and challenges of a product-led growth strategy.  And explore how you create one and 7 ways to measure the success.  2 Primary Benefits of the Product-Led Growth Strategy There are two very important benefits associated with the PLG strategy.  First, a successful product-led growth strategy means that the customer can quickly ascertain the value and immediately go to trial.  No sales or human interaction required.  This means there are very few visible steps in the “buying” process. From website to demo to trial or straight from website to trial. You don’t need dozens of people to demo the product, qualify the prospect and then close the deal. Steps that provide visibility into the buying journey.  The benefit, however, is faster time to acquisition.    Second, because the buying process entails “just a few” clicks, customers onboard themselves.  With fewer people on your team involved in the acquisition process, the cost to acquire customers is less. Rather than investing in salespeople, onboarding and customer service become the primary areas where your organization needs to invest.  It’s All about Always On, Instant Gratification and Value This is a demand-driven strategy. Successful implementation of PLG requires that you mobilize your team to create a product that customers instantly understand and instantly experience value. That’s the operative word. Instantly.  With this strategy you shift your focus on how the product itself, it, and it alone, attracts more customers, that is, end users.   Yes, you will need to have great features and benefits. But you will need more than that. You will need to deliver on outcomes and experience.   In a product-led growth strategy, the product is accountable for acquiring, retaining, and growing new and existing customers. This strategy counts on the product — its features, performance, and virality—to do the “heavy lifting.”  To achieve adoption, the product must produce outcomes that are of immediate value to the user. This means you must know with certainty from the moment of product conception  What core tasks the customers need to complete  How they want to feel (or avoid feeling) while executing the task and  How they want others to perceive them as a result of using your product  Second, stellar product experience is the only avenue to success. The lines between user experience and customer experience are blurred in this strategy.  The user experience team must think beyond the user interface. They must work side-by-side with the customer experience team to integrate the product with all of the digital and physical touchpoints that affect the customer experience.   Is a Product-Led Growth Strategy the Right Fit for You? While there are many benefits for SaaS companies to employ a PLG strategy, it’s not for every software company.  Here are 4 instances where this strategy is not a good fit and where you will find yourself engaged in an uphill battle.    If your focus is annual contract with high dollar values and high lifetime value customers. Enterprise Resource Management software falls into this category.    You have a complex solution that requires both a high-touch sales model and implementation services, such as a large technology-led transformation initiative.   You have a targeted market that is relatively small, and business is built on the quality of sales relationships. An example might be software for specific life science applications.   You are creating a new category.  New categories require education.  Typically, you are educating people how to do things differently. You and your team need to learn and understand the customer’s pain points, objections, primary reasons/drivers for your solution.  This often requires engaging in conversations with prospective customers.   All four of these scenarios require human interaction. If human interaction is a vital component of the any key process, reconsider implementing a product-led growth strategy.  How to Make Sure Your Product Doesn’t Face an Uphill Battle Every battle-tested strategist will tell you that the best way to fight an uphill battle is not to do so.  Unless the hill is the mission, these veterans will recommend that you avoid contact, go around the enemy’s position, pull back and call-in air support, or if you proceed revise your plan of attack to disguise your approach.   Here are 5 customer-centric things to keep in mind should you want to embrace this strategy without ending up facing an uphill battle.  Create an aha! moment. Make it clear (instantly) that you understand the users’ problem and can offer them a clear pathto solving it. Keep in mind, prospective users are probably evaluating several options.  Be sure they can gauge the tradeoffs between your solution and those of your competitors.   It’s all about activation. In this approach, it’s essential that customers receive and experience something of value for free. As a result, most companies deploying a product-led growth strategy offer a free trial or freemium models. This approach provides users the ability to “try before they buy,” which improves activation rates.  In-product support, opt-in walkthroughs, or a user-friendly self-service help center need to baked in from the start.   Can’t live without it. You need to know your customers’ workflows. The best way to secure usage and renewal is for your customers to incorporate your product into their daily tasks. Once your customers are successfully completing key tasks with minimal friction and exploring your product’s range of functionality, you are moving into the realm of adoption. Product adoption means customers come to depend on your solution. As a result, they want to take advantage of all the product has to offer.  Make them want more. To drive revenue however, customers must want to upgrade to a paid version to access or unlock other features that may be of even more value.  Make sure the “more” is perceived as “more” by the customer. And since this strategy is based on zero human interaction; your pricing plans must be transparent and match the value of the product. Confusing revenue models create friction and will discourage sign ups.   Turn adopters into advocates. Word of mouth is essential to the success of a PLG strategy.  You want users to become advocates, champions for your product and want to want to actively participate in creating the future of product. Create ways for users to bring more users who bring more users who bring more users…   As you can, success depends on both a customer-centric and product-led growth strategy mind-set as a core component of the company culture.   Lastly, since results and measurement are always top of mind for me, I want to share 7 key measures that are tied to this strategy:   Product-led growth is all about adoption, activation, renewal, and expansion.  So, these are the first four measures: activation rate, adoption rate, renewal rate, and upgrade/expansion rate. Current users are essential to acquiring new users, therefore it is imperative to measure referral rates. The last two are a result of effectively implementing the strategy, category growth rate and customer lifetime value.    A brief podcast cannot possibly cover everything you need to know to implement a product-led growth strategy.  It’s worthy of a book.  In fact, there is a book. In his book, Product-Led Growth: How to Build a Product That Sells Itself, Wes Bush, admits that implementing a successful product-led Go-to-Market strategy is not as simple as giving people the option to try your product before they buy. He emphasizes that “your entire approach as an organization needs to shift.”  We concur.    Should you be exploring this option, here is one question for each major function within your organization to answer.    Product Development: “How can we create a product with a quick time-to-value?”  Marketing: “How can we use our product as the #1 lead magnet?”  Sales: “How can we use the product to qualify our prospects for us?”   Customer Success: “How can we create a product that helps customers become successful without our help?”   Need help walking through the answers?  Let’s talk.   FAQ: (written by Penn of Sintra.ai) Q1: What do Hootsuite, Slack, Toggl, and Dropbox have in common—and why does it matter in B2B? A1: They are examples of consumer-grade B2B SaaS: intuitive, user-friendly solutions that require little to no human interaction to implement, and deliver value quickly. They illustrate product-led growth (PLG)—a strategy shaped by rising user expectations for software that is powerful, easy to use, affordable, and increasingly self-serve from evaluation through onboarding and usage. Q2: What is a product-led growth (PLG) strategy? A2: PLG is a go-to-market approach where the product itself is accountable for acquiring, retaining, and expanding customers. Rather than relying primarily on sales-led motion, PLG depends on the product’s ability to communicate value, drive activation, create adoption, and generate advocacy—often through free trials, freemium models, and in-product experiences that reduce friction. Q3: What are the two key elements required for PLG to succeed? A3: Value is the battleground, and PLG requires two non-negotiables: Always-on access: Customers can access the product anytime and experience value on their schedule (implications for design and development). Fast time-to-value: Customers understand the value upfront and receive value quickly (implications for positioning, marketing, and selling). Without both, traction and adoption become an uphill battle. Q4: What are the two primary benefits of a PLG strategy? A4: Faster time to acquisition: The “buying” path is compressed—often website → demo/trial or website → trial—with minimal human involvement. Lower cost to acquire customers (CAC): Customers onboard themselves, reducing sales dependency. Investment shifts toward onboarding and customer support experiences that help users succeed independently. Q5: What does PLG require beyond features and benefits? A5: Outcomes and experience—immediately. PLG depends on delivering an “instant” value experience that makes the product feel essential. That requires clarity from conception on: The core tasks users must complete How users want to feel (or avoid feeling) while completing them How users want to be perceived as a result of using the product It also requires tight integration between user experience and customer experience across all touchpoints. Q6: When is PLG not the right fit? A6: PLG is an uphill battle when human interaction is essential to success, such as when: You sell high-dollar annual contracts with high LTV (e.g., ERP) The solution is complex and requires high-touch sales and implementation services The target market is small and growth depends on relationship-driven selling You are creating a new category that requires extensive education and guided discovery In these scenarios, a sales-led or hybrid motion is often more viable. Q7: What are five customer-centric practices that prevent PLG from becoming an uphill battle? A7: Create an “aha!” moment fast—make the problem and path to value instantly clear, including tradeoffs vs. alternatives. Design for activation—offer meaningful value for free (trial/freemium) and reduce friction to first success. Bake in self-service support—walkthroughs, in-product guidance, and a strong help center from day one. Become workflow-critical—align to customer workflows so the product becomes part of daily tasks (adoption and renewal). Make “more” worth paying for—transparent pricing and upgrades that customers perceive as clearly higher value; avoid confusing models that create friction. And, critically: turn adopters into advocates through referral loops and community participation. Q8: What are seven measures to track PLG success? A8: PLG performance is tied to adoption, retention, and expansion. Key measures include: Activation rate Adoption rate Renewal rate Upgrade/expansion rate Referral rate Category growth rate Customer lifetime value (CLV) Q9: What is the core leadership takeaway about implementing PLG? A9: PLG is not “just add a free trial.” It requires an organizational shift across product, marketing, sales, and customer success. A practical way to operationalize that shift is to answer one question per function: Product: How do we create quick time-to-value? Marketing: How do we use the product as the #1 lead magnet? Sales: How do we use the product to qualify prospects for us? Customer Success: How do we help customers succeed without our help?

