In my introduction at “About”, I mentioned two maxims which I deeply embrace - one of which is “Back to the Basics”. Let’s address this in slightly greater details.Ever wondered how McDonald’s grew to become such a mammoth cross continental, multi-racial food culture? Amongst other business strategies, McDonald’s adopts a simple positioning concept - Sell American, Tweak to suit local palates & Keep that American Flavor. Round the globe at nearly every other street corner, you will find a McDonald’s, but with a slight noticeable twist in the product offering. Packaged meal? Upsize? It’s all simply about applying basic consumer psychology.

My early days as a business officer saw me wracking my brains penning out intriguing, complicated marketing and business strategies, which (you guessed right!) never got launched.

It is not surprising that as one grows in the corporate and business arena, one tends to get overtly entrenched & focused with the tasks at hand, thereby rendering oneself unable to think outside the box to resolve issues.

Simple Guide 1 - If you have an issue to resolve but have no precedence for reference,go to the root of the issue and visualize your desired outcome. Tweak the root cause of the problem to meet your outcome and map out the step-by-step action plan. This becomes your solution path. (In case you didn’t realise, I have applied what the market deems as NLP - Neuro-Lingusitic Programming, a visualization-based technique to resolving problems.

Similarly in marketing, never complicate a strategy more than necessary. And some times, budding (or even experienced) marketers tend to get “strategy-block” due to pressing timelines and stressful competition, just like a writer’s block.

Simple Guide 2 - Think consumer psychology. Understand consumer purchasing behavior and their needs for your products and services. Know what motivates them to buy. Know the SWOTs of your product offerings. Map them and find the gap. Apply your marketing strategies accordingly.

Simple Guide 3 - Counteracting “Strategy-block”. Take three steps back from the issue. Take three deep breathes. Take a coffee break and a hot shower… yes, a hot shower stimulates your blood circulation and helps you to think clearly amidst the “mist”.

So, keep life simple. Keep your ideas simple. And let your ideas roll!!