The Step Change Blog

Ever been let down by a business idea you thought had so much potential? 

The only thing worse than a poorly developed business idea is investing in a poorly developed business idea. With pressure from all fronts, easy to get excited. You see a gap, get an idea, and boom — you’re off. But without clarity, you’re flying blind.

And that's how thousands of startups and new ideas go belly up year on year.  Clayton Christensen of Harvard Business School called it: 95% of product launches fail — not because the ideas were bad, but because no one stopped to ask: What makes this a great opportunity?

Don't make the same mistake.

Nobody wants to spend time, energy and resources on a product or service that doesn’t fly. So how do you ensure your new business idea is poised to win when it enters the market?

Not all opportunities are created equal. You will find that some are worth saying yes to — they advance your business and your career growth. But saying yes all the time can be unhealthy.

Where do marketing budgets go to die? In spreadsheets? Maybe. Boardrooms? Bingo.

Not because the idea’s bad. But because the story behind the spend doesn’t stack up.

So how do you build a case that wins hearts, minds, and money without setting fire to your budget?

At the Outsmart vs Outspend Masterclass, marketing and growth heavyweights Ashton Bishop, Marc Johnstone, Matthew Bywater, and Sam Musgrave dropped five moves that separate the growth-savvy from the budget-burners.

Steal them. Use them. Scale smarter.

Let’s be honest, budgeting isn’t always fun.

For decades, the SWOT analysis was the go-to framework for strategic planning. Simple. Familiar. Accessible. But in a world moving at the speed of disruption, is SWOT still fit for purpose?
Short answer — not really.

Now for the million-dollar question. Is it time to retire the old checklist and embrace a smarter, more adaptive way to think strategically? Can we as leaders even imagine an era without SWOT? And how do we even get started without losing sight of the results that matter most?

Welcome to the era of the Strategic Radar — built for complexity, time sensitivity, and decision-making that actually drives change.

How do you prepare for the unpredictable?

While some businesses leverage disruption to their advantage like second nature — many companies are falling behind.

Where others enjoy better workforces, efficient operations, and improved customer experiences, some continue to struggle at the back foot of change as another wave of disruption looms on the horizon.

So what’s the game changer? Strategy. Seeing disruption before it hits and responding appropriately.

Most organisations don’t have a game plan to navigate the evolving business landscape. Nor do they bother to predict trends and track challenges or opportunities that lie on their radar and that makes all the difference. 

So how do you get better at keeping your finger on the pulse and preparing your business for disruption?

How many emails do you get in a day? Did you get a notification just now? And is that a pop-up on the corner of your screen?

With so much competing for our attention, it’s no wonder our brains lean on quick mental shortcuts just to make it through the day. Otherwise, it’s impossible to sift through the flood, simplify decisions, and manage cognitive overload.

For businesses, this chaotic landscape is both a puzzle and a goldmine. How do you cut through the noise and truly connect with people?

In this exclusive interview with influence pioneer, author, and psychologist Dr Robert Cialdini, we unpack “Pre-Suasion” and how it reshapes the way businesses captivate, engage, and earn trust.

Watch the full interview and get candid with “Pre-Suasion” and “Influence” author Dr Robert Cialdini here.

In this blog article, learn how you can lead more collaborative, consensus-based decision making with your team.

Let’s face it— we’re in a marketing battleground. Your business is only one of the hundreds or even thousands competing for your customer’s attention. If your goal is to win the war for attention, you need to differentiate yourself in a way that actually matters to your customers.

While this sounds obvious, it’s not. All too often, businesses assume they understand what is important for their customers.

No one likes feeling stuck at work.

In this blog article, learn how you can lead more collaborative, consensus-based decision making with your team.

Looking for ways to get your shy team member to openly contribute ideas? The Stepladder Technique could do the trick.

Involving your team in decision making is complex, but it doesn't have to be stressful. This blog post explores four techniques that will ensure team consensus.

Exponential Organisations

In this Special Interview, Step Change CEO Ashton Bishop picks the brain of Futurist and best-selling author of Exponential Organizations and Exponential Transformation – required reading at the world's top organizations – Salim Ismail.

Hear them discuss:

• The characteristics of successful new business models
• How organisations are changing in order to adapt
• The economic shift from selling scarcity to businesses based on abundance
• How can organisations make money in a demonetised, digitalised world
• Innovation at the edge - the way to disrupt the industry

Watch the entire interview below:

EXCLUSIVE BONUS: Unlock everything you need to know about the new "Exponential Organizations 2.0" — with insights from author Salim Ismail himself and what they could mean for your business.

