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Casual Articles - Consolidation in the Software Industry is Hardly New: Obsess About It or Risk Losing it All
World Class Chef Gordon Ramsay chooses to be hateful, mean and a perfectionist. You see, Gordon knows the secret. By provoking an emotional response in his chefs, he knows they will remember and/or make necessary changes. It’s the same with marketing and selling.If you are reading this you probably have heard that we buy with our emotions. Do you know why? And how? Let’s start with the why.The human brain has three main components: the brainstem, the limbic system, and the cerebral cortex. The cerebral cortex analyzes sensory data, performs memory functions, learns new information and forms thoughts and makes decisions. The limbic system is responsible for emotions and feelings like anger, passion, and sadness. Information retention and long-term memory are stimulated by the firing of the amygdala, which perform a key role in processing nearly all emotional events. Emotions cause us to pay attention and help use decide which message to remember. The brainstem is responsible for body functions, which is very important but unrelated to this article.Luckily, it is almost impossible to be emotionless. We are emotional beings. When writing or speaking your marketing message, you marketing message must be processed by the limbic system. Emotions tell the reader when to pay attention. Emotions are not only processed faster than logical thought, but also make the final decision. Your marketing message needs stimulate an emotional reaction.Now for the how! To stimulate a human emotion, the brain needs to make an associations. You see alot of e-mail that say, "I am so exciting.." or "I can't wait to tell you" or "I can't believe I forgot". Yo
The second factor is software to software interconnectivity. Interconnectivity makes it so simple to converge produ
One of the disadvantages of traditional marketing is that it often lacks credibility. Why should someone believe you when they know you're trying to sell them something? However, there are free or inexpensive techniques for gaining business-building, positive exposure through a number of channels that may not be occurring to you or that you may not be taking full advantage of.1. Send out a press release to the media when your business opens, expands, diversifies, invents something or innovates a process, partners with another business or organization, hires, takes a position on an non-divisive issue, or sponsors an event or a worthy cause.2. Suggest feature articles and news story ideas to reporters and editors concerning your field or area of expertise. Offer to be interviewed or to provide quotes for an article.3. Make yourself available as a speaker at Chamber of Commerce meetings, professional associations, community groups, and seminars. Announce your speaking engagement to the press in the form of a news release, phone call, email, or post card.4. Write a 'Letter to the Editor', but avoid taking a controversial position on an issue which could cost you clients. You don't want to alienate people. Make it a practice to read the editorial pages to see what's being written about.5. Teach a class at the local community college or continuing adult education program. It's a great way to increase your credibility, visibility, and acquire new clients.6. Become a columnist. Speaking of credibility and visibility, if you can arrange with a print or online publication to run a regular column of yours, especially with a photograph and brief bio at the end,
Anticipating consolidation? Calling a major shift? Didn’t Microsoft start as a PC operating system vendor in 1975? In the eighties they owned the desktop, today they’re across the enterprise. Computer Associates began with a sort program in 1976. Now its product suite offers one-stop shopping for managing the enterprise. And in 1973 SAP was selling an accounting package in Germany. Today its software automates the global enterprise from the shop floor to order fulfillment. Isn’t predicting consolidation in the software industry about as prescient as predicting that the sun is going to rise in the morning?
Consolidation is common in many industries, but three factors make the phenomenon of consolidation in the software industries, (FN 2) an ongoing repeatable event. The first factor is the natural evolution of software products and industries. New software industries start by delivering solutions to niche markets. This is, however, only the evolutionary starting point. Every industry has finite growth, and niche opportunities reach their limit quickly. Once the confines are actualized, a company, to continue growing, must expand their product’s capabilities by reaching into another industry to consolidate/converge additional functionality.
The second factor is software to software interconnectivity. Interconnectivity makes it so simple to converge produ
Many say that business is an evil game and is for evil people. They say you have to be dishonest if you are a CEO. They say that most entrepreneurs are rich because they cheat and screw over the little guy. Some even go so far as to say that the difference between a CEO or Entrepreneur and a criminal is merely luck and family name?I totally disagree; not that there are not some crooked businessmen or women, but that the root of the problem has nothing to do with money or the game of business. If you have a completely free market where customers vote with their dollar you will find all business people compete and have to better their products in order to compete and those who cheat are found out quickly and the patronage comes to a halt. The reason that one could say that the game of business is evil, is because it has been prostituted by the government regulators, enforcement officers and politicians.Government’s number one job is to protect her peoples, not to attack a company’s competitors, yet most of the higher-end business schools teach their students the truth. Governments only contribution to the game of business has been to un-level the playing field by using law to slow one company over another. The regulatory bodies in our country attack businesses and extort fees. Those in business know that if they are not good enough or are having a tough time competing in a particular market that they can always use the government to attack their competitors. As a matter of fact there are so many laws and rules, which so often contradict each other, it is literally impossible to follow all the rules.Your only bet is to pay other extortionists; Lawyers to protect you from su
Consolidation is common in many industries, but three factors make the phenomenon of consolidation in the software industries, (FN 2) an ongoing repeatable event. The first factor is the natural evolution of software products and industries. New software industries start by delivering solutions to niche markets. This is, however, only the evolutionary starting point. Every industry has finite growth, and niche opportunities reach their limit quickly. Once the confines are actualized, a company, to continue growing, must expand their product’s capabilities by reaching into another industry to consolidate/converge additional functionality.
