Does the word “partner” convey the message of collaboration? In almost all spheres of life, be it a life partner, a business partner or even a gym partner, the common factor that exists is that the partner takes an undertaking to help with whatever the other person or entity might be doing. They are somebody who share the workload together, and help you increase your efficiency and output. Just like businesses emphasize the need for good and skilled employees, a training partner is also an entity with similar importance or maybe even more. A good training partner can do wonders for a company. On the contrary, a not so good training partner can also have an adverse effect on the company. So, what is it that helps a company choose the training partner most suitable to them. Identifying what the company requires The most important aspect that needs to be addressed before choosing a training partner is analyzing your own needs. The top management needs to identify the pieces of training they would like their employees to undergo, the kind of future talent they would want etc. The needs vary for different companies. The needs of a digital marketing company will mostly differ from those of an IT company. Only once the needs are assessed correctly, should the next step of choosing a training partner be taken. It is a given fact that knowing what you want is easy, knowing how to go about it is what turns to be the road blocker. That is exactly where a training partner steps in. Choosing the correct training partner Let’s say you assess the need to get your marketing function enrolled in Certification Course in Digital Marketing. The next step is to find the right Digital Marketing Training partner since this Digital Marketing Training for Professionals would help them innovate various digital marketing and social media campaigns to attract, engage and retain prospects and customers, respectively. One can go about the same based on the needs and the budget several ways. Is the training company willing to cater for all levels within the company? Are they comfortable and supportive of the idea that they need to be flexible in their approach as different employees have different training requirements and mindsets. You have certain rules and ethics that your organization strictly abides by. Your training partner should be no exception for the same. It is important that they follow the same as only then will they be able to inculcate the same in their training's/sessions. The leadership should make it a point to meet as many trainers as possible. It is important to filter out the best out of the large pack that is available in the market. References can be really helpful in this step. The clientele of the training partner can be resourceful here as their word can help gauge the training partner in a better manner. Accreditation should never be the sole criteria for hiring a training partner. As fancy as the accreditation might sound, they never guarantee high quality for effectiveness. It is the need of the company and the market word of the training partner that should matter more. Another important point that cannot be neglected is the cost associated with hiring a training partner. It is important to keep in mind that a training partner might be within the budget, but may/may not be good as compared as compared to one outside the budget. There has to be a fine line that needs to be drawn based on needs, quality, and budget. While a training partner will simply train the employees, a right training partner will analyse the gaps and requirements and will then tailor the training program accordingly. This will not only ensure increased efficiency and productivity among the employees, but also it will fetch an excellent return on investment for the workplace. Arcsncurves - HubSpot Digital Marketing Agency in Dubai has listed top 10 training courses available in Dubai: http://blog.arcsncurves.com/blog/digital-marketing-courses-dubai

If there is one puzzle that has been boggling search engine marketers for a long time, it is “Whether to choose SEO or PPC?” This jigsaw puzzle becomes more pertinent for the industries that suffer from the “low to no search volume keywords” syndrome. According to Jupiter Research (a Forrester Research Company), 81% of users find their desired destination through a search engine. Therefore, it is recommended for all businesses, big or small, to have a powerful online presence on the search engines to get found by their target audience. Have you ever come across a client with a critical problem – Since no one looks for a Business like mine online, perhaps I don’t need to Learn digital Marketing at all. And that, my offline sales reps do all the sales for the niche industry I work in.”