10/9/19

Bridging the Gap — Using Analytics

What do you — CEO of a company — do when you have gaps of information that cannot be bridged by analytics or anecdotal information?

Other day I am chatting with a CEO about the performance of his marketing and the quality of feedback they were getting from anecdotal information (call reports) and the traffic analytics on their website.

This particular CEO had encountered an AHA moment when they reconfigured their website to go from offering their software in the continuum of Freemium, Bronze, Silver, Gold to the opposite.

By this I mean he had gone from the least expensive/least capable package to the most expensive/most capable price to the opposite order.

OK, one more time. He went from:

Freemium – Bronze – Silver – Gold (least expensive, least capable to most expensive, most capable)

to

Gold – Silver – Bronze – Freemium. (most expensive, most capable to least expensive, least capable).

The results were staggering. He was suddenly hitting substantially higher rates of interest and sales. There is a story for another day as to how that came to be. [Do not do the same thing. There is a reason why this worked in this particular SaaS situation.]

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10/21/18

Jeff Bezos on Decisionmaking

Big Red Car here with the skies clear and the sun shining. Let’s see how long that holds. We need to dry out here in the ATX and the Texas Hill Country.

So, your Big Red Car has always been keen on the science of making decisions. This is a topic first explored when in the Army and watching the decisionmaking techniques and practices of battalions, brigades, and divisions. Only once was I exposed to how a corps (3-5 divisions) makes decisions.

Today, we discuss the wisdom of the Bezos Style of Decisionmaking. He is a wildly successful founder and executive, so we should pay attention to how he suggests things might be done.

Image result for images jeff bezos

Jeff Bezos has strong and “different” views on the subject.

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10/23/13

Troy H Middleton, Citizen Soldier

Big Red Car here.  Well, you know what I’m going to say — right?  On Earth as it is in Austin, Texas, ya’ll, cause it’s just about perfect here in the ATX.

So The Boss is finishing up reading about his tenth book on the Battle of the Bulge in World War II.  He gets fixated on something in his reading — last time it was the masonry design of Irish castles, haha — and he just reads and studies it in depth and extracts the learnings like he was squeezing an orange to make orangeade.

You do love orangeade, right?  Bit of simple syrup, bit of peel, bit of something fizzy and fresh squeezed oranges.  Fresh, Old Sport, fresh.

Read carefully, friends, this will all circle back to entrepreneurial decision making but you’re going to have to stay on the horse for the entire journey.

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09/1/13

Speeches by Guys in Hermes Ties

Big Red Car here.  So The Boss is still in the Carolinas helping the Cub move to his new digs in Charlotte.  The Queen City is a great city and is one of those great American cities that are emerging as regional centers of growth, culture and commerce.  The Boss is very high on Charlotte.

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07/16/13

The Characteristics Traits and Skills of the Successful CEO — Decisionmaking

Big Red Car here.  Been enjoying cooler temps and a bit of rain here in the ATX.  We love a bit of July rain because it is so damn rare.  More on the way today.  Eeeehaw, ya’ll!

So The Boss was thinking about what makes a great CEO and he has focused on decisionmaking.  Hmmm, so, Big Red Car, what the Hell does that mean?

Well, Old Sport, listen and I will ‘splain it to you.

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