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The 30 Elements of Consumer Value: A Hierarchy

What consumers truly value can be difficult to pin down and psychologically complicated. But universal building blocks of value do exist, creating opportunities for companies to improve their performance in existing markets or break into new markets. In the right combinations, the authors’ analysis shows, those elements will pay off in stronger customer loyalty, greater consumer willingness to try a particular brand, and sustained revenue growth. Three decades of experience doing consumer research and observation for corporate clients led the authors—all with Bain & Company—to identify 30 “elements of value.” The authors provide real-world examples to demonstrate how companies have used the elements to grow revenue, refine product design to better meet customers’ needs, identify where customers perceive strengths and weaknesses, and cross-sell services. Related:  Becoming the LeaderBusiness Development

25 Eye-Opening Confucius Quotes That Will Teach You To Trust Yourself Confucius was a Chinese Philosopher, teacher, a politician and the founder of Confucianism. He is considered the most influential Eastern philosopher. His philosophy was based on personal and governmental morality. His school of thought encompassed necessity for the correctness of social relationships, justice and sincerity. Today, his influence doesn’t only influence China but others around the globe as well. Here is a collection of 20 Confucius quotes which will enlighten your mind and soul, allowing you to change your life for the better. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. You will also like reading: 27 Eye-Opening Japanese Proverbs That Will Teach You To Trust Yourself 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. Of course, you can’t follow these advice and lessons altogether. Whatever you do, if you follow his teachings, you will definitely find yourself in a better position. Image source: Wikimedia

How to Write a Great Business Plan Every seasoned investor knows that detailed financial projections for a new company are an act of imagination. Nevertheless, most business plans pour far too much ink on the numbers–and far too little on the information that really matters. Why? William Sahlman suggests that a great business plan is one that focuses on a series of questions. These questions relate to the four factors critical to the success of every new venture: the people, the opportunity, the context, and the possibilities for both risk and reward. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos gave this advice to those considering starting their own business Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos knows what it takes to be a successful businessman. Bezos founded Amazon in 1994 as an online book store. From there, the business expanded to the empire it is today. “If you want to be an entrepreneur, the most important thing is to be customer obsessed,” Bezos told the crowd. The second thing a potential entrepreneur needs is passion, Bezos said. “You have got to have some passion for the arena you’re going to develop and work in,” the CEO said. Bezos also said an entrepreneur should be a missionary, not a mercenary. “They always win,” Bezos said. Next, the Amazon founder said an entrepreneur should be willing to take risks no matter the outcome. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos gave this advice to those who were considering starting their own business. “You have to take risks,” he said. The billionaire said it was possible the risk may not work but that’s OK. Bezos said failures only made the company grow. Fox Business’ Elizabeth Zwirz contributed to this report.

Una muestra de innovación sin fronteras en el mundial de los emprendedores - 18.06.2017 - LA NACION Un empresario canadiense dedicado a los granos, que entregó alimentos a refugiados sirios, fue el galardonado en un certamen global que organiza la consultora EY; representantes de 49 países muestran su creatividad Se vive como un mundial. La ciudad de Mónaco está invadida por 57 estrellas del mundo corporativo de 49 países. Todas están cerca y libres de agentes de Relaciones Públicas. La liga del WEOY (World Entrepreneur of the Year) surge de un jurado y es convocada desde hace casi tres décadas por la consultora internacional EY. La mirada está puesta sobre seis puntos principales: el espíritu emprendedor, la creación de valor, la dirección estratégica, el impacto nacional y global, la innovación y la integridad personal de quien encara el proyecto. La primera sede fue en Estados Unidos y ahora los convocados lo llaman el Foro de Davos para los emprendedores. La intriga va ganando protagonismo en las 72 horas finales del certamen. 1 Pasión por los productos y servicios J.W. Frank Devlyn