. However, it’s not imperative for any business to completely overlook Digital. Let’s say you work in construction material business in which people might google to do price comparison of different materials, but prefer to shop from their local vendors only. There could be two possible scenarios in case your business falls in this category: The product/service is niche and demand for the same needs to be created. The product/service is primarily bought and sold offline and therefore it’s not searched for online. For the scenario (1) in which customers do not reach the business, the latter needs to reach out to the former on order to build a market and generate demand. This also implies something else from a digital marketing lens. We can strategize the digital marketing campaigns intelligently. Since the no to low search volume keywords pose low competition, it’s much easier to rank on the top in the search results. Nevertheless, since there are low search volumes and even if you manage to secure the top position, it’s not going to fetch you any or significant results as there are no users looking out for your products online. No website visitors, no leads and hence no conversions. So as not to miss making digital footprints, a smarter approach can be to opt for Content and Display Advertising. You can run ads in your own budget on relevant platforms such as LinkedIn depending on the industry you work in. You can control costs with cost per click (CPC) or cost per impression (CPM) pricing options. But what do we do with low search volumes, should we ignore them? The answer to this is “No”. You still have a smarter approach available at your disposal. You can run PPC (Pay-Per-Click) ads for your target audiences at much lower budgets as compared to SEO and still have much better conversion rates. Research says that paid search results are 1.5x more likely to convert click through from the search engines. Other two factors that work in favor of PPC ads are their: Speed Expansiveness PPC ads can also be instrumental in help you putting your brand in front of your target audience and build brand awareness especially if you have just launched your company. Such vast exposure cannot be fetched by SEO in the first place since it’s a long game. Also, PPC works great for product companies as compared to services company. Conclusion First, the world is moving towards Digital Transformation, we all (including your business) need Digital. Next, PPC ads work better to SEO in case of low to no search volume keywords. What are you waiting for? Build a relevant copy; club it with good visuals; create a PPC ad (content / Display), build holistic campaigns; put your brand in front of your target audiences to create a strong impact; and also acquire customers.

If you are reading this, then there are high chances either you’re aiming to build a career in the Digital Marketing space or someone who wants to build a digital strategy for your business to convert more digital dollars. Unlike other regions in the world, where marketers focus on formulating and executing campaigns plugging in the core factors such as discounts, deals, coupons, etc., the Dubai market has a different marketing ecosystem that gyrates around customer journey and experience with products and services. United Arab Emirates ranks at number one in the world with highest social media and mobile penetration, both at 99%. What does this imply? That the region (including Dubai) is gearing for innovations in this field and you have a treasure trove of digital marketing opportunities lying ahead to capitalize on. Despite this deep technology penetration in the recent times, digital and mobile still have not been embedded in the core marketing strategy by many businesses in the UAE today. As competition over digital dollars shoots up every quarter in the business, it’s time to evolve the marketing function by skill enhancement of the existing workforce (like you, the digital marketers of today and tomorrow!). It is not only the job of sales and customer support teams to build and strengthen trust with customers. You, as a marketer, need to learn and master this art through the assets you create for your target audience, channels for reaching them and resources you invest for the same. It would be more appropriate to say that you need to practice the skill of relationship building at every stage of the digital marketing model since the customers in Dubai value trust and long-term association the most, while working with brands. Let us say you work in the hospitality technology industry in Dubai and your customers – the hotel owners – are struggling with selling their inventory in a fiercely competitive scenario. And, your company helped them traverse from point A to point B in revenue maximization by fixing the challenge they had been facing before using your software. Now if you try to capture their success story, while that hotel owner basks in the success of making more revenue, and publish it on your website or different social media websites and other third-party websites to give them more brand mileage. This approach goes a long way in winning the trust of that customer and paves the way for a long-term association. Next, let’s talk about your effort to learn more about digital marketing channels, tools, tips and hacks. Since UAE is home to the largest Facebook user base in the Gulf region and tops in mobile penetration, responsive