A Practical Guide to Growth Using Contract Marketing and Finance Executive Resources
Mon, Feb 11, 2019 |
Mark Coronna, Partner & CMO--Chief Outsiders
with John Morris, Partner, and Ken Saddler, CFO, B2B CFO®
Mark Coronna, Partner & CMO--Chief Outsiders
with John Morris, Partner, and Ken Saddler, CFO, B2B CFO®
Mon, Jan 21, 2019 — CEOs come in many different flavors… sales-oriented, product-focused, operations, finance, and other disciplines. Often, where you are most comfortable, and where you dive in deep is in the area of your own prior experience. With every company I have engaged with, I see this challenge: the CEO is so involved in the business and working in their comfort zone that they can’t see the wider perspective. They’re so in the business that they’re not working on it. Growth suffers as a result. Most CEOs are not aware of the problem. They’re just completing activities, like arranging chairs on the deck of the Titanic while the ship is sinking. It’s also hard to self-diagnose. And, you’re not going to hear about it from people on the inside. So, to be clear and as helpful as possible: If your business is not at least tracking with the industry growth rate, there’s a problem, and it’s with your company. It may be time to step back and work on your business.
Wed, Jan 16, 2019 — Overcoming the most common impediment to business growth You can see it in their faces. The look of a tired or burned out entrepreneur with not enough time or resources to outrun the wave. Sound familiar? If you’re currently moving at 100 miles per hour and not accomplishing much, or you wonder if you are doing the right things, or you see lots of activity but not much in the way of results, you and your organization are probably suffering from a lack of focus. Lack of focus is the most common business problem standing in the way of growth and one of the hardest to resolve.
Tue, Jan 15, 2019 — 3 Sales Lessons from Harry Winston vs. Tiffany, Tesla vs. Mercedes Benz The latest issue of Harvard Business Review (Jan.-Feb. 2019) included one of the best Brand Identity methodologies published in the last few years: What Does Your Corporate Brand Stand For? The authors, Stephen Geyser (Professor Emeritus at Harvard Business School) and Mats Urde (Associate Professor at the Lund University School of Economics and Management) contend that developing and enhancing your corporate brand takes a concerted and lengthy effort between the executives and team leaders throughout your company. It is a far more extensive process if your team has international locations. Yet they share a systematic 9-box matrix exercise that your teams can use to examine your core brand identity along four paths: Strategy (Mission & Vision and Position) Communications (Personality and Expression) Competition (Value Propositions and Core Competencies) and Interaction (Relationships and Culture).
Fri, Dec 14, 2018 — Most CEOs are action-oriented by nature—and get certain results from “just getting it done.” Once the strategic direction is set, they are often pulled into putting out the “tactical” fires. While putting out tactical fires may give you the feeling that you’re making progress, it’s far more important to set your organization up for success by creating a cohesive, growth-oriented business strategy and marketing plan. Transforming into a modern marketing organization involves building an approach based on not only where your company currently is, but where you want it to go. With this mindset, you will realize tangible results faster and more effectively. Before you build a fully-fledged action plan, it’s critical to understand what not to do. Based on my work with a variety of B2B and B2C businesses who are looking to reenergize their growth, the six most important “don’ts” of marketing transformation are:
