July 06, 2007
Microsoft Madness
How can failures affect your brand? Just ask Microsoft who is footing a $1billion bill to repair Xboxes which are defective.
Whether this was an operations or design failure, it exemplifies the difference between Microsoft and Apple in the battle of perception. We find increasing confidence in Apple products and increased questioning of Microsoft ones.
My kids are all Apple fans, I now notice more and more Apple laptops in airports than ever before. Yesterday I visited the Apple store in Manhattan. WOW! Three quarters of the store was dedicated to the iPhone!
Kudos to you Steve Jobs. You are definitely someone to emulate when it comes to taking the word "distinction" and making it real.
Sass
Posted by sass at 10:15 AM | Comments (0)
June 05, 2007
The effects of frequency on blog visits..
As some of you may have noticed, I omitted to post any blog entries for about 3 weeks now. Some may have thought I was too busy, yet the truth is that I have been wondering what effect the blog visits would suffer if i stopped blogging on as regular a basis as I had been.
The results show about a 30% drop in visits, which shows me that many people are actually signed up to receive notifications of my blog entries and that with reduced frequency, fewer other websites are likely to link to mine.
All part of an experiment to find out if you missed me or not (specially Dan, my favourite reader!). Well I guess you did, and so expect me to pick it up particularly as more great news continues to emerge about the execution of our strategies in this great industry.
Sass
Posted by sass at 03:14 AM | Comments (0)
April 10, 2007
Blog freedom needs a challenge...
Thoughts today from internet gurus who are debating whether or not blogs should have content warnings, just like porn or violence-laden websites, tv shows, etc...
There are two minds: one is the purist who sees the internet as the ultimate freedom of expression, say what you wish, when you wish and "buyer beware" mentality, and the other who feels that like any other "media", the internet should be warning about content and now more particularly, bloggers about content on their site.
Why should a blogger's site be different from a professional media/content site, and where do we now draw the distinction? How do you define the line between what should warn and what should not?
I believe that these lines have already been drawn for all kinds of sites and that blog sites should be no different. You're simply being courteous in the most free of all communities. I'm not advocating legalizing this, however just as the advertising industry has its own self-regulating council, why should not the "blog" industry? And if you think that blogging has become anything less than an industry, let's call a spade a spade...I and many other CEO's would not likely be blogging were it not to help promote our own companies (how's THAT for honesty?).
The key, as in everything else in life, is what you wish to be known for. Blog sites which have content where there is no line drawn, should warn their readers, and then its up to the reader to determine if this is for them. At least you would have done people navigating the internet the courtesy of warning them. What a word...courtesy...is it still in our vocabulary?
Sass
Posted by sass at 06:59 PM | Comments (0)
March 14, 2007
Bloggin' Oscars...
It was just a matter of time before blogs became celebrated. Here is a link to an article on Blog Awards.
With 175,000 new blogs created each day, its no wonder the internet is credited with the democratization of media. Those that rise to the top will be the ones that stand out (as usual). As for mine, visits are increasing at a rate of about 20% per month and the mix of people who are commenting (either on the blog or emailing me) is very interesting. I've now got to add shareholders to the list of people who look for my blog to be informative, invigorating, thought-provoking and reflective of not only myself, but also ICP Solar.
CEO blogging has its risks and rewards, yet as this article's title states its a fine balance between being careful and boring.
Sass
Posted by sass at 02:00 AM | Comments (1)
February 18, 2007
Cheating yourself in the end...
NASCAR's Darryl Waltrip was caught cheating in a recent race through the addition of fuel additives to his system, clearly a violation of NASCAR rules. Yet is it so uncommon that cheaters try every trick in the book in a cat and mouse game? What I've found is that really depends on yourself, the brand you are creating, and the manner in which you look yourself in the mirror.
The fact is that such cheating occurs across all walks of life. We've seen it in solar power when several brands simply don't output their real ratings to an unsuspecting public and across several other instances where manufacturers push the envelope (and often break it) in the name of showing higher capacities or ratings.
Does the radio maker tell you that the 200RMS per channel that is labelled is impossible to listen to due to the THD (total harmonic distortion)? Nope. Do you care? Nope. All you want is clean, loud music, and you use the wattage rating as a relative measure because you've never yourself measured it no matter what sound system you bought.
Same goes for solar power. Same goes for car racing. In the end however, it is those who stand out through a consistent, ethical approach to their business that will have long term brand value gains and long term loyalty from customers. At points of sale or viewership, we may not distinguish today. Yet one day, when we least expect it, someone will catch the thief..and that will be the day of the debt repayment.
Live it straight. Live it good. Your reward will come in ways you cannot predict today.
Sass
Posted by sass at 11:03 AM | Comments (0)
February 08, 2007
Solarlicious...
A few years ago, our ICP Solar marketing team came up with the "Flexgirl" concept to market a range of flexible panels. We had a beautiful young woman wrapped ONLY in a flexible panel with the slogan "I'm flexible".
Needless to say it was a huge hit in Europe, where dealers were clamouring to get posters just like the one we would show at the trade fairs, yet in the USA, while men admired the poster at the fairs, they said it would simply not "work" in their neck of the woods. Just goes to show that when in Rome...
So now comes the term "Fergalicious" from the female lead singer out of the Black Eyed Peas band (if you don't know who they are, ask a teenager who is available to you!) and suddenly, a couple of days ago, my guru director of marketing (We call him "Captain Lafite"!) comes up with "Solarlicious", which is what reminded me of our famous flexgirl (Hmm... I wonder if Fergie would like to be wrapped in our new flex solar panels?)
Well, we certainly could have a good time with that phrase, yet I asked myself (being so fixated on solar).."is there a product out there which I would describe as solarlicious?" I thought long and hard about many of the cool products that ICP Solar makes, yet I could not quite get that relation between this word and our great solar power products. I was thinking more of something which may not be quite functional yet looks just right. Whereas our panels look great and work great, I think the word is more appropriate for something really out of the box, and doesn't really relate to performance.
Well, I've determined that none other than the SOLIO, made by my good buddy Chris Hornor, deserves that label. At this time, its eggshape is something clearly out of the box which has litle relation to practicality, and all to do with "lovemarks" as defined by Kevin Roberts, CEO of master branders Saatchi & Saatchi in the UK.
The Solio is the epitomy of a superbly crafted product which has that 'sex appeal', even though I'm not convinced I'd use it for much more than a paperweight because for my own travels, I need to have as little "extra machinery" as possible, as I really like to travel "super light". The product is at the other end of the solar spectrum where we have superbly made industrial panels that have the sex appeal of a...well you can imagine yourself what I mean.
So kudos to you Chris, you get the first official "Solarlicious" nomination from me. If I spot other such items in my travels through the solar power world, I'll make sure to point them out as well...
Sass
Posted by sass at 10:42 AM | Comments (0)
January 20, 2007
My guru children...
Kids today are the technology gurus. They have access to the same information as adults, so why wouldn't they become more adept than us...they foster less preconceived notions and are able to look at things often more objectively than we.
Take Windows Vista for example. It was my two teenagers who first showed me Vista's new skins. That's where they stopped and went back to their games. I asked "Is that it?" to which their response "Daddy, XP radically changed Windows from 98. Vista is just a bunch of Mac OS copycat stuff".