web designing, content and SEO, paid campaigns for mobile viewers hold a lot of significance. If these skills are missing in your marketing arsenal, it’s time to upskill now. As we mentioned earlier too in this piece that customer journeys are a critical component in the business fabric of Dubai, as a modern marketer, you need to have a good grasp of customer analytics. Let’s say you work for an eCommerce company, as a marketer, you need to have an in-depth understanding of your consumer’s browsing behavior on your website, their shopping preferences and brands, cart abandonment patterns, etc. Using all this data, you can propose better product recommendations, and persuade them to shop more with more personalized experiences. This smart digital approach is likely to fetch you increases sales and create a powerful brand in the UAE market. Then there are some interesting trends that you need to watch out for in 2017, and accordingly, you need to chart out the road map for your skill upliftment in the area of your choice. Augmented reality Display Ads: Google Adwords Visual / Video Content Integrated marketing communications Marketing automation Online reputation management And, much more! Thinking how and where to get started? Let us discuss. Related Article: Get Started with your Digital Marketing Strategy

The automotive industry is undergoing an era of digital disruption. With a modern, tech-savvy target audience, creating a high-energy, interactive and visual experience is no longer optional for automotive dealership showrooms – it's a necessity. Static signs and posters simply do not captivate an audience anymore. Digital signage is engaging and interactive with the ability to be updated anytime, anywhere. Digital disruption enables companies to provide a new level of customer experience. According to a Harris Interactive study conducted on behalf of Verint Systems, 88 percent of customers prefer doing business with a company that offers a quality customer experience over a company that has the latest and most innovative products. With the ability to create a WOW factor in the showroom, digital signage enhances the automotive industries' customer experience, leading to stronger engagement, increased loyalty and improved conversion rates. The potential for digital technology to enhance the customer experience within the automotive industry is limitless. The list below covers only a handful of the many opportunities available: Beacon Technology According to research by Marin Software, "Consumers increasingly use smartphones at dealerships to research and validate brand choices pre purchase, driving a surge in mobile auto app usage in 2015." Beacon technology allows businesses to tap into this vital marketing opportunity by communicating with customers on the one device everyone keeps close – their mobile phone. Messages can be pushed to a customer's mobile phone when in a predetermined proximity of a beacon. Using a customer data base, dealerships can send messages to customers and potential customers when in proximity to particular models. At TechnoVedi Inc. we are deploying beacons & beacon based solutions for various industries, including automotive industry. Digital Screens Digital screens can be strategically placed throughout waiting rooms and showrooms. Keeping customers entertained in the waiting room with digital displays helps reduce perceived wait time while also creating a defensive marketing strategy for dealers by providing a dealership specific channel. Video walls can be designed in different formats, allowing for large screens or custom designs and content, to have maximum impact, and deliver an in-store experience beyond the customers' expectations. With the ability for screens to function independently and display different content or combining numerous screens to display one large vibrant video, marketing teams are provided with endless opportunities. Interactive Screens Many of today's customers are "digital natives" – those who have grown up with touch-friendly devices – and assume everything can be swiped, pinched and zoomed. Accenture's Auto Digital report (2015) indicated that more than half of the respondents would be interested in an interactive touch display that provides information on the available models during a visit to a showroom, proving that today's customers value the efficiency and speed of using self-service tools to find answers. Not only could an interactive screen provide extra details about a car, a dealership could also take it that step further and enhance the customer experience with an Interactive Car Configurator. Success Story: Case of Audi's Virtual Showroom in London German Automaker Audi disrupted the Automobile Showroom Experience by Creating a Virtual Reality Showroom in London. Using the HTC Vive virtual reality headset to showcase a high-end experience, Customers will use iPads to select any make or model and then customize every element of the car from exterior paint to wheels to engine type to interior seats. Then they go to a 16-by-16-foot area and put on an HTC (HTC) Vive