The End of Business As Usual E-Book

Brian Solis

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 467

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2011

Beschreibung

It's a new era of business and consumerism—and you play a role in defining it

Today's biggest trends—the mobile web, social media, real-time—have produced a new consumer landscape. The End of Business As Usual explores this complex information revolution, how it has changed the future of business, media, and culture, and what you can do about it.

"To be successful in business, you need to see what others don't. Start with this book. Someone's going to do it, why not you?"
—Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks and Chairman of HDNet

"Innovation has always changed the business landscape. People expect to access information anywhere, anytime, and on any device. Collaborative, cloud, and video technologies are leading this change. As Mr. Solis correctly writes, companies have to lead this change, not follow."
—John Chambers, CEO of Cisco Systems, Inc.

"Winning the hearts and minds of customers with new media experiences will turn them into your most valuable sales force. Solis's book is the map to unleash this treasure."
—Peter Guber, author of Tell to Win: Connect, Persuade, and Triumph with the Hidden Power of Story

"Your customers will share their experiences both good and bad. Now that everyone is connected, it's amplified and incredibly influential. This book will help you rethink your vision and mission to survive in a new era of digital Darwinism."
—Mark Burnett, Television Executive Producer

Leseprobe

Copyright © 2012 by Brian Solis. All rights reserved.

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey. Published simultaneously in Canada.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, [phone], fax [phone], or on the web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, [phone], fax [phone], or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.

Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.

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Wiley publishes in a variety of print and electronic formats and by print-on-demand. Some material included with standard print versions of this book may not be included in e-books or in print-on-demand. If this book refers to media such as a CD or DVD that is not included in the version you purchased, you may download this material at http://booksupport.wiley.com. For more information about Wiley products, visit www.wiley.com.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

Solis, Brian. The end of business as usual : rewire the way you work to succeed in the consumer revolution / Brian Solis. — 1st ed. p. cm. Includes index. ISBN 978-1-118-07755-9 (acid-free paper); ISBN 978-1-118-17158-5 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-17157-8 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-17156-1 (ebk) 1. Consumer behavior. 2. Customer relations. 3. Social media. 4. Internet marketing—Social aspects. 5. Management—Social aspects. 6. Information technology—Management. I. Title. HF5415.32.S599 2011 658.8′72—dc23 2011029304

Foreword

Over the summer I invited a few friends and colleagues to my house for lunch. When they arrived, hugs and greetings were exchanged and my guests headed for the dining room while I finished up in the kitchen, mixing the homemade potato salad, and, well, let's say “supervising” the grilling out on the patio.

While I put the finishing touches on the plates I noticed something strange about the chatter coming from the other room … there was none. They had either all been so bored they dozed off or they had quietly left and stuck me with way too much salmon and salad.

But, in fact, they were still there, seated at the table, one reading an iPad, two texting on iPhones, and one clicking away fervently on a BlackBerry.

I insisted that lunch would have to be a device-free meal.

You notice it at restaurants, at ball games, even at movies and plays. People can't seem to stop letting their fingers do the walking, as the Yellow Pages commercial goes.

Today the digital world pervades every aspect of our lives. I used to wonder what people did before call waiting. Now, phones are tiny laptops, and while you once had to be on a computer to engage online, you can now do it from anywhere, no wires required.

The world has changed at such warp speed in the past decade it's as if Henry Ford, the Wright Brothers, and Thomas Edison had gathered at some cosmic convention and unleashed all of their innovations the very next day.

When I was asked to record a video for YouTube's fifth anniversary, I have to admit my first thought was, “Wow, it's only been five years.” After all, it wasn't that long ago that Bryant Gumbel and I had trouble explaining what the “Internet” was to Today show viewers. (And yes, I now know what the “@” symbol means!)

The advent of social media has also rapidly changed the way we do business, particularly in my field. Viewers and consumers of news now interact with information in a much more dynamic way. They aren't just watching a broadcast passively. They tweet about it, post and discuss stories on Facebook, and, yes, send their comments instantly.

I met Brian Solis last year when he interviewed me for his webshow. I have to admit I was a bit intimidated because I consider myself a tech novice, an information hunter trying to find her way through the World Wide Woods that the Web can be. I had begun to engage in social media just two years earlier. First a YouTube channel, then Facebook, Twitter, and webshows of my own. But I certainly didn’t, and still don’t, consider myself an expert.

When I relayed that thought to Brian, he told me that he sometimes feels that way, too. That this change is happening so fast it is impossible to be an expert. We're all just students, literally learning something new every day.

That instantly put me at ease. Some tech experts can be smug know-it-alls, as if only they have the keys to the digital castle. But Brian, in a world of aggregators and content providers, is a navigator, a sort of digital Sherpa who understands we all must climb at our own pace … but we do need to climb.