The Best Marriage Advice From A Divorced Man. We’ve already heard the best marriage advice from a divorced woman, but we need to hear both ‘damaged’ sides in order to combine the full story. I’ve found an incredible advice from a divorced man – Gerald Rogers – that published it as a status on Facebook. Gerald Rogers is a seeker, a leader, a servant, a lover and a warrior of light. His famous status is breaking the records since 2013 for all the right reasons! I choose not to re-write his advice, or tell my personal opinion about it, because I think it’s perfect just the way it is. So here’s the actual advice unedited: Obviously, I’m not a relationship expert. 1) Never stop courting. 2) PROTECT YOUR OWN HEART. 3) FALL IN LOVE OVER and OVER and OVER again. 4) ALWAYS SEE THE BEST in her. 5) IT’S NOT YOUR JOB TO CHANGE OR FIX HER… your job is to love her as she is with no expectation of her ever changing. 6) TAKE FULL ACCOUNTABILITY for your own emotions: It’s not your wife’s job to make you happy, and she CAN’T make you sad.

Design Thinking In the past, design has most often occurred fairly far downstream in the development process and has focused on making new products aesthetically attractive or enhancing brand perception through smart, evocative advertising. Today, as innovation’s terrain expands to encompass human-centered processes and services as well as products, companies are asking designers to create ideas rather than to simply dress them up. Brown, the CEO and president of the innovation and design firm IDEO, is a leading proponent of design thinking—a method of meeting people’s needs and desires in a technologically feasible and strategically viable way. In this article he offers several intriguing examples of the discipline at work. One involves a collaboration between frontline employees from health care provider Kaiser Permanente and Brown’s firm to reengineer nursing-staff shift changes at four Kaiser hospitals.

The 7-Step Guide To Finding the Right Clients and Avoiding the Ones Who Waste Your Time The right client base is the key to growth -- and staying sane. Here's how to find customers who enrich your business and don't waste your time and energy. May 22, 2019 7 min read Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. If you’ve ever felt like the one thing holding your business back from massive growth and expansion is your struggle to find the right clients, you’re not alone. This seems to be a topic of discussion brought up amongst many entrepreneurs and business owners online who feel like a lot of their time is wasted on bad clients. Chances are if you’re reading this, you probably admit to fitting in that boat. You’ve probably attempted one of those basic ideal client worksheets and thought you’d finally nailed it on the head. Instead of throwing mud at the wall to see what sticks, consider these 7 tips to truly understand and find your ideal clients. 1. Here are some red flags that someone is likely to be a bad client: 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Are you their kind? 7.

Empezaron con un hobby, invirtieron US$ 25.000 y revolucionaron el mercado de las empleadas domésticas - 26.06.2017 - LA NACION Cecilia Retegui y Mariana Sorribes cofundaron Zolvers, una plataforma digital que permite contratar servicios para el hogar; tienen 20 empleados y planean expandirse cerrar Cecilia Retegui y Mariana Sorribes, cofundadoras de Zolvers, pensaron en una plataforma que resolviera las necesidades de mujeres que buscan ayuda para la casa y las que quieren generar ingresos extras. "Al principio la plataforma brindaba servicios muy variados pero enseguida nos dimos cuenta que todo el mundo pedía gente de confianza que pudiera ayudar con los chicos en la casa y con la limpieza", cuenta Cecilia Retegui, cofundadora de Zolvers, una plataforma a través de la que se pueden contratar empleadas domesticas, cuidadoras de personas mayores, electricistas y plomeros, que hoy integra la red de emprededores Endeavor. "Ceci me comentó la idea. Tras una inversión de 25 mil dólares, ahora cuentan con 20 empleados y buscan transformar el mercado de las empleadas domésticas.

What Happens When You Take Full Responsibility for Your Life The third: Just before any substantial breakthroughs, you will experience darkness and defeat. The fourth: When you take control of your mind, you realize the quality of your thinking reflects your current potential. In his book Outwitting the Devil, Napoleon Hill describes a meeting he had with his "other self," which operated entirely out of faith and definiteness of purpose. This other self seized upon Hill immediately following several months of deep depression. This voice told him whom to ask for financial aid in publishing his books. At a personal and professional rock bottom, Hill entered a mental state with infinite power. Many others have been gripped by their "other self." Make a decision while in a passionate state.Commit to that decision.Resolve within yourself that what you have decided is finished. Making a commitment means you're seeing it through to the end. Where decisions are made in a single moment, commitment is seeing those decisions into the future.

