To be or not to be... SOCIAL?

Let's start from some data:
- 77% of Italian companies ( 2% more than last year) make use of social media.
- 94% of them employ them for e-commerce practices. After that, according to the company's preferences, there are a general purpose of developing the image, promotional sales, collecting feedback and meet new clients.
- Facebook, Twitter e Google+ are the most popular social networking websites. Then there are, LinkedIn, Youtube e Pinterest; 40% of the companies has a blog.
- Applications and advertising grow constantly.
- Usually, salesperson or the customer services take care of it, rarely there is a special "social" team.

Only 12% of the companies that make use of social media are fully satisfied; 50% of them is partially satisfied.

The debate on how good social networking websites are and if it's a good choice to make use of them, develops on the socials themselves.
But, if we just ave a quick look out of Italy, we can discover that, in the whole world they are well exploited and studied; as a matter of the fact they are much more profitable.
This is because of the undeniable benefits that occurs:
- creating a network
- focusing on new target
- being visible on the search engines
- create a trust relationship with customers
- interacting
- creating their own image
- listen to each stakeholder
- giving answers in real time
Etc... so, something extremely useful, the dream of all salespersons...
BUT?
They say: "With great power, comes great responsability".

We can say that these kind of instrument can be so much useful as adverse, if they are not used properly; the same thing happens when giving an arch to a professional o to a kid. The results are totally different.

If we want the arrows to hit the target, we have to practice, to focus on it, to be careful of the wind, to train our body, to chose the right arrow and the right arch... so, we have to really know what we want to do.
Otherwise, we rick hitting our friend, supporting us from the sideline.
Social networking services can be effective tools or bad choices, as any other INSTRUMENT that a company uses.
Attention please:  Social platforms are NOT the solution, but a WAY to FIND SOLUTIONS!

After having debunked the myth of the "Social solution", let's see how we have implemented this instrument in CN Arredamento.

Our company, is a B2B company: we provide a specific service for other companies, such as architectural, architects, designer, designing company...What do we want from a social network?

First of all, being known. For us it is very important to get in touch with persons that have projects, to present our service, making their projects come true. Indeed CN developped a WEB STRATEGY that allows our customers to get in touch in different ways, from a tweet to a post, from everywhere and anytime. CN is growing and its communication gets structured and integrated.
We decide to create a profile con Facebook, Twitter e Google+, to share with you who we are, what we do and how we do it.
We joined also Pinterest, to really show our projects and our values.
Obviously all started also on a professional channel like LinkedIn, to enter into a dialogue with professionals.

All of this is not that easy as it seems: to structure a profile you need a lot of time and attention, you have to take care of it every day. We are still beginners and we ask you for advice!
What d you think?
What can we improve?
Thanks to all of you!

Forum Legnoarredo: le aziende italiane allo specchio

Giovedì scorso, 13 giugno, presso la fiera Milano Congressi si è tenuto il Secondo Forum di FederlegnoArredo.

Il presidente di FederlegnoArredo Roberto Snaidero

«Un grande evento per un grande settore, a dimostrazione che il nostro tessuto produttivo svolgerà con sempre maggiore efficacia un ruolo di primo piano nella crescita del Paese. Noi siamo consapevoli di questo compito e siamo pronti» così dice R. Snaidero. 

Il forum si è dimostrata un'occasione di verificare la vivacità di questo settore: più di mille partecipanti e decine di ospiti si sono alternati in una giornata di incontri tematici. 
Anche CN Arredamento era presente e oggi vi raccontiamo un po' cosa abbiamo capito noi e cosa ci è sembrato interessante. 

La prima sessione plenaria, intitolata "Le eccellenze dell'italianità" è stata piacevolmente animata da P. Daverio, che più che moderatore i è posto come provocatore di G. Anzani, P. Gandini, C. Luti, A. Margaritelli, R. Illy e A. Romano, tutti esponenti di spicco del settore, che hanno portato sul palco la loro esperienza e le loro sensazioni, a volte contrastanti, sui modi di porsi delle aziende italiane. Importantissime sono le nostre radici, la tolleranza, la proponesione estetica, il contenuto ingegneristico che sappiamo sviluppare... anche se la realtà ci dice che siamo ancora poco capaci di fare sistema. Ma proprio dalla nostra capacità di FARE il BELLO, possiamo ripartire e fondare il nostro rapporto con l'estero, proponendoci come "educatori alla bellezza e alla qualità".

Abbiamo poi seguito diversi workshop, sdoppiandoci nelle varie sale ed imparando i nuovi modelli di scelta del consumatore, come costruire business e come un bell'ufficio può renderci felici. Riguardo quest'ultimo argomento, è stato interessante scoprire come si stiano sviluppando modelli di lavoro ben diversi a quelli a cui siamo abituati (specialmente qui in Brianza!), dove il benessere del lavoratore è garantito attraverso una serie di asset intangibili, un ambiente di lavoro che stimoli la

creatività, benefit economici e formativi. Importantissimo in questo senso è far capire ai lavoratori il VALORE del loro lavoro e, in qualche modo, restituirglielo. In questo senso è molto importante agire con una business intelligence, in grado di prepare un business plan che sappia esattamente da dove e quando arriverà la ricchezza prodotta, per poterla redistribuire. In CN abbiamo già attuato in ques'ottica, il progetto G.Ma.P., potete approfondirlo sempre sul nostro blog!

