Doublet is a French family business that provides signage design, production and installation services to customers, like the Tour de France. They are at the top of their game in delivering visual impact. Everyone wants their signage, flags and services - corporates, retailers, public bodies, local public bodies and sports associations.

Savvy leaders have a knack of detecting when their business is about to hit a speed bump. They have inbuilt early warning systems. Like pilots in a cockpit, they know when it’s time to change course.

Get the transformation timing right and you are a hero!

Get the timing wrong and your business is fatally damaged.

Buyers have access to more information than ever before. They are well educated on what they need. Most are well down the buying process before they meet a salesperson. Their eyes glaze over as another powerpoint deck is opened.

Sales people have lots of technology based sales tools. They have tools to find new prospects, keep information on those prospects, send targeted emails, forecast sales etc. However, many are rooted to their technology rather than engaging buyers. They lack the most important sales tool – the ability to tell a great story.

The role of marketing is to fill the top of the sales funnel with leads that might be interested in buying your product. Traditionally marketing used a variety of ‘tools’ like conferences, PR, keynote speeches, database building and email campaigns.

There is something special about a company of twenty people. In particular, one that has reached a key milestone like product market fit and has a viable financial model.

There is optimism in the air. Some move to new office space, while others buy a few plants to signal that they have become a real business. They are no longer a scrappy startup. They feel like a new garden in springtime. However, the hard work is only beginning.

We all love the certainty of the solid revenue that comes from a big customer. It gives us credibility with other prospects. It pays a lot of salaries. Occasionally we reflect on the risk to our business if they left us...most of the time we don't.

Yet the tyranny of the major customer can help us hide from the real foundations of creating a repeatable sales process or building products that many customers want. It can keep us too focused on the needs of that major customer.

You’ve heard the phrase ‘a chip off the old block’?  Well, the "shadow of the leader" is a similar concept. It describes the phenomenon where leaders, through their likes and dislikes tend to shape culture and behaviour. Coined by Sean Delany the "shadow of a leader" is a helpful metaphor. Think of organisations you know and how the personality and behaviour of the leader influences their culture. 

People spend a lot of time talking about "sweet spot” or ideal customers, who are the best fit for their business.

But what about the sour spot customers? How much time do you spend talking about the customers who are a bad fit for your business? In some ways they may be customers you prefer not to think about. Like bad relationships if you don't think about them, they may not appear to be there.

Many task oriented CEOs claim success through their focus on task completion. They make employees accountable. They then micro manage to ensure they are on top of everything. This works in smaller companies where each member of the team is accountable to the 'boss'.

However, as companies grow, CEOs become more stretched by the 'always on' work environment. One-to-one conversations happen less frequently. There is less time. The task oriented CEOs can't cope and become overloaded with too many decisions. Business growth slows down. Everybody becomes frustrated.