The Step Change Blog

The latest thinking on business, strategy, marketing and sales

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July 24, 2024

Knowledge Nuggets: 11 Team Productivity Issues You Can Solve With Scrum

Business Strategy, Artificial Intelligence, Marketing Strategy, Decision Making, Business Growth, Knowledge Nuggets, Scrum, Team Efficiency, Alignment, Lean Principles, Strategy Frameworks, High Performing Teams, Agile, Strategic Planning, Smart Decision System, Exclusive Interview

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

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May 30, 2024

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

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

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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 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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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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April 20, 2023

10 Key Business Areas Powered with AI: A Guide for Board Members

Technology, Business Strategy, Artificial Intelligence, Innovation, Decision Making, Digital, Business Growth, Marketing Technology, Marketing Automation, Software, Challenger Brands

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?

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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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June 19, 2020

History’s Greatest Strategists: Dame Anita Roddick

Business Strategy, History's Greatest Strategists, Business Growth, Dame Anita Roddick, The Body Shop

The more specific we can be about our category, the better chance we have to be remembered and related to by our customers. Are you in the right category?

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August 6, 2019

How to Reach the Next Funding Stage for Your Business

Business Strategy, Business Growth

Even with the best ideas to market, many challenger businesses are struggling to get their business from the ground up. But if you’re lucky enough to be one of the very few startups that receive Venture Capital funding, the next step is knowing how to maintain your competitive edge for the next funding round.

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May 27, 2019

The Robot Will See You Now: AI In The ER

Business Growth, Healthcare, Aged Care, Pharmaceutical, Software

What is the future of healthcare and work? Are robots stealing our jobs? What is the future of work?

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September 20, 2018

Every Leader’s Guide to Becoming a Lean Organisation

Business Strategy, Business Growth

Being a Lean organisation means being able to maximise the value customers are willing to pay for while eliminating waste. Leaders are finding more value in it as it’s all about doing more with less, focusing on continuous improvement, minimising waste, and training your staff to improve the work through problem-solving.

So if you aim to create more value for your customers with your limited resources, read on.

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September 14, 2018

How to Find Your Next Big Step Change [Podcast]

Business Strategy, Step Change, Marketing Strategy, Creativity, Digital, Culture & Leadership, Business Growth

Our CEO, Ashton Bishop, reveals what businesses can do to find their next step change, and how to implement the Big 6 Challenges for business growth in this 7-minute Marketing the Invisible podcast with Tom Poland.

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July 3, 2018

How to Successfully Launch a Product Online [with Case Studies]

Marketing Strategy, Digital, Business Growth

Even Amazon‘s $685 billion market value couldn‘t save the Amazon Fire. Launching a product online takes a lot of work — and it‘s something that can elude even the largest companies in the world.

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June 19, 2018

How to Achieve Peak Performance at Work

Culture & Leadership, Business Growth

Many agencies who are at their optimal performance are striving to achieve peak performance thinking that is what is needed to win.

So we asked former Saatchi & Saatchi CEO Kevin Roberts how to maintain peak performance in your team and as an individual. In this video, he also shares how he has been able to put this into action to get to where he is now.

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March 15, 2018

5 Innovative Australian Companies You Should Know About

Business Strategy, Innovation, Business Growth

Many organisations today are under pressure in the relentless race of being ahead of the curve.

Whether it’s needing to enter new markets, achieve a sales breakthrough, expand margins, or deliver high-quality and low-cost products, businesses need to have an innovation imperative if they want to get ahead and stay relevant.

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March 8, 2018

Australian Economic Outlook 2018

Business Growth

The Australian Bureau of Statistics and the Reserve Bank of Australia are predicting continued strong growth for the Australian economy this year. Businesses all throughout Australia have much to celebrate and look forward to.

If you’re a business owner waiting for the right time to maximise your bottom line or shift your focus this year to driving long-term value while increasing revenue, now may be just the time.

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February 22, 2018

Where Do CEOs Plan to Invest for Growth in 2018?

Business Strategy, Digital, Business Growth

We recently surveyed 133 CEOs, Directors of Marketing and Sales, and CMOs to find out where companies are likely to invest for growth. 

We found that most young executives are aiming to increase investment across the board more than older executives. We also found it interesting that smaller cities like Adelaide are more adventurous in terms of virtual reality or augmented reality than Sydney or Melbourne.

The highlight of our survey reveals the key areas where business leaders plan to invest to grow their businesses this year.

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August 31, 2015

How do we beat Vegemite?

Predatory Marketing, Stump the Strategist, Business Growth, FMCG

Watch us tell David how to take down Goliath in under nine minutes.

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March 31, 2015

How do I get all employees involved in new business?

B2B Sales, Increase Sales, Business Growth

Watch as we answer the question: I have a legal practice which struggling, having lost some clients. How do I lead employees effectively so all of them are involved in finding new clients?

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February 20, 2014

Top Business Innovation Tools To Maximise Growth

Business Strategy, Innovation, Business Growth

Where are you at with your big ideas? These important tools and evaluation methods will help you overcome challenges and capitalise on business opportunities.

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