What Political Campaigns can teach business, part 1 of 2
Looking for immediate business? Is it taking too long to build a brand? Many of us look toward marketing to be our silver bullet, but seldom is it. We sometimes tire waiting for that marketing message to take hold and search for the latest and coolest gimmick to grab our prospects attention. Though I consider myself on the leading edge of these trends, I have come to appreciate that slow and steady wins many of the times. Driving home that consistent message is far more productive than being on the leading edge of every new marketing angle.
In my research I have also come to appreciate, What political campaigns can teach business. Few marketing processes do a better job of creating immediate business. With these thoughts in mind, I pursued Derek A. Pillie a leading political analyst for a Business901 Podcast. The interview lasted over an hour, as a result I split it in two parts. Part 1 is a strategic view of political campaigning and part 2( Will post tomorrow) is from a tactical viewpoint. 
Derek has served public and political candidates for over 15 years. He has served on the staff of Indiana's Third Congressional District, most recently as District Director for just over a decade. In that role, he oversaw Indiana operations of the office; including constituent outreach and helping taxpayers solve problems with federal agencies. He also worked on crucial economic development projects and was heavily involved with advising the office on online media and marketing decisions.
After his federal service expired Derek started working at Cirrus ABS, an online marketing and technology development company. He currently manages their business development efforts. Cirrus ABS has added political campaigns to the portfolio of industries they serve since Derek joined the team, and he continues volunteer efforts on behalf of candidates he supports.
Related Information:
Preview of Political Campaign Marketing Podcast
Political Campaigning – Strategy Update
. I would encourage you to visit that post before listening to the podcast and leave the diagram up or print it out as the discussion takes place. 
was my guest on the Business901 Podcast. In this book, Geoff and co-author Kathleen Ryan reveal that people instinctively sense when a group experience is something special, something different from the ordinary, something that surpasses their expectations in a positive, remarkable, and hard-to-describe way. 
explores how companies are using these ideas to achieve big things. Peter provides examples from Kid Rock to General Motors in an enjoyable and easy read. However, when you look under the hood Little Bets is grounded in an amazing amount of research. 
. His articles have appeared in Harvard Business Review, Tech Crunch, The Financial Times, and as an expert blogger for Fast Company.
and many of the problems in implementing Lean.
. The audio version, like the original book, presents all the key lean principles, ranging from well-known ideas such as pull and flow, to lesser-known yet equally important principles such as jidoka and heijunka. It also reveals lean as a system—using a realistic business story that is both compelling and instructive to show how lean principles are interrelated.
and presently employed at the Kentucky Manufacturing Assistance Center. Website: 
Can you really add value or are you just creating another tool to fill out some more paperwork? On the 
answered this and a few more questions such as:
, the authors unveil four guiding principles—the customer value imperatives—that distinguish market leaders from other companies just muddling through. They argue through hundreds of examples that without constant attention to these four imperatives from the very top of the organization, any firm will quickly succumb to the centripetal forces pulling it toward an inside-out approach, and its position in the market will soon erode.
