Joan MacDougal | Entrepreneur
Joan MacDougal
Phone: +61 2 9743 2266
Reviews
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25.01.2022 In a world where everyone claims to be an expert, often questionably... I differentiate myself with these qualifications: a) I'm a thinker b) I am constantly curious, studying and learning c) I am willing to share ... d) My approach is to collaborate e) I listen f) When I'm working with people, it's not about me, it's about you and the outcomes you're after If you need a hand in your business and you're over expensive so-called experts. You know; those who bound in using jargon and motherhood statements to tell you what you already know. You will find me a pleasant alternative. Don't hesitate to reach out. Cheers Joan
22.01.2022 Quality leadership is rare, especially in adverse situations. It's how we step up when times are difficult that tests us. Here are some tips I try to use when the chips are down: 1. Breathe 2. Count to 10 before doing anything 3. Stay honest about all of it... 4. Always keep an open mind 5. Engage all those effected 6. Remember empathy 7. Seek input from others 8. Weigh up all the options 9. Take action 10. and remember, this too shall pass... See more
19.01.2022 Just caught up with a small client who has been badly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Our commercial relationship is on hold, naturally, until this passes. I was only calling to see how they were doing and I was so glad I did. They weren't doing well! Overwhelmed with the perceived inactivity in his business he was very down. We talked about this in two ways. a. he needed to reach and talk to people... We are all in the same boat and just a chat with another human outside... the family can be extremely uplifting. b. I urged him to look at how he could stay connected with his clients using on-line mediums. I reminded him to consider this not as a short term money-making exercise, but rather a longer-term vision of life and business beyond the crisis. When the focus changed from trying to offset short term money losses, his mind turned to more innovative and creative ways to add value, to have fun and to simply stay connected. As we chatted I could hear the energy coming back into his voice. I think we all forget sometimes that we run our own businesses because of the excitement that comes from the pure productivity of doing something for others. Stay safe and well and remember a phone call can do wonders :) #smallbusinesssupport #smallbusinessadvice #businesshelp
18.01.2022 I'm sharing my top-secret approach to being a great marketer and business developer!! Don't tell anyone ;)
16.01.2022 Innovation and the art of saying 'No'! For every benefit and positive change derived from innovation, there is as much waste and loss of productivity in the quest. The most important and powerful word for leaders presented with innovative concepts is 'NO'. ... If you as the leader take the 'No' position too early you risk lost opportunity. If on the other hand, you take the 'No' position to late you risk costs and losses. The secret to being a great leader of innovation is to: a. Encourage b. Question and qualify c. Assess against risk and compliance d. Mind map the what if's e. Test and challenge f. Critically assess ROI potential g. Be decisive From here you have three options: 1. Yes let's do this 2. Hang on, let's go back to the drawing board and look again 3. No In summary, a great leader recognises and encourages innovation but manages it and all associated expectations and outcomes responsibly.
16.01.2022 Thank you to the NSW AIEA for the opportunity present yesterday. A big thank you to all your guests, what an engaged and involved audience, I gained so much from everyone's participation. As company directors and executives, managing modern business and marketing is something we all need to be considering and enhancing our approach to... every day. #leadership, #management, #marketing
16.01.2022 One of the greatest challenges for modern business is navigating the hype and deliverables of today's marketing technology. Everywhere you turn, every time you blink someone is espousing the next great thing. My advice: 1. Be very wary of the hype 2. Be very clear on what it does 3. Push back on acronyms to be sure of what you're buying... 4. Understand the onboarding before you buy. If you're a small business that's not good at self-learning, this is a real trap. 5. Be sure of how you will measure it's ROI... Remember, marketing technology is an investment so it must ultimately make a positive contribution to your business. 6. Tie all reporting back to key measurables in the business. You'll be flooded with analytics showing you how well the tech is doing, don't be fooled. If you're not seeing it on the bottom line, it's not working! Get marketing technology right and you will take your business to exciting new places but get it wrong and you will be doing business with anchors dragging you down.
14.01.2022 Scott Morrison’s position on children and teenagers and climate change triggered a depth of concern in me I couldn’t put my finger on. Initially, I was disturbed that it felt to me, that Morrison was promoting ignorance over anxiety in our youth and I was conflicted by this. Upon reflection, the dilemma he poses about communication with our youth on matters such as climate change are not black and white; like all things in life they are nuanced. Love him or hate him, I don’t ...think anyone would suggest Morrison’s not a family man or that he doesn’t adore his daughters. However, if he is avoiding honest conversation with them and our youth about the dangers of climate change. If he chooses to under-communicate the long-term scientific studies of climate change and their findings, is he inadvertently creating ignorance? An ignorance that will lead to far greater pain when realities must be faced. I advocate that everyone read as much as they can from those informed on climate change. All sides! I’m confident our youth are being well educated on the subject. I won’t deny that there is extremism in some quarters re communication on climate change; the extremism is clear on both sides of the argument. However, ignoring it and not educating all on finding balance in a conversation, will not help anyone. I have reflected on Greta Thunberg’s words this week. Many have argued her views are extremist and generating unfounded fear and anxiety. That may be so. However, I have come to the conclusion that Greta is, in fact, following a tried and true form of modern political persuasion. ‘Frighten the shit out of everyone and once they're terrified, have them follow questionable policy blindly’. I would argue modern politicians create fear and anxiety in constituents every day when it suits their political purpose. What makes Greta’s message so powerful, is its purity! More than creating fear about climate change, she is crying out for a better world for everyone. Our youth are not alone in their anxiety. The whole world is suffering from an epidemic of anxiety. When that leads to our young losing hope, we all have a lot to answer for. My message to Morrison is this be careful not to create ignorance to avoid anxiety on any issue, climate change or otherwise. You will only reduce anxiety by delivering balanced, honest and authentic communication backed by sound and concrete action. Image source: Womens Agenda
14.01.2022 In a world driven by immediacy and the need to have and do everything now... I make it a mission to remind myself every day that I can't make quick decisions, around short term benefits and gains, if I haven't honestly and critically considered the long term implications. I see so many, in positions of vast responsibility, who fail this basic premise for sound judgement.
