Tag Archives: biometric

The Problem With Ready, Fire, Aim

(Ready, fire, aim wildebeest via Imagen 3/Google Gemini)

If I had to choose between acting too quickly and acting too slowly, I would choose the former. You already know I don’t like it when things never get done. But the ready, fire, aim method introduces problems of its own. Let’s look at how ready, fire, aim can adversely affect both external and internal content.

External content

If you haven’t figured it out already, I create a lot of external prospect/customer facing content. Not only for Bredemarket’s clients, but also for Bredemarket itself so I can get more clients. This blog post is an example.

Sometimes I meticulously plan a full campaign via a myriad of Asana tasks covering multiple blog and social media posts. Sometimes the entire project appears in a day or two, sometimes it takes a week, and one recent project took 3 weeks including teaser content, the main content, and follow-up content.

Yes, sometimes I meticulously plan. And other times I just do stuff.

Last Saturday I was struck with an idea for a 2 minute and 20 second landscape video about biometrics and Bredemarket. I knew it was long and many who encountered it wouldn’t watch the whole thing, but I wanted to make my statement and reserve it for bottom of funnel activities.

Only AFTER I posted the video did I realize that this was the logical second part to a 30 second video that I had previously created for biometric clients. 

If I had thought this through, I  could have started with the 30 second video, THEN introduced the longer video as the logical next step. Like a funnel, if you believe in funnels.

The proper first video

Well, better late than never.

The 30 second edition.

Watch this 30 second video that I made for Bredemarket’s biometric prospects and clients.

For Biometric Clients.

The proper second video

Hey, did you like that video? Would you like to learn more?

The 140 second edition.

Watch this 140 second video that I made for Bredemarket’s extra special biometric prospects and clients.

Biometrics and Bredemarket.

Hey, did you like that video? Learn more on my “CPA” page.

Bredemarket’s “CPA.”

Well, that’s what I should have done in the first place so I wouldn’t have to make this clumsy fix later.

But there’s still time to fix a future internal campaign before it happens.

Internal content

Because this content is internal I can’t really talk about it, but I anticipate that Bredemarket will be invited to a future event…and I am already planning NOT to attend.

There are a number of stakeholders associated with this event, and in a TLOI kind of way they will have different reactions to my non-attendance. Some of them probably don’t give a you-know-what whether I attend or not. But perhaps there are those who do care, ranging from mild curiosity about why I’m not going, to the other extreme of demanding to know how I could bypass this important event.

So I drafted three messages in case I was asked about my non-attendance: (1) a brief two-paragraph message, (2) a longer message, and (3) a detailed message which delved into my concerns.

But what if I don’t know which message to send? What if I unloaded my deepest darkest fears via the long message, when the stakeholder merely wanted to know if I had other commitments at the time of the event?

So I rewrote the messages so that they build on one another.

  • Let’s say Bob asks why I’m not attending. I would simply send Bob the first, brief message. If this satisfies Bob’s curiosity, we’re done.
  • If Bob asks more, then I will send those portions of the second message that weren’t part of the first one—namely, the 3rd and 4th paragraphs of the second message. (The first 2 paragraphs of the second message are identical to the entire first message.
  • If Bob still questions, I will unload parts of the third message on him—namely the stuff absent from the second (and first) message.

There’s my funnel. And if needed I can skip directly to the third message with certain stakeholders.

And if no one asks why I’m skipping the event, I don’t send ANY communication—and know that my decision to skip the event was the right one.

Future content

So in the future, whether creating external or internal content, I need to pause and think about how it fits into the tons of content I’ve already created.

So that I can tell the best stories.

And so I will achieve ready, aim, fire rather than ready, fire, aim.

Spilling One of My Secrets on Differentiation

(Wildebeest picture Imagen 3/Google Gemini)

I recently interviewed for a full-time position with an identity/biometrics company.

The hiring manager and I agreed that differentiation is sorely lacking in the industry.