A colleague and I were having a conversation about some of the growth challenges B2B companies face, particularly when it comes to bringing new products/services to market, and why they struggle to overcome some of the challenges. Blind spots. Often the blind spot is a lack of customer-centricity. And that is the focus of this episode of What’s Your Edge? Remember when you were learning to drive? If you took driver’s education and had a parent like mine, you might recall the conversation about checking your mirrors and blind spots before changing lanes. If you didn’t know about blind spots, you would think you could just move into the lane. And bam. You were in a wreck. Potentially every time. You think it’s clear because you checked the mirrors. But other vehicles are lurking, hidden in the blind spot. Companies conduct market research, analyze the competition, and talk to customers and prospects to capture market requirements to support developing a new offer to fuel growth. They craft positioning and messaging documents and create and implement a launch plan. They find themselves driving but the traction and product adoption rate needed to meet growth targets are below expectations. In some instances, the product fails, crashes. Why? The proverbial blind spot. They may have been product-centric or sales-centric, but when it came to customer-centric they missed the mark. They created a product without truly taking the customer into account. They may have researched market trends, and yes, talked to prospects. But they only saw what was in the mirrors. Let’s use a real example to illustrate the point. Eighty-seven million people use health insurance apps. I know of a health insurance company that touts customer care and service as part of their mission. They developed an app thinking that this would reinforce their brand promise and commitment to customer service. Like many apps in this space, it is positioned to give customers more control and better service. But what is it really? This particular app provides the insurance company with its customers’ health information, information they might not normally have access to. This app is designed to reduce call center interactions and costs. In some ways, the inverse of their stated mission. In fact, every time you contact the call center after the verification process the representative promotes using the app. The 20+ year old company launched its app in early 2019. After four years it has approximately 1,000 downloads and a user rating of slightly over 3. Compare this to over 100,000 downloads or over 500,000 downloads for Humana’s, both with higher ratings. I’d suggest the lack of product adoption and potentially lack of growth overall is a result of the customer-centric blind spot. Buy Your Best-Practices Workbook What You See from the Driver’s Seat Impacts What Happens Next You’re in the driver’s seat. What you see and do affects everything that happens next. In business, being in the driver’s seat determines whether your company is product-, sales-, market-, or customer-centric. Think about your company. Is your organization focused on developing innovative and advanced products irrespective of its demand in the market? That is product-centric. Or are you all hands-on deck driven to achieving a revenue number? A sign of the sales-centric organization. Maybe you’re very in tune with trends in the market and fast to adapt to, and successfully, take advantage of these. A market-centric characteristic. All of these can be successful, but if you’re not careful, all of these will result in a customer-centric blind spot. In its most basic terms, customer-centric means you place your customers at the center of how you operate and the decisions you make. It includes capabilities such as being able to: mobilize your team to support your customer better than alternative options. This might be especially important for customers that rely on professional services to compete or succeed. supply materials faster or of higher quality, such as high-capacity lithium batteries for electronic vehicles. integrate your processes with theirs, which is perhaps where the health insurance app failed. They might not have understood the processes the customer prefers to submit and monitor claims, identify, and manage health providers, check on benefits, and so on. Addressing the customer-centric blind spot is essential to achieve growth and keep from crashing in today’s customer empowered market. A study by IBM’s Institute for Business Value found that 72% of top performing companies embrace customer-centricity. What Can You Do to Overcome the Customer-Centricity Blind Spot? In driving we are taught to turn our heads to check for a rear quarter blind spot. Installing mirrors with larger fields-of-view also help. New vehicles have sensors to alert drivers if there is a vehicle in the blind spot. In business, addressing the customer-centric blind spot requires both turning our heads and widening our view. Begin to widen your field of vision with these 10 questions: Can you articulate in 1-2 sentences your customers’ primary needs, pains, passions? Do you know the 3-5 critical decisions your customers’ need to make to declare success in their business/lives? How important is it to them to address these needs, pains, and passions? What will happen if they can’t make the decisions, make the wrong decision, or do nothing? How does your company and your offers help them address the needs and decisions? How do you do it better than what they do today? How do you do it better than alternatives they might consider? What messages resonate best with your customers regarding the pains, decisions, and solutions? How well do your processes map to processes they use/need? How aligned are your business outcomes with your customers’ desired outcomes? Take a moment to cruise through your strategy and quarterly business review documents. Are they mostly about what markets YOUR company is going to pursue? What products YOUR company is going to invest in? How YOUR company plans to sell more “widgets”? Or are they about YOUR CUSTOMERS’ problems, the magnitude of their problems, the hurdles they need to overcome, and how what you offer solves these? If it’s more the former than the latter, your product- and sales- centricity is showing. Take our customer-centricity assessment to gain some insight into your capabilities. We often find that once B2B companies begin to ask and answer these questions, it’s not long before they surface more questions that when addressed help with overcoming their customer-centricity blind spot and enable them to put growth into overdrive. We hope you found this episode of What’s Your Edge? worthwhile. What’s Your Edge? is the creation of VisionEdge Marketing. VisionEdge Marketing, founded in 1999, helps our customers solve the most difficult problems when it comes to using data, analytics, process and measurement to accelerate growth, create customer value, and improve performance. We always welcome hearing from you. FAQ: (written by Penn of Sintra.ai) Q1: What “blind spot” causes B2B companies to struggle with new product and service growth? A1: A lack of customer-centricity. Many companies do the visible work—market research, competitive analysis, requirements gathering, positioning, messaging, and launch planning—yet still fail to achieve traction and adoption. The issue is often a customer-centric blind spot: they built and launched from what they could see in the “mirrors,” not from a full view of how customers actually operate, decide, and succeed. Q2: What does the “blind spot” analogy reveal about product adoption failures? A2: You can check the mirrors and still crash if you don’t turn your head. In business, organizations can review trends and talk to prospects, yet miss what’s hidden: customer context, workflow realities, decision friction, and trust barriers. When that happens, the offer may look logical internally but feels misaligned externally—leading to weak adoption and stalled growth. Q3: What is a real-world example of a customer-centric blind spot? A3: A health insurance company positioned an app as “better customer care” and “more control,” but the app primarily benefited the insurer—capturing customer health data and reducing call center costs. After four years, it had roughly 1,000 downloads and a rating slightly above 3, while competitors achieved far higher downloads and ratings. The likely issue: the app did not map to the customer’s preferred processes for claims, provider management, and benefits navigation—so the market rejected the premise. Q4: What does it mean to be product-, sales-, market-, or customer-centric—and why does it matter? A4: These orientations shape what leaders see and prioritize: Product-centric: innovation and features lead, regardless of demand. Sales-centric: revenue targets drive decisions and behavior. Market-centric: trends and market shifts guide investment and action. Customer-centric: customer outcomes guide operations and decisions. Any of the first three can succeed, but without customer-centric discipline they often create blind spots that undermine adoption, retention, and growth. Q5: What is customer-centricity in practical terms? A5: Customer-centricity means placing customers at the center of how you operate and decide—so your organization can support customers better than alternatives. It includes capabilities such as mobilizing expertise to help customers succeed, delivering faster/higher-quality inputs when that is what customers value, and integrating your processes with the customer’s workflows (where many digital products fail). Q6: Why is addressing the customer-centric blind spot now a growth requirement? A6: Because we operate in an empowered-customer market. Customer expectations, switching options, and peer influence are high. High-performing companies are more likely to embrace customer-centricity as an operating discipline, not a slogan—reducing the risk of building “inside-out” offers that fail in the real world. Q7: What can leaders do to overcome the customer-centricity blind spot? A7: Widen your field of vision by asking and answering these 10 customer-centric questions: Can you articulate customers’ primary needs, pains, passions in 1–2 sentences? Do you know the 3–5 critical decisions customers must make to declare success? How important is it to solve these needs and decisions now? What happens if they do nothing—or decide incorrectly? How do your offers help them address these needs and decisions? How do you do it better than what they do today? How do you do it better than alternatives? What messages resonate most with customers about pains, decisions, and solutions? How well do your processes map to the processes customers use and prefer? How aligned are your business outcomes with customers’ desired outcomes? Q8: How can you tell if your strategy is customer-centric—or just customer-themed? A8: Review your strategy and QBR documents. If they primarily focus on your markets, your products, your sales goals, your orientation is showing. Customer-centric strategy is anchored in customer problems, the magnitude of those problems, the hurdles customers face, and how your offer measurably improves customer outcomes. When companies shift to this lens, they surface better questions—and those questions become the pathway to stronger adoption and growth.

There are two customer-centric prerequisites to improve your customer acquisition rate and drive successful business growth. And that’s the focus of this episode of What’s Your Edge? Remember when you were picking courses in school and some courses listed prerequisites? For example, Computer Science 2 required Computer Science 1; Chemistry 2 required Chemistry 1; Finance required Statistics, and so on.  Even in life there are requirements. Life as we know it requires a source of energy, liquid water, and a suitable, reasonably stable environment.   In business, growth depends on understanding the customer buying journey to acquire, retain, and grow the value of customers. While there are many prerequisites to customer acquisition, assuming you have completed all the upstream work and have a relevant and compelling offer, two prerequisites are critical to success: discoverability and engagement.  The value of prerequisites can be debated.  Are they merely a gate-keeping mechanism or do they ensure a minimum threshold necessary for success? Academic research demonstrated that when students take the recommended prerequisite(s), they outperform peers who skip the prerequisite(s).  I propose the same is true in business.  Companies that complete these two customer-centric prerequisites achieve more success when it comes to customer acquisition which impacts your company’s product adoption rate, market share, and category ownership.   Why Discoverability and Customer Engagement are Two Critical Paths to Success It doesn’t matter if you’re a big company or a smaller firm. For business success, you need to invest your energy into discoverability and customer engagement.  Why? Because today we operate in an environment of the empowered customer.  What does this mean? It means the customer has the knowledge, confidence, means, and/or ability to do things or make decisions for themselves. It means they are in control of their customer buying journey and their buying process.  Let’s explore each.  1. Discoverability  When prospective customers embark on their buying journey to solve a problem or address an opportunity, they typically begin in one of two ways, if they do not already have a solution for the problem/opportunity in mind.  They ask someone they trust and/or they head off to do an online search.    According to GE Capital Bank, 81% of retail shoppers conduct online research before they buy. And according to a B2B Procurement study from the Acquity Group, 94% of business buyers do some form of online research and 77% conduct this search via Google. I suspect people conducting online searches prior to purchase has only increased as we’ve all spent more time in front of our computers in the past few years.   This means your company needs to surface during their search, it must be discoverable, that is easily found. Where your company lands in the rankings is critical. According to a 2014 study from Advanced Web Rankings, more than 67% of all clicks on SERPs go to the top five listings.” Not only must your company be discoverable, but it must also come up fairly early in the listings or search engine rankings. Hence the value of both organic and paid search engine optimization (SEO) in order to improve discoverability.  There are hundreds if not thousands of articles on how to improve SEO and your search engine ranking.  The point is that discoverability is a necessary, above the line, requirement to achieve momentum for customer acquisition.    Back to the customer buying journey. For either a prospect, or even an existing customer considering additional products or services, discoverability impacts your opportunity to acquire a new customer or increase your share of wallet of an existing customer.  Transactions in business that occur without any interaction between the buyer and seller, such as buying thumb drives, computer cables, and power surge protectors, or industrial and construction products, such as couplings are very consumer like. There are however important nuances that make B2B (business to business) different from B2C (business to consumer) buying.    From our perspective, business-to-business buying journey entails a consultative sell for a relatively complex product/solution that involves several, if not many, people in the evaluation, selection, and purchase stages of the buying process.  A Harvard Business Review article reported that the number of people involved in B2B solution purchases climbed from an average of 5.4 people to 6.8. Gartner found that the typical buying group for a complex B2B solution involves six to 10 decision makers.  In the world of B2B, there are quite a few people within a prospect’s organization your company needs to engage with to move the process forward. Hence, the second prerequisite, engagement.   