A dramatic sign of our digital times

Observation:   If you want to know just how wired we have become, you can look it up in an encyclopedia… but soon, the only up-to-date version of that information source will be online.  Encyclopaedia Britannica has announced that it will discontinue its printed version, according to this story from the New York Times (click to link).

Implications:   The company has been publishing these impressive volumes for 244 years.  Wisely, they’ve also been publishing on the web for many years, and seem to be focused on staying current with mobile devices.   What remains to be seen is whether their business model can prosper in a world where information has become so eager to be free, through sources like Wikipedia and a seemingly infinite list of other web resources.

Once upon a time, buying air travel used to be a complicated ordeal, often requiring the intervention of a travel agent to interpret the numerous options and seemingly foreign language of the airlines.  That process was ultimately simplified, and information once controlled by experts was released to the general public; we can now shop for and purchase plane tickets from the miniature screen of our smartphones.  (For that matter, I find the best time to plan my travel is when I’m sitting at 30,000 feet using GoGo.)

What information does your business control?  Could your business actually grow if you figured out a way to relinquish that control to the consumer?  Could your company suffer is someone else figures it out first?

Mike Anderson, for the Elm Street Economics consumer trends blog. A service of The Center for Sales Strategy, Inc.

The consumer as Information Technology manager

A story in today’s New York Times suggests that more companies are allowing their employees to drive the decision about the computing devices they will use.  When it comes to smartphones, tablets and laptops, decisions are increasingly being driven more by consumers and less by the I.T. department.  Click here to see the story. 

Implications:  In the company I worked for before CSS, I met resistance when bringing my personal laptop into the building hoping to connect to the company’s server and email system.  Of course, the concern was security, and that my personal machine might contaminate the network with a virus.  In reality—because I so frequently upgraded my own equipment—they created a situation where my personal technology was better than theirs… and I had to “dumb-myself-down” to work at my workplace computer.  And it made the after-hours work I often provided more difficult to deliver.

Today, consumer technology rivals that of many sophisticated companies… first because overhauling the I.T. capabilities of a business is very expensive and takes time.  But also because consumer technology is changing so fast. 

Once upon a time, companies had to wonder whether their employees had better technology than the business.  Now, businesses must figure out how to manage the needs of customers who are well equipped, too.

Mike Anderson, for the Elm Street Economics consumer trends blog. A service of The Center for Sales Strategy, Inc.

Loads of ideas about integrating your store with your online presence (or vice versa)

Frequently, I will point to a specific article from Trendwatching.com if I think that it holds an idea that could be adapted by local companies like yours.  Today, I’m recommending that you read the whole Trendwatching.com newsletter, because it is focused on a digital “Retail Renaissance” that involves many bricks-and-mortar stores along with their online assets.

Click here to see the story, and browse for ideas you can emulate. 

Implications:  The future is coming.  You might as well be the one to design it.  (I guess that's my theme for today!)

Mike Anderson, for the Elm Street Economics consumer trends blog. A service of The Center for Sales Strategy, Inc.

A more perfect union: Looking at the world through the other side's eyes

Colleague Kim Willoughby shared an article that she had read in the New York Times last week. It had to do with an agreement between General Motors and the United Auto Workers union that included significant wage cuts for a part of the workforce that will help build a new compact/sub-compact car in the U.S. Click here to read the story.

Implications: I’m going to express this as an opinion, but bear with me: Both unions and companies have long thought that for one to win, the other must lose. At times, this prevailing attitude has resulted in harm to the company, the union, or both.

In light of another challenging month for the jobs market (click here to see the Bureau of Labor Statistics report, also from last week), it is not surprising to see unions and companies—finally—look at the world from each others’ point-of-view, and realize that they are mutually dependent entities… not archrivals.

Think about the participants in your own business cycle. Whether product vendors, service suppliers, customers or workers, have you ever looked at a person or company as if they were adversaries to be defeated, rather than partnerships waiting to happen? Review your negotiation/transaction process, and the answer will probably reveal itself to you.

Mike Anderson

Companies more likely to consider i-Pad

Another interesting story today from the Wall Street Journal: More companies are putting the Apple i-Pad in their corporate briefcases. (Click here to read the story from today’s WSJ.com.)

Implications: I’m thinking about all the times I’ve heard and IT specialist say something like, “We’re a PC organization,” referring to some obtuse idea that Apple products might not be compatible with the organization.

These days, it appears that companies are looking more at what might be cost-efficient and effective, as opposed to comfortable for the IT department. (I’m not suggesting that favors Apple, only that it might put the new Apple products on a bit more equal footing with other technology options.) After all, the evolution of smart phones has blurred the lines of what we expect from technology tools. Today, the question is more than just “to PC or not to PC.” We look at each component in the technology chain for what application it accomplishes, and what price that achievement comes with.

Mike Anderson

Information (when shared) is power

Another interesting idea shared by the latest issue from Springwise: the open-source restaurant. Not only can customers enjoy the meal… they can get a copy of the recipe, too. (Or for that matter, if they like the furniture in the restaurant, they can get a copy of the plans that show how to build it… according to the Springwise story.)

Implications: Once upon a time, information was power: If I had information that you didn’t have, I was more powerful than you. These days, information is still power. But now it seems the power comes not from having and holding the information… but from sharing it openly.

One example might be Apple. By opening their operating system, Apple made it possible for outside developers to make the i-Phone even better, because of the litany of resulting new applications.

The restaurant mentioned in this story has found a way to profit from sharing their secrets. Customers not only enjoy dining out; they enjoy the secondary experience of trying to re-create the dish at home in their quest to entertain friends and family. In doing so, discussion will be sparked about where the recipe came from, and the next stage of marketing is launched through word-of-mouth.

What’s not to love? For the customer, it’s like getting two adventures for the price of one. And for the restaurant, it's like getting free exposure.

Mike Anderson