Its quite likely that there's at least a little more "meat" on Vista than simply the skins, yet what this reflects is a simple trend...MAC is the future for these kids. Now they're even engaging me in bets whereby if they reach a certain grade performance, they get a MAC instead of a PC.
The MAC has attained the same kind of status as an iPOD? Not quite. These same kids tell me that when it comes to music playing, it doesn't really have to be an iPod. So the fact is that they are really judging these products on the merits of their performance, and not just the image it may bring them in school. Well, maybe just a little image too!
Interesting how the minds of children can often be much clearer than our own.
Sass
Posted by sass at 07:22 AM | Comments (0)
December 17, 2006
Your TIME has come...
Youtube has been part of the democracy that the internet has become. WE can get to YOU or YOU can get to WE. No longer is the communication channel controlled by a few big wigs whether in Hollywood, New York, London or any other media centre.
And so now comes word that TIME magazine has selected YOU to be the TIME PERSON OF THE YEAR. So here I am wondering how TIME decided that 2006 is the year for this accolade vs prior ones? Is it because somebody came up with the brilliantly simple idea of giving us all a giant, free, poster-board to put up whatever we thought of relevance and let the world make that decision? Didn't we all have that ability before?
So what is it that makes the sudden growth in internet space sites like YOUTUBE, MYSPACE, FLIKR suddenly make us a person of the year? Is it simply recognition by one of the most traditional media that their "time" has come?
I believe that if we look deeper, it relates back to everyone's desire to participate in something BIG. These brilliant websites are amazing in their simplicity and that's what attracts people to them. Rather than the demanding and lonely setting up of one's own site to post pictures, movies or whatever our hearts desire, we can participate in a "global community exercise" which may bring far more viewers to that which we wish to share than our own site might. It is that desire to "belong" which gravitates us to these sites and makes over 100 million people per day visit YOUTUBE.
Simplicity. Demystification. Power of the People. Hmmm..funny how these are the themes that ICP SOLAR launched as part of our future innovations and messaging to our customers in 2006 and how its led to huge gains in consumer demand of our solar power products. We'll give you even more power in 2007 in so many ways yet I believe that within the themes of belonging, giving, caring, simplicity and sharing we can collectively achieve that which we seek.
Many who seek their moment of fame, post their stuff onto these websites. What I push my team is to understand the needs and wants of today's community and ensure that through the promotion of our solar power solutions we can collectively benefit.
YOU are the real stars and WE need to remember that.
Sass
Posted by sass at 12:38 PM | Comments (0)
November 26, 2006
Small Solar Myth..
Truth be told. What a statement about our solar power industry that we can't look people in the eye when we talk about REAL deliverables and compare them to what the ratings say on the panels. I'm talking about what the majority of consumers perceive to be a "disappointment" when they are given one set of figures and their devices deliver another in the "real world". (Finally, the law is taking things into its own hands in the UK and I do hope that this sends out a warning message of things to come!)
Whereas we are so focused on "sun hours of irradiation", who has thought of snow, leaves, bird poop, dust and all the other variables which come into play when the true output of your system will be read on the meter?
And what about "portable solar power"? Are you to carry your solarbag always facing south? (you might discover new neighborhoods this way yet you probably won't get to where you really want to go!). ICP Solar sold AA solar chargers back in the 1990s and I'm dismayed to see low power AA chargers still on the market today when we had discovered long ago that we were simply fooling ourselves. People did indeed buy them as neat gifts, yet I can bet that a large majority ended up in some trash (how environmental is that!) because they were simply NOT practical.
So when I see solar powered AA chargers, I wonder whether or not the fact is that 99% of people want power on WHEN they want it and don't have the time to wait for a solar recharger to do its work. Or that people carrying solar cell phones are not likely to leave them on their desks or by the window suddenly changing their habits of keeping them in their pockets or bags. (Note that I am not commenting on newer, higher power AA chargers that have recently made it onto the market, albeit at higher price points. Just do the math...typical AA rechargeables hold 2A of current today. Anything therefore charging at a rate of under 1amp in full sun will take the better part of a normal day to recharge that type of battery.)
We are still trying to fit a round peg into a small hole. These foolhardy sales companies which do this are in fact discrediting the entire solar industry which wishes to establish for itself a brand of serious power delivery. Truth be told..not many of us are out there telling the truth when it comes to what solar can really do for you...and isn't that sad...
Sass
Posted by sass at 12:59 AM | Comments (1)
November 10, 2006
If you can't beat them...own them!
Microsoft announced that it has formed an alliance with Novell for the Linux system if offers for free worldwide, with paid customer support.
This marks the first time that Microsoft "partners" with someone offering a competitive and freely distributed operating software platform in such a high profile. Adoption rates of Linux have been quicker in third world countries where the cost of a Microsoft license can be the equivalent to a few months of salary and slower in corporate/government/developed-country consumer adoption because of the fears of patent issues and also the relative income of those users.
Thus the "democracy" of the Open Source has won again. Or has it? When a giant like Microsoft gets involved, its only for $$$ reasons. Frankly, I would suspect that one day Microsoft could seek to either BUY Novell or at least it figures it keeps its finger on the pulse of developments to help ensure that its Windows platform "keeps up with the Joneses".
Linux is developed as open-source, meaning that it benefits from free, worldwide development teams which are all working in different ways to use and improve its functionality for everyday consumer needs. Its really a matter of thousands of "davids" vs goliath in this situation and the fact that the giant decided to finally partner with Novell is a testament to the power of the democratization of software and the "ownership" which is slowly being moved from developer to consumer.
As this democratization is in line with the same movement with regards to marketing and communications in general, we see that the world today is evolving across many platforms yet in many ways..and much has to do with the increased use of technology to bring the power back to the people. Any brand worth its weight will realize this and capture the spirit in how it addresses its public...
Sass
Posted by sass at 12:14 AM | Comments (0)
October 24, 2006
Small chips away at Big..
Just as Seth Godin wrote that "small is the new big", we find now that Mozilla is engaged in an interesting race with Microsoft in the browser category.
A not-for-profit organization manages to do what much bigger ones (Safari, Netscape) have not done with loads of marketing budgets...take 15% market share away from Microsoft! How it was accomplished is a great testament to the "power of the people" when they perceive themselves to be set aside in the great communication age.
Mozilla's new Firefox browser is democracy on the web at its best,capable of posting blogs and with functionality to benefit from the new web2.0 platform. A totally FREE browser, in open-source, that many people have taken the liberty (and their time) to help translate across the world. Its like the "youtube" of software, no charges, no headaches, no renewal notices...just something for FREE!
As this catches on it makes me think of how the solar power world can take up this model and yet still be profitable? If givers gain, how do we do this so that the gospel of solar power can spread as quickly as the gospel of Firefox?
Hmmm...
Sass
Posted by sass at 09:38 AM | Comments (0)
October 05, 2006
The blog as a publicity tool...
Interesting read of a blog entry by Jonathan Schwartz, CEO of Sun Microsystems.