Buy Your Best-Practices Workbook 2. Engagement No customer engagement. No growth. Customer engagement is about commitment.  We can easily see how this works in our personal lives, when two people become engaged. They are making a commitment to move their relationship forward.  In fact, a University of Denver study found that people who were engaged before they married tended to be more positive about their marriage and less prone to divorce (that is higher retention and loyalty rates).   Engagement matters.  It matters in both personal and professional relationships. It matters with people within your organization, with people outside your organization, such as suppliers, and most certainly with prospective and existing customers.    What does customer engagement entail? It entails cultivating a relationship.  The word relationship implies that there is some kind of connection and level of interaction. Connecting and interacting with prospects and customers is a prerequisite for them to enter into a deal with you and your company. Here’s something to consider. What kind of connections and interactions do you have with your prospects?   Kristian Döscher shared his research findings on proactive vs. reactive interactions and their impact on customer relationships in his book, “Recovery Management in Business-to-Business Markets”.  He found that customers are more likely to continue and even expand the relationship as a result of proactive interactions vs. reactive interactions. The better you understand your prospective customers’ buying journey, the more you can initiate interactions, that is be proactive.   Take a moment to conduct an audit of your customer interactions and touch points. Consider where, when and how you interact. Note which interactions are proactive and which are reactive.  What is the ratio between reactive and proactive interactions?  Ideally you want a ratio of 5:1, 5 proactive interactions for every reactive interaction.  Be Prepared to Deliver What Comes after Discoverability and Engagement Discoverability and customer engagement alone will not guarantee your organization success.  Your offer must competitively solve their problem or enable prospects and customers to take advantage of an opportunity. Your offer and your company must meet their evaluation and selection criteria.  Discoverability and engagement, however, are two customer-centric prerequisites to the evaluation, selection, and purchase stages of the customer buying journey.  To grow, ensure you successfully address both of these. We hope you found this episode of What’s Your Edge? helpful. What’s Your Edge? is the creation of VisionEdge Marketing. VisionEdge Marketing, founded in 1999, helps our customers solve the most difficult problems when it comes to using data, analytics, process and measurement to accelerate growth, create customer value, and improve performance. We always welcome hearing from you.  FAQ: (written by Penn of Sintra.ai) Q1: What are the two customer-centric prerequisites for improving customer acquisition and driving growth? A1: Discoverability and engagement. Assuming you have completed the upstream work and have a relevant, compelling offer, these two prerequisites create the minimum conditions needed to generate customer acquisition momentum—supporting product adoption, market share, and category ownership. Q2: Why are “prerequisites” a useful way to think about customer acquisition? A2: Because prerequisites establish a threshold for success. Just as students who complete recommended prerequisites tend to outperform peers who skip them, companies that invest in discoverability and engagement are more likely to improve acquisition outcomes—especially in an environment shaped by the empowered customer. Q3: What does “the empowered customer” mean—and why does it change acquisition? A3: It means customers have the knowledge, confidence, and ability to control their buying journey and decision process. They self-educate, compare options, and form preferences before engaging suppliers. This makes it essential for companies to be easily found and to cultivate meaningful interactions that move buyers forward. Q4: What is discoverability in the customer buying journey? A4: Discoverability is your ability to surface when prospects (or existing customers considering expansion) begin their buying journey—typically by asking trusted peers and/or conducting online research. Discoverability requires visibility in search results and often depends on both organic and paid SEO to ensure you appear early enough to be considered. Q5: Why does ranking position matter so much for discoverability? A5: Because most clicks go to the top results. If you do not surface early in search rankings, you may never enter the consideration set—regardless of how strong your offer is. Discoverability is an “above-the-line” requirement for acquisition momentum. Q6: Why is engagement a prerequisite—especially in B2B? A6: Because B2B buying is typically consultative and involves multiple stakeholders. Engagement is the process of cultivating relationships through purposeful interactions that build confidence and commitment. Without engagement, there is no forward movement through evaluation, selection, and purchase—no matter how discoverable you are. Q7: What does customer engagement entail in practical terms? A7: It entails connection and interaction—building a relationship through touchpoints that help the buyer progress. Engagement should be intentional and aligned to the buying journey, not left to chance or limited to reactive responses. Q8: Why do proactive interactions matter more than reactive ones? A8: Because proactive interactions strengthen relationships and increase the likelihood of continuation and expansion. A practical benchmark is to aim for a 5:1 ratio—five proactive interactions for every reactive interaction—based on auditing your current touchpoints and shifting toward planned, value-adding engagement. Q9: Do discoverability and engagement guarantee growth? A9: No. They are prerequisites, not guarantees. Your offer must still solve a meaningful problem (or enable an opportunity), meet evaluation criteria, and outperform alternatives. But without discoverability and engagement, you are unlikely to reach the evaluation and purchase stages consistently—making growth far harder than it needs to be.

Who wouldn’t want fast and easy customer growth for your business? How can there be a downside to quickly closing new deals and acquiring easy wins?  Fast-growing trees provide insight into 4 potential pitfalls of fast growth. And that’s the focus of this episode. Our yard was bare when we first moved into our current home.  With a strong western exposure on the front and a steep backyard perfect for twisting ankles, we needed to rapidly address landscaping.  We took the advice of our landscaper at the time and put in Arizona Ash.  It’s a deciduous tree so it keeps it leaves which makes it great for our hot months.  It grows wide and reaches about 30’ in height.  It seemed perfect for offering plenty of shade in a hurry.  Not so perfect.  It turns out Ash in comparison to other trees is short-lived. Thankfully we also planted slower-growing trees that while they have taken longer to grow; they remained steadfast through the years and the seasons.  What caused the Ash to die?  Well like other fast growers, it had underlying structural problems. Similar to many fast-growing trees, it was susceptible to disease and vulnerable to frost. Not only did they have a short life, but their aggressive root system also caused damage to other parts of our landscape. Buy Your Best-Practices Workbook What Insights from Fast Growing Trees Can Teach Us About Customer Growth  Companies that grow quickly may find themselves facing some of the same challenges of our Ash.  Here are four areas of concern to anticipate when enjoying fast growth and thoughts for how your business can address each. Underlying structural problems. You will often find the limbs of fast-growing trees cannot withstand the stress of high winds. The last thing you want is to start losing customers because some part of your infrastructure is weak. Some of the systems and processes that you initially deployed may begin to break under stress. Fast growth requires regular attention to processes to keep your business running smoothly.  Take the time to define and build frameworks to support business continuity and to scale as growth occurs.  Invest in frameworks early and processes quickly because like a fast-growing tree it is often very difficult to go back and make changes once you reach a certain size. Shallow roots. Tree roots anchor a tree firmly to the ground and enable it to draw nutrients and water from the soil and up into the tree. Fast-growing tree species tend to develop very shallow roots. Shallow roots can be hard to mow around, create cracks in driveways and sidewalks, intercept underground sewer pipes and other important utility lines. Improving soil quality so the tree can access oxygen can help. Insights derived from data are the oxygen of business. Create a data driven culture in your business that thirsts for insights. Use these insights to make customer, market, product, and service decisions.  Increasing susceptibility to the competition. An unfortunate characteristic of rapidly growing trees is their tendency to develop disease and suffer from life-threatening pests and fungi. The same can occur with fast-growing companies that find themselves enjoying quick success. Fast-growers may ignore competitors making headway in the market. When I was with Motorola, our microprocessor, digital signal processor, and microcontroller businesses were growing rapidly.  We tended to worry over competitors such as Intel, Zilog, and Hitachi. TI was barely on our radar screen. It was a mistake. In the early 1980’s, TI introduced its TMS320 series of digital signal processors. The 320 DSP family and its derivatives took off, ultimately becoming nearly half of TI’s revenue. It moved TI into a competitive position in the race for the embedded processor system on a chip – the very space Motorola wanted to own. The DSP family generated billions of dollars in chip sales for baseband modems, disk drive controllers, and a wide variety of other products. TI gave Motorola a “run for its money.” This new family pushed up TI’s market share rank and placed it among the top semiconductor companies. Motorola had become susceptible.   Like fast-growing trees in your yard, your business is part of an ecosystem. In the words of colleague Becky Taylor, “it’s super important to maintain a 360-degree view, or an up-periscope, in order to be able to adjust quickly, or as close to real-time as possible.” The ecosystem provides valuable clues regarding the health of all the plants in your garden and the moves being made by competitors. Build strong lines of communication with suppliers, partners, and influencers in your business ecosystem to gain vital clues about your competition.  Vulnerability to complacency.  Trees need tending. While it takes patience to nurture slower-growing trees, the challenge with fast-growing trees is to avoid complacency. Fast-growing trees often need more attention because their softer wood has a tendency to more quickly grow forks and crotches with narrow angles creating conditions for an early demise. James C. Collins co-author of Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies said, “visionary companies install powerful mechanisms to create discomfort–to obliterate complacency–and thereby stimulate change and improvement before the external world demands it.” It takes regular vigilance to curb complacency. Thwart complacency with customer-centricity. Customer-centric companies place the customer at the center of their business operating model where all aspects of the business are informed by or designed to meet the needs of the customer. Keep customers and their success central to your purpose, your mission, your focus, and your goals.  Not all customers are equal. Focus on bringing on the right customers from the beginning. Customers that will be a part of your business over time, become your advocates and make referrals. The downside of trees that experience rapid growth is that they are not healthy and tend to have short lifespans. Healthy mature trees add value to a property. If your goal is to build a company for a fast-sell, rapid growth may seem the way to go.  But a smart buyer will be able on their own or through an inspection discern trees that will not make it for the long haul. Better to invest in growth strategies that will serve your customers, your suppliers, and you for years to come. With proper care, you can help speed up the growth of slow-growing trees that will be around for decades if not hundreds of years. The same holds true for every business. We hope you found this episode of What’s Your Edge? helpful. What’s Your Edge? is the creation of VisionEdge Marketing. VisionEdge Marketing, founded in 1999, helps our customers solve the most difficult problems when it comes to using data, analytics, process and measurement to accelerate growth, create customer value, and improve performance. We always welcome hearing from you. FAQ: (written by Penn of Sintra.ai) Q1: Why can fast customer growth have downsides—even when it feels like “easy wins”? A1: Because rapid growth can mask weaknesses that only surface under stress. Like fast-growing trees that look healthy early but have structural vulnerabilities, fast-growing companies can experience breakdowns in process, insight, competitive awareness, and discipline—creating risk to sustainability, customer experience, and long-term value. Q2: What does the “fast-growing tree” story illustrate about growth risk? A2: Fast-growing trees can provide quick shade, but they often have underlying structural problems, shallow roots, higher susceptibility to disease, and aggressive root systems that damage surrounding infrastructure. These same dynamics show up in businesses that scale quickly without strengthening the operating model. Q3: What are four pitfalls of fast growth—and how can leaders address them? A3: Underlying structural problems Risk: Systems and processes that worked early begin to break under volume and complexity, leading to customer loss and operational disruption. Response: Invest early in frameworks and process discipline to support continuity and scalability. It is harder—and more expensive—to retrofit once the organization reaches size. Shallow roots (weak insight foundation) Risk: Fast growth without strong “roots” can create fragility—poor decisions, misallocated resources, and reactive management. Response: Build a data-driven culture that “thirsts for insights.” Treat insights as the oxygen of the business and use them to guide customer, market, product, and service decisions. Increasing susceptibility to competitors Risk: Early success can create blind spots. Fast growers may underestimate emerging competitors or fail to detect ecosystem shifts until market share is already eroding. Response: Maintain a 360-degree “up-periscope” view. Build strong communication lines across your ecosystem—suppliers, partners, influencers, and customers—to detect competitive moves early and adjust quickly. Vulnerability to complacency Risk: Rapid wins can reduce vigilance, allowing quality, discipline, and customer experience to slip—especially as complexity increases. Response: Install mechanisms that curb complacency and anchor the organization in customer-centricity. Keep customer success central, prioritize right-fit customers, and reinforce continuous improvement before the market forces it. Q4: What is the core takeaway for leaders pursuing growth? A4: Fast growth is not inherently unhealthy—but it becomes risky when it outpaces the organization’s structural strength, insight foundation, competitive awareness, and discipline. Sustainable growth requires investing in the “roots and trunk” (process, data, ecosystem intelligence, and customer-centricity) so the business can thrive for the long haul.