However, the company did NOT agree that I was the person to lead their firm’s product differentiation efforts.

But this, combined with the upcoming completion of a Bredemarket project later this week, provides an opportunity.

Their loss is your gain

Bredemarket can now help others in the identity/biometric industry, including the hiring firm’s direct competitors, with THEIR differentiation—in the same way Bredemarket has differentiated other companies.

So I am going to help SOME company differentiate itself from the me-too “trust us” crowd. 

But how?

I won’t tell everything, but I will give away ONE of my secrets. 

Which isn’t a secret.

My baby’s got a not-so-secret secret

As you probably know, I like to ask questions before starting a content, proposal, or analysis project. And the first of my questions is critical for differentiation.

Why?

No…that’s the question. Why?

The life experiences of founders are very different. After all, the reason Bill Gates got into the computer business is different than the reason Steve Jobs entered the business. 

  • What if Jobs had never studied calligraphy at Reed? 
  • What if Gates had studied calligraphy at Harvard? 

The world would be very different.

Book ‘em, Danno 

I’ve written about the why question. Here’s an excerpt:

“Before I can write a case study about how your Magnificent Gizmo cures bad breath, I need to understand WHY you’re in the good breath business in the first place. Did you have an unpleasant childhood experience? Were you abandoned at the altar? WHY did you care enough to create the Magnificent Gizmo in the first place?

“Once I (and you) agree on the why, everything else will flow from that, and your own end users will benefit in the process.”

Give me that origin story and I can differentiate you and your product. Whether it’s your breath gizmo or your identity verification solution, we now have a story that your foolish inferior competitors do not have. 

THEY are just mere moneymakers. 

YOU are the enlightened giving individual solving a problem that has bugged you for years, making the world a better place.

So tell your story…and differentiate yourself!

Identity/biometric CMOs, Are You Content With Silence?

(Part of the biometric product marketing expert series)

(Silence image Google Gemini)

If you’re a Chief Marketing Officer at an identity/biometric company, you are well aware that a challenging 2025 is just around the corner. How do you claim awareness for your products and services when your competitors are posting content?

I know how many firms approach this: silence, or saying nothing. It sounds like the wrong thing to do…and it is!

Bredemarket helps its clients say something, if they choose to speak. Some of Bredemarket’s prospects have opted to wait months before letting Bredemarket create content for them—blog posts, articles, case studies, white papers, proposals, analyses.

Some prospects never become clients, so I never create content for them. A few are no longer in business today. Correlation doesn’t equal causation, but maybe Bredemarket could have helped keep the doors open.

For these reasons, I think that saying something is better than silence.

But not just anything. Before Bredemarket writes a single word for its clients, I obtain the answers to seven questions about your content:

Then I work with you in an iterative fashion to create the content you need.

So don’t maintain silence. Schedule a free meeting with me to move forward now.

You Need FAT and SAT

On LinkedIn, I was just discussing the difference between a controlled study and a real-world test. Think of a NIST test vs. a benchmark.

Then I started talking about some of the post-contract signature tests in the automated biometric identification system world, including factory acceptance tests and site acceptance tests.

These tests are not unique to ABIS. Healthcare (the other biometric) conducts FAT and SAT also, as Powder Systems notes.

“When manufacturing complex machinery in industries such as pharmaceuticals or fine chemicals, extensive equipment testing must be carried out before commissioning.

“It requires thorough functional, performance, and safety tests of intricate systems. These may comprise many components and interdependencies. Challenging though it may be, these must be systematically assessed before they’re put into operation. This approach is broadly known as acceptance testing.

“There are many forms of acceptance testing. Two closely related approaches that often come in for confusion are Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT) and Site Acceptance Testing (SAT). Both are critical stages in the verification and validation of equipment and systems within industrial and manufacturing contexts. However, they differ significantly in terms of location, timing, purpose, scope, participants, outcomes, and testing environment.”

