Top 10 worst marketing mistakes

Description: For decades, Apple priced the Macintosh at a premium over comparably-powered IBM-compatible PCs.

Why It Was Dumb: Apple marketing apparently believed that the added value of the Apple brand, and the superior usability of the product justified a higher price. But the truth is that as Windows became the de-facto standard, the Macintosh environment became a liability that would have required a LOWER price in order to compel people to continue to buy.

The Obvious Alternative: Apple marketing should have understood that the incompatibility of the Apple product with the majority of other platforms represented a barrier to market entry, not an advantage. As such, they should have priced the Macintosh significantly lower than a comparably-powered PC and positioned it away from the business market.

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Mistake #9: Ignoring Computer Games

Description: Apple never attracted game developers to the Macintosh, never launched a game machine, and has only sporadically promoted the iPod and iPhone as handheld gaming platforms.
Why It Was Dumb: Since the main strength of the IBM-compatible PC was in business applications, the home and consumer market was available for an alternative platform. However, Apple’s appeal to the consumer market was vastly weakened by the fact that the Macintosh seldom had the latest and greatest games, which are THE killer applications for a home-based computer platform.
The Obvious Alternative: Apple marketing should have moved hell and high water (i.e. paid big bucks) to make sure that game developers put their games on the Macintosh first. Beyond that, Apple marketing should have pressed the company to turn the Macintosh or a related product into a gaming console long before arch-rivals Microsoft and Sony locked up that market.

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Mistake #8: The Missing Sustainability Report

Description: Apple, alone of all the major high tech manufacturers, refuses to release an official report on the sustainability and environmental impact of its manufacturing and supply chain.
Why It Is Dumb: You’d think that a company with Al Gore on its board, and with a reputation for having “green” products, would realize that reinforcing that image is a good idea. However, Apple’s perceived secrecy around its environmental track record has raised the ire of environmentalists, attracting negative attention to Apple in an area that should be one of the company’s strengths.
The Obvious Alternative: In a recent proxy filing, Apple stated that “the board believes that the proposal has been substantially addressed and publication of an additional report would produce little added value while requiring unnecessary time and expense.” However, the amount of time and expense involved would be minimal compared to Apple’s huge marketing budget. So just publish the d**n report, OK?

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Mistake #7: Allowing Macintosh Cloning

Description: For a few years, Apple allowed other manufacturers to make Macintosh clones. The company later rescinded those licenses, driving those vendors quickly out of business.
Why It Was Dumb: The strategy was an obvious attempt to imitate the “success” of IBM’s strategy of an “open” PC platform. However, Apple failed to notice that IBM was struggling in the PC market (and would eventually sell it off), and that, in any case, an “open platform” strategy — which worked (sort of) in a geometrically growing market — didn’t make any sense in a mature market where the platform battle was already lost. In addition, the fact that Apple royally screwed its erstwhile partners didn’t win the company any friends in the marketplace, and drove even more potential partners into the Microsoft camp.
The Obvious Alternative: Don’t allow cloning of a product that’s value lies in being proprietary. To its credit, Apple marketing finally figured this out, but only after it became clear to everyone else in the world that Mac clones didn’t make any business sense.

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Mistake #6: Continued Support of Apple TV

Description: Apple continues to promote the concept of Apple TV on its website and marketing materials.
Why It Is Dumb: The product is a widely seen as an industry joke. People don’t want to consume television in this way and there are numerous other platforms that do a much better job at both the delivery and the purchasing of the content.
The Obvious Alternative: It’s a zombie. Kill it.

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Mistake #5: Sleeping with Microsoft


Description: Apple forged an alliance with Microsoft to get Microsoft’s office software on the Macintosh platform.
Why It Was Dumb: While Apple is finally in a position to get some well-earned revenge, the entire history of the Apple/Microsoft alliance has consisted of Apple dropping its pants and bending over a barrel. By focusing on Microsoft Office, Apple marketing continued to flog the idea of Macintosh as a business computer, rather than a consumer computer, thereby making certain that the IBM-compatible PC (which was always going to be the favored platform for Microsoft’s software) would remain dominant.
The Obvious Alternative: Apple marketing should have put its energy into landing applications that were unique to the Macintosh, uniquely valuable to the home market, thereby positioning Apple as far as possible from Microsoft. Apple, of course, finally figured this out about five years ago with the iPod, but that was after a decade of getting regularly screwed by the giant of Redmond.


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Mistake #4: Treating Journalists Like Cockroaches

Description: Apple is widely known among business journalists and industry analysts as an insanely difficult company to work with. Their PR people seldom answer press inquiries and their executives treat journalists as unwanted pests.
Why It Is Dumb: You end up with articles like What’s the bug up Apple’s @$$? and When did Apple become uncool? And when you’re really stupid and have a business reporter arrested for reporting about your future product, you get TV coverage like the Jon Stewart video I’ve posted below.
The Obvious Alternative: While the field of business journalism does include its share of independent thinkers, most are more than willing to kiss corporate butt if you throw them a bone once in a while. Every other company in high tech manages to be helpful to the business press. Apple marketing’s continued arrogance is just plain stupid.