There’s nothing more comfortable than something that fits perfectly. Whether it is great fitting shoe. A right fit job. Or the right fitting customer.  Finding customers, acquiring customers, and retaining right fit customers is the focus on this episode of What’s Your Edge. A right fitting customer is essential to realizing customer lifetime value – an excellent KPI for every organization. This means you need to know what constitutes a right fit customer. Because the clearer you are on what a right fit customer is for your business, the more successful you will be at customer acquisition, retention and advocacy. Here are three well-accepted statistics about finding, keeping and growing the right customers: Businesses miss out on $1.6 trillion from losing customers to a competitor. It costs 16 times more to build a long-term relationship with a new customer, compared to keeping an existing customer. Acquiring new customers costs 5 times as much as retaining existing ones. There’s more than comfort at stake when something doesn’t fit well.  Poor fitting shoes are not only uncomfortable but they can cause bodily damage ranging from blisters, ingrown toenails and bunions or something worse. And there are serious downsides when a company invests in acquiring and retaining ill-fitting customers.  Like poor fitting shoes, they can hurt your business with poor reviews, high service costs, internal fatigue, and cost you other better opportunities. And like poor fitting shoes that end up taking space on a shelf, passed over time and again for a more comfortable pair, companies tend to avoid poor fitting customers. For many B2B industries the cost to acquire a new customer is in the hundreds of dollars. Therefore, it is good business to focus on the right fit customers. There are many upsides to having right fitting customers.  They become staunch advocates, tend to be loyal in the face of competition, are the first to adopt your new products, etc. Buy Your Best-Practices Workbook   How to Find, Acquire and Retain Customers that Fit You agree. Wonderful. Then the next step is to know what represents a right fit customer and how to acquire and retain them. Use these 7 steps to help. Clarify what makes a right fit. Before you select a shoe, you determine what size you need and other important fitting parameters, such as what kind of arch support is required. The same applies for selecting customers. You need to know what industry, size, location and other factors will assure a proper fit. Establish 5-7 very specific criteria that indicate whether a company is or will be a good fit. It will depend on your organization, your market, and your offer. Nail the Why. Shoes can look very similar. Athletic shoes often look alike and serve the same function.  Yet, all athletic shoes are not the same. Some are designed for the trails, others for road and track. Some are designed for flexibility, others for high impact. The same applies to customers.  It may seem that anyone willing to buy is a good fit. This is a very opportunistic approach. And sometimes like a new shoe it turns out to be a good fit.  But it’s definitely not a good fit to buy a dress shoe if what you need is a hiking boot. Be clear about why customers want/need your offer, why your offer and your company are better than the alternatives. Write a succinct customer value proposition and positioning statement that clearly expresses who are your best fitting customers and why they need/want your offer. Frame up your message map. Your message map is what brings your value proposition, positioning and differentiation to life. It guides content development, website navigation, customer conversations, and more. A quality message map ensures consistent messaging across your organization and across channels and touchpoints, supports your customer-facing teams and prevents them from being ambushed when they engage with prospects and existing customers. It is a powerful competitive tool. Develop your acquisition plan. Now that you’re armed with what comprises a right fitting customer, a clear value proposition and positioning platform, and a message map, it’s time to make your customer acquisition plan. Make sure your plan accounts for the customer buying journey regression of actions, activities, and the state of mind a customer goes through over a defined period of time in their relationship with your organization. Remember to include performance targets as well as a cost to acquire.  If you haven’t mapped your customers’ journey and developed associated personas, take this step. If you aren’t sure how much you are willing to invest to acquire a customer, use a benchmark.  Or work backwards. One approach is to identify all the costs (Marketing, Sales, people and expenses). Then divide this total by the number of new customers you expect to acquire (that is your customer acquisition performance target).  This will give you a general target for your cost to acquire. Match internal processes to how your customer buy. We’ve found that many organizations define their Marketing and Sales processes to support what these functions need to do to deliver the acquisition plan and how these organizations align and work with each other. Our recommendation is to start with the customer journey and synchronize your Marketing and Sales processes to it. This will encourage an outside-in view rather than an inside-out view. Screen prospective customers sooner. It’s expensive to keep buying shoes that don’t fit. That’s why we’re encouraged to try them on and walk in them.  We often think that we can make a poor fitting shoe work if we just break them in. Good salespeople advise against buying shoes that don’t feel right when you try them.  Apply the same thinking to prospective customers. Craft 2-3 initial conversation questions to screen out unqualified customer candidates as quickly as possible.  Use demos, trials, and discovery sessions as ways for you and your prospects to ascertain fit. Create a customer-centric culture. Customer-centricity entails placing the customer at the center of your business operating model where all aspects of the business are informed by, or designed to meet the needs of, the customer (the WHY). Implement activities, systems, processes, and touchpoints that will facilitate right fitting customers’ ability to have positive interactions and experiences with your organization. Address the entire customer lifecycle to support building a long-term relationship and positive customer experience. When you have a perfectly fitting shoe, it’s #smartbusiness to take good care of it so it will last a long time.  The same applies to right fit customers.  Make the investment in bringing on people with a customer focus and empowering them to make business decisions that will have the greatest positive impact on finding, retaining and growing the value of your customers. We hope you found this episode of What’s Your Edge? Helpful. What’s Your Edge? is the creation of VisionEdge Marketing. VisionEdge Marketing, founded in 1999, helps our customers solve the most difficult problems when it comes to using data, analytics, process and measurement to accelerate growth, create customer value, and improve performance. We always welcome hearing from you. FAQ: (written by Penn of Sintra.ai) Q1: What is a “right fit” customer—and why does it matter? A1: A right fit customer is a customer whose needs, expectations, and operating context align with your offer and your ability to deliver value. Right fit customers are essential to customer lifetime value (CLV) because the clearer you are about fit, the more effective you will be at acquisition, retention, expansion, and advocacy. Q2: What are the business consequences of pursuing ill-fitting customers? A2: Ill-fitting customers can damage performance the way ill-fitting shoes damage your feet—through friction and long-term harm. They often lead to poor reviews, high service costs, internal fatigue, and opportunity cost (time and resources diverted from better-fit customers). Over time, organizations tend to avoid these accounts, which undermines retention and growth. Q3: Why should organizations prioritize retention and right-fit acquisition? A3: Because customer economics favor it. Well-accepted research consistently shows that acquiring new customers is materially more expensive than retaining existing ones, and losing customers to competitors represents significant missed value. Right fit customers also tend to be more loyal, more willing to advocate, and more likely to adopt new offerings early. Q4: How can organizations find, acquire, and retain right-fit customers more consistently? A4: Use a disciplined, customer-centric approach built on these seven steps: Clarify what makes a right fit. Define 5–7 specific criteria (e.g., industry, size, location, operating model, use case, readiness) that indicate strong fit. Nail the “why.” Create a succinct value proposition and positioning statement that clarifies who your best-fit customers are and why they choose you over alternatives. Frame up your message map. Translate positioning into a message map that guides content, website navigation, and customer conversations—ensuring consistency across touchpoints and teams. Develop your acquisition plan. Build a plan aligned to the buying journey, with performance targets and a defined cost-to-acquire (use benchmarks or work backwards from total acquisition costs divided by expected new customers). Match internal processes to how customers buy. Start with the customer journey and synchronize Marketing and Sales processes to it—avoiding an inside-out process design. Screen prospective customers sooner. Use 2–3 early screening questions and structured discovery (demos, trials, discovery sessions) to quickly determine fit and avoid expensive pursuit of poor-fit prospects. Create a customer-centric culture. Embed customer needs into the operating model, supported by processes, systems, and touchpoints across the full lifecycle to enable positive experiences and long-term relationships. Q5: What is the core takeaway from the “perfect fit” analogy? A5: Fit drives value. The better you define and protect “right fit,” the more efficient your acquisition becomes and the more durable your retention, advocacy, and lifetime value will be. Just as you care for a perfectly fitting shoe to extend its life, you should invest in the people, processes, and empowerment needed to retain and grow right-fit customers.

