More Business Failure Commandments

Earlier, we shared takeaways from Donald Keough’s THE TEN COMMANDMENTS OF BUSINESS FAILURE.

Today, by way of Seth, we learn of Ed Welch’s list of 101 ways a business WILL destroy itself. Lots of chewy nuggets in Ed’s PDF — below are a few of the chewiest nuggets...

#1. When you have a great product that’s selling well - look for ways to make it cheaper – your customers won’t be able to tell the difference.

#5. Do everything you can to keep your customers from creating a community – you don’t want them talking to each other.

#16. Make sure your employees care more about procedures and rules than customers.

#22. Never try to build customer evangelists – mass advertising has always worked better!

#47. Make sure everyone in your company understands that people are loyal to products and brands – NOT other people and relationships.

SOURCE [.pdf]: 101 Ways to Destroy Your Tribe (Ed Welch)

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(Hint … to apply what Ed shares, DO THE OPPOSITE.)

Comments

[Gordon]

Do any of the 101 entries include "Feel free to insult your customers, they won't mind as they are loyal to the product"???

Cos that "Hint" of yours is really insulting!! ;-)

(actually, it's kinda scary you felt you needed to add it).

Great list though, I'm ticking them off one by one.

[johnmoore (from Brand Autopsy)]

Hey everybody ... Gordo got snarky!

Lighten up Gordon. Lighten up.

(BTW, "Gordo Got Snarky" would be a killer band name.)

[Ed Welch]

Hi John:

Maybe we can make the world a better place? When businesses better value their tribes of customers - everyone wins. ;)

Ed

[Martin]

We have to try to make the world a better place...