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Reading links for the time-poor executive

It almost goes without saying that the breadth of research material on the challenge of marketing & selling people-based services is near limitless. The beauty of the subject, and also the source of frustration for many business leaders, is that there is no hard & fast way of attracting a market to your services. Some businesses position head-to-head with the competition, others seek to develop unique differentiation and a 3rd group develop multiple niche skills. Many others simply rely upon Lady Luck to achieve market average results.

Developing the correct balance of skills and processes, attracting the best talent for the markets you are targeting, and encouraging the right degree of service innovation are all aspects of the same challenge. And when you get it right........ the market really does sit up and take note!

The sad irony is that the day-to-day pressure of running a business means most businesses fail to achieve their long-term potential. People-based service businesses, driven strongly by personality, often fail to achieve that important balance between market dynamism and the internalisation of rules, norms, heritage and structure. Whether the mavericks or the bureaucrats hold sway within an organisation, one of the key challenges for executives is finding the time to maintain contact with relevant thinking, innovation and idea-creation as the basic ingredients of continuous renewal.

Thus, these links pages offer access to a small selection of content relevant to the development and marketing of people-based service businesses. Some are particularly heavy reading, but each offers a renewed insight. For a synopsis of any article pertinent to your business situation, make contact with us.

Useful links

   
David Maister on why financial rewards alone, often don't work(pod). Carnegie Mellon Univ: People Capability Maturity Model(pdf)
McKinsey on the flaws in business strategy development(pod) UMIST: Innovation in Services(pdf)
Russell Thomson on how to shape the personality of the organisation Russell Thomson discusses the nuts & bolts of the Balanced Business Personality monitor
White Paper: Service Differentiation in a Copycat World Kingston BS: Creating an engaged workforce(pdf)
   
   
   
   
   
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