Jean-Charles Neau

Does sales matter ? the boss brain: old but refreshing

2011-05-06T17:25:00.000+02:00

More on http://www.alavise.com/en/presentation.htm

Eric Schmidt (Google) on business culture, technology, social issues

2011-05-06T17:15:00.000+02:00

Google’s executive chairman shares his strategies on hiring, running meetings, designing “mobile first” business models, and addressing joblessness and education reform. A McKinsey Quarterly Strategy article.

CRM and Marketing

2008-06-23T18:48:00.002+02:00

Technology for improved marketing

Very often, CRM is defined in a restrictive technical way, which explains why most projects fail and result into poor buy-in and Return on Investment. For a private bank, we explored fundamental objectives of CRM: a tool to support a marketing strategy shared by everyone in the front line (article in french).

To be read on Alavise.com

CRM et Marketing

2008-06-23T18:43:00.004+02:00

La technologie au service du Marketing

Trop souvent, le CRM est défini au niveau purement technique, ce qui explique l'échec de ces projets, la faible adhésion qu'ils suscitent et leur faible retour sur investissement. Pour une banque privée, nous avons remis en perspective les fondamentaux et les enjeux du CRM: un outil au service d'une stratégie commerciale partagée par toute la banque.

A lire sur Alavise.com

On web 2.0, monetization and business models

2008-01-05T02:33:00.001+01:00

Pascal Rossini has shared a very well articulated and interesting comment on fundamental issue about web 2.0 and monetization.

He presented how revenue streams, including advertising, should be tested early on.

Link: http://www.pascalrossini.com/wordpress_eng/?p=370

Agreed. Great input.

About the fact that too few companies are really carefully selecting and testing business models early on, I am afraid there is one fundamental obstacle, or let's say, one fundamental absence of incentive:

- there is a lot of free cash available out there
- and web 2.0 is a self-sufficient virtual world

The (sad) truth is that web 2.0 seems to be a self-sufficient economic system in itself, full of start-up creators, investors, bloggers, conferences organizers and speakers, and a quite naive public always interested in new hypes. You can earn a lot of money and very quickly as long as you stay in the upper levels of this eco-system (those who give the initial impulsion, definitely not the audiences).

Rule of the games in this "virtual" world are not as in the real world where you have to make a SUSTAINABLE living and it is hard as we all know. Reason why, like in any airplane (or chain) game, anyone can earn a lot of money with great ideas, great marcom and no business model, as long as you are in the very first to enter AND EXIT the game.

I bet Skype creators, VCs and their investors, investment banks, have earnt a lot of money when selling to eBay. But what is the current value eBay makes out of this investment? Despite alarming articles on eBay capability to transform Skype's free users into paying users, do we have numbers who would prove that it was worth the investment ? Skype has contributed to tranform for ever the telephony business and thank you for that, but was it sufficient for eBay (maybe yes if we look at their telephony bill) ?

For all these reasons, investments decisions and comprehensive implementation plans deeply and carefully aligned with real life, as Pascal and I would like to see coming, might not yet be for now I am afraid, just because it is not necessary for early investors: too much money available + great marcom talents to transform anything into shiny metal + too many naive secondary investors.

But it is very necessary indeed for those who would buy the "beautiful" start-up company with millions of free users to the initial investors. In the real world, we call that due diligence. People who buy should be careful and those who sell should then present a more comprehensive business model and revenue streams. A careful integration plan should also be developed and implemented, once the company is acquired. Investors should roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty into implementation. Key indicators for successful integration should be monitored. Am I dreaming ?

One day or another, we will go back to basics, when good deals will become rare, when acquisition prices will go up or when cash will be less available, it will become necessary, for sure, at least for secondary investors.

I wonder whether it will also become necessary for early investors one day?

On Change Management: it is all about alignment

2007-12-20T16:41:00.002+01:00

How to define change management and resistance to change? is personal leadership enough to overcome obstacles? it is definitely a crucial ingredient, but is it enough ?

Read more on http://www.alavise.com/en/presentation.htm

On marketing strategy, 1to1 marketing and CRM

2007-11-25T16:39:00.002+01:00

Client is a Capital: you create it, manage it and carefully look after it.

Read more on http://www.alavise.com/en/presentation.htm

Main themes discussed are : 1to1 marketing, Client Relationship Management in the non technology sense (CRM), technologies to enhance marketing. This presentation was given during Inforum event in 2005 in Geneva and was hosted by Office de la Promotion Economique de Genève.