You should read the entire article to learn about the significant differences between the two test types. But let me highlight one point:

“Factory acceptance testing typically involves a more rigorous and comprehensive testing process. This testing procedure includes the detailed verification of system components to ensure they function correctly and meet design specifications.”

This is based on the fact that it’s less costly to fix problems early at the factory than to fix them later out in the field.

Whether you’re testing pharmaceutical machinery or ABIS, both factory and site acceptance tests are absolutely critical. Skipping one of the two tests does not save costs.

What Coauthor “Wrapped” About My LinkedIn Activity

So I checked out Coauthor’s me-too LinkedIn-themed copycat of Spotify Wrapped, like many of you did. Here’s the (unedited) post it wrote for me—not too bad:

= = =

Here’s my 2024 LinkedIn Rewind, by Coauthor.studio:

After 30 years in identity and biometrics, 2024 showed me that verification only goes so far. The real challenge isn’t just confirming who someone is – it’s understanding what they might do.

From employment fraudsters with verified credentials to healthcare imposters with stolen birthdates, this year proved that identity verification alone can’t prevent deception. But it also showed how combining technical expertise with human insight can help protect organizations and individuals.

Key observations from 2024:

  • Identity verification without intent analysis is incomplete
  • Employment fraud evolves faster than verification methods
  • Healthcare identity remains dangerously vulnerable
  • The best fraud prevention combines technology and psychology
  • Product marketing must address both verification and trust

Three posts that captured these themes:

“Employment Fraud and Identity Verification”

On why verifying someone’s identity only goes so far

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7268454996734545921/

“Rich Powaza’s Disappearance” 

Real consequences of fraudulent behavior

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7253092940393193472/

“Get Off My Lawn”

Changing workplace norms and responsibilities

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7262320817898758145/

Through Bredemarket, I delivered over 100 content and analysis projects helping organizations navigate these challenges. I also conducted research on employment fraud tactics and moderated communities helping others avoid scams.

Looking ahead: 2025 will require even more sophisticated approaches to identity verification and fraud prevention. The fraudsters aren’t going away – but neither am I. I’ll continue helping organizations implement effective identity strategies while advocating for ethical AI use and employment practices.

To the wildebeests following along: remember that verification is just the start. The real value comes from understanding intent and building trust.

#fraud #identity #security #productmarketing

—

Get your 2024 LinkedIn Rewind! Go to coauthor.studio 

Identity/biometric CMOs, Are You Silent?

(Silence image Google Gemini)

If you’re a Chief Marketing Officer at an identity/biometric company, maybe your company has exercised its right to remain silent.

Saying nothing to its prospects or clients.

You know this isn’t good.

As it turns out, I have a solution that guarantees that your company will say something meaningful.

But I’m not going to bother to share it today.

What’s the rush?

I can wait until next week.

Or next year.

What could go wrong?

Hey, it doesn’t feel good when Bredemarket doesn’t share helpful information with YOU.

Now ask how your prospects feel when YOU don’t share helpful information with them…and your competitors do.

Stay tuned.

Don’t Miss the Boat

Bredemarket helps identity/biometric firms.

  • Finger, face, iris, voice, DNA, ID documents, geolocation, and even knowledge.
  • Content-Proposal-Analysis. (Bredemarket’s “CPA.”)

Don’t miss the boat.

Augment your team with Bredemarket.

Find out more.

Don’t miss the boat.

Zip Code: The Factor of Disqualification

Not enough attention is paid to the critical importance of zip codes for U.S. tech product marketing job applicants. Identity experts know that geolocation can serve as one of the five factors of authentication. But geolocation (via zip code) can also serve as a factor of disqualification.

This video doesn’t directly have to do with Bredemarket—my clients ARE remote-friendly—but since it involves my status as a biometric product marketing expert I thought I’d share it here.

For more detail, see my LinkedIn post from earlier this morning.

Zip code (from a “91” person).