The Step Change Blog

The latest thinking on business, strategy, marketing and sales

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December 13, 2017

How to Use Emotive Storytelling for Your Holiday Marketing

Branding, Marketing Strategy, Creativity

As the holiday rush pours in, you need to do more than the usual to make an impact in your holiday marketing.

To make a lasting impression that leads to conversion for the holidays, you have to be able to capture interest and emotionally connect with your audience to elicit a response and get them to engage.

The most effective way to do that is through emotive storytelling.  

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November 30, 2017

What CMOs Need to Know about Digital Marketing

Digital

Today, the emergence of new digital trends has virtually transformed digital marketing overnight, and CMOs need to pay attention.

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November 28, 2017

Insights from Breakfast with the Futurist: Is Your Business Future-Proof?

Business Strategy

A month ago, we had the pleasure of hosting Business Technology Futurist and Innovation Expert Craig Rispin, who gave us a glimpse of what the future holds. For instance, did you know that in 2028…

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November 24, 2017

23 Digital Marketing Trends to Help Challengers Plan for 2018

Digital

Planning a digital marketing strategy for businesses in 2018 has never been a more exciting time. With technological trends that have emerged, marketers are left with great opportunities to connect with their brand’s target audience.

In this blog post, we share digital marketing trends that leaders of challenger brands should know to plan their strategy for 2018.

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November 23, 2017

Negotiation Styles: How Would You Negotiate with Bruce Lee?

B2B Sales

Negotiation is part and parcel of life and particularly in business. No matter which stage you are at in any business deal, you are bound to meet different stakeholders who will challenge your negotiation skills.

It’s not a one-size-fits-all approach. To be effective, you need to think about how best to approach your business deals.

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November 17, 2017

Developing a Strategic Plan in the Absence of a Business Model

Stump the Strategist

At the Chief Strategy Officer Summit’s Stump the Strategist session, a key question raised was, “How do I develop an effective strategic plan in a VUCA world in the absence of a business model?”

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November 15, 2017

Step Change News: We’re Ending ‘Marketing’ as You Know It | Introducing Our Service Menu

Step Change

This week’s insider bits: An invite to reimagine marketing, plus a glimpse of the complete Step Change Service Menu (in case you’re mighty curious how else we can help your business grow).

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November 9, 2017

Developing a Complete Strategic Response to Disruption

Business Strategy, Disruption

Do you know when and how disruption is coming to you?

On the Admatic stage delivering his recent keynote titled “Disruption3”, Jeff Cooper, shares the top disruptive trends that may be affecting businesses and the strategies to deal with disruption. 

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November 7, 2017

10 Disruptive Trends You Need to Know to Inform Your Value Proposition

Business Strategy

Trends are emerging on our horizon, and they’re impacting businesses. In fact, some of them could be under your radar — and you just didn’t know it.

Technological advancements and societal shifts are influencing people’s buying behaviours, and ignoring this fact only means you’re giving your competitor the upper hand.

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October 27, 2017

Step Change News: Mercer’s Cambell Holt, 7th Top CMO in Australia | Open Haus: That's a Wrap!

Step Change

Join us in congratulating Mercer’s Chief Customer Officer, Cambell Holt, who now joins the top ranks of the most innovative CMOs in Australia!

In other news, we had Stump the Strategist during last Friday’s Open Haus!

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October 20, 2017

History’s Greatest Strategists: Assemble Your Ultimate Advisory Board

Business Strategy, History's Greatest Strategists

With only the final few seats available, we want to give you the opportunity to tackle disruption head on by assembling your ultimate advisory board.

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October 19, 2017

Step Change News: Agency of the Future | Boat Dealers Are Getting Predatory | Step Change Open Haus

Step Change

The agency of the future is all about artificial intelligence, Suzuki boat dealers are getting predatory, and the much-awaited Step Change Open Haus is coming — all in this week’s Step Change News.

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October 6, 2017

Reporting on Digital Performance to the Board

Digital

With over 800 companies in Australia appointing Chief Digital Officers, it is undeniable that digital has found its way to be part of the strategic core of many businesses.

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October 3, 2017

Sustaining Change: 5 Key Steps to a Fulfilled Life

Culture & Leadership

Determination is one thing, but more often than not, achieving success takes more than just sheer willpower. You can be determined yet still be on the wrong path. Going full throttle with no steering wheel may just lead you to a crippling accident. It is essential to recognise the changes needed in your lifestyle and implement them so that you can start driving on the right road.

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September 28, 2017

Sustaining Change: How Purpose Influences Happiness

Culture & Leadership

Happiness is such an abstract concept, yet when we experience it, it feels like an emotion that’s actually tangible. Whether through enjoying simple pleasures, connecting with other people, or achieving a life-long goal, there are different factors that contribute to one’s happiness. But even with all these ways to be happy, it can sometimes still be fleeting.