headset and Bang & Olufsen headphones, and their customized vehicle appears in virtual reality. The customer can move around the exterior of the vehicle, open the trunk and doors, check out the headlights and tail lights, look underneath the hood, and even get inside the vehicle and sit in the driver’s seat! Conclusion Digital disruption is the key to succeeding in the automotive industry. As Accenture's report says, "Dealers who are innovative, aggressive in pursuing digital strategies that engage the connected customer, and proficient in communicating the right message through the appropriate digital channels at the right time, will become automotive disrupters that can sustain growth in the global automotive market into the future." Original Article: Digital Signage Today, Author: Tegan Worrall

Investing in technology isn’t the same as digital transformation. Pretty much every company is putting money into new tools, platforms, and services. Doing so is a matter of becoming tech-enabled, which doesn’t necessarily mean companies are actually changing to compete in a digital economy. With digital transformation, technology is driven by purpose, and that purpose is meant to RESHAPE business. Digital transformation impacts various aspects of a company’s operations, typically starting at the edges with better ways to engage customers and partners and then moving deeper inside to influence products, services and business models. Often companies mistake the shift from legacy to new-age technologies as digital transformation. But It’s only when organizations stop chasing trends, that they realise that their view of technology and its aggregate impact on business is far more massive than they initially realized. I recently read an interesting report by Capgemini and MITSloan set out to learn more about the challenges that face organizations, leaders and what they’re doing (or not doing) to adapt. In the report, “Digital Transformation: A Roadmap for Billion-Dollar Organizations,” the team found that all companies surveyed face common pressures from customers and employees and as such, digital transformation is now inevitable. Successful digital transformation as validated by the report does not come from implementing new technologies but instead from transforming the organization to take advantage of new possibilities that new technology provides. Yes, it’s complicated, challenging, and sometimes terrifying. The key to digital transformation according to the report, is “re-envisioning and driving change in how the company operates. That’s a management and people challenge, not just a technology one.” Everything begins with fixing what may not appear broken today. As a Digital Transformation Consultant, I usually begin by assessing the customer experiences and how their online and mobile behavior is affecting decision-making. Then, re-think and redesign the customer journey. Through the process, it’s critical to examine how the current infrastructure of your organization can optimize performance or where it hinders it. The answer lies in new technology, processes and business models. Challenges exist in every organization. It is how leadership addresses them now and over time that defines their fortune and legacy. This is not a time for the spaghetti theory where stakeholders randomly throw pasta on the wall to see what sticks. This is about an investment in transformation to meet or exceed customer and employee expectations at every step of their journey. It takes vision. It takes courage. It takes resilience. Without it, organizations will continue to make the same mistakes as they always have. Technology isn’t the answer; it’s an enabler.

Of all the organizations I've worked as Digital Transformation Consultant over the years, I've learnt that digital transformation is an on-going enduring journey. I've not heard from anyone that they are at the end of the Digital Transformation Journey. Because in a world where everything is changing so fast, the goals and priorities keep evolving. But, the challenge is : For an evolving process, How should an organization quantify the return on investment? How to measure success? Most of the traditional business KPIs are predominantly financial in nature, relating to direct ROI impact of various activities on the business. However, when it comes to digital transformation, it may be difficult to quantify a direct impact on ROI of many significant activities. For example, social media outreach! We all know that social media can significantly boost brand awareness and preference, however, these gains may not show up in standard excel sheets measuring profitability. So, how do we then create a new set of KPIs for digital transformation? To begin with, what we need for this is a clear understanding of parameters on which your digital initiatives will yield results – which may include operational efficiency, delivering better customer experience, creating a new revenue stream, etc. Before beginning the process of transformation, it's important for all business stakeholders to determine what metrics are important and meaningful for them. From my experience of working with global organizations on Digital Transformation, I've tried to put together a set of KPIs to share some perspective : 1) Clearing bottlenecks and bridging gaps between silos The first success measure of Digital Transformation is how well the process has downsized the gaps between teams and departments and created platforms for seamless collaboration between business functions and global teams. This also includes increased workplace collaboration and knowledge sharing within the organization. 