Rebel Brown Articles

We Can be Civilized - Click To Read Article
Just when I'm getting depressed - a Bright Light shines. A little boy named Noah engendered a showcase of civilized behavior this week.

Just Say No! - Click To Read Article
Why is it so hard for some of us to say No?

Walt is Rolling in his Grave - Click To Read Article
The new Mickey feels like Disney prioritized profits over a brand, a brand we've trusted with our kids for over 50 years.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T - Click To Read Article
Aretha had it right about respect. We want it, we need it and we don't get enough of it.

Are We Civil? - Click To Read Article
Some say we are following the path of ancient Rome and Greece.

My PersonalTrust Initiative - Click To Read Article
We can each make a difference when we trust.

Is Trust Broken? - Click To Read Article
Our trust factor seems to be decreasing every day.

You Get More Flies with Sugar - Click To Read Article
Let's be serious. If you're having problems, anyone asking you about them already knows what's up. So cowboy-up and face the music. Be open and honest. You don't have to share the dirty laundry and all the details. But you can be honest, open and paint a picture that is true. People respect other people that open the kimono and tell the truth. And guess what, customers are people!

When the Experts are just Plain Wrong - Click To Read Article
Don't dismiss your own knowing, no matter what the experts say.

What If? - Click To Read Article
The past doesn't represent out future - so why do we spend so much time focused on it?

We Really Should.... - Click To Read Article
When you hear someone say 'We should', it's a surefire flag that we're thinking in the wrong direction

Transformation Opportunities are All Around Us - Click To Read Article
Business transformation is as natural as business growth - and just as inherent in any company's lifecycle. Transformation is all around us. Businesses transform themselves every day. Transformation is not just about big bangs and massive changes. Transformation happens so often that we often don't even recognize it as transformation.

Three is Marketing's Magic Number - Click To Read Article
When you overload your audience with too many messages, you risk not communicating at all.

There's Opportunity in that Crisis - Click To Read Article
Quantum Theory promotes the existence of limitless outcomes for each and every situation. The outcome we experience is the outcome we choose to see. Pay attention to that. Any outcome is available to us - we choose what we experience. When we change our thoughts and expectations - we change our outcomes.

They Chose Lemonade - Click To Read Article
There's no strategic methodology, no magic business formula to finding opportunity in a crisis. When it comes right down to it, seeing an opportunity or crisis in business or our personal lives is all about our attitude. We choose what we see and how we respond.

The Thin Line Between Persuasion and Manipulation - Click To Read Article
We practice the art of persuasion every day in our businesses. We bend our audiences' beliefs through the stories and information we share, through the brand or image we create, through the sales discussions we guide so carefully. So where's the line between sales and marketing persuasion - and manipulation?

Three Strikes for Customer Service - Click To Read Article
All I wanted was to buy an iPhone.

The Tower of Babble - Click To Read Article
Communication is a funny thing.

The Problem With Plans - Click To Read Article
You'd change course rather than fly into a thunderstorm, wouldn't you? Even if that storm wasn't in your flight plan? Markets change, customers change, people change - plans should change too.

The Power of a Blank Whiteboard - Click To Read Article
Unfortunately for many companies, people don't usually respond well to change. Anything but. I wish we could embrace the opportunity to evolve processes and thinking and behaviors - but often we don't. Especially in tough times - when the company environment is probably already tense and constricted. When things get tense, people tend to hang on to what they know, as a touchstone for the status quo - which is known and safe, even if it does mean a downhill slide. Hanging onto 'the way we've always done it' is one of the most common challenges I encounter in my clients.

The Enemy is Out There - Click To Read Article
Every second you spend pointing a finger at another group in your organization, trying to show how you can do their jobs better, you are wasting valuable time and resources. Not to mention the professional disrespect and contention that blooms. While you are infighting and pointing fingers, your competitors are laughing all the way to the bank.

The Company Your Keep - Click To Read Article
People perceive us in part based on who we hang around with, who we point to as 'friends' and associates.

The Ghost and Our Integrity - Click To Read Article
Audiences view social media as the safe ground for truth and integrity. It's the place where they can share and obtain real information in honest and meaningful ways. The place they can learn about prospective or current partners, get a feel for their thoughts and perspectives.

Stop with the 4-letter Words! - Click To Read Article
CIOs and BU executives are businessmen. So stop with the argument that they want technical sales information. They have to justify their 'business' just like every other executive. Trust me, they are not discussing 4-letter techno words in their executive meetings.

Stop Blaming Sales! - Click To Read Article
If sales isn't responding - then marketing is responsible. Marketing's role is to give sales the tools and training they need to sell the company's solutions. It's also marketing's role to get them excited about the newest offerings. So the next time someone starts to blame sales for lack of product acceptance in your customer base or for discounting deals that don't generate the margin or results you expected - think again. It's most likely sales is doing the best they can with what they've been given.

Stop Blaming Marketing - Click To Read Article
Sales and Marketing need to learn to work together and stop pointing fingers.