Neither size nor depth, nor scale can guarantee the continuity of businesses for tomorrow. We therefore ask the question, what can organisations do to be more future-ready? In this week’s Knowledge Nuggets, a special guest will help you better understand the premise in the book Exponential Organizations by Salim Ismail.

In Salim Ismail's captivating exploration, "Exponential Organizations," the celebrated futurist and strategist opened the doors to bold foresight.

Yup, you read that right! Unicorns are no longer a myth — at least not in business.

Convert sales-qualified leads to real customers effectively using these four tips.

Convert sales-qualified leads to real customers effectively using these four tips.

When you've made a bad decision, how do you overcome? Here are four simple ways to recover from a bad decision.

What’s all this noise surrounding artificial intelligence? Is AI worth the hype? And how do you even get started? Do these questions sound familiar?

With marketing technology (martech) and AI becoming a critical part of mainstream business strategy, getting the buy-in from the top brass is essential. But lack of understanding, fear of the unknown, ethics, biases, and costs can get in the way. 

So how do you demystify martech and AI and get the ball rolling?

UPDATED: As of 21 July 2022

Finding a product, a service, or a niche that delivers results largely depends on understanding exactly what your customer needs. And in a time when the competition is manic and ruthless, it is all the more essential to deliver a high-quality product and service that gets the right traction.

UPDATED: As of 23 February 2023

Are you even really running a business if you don’t know what it’s like to fight for recognition in today’s market? Getting attention is one thing. Being unforgettable is another. 

Pay attention to the first brand in your head in a particular situation. Chances are, it’s one with higher brand salience than the rest of its competitors. The good news is you can have that for your brand, too. 

A quick ChatGPT conversation will say brand salience is about awareness, consistency, repetition, relevance, differentiation, emotional connection, and user experience. If you’re a challenger business, AI will mainly tell you that you just have to strive for awareness and consistency. But what does that even mean? And how can you begin to incorporate those elements into your long-term and short-term goals? 

It’s no lie — AI does have a pretty good grasp on ‘what’ you need to be more brand salient. But if you’re looking to get your hands dirty with the ‘hows’ and more importantly, get results, you’ve come to the right place.

UPDATED: As of 25th January 2023

Ever been to a board meeting that left you feeling unproductive and confused? 

In an increasingly data-led world and with the rise of artificial intelligence, businesses are able to track more than ever before. But it’s easy to get caught up in tracking and forget to drive results altogether.

As a board member, it’s critical that you’re able to look beyond the documentation and into the priceless insight that lies between the lines. Question is, how?

It’s easy to think that marketing and sales are completely different functions of a business. But both share a common denominator of engaging customers and integrating the value you offer into their lives. 

That said, every business needs customers. Not just any customer, though — but ones you can serve and who can get behind your product or service offering. When done right, sales-informed marketing can be a catalyst in delivering more qualified customers and optimising a customer journey that makes them stay and buy more. But with the nuances of sales and marketing, how do you know which aspects are relevant to the other? This is where the Funnel Metrics tool comes in.

Insight: When marketing and sales come together, they deliver the right customers suitable for businesses to thrive.

Data: Organisations with a service level agreement (SLA) between marketing and sales are three times as likely to be effective. (Hubspot)

Key Action Point: Utilise the Funnel Metrics to master the key pieces of information needed to align marketing with sales efforts and deliver more qualified customers.

WATCH: Let Step Change CEO Ashton Bishop walk you through the Funnel Metrics tool.

I fear failure. Don’t you? It hits at our self-worth and self-esteem. 

Massive change and disruption have transformed the way we work and live. The old ways are no longer working and innovative and more creative solutions are called for by the day.

Welcome to a new episode of the Insight Hunters with Dr Norman and Detective Flash! Ready to ask better questions to get better insights?

Welcome to a new episode of the Insight Hunters with Dr Norman and Detective Flash! Ready to ask better questions to get better insights?

Welcome to this special episode of the Insight Hunters with Dr Norman and Detective Flash! So let’s start asking better questions to get better insights.

Welcome to another episode of the Insight Hunters with Dr Norman and Detective Flash! Ready to ask better questions to get better insights?