The second factor is software to software interconnectivity. Interconnectivity makes it so simple to converge produ
Back in the days when Super Bowls were numbered in single digits, and teams like the Packers and the Steelers reigned supreme, there was a legendary coach by the name of Vince Lombardi.He shared some interesting thoughts about the differences between winning and losing, and between winners and losers.Undoubtedly, you’ve come across his often derided line: “Winning isn’t everything—It’s the ONLY thing!”But that’s not my favorite Lombardi-ism. It’s:“Winning isn’t a sometime thing—It’s an ALL THE TIME THING!”In other words winning is a habit, not an accident or a rare pleasure or a surprise that bites you on the rear side. It’s planned, executed, and expected.I’ve been thinking about some of the front-line people I train. They believe if they occasionally or intermittently sell or please a customer, they’re doing fairly well, and their managements and publics should be grateful.What a mistake.It is a testament to the still robust economy of the United States, and the Western nations in general that we can afford to allow such slipshod workers to earn a regular paycheck.Since when is doing a good or a great job an option?Who taught them that performing once in a while is okay?Not Vince Lombardi, I can tell you, or many of the fine folks who prepared me in sports, in the classroom, and in business.Second-rate will never be first-rate, and someone has to clue-in the clueless about this.Let me be the first!
Consolidation is common in many industries, but three factors make the phenomenon of consolidation in the software industries, (FN 2) an ongoing repeatable event. The first factor is the natural evolution of software products and industries. New software industries start by delivering solutions to niche markets. This is, however, only the evolutionary starting point. Every industry has finite growth, and niche opportunities reach their limit quickly. Once the confines are actualized, a company, to continue growing, must expand their product’s capabilities by reaching into another industry to consolidate/converge additional functionality.
The second factor is software to software interconnectivity. Interconnectivity makes it so simple to converge produ
Each year, as the fall colors appear and the air takes on a bit of a chill, certain direct sellers begin their day with a fresh sense of anticipation and excitement for the opportunities that await them. What’s their secret?While many are pleased with the dazzling new products their companies debuted at summer convention, that’s not the only cause of their renewed enthusiasm. And although you can sense a collective sigh of relief as millions of direct selling moms get their children settled back into school and prepare for a productive day – it’s not that either. What is creating the renewed excitement is the knowledge that in addition to “Back to School” and cooler weather… “Tis the Season To Hold Parties!”No matter what you call them; in-home shows, product demonstrations, workshops or parties, the truth of the matter is, the weeks between September 15th and December 15th represent a plethora of opportunities for direct sellers to sell more products and accumulate more personal and group volume points than any other time of year. What makes this season even more exciting is that as consumers move into the season of full-throttle spending, millions are also looking for additional streams of income to fund their traditional holiday spending.As a direct seller you have the opportunity to provide them with the answer to their financial woes by showing them how to generate immediate income from a home-based business. And while their intention may be to generate “holiday cash” and then head for the hills, the odds are in your favor that a good percentage of your new recruits will catch the spirit of the business and remain with your company long after the holiday decorations
The second factor is software to software interconnectivity. Interconnectivity makes it so simple to converge produ
So often College Districts get a negative connotation in a community due to the increased crime they generate. Most of the crime is not real bad mostly kids screwing around, although some is indeed problematic to local crime statistics. I propose allowing College Districts to participate in Neighborhood Mobile Watch Programs to help them achieve a better standing in the community and increase their goodwill. It makes sense from a Public Relations relation standpoint for College Districts to be involved. For instance consider that;COLLEGE DISTRICTS: College districts are great because that is where students are; students have energy and want to change the World. This helps educate them about the program. They make great volunteers for future community endeavors and have great ideas. Colleges tend to have large budgets and much facility needs and therefore have all kinds of equipment and vehicles. They have ride on lawn mowers, street sweepers, supervisory cars, sports department transportation, utility pickups, etc. Lots of support and often that younger generation does have their percentage of problems. Car break-ins, drunk drivers, rapes, stabbings etc. occur at or around the school. This program will help curb some of that crime and make the kids responsible and part of the solution instead.If a Public Relations program for a College District can re-position itself as part of the solution rather than part of the problem this is indeed best for all concerned. So please consider all this in 2006.
The second factor is software to software interconnectivity. Interconnectivity makes it so simple to converge products from one software industry to the next, it encourages consolidation. Open systems, service oriented architectures, programming interfaces and programming languages were created to facilitate the interconnection of diverse software products, making the process of expanding growth-promising functionality by consolidating products relatively simple.
The third factor: high-margin products and receptive investors, makes other industries envious of software. Margins often create huge war chests, and aggressive investors can create bank vaults that offer ready financing for acquisition-led consolidation strategies that promise opportunities for growth. Consolidation, though, is not always accomplished via acquisition. New capabilities can be built internally. The problem with this approach is that most companies find building paths into new industries difficult. It does require research, resources and focused execution. It also takes time. Many companies, failing to embrace that software lifecycles are time-compressed by intense competition and advances in technology, are caught off-guard by how quickly their industry becomes saturated.
Then there is the problem of competition for internal resources. Software companies are faced with non-stop feedback fro
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