2) Technology driven by purpose The second critical measure of Digital Transformation is establishment of technology platforms, marketing ecosystems, mobile, and social channels and communities that are coordinated and integrated to support consistent quality experience for the customers/prospects. 3) Reduced operational costs Whether it's a process like " Audit of Online Marketing Campaigns" to reduce wastage and optimize budgets, or a significantly longer process like "Implementation of IOT" (Internet of things) to optimize supply chain across all warehouses; one of the primary and most important impact of digital transformation is reduced operational costs and wastage. 4) Heightened customer engagement At the center of digital transformation efforts is the customer. Multi-channel Customer Engagement through technology is empowering consumers to communicate with enterprises in new ways, which fundamentally changes the dynamic between buyer and seller. 5) From Descriptive to Predictive and Prescriptive Methods Every organization that is implementing transformation and is driven by data (for decision making), is evolving from traditional methods to Predictive and Prescriptive Methods, wherein, forecasting techniques - statistical models & simulation algorithms give intelligent recommendations to business stakeholders to achieve the desired outcomes and to increase ROI. 6) New Channels to Increase Top Line Conquering the top-line challenge of converting digital into increased revenues, Organizations that have established a solid digital foundation are taking their strategies to the next level. When we talk transformation, the relevance of innovation is fundamental to competitive survival. Product diversification doesn't produce top-line growth. Cost-reductions don't generate top-line growth. Innovation is the essential element that produces top-line growth. Parting Thoughts The above list of KPIs is not all-encompassing. Each organization needs to identify it's own unique set of success factors. To conclude: The big question: What will my business get out of digital transformation? Do the benefits outweigh the time and effort? The short answer: Absolutely. If companies get their digital transformation right then there are huge rewards on the table.

PM Modi's Surgical Strike on Black Money has important lessons for business leaders in the context of Digital Transformation. The decision that shook the nation overnight has lessons in leadership, risk-taking and working towards an actionable vision for large-scale change. Just like a revolutionary business decision, this move was followed by disbelief, doubt and then twitter trolls. However, if we think deeper, there's a list of meaningful lessons embedded here: 1) The Tenacity of a Leader Leaders aiming for digital transformation need to set direction without fear. It's imperative to take risks in order to drive a revolutionary change. The fear of backlash, barriers, and structural challenges need to be dealt with for a greater long term vision. 2) Devil is in the Details Before orchestrating a bold move like this, careful planning and execution of small correction is necessary. Modi's surgical strike on black money was preceded by at least two years of policy developments leading to this big bold move. 3) Socially Adept Innovative and disruptive strategies don’t matter if the people with game-changing ideas are not able to communicate them in a way that diverse constituencies will embrace. And communication goes both ways: Digital transformation leaders listen hard, too. 4) Strategic Surprise Nobody saw it coming or was prepared; or had even any idea of this happening. Sometimes, it's strategic to keep big moves a surprise before the roll-out is announced, to avoid unnecessary speculation, correction or retaliation. 5) Killing the 'Fakes' Terrorists and drug cartels were supplying high-value fake currencies into India for a long time. Similarly, big organizations often have fakes draining resources and wealth out due to inefficiencies at various stages. In a single stroke, transformation kills the fakes. Parting Thoughts With a single stroke, PM Modi decimated or at least made life quite turbulent for those who have untaxed cash income, those who smuggle fake Pakistan-printed currencies, political parties who have truck-loads of cash in vaults or jihadis who transact in cash. It is a brilliant move. A strategy that will go down history as something remarkable, strategies that will be documented in Harvard Business School case studies.