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Mistake #3: Pretending They’re the Underdog


Description: Apple is still posing as the underdog, the scrappy fighter against the big bad forces of the IBM PC world.
Why It Is Dumb: Apple’s market valuation and yearly revenue is currently about the same as Microsoft. Eventually, even Apple fanboys will figure out that Apple is a corporate behemoth whose corporate headquarters resembles the movie set for an updated remake of 1984, replete with security cameras, secret codes, and all the accoutrement of a police state.
The Obvious Alternative: It’s been nearly a quarter of a century since Apple marketing devised the underdog story. Give it a rest, for cryin’ out loud. Apple marketing should build a story that fits Apple’s real status in the business world.

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Mistake #2: Censoring the iPhone

Description: Apple recently purged 6,000 apps from the iPhone/iPod library that it deemed “too sexy.”
Why It Is Dumb: Porn is one of the big drivers of traffic on the Internet. If Apple is going to displace the current PC-based Internet environment, it will need to capture some of that traffic. Furthermore, the PC world of porn is having trouble monetizing content in a world where peer-to-peer sharing has become common, a problem that wouldn’t exist in the Apple environment. Apple marketing is therefore throwing away a multi-billion dollar revenue stream.
The Obvious Alternative: Woo-hoo!

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Mistake #1: The AT&T Exclusivity Agreement

Description: Apple granted AT&T exclusive rights to the iPhone until 2012.
Why It Was Dumb: The iPhone has been successful, sure, but think how much more successful it would be if it were supported by every carrier (or even more than just one carrier? The delay in getting the iPhone on other carriers has created a marketing opening for other platforms, like Android, which otherwise wouldn’t never have had even the ghost of a chance.
The Obvious Alternative: Apple marketing should have landed multiple carriers with no exclusivity. Sure it would have been harder to negotiate such deals, but a really savvy marketing group would have understood the importance of NOT locking out the majority of a market during an all-important early adoption phase.

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PWG - NO

THERE IS NO EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT SUCH A NOTION, __ .
YOU DON'T CHANGE PILOTS MID FLIGHT, __ .
THAT IS OUT OF SCOPE FOR TODAY's DISCUSSION, __ .
I'M JUST A LITTLE CONCERNED THAT IF WE DIGRESS ANY FURTHER WE WILL OVERRUN, __ .
I'M GOING TO HAVE TO STOP YOU THERE, __ .
IN MY OPINION THIS NOTION IS ONLY PARTIALLY RIGHT AND LET ME TELL YOU WHY, __ .
I SEE WHAT YOU MEAN AND I THINK IT MAKES SENSE, HOWEVER CONSIDER THIS, __ .
THAT IS CERTAINLY ONE WAY TO LOOK AT IT, BUT ANOTHER IS LIKE THIS, __ .
I SEE YOUR POINT BUT CONSIDER THIS, __ .
I WOULD LIKE TO CONTEST THAT POINT, __ .
I refuse to accept that, __ .
I'M NOT ENTIRELY SURE I AGREE, __ .
I DON'T BELIEVE THAT IS THE MOST OPTIMAL|FEASIBLE IDEA AND I'LL TELL YOU WHY , __ .
WE DON'T WANT TO SET A PRECEDENT BY ALLOWING, __ .
WE ARE NOT EQUIPPED TO, __ .
IT SITS OUTSIDE THE BOUNDS OF MY RESPONSIBILITY/KNOWLEDGE, __ .
THERE'S NO FREE LUNCH, __ .
THROWING TOYS OUT OF THE COT, __ .
I HAVE A FULL PLATE, __ .
I DO NOT HAVE THE BANDWIDTH, __ .
ALL HAT AND NO CATTLE, __ .
WE ARE NOT OUT OF THE WOODS YET, __ .
ITS NOT FULLY BAKED, __ .
IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU ARE CHASING RAINBOWS, __ .
I WASNT INVOLVED. IVE GOT CLEAN HANDS, __ .
ALL BETS ARE OFF, __ .
ALL THAT GLITTERS IS NOT GOLD.
DON'T WANT TO JUST PULL THE SHUTTERS DOWN, __ .
THAT WAS A RESOUNDING NO, __ .
ITS NOT OPTOMISED FOR, __ .
NOW, THAT'S NOT TO SAY, __ .
ITS NOT YET BREACHED, __ .
GOOD INGREDIENTS DO NOT NECESSARILY MAKE GOOD SAUCE, __ .
I'M NOT EXPECTED TO, __ .
WE ARE NOT IN A POSITION TO, __ .
WE ARE NOT EXPECTED TO, __ .
IT IS NOT A SLAM DUNK BUT IT WILL SUFFICE, __ .
ITS NOT RESTRICTED TO, __ .
THEY HAVE NOT BEEN VERY FORTHCOMING, __ .
THERE IS NOTHING TO SUGGEST THAT, __ .
IT DOES NOT INSPIRE CONFIDENCE, __ .
BY NO STRETCH OF THE IMAGINATION, __ .
DON'T HAVE ENOUGH CARDS TO PLAY, __ .
I DON'T HAVE AN OPINION ON THIS, __ .
That's a NEGATIVE there John, __ .
Well that's NOT ENTIRELY TRUE, __ .
IT ALLOWS NO DEVIATION, __ .
I would be hesitant to, __ .
It can definitely be achieved, no question. However it will require a development effort, __ .
In theory, there's no difference between theory and practice.In practice, there is. , __ .
IT HAS FALLEN ON DEAF EARS, __ .
I DO NOT HAVE THE BANDWIDTH, __ .
THE JURY IS STILL OUT ON THAT ONE, __ .
Null and void, __ .
there is no cause for concern in my opinion, __ .
no way, shape or form, __ .
If you cannot compete with no competitors then compete with slow compeititors, __ .
no one has ever been fired for buying Microsoft, __ .
THAT FUNCTIONALITY IS NOW DEPRECATED, DEFUNCT IF YOU WILL, __ .
Its a fire hose approach, only on or off, there is no middle ground, __ .
There is no need to force the issue, __ .
Its hanging in the balance, __ .
There is no single silver bullet that will fix everything, __ .
There is no future in vanilla for most companies in a flat world. - the commercial future belongs to those who know how to make the richest chocolate sauce, the sweetest, lightest whipped cream, and the juiciest cherries to sit on top, or how to put them all together into a sundae.Vanilla will be provided free by the OS community, __ .
Its like digital cameras, no one knew they needed one until they had one. Then they couldnt live without one, __ .