All of us rely on patterns, that is a recurrent automated response to help us save time, effort and potentially minimize risk. Sometimes however its necessary to change patterns to grow and improve business performance, that’s the focus of this episode. Winning at a triathlon if you don’t know how to ride a bike or swim is quite a challenge.  I know from experience. When I first started racing, I needed to learn how to ride a bike and to swim.  Turns out I took pretty fast to cycling. But swimming, that was another matter.  Even though I could muscle my way from start to finish of the swim leg, that didn’t cut it if I wanted to be a contender in a race. Every time I got in the water; I’d revert to what was familiar – a form of breaststroke. And while I could compensate for this less than successful swimming option by choosing races with shorter swim legs, the only way to truly compete was to learn free style. And I did. I took all kinds of lessons. And while I become competent in freestyle in practice swims, when it came to race day, I’d switch right back to breaststroke. It wasn’t until I took the plunge and forced myself to break the pattern that I was able to make that next leap in performance. This is true for business performance as well.  If you want your business to grow, you might need to break some patterns and build new habits. What is a pattern? Patterns generally involve repetitive action, a task or behavior that we engage in frequently, often without giving it much thought. Patterns are something we return to time after time (like the breaststroke), without necessarily thinking about it. When it comes to business patterns, what’s important is figuring out whether the pattern is working for your business or resulting in negative consequences. Recognizing and rectifying ineffective patterns falls squarely on the shoulders of the leadership team.  As a business leader, with lots of responsibilities and priorities, it can be difficult to make addressing patterns a focus.  Especially since the current patterns might actually work – like the breaststroke enabling me to get from the swim start to the swim end. The problem is that bad patterns lead to poor performance – or in my case, longer race times. In business, bad patterns impact growth.  It’s easy to be lax.  But to grow and win, you need to have the right patterns along with the processes and systems to support the pattern. Especially if you want to scale. Breaking a business pattern is a risk.  Becoming proficient at a new behavior takes time. The initial performance may actually end up being poorer when you embrace a new pattern.  But risk taking is fundamental to growth.  Great companies don’t succeed by playing it safe.  They are always experimenting and innovating. Purchase Your Assessment   4 Patterns Support Growth and Improve Performance If you’ve identified and eliminated bad patterns, that’s awesome.  If not, we hope you will. In the meantime, here are 4 good patterns we’ll hope you consider and implement that will help you grow your business and improve performance. Be Proactive. Participants register for a race. In triathlons the registration list and course are published in advance of race day. This allows competitors to research the race and the performance of other participants.  We can also read about the course from previous race participants. Most competitors check out the course prior to the race. The pre-race research provides an opportunity to be proactive rather than reactive on race day. It’s vital for business leaders to make conducting research a habit. Research can reveal potential challenges. Invest time daily, aim for 1-2 hours a day, in research by reading articles, listening to podcasts, attending webinars, participating in a peer group, talking and meeting with customers and suppliers. Topics and themes related to industry trends and business management, your customer’s priorities/challenges, competitor moves and world events serve as good starting points. Plan to Win. Two contemporaries from the 20th century offer good advice when it comes to planning. “Plans are nothing, planning is everything” attributed to Dwight Eisenhower and “failing to plan is planning to fail” attributed to Winston Churchill.  It’s easy for business leaders to get sucked into the vortex of the day-to-day. Lack of strategy and a plan is the equivalent of ‘winging it’. If you don’t currently have a cadence for business strategy and planning, now is the time to create one. Start by analyzing current performance and identifying why things play out the way they do.  This provides insight into your current patterns and an opportunity to analyze which ones are working, which ones aren’t and what adjustments are needed. While I became a competent swimmer, it wasn’t my strength.  I would always be among the last to leave the water.  On the other hand, I’m a good cyclist, especially on hilly courses.  This data was useful in selecting races. I l chose races with shorter swim to bike leg ratios and hilly vs. flat courses.  In triathlons, every race season deserves a strategy and every race deserves a plan.  Different races have different competitors and course challenges.  It is the same in business. Make it a monthly habit to gather and analyze performance data, particularly customer data, such as defection, retention and share of wallet analysis and win/loss analysis, to make strategic decisions about customers, markets, and competitors. Work the Scenarios. In triathlons unexpected things can happen – tires go flat, people crash, goggles can get kicked off during a swim. Scenarios help you consider possibilities and anticipate what might happen in your market and moves by your customers, competitors or partners. Scenario analysis enables you develop contingencies (enabling you to be more proactive). You can’t create too many contingencies. Engage your team weekly on, “What If..” Train and practice. Successful triathletes like most competitors train and practice off and during race season – daily – except for a few days before the race. They leverage coaches and refine processes, such as processes associated with transitions and changing flats.  Serious competitors consistently look for opportunities to improve their physical performance as well as address equipment that might give them an edge.   They practice and train with new equipment. Experienced racers know better than to run in new shoes or ride a new bike for the first time at a race.  And they have training partners. Partners encourage you to up your performance.  Some leaders may train and practice with peer groups or send their staff off to training. There’s a lot to be said for doing the training together.  Make it a quarterly habit to attend workshops with your team so you and your team to hone skills together.  Another key habit of successful competitors is the debrief. This is a valuable pattern in business. Debrief after EVERY “race.” Frameworks Help Keep Good Patterns Intact When you’re in the heat of a race, it’s easy to revert to comfortable and familiar patterns.  Breaking patterns and creating new ones are essential to growth and performance improvement.  Curbing a pattern and embracing a new one takes intention and often external help and new frameworks. Frameworks are not the same as patterns. Business frameworks capture a process and serve as a roadmap for operating your organization.  They support knowledge management and help close experience gaps.  Frameworks provide the necessary structure and scope. Choose framework that fit your organization’s culture and situation, enable you to create a common language, and simplify things for you and your teams. Frameworks help keep good patterns intact. Opportunities for growth are missed when we’re so focused on the race that we don’t work on new patterns that will improve our performance. It might be time to take a hard look at your current patterns and see where there may be opportunities to improve in critical areas, such as customer acquisition, customer retention, new product adoption, and customer lifetime value. We hope you found this episode of What’s Your Edge? Helpful. What’s Your Edge? Is the creation of VisionEdge Marketing. VisionEdge Marketing, founded in 1999, helps our customers solve the most difficult problems when it comes to using data, analytics, process and measurement to accelerate growth, create customer value, and improve performance. We always welcome hearing from you. FAQ: (written by Penn of Sintra.ai) Q1: What is a “pattern,” and why does it matter for business performance? A1: A pattern is a repetitive, often automated behavior or response—something we do frequently without much conscious thought. Patterns help conserve time and reduce effort, but when a pattern is ineffective, it becomes a performance constraint. In business, outdated or misaligned patterns can quietly undermine growth, scalability, and competitiveness. Q2: What does the triathlon story illustrate about changing patterns? A2: It shows how people revert to what is familiar under pressure—even when they have learned a better approach. Becoming competent in a new behavior (freestyle) is not the same as using it when it matters (race day). The performance breakthrough only happens when you intentionally break the old pattern and commit to the new one, despite short-term discomfort or risk. Q3: Why is breaking business patterns difficult—even when the current pattern “works”? A3: Because many patterns deliver acceptable outcomes (like finishing the swim with breaststroke), even if they prevent excellence. Changing patterns introduces risk, requires time to build proficiency, and may temporarily reduce performance. Yet risk-taking and experimentation are fundamental to growth—high-performing organizations do not win by staying comfortable. Q4: Who is responsible for identifying and correcting ineffective business patterns? A4: The leadership team. Recognizing which patterns are helping versus harming performance—and then creating the conditions to replace ineffective patterns with better habits—falls squarely within leadership accountability. Q5: What four patterns support growth and performance improvement? A5: Be proactive: Make research a daily habit—customers, competitors, suppliers, trends, and world events—to reduce surprises and improve decision quality. Plan to win: Establish a strategy and planning cadence; analyze performance data (especially customer and win/loss data) to decide what to change and where to compete. Work the scenarios: Use weekly “What if…” discussions to anticipate market shifts and competitor/customer moves and build contingencies. Train, practice, and debrief: Invest in skill-building (ideally as a team), practice before high-stakes moments, and debrief after every “race” to institutionalize learning. Q6: How do frameworks help leaders sustain better patterns? A6: Frameworks provide structure, scope, and a shared language. They capture process and act as an operating roadmap—supporting knowledge transfer and closing experience gaps. When pressure rises, frameworks help teams avoid reverting to comfortable but ineffective patterns by reinforcing the new, higher-performing way of operating. Q7: What is the practical takeaway for leaders? A7: Growth requires pattern change. If performance is plateauing in areas such as acquisition, retention, adoption, or lifetime value, it is time to examine which patterns are driving the current outcomes—and deliberately replace the ones that no longer serve the business.