As a CEO of a public company, it was interesting to see how other more seasoned CEO's who blog are attempting to have the corporate blog used as a tool for public information releases, as opposed to the standard SEC approved release methods.
To those who may not yet understand, the Securites and Exchange Commission has a set of rules as to how much information, when and how we can make it public as US listed corporations. What Jonathan proposes is that the blog is the most fair way because there is no opt-in, subscription or "preferred" media chosen, there is only in fact one blog area which the company owns and controls.
I think the challenge is that the SEC wants to ensure that as many people as possible see the news using the "traditional" areas they seek it from. Jonathan's well taken point is that nothing is fairer than the company blog. It would save us loads of time and money and the public which invests or wishes to, would know there is only ONE place they need to go to find the information.
Yet what happens if:
A. The company website is down for a bit and there is no other place on which an immediate investment decision must be made?
B. The company's CEO is not one to permit vetting or editing by the legal beagles and takes some liberty with verbiage not suitable for such a situation?
C. The "personal" opinions of the CEO color the blog entry not through its particular verbiage, yet through other things that he/she may have written before?
Perhaps this exercise is mostly hypothetical at best to try to play devil's advocate yet I am sure that with some more experience under my belt as a public company CEO, I'll understand the hesitations of the SEC and trepidation with which they treat these suggestions.
Nevertheless, I commend Jonathan for taking this natural step, as a publico CEO who is responsible to stakeholders, and how he displays complete respect for that fact in his approach of this "disruptive" proposal. Much to learn...
Sass
Posted by sass at 01:11 AM | Comments (0)
September 02, 2006
Toilet Travails
What could be more sacred than how North Americans "go to the washroom"? Well finally someone in North America has begun to market the fabulous japanese style toilets with their automatic washers and dryers built right into the toilet seat.
Personally, I love the things! Yet the question begs, are Americans ready to change the ways of generations who have been used to that swedish invention, the toilet paper roll? I believe this toilet's time has come. I am sure it will take some adjusting to north american realities (ie. size) yet this amazing invention will surely catch on. It will be disruptive at the high end first and then you'll find hotels using commercial versions like they do in Japan, if only for the cost savings of the paper rolls (roll cost, storage cost, labor cost to replace,etc...).
So how does this relate to solar? (you knew I'd bring it back here eventually!). Well it all has to do with how much we can expect people to change their habits to accomodate the convenience (or inconvenience) of a new technology, whether a solar charger or a toilet. I was amongst the first to market portable solar chargers for AA batteries back in 1999. Have they caught on yet? Not really! Why? Because we are still not ADDING SUBSTANTIAL VALUE to the experiences in which people may need these things (ie. camping trips) at a cost where they believe it has that valuable "je ne sais quoi" to be worthy of purchase. In other words, we are still not at the point where the cost-benefit analysis has turned in solar's favor when it comes to portable power. People still will go buy a bunch of AA batteries to power their flashlights or radios rather than bring along a flexible or foldable solar charger, at a cost of at least $100US to recharge their devices. And with camping trips shortening each decade (our friends at Coleman tell me that its down from an average of 10 days to just over 4-5, then the real value of solar "disruptive technology" is changing from the ability of masses to charge devices in several days to the ability to charge them "as they live their experiences". In the end it comes back once again to lasting value and our ability to enhance the lifestyle of our customers.
I will sit on my seat on this one :), until they invent the toilet seat which holds my daily newspaper and changes the pages upon command...
Sass
Posted by sass at 10:36 AM | Comments (0)
July 23, 2006
Coleman Cudos...
As many readers may (or may not know), ICP Solar is the licensee of the Coleman brand for solar energy panels.
Recently, I had the pleasure and honor of attending Coleman's annual marketing summit at which they presented the status quo to their entire sales team and then plans for next year including the licensees.
I must say that this is a different company from that which I met just a few years ago. At that time, it appeared that the licensees were the ones driving the brand and that the management's interest lay at simply banking off hundred years of name recognition and the advertising done by the licensees. Well boy have things changed! What I saw was just so energizing it made me think that the time had come to step up and invest ourselves in a fresh new offering for Coleman Solar, including a new website that will launch very soon.
I am very cognisant of the fact that with a fresh energy abuzz, its imperative that ICP Solar also steps up and invests in the branding. The strategic fit between "The Outdoor Company" and renewable energy is just too sensible to "coast" along on. It's interesting how this company, under new ownership (Jarden bought Coleman last year), feels like a NEW company. I am very excited at what they are doing and I believe so will consumers worldwide be (Japan, Europe, AsiaPac are growing markets for this brand) when they see what Coleman has in store for them across many categories of camping and outdoor living products.
Well done Gary K. You've made a lot happen in just one year and it looks like 2007 is going to be one whirlwind of a year. Congratulations. We are proud to be a part of your corporate family.
Sass
PS. One of the interesting points for readers, and one not lost on those who are involved in the "quality" discussions now abuzz, is that Coleman does not permit their name to be placed on just any item. Each product must be tested in lab and by regular users to ensure it delivers on the promise. So being picked to be their solar licensee has a lot more meaning than simply a name tag on a label. It means you must have as much confidence in the licensed product as in one made by Coleman themselves. That is their promise to their customers, and our promise to them.
Posted by sass at 05:30 PM | Comments (0)
July 02, 2006
Chinese Blog Blockage
Just to show you how important blogs are rapidly becoming as a means to transmit information, there are 111million Chinese internet users and over 60million weblogs. That's almost a 50% ratio!
So here comes news that China's government is now turning attention to the blocking of "unfavourable" blogs. It is no surprise that this "democratization" process continues to flourish and has only just begun. Imagine if just 10% of the weblog owners in China were to find this post and propagate it across the internet? That would mean 6million "mini marketers" pushing the pedal to the metal on one site's communication. Can you think of a more powerful communications movement at this time?
It really comes back to what I have said several blogs ago. The real power of the people is just being felt in marketing world. Marketing 101 is obsolete. Learn the new rules and do justice to your customer or they can unleash a power that no marketing budget can match...
Sass
Posted by sass at 06:06 AM | Comments (0)
May 19, 2006
Apple pleads the Fifth...
It was bound to happen sometime. Manufacturers like Apple and Sony creating flagship stores in very sexy environments like New York's Fifth Avenue.
Why spend so much money on a high ticket neighborhood? Its all in the name of distinction. The fact is that while many companies flog their wares competing on price, Apple and Sony have taken a decidedly different tack, going the route of innovation and branding.
Would you ever expect Apple to launch an uncool product ever again? Doubt it. So Apple's brand has come to represent everything your heart wants that your wallet can hardly afford! Yet they deliver a very decent product so that whereas it may not be the latest technology, it doesn't matter. It makes you feel great.
And so now you can shop for an iPod in Apple's own store. What would I expect? Youngish clerks, hip, knowledgeable, attentive and fun. A clean environment which is minimalist in its decor, yet oozes that great feeling you want to have in the presence of your technology marvels.
If only the ipod's casing was made with the power plastic being developed by my friend Howard Berke's team at Konarka...hmmm..hold the thought!
Sass
Posted by sass at 09:40 PM | Comments (1)
May 17, 2006
How to lose people off your website in sixty seconds..or less!
