The Step Change Blog

The latest thinking on business, strategy, marketing and sales

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Ashton Bishop

Ashton Bishop is Australia’s Predatory Thinker — an expert in pinpointing how businesses can grow by outsmarting their competitors. His niche is in strategy, where he has spent the last 20 years working internationally on some of the world’s biggest brands. He’s a business owner and serial entrepreneur; challenging, sometimes even controversial; but always focused on what gets results.
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Recent Posts

March 19, 2024

KNOWLEDGE NUGGETS: EXPONENTIAL ORGANIZATIONS 2.0

Success Principles, Business Strategy, Artificial Intelligence, Business Growth, Knowledge Nuggets, Agile, Business Model, Exponential Organizations, Salim Ismail, Exclusive Interview

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

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January 25, 2024

The Business Models behind the Best Billion-Dollar Unicorns

Business Strategy, Artificial Intelligence, Innovation, Marketing Technology, Brand Building, Differentiation, Conversion, Business Opportunities, Business Model, Unicorns

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

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January 18, 2024

3 Ways To Prepare Your Business For Disruption

Business Strategy, Artificial Intelligence, Innovation, Disruption, Augmented Reality, Business Growth, Marketing Automation, Customer Centricity, Business Opportunities, Digital Revolution, Digital Economy

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. 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?

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December 14, 2023

TOP DIGITAL POWERPLAYS: 14 DIGITAL SECTORS TO EXPLORE AND DOMINATE

Business Strategy, Artificial Intelligence, Augmented Reality, Digital, Business Growth, Content Marketing, Brand Positioning, Business Opportunities, YouTube, Digital Revolution, Digital Economy, Digital Marketing

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

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November 22, 2023

4 Smart Ways to Speed Up Your Sales Cycle Effectively

B2B Sales, Sales, Decision Making, Marketing Automation, Alignment, Brand Positioning, Sales Strategy, Marketing Funnel

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

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August 24, 2023

Marketing Budget: How Much Should You Spend on Marketing?

Predatory Marketing, Business Strategy, Branding, Marketing Strategy, Decision Making, Business Growth, Challenger Brands, Alignment, Brand Building, Strategy Frameworks, Brand Positioning, Measures That Matter, Strategic Planning, Brand Saliency

Finalising your budget? 

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July 20, 2023

How Do You Overcome a Bad Decision?

Business Strategy, Decision Making, Productivity, Culture & Leadership, Scenario Planning, Institute of Change, High Performing Teams, Business Opportunities, Smart Decision System, Smart Risk

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

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June 29, 2023

Do Your Best Work Yet by Mastering This 2-Letter Word

Productivity, Culture & Leadership

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.

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May 18, 2023

Invest with Confidence: 6 Questions to Unlock Business Opportunities

Business Strategy, Innovation, Business Growth, Challenger Brands, Customer Centricity, Brand Positioning, Business Opportunities

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. 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?

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March 10, 2023

6 Ways to Identify Unmet Customer Needs

Customer Journey, Business Strategy, Standing Out, Innovation, Disruption, Customer Centricity, Lean Principles

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.

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February 23, 2023

What ChatGPT Doesn’t Know About Brand Salience

Business Strategy, Sales, Ashton Bishop, Artificial Intelligence, Branding, Marketing Strategy, Creativity, Challenger Brands, Brand Building, Differentiation, Distinctive Brand, Brand Positioning, Brand Saliency

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.

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January 31, 2023

3 Ways to Transform Board Meetings with Measures That Matter

Business Strategy, Ashton Bishop, Marketing Strategy, Decision Making, Business Growth, Board, Strategy Frameworks, Measures That Matter, Tracking, Strategic Planning, Reporting

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?

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January 16, 2023

Funnel Metrics: 5 Steps to Link Your Marketing and Sales

Customer Journey, Business Strategy, Marketing Strategy, Business Growth, Alignment, Conversion, Sales Strategy, Marketing Funnel

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.

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November 3, 2022

Shitting Diamonds: Expensive Lessons Forged Under Extreme Pressure Preview

Success Principles, Personal Growth, Ashton Bishop, Transformation, Leadership

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

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November 3, 2022

Brand Strategy: 5 Steps To Unlock Powerful Business Opportunities

Predatory Marketing, Customer Journey, Ashton Bishop, Step Change, Branding, Customer Centricity, Differentiation, Distinctive Brand, Brand Positioning

UPDATED: As of 3 November 2022

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.

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October 19, 2022

Insight Hunters: 6 Critical Questions Every CEO Must Answer

Business Strategy, Ashton Bishop, Marketing Strategy, Disruption, Culture & Leadership, Better Questions, Norman Chorn, Better Insights, Thinking Routines, High Performing Teams, Agile

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.