'So What?' Marketing - Click To Read Article
The simple fact is that marketing is not about you and your technology or business. It's about your customers and how your company or solution can help them be successful in their business. Asking the 'So What?" question from your customers' perspectives - then using those advantages as the platform for your marketing messages can make the difference between grabbing audience attention and keeping it, or losing them before you ever get a chance to communicate.

So You Want to be a Consultant? - Click To Read Article
I've been consulting successfully for over 20 years now. That makes me an old-timer in many folks' perceptions. Friends and associates often come to me for advice on how to start their own consulting business - mostly around how to position themselves as an expert in the market. Here are the thoughts I share.

Sales is Discounting Again - Click To Read Article
How many times have I heard this cry from clients? Always makes me wonder if corporate citizens understand and appreciate how hard selling can be - especially if you have little air cover and not much ammunition. The fact is that if sales is discounting it means the company, and particularly marketing, hasn't done its job. I'm not trying to pass blame - just pointing out a 'relative' truth.

Revenue is Down, Let's Fire Sales - Click To Read Article
Cutting back on your source of revenues is something that needs to be done with a precision scalpel - not a chainsaw.

Right and Wrong in the Eye of the Beholder - Click To Read Article
Do we stretch our own ethics to remain competitive?

Put the Competition in the Rear View Mirror - Click To Read Article
Competitive assessment is one of the most powerful tools we have in our quiver. Yet IMHO so few companies actually assess the competition in a way that works. We spend time evaluating our competitor's technology foundations, comparing feature against feature. We look for every detail that we can use to prove that our technology is far superior to that of others. Too bad that having the best technology doesn't mean you win....or that having the most features doesn't guarantee customer success. If the best technology won, then today's industry giants wouldn't be so, um, giant, now would they? Don't get me wrong. Understanding your competitor's technology and its capabilities is a worthwhile exercise. As long as you don't fall into the trap of defining your solutions based on their features - and become a follower.

Reading Between the Lines is for Dating - Click To Read Article
Forcing your audience to read between the lines to understand your value is ineffective at best. You'll lose your listener before you ever connect.

Positioning Basics - Click To Read Article
There is no one-size-fits-all approach to strategy and positioning. Anyone who says there's a one-size-fits-all approach simply doesn't get it. Strategic positioning is more art than science. And each and every client is a new canvas. Great positioning is as unique as every situation. You have to be flexible, nimble. My ‘methodology' is more a way of thinking about things. I don't really have a checklist or set of step-by-step instructions.

Positioning Statements That Work - Click To Read Article
Why is it that marketing folks tend to think that simply streaming popular buzzwords and ‘chest thumping' adjectives together results in a powerful positioning statement? And by the way, we all know we do it, we kid about it, poke fun at the other guys doing it -- and then turn right around and do the same thing.

Parley Vous Customer? - Click To Read Article
Pay attention to the words customers use to describe their business. That's the language you want to learn - and use.

Positioning for Success - Part I - Click To Read Article
Positioning is probably the most important thing you'll do in your consulting or entrepreneurial business life. People come to you because of their perceptions, and perceptions are created through positioning stories. The right positioning and focus will attract prospects and customers to your door, and keep them coming back.

Profit at Any Cost? - Click To Read Article
Has the economy pushed us so far, the need for profitability grown so strong, that we are willing to sacrifice customer focus? Are we willing to ignore customer safety to avoid a deeper exploration of our business practice that might impact revenues, or force the recall of an unsafe product?

Powering Momentous Market Launches - Click To Read Article
Successful market launches are more than a single Lightning Bolt announcing availability. Great launches are all about building momentum, creating buzz and ultimately, announcing success. That's what Rolling Thunder is all about.

Objectivity is a Beautiful Thing - Click To Read Article
Objectivity is a beautiful thing. Unfortunately, all too often we lose the very objectivity that helps us create business value. We simply get too close.

Nothing Lasts Forever - Click To Read Article
When we embrace change, we embrace our potential. We eagerly step into exciting new opportunities and challenges, stretch to learn new things, try new approaches and expand our horizons. With each change we get better, and better again.

May the Abilities Rest in Peace - Click To Read Article
The bottom line is that to truly communicate with our audiences, we need to stop using the same words that everyone drags along, and start thinking creatively, originally and most of all - think and talk like a customer.

Mine's BiggerThan Yours - Click To Read Article
Is anyone else sick of all the hype?

Marketing Has Left the Building - Click To Read Article
Since when did Marketing become a corporate headquarters role that never leaves the building? Even in tough economic times - we have phones and web conferencing and a video camera in every laptop and the network bandwidth to drive it. Come on - We have Skype!

Leave Your Ego at the Door, Please - Click To Read Article
It can take years to develop a relationship based on trust and loyalty. In this case it may have only taken one phone call to diminish years of partnership.

Leaders - Make the Tough Calls! - Click To Read Article
Popularity is not part of a CEO's job description. Be a leader and make your decision. Listen to all the input, take the feedback and then decide on a strategy. That's why you get the big bucks...to be a leader and make the tough calls.