Executives are generally risk averse and don’t feel like they have the freedom to fail, especially when they face constant pressure to exceed – forget merely achieving – quarterly targets. At the heart of digital transformation is a conducive culture that not only allows innovation, but also rewards risk taking. "It's about having a sense of freedom to make mistakes and in the process, find the next big breakthrough." Some organizations actively embrace a culture of Innovation, allowing employees to engage in projects that aren't necessarily tied to a quarterly revenue goal. For example, Google famously used to encourage employees to carve out 20% of their time to pursue ideas outside their core responsibilities. That’s how we got Gmail, Google Maps and Adsense. Not only are these products major breakthroughs for Google, but also contribute significantly to revenues. As a matter of fact, Adsense alone is responsible for around 25 percent of Google’s annual revenue. So what is Digital Culture? Digital culture is much more than technology adoption. Digital culture can be defined as a mindset, a set of beliefs, a way of life. Bigger than technology, it incorporates the belief that we can do better if we are more collaborative, connected, adaptive, flexible, transparent, data driven, customer centric and agile. It is a belief that we can get things wrong sometimes, but if we work together and take an iterative approach we can create solutions for our problems and seize our opportunities. How to embrace a Digital Culture To make the transition from traditional to Digital culture, you need to keep three things in mind: 1) People 2) Collaboration / Sharing 3) Rules Secondly, creating a digital culture needs collaboration. In other words, an end to working in silos preserving knowledge and insights within departments or teams. Ultimately , the best bet is when digital is embedded throughout the organization and the Chief Digital Officer is just an influencer and thought leader. In a McKinsey post - "The Secrets of Going Digital", they say “it matters less about the boxes and lines and organizational structure or who owns whom. It doesn’t matter if the developers happen to report to IT or the CDO. But the CDO needs to be able to influence those developers, needs to be able to demand-manage and get the right set of priorities acted on fast enough by those guys.” Thirdly, Implementation of any transformation requires rules and discipline. However, there's no set framework or silver bullet to success. No one size fits all approach. Each organization needs to carve its own set of rules to embed a digital culture. Success in digital involves the combination of having a well-defined digital strategy, having the appropriate digital talent in the organization, and then establishing a culture of trust and innovation that allows you to streamline decision making, constantly test-and-learn and adapt your strategy to better serve your customers. Author: Gaurav Oberoi

The days of using CRM (Customer Relationship Management) in isolation are over. Today, Businesses possess the wealth of massive amounts of data, but most are unaware of what to do with it. This is where the role of Marketing Automation or data driven marketing becomes imperative. So Essentially, what is data-driven marketing? Data-driven marketing means more science and less of a guessing game. It's not spray and pray. With access to Big Data, Analytics, and metrics to optimize campaigns, improve customer experience, reduce customer churn, and make better decisions; It helps us communicate the right message, in front of the right audience, at the right time, to drive the right (desired) consumer behavior. How Marketing Automation works? It all starts with integration of a Marketing Automation system with a CRM. At its best, marketing automation allows you to nurture leads and have meaningful and customized interactions with prospects on an automatic basis, using workflows, programmatic logic, lead scoring, segmentation lists and other technology tools. For example, let’s say a prospect visits your company’s website and clicks on a product, but doesn’t purchase it. Taking into account this prospect’s demographics and buying history, your software would deliver a personalized message or social media ad to influence their decision. Interacting with prospects in this way is less expensive and more scalable than following up with leads manually. And, when executed properly, it’s much more effective to drive conversions. 7 Step Marketing Automation Process 1) Outlining Goals and Objectives - basis which the most appropriate tools, techniques and resources are chosen 2) Connecting all online activities such as email marketing, social media marketing, etc - this is done with the help of technology and experts. 3) Create "Customer Personas" and personalize automated messages to your ideal customers. 4) Use Progressive Profiling to "Get to Know" your customers and build a database of qualified leads. 5) Create quality content to ensure your marketing automation strategy delivers 6) Ensure all departments, teams and stakeholders are united and collaborative in their approach to marketing automation 7) Frequently Revisit your goals, budget and reports to map the performance Parting Thoughts To conclude, we can say that when it’s done correctly, marketing automation gives you the best of both worlds: quality and quantity. It allows you to have quality interactions with a large quantity of prospects, resulting in more sales, conversions, and leads. The most important lesson you must remember is to never make assumptions because you are not your customer. It's always better to A/B test different marketing campaigns and see what works best.