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October 19, 2022

Insight Hunters EP5: What’s the One Mistake Leaders Make the Most?

Ashton Bishop, Culture & Leadership, Leadership, Better Questions, Norman Chorn, 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?

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October 19, 2022

Insight Hunters EP4: Improving and Integrating Thinking Routines

Ashton Bishop, Better Questions, Norman Chorn, Better Insights, Thinking Models, Thinking Routines, High Performing Teams

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

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October 19, 2022

Insight Hunters Special: How Has COVID-19 Changed the Way We Respond?

Ashton Bishop, Disruption, Better Questions, Norman Chorn, Better Insights, COVID-19

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.

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October 19, 2022

Insight Hunters EP3: What Are the Best Strategy Frameworks?

Business Strategy, Ashton Bishop, Marketing Strategy, Better Questions, Norman Chorn, Better Insights, Strategy Frameworks

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

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October 19, 2022

Insight Hunters EP2: Evaluating Roles and Rewards For Agile Companies

Ashton Bishop, Better Questions, Norman Chorn, Better Insights, High Performing Teams, Agile

Welcome back to Insight Hunters with Dr Norman and Detective Flash! It’s time to ask better questions to get better insights.

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October 19, 2022

Insight Hunters EP1: Distinguishing Between Good and Right Ideas

Ashton Bishop, Better Questions, Norman Chorn, Better Insights, Ideation Process

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

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October 19, 2022

Knowledge Nuggets: How Minds Change

Better World, Ashton Bishop, Marketing Strategy, Decision Making, Productivity, Knowledge Nuggets, Leadership, Team Efficiency

Have you ever tried to change someone’s mind? Have you ever found someone trying to change your mind? And how did these experiences go? Like it or not, many of life’s interactions are but replays of these two scenarios — only with different choices and characters.

Sure, influence and persuasion are must-haves in every leader’s toolbox. But have you ever looked beyond your agenda and asked yourself — wait, how do minds change? And how does this shape the world that we live in today?

That’s exactly what journalist and self-proclaimed psychology nerd David McRaney did in his book “How Minds Change: The Surprising Science of Belief, Opinion, and Persuasion”.

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September 22, 2022

Knowledge Nuggets: Life in Half a Second

Success Principles, Business Strategy, Personal Growth, Ashton Bishop, Knowledge Nuggets

When it comes to success, there's already so much content based on opinion. But what if there was a proven path to success based on science and research? Join us as we dive deep into Complexica CEO Matthew Michalewicz’s fact-based formula for success in his book, Life in Half a Second

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December 8, 2021

The 3 Absolute Essentials of Good Strategy

Business Strategy, Marketing Strategy, Knowledge Nuggets

3 Essentials of Strategy

Strategy is often hard to define, which makes it all the more difficult to distinguish what actually constitutes a good strategy.

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July 2, 2021

Why Do Strategic Plans Fail? 5 Mistakes And How To Counter Them

Business Strategy, Marketing Strategy

UPDATED: As of 4 May 2022

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April 7, 2021

6 Things No One Has Told You about Culture

manifesto, Marketing Strategy, Culture & Leadership

Unless you’ve been running your business under a rock, you would know that businesses today are operating in a VUCA environment. In this context, it’s the quick-thinking, action-oriented, and strategic organisations that win. Those that produce strategic documents and leave them in a bottom drawer — well, they come second or simply fail to finish.

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March 9, 2021

An Effective Framework for Strategic Decision-Making

Decision Making, Culture & Leadership

Companies do not come to faster decisions by osmosis — it is always the result of a better decision-making framework.In agile organisations, the ability to make nimble decisions lead to 2.5x the growth, twice the profit, and a 30% higher ROI on investments.

How can you unlock your ability to make better, smarter decisions?

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February 17, 2021

6 Key Principles for Creating Lightning Strike Moments: Exponential Marketing

Business Strategy, Ashton Bishop, Marketing Strategy, Decision Making, Creativity, exponential marketing

Learn about the scenario planning mistakes and how you can prevent them from misfiring your strategy so you can navigate complexity efficiently.

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January 11, 2021

5 of Your Favourite Step Change Articles from 2020

Business Strategy, Ashton Bishop, Step Change, Branding, Marketing Strategy, Bendy Phones, Powerful Presence, Culture & Leadership, Fintech, Marketing Automation
After successfully navigating a year of unparalleled change and disruption, now is the time to look ahead and venture into 2021 with confidence.
 
As we distill fresh business insights and build a refined strategy, we thought it would be worthwhile to look back at the year that was 2020, through the eyes of our Step Change Blog highlights.
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