Posts Tagged ‘Catapult Effect’

Already have an agency relationship?

Tuesday, November 10th, 2009

sanaa, zollverein kubus, 2003-2006
Photo by seier+seier+seier
A lot of people are looking for change right now. If you currently work with an advertising agency, spend just a few moments thinking about the following questions and your responses to them.  We believe that any answer you may have that equals “less than exceeds most expectations” may be an opportunity for a new more productive relationship.  A prospect we’d welcome exploring.

1) Overall how do you rate your agency’s creative team on your business?

2) Does your agency appoint sufficiently qualified creative talent to meet your needs in?

  • strategic creative direction
  • copywriting
  • art direction/design
  • broadcast production
  • print production

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“Dynamic…Inspiring…Not for the faint of heart”

Wednesday, October 14th, 2009

CATAPULT-COVER_tammy-210x300Here’s what Lewis Miller of Office Source observes about my new book:

I don’t know about you, but it’s getting harder and harder for me to ignore a pattern in the stream of business advice out there these days – namely, that now is a wonderful time to set yourself apart from the competition by making a really bold commitment to being the best!

I saw it again recently in a dynamic little book by Robert L. Butt entitled The Catapult Effect: Using Short-Term Crisis to Catapult Long Term Success. In this inspiring book Butt urges all of us to tap the entrepreneurial spirit within, rally the troops and “pull out all the stops” to blast holes in the fortress that’s keeping us from our goals.

It’s not advice for the faint hearted, that’s for sure. But my own observations confirm that, during the last twelve to eighteen months, some customers have abandoned their usual suppliers due to cuts in service, and a “stripped down” approach that seems to reduce value. Are you and I among the companies getting new customers as a result – or are we among those seeing declines?

What are your observations? How are you taking advantage of the current climate? And how can we help each other “load up” our catapults? Your comments are welcome below.

And Robert Butt’s book is available as a free download from his website: www.marketingperformance.net Enjoy!

You can find Lewis’ blog here

Using Crisis to Create Success!

Wednesday, September 30th, 2009

CATAPULT-COVER_tammy-210x300Everyday, business emergencies, crises, and disasters suddenly liberate organizations from the restraints of the institutionalized barriers to performance improvement. These events evoke powerful and dramatic responses that cannot be matched by any of the structured programs and technologies a company may currently use. They can be large or small.

Here’s an example:

When adulterated Tylenol capsules caused the deaths of seven people in September 1982, Johnson & Johnson organized a crash program to protect the public as well as to salvage its #1 brand product.  One of the most critical tasks was to design a sealed package.  Within seven weeks, a team of engineers and designers had developed and tested a triple-sealed package, redesigned production processes and equipment, developed new package graphics, and moved into full-scale production.  Completing this series of complex tasks under normal circumstances would have taken well over one year, nearly two years. (more…)

So much to accomplish!

Thursday, August 20th, 2009

CATAPULT-COVER_tammy-210x300There is so much to accomplish! Our world changes so rapidly and every day seems to bring a new challenge or crisis for a business that is not keeping pace.

“The Catapult Effect” is about new effectiveness in new ways in a very quick time. It can be as simple as closer relationships with customers, speeding a new product to market, or collaborating with a new team. We are talking about transformational change. It happens oftentimes very quickly and not in the most positive of ways. Relationships end, an accident changes a life, a business closes and people lose their jobs. How quickly those changes happen, sometimes in the blink of an eye. The point of the Catapult Effect is to take the crisis and manipulate it for our good or betterment, not for something bad from which we may not be able to recover.

Have you downloaded your copy today? It’s FREE! Get it here