The Transformation of Customers and Organizations

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Josh Bernoff just delivered his latest book Empowered, with co-author Ted Schalder, and its worth a read. Included in his writing are views on how customers of ALL industries have been transformed and more importantly how organizations must deal with it.

Technology has empowered individuals so that the manner with which organizations must interact and deal with them as customers has fundamentally changed. They have the power and so the world has shifted to a sort of "social chaos" and organizations must avoid being fearful and instead take advantage of these technology tools. Doing so, however, requires redefining leadership and control, among other dna of traditional businesses.

Watch this interview with Brian Solis as he explores the book's various themes with Josh Bernoff. Reach out to me, Bryan O'Rourke, to let me know your thoughts on Empowered.

How The Bricks and Mortar Fitness Business Is Changing in the U.S.

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How the fitness industry is changing and what to do about it

 

The deck above addresses key trends in the U.S. Bricks and Mortar Fitness Industry. Parts of this were shared in a recent IHRSA webinar I conducted. You can still get the recorded version of the IHRSA webinar on the www.ihrsa.org site.

Reach out to me, Bryan O'Rourke, and let me know what you think.

What Is The 1 Thing Businesses Can Do To Achieve Success ?

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Its a word of mouth world. Just like you can't buy friends - you can't buy customers. So the "one thing" every business and in particular fitness businesses must do to be successful is "CARE". Watch Gary Vaynerchuk share the view that "caring" is THE most important aspect of achieving success today.

Reach out to me, Bryan O'Rourke, and let me know "what do you think"?

Social Media & Influence - What Is It ?

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You've got to love Brian Solis. I've read his books (love Engage) and really enjoy his great posts and thought sharing (its not just that we share first names although with different spellings). His latest article addresses Influence - and reviews interesting research that makes some important points. Here is one thing I'd like to share with those in my world who might not get it yet :

SOCIAL MEDIA WORKS ! TAKE A MOMENT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IT REALLY IS !

Brian partnered with Vocus to run a formal study on influence. As a result, 700 business leaders, entrepreneurs, and marketing professionals contributed to the report, which is available now as a free download. Here's is what Brian says in closing:

"In the end, it’s our job to become “the influencer.” We owe it to our communities of customers, prospects and the people who affect their decisions to lead by example. Then and only then, can we master the ability to influence the influencer."

The fitness industry, as well as other industries I work with, need to understand and deploy this potential of influence via social media. In fitness if we are to truly impact the well being of people we should consider this important information. Look at the graphic below and read the report to discover more. One thing is already clear, influence is not popularity and popularity is not influence. Interestingly, according to research, size does not matter either.

How to Differentiate - Are YOU Different ?

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My colleague Kelli Hatton of fitmarc  shared this video on the book "Different". The book addresses, in a unique way, how to differentiate your business. But its more than that really. Its about transparency, meaning, purpose and the essence of being and doing what is important.
XPLANE partnered with Youngme Moon of the Harvard Business School to create a powerful video that promotes the release of the book.
Moon’s book challenges us to consider the meaning of business differentiation and what it takes to be different in a way that actually MAKES a difference. Watch the 3 minute video to learn more and read it !