Comments for Irresistable offers

Comment from Shannon Clark on 2005-04-13

2005-04-14T01:00:53Z

Jack, how can we make an "irresistable offer" for attendees of MeshForum?

Shannon

Comment from jackvinson on 2005-04-13

2005-04-14T04:41:13Z

Interesting challenge. Goldratt has been focusing his offer on manufacturing (hard good) companies, because the application of his main methodologies apply directly in these environments: drum-buffer-rope, pull distribution, Critical Chain Project Management, dollar-days measures, etc. That said, he used examples of a hospital in the UK, and a school Israel.

To apply to MeshForum, one would need to understand what an irresistible offer looks like to the attendees. Do we tell them they can come for free and pay if they are satisfied? Do we guarantee a personal discussion with at least one of the thought leaders at the conference? Do we offer follow-up information, consulting or other materials in the MeshForum vein?

What is the measurable "goal unit" for a conference anyway? Is it simply the number of paying bodies in the room?

Comment from David Anderson on 2005-04-14

2005-04-14T16:00:04Z

Interesting that Eli is back on the road again. This must mean that he has broken his own constraint. Last October they had so much work that they had turned off the marketing effort through a lack of TOC experts to fulfill the opportunities. The challenge was to pump enough people through the new Goldratt schools to be able to increase capacity. I guess that must have happened by now.

Comment from mherman on 2005-04-14

2005-04-14T17:59:55Z

interesting question about MeshForum.

i imagine the irresistable offer sounds a lot like the offer we make when we open space: all fo the issues of any importance related to (networks, in this case) will be identified and raised for discussion, addressed fully to the extent that the people in the room are able, documented so that conversations can be revisited and extended beyond the conference, prioritized by the whole group if necessary and appropriate, and immediate next steps identified in all highest priority issues.

for Mesh, the offer might be that you will be able to work on any issue of real importance to you with experts in a wide range of network life. it seems the cost is separate from the offer itself, and yes, perhaps set afterward. isn't the whole shift about identifying value and then setting the price? ...and also setting what else one might be able to contribute to the actions that want to happen afterward.

more generally, i've just been talking with someone here in london about the goldratt approach, jack... and i'm very much looking forward to talking with you about offers, constraints and the rest while i'm there in chicago. as my comments here may show, i'm brand new to this language, but i'm also quite intrigued.

thanks!

Comment from Shannon Clark on 2005-04-14

2005-04-14T18:58:03Z

For Mesh the "goal unit" is contributing attendees - contributing firstly in the sense that they add to the conversation at MeshForum.

My assumption (hopefully to be proven) is that if we get a great group of people together, the finances will work out - though we do have to watch and monitor both in and out flows of money.

Michael's suggestion about perhaps cost being separate from the offer is an interesting one - next year I think we should use a more flexible and adaptable ticketing service, one which would allow us to get more creative with our pricing models, do group ticketing pricing.

If people stay for the full MeshForum, we should be able to guarentee that they will have a chance to explore deeply how networks relate to their organizations, their personal and professional challenges. And through the range of speakers, panels, and opportunities - even before the MeshAction open space - to participate and talk with others attending MeshForum, everyone's perspective will be heard.

And further, if attendees are willing to participate, as they will in the open space, they will find that their contributions are rewarded (often by people helping them similarly in thinking about their challenges, and through the process of helping others often seeing their own problems in new ways).

So, how do we boil this down into an irrestible offer?

And then how do we shout or whisper it to 100's of people (who can't "resist" the offer...)

Shannon

Comment from mherman on 2005-04-14

2005-04-15T00:04:35Z

the challenge of an irresistable conference offer, i think, is that the reasons for attending are necessarily so diverse... approaching uniqueness. the offer needs to be made in so many almost unique languages, i.e. if you know what my business is, you can frame the conference offer in terms of value to my business. also, a first conference has no history or relationship with existing customers, so little shared language and shared experience on which to build. it's always easier to resist strangers.

that said, is there anything that *every* potential conference attendee would want? it's not just about price, either. the conference price is only part of the total cost of attending and for many the value of the time will be greater than the financial outlay.

coming from a different angle, i think about all the folks who've already said they are coming. why did they say they'd come. many are speakers, but it's not just the chance to stand at a podium or sit on a panel that is attractive. so what *is* it? i consider my own interest. why come? what was irresistable about the offer? relationships with friends, old and new. personal invitation. and the opportunity to *practice* something with those friends.

assuming the crowd that we want really does share the word *network*, then what would be irresistable to them? the chance to join, create, develop, support, learn, work, be supported, etc. over time by a state-of-the-art network and the chance to learn how do replicate it in the other places they already are working. so what is state of art? what is highest performance in network?

Comment from Pooja on 2005-09-16

2005-09-16T12:49:05Z

Hey ,
I am a huge goldratt fan too hoping to work with him someday !!