We recently attended the Goldman Sachs 2010 Technology and Internet conference in San Francisco.

It was a great event that included speakers and sessions from the likes of Google, Yelp, Netflix, SalesForce.com, Cisco and many others.

Many CFO’s and CEO’s were on hand to defend their strategy and paint glowing pictures of what the future held for their likely growth and profit over the next year.

Contrasting Keynotes

The back to back lunch keynotes on the first day were a great study in contrast and culture.

The first was an EVP from an internet search company I’ll just call “Yippie”.  Her tone was proud but she had few facts to back up her confident demeanor.  Her company has been declining in many measures for quite some time yet she still gloated over relatively minor accomplishments.   Her focus was clearly on the numbers, not on what they were doing for the customer. The more I listened the more I wanted someone to hurry her off the stage.

The 2^nd was the COO from Apple, Tim Cook.  He spoke of their continued efforts to be excellent at the things they did and while he mentioned some VERY impressive numbers he managed to do it almost as a side-note. No gloating, no sense of superiority.  In a word, he came across as LIKEABLE.

There we were eating a very forgettable boxed lunch listening to the person from a dying company gloat and act superior while the executive from the company that is printing money acted humble and very human.

And then Tim Cook from Apple said something that stopped the crowd.

We turn away great ideas every day.

“Our goal isn’t to grow for the sake of being larger or more profitable. Apple’s goal is to be excellent at the things we commit to doing.”

My opinion of Apple really soared after hearing this guy speak.  In the midst of so much focus on growth and profits it was refreshing to hear a company say that what really mattered was taking the steps to make customers happy.  Provide them with an excellent experience and the numbers will take care of themselves.

It’s often tempting to justify opportunistic business decisions that focus more on short term potential than long term value.  I’ve not always been a fan of everything that Apple has done but listening to Tim’s talk reminded me of the benefit of keeping a focus on providing customers with experiences they value.

Christmas snow –

It snowed on Christmas eve in Dallas, TX for the first time in like 80 years.  While this former upstate New Yorker loved seeing the big flakes drift down I’m sure not everyone across the south was as happy about this unprecedented winter weather.

I grew up in a large family (8 kids) in a small and relatively poor working class town.  Personal spending money was limited to the money we made on our own, doing small jobs for neighbors up and down the street.  As a kid, falling snow meant a chance to shovel sidewalks and driveways and rake in a nice pocket of cold (wet) cash.  If we were lucky enough to get a LOT of snow we not only could charge a bit more per job but also had a good chance of having school canceled for a day or two.  Decreased visibility actually meant an increase in earning potential.

The comments and stories I’d hear from my friends after a snow storm would often surprise me.  Some of my classmates would return from a day or two of canceled school and a foot or two of snow with complaints about not having had much to do after an initial burst of assorted snow throwing activities that inevitably would leave them cold and wet and stuck inside watching daytime TV.

No way to get to the mall and no money to spend if they managed to get a ride there anyway was the common complaint.

I’d quietly pat the wad of bills in my pocket as I wondered why they hadn’t taken full advantage of the opportunity the weather disruption had so conveniently dropped right in front of my shovel.

I think about our current business economy in much the same way.  In place of a snowstorm we have an economic storm of epic proportions. It has slowed many businesses to a trickle and threatened to cut off even the large and well known companies from their traditional revenue streams.   Economic crisis often starts out just like a snow storm – a few flurries and bursts of wind leads to a “hunker down and wait for it to blow over” mentality – in other words both tend to prompt more inaction than action.

Disruption creates opportunity. The need for innovation increases with every slashed budget and renewed attempt to squeeze more productivity out of limited labor.  Business needs new ideas and innovations that will help them weather the storm.  As marketers, marketing researchers and above all Entrepreneurs, we have all the opportunity our shovels can handle right in front of us.  Time to suit up and start knocking on doors – there are businesses out there that need help digging out from this unprecedented event.  Bundle up; head out and with any luck there will be so much opportunity that you’ll hardly be able to see 10 ft in front of you…….

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