Tonight my wife and I went car shopping on the web. Well kudos to Volvo. They got it with an interactive site that was entertaining yet did not take loads of time to work through in order to figure out where the information you wanted to know resided, what the options were, what the car looked like with different colors and how much it might cost.
And then there's BMW Canada's website. If I were to rename it, the best I could think of is "How to lose an interested customer in 60 seconds or less". After 5 minutes, we still could not figure out how many seats their SUV held! Look for a yummy mummy with four kids, a golden retriever and a cat, the number of seats are critical information! So if its "all about the information" (said Ben Kingsley), then website creators had better loading up large pdf files that nobody wants to download and start remembering that their mandate is ultimately to...sell!
Tom Asacker (www.acleareye.com) recently wrote about the fact that too many people are hung up on "marketing" without understanding that its all about SALES! Marketing doesn't pay the piper, ringing the cash register again and again will!
Anyways, you make up your own mind. I now know what I want fixed in the ICP SOLAR site...pdq!
Sass
Posted by sass at 12:11 AM | Comments (2)
April 22, 2006
Google goes green...
Woke up this morning of International Earth Day and found that Google's home page had "gone green". The logo features a range of solar panels and a wind generator. It's no wonder when on the same page we see stories about gas prices hitting all time records!
Other sites like Yahoo are also focusing on environmental stories today. Even the US government has a portal now dedicated to Earth Day.It follows the trend of various IT leaders now getting into renewables. From silicon microchip to silicon solar panel. The industries are actually quite close in their usage of silicon feedstock as a base material. One manages knowledge. One manages power.
Hmmm.....and they always said "knowledge is power". Have a great Saturday...I'm off to watch my "50th ranked" son Joshua get more tennis training...
Sass
PS. My solar blog has reached #11 on google's listing when searching "solar blog". I wonder how high it will go now that I've featured their logo on my blog :).
Posted by sass at 07:35 AM | Comments (1)
April 04, 2006
Detroit Delusions...
I'm here at the SAE Conference, the world's largest automotive engineering trade show. Sadly, the industry's woes are reflected in a poorly attended show, both on vendor and customer side.
The auto industry is a good example from which the solar industry can learn a few tricks. It is continuing to undergo change despite its maturity, as the customer dictates who will survive and who won't. If we look at how Detroit is losing out to Kentucky, simply because that is where the Japanese established themselves, then we can see mirrors in what is going to happen in solar, once the "glut" hits.
The fact is that General Motors commands a big part of the mood in this town, so you can imagine just how it is right now. While Chrysler was gobbled up by a European (Daimler), Ford made a good move with Mazda, GM is laden with far too many "american" divisions, each with its own costly infrastructure, doubling up charges and creating a huge, giant sucking sound of money. Analyzing why they got there would be a great lesson for the solar industry.
When the Japanese began to invade the western markets, they did not do so with shoddy quality. They did it with "fair" quality, yet at a great price. Then they moved up the ladder as they established themselves to be much more "in tune" with consumer demand than the american counterparts. And finally they took over the "lifestyle" approach of the Europeans when they were able to make cars to fit every lifestyle from the budget to the super rich.
Meantime, Detroit struggled to find itself. The lesson here is about the customer and what happens when a paradigm shift occurs due to a disruptive event. In the case of solar, I believe that disruptive event (on a macro basis) will be a glut of cells available post-2008 due to new disruptive technologies coming into the industry pool. It will then be up to each company to have created an image for itself within the crowd and a clear path to exceeding expectations each time it rises up the quality and feature ladder. Flat, standard modules may be the kings now, yet when new technologies with different colors, form factors and usability appear, they will be simply left to the commodity players.
Don't get me wrong, there is a commodity play in power, as the oil and utility companies prove out so often every day. However I also believe that this industry will utilize some of the lessons from the car folks and create targeted applications for specialized cell formulations. Now that's when the buzz about who has figured out the customer will likely dominate the solar industry, rather than the buzz about the shortage of cells that we are currently living.
Sass
Posted by sass at 07:23 PM | Comments (0)
March 22, 2006
Leveraging the blog..
My great friend Mitch Joel was recently featured in an article in the Montreal Gazette. Below is what was written about corporate blogs. Hopefully, I am following most of its advice:
What I take away is that most of what people really come back for is the information on the solar industry, ICP and technology in general (that's what the stats and comments are telling me). With 50% more people visiting my blog to date in March than in January06, I hope the messages I put forth are the reason why they come back.
The really interesting point of information is that back in January I used to "notify" a group which grew to about 150 contacts of certain new entries which I thought particularly relevant for them. However I stopped that practice in February and yet the visitors have in fact still grown. So either those people NEVER did visit the blog entry or even more people have joined the readership list. Either way, it doesn't really matter, so long as you the reader find what I write relevant. I know that sometimes its more personal than professional but it is after all MY personal record in public. So please forgive me if once in a while I simply direct a good wish or message of a personal nature.
Sass
Posted by sass at 05:46 PM | Comments (1)
February 25, 2006
The Art of the Blog
Blogging, the latest communication tool, is used for so many purposes that I began reading how CEO's affect the "brand" of their company through their blogs.
Some CEOs have copywriters that write on their behalf and simply put their name to it. Others have to put their blog posts through legal teams to help avoid potential liability. Essentially, these are "bleached blogs" which frankly are unrealistic if they believe that the public at large is interested in such banter when they know its corporate poppycock.
For me, this blog remains a means to express myself so that you, Miss/Mr/Mrs Public, is entertained, provoked into thought or simply educated by what I write. I do not profess to be a "superior mind" in anything, yet I asked for this blog to be established so that I can give my insight into every day solar life, our industry and a host of other issues I wished to write about. My partner Arlene loves to say that one day she's going to get me to write a book. Perhaps it's title would be "Sassy Thoughts".
Interestingly enough, when I advised my blog notification list that I wasn't going to notify them any longer, I received several emails asking me either to reconsider or how to sign up for an RSS which would have the same effect.
The art of the blog is about relevant, honest and thought-provoking writing which leads us all to think just a little more than the superficial process we often give to issues simply due to the lack of time in our busy lives.
The solar world is in its infancy. Hopefully, each time I write, I somehow attract another member to the solar world community. It's a wonderful thing to be involved, to use, to gospel about a renewable and clean energy source. When I was in autoparts, I can't imagine holding the imagination of a young group of kids at school with a lecture about "ball joints". I've done that a few times as a solar industry member, and I have to say, it is extremely rewarding when a those kids can't get enough of what you're talking about. Now I know how their successful teachers feel.
Honesty, ethics, integrity, and democratization of information is partly what my blog is about. I have posted positive AND not so positive comments alike. With 1200 or so different individuals visiting my blog in February to date, I hope they felt enriched by what they read.
Sass
Posted by sass at 02:39 PM | Comments (0)
December 22, 2005
Discount to death?
Anyone that believes that you can discount solar to death down to a point where people will buy simply because its so cheap need to learn the lesson that one mail order company is learning in the USA right now.
They have taken what was a $99 folding portable solar charger, discounted it to $35 and they are still stuck with 3000 pieces (near what they bought originally) that a floundering manufacturer just wanted to get rid of, and an able salesman wanted to make commissions on. What were they thinking?
