There can be a 25x difference in the rewards for average versus exceptional performance.

NEW PRODUCT MISTAKESThomas TessmerAugust 14, 2014Mediocrity, Excellence, Competition, Opportunity Exploration, Competitive Evaluation

MISTAKE #37: You’re really testing the strength of a shoestring

Consider the high price you might pay for under-funding key parts of your go-to-retail strategy.

NEW PRODUCT MISTAKESThomas TessmerAugust 12, 2014Risky Behaviors, Strategy & Planning, Mediocrity, Ignorance, Popular, Opportunity Exploration, Competitive Evaluation

MY MIND PALACE

May you find creativity and inspiration in your own beautiful mind.

Thomas TessmerAugust 10, 2014Philosophy, Excellence, Strategy & Planning, Ignorance, Shopper Insights, Productivity

MISTAKE #36: Hurry Up and What?

When failure could mean the difference between life and death (for your company), consider the Army's "hurry up and wait" mentality.

NEW PRODUCT MISTAKESThomas TessmerAugust 7, 2014Excellence, Strategy & Planning, Time, Opportunity Exploration, Conversion Optimization

MISTAKE #35: You’re not working with the best tools

"Buy the best tools you can afford," my grandpa taught me. "They'll work far better and last far longer."

NEW PRODUCT MISTAKESThomas TessmerAugust 5, 2014Philosophy, Mediocrity, Risky Behaviors, Opportunity Exploration

MISTAKE #34: Know when to accept approximate perfection

While mediocre work is dangerous, actually getting something done is almost always better than incomplete perfection.

NEW PRODUCT MISTAKESThomas TessmerJuly 31, 2014Excellence, Barriers, Time, Opportunity Exploration

MISTAKE #33: Learning the right technique helps, but isn’t always enough

There is a big gap between understanding how to do something, and being able to do it well.

NEW PRODUCT MISTAKESThomas TessmerJuly 29, 2014Expectations, Philosophy, Mediocrity, Risky Behaviors, Time, Opportunity Exploration

MISTAKE #32: You are scared to admit your mistakes...or ignorance

It sucks to admit you're wrong...but it is a stupid mistake not to.

NEW PRODUCT MISTAKESThomas TessmerJuly 24, 2014Excellence, Expectations, Strategy & Planning, Opportunity Exploration, Competitive Evaluation

MISTAKE #31: You choose not to do it right the first time

If you can't do things right the first time, when do you expect to have time to fix them?

NEW PRODUCT MISTAKESThomas TessmerJuly 22, 2014Philosophy, Mediocrity, Strategy & Planning, Risky Behaviors, Ignorance, Opportunity Exploration, Competitive Evaluation

MISTAKE #30: Your goal is to get bigger when it should be to get better

As you seek to grow your business, consider if you're missing out on opportunities to get better at what you do.

NEW PRODUCT MISTAKESThomas TessmerJuly 17, 2014Mediocrity, Philosophy, Competition, Strategy & Planning, Popular, Opportunity Exploration, Competitive Evaluation, Price and Size Strategy

EMBRACE PETER PAN SYNDROME

Don't get caught up in the notion that growing up is always a good thing.

Thomas TessmerJuly 16, 2014Competition, Mediocrity, Philosophy

MISTAKE #29: You ignore the laws of diminishing innovation

Incrementalism is the enemy of innovation and being better is not always a good enough reason to buy.

NEW PRODUCT MISTAKESThomas TessmerJuly 15, 2014Ignorance, Features & Benefits, Product Design, Product Use, Opportunity Exploration, Competitive Evaluation

COMPONENTS OF VOLUME (CoV)

There are three basic ways to grow sales. Understand what they are and how they apply them to make more informed decisions.

Thomas TessmerJuly 15, 2014Theory, Strategy & Planning, Assumptions

MISTAKE #28: You’re not comfortable in your own skin

You are better off accepting (and enjoying) who you are today than prematurely projecting who you are pursuing to become tomorrow.

NEW PRODUCT MISTAKESThomas TessmerJuly 10, 2014Competition, Excellence, Concept Refinement, Concept Creation

MISTAKE #27: You don’t value your size

Maybe you shouldn't be in such a big damn hurry to get big.

NEW PRODUCT MISTAKESThomas TessmerJuly 8, 2014Competition, Strategy & Planning, Excellence, Price and Size Strategy

MISTAKE #26: You fail to meaningfully differentiate versus the competition

Do shoppers recognize, understand and appreciate exactly how your product is different from competitive products?

NEW PRODUCT MISTAKESThomas TessmerJuly 3, 2014Competition, Features & Benefits, Shopper Insights, Competitive Evaluation, Principle-Based Design Guidelines

HOW TO BE THE MOST INTERESTING WO/MAN IN THE WORLD

A few obvious, but important, principles for getting your shoppers to want to develop a relationship with you.

Thomas TessmerJuly 3, 2014Content Strategy, Excellence, Popular

MISTAKE #25: You aren’t answering the questions your shoppers are asking

Realize that shoppers are less likely to become buyers when they have unanswered questions about your product.

NEW PRODUCT MISTAKESThomas TessmerJuly 1, 2014Education, Shopper Experience, Shopper Insights, Content Strategy, Pre-emptive Objection Handling, Engagement Tracking

MISTAKE #24: You fail to demonstrate the product’s benefit

Consider how well you've positioned your product for buyers to experience (or perceive) the maximum possible benefit.

NEW PRODUCT MISTAKESThomas TessmerJune 26, 2014Shopper Experience, Expectations, Features & Benefits, Storytelling, Category Audit, Opportunity Exploration, Principle-Based Design Guidelines