In this episode, we’re using a fishing story to illustrate how to ensure Marketing and Sales work together when it comes to customer acquisition. There have been many meetings over the years where I’ve shared a story about summer weekends with my grandparents as a child to help companies understand upstream and downstream marketing, to address Sales and Marketing alignment, and to improve their lead qualification process to support better customer acquisition.  At the end of a recent Sales and Marketing gathering, where a Chief Growth Officer asked me to retell the story, he asked me if I would record it for his team. What a wonderful request. This story is the focus of this episode of What’s Your Edge.  Here’s how the fish tale goes. My grandparents have five grandchildren. And when we were young, between the ages 4 and 11 years old, it was a treat to spend the weekend with them. One child would be dropped off on Saturday, and then all of us (my parents and siblings, my aunt and uncle, and cousins) would meet at their home on Sunday afternoon for dinner.  My grandfather, whom I called Papa, had several hobbies – from card playing to fishing to movies – that we all learned to enjoy.  Fishing was often the activity of choice in the summer months. We’d prepare on Saturday and head out on Sunday, back with fish in time for dinner. Two Questions Set Up Everything Regarding New Customer Acquisition When I tell this story in a meeting, I say, knowing that we’re going to be fishing, “What do you think is the first question Papa asks?”  There are usually a variety of answers.  Very rarely does someone ask a question. This was always Papa’s first question: “What kind of fish are we fishing for?” This is the most important question of the weekend. Why? Because it determines everything that comes next! Where we’re going to fish, when we’re going to fish, the tackle we’ll need, and the bait we’ll use.  As a small child, I would answer this question with something like, “blue fish.” My grandfather would parlay this into an actual fish, usually blue gill, which is plentiful in the small lakes at Forest Park.  He would then send me off to my grandmother with the information so she could make the bait, while he would pull together the tackle and pack up the rambler. We’d get up early the next morning, gather up the essentials for the day, blankets, lawn chairs, food, coloring books, and crossword puzzles, etc. and head out. Now here’s the real reason we loved spending the weekend. Our first stop. The IHOP for all-you-can-eat pancakes.  After we had our fill, we’d get in the car and make our way to where we would fish. We’d park and head to the shoreline and that’s when Papa would ask the second most important question.  Did you guess? If you guessed, “Where should we fish from?” you guessed correctly.  Why is this the next most important question? Because you have to have insights into the fish to decide where to place your pole. Does the fish prefer the shoreline or out deeper in the water?  Does it prefer sunny spots or shade?  Does it like it reedy or bare? And of course, where is the competition, that is, the other people fishing, need to be taken into account. Based on our conversation, we’d pick our spot. Now, before I finish the story, have you made the connection between the fish tale and Marketing?  Knowing what fish, that is who is the customer is, what they need (bait) and where to find them and when to find them, is all part of what we refer to as upstream Marketing. Back to the story.  We’d set up our chairs, put down our blankets, and grab our tackle.  And this is when Papa would remind us (grandma and me) what kind of fish we’re looking for, the general size we need, and how many fish we need to bring home. He gave us our lead qualification criteria and quota so to speak. Papa would then bait my hook, suggest where to stand, I’d cast my line, and then put my pole in the holder. Doing this over and over with some slight variations in location until we had caught enough fish. Now we’re deep into the downstream of Marketing. Once the lines were cast, Papa and grandma would take out their coffee thermos, I’d take out my hot chocolate thermos and we settle in and wait.  What are we waiting for? We’re waiting for the bobber to go down to tell us we have a fish on the hook. As soon as the bobber would go down on my pole, I’d jump up and grab it. Of course, when you’re 4-6 years old, everyone is giving you advice. Give it some slack, reel it in, and so on. And sometimes when I’d reel in the line, there would be no fish and no bait.  The fish stole it. Prospective customers sometimes do this too. Other times, there’d be a fish, but it would be too small or not the right kind, and it would be declared not a keeper. It didn’t meet the fish qualification criteria.  That happens too when it comes to new customer acquisition; some prospective customers are not a good fit. And then, sometimes, it’d be a whopper, perfect.  I’d reel the fish in. Papa would cut it off the line and plop it into the bucket. We’d fish until we had what we needed for dinner, or in some cases, we’d have to call it a day, even if we didn’t have enough fish, and stop at a grocery store so we’d have enough food for dinner. Buy Your Best-Practices Workbook Clarify the Customer Acquisition Handoff to Align Sales and Marketing As I wrap up the story, I generally ask where in the story does it go from Marketing to Sales? Some people will say, once then hook is baited. Others might say when the pole goes into the water. And still others might answer when the fish is on the hook. It can be any of these, as long as the team agrees on where the work of Marketing ends and where the work of Sales begins. This discussion typically initiates a very essential conversation around Marketing and Sales alignment. While we don’t eat our customers, it’s important to remember that new customer acquisition is a joint effort between the Marketing and Sales teams. As you think about your organization in the context of the story, how would answer these three questions: How well have you addressed the upstream and downstream? Are your lead qualification scoring and customer criteria well-defined? Is the handoff between Marketing and Sales clear? We hope so. If not, hope you’ll consider my grandfather’s wisdom because the answers to these questions, what fish are we fishing for and where should we fish from, impact your fishing, that is your new customer acquisition success. Hope you found this episode of What’s Your Edge? Helpful. What’s Your Edge? Is the creation of VisionEdge Marketing. VisionEdge Marketing, founded in 1999, helps our customers solve the most difficult problems when it comes to using data, analytics, process and measurement to accelerate growth, create customer value, and improve performance. We always welcome hearing from you. FAQ: (written by Penn of Sintra.ai) Q1: What is the purpose of the fishing story in this episode? A1: The fishing story is a practical metaphor for aligning Marketing and Sales around customer acquisition. It clarifies upstream vs. downstream marketing, improves lead qualification discipline, and helps teams define a shared, explicit handoff point between Marketing and Sales. Q2: What are the two most important questions for successful customer acquisition? A2: “What kind of fish are we fishing for?” (Who is the customer?) “Where should we fish from?” (Where and how do we reach them?) These two questions determine everything that follows: targeting, channels, timing, messaging, offers, and resource allocation. Q3: How does the story explain upstream marketing? A3: Upstream marketing is the work that happens before execution: defining the target customer (“the fish”), understanding what they need (“the bait”), and determining where and when to find them (“the fishing spot”). It is insight-driven and sets the conditions for effective acquisition. Q4: How does the story explain downstream marketing? A4: Downstream marketing is execution: deploying the tactics, placing the offer in-market, and iterating to generate response—casting lines, adjusting location, and waiting for the bobber to drop. It includes the operational cadence of running campaigns and responding to signals. Q5: What does the story teach about lead qualification and scoring? A5: It shows that qualification criteria must be explicit and shared. Papa reminds the team what fish they need, the size, and how many—equivalent to defining ideal customer criteria, lead scoring thresholds, and acquisition targets. Not every “bite” is a keeper: some prospects are a poor fit, too small, or not the right type. Q6: What does “the fish stole the bait” represent in B2B acquisition? A6: Prospects sometimes engage without converting—consuming content, time, or attention without progressing. This reinforces the need for qualification, follow-up discipline, and learning loops to improve targeting and offers. Q7: Where does the handoff from Marketing to Sales occur? A7: There is no single universal answer. In the story, it could be when the hook is baited, when the line is cast, or when the fish is on the hook. The critical point is that the organization must agree on where Marketing ends and Sales begins—and operationalize that agreement in process, definitions, and metrics. Q8: What three alignment questions should teams ask to improve acquisition performance? A8: How well have we addressed both upstream and downstream work? Are our customer criteria and lead qualification/scoring well-defined? Is the Marketing-to-Sales handoff clear and consistently executed?

If you had a chance to read the recent Korn Ferry article The CMO is Forever Changed, perhaps the statement “linking marketing activities and business results hasn’t always been the strong suit of CMOs” rang familiar. It did for me. For us at VisionEdge Marketing, it continues to corroborate our research benchmarking CMOs regarding their ability to prove their value, impact, and contribution to the business. Year after year over a period of 16 years we consistently found that only about 1 in 5 CMOs play a strategic role, serve as a value creator for their organization, and can link marketing activities to business results. Based on the article, it would seem that progress has been slow. The article reiterates “the continuous pressure on CMOs to demonstrate how they are driving overall business performance.” To address this pressure, CMOs have invested significant resources, especially in terms of technology, to facilitate their ability to improve alignment, accountability, analytics, and operational excellence. According to ChiefMartech the average enterprise now uses 120 marketing technology (Martech) tools. Tools for social media engagement, content management, email automation, demand generation lead capturing, project management and workflow, customer relationship management (CRM), event management, web analytics, and the list goes on. Beware of Relying on Technology as a Replacement for Strategic Thinking More technology and data than ever sits within grasp of every CMO. How has this worked out for the CMO? Rather than being an asset, in some ways, we believe the tools may be becoming a liability. Technology is not a replacement for good frameworks, processes and skills. Which may be why Korn Ferry research reveals, “that 40% of CMOs cite strategic thinking as the biggest capability gap their teams face.” Sometimes Martech reminds me of those robot vacuum cleaners.  People buy these thinking that they will never need to clean their floors or rugs again. The idea of turning on the robot and poof the work is done is quite appealing.  These robovacs may be useful to keep things from getting completely out-of-control but they will not do the deep cleaning.  And they certainly can’t just be turned on and left unattended. Unattended technology can run amuck or become an investment that doesn’t pay off. As Andrew Martonik Section Editor for Mobile at Digital Trends tweeted out “My robot vacuum just went under the TV stand and unplugged my Wi-Fi router.”   Or as a colleague posted on FB, “The best thing our Roomba is doing right now is being the ride for our 7-month old grandson.” Purchase Your Assessment This is not a slam on robot vacuum cleaners. It is a reminder that when it comes to being strategic, the CMO and the Marketing team needs to have the skills to do the heavy lifting. If they don’t, someone else will step in. And that’s exactly what’s happening. Look at the plethora of new titles such as chief growth officer, chief experience officer, chief customer officer, chief brand officer, and more that have stepped into the gaps left by CMOs. What’s troubling to me is the sense that the role of Marketing is regressing. Over the past few months, I’ve had conversations with colleagues I’ve known for decades. Like me they have been in B2B Marketing for most of their careers and served in many Marketing leadership roles. In these conversations, we did some reminiscing. Here’s a perspective based on being able to take a look back in time. In our early years (the 80s), Marketing in B2B organizations primarily served as sales support. We focused on producing events (industry trade shows), technical/product literature, print product advertising, direct mail offers and campaigns, product demos and sample kits, customer meetings, etc. It was a tactical role. We had limited technology and limited data. We wanted more. We wanted to help shape the future. We weren’t deterred. We optimized our resources. We initiated pilots to prove out ideas, conducted customer research, gathered market and competitive intelligence, segmented customers, mapped the buying journey, matched content to buying stages, created and implemented strategic account marketing, etc. All with very limited technology. We took what we learned and made strategic recommendations about which markets to pursue, which customer to grow, ways to improve customer service and experience, what solutions to offer and how to bring innovations to market faster. As a result, Marketing leaders began to rise and earn the opportunity to participate in strategic planning and strategic conversations. Fast forward. Today CMOs have created an arsenal of tools and an army of specialists for social media, search engine optimization, content development, email marketing, demand gen, and more all with a heavy focus on sales enablement and less focus on shaping the future. Five Ways Marketing Leaders Can Use Technology Beyond Sales Enablement For organizations that want Marketing to play a strategic role and be a growth engine, what can Marketing leaders do? In addition to being adept at Upstream Marketing, to hold onto a seat at the table, CMOs must be viewed as more than sales enablement with tools designed to help the Sales team “hit” the number, improve productivity, and capture and analyze data.  Here are 5 ways Marketing can use technology to earn and keep a strategic role: Come up with solutions to solve customer and business problems Bring new ideas to the table that will positively impact strategy: people strategy, growth strategy, retention strategy, go-to-market strategies, etc. Identify and answer questions about your market, competition, and customer requirements Drive innovation and enter new markets Create new business models Marketing is not alone in potentially becoming mesmerized by technology. Any leader can find themselves in the same risky situation. Every leader who wants to earn and keep a seat at the table needs to be focused on customer-centric strategic approach to sustainable growth. Just like robot vacuum cleaners can’t match the power of—or clean as thoroughly as—a good old-fashioned vacuum; technology cannot replace solid strategic thinking. Strategic thinking takes more than tools. In the wise words of Liane Davey, author of The Good Fight, You First, strategic thinking takes “creating connections between ideas, plans and people that others fail to see.” Tools make things more convenient. And while helpful on a day-to-day basis, over dependence may result in critical tasks being overlooked. Important tasks potentially to be taken over by others. Avoid risking your seat. Find ways to play a more strategic role and thrive. FAQ: (written by Penn of Sintra.ai) Q1: Why do many CMOs still struggle to link marketing activities to business results? A1: Because the discipline of connecting activities to outcomes requires strategic frameworks, measurement rigor, and cross-functional alignment—not just execution volume. Long-running benchmarking and external commentary continue to suggest that only a minority of CMOs consistently play a strategic, value-creating role and can credibly demonstrate Marketing’s impact and contribution. Q2: Has the explosion of Martech solved the CMO’s accountability problem? A2: Not reliably. While CMOs have invested heavily in technology to improve alignment, analytics, and operational excellence, more tools do not automatically produce better strategy or clearer value linkage. In some cases, the tool stack can become a liability if it substitutes for strategic thinking and measurement discipline. Q3: What capability gap is most concerning for Marketing leaders? A3: Strategic thinking. Research indicates a meaningful portion of CMOs view strategic thinking as a major gap on their teams. Technology can streamline execution and data capture, but it cannot replace the ability to frame the right questions, connect cause-and-effect, and translate insight into strategic choices. Q4: What is the risk of over-relying on technology as a substitute for strategy? A4: The Marketing function can regress into a tactical, sales-enablement role—focused on tool-driven execution rather than shaping the future. When Marketing is perceived primarily as a production engine for campaigns and enablement, other roles (e.g., chief growth officer, chief experience officer, chief customer officer) may step in to fill the strategic gaps. Q5: What does it look like when Marketing earns a strategic seat at the table? A5: Marketing operates upstream: conducting customer and market research, gathering competitive intelligence, segmenting customers, mapping buying journeys, shaping go-to-market choices, and making evidence-based recommendations about markets, customer experience, innovation, and growth priorities—then translating strategy into measurable execution. Q6: What are five ways Marketing leaders can use technology beyond sales enablement? A6: Develop solutions that address customer and business problems. Bring new ideas that strengthen strategy (growth, retention, people strategy, go-to-market). Answer critical questions about market dynamics, competitors, and customer requirements. Drive innovation and support entry into new markets. Explore and enable new business models. Q7: What is the core takeaway for CMOs and Marketing leaders? A7: Tools increase convenience; they do not create strategy. Strategic thinking is the differentiator—connecting ideas, plans, and people in ways others miss. To protect and expand Marketing’s strategic role, use technology to amplify strategic insight and decision-making, not to replace it.