Well in typical retail style, they believed that the discount of 65% from the regular retail would make these units disappear in no time flat. Did they? Nope. So now the item is featured as a blow-out on their home page.
I know this company well and they are led by a fine gentleman who has built his reputation on being straight forward and dedicated to his company. They specialize in tools, yet have built up an impressive solar selection. The trouble is that like others, price leads rather than a method of selling which really delivers to consumers what they need.
We certainly cannot blame the retailer for this folly. They are buying (and selling) what they are offered. They are not solar specialists nor wish to be. And yet if you look at the selection, you can see that there is neither rhyme nor reason to the assortment. Ask a customer service person what the difference between an 80W and 125W panel is, and they simply rattle off what is on their screen.
So for those who feel that they should just search the web for the lowest price, nothing wrong there, IF and only IF you are absolutely sure that what you are buying fulfills your need, is backed by someone who can help you through the configuration, install or service process, and is fairly priced. In a category like solar, price is not the leading factor in a purchase decision. The old adage goes "if its too good to be true..it probably is".
Sass
Posted by sass at 07:58 PM | Comments (1)
December 18, 2005
Technorati listing
Well, apparently to get listed on a directory of solar power blogs, I have to put this code on my site. So here it is!
More blogs about solar+power.
Posted by sass at 08:57 PM | Comments (0)
November 25, 2005
ARRVEE SHOW..here i come!
On my way to Louisville, Kentucky for the largest Recreational Vehicle show in the world. An annual event where all the major RV makers, distributors and dealers congregate. Its an amazing collection of superb vehicles for your life.
Well after my European whirlwind trip this week, it'll be nice to be on wheels instead of in the air! The leisure industry is a prime target of ICP Solar's consumer products division and its an industry that is largely neglected by major solar companies who (perhaps rightfully so) are busy supplying European grid-connect systems which pay back money. Have yet to meet an RV that'll send money out the faucet...
Sass
Posted by sass at 09:45 PM | Comments (0)
November 22, 2005
On that solar power train to Munich....
So I'm on a train in Germany and can no longer count on both hands the number of homes I see with solar panels on their roofs.
Now Munich isn't exactly "beach" weather, yet the use of solar around these parts is amazing. No surprise, when we wonder where all the solar supply in the world is going, its due simply to incentives and a greater concern for the environment.
Yet these panels were covered by snow! I can think of no better a testimonial for our new thinfilm slates than consumers who have suffered getting virtually no power from crystalline modules due to coverage, such as snow.
The fact is that power in solar is like power in a stereo. The true rating in a stereo is what you can listen to without that terrible distortion taking over. In solar, its what power the meters say you are getting, not the label on the back.
Aveederzein,
Sass
Posted by sass at 01:54 PM | Comments (1)
November 10, 2005
Competitive Cowboy Crumbs..
How would you deal with a competitor who gallops around the market telling people that you were going down, when in fact it was he who applied for creditor protection this year? Or that you lost a customer to them, when in fact that did not happen?
My take on competition is that the truth comes out in the end. If you have competitive claims to make, that is fair game. But beware that you'd better be making such claims for the right reason and with backup to prove what you are saying is true. It's OK to show your dishsoap cleaner does a 50% better job, yet it must be based on fair testing and demonstrations. How many times do we wonder if the hand is putting less pressure on the wash cloth which is demonstrating the losing competition in a commercial? In fact, I believe that these types of "subjective" comparisons backfire on the company paying for those spots.
What do you get by claiming your competition is in financial trouble? You may put some doubt in the customer's mind about them, but if time goes by and that competitor of yours is still around, what does that make you? Reliable, ethical, moral, truthful? Or None of the above?
In the consumer end of the solar industry, the marketing megabucks don't match the megawatts and there is no certification yet required in major markets. This means that false comparisons and dubious power claims are more prone to happen simply because they can. When a manufacturer specifically excludes marine or RV environments from their warranty, yet a dealer tries to cover that up by claiming to take up the warranty, is that fair competition? Or is it perhaps "smoke", based on a calculated risk that people won't claim their solar panels 10 years down the road, or that the dealer will by that time be off selling encyclopedias to unsuspecting old ladies in Arizona? In that case, the retailer is left holding a large bag and we all know that with Sarbanes-Oxley, retailers must ensure to be toeing an ethical line lest their public parent companies be taken to the mat for false accounting of warranties.
The truth will always make the cowboy cookie crumble, and yet it can take time to come out. Patience is a virtue. I hope the cookie is chocolate fudge. They're my favourites.
Sass
Posted by sass at 12:01 AM | Comments (0)
November 03, 2005
Le Sunshine Spa
OK, so get this. I received a call from a friend a few days ago complaining that my dog was going to a "spa" and she hadn't been to one in years. I was totally ignorant about what was going on so I called my wife to find out if our dog, Sunshine, was really going to a "spa".
To my amazement, I found out there exists such a thing as spas for dogs. Oh my! What is it? A place where they cut their hair, their nails and check crevices I won't mention. And this is called a spa?
I think we should all relabel solar panels as "battery rejuvenators" and double the price. When a place where all they do is clip, snip and snoop can charge outrageous prices to make your dog into your idea of "pretty", then there really must be a sucker born...and I guess that would now be ME!
Sass
Posted by sass at 11:05 PM | Comments (0)
October 23, 2005
Brand Madness
I discovered this gem entry by Tom Asacker about branding and how marketers need to move from mystery to madness. It comes back to the democratization of marketing into our consumer's hands.
We are moving into a wild west of marketing where the power of the individual may outweigh the power of massive corporations. Those companies that learn to partner with their consumers in the evolution of their brand will be those that are embraced, while those that try to use the old methods of brand advertising (dictation) will not. You may create an expectation of your brand but today's consumer will refine it through the powerful communication tools that they have. If you search ICP Solar on the internet, you can find many comments and personal webpages of experiences with our solar panels (on this Amazon.com page you note a number of positive comments but one negative. We tried to find Mr. Bloom without success to help him with his issue. Funny enough his address matches that of a competitor's but that must be pure coincidence). :)
Nothing speaks louder than a happy customer..actually one thing does...an unhappy customer.
"She told two friends, and they told two friends..."
Sass
Posted by sass at 07:29 AM | Comments (0)
October 13, 2005
Power to the People.
The democratization of marketing? Know what this means?
Essentially, it's about the fact that consumers are taking power and being handed power by smart marketers to help carve out what a brand will mean to them.
My buddy Mitch wrote extensively about it in his blog . He was also quoted in the Globe and Mail, a Canadian national newspaper.
Its all about giving people the power to decide what you actually stand for and then its your job to make that happen in your products. I strongly believe that when I created a slogan "Let our power give you freedom" I was inviting people, not pushing them. The "let" is about permission. The "freedom" is what I wanted our brand to represent. Whether we did a great job or not is going to be decided in the coming months.
It's said best in this book . I should say no more as compared to these guys, I don't hold a candle.
Give the people the truth about your offering. Make it about quality and make sure it makes their life better. "Let" them mold it into what they want. You will see the results. Part of our first lot of production for our new brand is going to Australia. We decided to launch there because its Spring time down under. Orders just doubled in five days. I guess we listened well for a change...