PWG - HARD

IT'S A CURVE BALL, __ .
IT ERECTS BARRIERS RATHER THAN KNOCKING THEM DOWN, __ .
IT MAKES A MOUNTAIN OUT OF A MOLE HILL, __ .
IT ESTABLISHES WALLS OF COMPLEXITY AROUND, __ .
IT REQUIRES SOME HEAVY LIFTING, __ .
IT REQUIRES A DEEP DIVE, __ .
THEY ARE PLAYING HARD BALL, __ .
ITS HARDER THAN NAILING JELLY TO THE WALL, __ .
ITS LIKE HERDING CATS, __ .
ITS A BOX OF FROGS, __ .
It's always harder to make a case for lost hours than for lost dollars, __ .
IT'S HARDER THAN HE'D CARE TO ADMIT, __ .
THAT WAS FEEDING THE COMPLEXITY MACHINE, __ .
IT HAS BECOME QUITE TURBULENT, __ .
ADMITIDLY, ITS DIFFICULT TO DIGEST, __ .
BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE, __ .
BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA, __ .
WELL I'VE GOT MY BACK TO THE WALL ON THIS ONE, __ .
ITS A BITTER PILL TO SWALLOW, __ .
ITS LIKE EXTRACTING BLOOD FROM A STONE, __ .
I must warn you, Its non-trivial, __ .
THEY ARE WORKING AT FULL TILT, __ .
People who are desperate enough don't look very hard at the price or the evidence...apricot pits..Mexico exclusive medical cure..Sweden in supermarket, __.
ITS LIKE PULLING TEETH, __ .
ITS A CAN OF WORMS, __ .
WE NEED TO MOVE HEAVEN AND EARTH IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE THIS, __ .
It is more CHALLENGING than they initially suspected, __ .
It is a quite COMPLEX problem to solve for several reasons. Firstly, __ .
WE NEED TO DRILL DOWN HARD TO EXTRACT ALL THE NECESSARY DETAILS, __ .
Has proven difficult to piece together, __ .
Its more difficult in a hostile environment, __ .
first time difficult as we need to carve out the gully, __ .
ALWAYS MORE CHALLENGING FROM FIRST PRINCIPLES, __ .
THAT ADDS A LAYER OF COMPLEXITY, __ .
ITS A GREY AREA WITH NO SIMPLE ANSWER, __ .
There are a number of variables we do not have control over, __ .
Rome wasn't built in a day, __ .
Its difficult to hit a moving target, __ .
SWIMMING AGAINST THE TIDE, __ .
ITS AN UPHILL BATTLE, __ .
TRYING TO TURN WATER INTO WINE, __ .
Up the creek without a paddle, __ .
Answer a difficult question with a 'WHY EXACTLY IS THAT IMPORTANT TO YOU?' question, __ .
Need to keep so many plates spinning, __ .
systems are getting more and more complex, so we need to overcompensate and expend a lot of energy on simplification, __ .
ITS COMPRISED OF MANY MOVING PARTS, __ .
this adds another layer of complexity, __ .
If you did an apples-to-apples comparison its many times more complex, __ .
a small cog in a complex system, __ .
ineffable complexity, __ .
This raises several complexities, __ .
We need to abstract from the end-user all those complexities, __ .
The process is a little convoluted, __ .
It seems quite counter-intuitive, __ .
Sounds like you are in Over your head, __ .
There are a number of operational complexities we need to overcome, __ .
We need to wade through red-tape and process, __ .
You got the rough end of the stick, __ .
It's rough but readt, __ .
It's a little rough around the edges, __ .

