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The Chief Outsider
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Recent Posts
Outsider Insights | From Hustle to System: Why More CEOs Are Rebuilding Their Sales Function
Outsider Insights
Across Chief Outsiders, we talk to hundreds of CEOs every month. In this new series, we explore the trends and challenges we’re hearing from these discussions – and what you can do if you’re facing the same issues in your business.
Pricing “SaaS”: What’s the Right Price for Your Service?
Sat, Mar 19, 2016 — The Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model is flourishing, expanding, and boldly going where it’s never gone before—how do you know the right price for your service? The pay-as-you-use model that is widely employed by SaaS offerings has even propagated into areas like manufacturing, where such “value-in-use” strategies are gaining wide acceptance. For companies trying to ensure that this model is as remunerative as it can be, a SaaS offering has to ensure a properly balanced pricing structure. Furthermore, which attributes of our offerings support the highest value needs from our prospects, and how can we look at historical data to inform this pricing model?
Big-Brand B2B Executives Finally Opt In to Email Marketing
Thu, Feb 25, 2016 — It’s no secret that email marketing is a top driver for sales and customer growth. A vast majority of marketers say that it is their primary channel for lead generation. And despite the many claims that “email marketing is dead,” it continues to not only dominate, but also reinvent itself as new tools and technologies allow it to remain more relevant than ever for businesses of all sizes. Even more surprising is the fact that many large business-to-business (B2B) brands have not yet tapped into the potential of email marketing. From what we’ve experienced across our client base, some of these firms are finally turning to email to breathe new life into their marketing initiatives. However, what these newcomers are finding is that breaking into the “king” of all marketing channels is way more complicated than it seems on the surface. And that may be one factor that keeps some businesses from getting started.
Marketing…the big “M” and the little “m”
Mon, Feb 22, 2016 — When it comes to understanding the function of Marketing, there are often common words that enter the equation like “website”, “brochures”, or “sales collateral”. While these are tools that typically originate from the Marketing department, they only scratch the surface of what Marketing encompasses in total. A wise person once characterized the poorly understood function in the terms of “there is a big 'M' in Marketing and a little 'm'”. Wow, that is profound. So, what do we mean when we say the big “M” of Marketing?
How to Brand the Service Component of your Business
Thu, Jan 28, 2016 — In the two previous posts I discussed the concept of branding a service delivery process and some of the benefits of pursuing this approach. Then I offered some real-life examples of effective service and discovery process brands. In this final installment, I will present steps to guide you as you create your own service process brand. In the simplest terms, it means standardizing and naming an existing process, then promoting it to customers.
Branded Service Processes Create Value and Profits for these Companies
Thu, Jan 21, 2016 — In my previous post, I introduced the concept of branding a service delivery or discovery process and outlined some of the benefits of pursuing this approach. In this installment, I will share some real-life examples of service process branding to give you a better idea of how it works. Below are three examples of branded service delivery. The third is explained in greater detail to more fully illustrate execution of the concept.
Brand Your Service Delivery Process to Grow the Business
Thu, Jan 14, 2016 — In this post and the two that follow, I’m going to share a straightforward approach to increasing profits that most of the companies I encounter fail to exploit. Implementation is within the reach of small and medium sized companies and the potential rewards should grab the attention of CEOs.
How to Build a SaaS Company
Wed, Dec 16, 2015 — I was recently engaged to help a software company, Atera, prepare to launch as a global SaaS provider. Having operated for some time, the company sought to remake itself by adopting a new business model. Since new opportunities often emerge from ongoing business activities, this type of transformation is not unusual. I would like to present here some of the critical elements and steps in the process of getting the Atera SaaS product to the point of launch.
Automating Ourselves: A New Era of Productivity
Mon, Nov 30, 2015 — Today’s Automation Tools are Designed to Make Your Digital Tasks Flow More Smoothly I recently hired Danielle, an administrative and marketing assistant, to help me with my workload. Since I haven’t been able to use technology to fabricate more hours in the day just yet, Danielle helps me to optimize the hours that I do have – as a crucial piece of my team, she assists me with administrative support, the management of my business schedule, and various marketing projects.
Nine Billion Company Names – The Economist on Naming Companies
Mon, Nov 30, 2015 — I love marketing and being a marketer. Working with a CEO to propel a company forward is exciting. Having the CEO see the excitement one creates from great marketing can be wonderful. Knowing that you helped fill a need, solve a problem, or even satisfy some craving can be fulfilling for the marketing team and the business. CEOs expect this.