Michael Porter spent a few days in Madrid to participate in ExpoManagement. And as always, clear and interesting things said, that complement the keys to the Porter strategy and its known Value chain and 5 Forces Model.

According to him, the strategy is to be unique, To change the world around us to take all we can give ourselves. Applied to a company, it is apart from the competition by offering a different value to the customer to get the most benefit.

Porter noted that the errors that often make the companies Are:

* instead of pretend intended to be different be the best, And the best there is sometimes no, there are several “best”.

* confused with an action strategy as international, with a aspiration as being the first market, or a mission, And satisfy customers. “You can have a mission, because it makes you feel good, but not good for anything concrete”

A good strategy, Porter concluded, must:

* can explained in two or three sentences

* know what sell, who and what they need

* be flexible But with continuity.

Prosper in a crisis is difficult but not impossible. Many companies have, as evidenced by success stories in past recessions.

* Kellogs maintained its marketing budget in the Great Depression of the 30s and its main competitor, Post, did not. Kellogg’s came to dominate the market for 50 years.
* Barclaycard doubled its advertising spending in the recession of the early ’90s, while his competitor’s 50% cut. Barclaycard tripled its brand awareness while Access fell by half.
* Google survived the crash of punto.com in early 2000, and went significantly strengthened through the continuous innovation and a strong investment.

And as also demonstrated in the cases of successful current crisis:

* Hyundai has introduced a new model in the U.S. upper class vehicle in the midst of the crisis. Both prices ($ 13,500) as the Marketing CampaignHave been aggressive ( “Give it back if you lose your job during the next year”). The results were clear:
o Many customers are changing their old BMW, Audi, Lexus or Mercedes for a new Hyundai Genesis
o The market share has risen from 2.1% in 2008 to 3.7% in 2009
o Total sales rose 14% in full crisis (2008 to 2009)

The lesson is clear: use the crisis to:

1. Adapt e innovate
2. Focus on the customer
3. and aggressively promote

Darwin put it well in his theory of evolution: “survival of the fittest not, but the one most adaptable to change.”

We can always invent an excuse to procrastinate or simply to not do them. But if you really want to avoid the excuses, here are some tips:

Look at the upside. The excuses usually arise because we do not want to do something and accentuate the negative to avoid doing so. For the fun part, how you will enjoy. Keep a positive attitude to eliminate excuses.

Take responsibility. The excuses are ways to avoid liability. If I have time, money, material, etc.. then it is not our fault not to do so, right? Big mistake. Take responsibility by the horns and put the means to solve it.

Find a solution. Almost every problem has a solution. Do not have time? Begin by dedicating only 5 to 10 minutes. Get up early. Do it during lunch.

Visualize your goal. This is your motivation, why you do. You’re probably more comfortable lying on the couch, but if you think about why you want to, motivates you. Imagine the resulted and start soon.

Commit yourself to someone. Have a coworker, friend, someone I have to report on this subject.

Matt Scott is a well known American basketball player. This Nike ad says all the excuses we make for not doing things … and he explains how, difficult though it can be done.

1. Look at the positive. The excuses usually arise because we do not want to do something and accentuate the negative to avoid doing so. For the fun part, how you will enjoy. Keep a positive attitude to eliminate excuses.

2. Take responsibility. The excuses are ways to avoid liability. If I have time, money, material, etc.. then it is not our fault not to do so, right? Big mistake. Take responsibility by the horns and put the means to solve it.

3. Find a solution. Almost every problem has a solution. Do not have time? Begin by dedicating only 5 to 10 minutes. Get up early. Do it during lunch.

4. Visualize your intent. This is your motivation, why you do. You’re probably more comfortable lying on the couch, but if you think about why you want to, motivates you. Imagine the resulted and start soon.

5. Commit to someone. Have a coworker, friend, someone I have to report on this subject.

Matt Scott is a well known American basketball player. This Nike ad says all the excuses we make for not doing things … and he explains how, difficult though it can be done.