14.01.2022 Arthur C Clark was quite the visionary! He saw what the world would be like beyond 2001. In the context of leading business through innovation, whilst I agree that modern portability has, in many ways, enriched humanity. I also believe it has contributed directly to the anxiety and depression epidemic of today's times. There is something to be said for downtime, for being unreachable by your work, for recharging the batteries. #leadership #innovation #managment #martech
14.01.2022 Good morning friends and followers... I'm speaking at the AIEA members forum on the 13th of November and guests are welcome. "Guest Speaker: JOAN MacDOUGAL... A Management Guide to Managing 21st Century Marketing Executive Management of Marketing is under pressure! Many argue that senior management and directors are struggling to keep up with the pace and speed of change in business development. It has never been more important for management to take back leadership and set direction and manage the course of their operations. Joan will provide an overview of modern marketing management that will give you the tools and the confidence to stay true to your business objectives. Her concepts will enhance your leadership where youthful enthusiasm for the next great thing in marketing can actually be a distraction from your core business objectives." If you are interested you can register here - https://www.aiea.org.au/Events i If you are going to come - PM me and I can offer you a members discount. Hope top see you there Cheers Joan
12.01.2022 As technology and AI progress and we dehumanise so much of what we do in business... any real sense of the customer experience is being lost. I was in a baguette shop yesterday. I decided to have some toast with my cup of tea. It was 11:30 am. The CRM system advised my server that it was no longer the breakfast timeslot and so they no longer served toast... Every wall, every shelf and every window showcased bread varieties and the computer advised the sales assistant that because it was past 11:30, they couldn't toast two slices of it... Hmm! How close are you to the experience of the customer in your business? You discount the customer experience at your own peril!
12.01.2022 If you're a leader, C-Suiter or Company Director, it has never been more important to understand your role in marketing innovation. I'm presenting at the AIEA on Wednesday the 13th of November, where I'll share some insights on managing 21st-century marketing. You're welcome to come along. #leadershipadvice #marketingmanagement #Companydirectors #innovationleadership Register here: https://www.aiea.org.au/Events
11.01.2022 In these demanding times where the pressure is for results now, it's challenging for the visionary to be heard... And yet it has never been more important that we develop insight and vision in our decision making... By simply asking 'ah, but what if...?' you can influence the direction and potentially change the world! Be a visionary!
10.01.2022 When I held a senior position at Amex, one of the most unjustifiable expenses in my budgets was the cost of the loyalty program. As someone who has very precise and distinct views on the role of marketing, I could not see how loyalty programs as a marketing function were actually good for business... after more than 15 years research here is why: 1. Any marketing function that creates a liability (cost) in a business is not performing its function of revenue generation. 2. I ...am yet to find a loyalty program anywhere, where the revenue generated from influencing consumer behaviour, outweighs the liabilities. 3. Invariably points are being issued on products and services consumers would buy anyway. The loyalty component means your reducing your margins on the sale for nothing. 4. Any business arguing that their loyalty programs are profitable are using data mining operations, to offset and justify the liabilities. There are many who argue the data mining element of loyalty is a questionable practice. 5. Even these businesses do everything in their power to implement liability reduction strategies like expiring points, despite creating customer dissatisfaction. Having said this, my research has made me a greater advocate of spend stimulation and incentive marketing. My approach now, however, delivers these services whilst always: a. Making sure every transaction generates profits for business immediately. (No liabilities) b. The consumer enjoys full and complete satisfaction from the transaction. c. repeat business is the key measurable If you're thinking of investing in a loyalty program or trapped in a program that's not working and you're not sure how to get out... feel free to reach out. I'm more than happy to have a chat and share some of my years of research on this interesting business space. #loyalty #marketing #spendstimulation
09.01.2022 If you're a Company Director or CEO and you are asked to assess opportunities and innovation in your business... There are two questions you must make sure you fully understand before granting approvals: 1. What are all the potential applications for this, in our business and beyond? Drive your people on this, make sure they are not just caught up in an idea but that they fully understand the functional and commercial rationale behind real market applications.... 2. What are the risk and compliance implications? Remember, it is you that will be held to account. You must dig deep into understanding these. Only then can you provide leadership and direction. My advice, take your time to make a sound assessment and push back for more analysis and information if you're not satisfied that you can make a commercial robust decision. #westpac #leadership #innovation #strategy #marketing Image source - ABC
09.01.2022 Most loyalty program operators live with sub-par customer survey scores. When it comes to the customer experience, most loyalty program operators acknowledge they have a problem. The challenge is how to improve the customer experience and customer satisfaction scores while minimising the cost of the fulfilment.
06.01.2022 As we all embrace technology to make our lives easier, I was reminded over the weekend just how hard communicating is... Here's a simple test, think about how often you have to repeat yourself to voice tools like Google Home, Amazon Alexa or Siri!! The human receiver has as many distractions and distortions going through their central processor when you are communicating to them. The art of communicating is taking the time and care to make sure your message has been received... Successful comms is ultimately the responsibility of the sender.
03.01.2022 I love this! Aside from the wonderful message, it reminds me of the book 'Winne the Pooh on Management'. One of the best books on business I have ever read :) #leadershipadvice #business #management... Image by: Mrs Jumps Class
02.01.2022 I love this quote from Marie Curie. I like to remind myself of these words whenever I feel fear driving my motivations. Image source - Quote Lines