Italy vs taxes

Last month, on the Italian most read economy newspaper, the Sole24Ore, there was an interesting article about duties and export.

The Salone del Mobile 2013 in Milan, just ended few weeks ago. This is the perfect period to make some consideration about the market. All Italian furniture companies agree on the same point: they need to export and to open to new international markets, by leveraging on the Made in Italy value.

The furniture sector will increase 72% of its value, before 2017, according to a recent research of Confindustria. This will occur thanks to the rise of 192 millions of "new rich" people, that will spend 30 biliard euros in the Italian furniture sector.
This is not only a very important business chance  but it will have an important influence on the creativity of this industry. We all know that Italian taste in design (and not only) is one of the most respected and lots of foreign designers and industries are in search of it, bringing their own influence.

So... Welcome to all growing countries, such the BRIC group (Brazil, Russia, India and China), or the MIST (Mexico, Indonesia, Korea, Turkey). But also Vietnam, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Argentina... But watch out!!!

One of the most problematic issues is the one concerning TARIFFS, that are applied in these countries. They are rated for different import goods and various phases of the import process, but they all causes the same result: the price of the goods imported raises, so export, that should be the lifesaver of Italian economy, risks to sink companies.

Here you can find some examples: in Brazil and in India, it might happen hat taxes rises the value of the imported good up to the 100% of its value! This is caused by the accumulation of indirect tariffs and impost: custom, federal, state and municipal duties, VAT and other taxes.
In Argentina there is a amount bond: import deal must be equal to the export one. Moreover, there is a strict law on certification; this problem can also be found in China. Both countries need specific certificates of safety and quality, that are processed only by specialized companies.

There are different ways to overcome the problems, here you can find the most popular solutions:
- Relocate part of the production path: exporting semi-finished products, components or just know-how procedures is less expensive and less complicate; as matter of the fact, emerging countries get competitive skills from this kind of import.
- Moving the goods through other countries, that are less tax-imposing.
Do you use any other method? Let us know!

New business models! (?)

CN's blog doesn't speak only about wood and design: CN is, first of all, an enterprise, and so it lives the troubled life of the business planet.

CN must be sensible to what is new in its sector, not only regarding techniques, but also regarding the managerial approach.
We have already spoken about how important is the executive education and how, in CN, there is a new management control system. Today we are going a little further, by starting exploring a subject that is an unlimited source for discussion and publication.
What are these "new business models"??




A business model explore how a company creates, delivers and capture value (either economical or social). Its construction is part of the business strategy and it is composed by a broad range of formal and informal description of the core aspects of the business, that are, for example, purpose, offering, strategies, infrastructure, organizational structure, trading practices and operational processes. The business model describes and classify business, but it is also used by creative manager to get a perspective and formulate a recipe.

This process has been modified according to the development of new ways of production, along with the industrial revolution, because it refers to the context.
The economic crisis has forced a new change of these models, because of the changes in financial context, as well as the rise of new needs and ideas.
Adapting our business model seems to be the main road to exit the crisis.

But how can we do that? There are multiple starting points, such as books, courses, meetings...

Regarding the Italian publishing, each publishing house has proposed its own volume.
Here there are just few of them: FAG has published in 2012 a "Manuale pratico" to "Creare modelli di business" (Practical manual to create business models), the Camera di Commercio in Milan proposes, printed by Mondadori, a manual titled "Verso nuovi modelli di business" (Towards new kind of business models), written by M. Magatti, professor at Universitò Cattolica; in the meantime, Franco Angeli and  Springer focus on new models in the services businesses.
Finally, there is a huge number of  specialized publishing, especially for the e-business and new technologies.

This is a success at a global level; as you may know, there are various "best seller", like "Business Model Generation" and "Blue Ocean Strategy".
All authors have some guidelines in common. Here you can find few of them.
Remember that these do not work as a magic wand, they are just a starting point for re-thinking.

-> Rigorous method
-> Remarkable creativity
-> Do more and better, with less
-> Incrising the immaterial assets, to create added value
-> Appraise the production chain
-> Value all type of resources (human, social, environmental)
-> Caring about sustainability



Here in CN, since a year, we have been re-thinking our business model, along with the purposes here above.
The result is still in progress, but, essentially, we have chosen to present ourselves at the SOLE REFERENT for our clients, giving them a COMPLETE SERVICE.
This policy has created the possibility for the client to refer only to a person for an entire project, that go between the various actors of the production; moreover this process can crate a network in which different organisations can cooperate.

And what about YOU?

Leave a comment and tell us what have changed in your business!