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Recent Posts
From Economic Insight to Growth Strategy: What CEOs Should Do Now
At our most recent CEO Growth Talks, I spoke with Taylor St. Germaine, Senior Economist at ITR Economics. The timing couldn’t have been better — the latest GDP numbers had just been released, and Taylor broke down what they mean for CEOs planning growth.
As always, ITR brought a clear and fact-based perspective. The economy is growing. Consumer spending is strong. And while some industries are facing headwinds, opportunities abound for leaders who are ready to act.
But the real question for CEOs isn’t just what the economy looks like. It’s: how do you prepare your business to grow in this environment — and the one coming next?
Why Manufacturers Need Socrates for Growth in H2 2022
Fri, Jul 22, 2022 — The last two years have been unprecedented turmoil for society and the U.S. economy. Supply chain issues, labor shortages, and changes in customer behavior plagued the manufacturing sector. Moreover, most CEOs ask themselves what changes they need to make with interest rate increases and potential economic “whiplash” events that could create significant ripples in the broader economy.
Psychographics: How To Use Brain-Level Insights to Improve Marketing
Fri, Jul 22, 2022 — As a marketer in the digital age, I am fortunate to have many tools at my disposal that make my job easier. Unfortunately, however, I still have no way to read minds (and that would be quite creepy, anyway) – but one could see how individual “brain-level” insights could have a stunningly positive impact on campaigns, revenues, and overall success. That’s because the Holy Grail for marketers is to understand not just the “who” is likely to buy, but the “why” behind the purchase. If we figure out the need we fill for that customer, at an emotional level, we can effectively cultivate a highly-valued customer.
Positioning Mistake No. 365 -- Treating Prospects Better Than Existing Customers
Wed, Jun 22, 2022 — From the world of “shocking but true”: There are real, actual companies out there that are turning away revenue. Literally, they have customers shaking fistfuls of dollars in their direction and walking in the opposite direction. Before you shake your head, thinking this is blasphemy, the stark reality is this: You, too, could be guilty of the same offense.
Lead Incubation Has a New Shape: The Marketing Hourglass Has Supplanted the Sales Funnel
Tue, Jun 21, 2022 — You spend countless hours, and endless resources, to encourage your sales team to dump leads into the top of your sales funnel, with the hopes of squeezing them through the tiny orifice at the bottom. Once those precious few fall out the bottom and onto your client rolls, now what? With an overheated market, dogged competition, and an enlightened consumer that is more fickle than ever, how can you make sure all of that effort is worth it? How can you ensure that you keep what is rightfully yours?
The Current Case to Hire a Fractional CMO
Mon, Jun 20, 2022 — There’s a perfect storm brewing for CEOs right now: increased competitive pressure, inflation, and the “Great Resignation,” all alongside the need for organic growth. These are all conspiring to make the balance of 2022 even more challenging than usual. Marketing and selling your products or services in this environment is not for the faint of heart – which is why a battle-proven Chief Marketing Officer can make all the difference when it comes to navigating steadily during this difficult consumer climate.
Why CPG Managers Might Miss the ‘90s…
Tue, Jun 14, 2022 — Seasoned consumer packaged goods (CPG) executives—with more than 25 years of experience—probably think of the 1990s, or earlier, as “the good old days.” Why? Because for them, life was much simpler. There were far fewer outlets for advertising and distribution. Think about it. From an advertising standpoint, the three broadcast networks still ruled. The handful of cable channels available did not even carry ads. There were newspapers and magazines in which to advertise and place coupons. On radio, there were a handful of local stations from which to choose. Websites were nascent. And direct mail was alive and well.
How to Achieve Double-Digit Annual Growth
Tue, May 24, 2022 — For CEOs everywhere, the pressure is on. With an overheated economy creating outsized results – and enhanced expectations, “thrive” has replaced “survive” as the mantra in boardrooms across the country. As a result of the “go-go” market conditions, a new benchmark has been established: If your company can't show a minimum Compound Annual Growth Rate of 10 percent, you are putting yourself and your company at risk. As never before, the key to a business's health, high corporate valuations – and CEO job security -- is revenue growth.
Tuning Your Growth Engine: How Insights Power Market Success
Wed, Apr 20, 2022 — “There is nothing quite so useless, as doing with great efficiency, something that should not be done at all.” ― Peter Drucker Why is it that the best run companies often have the hardest time growing? I recently had the pleasure of exploring this issue while speaking at the Intelligence Leadership Forum (ILF), led by Liam Fahey — who literally wrote the book (well, actually, eight books) on the subject of insights. What we realized is this: Operational excellence – no matter how good it is – can never be sufficient to win in the long term.
Driving Revenue, Part 2: Death of the MQL
Tue, Apr 5, 2022 — Thank you for joining me today for the eulogy of the marketing qualified lead, or MQL. Once hailed as the best way to affix a value to a prospective sale in the digital age, we are here to toll the bell to its early demise. What led to the hastened death of the MQL? A series of innocent crimes, perpetrated by humans who have become too smart and savvy – or simply too absent-minded -- to play the MQL game. Since these leads are typically derived from “mechanical” interactions between human and machine, humans have unintentionally thwarted the system – for example, blindly tapping away on the TouchPad, or leaving a finger or cursor atop an open email, can accidentally score you as a hot lead.