PWG - EASY

ITS NOT ROCKET SCIENCE, __ .
ITS THE PATH OF LEAST RESISTENCE, __ .
THERE HAS BEEN AN EROSION OF COMPLEXITY AROUND, __ .
ITS NOT TRIPLE BYPASS SURGERY, __ .
IT IS A LEVELLER. IT KNOCKS DOWN BARRIERS, __ .
IT'S A SITTING DUCK, __ .
IT'S A QUICK WIN., __ .
SHOOTING FISH IN A BARRELL, __ .
CHOOSE THE LOWEST HANGING FRUIT FIRST, __ .
WITHOUT BREAKING A SWEAT, __ .
IT IS VERY TRIVIAL, __ .
The hard work is in the establishment of the guiding framework, then execution is trivial, __ .
It's a TRIVIAL excercise, __ .
its easy to say looking in the rear-view mirror ofcourse, __ .
IT'S VERY STRAIGHT FORWARD, __ .
AFTER THAT ITS PLAIN SAILING, __ .
You can use a knife to open a can of beans but it wont be as pleasant and easy a process as using something perfectly designed for that very requirement, __ .
Its easy to pick problems, but its a lot more intellectually challenging to come up with solutions. Don't tell me about the errors I know them, __ .
HE FOLDS OVER VERY EASILY, __ .
IT WILL BE MORE EASILY CONSUMED IF , __ .
NEED TO MAKE IT EASIER TO DIGEST, __ .
IT'S EASIER FROM FIRST PRINCIPLES, __ .
Tinkering with perception is often easier then fixing reality, __ .
ITS TRACTABLE, VERY EASILY MANAGED, __ .
EASILY BLOW IT OUT OF THE WATER, __ .
Users want to simply do their job in the easiest and quickest possibly way that does not require them to learn something 'new' or change behaviour, __ .
I'm of the KISS school of thought, keep it simple, minimise risk, __ .
Occam's razor - of several theories, the simplest that introduces fewest assumptions is to be preferred., __ .
Let's keep life simple for everyone, __ .
WORK SMART - AVOID, AT ALL COSTS, UNNECESSARY COMPLEXITY, __ .

PWG-START

EVERYTHING IS STARTING TO CLICK INTO PLACE, __ .
I don't know where to start,.. Can you give me the 2 minute trailer, __ .
LET ME REWIND AND START AGAIN, __ .
So, THAT WE START OFF ON THE RIGHT FOOT, __ .
WE NEED TO GET IT THRU THE FRONT GATE FIRST, __ .
START CHIPPING AWAY AT IT, __ .
STARTING TO GET MILEAGE OUT OF IT, __ .
THIS WILL SERVE TO GIVE US A CREDIBLE START, __ .
WE NEED TO START RATTLING THE CAGE TO GET SOME RESPONSES, __ .
THEY START SALIVATING WHEN THEY HEAR, __ .
DON'T WANT TO JUMP THE GUN, __ .
NEED TO BE FIRST OFF THE BLOCKS. NEED TO BE FIRST OUT OF THE GATE, __ .
THEY ARE STARTING TO WARM UP TO THE NOTION OF, __ .
WE NEED TO KICK-START THAT PROCESS, __ .
IT SERVES AS A SEED SOWING EXCERCISE, __ .
WHEN DO WE KICK OFF? , __ .
DIRECT FROM THE OUTSET, __ .
IT IS DIFFICULT FROM A STANDING START, __ .
YOU START WITH YOUR BELIEFS AND LOOK FOR EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT THEM, __ .
WE NEED TO BEGIN TO FORMULATE A PLAN OF ACTION, __ .
IT IS STRATING TO GROW LEGS, __ .
THAT WILL GIVE US A HEAD START, __ .
AT WHICH POINT IT STARTS TO CREEK, __ .
IT IS STARTING TO DRIFT, __ .
WHEELS ARE STARTING TO SPIN IN THE MENTAL MUD, __ .
THAT'S A GREAT PLACE TO START, __ .
IT'S TIME TO TURN THE LIGHTS ON, __ .
THEY WANT TO HIT THE GROUND RUNNING, __ .

WHEN DO WE COMMENCE, __ .
The COMMENCEMENT date is the, __ .

We will BEGIN discussions around, __ .

They IGNITED efforts around, __ .

We need to ACTIVATE thinking around, __ .
This serves to ENERGIZE the brand by , __ .

Since INCEPTION it has suffered from problems relating to, __ .
He has INITIATED interest in , __ .
The INITIAL attempt was a failure, __ .
It INVOKED immense interest from, __ .

NEED TO HIT THE ROAD RUNNING, __ .
FROM THE GET-GO, __ .
RIGHT OFF THE BLOCKS, __ .
We need to identify whree one begins and the other ends, __ .
RIGHT OUT OF THE GATES, __ .
It's beginning to sag under the weight of expectation, __ .
Beginning to scratch the surface of the thick bureaucratic wall with his restructuring toothpick, __ .
If we wait for the moment when everything, absolutely everything is ready, we shall never begin, __ .
As you begin to peel away the layers, the complexity greatly increases, __ .

