All entrepreneurs know how tough it is to stay ahead of the pack, especially in the middle of an unexpected, global pandemic. In light of a challenging 2020, this year’s G Summit puts the spotlight on diskarte, with esteemed local and international speakers like Google’s Flo Yeow, Taxumo’s Ginger Arboleda, and New York Times bestselling author Josh Linkner sharing best practices for resiliency during adversity.

Globe myBusiness and CIA Bootleg Manila are also here to help your journey to discover your diskarte through the free-to-download Diskarte Kit. It is a comprehensive guide to reflect, generate, and implement new strategies for your business.

Packed with tips and thought-provoking questions from Aaron Palileo, co-founder of Philippine and Tokyo-based CIA Bootleg Manila and G Summit Moderator, the Diskarte Kit is designed to push entrepreneurs out of the box and tap their innate creativity and resourcefulness. Read on and watch Palileo’s explainers to get the right idea and get the idea right, and know when to:

1. Reflect – if you need help in understanding customers better or you want to generate new opportunities for your company.
2. Generate – if you need to brainstorm ideas to innovate or improve your produce and service.
3. Implement – if you need to generate relevant and immediate action plans to improve your business.

REFLECT: GET TO KNOW YOUR CUSTOMERS BETTER

DISKARTE TIP 1: What is making your customers MAD?

A quick chat with a handful of your customers can reveal a lot about their needs and wants. Besides asking what they like about your product or service, what do they think are Missing, Annoying, or Disappointing (or MAD)?

DISKARTE TIP 2: What are your customers’ self-serving goals?

A product does more than its basic purpose. For example, a lawnmower doesn’t just cut grass; it makes a lawn beautiful while lessening maintenance time. If somebody just wanted to cut grass, they can just buy garden shears. But what customers really want – the self-serving goal – is convenience. The kit guides you with three common self-serving goals and questions to frame your thoughts:

1. Functional + Contextual
2. Social + Emotional
3. Personal + Emotional

Diskarte Tips one and two will help you find the right ideas.

GENERATE: BRAINSTORMING FOR BETTER PRODUCTS AND SERVICES

DISKARTE TIP 3: Change your context – adapt!

The Diskarte Kit challenges your business to think broadly and ask you to explore what you see outside, and what you can apply to your business.

You may find new and profitable directions for your business without the need for massive capital by exploring possibilities.

DISKARTE TIP 4: Change your context – magnify or minimize!

After brainstorming, you may find that some product or service features should get more limelight to attract new market segments, tap different self-serving goals, or show how much better you address inconveniences than competitors.

Likewise, reduce attention to features found to be less valuable for your customers, phase out slow-moving SKUs to focus on bestsellers, or literally shrink your products by “sacheting” it into single-use quantities or chopping up your service scope.

DISKARTE TIP 5: Change your context – put to other uses!

Now, let’s look closer at your product or service and examine what else you can do. Can you tweak a few things so the product or service can be used differently? Will you be able to create other types of products from the materials that you have? Is the service applicable to other ways?

With Diskarte Tips three to five, discover a desirable and feasible new product line, just under your nose!

IMPLEMENT: PUT YOUR PLANS INTO ACTION

DISKARTE TIP 6: Develop your brand promise!

A branded product or service must stand for two things: its functional benefits, or what your products or services enable users to achieve, and its emotional benefits, or how your products or services make customers feel. It’s also best to craft it in a way that is compelling and unique from your competitors.

DISKARTE TIP 7: How will you reach your customers?

Make your customers truly experience your brand promise by consistently showcasing it in words and actions every time you interact with them – may it be in your shop, consignees, distributors, or online store. Excite every sense and make sure that your customers will see, hear, smell, or feel the same either inside your store or the smallest shelf you may be renting at a department store or grocery.

DISKARTE TIP 8: How will you interact with your customers?

Complete the brand experience by actively engaging your customers. Determine the different channels, communications, and interactions your business utilizes.

DISKARTE TIP 9: Estimate your needed resources

Match up your list of new opportunities and ideas to your resources, and see if you need to consider the 4 Ps: people, physical assets, partners, and peso.

Through Diskarte Tips six to nine, you’ll be able to adapt your business plan to the times with a concrete to-do list.

Besides a capable team and wise yet gutsy leadership, businesses today must learn how to pivot. Being driven can go a long way when paired with solid strategies. The Diskarte Kit, a co-creation between Globe myBusiness and CIA Bootleg Manila, hopes to help entrepreneurial minds to turn their many ideas into engaging solutions. Click here for a full copy of the Diskarte Kit and more G Summit Insights.