One of the major topics I’m devoting a lot of my time and resources to these days is talking and writing about what I call the “Age of the Customer™.” In this new Age, the Customer is in control and the Seller is subordinate for one primary reason: access to information. Today, Customers have almost all the information they need to make an informed purchasing decision.
In the new Age, connecting with Customers is more important than marketing to them. And what better way to connect with Customers than to provide an interactive element to the relationship?
Recently, on my radio program, The Small Business Advocate Show, I talked about interacting with Customers with Joseph Jaffe. Joe is an outstanding member of my Brain Trust, and we talked about the shift toward interacting with Customers, plus other paradigms that are shifting away from 20th century marketing toward 21st century connection and communication with prospects and customers. In his day-job, Joe is the President and Chief Interruptor of crayon and author of Life After the 30-Second Spot and Flip the Funnel.
I hope you’ll take a few minutes to listen to what Joe and I have to say and, as always, be sure to leave your comments. Listen Live! Download, Too!
Look around you at how many things you use that are electronic. Then make that scan again, but this time, only look at the things that run on batteries. Now look one more time and think about how much of the form and weight of those battery-operated devices is determined by the battery. In the next 10 years, not only will fewer devices be burdened by an electrical cord, but fewer will be restricted by the battery. Emerging battery innovations will dramatically change the way we use things and live your lives.
For example, what if you could push a button and literally print out a battery - on a sheet of paper? What if the battery itself, so to speak, was actually part of the paint on a device? Go ahead - let your mind wander. I’ll wait … Hmm-Hmm-Hmm.
As our friend, Brain Trust member and world-class futurist, Joel Barker, has taught us, the byproducts of exciting innovations are often paradigm shifts. As you stand in your business, imagine if battery technology innovations became the next killer app, what shifts would result for the goods and service you use and sell? The next question is, would these shifts harm or benefit your business? Contemplating these kinds of questions are why business owners need to connect with the thinking and projecting of futurists.
Recently on my radio program, The Small Business Advocate Show, Joel reported on exciting battery innovations, including batteries that can be printed on paper. By the way, you can find Joel’s books and other works at Joel Barker.com. Take a few minutes to listen to our conversation and let us know what you think the world would look like if you could buy a ream of batteries. Listen Live! Download, Too!
Could global warming actually cause an ice age? If so, how long could one take to develop? That’s what many in the climate change camp are proposing. But as you may know, I don’t drink that Kool-Aid. In fact, my concern for what humans may be doing to the planet is only exceeded by my skepticism of the global warming doctrine. Even if Al Gore is right, what would cause me to think that he and his ilk have THE answer to solve the problem? How do they know how far to go? What if they go too far and tip us into a “global cooling” scenario. I don’t know about you, but I would rather be warm.
Nevertheless, I always enjoy talking with smart people about this topic, and I did enjoy such a conversation recently on my radio program, The Small Business Advocate Show, with my friend and Brain Trust member, futurist, Joel Barker. Joel was the first person to popularize the concept of what happens when a paradigm shift causes something you’ve come to know and love to go back to zero. His book on paradigms, Future Edge, published in 1992, was listed as one of the most influential business books of that year by the prestigious Library Journal, and it has been used for more than a decade. Reading this book changed the way I look at the world, so when Joel speaks, I always listen, even if I have a different point of view. By the way, Joel is also an outstanding film-maker, and his latest is called “Innovation at the Verge.”
Take a few minutes to listen to my conversation with Joel and, as always, let us know what flavor Kool-Aid you like. Listen Live! Download, Too!