PWG - FINISH

TAKE IT ACROSS THE FINISH LINE, __ .
FOLLOW IT THROUGH TO COMPLETION, __ .
SIGNED, SEALED AND DELIVERED, __ .
NEED TO SIMPLY JOIN UP THE DOTS ON THAT ONE, __ .
THEY ARE SUNSETTING THAT PRODUCT DUE TO., __ .
THEY HAVE PULLED THE PLUG, __ .
I HAVE EXHAUSTED ALL AVENUES, __ .
THEY ARE ADDING THE FINISHING TOUCHES NOW, __ .
WE CANNOT LEAVE IT OPEN ENDED. PARAMETERS AND BOUNDARIES NEED TO BE ESTABLISHED, __ .
Retire perfectly good equipment before it is fully depreciated and had reached its natural end of life, __ .
SIMPLY NEED TO PICK UP YOUR WINNINGS ON THAT ONE, __ .
WHAT IS THEIR END GAME?, __ .
THE END RESULT IS ___, __ .
WE CAN TAKE THE TAIL-END, __ .
ITS FORTUNATELY NOT A SHOWSTOPPER, __ .
NEED TO GENTLY APPLY THE BREAKS, __ .
WE MAY HAVE TO PULL THE PLUG ALTOGETHER ON THIS, __ .
WE CAN AVERT ANY THREAT BY ___, __ .
IT IS COMPLETE PARALYSES UNTIL THEY ________, __ .
WE NEED TO SIT ON IT FOR A WHILE, __ .
ITS ON ICE FOR NOW WHILE WE DECIDE THE BEST COURSE OF ACTION, __ .
IT'S ON THE SHELF, __ .
THEY HAVE DISENGAGED FROM THAT ACTIVITY, __ .
WE HAVE A HARD STOP AT , __ .
WE NEED TO HAVE IT OUT THE DOOR BY, __ .
first over the finish line, __ .
excuse me - just let me finish please, __ .
CLOSE THE LOOP, __ .
WHEN I FINISH YOU WILL GET AN OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK.OK?THEN ME. THEN YOU., __ .
WHEN CAN YOU TURN THIS AROUND BY, __ .
IT HAS NOT BEEN FINALISED, __ .
They have not COMPLETED the project yet, __ .
The development efforts have CONCLUDED successfully , __ .

They have decided to DISCONTINUE sponsorship of, __ .
They have DIVESTED from devlopments in that area, __ .
The contract has been TERMINATED due to breach of regulations, __ .
It is a TERMINAL agreement.
ON EXPIRATION we need to, __ .
can i please finish..dont ask a question if you refuse to give the courtesy to answer, __ .
IT CULMINATED IN , __ .
END OF PLAY TODAY, __ .
IT WAS A PHOTO FINISH, __ .

WHAT IS THE E.T.A?, __ .
At the end of its thether, __ .

PWG - GOOD

IT's A WELL OILED MACHINE, __ .
IT'S COMFORTING, __ .
IT'S VERY ENCOURAGING, __ .
HE'S A BIG HITTER, __ .
HE iS VERY VCAPABLE, __ .
IT IS A SWEET SPOT FOR US, __ .
It was an EXCEPTIONAL performance, __ .
There are GREATER EFFICIENCIES in taking that tack, __ .
He is a VERY CAPABLE sales person, __ .
We first need to be as good as the incumbent, but then we need to create a differential in order to be better, __ .
TAKE THE GOOD WITH THE BAD, THE ROUGH WITH THE SMOOTH, __ .
Good fit for what you are trying to achieve, __ .
Open source has good enough functionality, good enough scalability,.. most customers are happy with good enough, __ .
Is Google Docs as good as Microsoft Office? No, and it likely never will be. The thing is, it doesn’t have to be as good. Users are overshot right now, __ .
That may all be well and good on paper, but in practice there are a lot of opposing forces, __ .
It sounds good but there is a sting in the tail in that, __ .
establish a good baseline foundation from which to build, __ .
the good news is, __ .
I think its a good middle ground, __ .
good enough competition at much lower price points, __ .
like a child that needs to be rewarded for good behaviour, __ .
we need to have a good story around, __ .
SHE IS QUITE DISCERNING, __ .
IT HAS PROVEN ITSELF TO BE AN EFFECTIVE MEANS, __ .
IT WAS DONE PRO-BONO, __ .
CONSIDER IT BONA FIDE, __ .
IT HAS PROVEN TO BE A FRUITFUL EXCERCISE, __ .
IF IT IS DEEMED TO BE GOOD USAGE OF OUR TIME AND EFFORT?, __ .
They yielded good results from the team, __ .

IT WAS A VERY COMPELLING PROPOSITION, __ .
All's well that ends well, __ .
WE ARE ON GOOD TERMS, __ .
If you can achieve this you'll be in good shape, __ .
Those good folks further up the tree, __ .
I'D SAY I HAVE A GOOD HANDLE ON IT, I CAN SEE THE END GOAL AND WHAT IS REQUIRED TO GET US THERE, __ .

IT IS TOLERABLE BUT NOT IDEAL, __ .

PWG - BEST

I'll do my level best, __ .
Principle of restricted choice and regret. If we have too much choice, we will always fear that we have not made the best choice, __ .
BEST OF BREED, BEST IN CLASS, __ .
its a case of the best defence is a strong offense, __ .
THE MOST OPTIMUM, __ .
THE PREMIUM OFFERING, __ .
Despite your best efforts, I think the knee jerk reaction from the field will be a, __ .
Put your best foot forward, __ .
WHAT ARE THE BEST PRACTICES AROUND, __ .
Best Way to Motivate Workers: Show Progress. Give Incentives. Acknowledge Publically, __ .
We need to determine the best bets to take going forward, __ .
Optimisum bias - focus on the benefits and underweigh the costs, __ .
it is a top-tier soultion, __ .
Need to move the unique value contribution to another plane - ipod did not create the best mp3 player, they created the best user experience, __ .
THE BEST ANSWER TO A DIFFICULT QUESTION IS A QUESTION, __ .
Not necessarily the best use of your time, __ .
now, if you don't want to be best in class this is best, however if, __ .
rather than competitng with it, its best to aim to co-exist with it, __ .Yeah and you can also use a fork to eat soup, but its not the best way to do it..its not our competency, __ .
It reigns supreme when it comes to, __ .
Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning, __ .
it was the cherry on top, __ .
they are a top-tier customer, __ .

