I attended the Growth Summit in Sydney last week and also MC’d and spoke in the Tech stream on day 2. Here are some of my notes from the days. Big thanks to Karen, Cara, Larna and the crew for organising. Next year it would be great to have wifi with more live blogging/tweeting.

I’ve bolded some of my favourite bits.

Verne Harnish:
Routine sets you free

Read read read:

• Bill Gates – Think week – read 18 hours a day for 7 days.
• Eric Smidth “Time to Read”
• Tom Peters – “Outread your competition”

Leadership traits

• Listen more, talk less
• Less statements, more questions.

Are you playing not to lose? Play to win.

4 decisions

• People
• Strategy
• Execution
• Cash

People
Books -> Keith Ferrazzi – never eat alone, who’s got your back. top 250 relationships.
Google alerts following top 50 monthly, 100 quaterly, 100 per year.

Books -> Ooops -Aubrey Daniels – management waste of time and money

Strategy – One phrase strategic plan.

Pollenizer – A great services business with a portfolio of web businesses.

Books – > Reality Marketing Revolution
– do you say us or we more than you or your?

Execution

Books -> Atul Gawande – The checklist manifesto

Cash

Books ->Built to Sell – John Warrillow
– is everything you’re doing adding value to be bought out.

Average age;
India 24
China 32

1 billion in middle class by 2020

Hermann Simon – Hidden Champions

Ogilvy – four ps. Four es

• Product – Experience
• Price – Exchange – value
• Place – Everyplace
• Promotion – Evangelism

David Meerman Scott

7 bloggers for Harry Potters ride led to 350 million views.
Private showing.
Webinar.

Buyer personas;
Startup founders – looking for help to build it.
SME Directors – looking for growth, ready for investment.

On the web, you are what you publish.

Most over used phrases –

innovate
please to
unique
focused on
leading privier
commitment
partnership
new and improved
leverge
120 percent
cost effective
next generation
flexible
world class

One of the top 3 buttons used when web browsing is the back button.

Email marketing metrics
mailer mailer

1. talk about customers, not you and your products.
2. Lose control
3. Put down roots
4. Point people to your site at all times.

Guy Parsons

Lean Transformation

• Maximise value
• Minimise waste
• Delighting customers
• Growing people

• Flow production
• Flexible, capable processes
• Bullet proof processes
• Organisation by group.

What is your companies operating system?

Make sure you measure the success

Eliminate waste:
– salesforce
– proposals
– reporting
– blockages
– meetings
– doing things multiple times.
– having less optimal people doing the work.
– project switching “No, I’m working on this now”
– Unfinished work.

Look for when nothing is happening or things going backwards.

• leveraging existing templates.
• Internal training

Toyota Processes:

1. Correction/rework
2. Overproduction
3. Material movement
4. Motion
5. Waiting
6. Invetory
7. Process
8. People

Waste is a symptom of the root cause;

Value of Pollenizer;
– Lowering risk
– Faster results
– Bigger results
– More enjoyable

Look at time

Understanding demand;
– how many startups – controlling it.

Value statements from customers;

“My idea will blossom at Pollenizer.”

“I won’t be able to do this by myself.”

“I’m looking to grow a business and it will be bigger with Pollenizer.”

“I don’t know who to trust with this. You guys have great references.”

“I don’t understand the technology side.”

Flow

Level production – level selling.

• Kaikaku – revolutionary change
• Kazien – gradual change

NPS – Net Promoter Score

• Would they recommend you to friends or family?
• 9 or a 10 is positive. 7-8 is neutral. 1-6 is negative.

Value from the Customer/s point of view:

Must incorporate all stakeholders – shareholders, customers, suppliers, team.

“Plans will not survive the first contact with the customer.”

3 Statements;

1. Go see – go on floor and spend time with the work.
2. Ask why why why why why why why?
3. Show respect