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The Chief Outsider
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Recent Posts
Growth Without Guesswork: The Questions Great Vistage Chairs Ask
After leading more than 150 Vistage workshops, working with hundreds of CEOs navigating growth challenges, and spending more than 10 years as a Vistage member myself, I’ve noticed a consistent pattern in conversations with business leaders. No matter the industry, the symptoms sound familiar.
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.
An Inward Focus: How One Company Redefined Itself for Success
Mon, Feb 7, 2022 — It’s always interesting to me when the proverbial emperor is in search of new clothes. Like the time-honored fable, Cask – an innovative company that lives and works in the ServiceNow ecosystem – had done an outstanding job of enabling digital transformation for its clients. But when it came to telling their story and harnessing digital marketing tools to promote itself, it wasn’t quite as masterful. The story of how Cask evolved its brand and turned digital marketing into a dominant force in the ServiceNow space – leading to 40 percent year-over-year growth for four consecutive years – is an object lesson that is worth studying for any B2B leader.
Lead Conversion Lacking? Try Advancing Performance Marketing
Mon, Jan 24, 2022 — Though the past two years will be remembered by most for the impact that COVID had on our lives and livelihoods, most marketers will look back on this time as the era of the “Digital Lead Spigot.” Forced into quarantine at a moment’s notice and anxious to keep their products and services in the consciousness, most businesses – ready or not – twisted the valves on their digital taps and let information flow into and out of their organizations. In fact, one survey found that nearly two-thirds of companies felt forced into accelerating their digital transformation as a result of COVID-19.
Applying “Growth Gears” to Your Personal Brand
Tue, Sep 7, 2021 — “Hi – I’m Don Lee. I help companies build growth engines.” After reading those first two sentences, are you intrigued? Do you want to know more about me? Do you wonder what a “growth engine” is, and how I help to build them? If so – and I hope you do – you are getting a sense of how powerful a personal brand can be in marketing yourself – not necessarily as a tangible commodity, but an intangible resource that can be of value to you, the customer.
Winning the Job Seeker Sweepstakes: Use Marketing Strategies to Attract and Retain Employees
Thu, Jul 15, 2021 — There’s a new battle being waged today – one that is not being fought with elbows, firearms, or words. Instead, it’s a battle over human resources – an all-out war to attract employees, in one of the most robust “seller’s” markets we’ve experienced in our professional lifetimes. The implements being used in this skirmish – hiring bonuses, perks, and ever-swelling salaries.
B2G: Three Reasons Why Marketing to Government Can be a Win-Win Proposition
Wed, Jun 16, 2021 — The days of the $1,300 toilet seat and the $800 screwdriver are long over. Today, government procurement is an intricate process that ensures government agencies have the tools, resources, products, and services they need to serve their constituents, and that providers are offering the best combination of price and quality.
Why Innovate? How SMB Product Companies Grow
Thu, Jun 10, 2021 — Part 4: Business Case – The Second Phase Gate By Ahmet Abaci and Beth Somplatsky-Martori As we prepare to discuss the second phase gate needed to validate your new product idea – the business case – first, a juicy story. You may remember a while back hearing of a new company that was going to revolutionize the process of delivering freshly squeezed fruit and vegetable juices to the masses. Named Juicero, the product hinged on a Keurig-like drink machine that would turn bespoke packets of fresh ingredients into the kind of juice you’d get from an extractor – without the mess and the need to raid the local farmer’s market.
Transform Marketing into a Growth Engine – A Roadmap for Industrials
Wed, Jun 9, 2021 — Questions every CEO should be asking their Marketing team Even in our enlightened times, industrial manufacturing CEOs still struggle to define the appropriate role for marketing in the go-to-market paradigm. Many industrial manufacturers, spanning start-ups to Fortune 500 manufacturers, still make the mistake today of marginalizing marketers into a role of pretty pictures, parties, and promotions.