Of course we want to do our utmost to help, but we can't deliver the impossible, __ .

PWG - BETTER

IT IS MORE FULLY BAKED, __ .
WE NEED TO SHARPEN OUR, __ .
WE NEED TO POLISH OUR , __ .
THIS NEEDS TO BE BULLET PROOF, __ .
THIS NEEDS TO BE AIRTIGHT, __ .
YOU MAY BE RIGHT IN SAYING IT MIGHT NOT MAKE IT BETTER. BUT IT CERTAINLY WON'T MAKE IT WORSE RIGHT?, __ .
One group will walk the track labelled 'Its ok, why change?' the other group will run the track labelled 'Its ONLY ok, lets make it better , __ .
IF WE CAN'T BE BETTER, LET'S HANDICAP OR REMOVE ALL ALTERNATIVES, __ .
ITS THE LESSER OF TWO EVILS, __ .
ITS STARTING TO BEAR FRUIT., __ .
THE WOULD BE A MORE FAVOURABLE APPROACH FOR ALL PARTIES, __ .
WHEN I GET A BETTER HANDLE ON THIS I WILL, __ .
BETTER THAN ANTICIPATED, __ .
NOT BETTER BUT DIFFERENT, __ .
FOR WANT OF A BETTER WORD, ___ .
IT IS BEST OF BREED, BEST IN CLASS, __ .
Armchair critic: offers advice but never shows they could do any better, __ .

WE NEED TO BETTER DEMONSTRATE, __ .
WE NEED TO ENHANCE, ___.
NEED TO GET A BETTER GRIP ON, __ .
we are better positioned to weather the storm given, __ .
infinitely better than what we had previously, __ .
Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without, __ .
WE NEED TO BETTER SERVE, __ .
I'D LIKE TO GET A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF, __ .
After taking root in a simple, less functionally rich application, disruptive innovation gets better until they change the game, relegating previously dominant firms to the sidelines, __ .
WE NEED TO RAISE THE BAR, __ .

WE NEED TO CREATE A CYCLE OF CONTINOUS IMPROVEMENT, __ .
THIS WILL ENABLE US TO BOLSTER, __ .
THAT WILL HELP TO BOOST, __ .
IT HAS BEEN ENRICHED BY, __ .
THEY HAVE HONED THEIR TECHNICAL SKILLS SO THAT NOW, __ .
YOU CANNOT IMPROVE WHAT YOU CANNOT MEASURE, __ .

IN ORDER TO DRAMATICALLY IMPROVE EFFORTS AROUND, __ .
That would be approaching it from the profit improvement angle, __ .
What is the economic value of your profit improvement solution to the problem?, __.

It is a greatly IMPROVED version of the product, __ .
It has IMPROVED greatly, __ .
The POSITIVES OUTWEIGH the negatives, __ .
The POSITIVES OUTSTRIP the negatives, __ .
There are ECONOMIES in taking that approach, __ .
It OUTPERFORMS its nearest rival on several key dimensions, __ .
There are ADDITIONAL BENEFITS in selecting this approach, __ .
It gives a RICHER experience with respect to, __ .
It is a more POLISHED version, __ .
It is EXCEEDINGLY capable when it comes to , __ .
I am trying to determine a MORE OPTIMAL time, __ .
It is infinitely better in terms of , __ .
What happens is, it clogs up resources that could be better utilised, __ .

IT REFLECTS A BETTER WAY of working that users are already adopting en masse , __ .
Shape up or ship out, __ .

PWG - LESS

IT HAS TAKEN A MASSIVE NOSE DIVE, __ .
THEY ARE MUCH LESS PRICE SENSITIVE, __ .
IT HAS PLUMMETED, ___.
IT HAS FALLEN OFF A CLIFF IN X TERMS, __ .
When you have 100 options to choose from the critical skill isn't choosing 5 but sacrificing 95, __ .
WE NEED TO WITTLE DOWN TO A MORE MANAGEABLE NUMBER, __ .

It is becoming INCREASINGLY MARGINALISED in today's society, __ .
EFFORTS HAVE GREATLY DEPRECIATED, __ .
There was a CONTRACTION of efforts on, __ .

Their ability to expand has been greatly DIMINISHED, __ .

They DECIMATED, killed in large numbers, the competition, __ .

There has been a REDUCED focus on, __ .

There is a HEIGHTENED sense of disillusionment, __ .

It EXCEEDS requirements and expectations, __ .
It could be viewed as EXCESSIVE, __ .

It is SUPERFLUOUS to demands, __ .
Exacerbated an already bad problem, _ .
IT IS LESS PRONOUNCED THAN IT ONCE WAS, __ .
Less Choice is better than more. The more choice they have, the harder they will find it to make a decision and they often fail to make any decision at all, __ .

