If you can't read this, an online version is available here

lazooz

Written by ZOOZ consulting and training | (972)-9-9585085 | [email protected] | www.zooz.co.il

  | Issue 39 |


Hello!

We are pleased to send you the new issue of LaZOOZ.
This monthly newsletter is sent as a free service to thousands of senior executives.
It features different sections each time, and does not include advertisements.

 

We have tried to keep it brief, knowing that your time is precious and your work is plentiful. Those who wish to learn more can find links to articles and sources of relevant information. We hope that you will find the newsletter useful. We would be glad to receive any comments and suggestions.

Pleasant reading!
Ari Manor, CEO, ZOOZ

Focus

On strategic development in practice

Accomplished Justice versus Visible Justice


What is more important - that a product’s usefulness is obvious and clear, or that it exists?

If you ask developers and engineers, they tend to answer that it is more important that justice is accomplished. Meaning that the unique properties attributed to the product will actually exist in practice, and that they will be far superior to those of competing products. However, experienced marketing professionals know that what is truly important is that justice is visible. Meaning, that the unique properties attributed to a product are tangible, and that the customer can easily identify and understand them, even by quickly glancing at the product.

Customers tend to believe what they see, and not what is actually done.


Two examples from research that we conducted with hot dog companies demonstrated this:

  • Believe what you see: We put two large pots full of cooked hot dogs at a certain city square. One pot had “hot dogs from the refrigerator” written on it, and on the second pot had “hot dogs from the freezer” on it. We let passerbys taste one hot dog from each pot. Some of them first tasted from the “fridge” pot, and others first tasted form the “freezer” pot. We asked a simple question “What tastes better?” The answer was unanimous – hot dogs from the fridge. Behind the scenes, all the hot dogs (in both pots) were actually from the fridge. There was no real difference between them. The sign (what you see) influenced people’s taste buds…

  • Disbelief in what you do: We asked hundreds of people – “How long can you keep a closed package of hot dogs in your fridge at home before it must be thrown away?” The most common answer that we got was “two weeks”. Actually, hot dogs are always sealed in a vacuum pack, which protects them from bacterial growth. Therefore, they can be safely kept for up to 3 months in the fridge (and 3 additional months in the store fridge). Hot dog packages have been visibly stamped with expiry dates for years, but hordes of customers ignore it. They prefer to treat the hot dogs as real meat, and not to believe the manufacturers.

Fortunately, there are many benefits that are easy to demonstrate, and therefore also easier to sell. For example, it is easy to show that a car is sporty using a variety of stereotypical characteristics: the color red, convertible roof, relatively large hood. In contrast, other benefits are difficult to demonstrate. For example, it is much more difficult to show that a car is completely rust resistant. In such cases, even if justice is accomplished (the chassis is made of special rust-resistant metal), it is very difficult to persuade customers that the benefit truly exists. When justice is visible, it is easy to convince customers to prefer a specific product to another. And when justice is only accomplished (but not visible), a much larger marketing budget is required (often too large) to persuade the customers. Therefore, and especially with shelf products (that are sold by a salesperson), it is better to focus on presenting innovations and benefits that are easily visible.


The right amount in numerous cases is 80% visible justice, and only 20% accomplished justice. In other words, a product whose advantages are evident and tangible, even if in reality it is only slightly better. For example, a red sports car with a wide hood, but with a 2,200 cc engine (only slightly larger than a “regular” engine), will probably sell well. In contrast, a car that looks like a regular family car but that has a 3,000 cc engine (much larger) will probably not sell well, and result in losses.
 

In summary, the next time that you are developing a new product or creating a new marketing and differentiation strategy for an existing product line – try to focus on presenting a tangible advantage, one that the customers will easily understand and internalize. Later you will have to promise that the tangible advantage over the competitors is also real, because you do not want to be caught as charlatans. Still, allocate reasonable budgets to accomplished justice and aim to be slightly better than the competitors in practice (but in an area that competitors will have difficulty closing the small gap that you created). The advantage in practice, the accomplished justice, especially if it is a consumer good, is apparently less important than what the Development Department tells you.
 

  • For seminars on the Science of Shopping and the Commercialization: click here (page 17 in Hebrew PDF document)
  • For seminars on Strategy and Marketing: click here (PDF,in Hebrew)
  • For additional articles on strategy: click here
  • Information on strategic consulting: click here
 

Futurism

Innovation ideas not yet realized

Ideas for innovation in computer speakers

The following ideas were developed using various thinking tools, and do not exist at present (to the best of our knowledge):

  1. Personal speakers – for the user’s ears only (focused sound that is almost not heard and does not disturb others at the office. Can maybe be applied using a diagonal speaker front so that the sound is directed at the ears and then to the ceiling).
  2. Speakers with suction cups at the back (for quick and easy hanging on the wall).
  3. Multi-purpose speakers (used also as a picture stand, stationary holder, tissue box stand, etc).
  4. Speaker and loudspeaker for the computer that connects to a regular and mobile phone (for hands-free conference calls, with a mike attached).
  5. Computer speakers with thin and adjustable legs (to improve the sound - insulation and adjustment to ear height).
  6. Glow in the dark table speakers.
  7. Speakers with a timer that beep every 30 minutes as a reminder to get up and walk around.
  8. Computer speakers that also contain a few USB ports (convenient and accessible on the table).
  9. Hidden speakers – hung behind the screen and transmit a sound to the back wall, which then bounces back to the ear).
  10. A speaker projector hung at the bottom of the screen (a panel with dozens of small speakers that produce quality surround sound transmitted to all corners of the room. Some large TVs have this feature).

 


Efficiency

A tip on effective management

Daily Goal Competition

In order to motivate employees you can organize a daily competition among them and give a prize to the first person that achieves the desired daily goal. What a daily goal specifically? Because it is more effective to offer an incentive like this – sort of like a daily game that keeps everyone on their toes that day. Some examples of daily goals: the first person to sell 3 different products, the first person that attained 30 customers over the phone, the first person that causes existing customers to purchase 5 repeat buys, the first person that resolved 7 open service calls from customers, etc. It is important to set goals that support your strategy or change processes that you are trying to generate. If, for example, you have decided that you want to shorten the overall customer complaint handling time, resolving 7 open service calls can be a relevant and appropriate daily goal.

In order for this to become a real game, it is important to organize a large game board that everyone can see, and write the names of employees participating in the competition. The employees will run to the board and update their individual results each time they get closer to the goal. Eventually, one of them will be declared the winner and receive the daily prize, which can be a 100 NIS bill that is taped to the game board.

 

  • Information about the Employee Motivation workshop is available here (p. 16 in the Hebrew PDF file).

Published by ZOOZ | +972-9-9585085 | [email protected] | www.zooz.co.il

To register to LaZOOZ Newsletter - Click Here.
To unsubscribe click here.