While I am fully engaged in the digital world, I do see pros and cons to our connectivity. As I have said before, the good thing about social media is it gives everyone a voice. The bad thing is … it gives everyone a voice.

Other books have been written about negativity, anonymity, and brutal bombs of bad information that can spread like wildfire online.

But I have also seen the very positive impact our global connectedness has brought to journalism and to information sharing in general.

As a news anchor I could tell my audience about unrest in Iran surrounding the 2009 elections there, but nothing could bring home the struggle in the streets like a cell phone video of Neda Agha-Soltan. This beautiful and brave young Iranian woman was killed at a protest and a citizen journalist captured the horrific images and was able to share them with the world. The anonymous cell phone video went on to win the prestigious George Polk Award.

After the fall of Hosni Mubarak's regime in Egypt I interviewed Wael Ghonim, the patriot and revolutionary whose Facebook page began a youth movement against oppression in his nation. He told me that Facebook didn't make people brave, it just helped that bravery spread and grow. But it was technology that spread the word and gave voices to millions of disenfranchised Egyptians demanding change.

These are dramatic and powerful examples, but there are many others, perhaps more mundane, that highlight the power of information campaigns in the digital world.

We each need to find the way to most effectively and productively utilize social media and digital technology in our professional and personal lives. It can be daunting. But Brian is the ultimate technological tour guide, and thanks to his patience, knowledge and understanding, you too can climb to the digital mountaintop and enjoy the view of this brave new world.

KATIE COURIC

Introduction

(R)evolution: How Internet Culture Has Created a New Era of Social Consumerism

This is a book about the new era of business, consumerism, and your role in defining the future of everything. …

Let me start by saying thank you for picking up this book. If you read only these few lines, realize that you are part of a consumer revolution that is changing the future of business, media, and culture. You did not intentionally enlist in this movement, but you are indeed part of it.

Consumers are connecting with one another, creating a vast and efficient information network that shapes and steers experiences and markets. Whether you're a business professional or a consumer, you are part of this new era of connected or social consumerism and individually and collectively, the effects of your actions and words are nothing short of extraordinary when concentrated. Together, you … me … we have the power to change things around us. Every day, we're learning and practicing how to make sense of these emerging privileges. Businesses and consumers have the power to change the course of the economy and it's nothing short of disruptive.

People are now investors in and beneficiaries of a new genre of collective intelligence that informs and guides people in real time. Information, whether we contribute or learn, is now a wonderful commodity that's on demand. Needless to say, people are informing and are informed.

In just a few short years, we witnessed how people-powered Wikipedia displaced industry giant Britannica as the world's encyclopedia. The so-called wisdom of the crowds is now forming a power of the crowds, creating a new form of group buying to unlock amazing deals online and in the real world. Groupon, LivingSocial, Facebook Deals, and the countless others that are emerging empower groups of people to buy and save together, and in turn, share these opportunities with those to whom they're connected online and offline.

Simply by discussing the experiences we've had with brands and businesses on review sites, in blogs, and in online communities, we've created a new world of consumer influence. People make decisions based on the shared experiences of others. And that influence is sweeping, as consumers are increasingly connecting to one another.

Remember the Yellow Pages? Websites such as Yelp, Craigslist, Angie's List, and even Foursquare collectively displaced what was once the community staple for local businesses and service providers by moving information and experiences to online communities and social networks.

Once “too big to fail” businesses such as Borders, Tower Records, Wherehouse, Circuit City, and Blockbuster are now gone. Each business is a victim of Digital Darwinism, the evolution of consumer behavior when society and technology evolve faster than the ability to exploit it. Digital Darwinism does not discriminate. Every business is threatened.

This is just a little taste of how consumer behavior has changed the landscape for buying and selling—and this transformation is just getting started. It's nothing new. What is different, though, is that change forces just that: change. Those businesses that recognize disruption and develop a culture and process for innovation now and over time will survive the perpetual threat of Digital Darwinism.

The consumer revolution is already underway. The question is: How do you better understand the role you play in this production as a connected or social consumer as well as a business professional? As a stakeholder, it's now your obligation to study how, when, where, and why consumers are connecting and how they're making and influencing decisions. Doing so brings clarity to your work to create and steer consumer experiences to your advantage.

This book reveals how digital culture is changing the landscape of business, consumerism, and the workplace, and what you should do about it.

THIS IS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS, SO MAKE IT YOUR BUSINESS

This book was written to groom a new generation of leaders, people who want to lead and are looking for the answers and inspiration necessary to guide others into uncharted territory. It's an exploration of culture, society, and how to unravel trends and hype to find the meaning in all of this. It's how we'll grow personally and professionally. For many of us, applying these insights at work will also teach us how to embrace new media in our personal lives.