THIS INCURS LESS RESISTANCE, __ .
LESS actively pursuing such, __ .


THAT LESSENS, WHAT COULD BE A POTENTIALLY HARD BLOW, __ .
IT IS THE LESSER OF 2 EVEILS IN MANY RESPECTS, __ .

THEY HAVE DEMONSTRATED THAT THEY HAVE LIMITED AMBITION, __ .
THERE ARE LIMITED OPPORTUNITIES WHEN IT COMES TO, __ .

IT WAS AN INFERIOR PRODUCT, __ .
THE IMPACT WAS NEGLIGBLE, INSIGNIFICANT, LESS THAN EXPEXCTED.

ITS A STEAL AT THAT PRICE - it costs much less than it is really worth, __ .
We want to reduce the distance to knowledge, __ .
WE WANT TO REDUCE THE DISPARITY BETWEEN, __ .
We need to reduce the number of variables over which we have no control, __ .

THEY HAVE BEEN MARGINALISED THROUGH, __ .
He was divested of his rights, __ .
We need to Reduce the number of false positives, __ .

IT IS HALF-BAKED, __ .
NINTH CIRCLE OF HELL, __ .
Humans have greater loss aversion than gain affinity - Italy reverse penalty points, __ .
£50 loss is worse than £50 win for a bet of £50, __ .

It is the law of DIMINISHINGL UTILITY - Each additional usage brings less benefit, __ .
It is the law of DIMINISHING RETURNS - Each additional input brings less returns, __ .

The NEGATIVES OUTWEIGH the positives, __ .
The NEGATIVES OUTSTRIP the positives, __ .

LESS OPTIMAL, __ .
That would be a LESS OPTIMAL approach, __ .

PWG - MORE

1. WE NEED TO UP THE ANTE , ___ . , ___ .
IT IS AROUND 5X MORE IN TERMS OF , ___ .
IT GOES FAR BEYOND THE _________. , ___ .
IT GOES FAR BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY. , ___ .
WE NEED TO STEP IT UP A GEAR. , ___ .
WE NEED TO PICK IT UP A NOTCH. , ___ .
WE NEED TO RAISE THE TEMPO/VOLUME. , ___ .
ITS EXPONENTIALLY MORE. , ___ .
IT IS INFINITELLY MORE. , ___ .
THERE HAS BEEN A RISING TIDE OF. , ___ .
WE NEED TO STEP ON THE GAS PEDAL. , ___ .
IT SKY ROCKETED AFTER WE HIT CRITICAL MASS. , ___ .
THIS GIVES US A BIT MORE LATITUDE, __ .
WE NEED TO INCREASE THE FREQUENCY FOR MORE IMPACT, ___ .
WE NEED TO MORE AGGRESSIVE ON TWO FRONTS. 1, IN TERMS OF ___ AND 2, IN TERMS OF, ___ .
The greater the hurt the more costly the rescue, __ .
More than one string to their bow, __ .
The cost of in-action is an order of magnitude greater, ___.
Greater number of conversions, __ .
IT PROVIDES GREATER TOLERANCE, __ .
IT PROVIDES INCREASED LONGEVITY, __.
WE ARE increasingly hearing, __ .

IT IS GREATER BY AN ORDER OF MAGNITUDE.
In terms of absolute value it is greater but not in terms of relative increment, __ .
To be honest, that is more myth than fact, __ .
He may have bitten off more than he can chew , __ .
MORE PRODUCTIVE WITH GREATER EFFICENCIES, ___ .
it is more work yes, but is the goal to have less work or more profit, ___ .
IT HAS INCREASED EXPONENTIALLY SINCE, __ .
WE NEED TO SCALE OUT OVER MULTIPLE DIMENSIONS, __ .
We are looking to EXPAND that focus. , ___ .
There has been an EXPANDed effort to. , ___ .

IT IS BECOMING INCREASINGLY, __ .
It has become INCREASINGLY difficult. , ___ .
WE NEED TO SWITCH GEARS NOW. , ___ .
There is an INCREASINGY sense of disillusionment. , ___ .

This enables us to AMPLIFY the target size. , ___ .

There has been an EXTENDED focus on. , ___ .

There is a HEIGHTENED sense of disillusionment. , ___ .


ITS ABOUT INCREASING MINDSHARE, __ .
ITS ABOUT INCREASING THE NUMBER OF EYEBALLS VIEWING, __ .

It EXCEEDS requirements and expectations. , ___ .
It could be viewed as EXCESSIVE. , ___ .

It is SUPERFLUOUS to demands. , ___ .

It TRANSCENDS the boundaries of wht is required. , ___ .

THERE IS AN ESCALATING SUPPORT COST.. , ___ .

EFFORTS HAVE ACCELERATED OVER THE PAST FEW WEEKS.. , ___ .

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES WILL BE REQUIRED INORDER TO SUCCESSFULY COMPLETE , ___ .

