the best management ideas ever

So you’ve spent time creating the best product on the market, it has everything your customers want, and now it’s time to get out there and sell it. Naturally, you want to create content and shout to the world about the product’s amazing features. 

It makes sense. Product features are tangible, quantifiable, and create value for your customers—that’s what they want … isn’t it?

Not exactly.

Eureka! You've been trying to figure out the answer to a problem at work that seems to have no solution.

And then, you're drinking your morning coffee running your to-do list through your head and BOOM.

The sun hits the window seal and it's like that light bulb clicked on in your head and you know exactly what to do.

What's the first word you think when someone brings up the business Blockbuster Video? 

Out-of-business? Obsolete? Old school? Wasn't that in the Captain Marvel movie?

What if we were to tell you Blockbuster Video was ahead of its time? Really, it's too bad they couldn't have innovated to keep up with the technological shifts because, in terms of the trajectory of consumer behavior, Blockbuster Video was a trailblazer. 

You see, Blockbuster Video figured out something that many businesses are just now realizing: consumers are willing to pay for access to a product instead of ownership of it.

Since about 2010 we've been seeing articles about the increasing trend of mobile workforces and remote workers. More and more companies are offering remote work days. Some are moving towards hiring more contractors who work entirely from home, sometimes even from the other side of the country. Then we also have a fading away from restrictions on sick days or personal time. 

All of this relies on the idea that your employees are adults who get their work done and can handle their business. 

We're no longer seeing a new trend or expecting mobile workforces to become popular. It's here.

Have you ever thought about the path that someone takes to become a customer? From the moment someone comes into contact with your brand – whether it's through a banner ad or a Twitter post – they're starting a journey. Once a potential customer is aware of your company, the hope is that they will seek out more information via things like your website, social channels, or online reviews. 

But ask yourself this: What does their experience look like? One of the best ways to figure this out is to understand and map your customers' potential paths of engagement with your company, otherwise known as their customer journeys.