Strategy

Digital + physical publishing model = Improved profitability for publishers

I am surprised to see that the Kindle versions of regular books cost almost the same as the physical copies. I am really surprised about this because, with Kindle versions, the publishers do not incur any printing, distribution and inventory costs. These books should be selling at a much lower price than their physical counterparts. The reason I feel this is not happening right now is that the publishers fear that the sale of the physical copies will decline sharply if they make the kindle versions available for much lower prices. This is the classic mentality of clinging on to […]

Ideas

Idea for a new app

Can someone develop an application that can control the SIM card and connect to one of the available networks based on a simple algorithm based on choices made by a user? For example, as a user, i could select that for voice calls, I want to connect to the network with the maximum signal strength, for SMS, I would want to use the network where I get free SMS, for web browsing, I might want to use the network with the maximum speed. The implications of such an app are vast and will prove to be a disruptive force in the […]

Sales

Tips on how to sell to a CIO by a CIO

Today, I was attending a sales training workshop and we had invited a CIO to share his experience on buying and dealing with so many vendors who pitch their products and services. He shared his thoughts on the do’s and don’ts about selling to a CIO. Do’s: Do your homework and understand the CIO better. There are people who want to be buy into a vision and then there are people who buy into a product/service. Tailor your approach and presentation accordingly. If you try to mix them up, it is almost impossible to get a sale. Know when to […]

Strategy

Nokia To Cut 4,000 Jobs Worldwide, Transfer 3,000 Symbian Jobs To Accenture

Today, Nokia announced that it will cut its global workforce by 4000 by end of 2012 and transfer 3000 Symbian jobs to Accenture. Something on these lines was expected since Nokia signed a deal with Microsoft to use Windows Mobile 7 platform for its phones. In my blog yesterday, I had indicated that the high end mobile phone vendors were competing on the OS level and today, Nokia has announced that they will not fight the war on OS and will rather partner with Microsoft. This does not go well for Nokia. Though, I can understand the circumstances, under which […]

Strategy

Long tail of Choice – War of the phones

Last week, Intex launched a mobile phone for the visually impaired. The phone has features like Braille on the keypad, voice dialing, big keys, emergency sms key, hearing aids (including a torch light!). This after a launch of a series of such phones targeting niche segments like phones for the elderly, phones with insanely long battery life, phones with a projector.  As Seth Godin talks in his blog and I quote             “The mass market is being replaced by multiple micro markets and the long tail of choice.” All these are products being offered by small players in the market […]