As digital technologies offer new ways to connect, collaborate, conduct business and build bridges between people, it touches the core of all business functions and even the ways organizations are managed. In this post, I wish to highlight Digital's evolving role in some key Business Functions: Digital in NPD (New Product Development) Digital has the capability of facilitating a two-way value exchange between businesses and customers. For Example, Coty Inc., one of the world’s largest and most successful beauty companies globally, used digital to involve customers in co-creation of products. They created an engaging platform for its customers to crowd-source a new color palette for nail polish. Customers were highly engaged: Some 5,000 comments were placed on the project website and by the end of the project, the website had received more than 35,000 visits. A report said that the 20 nail polishes the business co-created with its customers were among the most successful of its entire collection. Digital in Customer Service Chip maker Intel uses predictive and prescriptive analytics in the service and support process. It uses proactive problem management and leverages feedback from support calls to improve its product line. To reduce reported IT incidents requiring its attention by 40%, Intel’s product team applied text analytics to millions of client PC event logs and thousands of client incident reports. The effort also cut the number of blue-screen system crashes by more than 50%. Digital in Supply Chain Management Convenience store chain Seven-Eleven Japan (SEJ) builds supply chain agility by using real time systems to detect changes in customer preferences and track sales and customer data at every store. Technology links stores with distribution centers, suppliers and logistics providers. SEJ reallocates inventory among stores and re-configures store shelves three times a day to cater to different customer groups at different hours. Their adaptability and agility using digital is legendary. Amazon manages it's supply chain excellently using automation and predictive analytics at a much grander scale. Digital in Accounting and Finance We don’t typically think of social and digital technologies as being relevant to areas like accounting, but they are. An example would be the impact ofTwitter chatter on trading activity and share prices, or how the increasing use of social media by activist investors can impact organizations. An accounting example would be how auditors have to change their audit programs to accommodate digital assets at the time of valuation or due diligence in cases of merger/acquisition. Digital in Human Resource Management This head deserves a full fledged article for itself. New technologies are creating dramatic changes in how organizations should approach talent acquisition and talent management. Increasingly, employees are using social platforms such as Twitter and Glassdoor to express opinions on workplace issues. For Instance, Glassdoor has more than 3 million pieces of content contributed by employees, on more than 200,000 companies across 190 countries. Conclusion As business functions are digitally transformed and new technologies become more fully integrated into everyone’s jobs, it is increasingly important for organizations to have high degrees of digital literacy and readiness to stay agile. Thinking Digital is not just restricted to digital marketing anymore, therefore, when we talk about digital transformation, we talk about an organization wide approach.

New technologies offer new possibilities. As organizations build their Digital DNAs to engage better with consumers, create omni channel strategies and digitize all business functions, the role of a CDO (Chief Digital Officer) is imperative to sustained innovation and business success. But, the challenge most organizations face is to find clarity and definition for the CDOs role, and then to find an individual with super-human capabilities who can practically match all of the following roles effectively: >> Chief Digital Marketer, Chief Data Officer, Chief Innovator, Chief Consumer Experience Officer and So on... If we step back from this for a moment, we could say that what they are really describing as a CDO could also be called "Chief Everything That Needs to Change as a result of Digital Officer" – or "Chief Bring the Company into the 21st Century Officer". Some pundits (and plenty of headhunters) insist a CDO is vital to push through rapid change in organisations that have been slow to embrace the new opportunities and threats presented by digital disruption. They argue that CDOs often need to be parachuted into situations where others in the executive suite lack the necessary skill-set or firepower to implement digital transformation. In reality, The CDOs role is to effectively re-orient the whole business around the customer, while aligning the organisation behind this change. Therefore, digital transformation is a collective effort flowing top down. To be able to effectively leverage from Digital Transformation, the following points about "Demystification of a CDOs Role" need to be understood: 1) Organisational Structure I'm often asked in Executive forums, should CDO report to marketing (CMO) and be responsible for digital marketing, sales and commerce; or should it be independent of marketing and report directly to the CEO to drive transformation? Well, here's my take : There is a dotted line of responsibility between some aspects of marketing, IT and operations as related to the customer experience. Boundaries and responsibilities are fluid between the CDO, CIO and CTO. If customer experience is key, then the CDO should lead the STF (Special Task Force) for transformation, assisted by other C-Suite executives to be able to inject innovative thinking into every process in the organization. 