>Rob Wendes 22nd May 200...

The Tower of London is steeped in history and every year it attracts some 2.5 million visitors. The Tower has been used as a place of execution, an armoury, a prison, a treasury, royal mint and even a public records office. But most of those 2.5 million visitors stream past the historical artefacts and information in the quest for one exhibition. That exhibition is the Crown Jewels.

Glamour or Hype?


So why it that the Crown Jewels is is the doyenne of the action. Why is it far and beyond the most popular exhibition in the whole of this attraction? Granted it is full of splendour and fabulously valuable, but this hides its original purpose. Monarchs in the middle ages traditionally held their wealth in jewels and gold plate, so that they had a ready source of finance in case of a war with its neighbours. In fact the original Crown Jewels were ordered to be disposed of by Oliver Cromwell.



By elevating one part of the attraction above all of the rest, it creates a focal point that the visitor must have. I've visited the Tower, and although I am enthralled by the whole experience, it is impossible to absorb it all in one visit. But as long as the visitor can get to the main event, then they have achieved their goal.




Elevate and resonate


Put this into context in your business. There are a million small medium and large problems that threaten to affect its profitability. You can attempt to micro-manage every aspect of the enterprise, but inevitably it's an impossible task, that will not only defeat you, but will drive you into the ground.



By elevating and ring fencing one of your products, you can focus on making it the most polished, and very best in your portfolio. It becomes your crown jewels and the one product that your customers must have. Focus on that one product and develop it until it is the market leader and it becomes the one product that your customers must have out of everything in your catalogue.



Streamline to win.


So does this work whether your product line is software, services or a physical product?

If you were, for instance, selling operating systems, and you were Microsoft, then all the ancillary sales follow on from your flagship operating system.
If you were a bank, then all of the ancillary sales would follow on the back of free personal banking.
If you sold the iPhone, it would be the iPhone that you put the highest amount of your design effort in the knowledge that all of the ancillary sales will follow.



My brother-in-law bought an iPhone, because he loved the design and functionality that it offered. He paid $299, but sadly within the first few months he dropped it and broke the face glass. Now at $199 you might have thought that a new face glass was disproportionately priced, but it didn't prevent him from buying it!



Will it really work for me?


So will it work for your business?



Well don't believe me, just look at the Crown Jewels in the Tower of London which draws a massive 2.5 million people a year, most of whom brush past the fabulous historical artefacts whilst beating a path to its door. Make your product the best of breed by using the best advice to develop it,
and while you're there just remember that the best advice came from me


Rob Wendes Business
Technology Consulting
22nd May 2009