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September 26, 2017

Sustaining Change: The Fluidity of Success

Culture & Leadership

To most people, success is seen as a destination — a permanent position that can finally be reached through the culmination of the right actions. In a way, it is; and in a way, it isn’t. The right actions are definitely needed, but success isn’t a fixed state that requires a specific number of actions. It’s fluid and ever-changing, and it’s a series of choices that you have to make every single day.

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September 22, 2017

Sustaining Change: Keeping the Motivational Fire Alive

Culture & Leadership

If motivation were a fire, your goals would be the kindling and your driving factor would be the fuelwood that keeps it burning. Too often, people let fear be the driver to their success. Too often, the flame dwindles and exhausts itself. Fear is unsustainable as it is unreliable. In this video, Ashton Bishop, our CEO, shares how detrimental fear can be when using it as a source of motivation to succeed.

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September 21, 2017

Introduction to Sustaining Change: The Initial Driver

Culture & Leadership, Sustaining Change

If there’s one thing that’s constant in our lives, it’s change. Some people welcome it, some people flee from it, and some people ignore it. In this insightful five-part series, Ashton Bishop, our CEO, shares how you can deal with change to lead you to success.

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September 15, 2017

How Genghis Khan and Mother Teresa Would Beat Amazon in Australia

Business Strategy, Power of Model Thinking, Decision Making, Popular Posts, History's Greatest Strategists

If you had to make a list of some of the most powerful brands in history, online retail giant Amazon would undoubtedly be right at the top. According to one recent study, the company saw $2.371 billion in net income in 2016 on the back of $136 billion in net sales — and that’s just in the United States. The company is also growing at a rate of about 27% year-over-year and currently employs more than 341,000 people. All of this is to say that the fact that Amazon has decided to make its long-awaited move into Australia should come as a surprise to absolutely nobody. 

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September 12, 2017

The War for Attention: How World-Class Brands Stand Out

Digital

As you’re reading this post, there’s an overabundance of content screaming to get noticed online. In fact, every minute, people publish 1,400 new blog posts, send 150,000 emails, share 3.3 million pieces of content on Facebook, and upload a total of 500 hours of video to YouTube. Every minute.

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September 6, 2017

How to Define Your Brand to Make You Stand Out

Branding, Marketing Strategy, Brand Archetypes

Your brand is anything that comes from your company as a specific source. To the consumer, it symbolises what they can expect when they do business with you. And in today’s crowded marketplace, it’s more important than ever to ensure that your brand stands out from the crowd. 

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September 1, 2017

The Business Case for Creating a Purpose-Driven Organisation

Business Strategy

Why does your business exist? What are you out to do?

These questions seem easy to answer. But working with different businesses all over Australia for almost a decade now, we’ve observed that not all businesses are aligned with their organisations purpose.

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August 29, 2017

How to Craft a Unique Selling Proposition

Marketing Strategy

Are you selling a product or a service? If you are, then you know that having a selling proposition will make an impact and ultimately make the sale. However, it is not enough to just have a selling proposition. It needs to be enticing. It needs to be original and clever. And most importantly, the message needs to make customers buy.

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August 24, 2017

Where to Spend Your Marketing Budget: Part 3

Marketing Strategy, Scale

So you’ve been telling your audience lots of things about your business. But the thing is, is what you’re saying valuable to your customers? Does your message resonate with them? And does your message differentiate you from the other brands?

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August 23, 2017

Step Change News: Open House Invitation | Step Change’s New Art Director

Step Change

This week’s Step Change News: Introducing Step Change’s Art Director, and an open invitation to our beloved blog readers.

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August 14, 2017

Full Use of MDF: How to Make the Most of Joint Marketing Funds

Technology, Marketing Strategy, Digital

Every cent your company leaves on the table is a missed opportunity, allowing your competitors to gain resources and customers that could have been yours. If you work with a vendor or manufacturer, there is a good change that you are not using potential marketing funds that are available to you.

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August 10, 2017

Interest Rates Increase: What That Means for Businesses in Australia

Business Strategy

When a country’s central bank increases interest rates, it creates a ripple effect that impacts the entire economy. Even with a 0.25% increase, you have to adjust your marketing strategy to respond to the drop in discretionary income as well as the currency’s relative increased strength. 

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August 8, 2017

The Biggest Mistakes in Recruitment (Part 5/5)

Business Strategy

In the fifth and final part of the interview, the managing director of the HR and recruitment consultancy, Checkside, reveals the top mistakes employers make in their hiring process.

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August 3, 2017

How to Apply What You Learn: The 4-Step System to Turn Information into Action (Part 2)

Culture & Leadership

How many times have you read a book but found it difficult to articulate its message? In this article, Step Change CEO Ashton Bishop reveals how you can turn knowledge into action.

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August 3, 2017

Reading to Learn: 4 Proven Principles to Remember What You Read (Part 1)

Culture & Leadership

How much of what you read do you actually learn?

How much of that knowledge have you internalised and made useful in your life?

Chances are, it’s a lot less than it could be.

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