Sass
Posted by sass at 10:44 PM | Comments (0)
September 28, 2005
The butler won't do it anymore!
Ask Jeeves, bought out by Barry Diller in July, is dropping its famed Butler logo in favor of a new brand identifier.
The butler was good for them up to a point, but if they are to compete with Google (good luck), they feel that a fresh approach is required.
I did just the same thing a few months ago and the fruits of that change have already appeared. When its done right, you CAN create a new image which is a closer match to where you want to go, rather than where you've been.Huge exercise, costs a lot of money upfront and there is no guarantee that your following will follow you. In the case of my company ICP Solar, the execution has been helped by a wonder agency and frankly speaking, by an industry which is very stuck in an old "sales" mould. Selling is not marketing. Selling is just pure selling. (Interestingly enough, in the traditional "solar" industry, salespeople are being let go because demand is so high that companies can't supply more and therefore have nothing for their salesteam to do).
Now don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with a "sales" company. My friend Mike Kronstedt runs a half billion dollar sales company in Minnesota and they do just fine. They key is that their brand is about selling only, and they leave the product branding, product innovation, logistics to others. All they do is sell like hell! The thing that Mike does well is stay at that line. He doesn't cross is (well not too often anyways) to try to become a marketer or product developer. Sure he inputs ideas, but the fact is that it takes a very special kind of organization to drive innovation, product management, manufacturing and marketing all at the same time. So his brand is that of a sales company, and he has no issue identifying it as such.
Mike runs a fine example of how a sales company should run. Others try to be everything to everyone. Sales company, importer, program manager, wholesaler... Sales companies that are hybrids were very functional five or ten years ago. Today, they can't last. So they either change into a product innovation company or they revert back to what they do best..sell!
That's basically Jeeves dilema. It worked in the past, doesn't mean it will work in the future. Mike's brand remains steady in that he focuses on the same clients, in the same way and limits the identity of his team's activity to match his company's reputation or brand. The key to his success is partnering with others who do the innovation yet he doesn't try to step onto their turf either. He knows that his brand is that of a sales agency and the minute he does step onto other's turf, he may lose a big following which is his bread and butter today. Others who run sales companies, and try to be more, are doomed to failure if they have no brand strategy for what they want to become.
Know thyself and be prepared to change when the customers demand it. Jeeves is changing for that reason. The key to their successful transition is holding onto the old customers while attracting the new ones. But for now, whereas the butler did it before, he no longer will do it for them!
Sass
Posted by sass at 08:21 AM | Comments (0)
September 26, 2005
The "Herbal Essence" of Solar?
Is there anyone in North America who has not yet determined that the Herbal Essence brand of shampoo is the one that most men want their women to buy? The reason...well, if you recall the ads, women who use that shampoo seem to be "really really really enjoying" the sensation (I'll leave it at that to be PC in this public forum, but you get my drift!).
Now imagine a boring solar charger. Is there a way that we can get people feeling about solar energy like those women felt in the shower with that shampoo? Maxim magazine has already told us what solar can power to get that same reaction, but what if we wanted it more from Consumer Reports or Time or Newsweek or USA Today?
In other words, how can we get mainstreamers to feel about solar the way those women felt about the shampoo. Many will tell me that the ad is an exaggeration and I agree. Yet it gives off a feeling that remains even IF the shampoo doesn't have that effect. In my mind, they have targeted the absolute most important factor in the success of a product..customer satisfaction. Mind you, the satisfaction of those women is not what one would expect from a shampoo, but maybe the "shock value" is what they have succeeded in delivering, as well as the concept of satisfaction.
So what does GE and Intuit now ask their consumers on their surveys? One simple question: "Would you recommend this product to your friend?". After all, if you would, then you are putting your reputation on the line as much as the product's. When you have reached that confidence with a product, it says something about the deliverable/expectation success of that product and its maker. We can create all kinds of customer surveys, yet in the end, nothing speaks louder than a client willing to go out on a limb and recommend your product.
So your ultimate aim is to create an offering, a brand in which the expectation is high, to exceed that expectation, which raises its value,which increases the expectation and ultimately leads you to continually improve your product. Better to be driven by positive feedback than negative. Strive therefore to leave "no unsatisfied customer, not even one" as Camping World, a cherished partner writes in their website, so that you too can give customers as incredible a feeling as the Herbal Essence shampoo does. Can you just imagine your customer standing by the solar panel yelling "YES, YES, YES"! :)
Sass
Posted by sass at 12:14 PM | Comments (1)
September 24, 2005
What does your customer want?
How often do you hear of salespeople that walk into a meeting all pumped up about their new invention only to learn that their customer doesn't think its the greatest thing since sliced bread? Where was the issue, the customer or the salesperson? Listen closely...ITS NEVER THE CUSTOMER!
If your salespeople have not conveyed to the customer the value, it's either because they have not been armed with the tools to do so or they are not the right people for the right job. Many salespeople start a presentation with "this is my company" when they should actually be listening in the first meeting, rather than speaking. They should listen to what the customer wants to provide to their consumers. To what the customer believes are the missing ingredients of their current program, to know what their customer's biggest frustrations are.
For without listening, how do you know what's important? It's called the "voice of the customer", in marketing lingo. Now what happens when you solicit that voice from the customer's customers but you don't involve the middleman? They are in an education deficit that you must correct. For if they don't get it, their consumers may not have access to it.
In creating our newest creations, we went far and deep into the consumer's minds to see what was important to them. In parallel we engaged some of our more progressive partners in a development program which led us to understanding where even our program was failing. Watts? Watt the *&^% does that mean to a boater or RVer trying to fill their battery? Yet the industry is caught in a paradigm because its supply chain talks that way. "STOP!", we said...listen to the customer.
Now some people are reticent to change because of the fear of failure. So now we come to the job of the salesperson in this link. Their job is to understand these fears and address them. To deny them will absolutely cost you the customer's loyalty, as it should. The challenge therefore lies in showing that any changes being prescribed are for the good of the consumer and that the middleperson will be a leader, not a bleeder.
In essence, learn to be your customer. Put yourself in their shoes whether its a trade buyer or a consumer. Understand what gives them pleasure and what gives them angst. Is it about margin or contribution dollars? You can make 50% on a million or 45% on a million and a half..you do the math. Same effort, different program.
Never judge the customer. They may possibly be the "wrong" customer for what you have to offer. But never judge them for what they need.
Sass
Posted by sass at 08:07 AM | Comments (1)
September 22, 2005
How a CEO's blog can affect their company.
There are more and more CEO's using blogs. In some cases,rather than write just about whatever comes to mind that day, they see the blog as a purely promotional tool. Others see it as a personal expression tool. However, each must be aware that whatever they write, as personal as it may seem, will have some effect on the image of the companies they lead.
In many public companies, CEO blogs are written for them by copywriters and then edited by lawyers. You get a really bleached view of what the CEO really wanted to say. With liability insurance premiums quite high to cover "C-level" executives, companies don't want their public CEO's flying off the handle and talking about their drug experiments in university or anything edgy like that.
