Motives
and thoughts
A
s much as I dislike Apple, I respect
Apple. An odd way to open an Editor’s
note for sure but then again; writing
500 odd words about Black Belt Jones or
some such 80s action hero is probably as
strange if not more so.
So then, let me tell you why I respect
Apple. I do so because Apple knows how to
communicate. Apple communicates with
such proficiency and consistency that it’s
pretty hard to not understand anything the
outfit says. Be it in their products or their
ecosystem, Apple doesn’t mince its words
and therefor its products have a clear,
concise and consistent message.
There are other companies which are
notable, but they above all stand out to me.
Communicate what is truly relevant, not
what you think is important. The internal
dialogue that the company has with itself is
probably one of the reasons why it does so
well. If we think about it, there isn’t a single
product that the outfit sells that’s exclusive.
Apple however, outsells its competitors
while managing to charge a premium for
their products. This company, doesn’t sell
cheap or affordability. In fact, I doubt if I’ve
ever read anything from or heard anyone
representing the company speak about
cheap, value, or affordability. Their products
are aspirational. Customers desire them
for reasons beyond rationality, after all –
humans are not rational creatures and most
certainly do not form rational relationships
with products.
This is evidently very poorly understood
by component manufacturers. Vendors talk
to you about distributors and very rarely
talk about their end users. It’s as if the
purpose of distributors is forgotten even
though it’s right there in the name. Their
sole purpose is to distribute goods to shops
and eventually to end users. That means
communication between the vendors and
the end users is key. Since information
usually flows in one direction, essentially
downwards, vendors must head important
information that manages to make its way
up to them. Let us not forget the most
important part of this relationship and
dialogue. “Customers are always right!”
They always have the option of going
“There are other companies
which are notable, but they
above all stand out to me.
Communicate what is truly
relevant, not what you think
is important.”
somewhere else. It really is that simple.
If a potential customer has $500 for a
graphics card for example. They could
go any which way and with any vendor for
that graphics card. Some vendors spend
their time speaking poorly about their
competitors, however the entire buying
experience and interaction with that
vendor becomes negative. Imagine you
have 10 seconds to make an impression.
You could either bad mouth a competitor
or you can promote your product on its
merits, imagined or tangible. More
times than not, if the entire interaction
is negative - even about a competing
brand - the chances of making a sale
are diminished significantly.
In all markets, business or any
enterprise, there is a hierarchy. There
exists a number one and everyone
else who is fighting to be number one.
The only way to get to that top spot is
to be better. That means better in every
possible way or simply where there’s an
opportunity to be better. One such way is
to emulate their winning ways, but more
importantly improve where they may
fall short. It is in these cracks where
the opportunity to be a leader lies.
These opportunities however
only reveal themselves through
honest and clear headed
dialogue within the company.
Anything else will prove futile
and a waste of time..
y
Also, Merr
to
Christma s at
rs th
our reade ere’s a
,h
celebrate you.
Santa for
[ Neo Sibeko - Editor ]
Issue 22 | 2012 The OverClocker 3