Less is More - Click To Read Article
The web and digital marketing has given us the chance to deliver more content than ever before. Content that our audience can use to get to know us, our products and our value. That's great news. At least it should be. The problem? We overwhelm our audience, giving them too many options, too many different aspects and angles - and we lose them. We just plain drown them in too much information.

Keep Your Eye on the Revenue - Click To Read Article
Regardless of how you choose to create your go-to-market strategy, how you execute your launch, how you drive momentum - there's one key to a great launch. Keep your eye on the revenue. That's your true measure of success.

It's the Little Things! - Click To Read Article
The next time we start cutting price to match the competition, slimming services to make up for the lost margin - maybe we should think again.

Is it a Big Opportunity? 4 Questions To Ask Yourself Before you Dive In. - Click To Read Article
So why is is that we'll sacrifice our corporate goals, push the boundaries right to the brink of losing money on a deal (and jump right through the boundaries if it's exciting enough)? Just to get a big deal that we can thump our chests about? Sure it's a huge opportunity. The question is - is it an opportunity for success or failure?

Is Your Baby Ugly - Click To Read Article
Holding on to products that have passed their prime is a key reason companies falter. It's hard to let go of something we've poured our energy into for years, even decades. That's true personally as well as in business. But that's exactly what we need to do to make forward progress.

If You Talk the Talk, You Better Walk the Walk - Click To Read Article
Walk your Talk. Someone will find out when you don't. Thanks to Web 2.0 - that bullet can be shared around the world. Besides, it's the right thing to do. Keep your integrity and do what you say. You may not win all the time, but you'll win more than most.

If You Can't Say Something Nice - Click To Read Article
When you speak negatively about the competition, you take yourself down a level in your audiences’ eyes.

I'll Try - Click To Read Article
Commitments have become something we keep if they are convenient for us.

Focus Groups are for Lipstick, not Technology - Click To Read Article
You're launching a new product, so of course you test your messages with customers. After all, you want to make sure your customers' mouths water (and their wallets open) when they hear your story. More than that, you want to get to know your target market; learn to think like them, speak like them, understand how they react to your story. So you decide to run a focus group. That's what everyone does, right? Wrong. In my humble experience the high technology market does not lend itself to focus groups.

Don't Bet Your Business on the Numbers - Click To Read Article
Don't bet your business' future success just on the numbers. Numbers can't give you the gut feel that every executive, product owner and marketeer needs - especially if you're reinventing yourself and/or your company. Besides, as an old boss used to say, "Figures lie and liars figure".

Don't SWAG Your SWOT! - Click To Read Article
Don't SWAG your SWOTs! Those SWAGs become corporate facts and drive your destiny!

Do You See Opportunity or Crisis? - Click To Read Article
What if adopting a positive viewpoint changes our crisis into opportunity?

Cash Cow or Sacred Cow? - Click To Read Article
Getting down to the nitty gritty about a client's 'best sellers' is one of the first things I jump into when I start a new project. More often than not, those 'best sellers' are the source of more problems than anyone would expect. How can that be? It's the biggest seller (which is easy to prove with revenues), the cash cow, sacred cow, the product that delivers major corporate differentiation. Right? Sometimes it is. But more often it's not. It may generate the most revenue - but you have to look deeper, much deeper, to find out how the product is impacting your business.

But They're Our BEST Customer! - Click To Read Article
A strong relationship with a customer is the Holy Grail we all seek. After all, once you have a Win/Win relationship, both businesses profit, right? Sometimes, but not always.

But the Other Guys Have It! - Click To Read Article
Market leadership is not about being just like everyone else. Leadership is about defining (or clarifying) who and what our companies are, what value we bring and why that matters. It's about doing things that are special for our customers. Market leadership is about being unique.

But We CAN'T - Click To Read Article
When "can't" enters the room - progress stops dead in its tracks.

Buzzwords are BS! - Click To Read Article
Three adjectives and a noun are not a positioning statement!

Are we All on the Same Page? - Click To Read Article
To tell great positioning stories, we need to give everyone the same frame of reference. Before we even get into the story - right up front. We need to place that paradigm shift right there in the middle of the table for all to see, and understand. We have to set the stage for everyone in a very, simple way.

A Shiny Needle in the B2B Marketing Haystack - Click To Read Article
There's so much information available across the web. It's tough to find relevant content for your own B2B efforts, kinda like that proverbial hunt for the needle in the haystack.

Accentuate the Positive - Click To Read Article
We can choose to break free of fear. We can seek out new approaches that power innovation and opportunity - and share them with our audiences. We can focus on helping our customers find new opportunities, improve current practices and solve the problems they already recognize and care about. We can trust that our innovation and expertise will shine through the FUD.

2 + 2 = 3 - Click To Read Article
Quantitative evidence can be a great boon to companies. They prove the points we want to make. But they can also shoot our credibility in the foot - or even worse. I want to emphasize is the importance of understanding your numbers - and of spinning them to support your points in a reasonable and logical fashion.


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