Well, here's my opinion folks (you just knew it was coming right?):
It all depends on whether you consider it to represent the brand of the person, the brand of their company, or both. I believe that no matter how hard you try to convey that its your brand, it will have an effect on the company's. Now if what you write as a CEO is so far away from the brand that people associate the company with, its not likely you will lead that company for long. Steve Jobs is edgy. Steve Jobs knows what he wants. If he write something along that line, its actually in keeping with the image that Apple wants. A bank's CEO being edgy....I'm not so sure!
So for me, I will write what I feel reflects my true feelings about something, yet I will consider the effect of what I write on the company I lead. I will NOT have lawyers vetting my copy, nor copywriters doing it for me. You'll see grammatical errors, but you'll see the real me.
Just as I have embraced tremendous change in my being and my surroundings in the past two years, so has my company gone through change. As I continue to embrace change, you will see this blog evolve. The chinese say that challenge and opportunity are one and the same. I could not agree more.
Sass
PS. In going back to my first blogs, I have noticed an evolution. Whereas my first two months of entries focused far too much on competition, the last two have not as much. I suspect its because I felt a need to unload a lot of stuff I had been carrying inside. There it's done. The "high road" does feel a whole lot better...
Posted by sass at 06:52 AM | Comments (0)
September 18, 2005
The Duller Image?
What's happening to The Sharper Image? It used to be the store we could count on for wild innovations that you were the first on the block to own (ie. toys for "bleeders" who are prepared to pay more than anyone else just to be first).
As my friend Mitch just wrote in his blog, (aka "bla bla"), TSI stores are not what they used to be. No wonder that TSI has had a rundown lately with its stock value far below its previous highs. I think much has to do with the fact that its strategy seemed almost "single product" oriented with the Ionic Breeze series. When the product claims were challenged by editorial comments, TSI flew into a rage, and yet everyone's ears perked up. Meantime, others are getting into the "cool stuff" retail game like Apple, Sony, etc. So you have manufacturers opening up retail fronts for "leading edge" apparatus, yet with a clear focus, while TSI is a collection of things that are un-related. What is the message the clients are giving? I think the message is that the retail landscape has evolved and people want lifestyle solutions to which they associate your brand.
Success comes from focus on an image. As others get into your garden, its the old adage of "improve or die". Does TSI have anything cooler than the iPod nano? Doubt it.
Its all about your brand. If your sizzle is not backed up by good steak, then you will be found out. If the steak isn't that good today, doesn't mean that you can't improve it to be as good as the sizzle. Otherwise, the truth will come out in the end. Sell quality, be quality, be focused, be a winner.
What value can this blog have for an RV, Marine, Camping, AutoAccessory, Hardware retailer? Well do you have a section of the "coolest" stuff at Xmas and Mother's/Father's Day in your store? It would fit all of the criteria I have listed above (cool, focused, thematic, lifestyle). If you're an "e-tailer" why not create a "cool stuff" section relating to your customer base? You can all be "sharper images" if you wish..and it doesn't have to cost you an arm and a leg.
Sass
PS. Mitch, the Leadership 101 book has many lessons for all. One I picked up...leaders (whether companies or people) should listen more than speak. If TSI is listening to those who put a value on its stock, it will stop reminiscing about times of old and get with the program to develop a new strategy.
Posted by sass at 04:28 PM | Comments (0)
September 15, 2005
That's MISTER Blogoogle to you!
Googling blogs? Now we are going to be given a tool to search blogs for information. Or is it editorial? What is the difference? Where is the line today? Is it advertising? Does the writer have a hidden agenda? Hmmm..the age of blogs just clogs us up with information or does it really give us a media through which to express ourselves.
By now, those of you reading my blog on occasion have discovered something new somewhere in what I wrote that clicked for you (well at least that what some of the kinder comments have stated!). Fact is that the topic of solar energy is one that many more people are researching today so its natural for many more blogs to pop up.
In the end, blogs are just like anything else..a source of information. Still "reader beware" to determine if the information is really from someone trying to be helpful or from someone trying to sell. I, myself, have had a hard time distinguishing from my personal thoughts from those that would promote my company..and yet..I find that the more I do this, the more I can do just that. For my brand is me. And my company has its own.
If you now wish to search blogs on google, as of today, you can do this here. A whole search engine just for blogs? Why distinguish? Its just more information overload!
A bientot,
Sass
Posted by sass at 10:13 PM | Comments (0)
September 08, 2005
Skypebay
So Skype and ebay get together..hmmm.
One sells VoIP and the other is known as an auction house. What do they have in common you ask? Well, ebay sees itself as a provider of space. Skype is a provider of communication over space. Space is the final frontier.
What's the link? Skype on Thursday also released a new suite of services called the Skype Voice Services Program, which includes some features that could be attractive to online auctioneer eBay. The Skype program calls for opening its VoIP universe to content providers to develop applications of interest to the firm’s 53 million users.
Amazing how a small group of visionaries created such value for their stakeholders in such a small time. The moral of the story..go build value and they will come. Value is sometimes about price but its often about what the service does to make your life better. I've been using skype for months now and not only have we cut out phone bills but we communicate faster too.
Sass
Posted by sass at 11:19 PM | Comments (0)
September 03, 2005
Whose garden are you playing in?
Does your competition have you playing their game? Are their moves so unsettling your company that you are not sure which way to turn? If that is the case, then you are playing in their garden by their rules. If they have set it up right, you can't win.
What are your choices? Well, its either roll over and die, or understand what your own core competencies are and change the rules to win on those, if you can. If you can't, it's because you are playing in a market that doesn't value them. In that case you have two choices..exit the market or change the market. I've chosen the latter, simply because the market is ready for it. How do I know?
In 2000, my sales team told me I was nuts to launch a range of solar panels at $4.50 per watt when the market was at $3.50 per watt. They warned me that we would be outpriced and never penetrate. Four years later, I think the results speak for themselves.
And now, I think it's time for a change again. Funny enough, I'm not hearing the same resistance. Two reasons: First, the team and market have learned to respect my opinion when I say that a change is good for all. Second, the market is ready for it. It has gone through the bottom-feeding try to find the lowest cost cycle and realized that consumers will pay for value, but value must be paid for to gain consumers.
So what's the link between the topics above? Well, if you toe other people's line, you don't stand much chance of distinction and growth. In fact, you may just be setting yourself up for failure. Don't confuse novelty for innovation. Novelty is new up until the point in time where it is disproven as valuable. Innovation is not only novel in its approach, but delivers the objective at hand.
Let them play by your rules. The entry fee to the game is much more expensive for the ones that don't own the playing field.
Sass
Posted by sass at 12:09 PM | Comments (0)
August 20, 2005
Solar Size doesn't matter!
Here's an argument for small is big.
Take your boat for example. There is already not much room on a boat to put a solar panel. Some manufacturers dream of placing glass panels on powerboats near the rear. Really? When was the last time you put glass that can shatter in the way of people that want to get in and out of your boat to ski or dive?
So at the very least, try to find the most dense power per foot panels. There are also mounts that permit you to avoid drilling the boat deck or even placing the panel on rails (the ultimate because you can then point the panel to the sun and even double the power you receive from your panels). For ATV's make sure your wire leads are long enough to come down from a shed roof. Nobody I know leaves a solar panel outdoors hanging around on their motorcycle or ATV. It's clumsy and not practical. Besides your friendly neighborhood bear might mistaken it for dessert...
