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Hamish Mackenzie
1 min read
Positioned to Sell
Sales is still a dirty word for many people. Perhaps that’s not surprising, when you realize how many people are still doing it badly –...
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Hamish Mackenzie
1 min read
Decide and act, adjust later
As the recovery gets underway, many organizations will need to make a new set of important decisions. How fast to get furloughed staff...
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Hamish Mackenzie
1 min read
Choose what to fix.
Before you let someone tell you your business model is permanently broken because of Covid-19, take the time to ask: Is it really? Of...
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Hamish Mackenzie
1 min read
Stop involving everyone in everything.
There are several mistakes that most companies are continuing to make when it comes to meetings, whether online, in-person or a mixture...
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Hamish Mackenzie
1 min read
Reacting is for losers
The vast majority of businesses find themselves having to react - with varying levels of panic - to the disruption that the current...
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Hamish Mackenzie
1 min read
Don't Panic
Three things any business should not be doing right now: 1) Panicking 2) Cancelling all investments 3) Being inflexible Three things they...
Hamish Mackenzie
2 min read
Shelved
There are two accusations often leveled at consultants. One is that they arrive to solve a problem, only to stay and become part of it....
Hamish Mackenzie
1 min read
Don't count your chickens.*
One of the more painful but important lessons in business or in life is the one you learn when when a supposed "sure thing" fails to...
Hamish Mackenzie
1 min read
How's your pipeline looking?
What I learned from Alan Weiss about maintaining my business pipeline is relevant for any sales organization: 1) Make sure the flow is...
Hamish Mackenzie
1 min read
To be No.1, don't be the best
Being number one in your market is rarely, if ever, about having the best product. The iPod wasn’t the world’s best portable digital...
Hamish Mackenzie
1 min read
Autonomous working
Increasingly, autonomy is increasingly more important for employees than money. And yet I come across many CEOs who: a) Are scared to...
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Hamish Mackenzie
1 min read
Can you change it?
There are things you can't change: Government regulations, customers or suppliers going bust, Brexit. And things you can: Poor employee...
Hamish Mackenzie
4 min read
Establishing a Growth Position in Biotech.
It's hardly surprising that Biotech company founders love the science behind their product or service. Unfortunately, this passion often...
Hamish Mackenzie
2 min read
Wright idea, wrong execution
Today marks the 116th anniversary of the day two brothers from Ohio, Orville and Wilbur Wright, achieved the first powered flight. It...
Hamish Mackenzie
2 min read
Complaining is not competing
In the classic marketing book “Positioning” by Al Ries and Jack Trout, the authors tell a story about how the Michelin Guide I talked...
Hamish Mackenzie
2 min read
DIY is not a leadership strategy
A colleague recently told me about a client of his. This guy has built a $300 million business and spends 80% of his time traveling. A...
Hamish Mackenzie
1 min read
Embrace the ridiculous.
In 1900, there wasn’t much of a connection between a French tyre manufacturer and fine dining. A century later, being awarded a Michelin...
Hamish Mackenzie
1 min read
I'm not you. Which is good.
One of the more annoying things about what I do is being asked why I think I'm right about a business issue when I know nothing about the...
Hamish Mackenzie
1 min read
The first rule of positioning.
The approach most businesses take to positioning is to think about where they fit in the market. That's fine as a sanity check later, but...
Hamish Mackenzie
2 min read
Why so defensive?
When it comes to professional sports, I believe that attack is often the the best form of defence. This was illustrated perfectly by...
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