How Smart, Connected Products Are Transforming Competition Reprint: R1411C Information technology is revolutionizing products, from appliances to cars to mining equipment. Products once composed solely of mechanical and electrical parts have become complex systems combining hardware, sensors, electronics, and software that connect through the internet in myriad ways. These “smart, connected products” offer exponentially expanding opportunities for new functionality, far greater reliability, and capabilities that cut across and transcend traditional product boundaries. The changing nature of products is disrupting value chains, argue Michael Porter and PTC CEO James Heppelmann, and forcing companies to rethink nearly everything they do, from how they conceive, design, and source their products; to how they manufacture, operate, and service them; to how they build and secure the necessary IT infrastructure.

20 Years Ago, Jeff Bezos Gave an Interview Detailing Amazon's Killer Strategy--and It's Absolutely Brilliant The world was a very different place 20 years ago. The internet was new and experiencing exponential growth. Google was only a year old and relatively unknown. And as countless "internet companies" rushed to cash in, they created an infamous bubble that eventually popped, resulting in billions of dollars of lost value. But even amid this confusing cloud of startups and dot-coms, one company stood out. I highly recommend watching the whole interview. At one point, he sums it up in a single sentence: If there's one thing Amazon.com is about it's obsessive attention to the customer experience, end-to-end. Fast forward 20 years to today. One thing that I love about this video is that the interviewer, who takes an adversarial position, doesn't pull any punches. Instead, he demonstrates emotional intelligence. Here are some of the highlights: On whether or not Amazon is an internet company Bezos: "It doesn't matter to me.... Bezos: "I don't see why not. On the cost of Amazon's grandiose plans

Design Thinking 101 What — Definition of Design Thinking Design thinking is an ideology supported by an accompanying process. A complete definition requires an understanding of both. Definition: The design thinking ideology asserts that a hands-on, user-centric approach to problem solving can lead to innovation, and innovation can lead to differentiation and a competitive advantage. This hands-on, user-centric approach is defined by the design thinking process and comprises 6 distinct phases, as defined and illustrated below. How — The Process The design-thinking framework follows an overall flow of 1) understand, 2) explore, and 3) materialize. Empathize Conduct research in order to develop knowledge about what your users do, say, think, and feel. Imagine your goal is to improve an onboarding experience for new users. Define Combine all your research and observe where your users’ problems exist. Consider the onboarding example again. Ideate Prototype Make your ideas tactile. Test Implement Why — The Advantage

Barbara Corcoran Swears by 1 Interview Question to Weed Out Complainers When Barbara Corcoran interviewed candidates for her successful real estate brokerage, she never bothered to read their resumes first. Resumes can be easily fabricated and perfectly finessed, so she didn't see the point. Instead, she wanted to know one key fact about each potential employee: Was he or she happy or not? Looking for the light. The self-made real estate mogul and Shark Tank star cares deeply about personality and drive. That's what she told Adam Bryant, who interviews top executives about leadership for the New York Times's Corner Office column. Though "looking for the light in people" might sound a little hippy dippy, clearly Corcoran has something figured out. So it's safe to say Corcoran has a knack for building successful and high-performing teams. Family matters. Corcoran says she wants to know about a prospective employee's parents. She says success all comes down to positivity and happiness. She hates complainers.

4 Ways to Get Visitors to Stay on Your Website Longer Improve your conversions by keeping your audience engaged on the website. January 22, 2018 5 min read Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. It's important to convert as many of your visitors into leads or sales the very first time they land on your website, because it may be your only chance. The easiest way to increase your chances of generating conversions is by getting those visitors to stick around -- the longer they stay on your website, the greater the chance of them converting. Related: 15 Useful Tech Tools for Your Business 1. Every page on your website needs to have some sort of call-to-action that eventually leads to revenue generation. You can also create gated content, accessible once the visitor submits his or her email address. Related: 25 Creative Ways to Promote Your App For Free 2. Pop-ups that fire only when your visitor is about to leave your website can be highly effective. Related: A Step-by-Step Guide To Building Your First Mobile App 3. 4.

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