Another example is RV's. Most people do NOT wish to drill holes through the roof of their valuable "second homes". So try to find a solar panel with "feet" that you can glue down. In Europe, gluing is standard practice, but not yet in America. Ask your RV dealer or favourite store if they have such accessories.
For RV winterization/maintenance, find a panel small enough that it fits just above your air conditioner but powerful enough to maintain the battery.
For RV large power applications, find some flat spaces that won't interfere with your desire to park yourself on your roof at the next NASCAR race! Remember to position the panels so that if you later on wish to expand your system (over 25% of RVers expand their solar systems later on) you can easily do it.
Anyways, just a word of caution. Bigger is not better in solar. Think japanese. The more compact the full-featured cellphone, the more valuable it is. You can usually rate the technology of the product you are buying by its "real world" power density.
Knowledge is power. Small is big.
Sass
Posted by sass at 12:09 AM | Comments (0)
August 07, 2005
Do your consumers trust you?
This morning, as my kids were watching TV, I observed my wife struggling to cut what looked like a bar of gritty soap. When prodded, she told me it was the dishwasher pellet which she regularly cut because she learned that they were exaggerating the amount of detergent that you really needed to do a good job.
Basically what she was saying is that she figured this out and many people may not yet have. Like the "repeat" instruction on the shampoo bottles, this was simply done to sell more soap. You didn't really need that much, but they wanted you to go back to the store for more in a shorter time. Is that brilliant marketing? The shampoo people think they are clever. Short term maybe...long term I believe not.
We face the same issue in solar. What do you really need? Are we being honest? To those two questions I would dare say that few are being told the truth, both about what you need and about what you are getting.
November 1st. A new brand is launching in the solar world that will capture the hearts and minds of its consumers because of its brutal honesty. It will be a long road, but it will win in the end. Thankfully we have the backbone and support to ride it. Already a number of our major customers have signed up for 2006. But it usually takes appealing to a party who is ethical and wants integrity and respect to be the hallmark of their company's brand. Certainly there are some for which only the short-term gain is important. If they don't feel their customer includes those values in how they judge their company, then they are not likely to buy into this kind of approach. We'll kindly respect their decision and agree to walk away. It won't be for long. Already two major retailers returned to ICP as a vendor-partner this year because they figured out for themselves what we had been saying was the truth all along.
Back to the detergent analogy. We manufacture a solar panel for Winnebago rated at 10Watts (true max power actually closer to 12watts due to improvements), yet we have been pushing 15-18Watts as the need for a medium sized RV...why? Because, like other solar makers with similar technology, its more profitable to sell a full plate than to cut it. We get to sell you more watts than you need for that application. Just like shampoo or diswashing detergent, you are sold on more than what you really need. That ends November 1st. The anticipation is killing me, but it will be well worth it.
Trust..something that is hard to win but harder to win back.
Sass
PS. An interesting blog entry in Seth Godin's blog about who we trust the most..
Posted by sass at 12:11 PM | Comments (1)
August 02, 2005
What's your brand?
So you think you have a brand? Tell me, what does your brand stand for? Is it just a name, a logo, a funky slogan you thought of on your den couch while watching TV? Did you even ever give it more thought or effort? Or is it a personal image that you have of yourself?
Take for example, the current CEO of Canadian Tire, Wayne Sales. When I think of his name, I conjure up thoughts of successful, marketing-savvy, driven, community-oriented, understands the public markets, strong leader. His brand is relevant to me because he leads an organization which I have served and will surely again serve in the future as a "vendor-partner" (that was a term I first heard from his lips back in the mid-90's far before anyone else was using it).
All too often, people are confused about the definition of their own brands. The less effort they put in, the lower the value of the brand. Look at Coke. Investing hundreds of millions in a brand rather than a technology. The results? A bottle whose shape they own, a brand that is worldwide and a business model that is sustainable and valuable.
When looking to determine if you really have a brand, ask people what comes to their minds when they think of you. You then have the information to understand your own personal brand. Ever ask customers what they think of when they think of your company? Do you have a image of innovator, deliverer, low-cost producer, value-driven? Or do they see your company as a pain in the ass to work with (in which case your relationship will only last as long as they really need you!).
Your brand is a reflection of your business. It does not mean that your brand stands for tremendous marketing like Coke's does. Your brand stands for what you are. And the sooner you know how you're seen, the sooner you know if it matches how you WANT to be seen...
Below is a list of questions that you can ask yourself to determine what your brand is:
What do I/we stand for?
What am I (are we) passionate about?
How am I (are we) different from other people (businesses) that provide the same or similar products or services?
What are my/our strengths?
What is my/our specialty?
What are my/our values?
What do my/our clients most value about what I/we provide?
What am I (are we) trying to accomplish?
What problems do I/we help our clients solve?
What do I/we want to be known for?
Do I/we have any "quirks" that I/we can incorporate into my/our brand image?
Answer these questions for yourself and your organization. You'll then discover whether you really have a consistent message and deliver on it.
Can anyone out there guess what the Sass Peress brand stands for? Let me know through comments so that I can learn what you think of me. It will help me determine whether how I see myself matches how others see me, and then take the actions necessary to match the two and take them both to where I want my brand to be!
Solar regards,
Sass
PS> If you're interested in what a real guru has to say, noting the difference between brands (passive) and branding (active), read this blog entry by Seth Godin...
Posted by sass at 08:19 AM | Comments (2)
June 30, 2005
Solutions vs Opportunities
OK, so everyone's starting to get on this "offer them solutions, not products" bandwagon. We see it everywhere we go now in the marketing of services and products.
When we hear the term, it implies that we are addressing problems rather than opportunities, doesn't it? I mean, if I was to tell you that you could now solarize your gate opener and no longer need to run a wire, it would work even in a power outage and you would save the cost of electricity...is that an opportunity to do things better or is it a solution to a problem?
The term solution implies something negative, whereas opportunities has a more positive connotation. If indeed solar is going to bring you an opportunity to improve your life, then should we not also market that way?
Fact is that solar either is like vitamins for your battery, or completely replaces other power sources like generators for your RV or cottage or boat. In either case, we should focus on how it improves your life, rather than solutions to problems.
Frankly, I'm on the fence of this paradigm change but I could use some input...comments welcome!
Tata for now,
Sass
Posted by sass at 04:40 PM | Comments (2)
June 10, 2005
My Solar Savant
Mitch Joel is someone who came into my life through an associate several months ago. Mitch is a firebrand marketing guru extraordinaire who understands the needs for marketing companies to create "lovemarks" with their clients, how to create messaging that works and the all important connection between the CEO of a company and its branding initiatives.
His line "givers get" has become a cornerstone of my daily life and I owe much to Mitch, not the least of which the nomination for an eventually achieved Multiple Sclerosis Leadership Award, which is a cause that is dear to me.
If you care to be enriched as I am by Mitch's thoughts, visit his blog at http://www.twistimage.com/blog/
Posted by sass at 09:30 PM | Comments (0)