What are the pillars of a successful business? Competitive prices? Great service? Widespread distribution? Better products? Maybe. But experience has taught us that ambition, practicality, and achievements are the traits of successful leaders. As a result, we sometimes compromise consumer experiences for numbers … business goals, minimized expenses, and increases in efficiencies, forecasts, and sales. Find any business owner or executive and they'll tell you that's just good business. But is that enough to survive Digital Darwinism? If marketing and PR departments serve as the voices of companies, how are we to really know?

It's the difference between being market-driven and marketing-driven. The true voice and personality of a company is rarely heard unless a customer calls in to the service department or visits the business in person to demand personalized attention and resolution. Suddenly marking is no longer “the voice.” The front-line service representative is in charge of defining the consumer experience and the next steps a consumer may take, including sharing that experience with others. But how are representatives instructed to steer experiences today? How are they rewarded for cultivating memorable and satisfying engagements to encourage the sharing of positive experiences? Representatives are instead often motivated with incentives for increasing sales or churning through customer calls and emails faster than their peers, measured by time to resolution and transactional satisfaction.

Following these interactions, customers would walk away percolating with emotion. Whether positive, negative, or ambivalent, it's human nature to share these experiences with peers and quite honestly, anyone who'll listen. Again, none of this is new. It's human nature. Businesses have long known that a happy customer tells a few people, but an unhappy customer tells many, many more.

But everything was business as usual, until it wasn’t. And, that's where this story begins.

Of course, no matter the business, the only factor as significant as customer acquisition is customer retention. But it's exponentially more expensive to acquire new customers than it is to retain them. Some businesses embrace this reality and hold it sacred. Others see the allure of saving money at the expense of positive experiences to placate customers rather than continually earn their affinity and loyalty.

The true character of any business is revealed in the collective experiences of its customers. It's about what people say when you're not around. With the rise of social media, people are connecting with one another to create vast networks rich with interaction. The social graphs that people create as a result are increasingly becoming interconnected, creating an audience that, too, boasts an audience with audiences. And guess who's in control of the information that circulates within each network? It's not the brand or its clever messaging, attractive promotions, or creative gimmicks. People are in control. The choices they make and the experiences they share through their words, relationships, and actions, influence those around them.

This book will introduce you to the connected consumer and how they search for, discover, and share information, and ultimately, make decisions. In many significant ways, they're not at all the customer you think you know.

Some of us are becoming the very consumers we're trying to reach and as a result, we are changing everything. By placing ourselves in the spotlight, we gain a more personal view of the change unfolding before us, without the obstruction of our business blinders we unknowingly wear in our professional lives. It's this perspective that's usually missing from today's business approach and prevailing philosophy.

Understanding this new connected consumer will help us gain two critical business traits long absent from the hallmark of typical business culture, the ability to feel and show empathy and the ability to change. To best earn residence in the minds and hearts of customers, we must invest in shaping exceptional experiences worth sharing.

Understanding this new consumer and what moves them will help businesses compete for tomorrow, today. It's the acceptance of this perspective that will allow us to uncover and affect the decisions that orbit and define the brands we represent.

The businesses that aspire to a higher purpose will outperform businesses that focus on the bottom line.

People aspire to be part of something bigger than themselves. Give them something to align with to create a sense of belonging. Give them something to talk about. Give them a reason to share experiences. After all, you are part of the new digital culture that is defining the future of all of this. Change is upon us. Change is because of us.

It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.

—Charles Darwin

Chapter 1

A Quiet Riot: The Information Divide and the Cultural Revolution

I woke up one morning only to find that the whole world changed around me. …

For 20 years, I collected fountain pens. The beauty and shape of the pen, the fine detail of the nib, and the careful balance of the design introduced a sense of importance to every stroke and every word I wrote. Writing to me is an art, but the reality is that I just don't practice my handwriting as I did in the past. The last addition to my collection was just over seven years ago. Not only is my penmanship deteriorating, the pen feels foreign in my grasp. I'm realizing that with every day that passes, I lose simple muscle memory that took most of childhood and young adulthood to train. Now, my thumbs are far more dexterous on a mobile phone than my index finger adjoined to my thumb on the best of my fountain pens.

The reality is that almost everything I write these days is composed on either a PC, mobile phone, tablet, microphone/webcam, or anything with a keyboard. One day soon, I'm sure I will only have to think what I want to say and it will appear before me on screen.

This is just the beginning of how communication is changing. A simple pinch of the thumb and index finger is now more agile and capable, thanks to Mr. Steve Jobs and the iOS team at Apple. The pinch is becoming the standard for interacting with devices and content. While it's something most of us have adapted to, younger generations view this motion as second nature. They don't think twice to pinch a screen to enlarge the text. Nor do they have to think about how to scroll through pages of content. Because the technology is so accessible, it is one of the first methods they learn.