About John Caddell
I am a business generalist. I have worked in software development, new product/market development and management; partner & alliance management; direct & indirect sales; outsourced services solution development, negotiation and contracting; and executive roles in marketing, sales, account management and operations, primarily in the IT and wireless industries.
I am fascinated by the innovation process, how companies conceive, develop and market new offerings – and most importantly, how those offerings succeed in the marketplace and at changing the lives of those who use them.
It surprises me how many companies have contempt, implicit or overt, for their customers. I believe this mindset is at the end of its life, and successful companies will engage with customers on fair, value-adding and respectful terms. They’ll be transparent and deliver distinctive value. I help companies transform to work within this new paradigm, including using the “values” proposition to identify the deep reasons customers use and value their offerings.
A significant reason companies have lost touch with their customers is that, as they’ve grown, many of their staff have moved far away from direct customer interactions. When working directly with customers, they’re not so mysterious. I am working with companies to share the insights of their front-line staffs and bring more employees in contact with direct customer experiences. This sharing helps “bring the outside in” and combats customer antagonism.
My blog “Customers Are Talking” is syndicated in Pennlive.com, The Customer Collective, and the Futurelab Marketing & Strategy Innovation blog. I tweet (@jmcaddell) more than my wife would prefer me to, and realize that my attachment to my BlackBerry is not too different from my kids’ passion for their Nintendo DS’s.
Common misspellings: John Cadell, John Caddel, John Cadel, John Kadel
Specialties:
Strategic marketing, product marketing, partnering & alliances, new product conception and development, business planning, customer research & insight. Telecom billing/OSS/revenue mgt, wireless, mobile, customer service, account management. Web2.0, blogs, social media, social networks, web conversations