2) In-House or Virtual CDO Another common problem that most consumer facing organizations face is "how to find an individual with the right experience and knowledge to lead their digital transformation initiatives"? Well, here's my take : Talent is a scarce resource. More so in 'Digital' because of the sheer newness and fast pace of change in this field. There are two approaches organizations can take. Either hire a full-time resource, or appoint a Virtual CDO who comes in to Coach, Consult and Execute the digital transformation initiatives. In both cases, what is paramount is that the chosen individual needs to be a universalist who can oversee the spectrum of possible digital tasks: guiding the development of digital strategy as part of overall corporate strategy; devising new business models; overseeing digital marketing and the customer experience; implementing digital technologies; boosting operational efficiency; and digitizing the ways in which employees do their work. 3) Progressive Thinker or Creative Disruptor Whether your organization needs a Progressive thinker or a Creative Disruptor? Well, Here's my take: You need a Progressive Thinker if your organization's mission is to think imaginatively and implement new-age solutions for innovation ( For Example, using IoT/Beacons to improve industrial efficiency). This approach is suitable for more traditional industries to benefit fully from digitization. Whereas, Creative disruptors are needed where there's a requirement of a more hands-on involvement in developing new business models or technologies (For example, increasing revenues from online sales of an FMCG Brand). This approach is suitable for consumer-oriented industries to derive max customer lifetime value. CONCLUSION It turns out that many companies hire the CDO before completely defining and understanding the role. In conclusion, the CDO needs to excel at six key roles in order to be truly effective: 1) Make digital integral to the organisation strategy 2) Lead Digital Innovation across functions 3) Audit and Improvise the existing Digital Portfolio 4) Keep Customer at the center of everything 5) Build agility, speed and data 6) Get stuff done

The relationship between a buyer and seller is always a complex one and is clouded with feelings of insecurity on both ends - Clients feel consultants will ask for too much money v/s Consultant fear Clients won't pay on time ; Consultants feel clients will try extract more work than what they pay for v/s Clients fear consultants might not able to solve their problem completely. To solve this challenge it's important for both sides to know when to say YES and when to say NO. Yes Scenarios: 1) Most commonly, I get contacted by clients who understand their industry very well, but have limited knowledge of Digital and acknowledge this fact (which is great). In this scenario, we begin with understanding each other's domain and then develop a vision and strategy. The key thing here is to have mutual respect and understanding – On my part, it's super critical to understand the organisation and industry and to know what we are trying to achieve - and on the client side, it's critical to acknowledge and accept that they have hired an expert, and the project has highest chances of success if they trust and listen to him. 2) I am also often hired by digitally savvy organizations, who want to optimize their budgets and get more returns per $ spent on digital. This relationship works best when we begin with audit and reports and then identify key levers which can be pulled to accelerate their growth. 3) The third and most exciting type of clients are those who have everything going their way, but still want to disrupt before somebody else does. I enjoy taking up this challenge and come up with out-of-the box ideas to leverage the strength and power of digital. No Scenarios: 1) I am honest, polite and direct in turning down projects for which the timeline is too short; the request is morally or ethically questionable; or when i'm asked for more time than I can commit. But i always try and keep the relationship open by either recommending someone else from my network who is better suited for the task or suggesting a better time from my calendar to take things up. 2) I also avoid working with clients who are looking for a 'yes' person. The most critical thing about digital transformation is to be able to challenge the status quo. Instead of a waterfall approach to project management, there needs to be an Agile approach keeping customer at the center of all activities. 3) Since change is at the center-stage of the digital world, it's a No scenario when an organization reaches out to me but is resistant to change at a broader level. Digital cannot work in Silos, it requires a collaborative approach instead of hierarchical.