.png?width=1500&height=398&name=CO_Corporate%20Logo%202021_4C_HOR_FNL-1%20(1).png)
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.
The Importance of a Functional C-Suite in Challenging Economic Times
Tue, Oct 17, 2023 — I chuckled when I saw that memorable gummy bear commercial, featuring a board room filled with adult executives talking like toddlers about the chewy treats. Though achieving consensus-by-gummy-bear may work on television, we should be smart enough to know that the last place for petulant, child-like behavior is the C-suite. Yet I have seen my share of “Executive-Level Dysfunction” (ELD) in my years as a sales and marketing executive, and the results are predictable: Quagmires. Uneven results. Power struggles. And a tendency to retreat into separate corners, with the business hanging in the balance.
Why You Can’t Afford to Cut Your Marketing Investment for 2024
Wed, Oct 11, 2023 — Article 1 of the 7-part series: Accelerating Growth In 2024 with Strategic Business Planning By: Scott Wright and Jack Bowen In an era dominated by rapid change and economic unpredictability, businesses often find themselves at the crossroads of making challenging decisions, especially when it comes to budgeting. One of the areas often eyed for potential cuts is marketing. But is this a wise move?
Accelerating Growth In 2024 with Strategic Business Planning
Tue, Oct 3, 2023 — Introduction: Take Action Now to Plan for Success By: Scott Wright and Jack Bowen Temperatures are dropping, leaves are changing colors, and you can almost hear the sounds of the crowd cheering at the high school homecoming game. With these and other harbingers of the calendar’s fourth quarter, you’re likely about to sharpen your pencil, corral your executive leadership – and engage in your strategic business planning process for 2024.
Your Business Needs a Secret Sauce: Enter the 3 Uniques™
Tue, Sep 12, 2023 — Today, we’re going to whip up a secret sauce. Now, I can’t promise that this tasty combination will result in your anointment as a Kitchen Hero or the envy of Gordon Ramsay. But when basted upon your business, your clandestine condiment could unlock the kind of business success that will have your competitors salivating and your customers asking for seconds.
AI Trends for the Progressive CEO: Navigating the Transformative Landscape
Wed, Sep 6, 2023 — By: Ed Valdez and Angus Robertson It’s hard to think of another digital trend that has shaken the foundations of conventional wisdom as AI has. Though artificial intelligence has existed in some form since the 1950s, it has taken the emergence – and the related spinal shivers – of Open AI’s ChatGPT product to truly advance the conversation.
Why CEOs at Mid-Size Firms Must Embrace Tech to Compete
Tue, Aug 22, 2023 — When you think about the tech you use in your business today, does this sound familiar: endless spreadsheets, confusing email chains, clunky legacy systems? Many times this happens because of concerns about the cost and complexity of trying new approaches.
Branding & Growth - Why They are Inseparable
Mon, Jul 31, 2023 — Your company’s brand equals your market position and value proposition. It’s your entire strategy in a single package that is as important to your customers as it is to your long-term success.
Winter is Coming: How Economically Healthy Are You?
Tue, Jul 18, 2023 — If you are a fan of the hit show “Game of Thrones,” you’ll appreciate where I’m coming from: The ominous pronouncement, "Winter is Coming," always managed to capture my attention since I could see through the fictional seasonal meaning it foretold and apply it to events in everyday life. The first time I heard those words, I couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding. But as time went on, winter never actually arrived in Westeros. A similar mindset has taken hold in the U.S. business world, where we have been hearing for the past two years that we are in a recession -- when in reality, we are not and have not been.
You Might Hit Two
Mon, Jul 17, 2023 — This post is briefer than my usual, with two quick topics vs. one longer theme. 1. Aim “There’s this thing in quail hunting… if a dozen jump and you shoot at the flock, you don’t hit [diddly squat]." “But if you pick a quail, you might hit two.” Hunting expert Steven Rinella Quoted in the Wall Street Journal, 11/28/20