PWG - BAD

its a case of the tail wagging the dog, _ .
thats where they start to fall down, _ .
IT WAS A DEPLORABLE DECISION BY THE, __ .
We need to bite the bullet on this, _ .
DON'T WANT TO THROW THE BABY OUT WITH THE BATH WATER, _ .
ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL, _ .
DROPPED DOWN THE PRIORITY LIST, _ .
THERE WAS A MASSIVE GAPING HOLE, _ .
JUST WIDE OF THE MARK, _ .
THAT IS A VERY CORROSIVE REMARK, _ .
IT'S A HOUSE OF CARDS, _ .
IT'S A BASKET CASE, _ .
IT MIGHT BE VIEWED AS QUITE CRUDE, _ .
IT WILL GET WORSE BEFORE IT GETS BETTER, _ .
BRINGING A KNIFE TO A GUN FIGHT, _ .
WE ARE ON THE ROPES WHEN IT COMES TO _____, _ .
I CAN'T TODAY VS. YOU KNOW TOMORROW IS BETTER BECAUSE, _ .
BATTEN DOWN THE HATCHES, _ .
COMPARITIVE NEGATIVE BRANDING, _ .
MOVE FROM AN ENVIRONMENT THAT REENFORCES A NEGATIVE SELFL IMITING MINDSET, _ .
IN TODAY'S ENVIRONMENT, NEGATIVE PUBLIC SENTIMENT SPREADS LIKE WILD FIRE, _ .
IT WORKS OUT LESS FAVOURABLE FOR ME AND I'LL TELL YOU WHY, _ .
IT DILUTES OUR CREDIBILITY, _ .
THERE IS A PENALTY COST, _ .
A day late and a dollar short - too little, too late, __ .
A POOR MAN'S SOLUTION, __ .
IT WAS A SUBSTANDARD ATTEMPT TO , __ .

In sales, How do I verify that a done deal is in fact a done deal

Ask the following questions:

1.Once you’ve made the decision to buy, then what happens?
2.Who else has a stake in the decision or influences the outcome?
3.Is there anyone who needs to review this decision prior to payment?
4.Is there anyone who can veto this decision once it’s been made?
5.What needs to happen in order for payment to take place?
6.Is a purchase order required and, if so, how does it get generated?
7.How have you purchased similar offerings in the past?
8.What happened and how long did it take to execute on the decision?
9.Has budget been allocated and, if not, how does it get allocated?
10.Is there any way to accelerate execution once a decision has been made?

How do I effectively ask for assistance?

1. Tell them what you DO KNOW
2. Tell them what you DON'T KNOW
3. Tell them WHY you want to know

1. Here's what I know. I know that we have extensive operations in Japan. And that last years sales figures were well over quota, ____ .
2. What I don't know is what the sales figures were for the year before, ___ .
3. This is important because, _____ .

How do I determine if a sales job is right for me?

Question #1. Do I have the right personality? Some sales jobs require an outgoing personality, while others are more contemplative and solutions oriented. If you have a mismatched personality, you’re not going to be happy, no matter how good you are at selling.

Question #2. Will they train me adequately? You don’t want to spend three months eating dog food while you figure out your new employer’s products and sales process. You need to hit the ground running, so you should expect top-notch training, provided the moment you’re hired.

Question #3: Can this manager coach me? Having access to somebody who can help you be successful is half the battle. You want t manager who can tell you what you’re doing wrong and encourage what you’re doing right. If not, it’s time to look elsewhere.

Question #4: Can they provide good information? Needless to say, the most useful info is a list of QUALIFIED leads, but there’s also competitive research, sales tools, USEFUL presentations, unique sales propositions, and so forth. If it’s not there, you’re in for a slog.

Question #5: Is there a clear sales process? You want to see a clearly-defined, easily-understood sales process, with easily-measurable metrics, can help you understand exactly what you need to do in order to be successful. If it’s not there, you’ll be winging it.

Question #6: Will I have my own territory? Unless you want to constantly fighting other sales pros for the same business, you should expect to have an exclusive region or industry segment where only you are allowed to sell. If it’s not there, then you’ll always be fighting your peers.

Question #7: Do they pay commissions promptly? You’d be amazed how many firms let the bean counters rule the roost and wait weeks, even months, before paying the people who are bringing in the business. So ask around and make sure they’re not pikers.

Question #8. Is there a generous bonus plan? If you do a superlative job (like taking the extra time to sell a product that’s difficult to sell, rather than just cherry picking what’s easy), you have every reason to expect that you’ll get some extra rewards.

Question #9. Am I interested in what I’m selling? This is the most important question of all. If you’re not interested in selling something, you’ll probably be lousy at it. Customers will sense that you’d rather be elsewhere and often suggest that you do so.

How do I promote features in a sale?

Convert the features to "Usage Scenarios". That is, describe how these features are used and the benefit this results in.

Diagnosis: Pharma companies need research data stored in multiple locations and formats, both internally and externally, and it currently takes too much time to loacte this information.

Feature: Single search across multiple repositories.

Event: When initiating new drug research..
Question: would it take less time if...
Player: your researchers (reference diagnosis)
Action: could initiate a single search of multiple sources of information from the Internet or Intranet, and view previous research results for particular compounds (How) using predefined search criteria from their desktops?

Feature: Our solution can provide a single search across all repositories (reference feature)

Benefits: This reduces the amount of time spent by researchers on gathering information..researchers make better decisions based on more insight...

Success: We have helped XYZ to save XXX and increase productivity by YYY%in just 2 years

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