Revenue Disruption: Game-Changing Sales and Marketing Strategies to Accelerate Growth

The Value of Real Change

Business history is rich with standout examples of forward-thinking business leaders who embraced and drove change. They had the foresight as well as the fortitude to recognize rapidly shifting realities—in this case, where the buyer has taken control of the selling process—and then leveraged emerging technologies to create new business methods and innovative products to achieve outsized growth.

In fact, it’s the winners who always get out in front of change. They don’t wait until altered realities have forced their hand. Instead, they are already reading the tea leaves, looking for signs of macro trends buffeting their businesses, and seeking opportunities to improve, even when they think things are going pretty well at the moment. They’re the ones who say, “If it ain’t broke, then break it anyway.”

Even massive global companies like IBM make change a core part of their culture and business strategy. IBM, which recently celebrated its 100th anniversary, opted for a transformation after a near-death experience back in the late 1980s. The company had become caught in the classic market leader trap, which is a persistent danger for large, successful companies that enjoy huge business results from their legacy of leadership. As one of the earliest technology pioneers, IBM helped to create the original computer industry. And for years, they reaped the benefits of market leadership by turning in consistent revenue growth and soaring profits. Life was good for ...