The goal of operational excellence is to improve business performance through process. Operational excellence is what enables organizations to achieve long-term sustainable growth. At its heart, operational excellence is about how every person within an organization delivers value to a customer. Dr. Joseph Juran, one of the early experts in quality management and operational excellence posited that a focus on operational excellence drives business effectiveness and organizational agility. Often achieving this capability requires successfully juggling many moving parts simultaneously. Purchase Your Assessment Operational Excellence Is as Simple as Spinning Plates When I think of juggling many moving parts at the same time, I recall the first time I saw a plate spinning performance at a circus. Like many others I was dazzled as the juggler kept adding another plate every few minutes, while keeping the existing plates spinning. It was so cool that I couldn’t wait to get home and give it a go. Of course, as soon as my mother saw my brother and I begin to take some plates from the cabinet, she immediately put the kibash on our plans and offered up some plastic plates. Today, many leaders are working hard to keep all of their process plates spinning in the air. What can you do to become a good juggler and achieve operational excellence? First, you don’t need a lot of special equipment to become a good juggler. What do you need? Successful jugglers know that keeping their spinning items from crashing to the ground takes mastery of hand-eye coordination, quick reflexes and a good sense of balance. Valuable skills for any business leader. Besides these skills, plate spinning also takes well-balanced symmetrical plates. Plates with an indentation in the center make it easier to place it on the dowel and rotate the plate. Upraised rims on the bottom also help. This translates to business as well. The heart of operational excellence is process. Every business runs on processes and they exist across the organization. For example, processes are implemented to facilitate internal and external communication, product/service development and delivery, customer experience, planning, talent management, supply chain management, and so on. For business leaders to successfully juggle all of their processes to support operational excellence requires well-defined clearly documented processes. Have you achieved this goal in your organization? If not, what is your first step? Plate spinning offers a clue. Almost all jugglers start their routine with one plate, adding on more throughout their act. This holds true for operational excellence. Answer these five questions to help you decide which process to focus on first. 1. Which of your processes impact the customer experience? 2. Which of these will also impact your ability to grow? 3. Which of these if improved would positively impact both customer experience and growth? 4. How well does each process work? 5. For each process you identified when you answered the fourth question evaluate what it would take in terms of time, difficulty, cost, and business impact to improve the process. Did any single process surface that with improvement would produce the highest impact with less time, money, and effort? If so, that’s your first plate. Rank them with impact as the guiding factor. This becomes your guide for which next plates you put in the air as soon as the first process gains momentum – a combination of speed and direction. When it comes to plate spinning, the faster the spin, the greater the stability. Stability helps talented jugglers add dance moves, somersaults and other “tricks” to their acts without dropping the plates. Stability is what enables agility. Optimize Your Process to be More Agile Optimize your processes to optimize your organization. Once you achieve optimum speed, momentum will carry you along, maintaining balance with less work. This is both a good and a bad thing. It’s good if the process is working effectively and efficiently. It’s bad if it is ineffective or inefficient. Plate spinning at its core is rather simplistic. Process improvement at its core is not complicated. These three suggestions are attributes of a proven method for process development and improvement: 1. Take corrective action. For any existing processes, if 20 percent of the work must be redone due to failures, it needs to be improved. Identify any processes within this parameter. Find the root causes for failure and remove or remedy it. Be sure to document the revised process. 2. Focus improvement on the processes that are used the most often. Identify and focus on processes that occur 80% of the time. Make sure your team knows HOW to successfully perform them. You will still want to capture processes that occur 20% of the time. Eventually you will want to address these. If ignored, they could bring the plates crashing to the floor. 3. Design processes for usability. Create processes that are meaningful, usable, and will positively impact customers, employees, suppliers, growth, revenue, and profit. Keep the process map simple. When they become too complex, the process will be circumvented and/or steps will be bypassed. Processes reflect activity. When documenting them, use verbs and clear language so people performing the step know what they need to do. For example, phrase a step for you customer advisory board process as schedule the advisory board meeting rather than advisory board meeting. Your processes represent all the plates every leader in an organization must keep in the air. Keeping all your plates in the air takes the right balance. Spend too much time on one process and the others fail. If they are left too long without attention, they run out of energy, spin out of control, and fall to the ground. Your company’s operational excellence requires you to be more than a good plate spinner. Operational excellence enables the plates to spin on their own; and it in turm takes stellar processes. FAQ: (written by Penn of Sintra.ai) Q1: What is operational excellence, and why does it matter for growth? A1: Operational excellence is improving business performance through process. It enables long-term, sustainable growth by ensuring that every person in the organization consistently delivers value to customers—efficiently, effectively, and with the agility to adapt as conditions change. Q2: Why is “plate spinning” a useful metaphor for operational excellence? A2: Because leaders are often juggling many processes at once—customer experience, delivery, communication, planning, talent, supply chain, and more. Like plate spinning, success requires balance, coordination, and momentum. Stability enables agility; when processes are stable and well-run, the organization can handle change without “dropping plates.” Q3: What is the foundation of operational excellence? A3: Well-defined, clearly documented processes. Just as plate spinning works best with well-designed plates, operational excellence depends on processes that are structured, usable, and repeatable across the organization. Q4: How do you decide which process to improve first? A4: Start with one “plate” and add more as momentum builds. Use five questions to prioritize: Which processes impact customer experience? Which also impact growth? Which improvements would positively affect both experience and growth? How well does each process work today? What would it take to improve each process (time, difficulty, cost, impact)? Select the process with the highest impact relative to effort, then rank the rest with impact as the guiding factor. Q5: Why does process “speed” and momentum matter? A5: Because momentum creates stability—and stability enables agility. Once a process is optimized and running smoothly, it requires less effort to maintain, freeing leaders to focus on additional improvements. However, momentum is only beneficial if the process is effective; inefficient processes simply carry inefficiency forward faster. Q6: What are three practical attributes of a proven process improvement method? A6: Take corrective action: If a process requires significant rework due to failures, identify root causes, fix them, and document the revised process. Prioritize high-frequency processes: Improve the processes used most often (the “80%” processes) first, while still capturing lower-frequency processes that can create outsized risk if ignored. Design for usability: Keep process maps simple, meaningful, and action-oriented. Use clear verbs (e.g., “schedule the advisory board meeting” vs. “advisory board meeting”) so people know exactly what to do and are less likely to bypass steps. Q7: What is the core takeaway for leaders? A7: Operational excellence is not about doing more; it is about making processes strong enough to run reliably with less friction. When processes are clear, usable, and continuously improved, the organization gains the stability and agility required to sustain growth.

