It’s worth approximately 6,190 Mona Lisa paintings, and anytime it announces the release of a new product, the world pretty much stops. The anticipation creates such frenzy that customer’s camp out the night before to be the first to get one, and backorders can take weeks to satisfy.
Can you guess?
One word, Apple.
It has been called the wealthiest and most influential companies in the world. But remember, it was at one time just another start-up with two regular guys at the helm: Steve Jobs and high school pal, Steve Wozniak. Their shared passion for computers forged a friendship, and Steve Jobs’ genius for marketing propelled the Apple empire sky high.
This blog is a reminder that at one time, the term “apple” was something you had once a day to keep the doctor away. Now, one thinks about laptops and iPods rather than the fruit. What Steve Jobs did at Apple, you can do in your business.
“Steve Jobs took his passion for computers, his marketing genius and innovative thinking to create one of the most successful businesses we have seen in a long time,” says Dr. Bert Shlensky.
How?
“For one thing,” Dr. Shlensky adds, “While Steve Jobs and Apple didn’t invent the mp3 player, or the laptop, they did what very business owner needs to do and that is to listening to customers, make the products simpler, and in today’s’ world, people want these toys easier to take with them. As business owners contemplate their brand new product, they must do the following:
- Ask potential customers to try their product
- Ask existing customer so rate and review their product
- Measure all feedback and adapt to the results
- Don’t be so “married” to your product that you refuse to adapt
We talk about Steve Jobs because, as we said in the beginning, he was a regular guy who had a passion for his business. And in his marketing, he remembered that customers were number one. If a customer found the computer too hard, would they flock to buy them? It’s why he made the button on the iPad so easy to use.
There are lessons we can learn from Steve Jobs:
#1: It is possible to take your passion and innovative thinking to create a super-successful company
#2: The customer is king, no matter what. (Or “queen,” if you prefer that label.)
#3: Get customer feedback
#4: Get customer feedback
(It’s so important, we listed it twice.)
Dr. Bert Shlensky is president of www.startupconnection.net. He and the Startup Connection team specialize in helping entrepreneurs and their businesses succeed.