Strategy. Entire books and academic courses are devoted to it because the development of an effective strategy is critical to the success of all organizations. And strategy is the focus of this episode. Your strategy outlines how your organization will achieve its goals, offset competitors, and meet and serve the needs and expectations of existing and prospective customers. Strategy sets the course you will take to realize sustainable long-term growth. Strategy answers two basic questions: “Where do you want to go?” and “How do you want to get there?” Developing a strategy entails understanding your company’s target customer, value proposition, and core and competitive capabilities. Once you identify and select an opportunity for growth you need a strategy for how to meet the challenge or leverage the opportunity. Strategy is brought to life with tactics. That is specific concreate actions or steps. Here’s the thing about strategy. It requires making choices. Harvard Business School professor, Michael Porter, is the author of 20 books and numerous articles on strategy. He contends that making hard choices is fundamental to developing an effective strategy. He suggests that the essence of strategy is choosing what not to do and deliberately choosing what to do. Let’s use selecting an adjacent market to illustrate the concept of selecting a growth strategy. Companies often choose to move into an adjacent market as a way to tap new customers. This strategy entails identifying and selecting a market that has customer needs that complement and fit the company’s expertise and core competencies, enables the opportunity to capture more market share, adds value to the organization, and helps the company grow. A key reason to choose the market is that the company can successfully compete. Strategy is the wind that enables your organization to move forward. With strategy in hand, a plan is developed and implemented. Let’s play out the example a little further. Imagine that this company begins to see traction but not as fast as hoped. And it is costing more in time and resources than initially planned, plus an unexpected competitor comes into play. So, the company halts its tactics despite forward progress. This is akin to lowering a boat’s sails just as they are filling with wind. Sails are the engine of the boat. Sailing requires sailors to play an active role in harnessing the wind’s energy. To move a sailboat forward and gain momentum you need wind in the sails and people who know how to handle them and the boat. If you take your sails down, the boat may still move forward but eventually it will become listless in the water. While the company can change its mind and abandon or cast aside the strategy, most likely that would be a mistake. The key to being successful with strategy is staying the course over time. Rarely can a strategy be implemented quickly and be successful without adjustments. Strategy often entails significant operational changes across the organization. Therefore, rather than changing course, the organization needs to answer a key question “how much time do we need to implement the strategy?” And employ scenario analysis to prepare for contingencies and anticipate potential adjustments. Unfortunately, too many companies put on the brakes. We’re often befuddled when this occurs. Typically, the organization has made significant investments to implement a strategy. It can often be detrimental to come to a full stop, ceasing tactics, before the strategy has a chance to produce results. Buy Your Best-Practices Workbook   Adjust Your Tactics to Keep on Sailing Clearly in sailing the key to forward movement is to keep the sails full. What’s the challenge when it comes to sailing? Well, the wind is rarely perfectly steady. In sailing, once the sails catch the wind, sailors make adjustments to keep all the edges of the sail tight (not flapping). Flapping sails don’t pull the boat forward. And the same holds true for strategy. The world of customers, competitors, and the market are dynamic. They must be regularly and constantly monitored. When sailing, you adjust your sails to efficiently harness the wind’s energy, even as it changes in strength and direction to control the boat. This applies to every organization. Rather than changing strategy, adjust your sails, that is your tactics, to keep your growth on track. The plan to implement your strategy encompasses the tactics you’ll deploy to support the vision, positioning, messaging, innovation, and competitive advantage defined by your strategy. Tactics inform what actions you will take to develop the offer, select the target market, and create and communicate customer value. For example, tactics include: · the assets you create such as your website and content · the channels you use to directly and/or indirectly connect with existing and prospective customers such as social media and advertising · where and how you will engage customers and prospects along the customer journey These can and should be adjusted as needed to keep your sails full without capsizing the boat. What kind of adjustments? Adjustments might include something as simple as frequency or something far more complex such as significantly modifying a product demo to support virtual vs. on premise interactions. Before you take down your sails, consider how to adjust your tactics. Rather than stopping altogether embrace John Browne, CEO of British Petroleum’s, philosophy “No advantage and no success is ever permanent. The winners are those who keep moving.” Ready to talk strategy? Let us help you fill your sails. FAQ: (written by Penn of Sintra.ai) Q1: What is strategy, and what does it do for an organization? A1: Strategy is the set of deliberate choices that outlines how an organization will achieve its goals, serve customer needs, and compete effectively. It sets the course for sustainable growth by answering two questions: Where do we want to go? and How will we get there? Q2: What inputs are required to develop an effective strategy? A2: Strategy requires clarity about the target customer, value proposition, and the organization’s core and competitive capabilities. Once a growth opportunity is selected—such as entering an adjacent market—strategy defines how the organization will compete and win, and tactics translate that strategy into concrete actions. Q3: Why are trade-offs fundamental to strategy? A3: Because strategy requires choices. An effective strategy is as much about choosing what not to do as it is about choosing what to do. Trade-offs focus resources, reduce distraction, and protect differentiation. Q4: Why do organizations sometimes “take down the sails” too early? A4: Because strategy execution takes time, conditions change, and early traction may not meet expectations. Costs can rise, competitors can respond, and leaders may halt tactics despite forward progress—similar to lowering sails just as they catch wind. The result is lost momentum and wasted investment. Q5: What is the better question to ask when results are slower than expected? A5: Instead of abandoning strategy, ask: How much time do we need to implement the strategy? Then use scenario analysis to anticipate contingencies and plan adjustments. Strategy is rarely implemented quickly without iteration, especially when operational change is required. Q6: What does it mean to “adjust tactics to keep sailing”? A6: It means keeping the strategy steady while modifying execution to match changing market conditions—just as sailors adjust sails when wind shifts. Tactics include: The assets you create (website, content) The channels you use (social, advertising, partners) Where and how you engage customers across the journey Adjustments can be small (cadence/frequency) or substantial (reworking a product demo for virtual engagement), but the goal is consistent: maintain momentum without capsizing. Q7: What is the core takeaway for leaders managing strategy execution? A7: Markets are dynamic; tactics should flex. Before you stop, look for ways to keep the sails full—because sustained growth belongs to organizations that keep moving and continuously adjust execution while staying anchored to strategy.

Demand generation, which we commonly refer to as demand gen, is a fundamental capability of Marketing.  It’s important to not shortcut the process if you want to consistently reap quality opportunities. This episode shares 5 steps we can borrow from gardeners to improve our conversation yield. 5 key gardening steps for demand generation yield. It’s been quite a year.  Some companies have thrived. Others are struggling to survive.  Many companies pivoted.  They changed strategy, which in turn impacted tactics, especially demand generation tactics. Regardless, one thing is certain: every organization that wants to create interest, engagement, and consideration needs a demand gen plan and corresponding measurable tactics. A plan that accounts for every stage in the customer buying journey – from anonymous visitor to first contact, to first conversation – all the way up to and through selection and purchase. For companies where there is a complex, consultative, multi-participant aspect to the journey, the demand generation efforts to move customers from the starting point to the finishing line take time.  In challenging times, organizations may want, even need, to move customers through the process faster. They want sales NOW! With few exceptions, this seldom occurs. Whether the economy gains momentum or falters, it is important to approach demand generation like a gardener. With patience and skill. What does that mean? Purchase Your Assessment 5 Gardening Steps Improve Your Demand Gen Results If you haven’t had much gardening experience, we want to inform you that there’s a considerable amount of effort that goes into growing healthy plants that continue to flourish. Just like there is a lot of effort that goes into creating and keeping customers.  Let’s explore 5 things gardeners do that will help you improve your demand generation initiatives. First, gardeners use data to make decisions about how to prepare the soil and what to plant.  For example, how is your organization using data to understand the market trends and requirements, define the customer journey, evaluate channels and touch points, create content, monitor competitors, and so on? Success at demand gen requires marketers to be data literate. Make sure you have this capability on your team before you tackle the next steps. Otherwise, you may end up with a lean harvest. Second, prepare the soil Second, gardeners prepare the soil because it is key to plant health and a garden’s vitality. Soil is more than dirt. It is a mixture of minerals, dead and living organisms, air, and water. Maybe you already have a rich, crumbly loam on which to build your garden. If not, you need to turn sand, clay, or barren ground into soil that will sustain your plants.  For businesses, a rich soil is comprised of your strategy, messaging, and positioning, your website, content, processes, technology, and your implementation plan. All of these need to be in place before you start planting seeds or seedlings. If you have specific plants you want to grow, then you need to make sure you have soil and a location suitable for those plants.  Or in the world of business, an environment suitable for that target market and customer. If the soil or location is not right, the plant will struggle to grow, even with good tending. Third, select the right plants.  You know what you want to plant; now you need to decide which plants. This is one of the most important steps. The plants you choose depend on many factors, from the orientation of your garden to its size and soil type, and what you want to harvest- flowers, fruits, or vegetables.  When it comes to Marketing and demand gen, it’s important to select the right markets and customers. The markets and customers you choose also depend on many factors, starting with whether your organization solves a relevant problem and how well you can solve it compared to current solutions or potential alternatives.  Here we are on the third step, and we haven’t harvested one flower or vegetable! The same is true for demand gen.    It’s too early to be expecting customers when the plants aren’t even in the ground! Fourth, tenderly nurture conversations. Gardeners carefully place the seeds or seedlings in the prepared soil.  Now comes the consistent tending of the baby plants. This entails watering, fertilizing, protecting young plants from herbivores, and keeping weeds at bay.  With proper tending, plants will grow and eventually produce buds.  This tending applies to demand gen.  All of the potential conversations you hope to create and harvest need to be carefully tended. Content, touches, channels, and the frequency of these are how we nurture demand. Over-fertilizing or watering damages plants.  The same applies as you nurture potential customer conversations. How do gardeners get it “just right?” They use data and constantly monitor temperature, moisture, and wind.  Demand gen efforts cannot be put on autopilot. Use data, such as customer behavior, competitor moves, and market changes, to adjust as needed. Lastly, cultivation. As with plants, not all buds result in a flower, fruit, or vegetable.  As we nurture the plants, we must prune dead, diseased parts or unhealthy buds. Gardeners must be careful not to try to harvest too soon, thereby crippling the flowers or produce.  This takes careful patient work. Demand gen takes the same skill.  Not every effort will result in a conversation. Not all customers who express initial interest will turn into serious consideration and purchase.   But with patience and skill, well-implemented demand gen programs will yield valuable customer conversations. Need help making sure you’re planting a demand gen garden that results in a bountiful harvest?  Let’s set up a time to talk. FAQ: (written by Penn of Sintra.ai) Q1: Why is demand generation a fundamental Marketing capability—and why shouldn’t teams shortcut it? A1: Demand generation is how Marketing consistently creates interest, engagement, and consideration that turns into quality opportunities. Shortcuts may create activity, but they rarely produce sustained yield—especially in complex, consultative buying journeys where moving from anonymous visitor to purchase takes time and multiple touches. Q2: Why do organizations feel pressure to “speed up” demand gen in challenging times—and what’s the risk? A2: When revenue pressure rises, leaders want sales now. The risk is expecting harvest before the work is done—pushing prospects through stages faster than the buyer’s process allows, which often reduces quality, damages trust, and creates inconsistent results. Q3: What does it mean to approach demand generation like a gardener? A3: It means applying patience, discipline, and data-driven tending—building the conditions for growth before expecting outcomes, and continuously monitoring and adjusting rather than putting programs on autopilot. Q4: What five “gardening steps” improve demand generation yield? A4: Use data to decide what to plant and how to prepare. Apply data to understand trends, customer journeys, channels, touchpoints, content needs, and competitor moves—requiring data literacy on the team. Prepare the soil. Ensure the foundation is ready: strategy, messaging, positioning, website, content, processes, technology, and an implementation plan. Select the right plants. Choose the right markets and customers based on problem relevance and your ability to solve it better than alternatives. Tenderly nurture conversations. Use content, touches, channels, and frequency to build demand—carefully calibrated. Over-nurturing can be as damaging as neglect. Cultivate. Prune what is unhealthy or unproductive, avoid harvesting too early, and accept that not every bud becomes a conversation or a customer—while maintaining disciplined follow-through. Q5: Why can’t demand generation be put on autopilot? A5: Because conditions change. Just as gardeners monitor moisture, temperature, and wind, demand gen requires ongoing adjustment based on customer behavior, competitor moves, and market shifts to keep programs relevant and productive. Q6: What is the practical takeaway for improving demand gen outcomes? A6: Build the environment first, choose targets deliberately, and tend conversations with data-driven discipline. With patience and skill, demand gen becomes a repeatable system that yields valuable customer conversations—rather than a series of rushed campaigns chasing immediate results.