.png?width=1500&height=398&name=CO_Corporate%20Logo%202021_4C_HOR_FNL-1%20(1).png)
Go-To-Market Cultural Alignment: The Invisible Variable in U.S. Expansion
Many companies that find success outside the United States have one thing in common: the need to succeed in the U.S. market.
That is not complicated or surprising. The United States is the largest economy in the world and, in many categories, the single biggest available market. World Bank data clearly shows the scale of the U.S. economy relative to most global markets. For companies in high-tech, scientific, medical, industrial, and systems integration sectors, the U.S. is not just attractive. It is strategic.
Company leaders want to grow. The U.S. is where they look. They are not wrong.
How Customer Advocacy Fuels Growth
Wed, Apr 10, 2019 — Regardless of industry or the size of your business, growth is getting more difficult. Today, you need to have an exceptional sales team. You also need to have an exceptional marketing team. But sales and marketing alone aren't enough to sustain growth. The cost of customer acquisition continues to increase and businesses can no longer rely on annual contracts to lock customers in. Over the past year there has been much discussion about the retirement of the marketing and sales “funnel”, which we all have grown to love and the emergence of what HubSpot is calling the “flywheel”.
Is Strategy Development a Losing Game? Three Ways CEOs can Boost Their Odds
Tue, Apr 9, 2019 — If the goal of strategy development is to achieve profit growth, statistically speaking, most companies fail at it. Books like Strategy Beyond the Hockey Stick by McKinsey’s Bradley, Hirt, and Smit, as well as whitepapers from the Corporate Strategy Board, point to the exceedingly low odds – one in 10 -- of driving profitable growth, based on an in-depth analysis of thousands of companies. At the core of this conundrum is a coherent organizational culture, which still remains elusive decades after Peter Drucker famously said: “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” Certainly, we all have been in executive strategy presentations when an intellectual, fact-based debate about strategic choices devolves into chaos – derailed at the hands of human biases and social dynamics.
Manufacturers, Would a Marketing First Responder Help You Resuscitate Growth?
Fri, Apr 5, 2019 — Manufacturing CEO, are you frustrated and concerned because your company is not growing? And what has gotten you here is no longer working and you’re not sure what to do? Until recently your growth has come via customer referrals, word of mouth and sales generated leads. But sales is no longer producing enough new leads or revenue and competition is threatening. Marketing is tactical at best and more random than integrated and aligned. What if you could call in an expert who could quickly assess the problem, identify and prioritize growth opportunities, develop and implement a plan to restore healthy growth and train the management team to carry on? Marketing triage-stop the bleeding, find the low hanging fruit and build ongoing insights, strategies and capabilities.
What CEOs Should Look for in a B2B Manufacturing CMO
Wed, Apr 3, 2019 — In 25 years of marketing, I heard from industrial manufacturing teams—whether it’s a salesperson, business manager or CEO—that marketing is just for B2C. Industrial B2B businesses need nothing more than sales tools and support. So, it’s no surprise that many industrial businesses think that strategic marketing leaders only apply in B2C businesses—so they have not yet considered what strategic marketing can and should do for company growth. And they may not know what skills to look for when it comes time to hire a CMO or marketing manager. Are strategic marketing leaders needed in industrial environments? And, if so, what should industrial companies look for when selecting a CMO or Marketing Leader? To answer those questions, I’d like you to first consider what is similar and different between B2C and Industrial B2B Marketing.
Better Living Through AI: How Computers Will Improve the Service Experience
Wed, Mar 27, 2019 — For consumers tired of endless hold times, long-snaking lines, and difficulty getting customer service, help is on the way. The often confusing, maddening connection to some of our favorite brands and services is about to improve substantially—driven by a pair of tech-powered developments poised to move into the consumer and B2B mainstream sooner than most people think. The first is Artificial Intelligence (AI)—something that, for years, seemed to be the domain of Hollywood hype. Today, whether we know it or not, real learning software is in active use today in a wide variety of areas, ranging from cyber security to your Netflix app.
Are CFOs from Mars and CMOs from Venus?
Mon, Mar 18, 2019 — How credible and accountable is your marketing team? Many companies struggle with a significant credibility gap between the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and their marketing counterparts. And it’s usually the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) or VP of Marketing who is seen as the initiator of questionable commitments or requestor for budget with indefensible return-on-investment (ROI) assumptions. Marketing spends money, lots of it. But what is this spending actually buying the company? And who is accountable for the results and being proactive in presenting them?
Create and Activate Visioning to Inspire Your Organization
Thu, Mar 14, 2019 — Not too long ago, there was an exchange on Twitter between Tom Peters and others debating Vision vs. Excellence. Rather than thinking about this as an either/or proposition, a third path – Vision with Excellence – will create the greatest value for your organization. As stated in a Japanese proverb – “Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare.” Success requires both. Having a clear Vision of the future you want to create, taking the necessary steps to activate it and exhibiting the behaviors needed to make things happen are a powerful formula for driving growth and prosperity for your business. The following are steps that you can take to leverage visioning to drive value in your organization.
What Can CEOs Learn from the Business of Sports?
Tue, Mar 5, 2019 — In times when our world is divided, one thing tends to be a “great unifier”—the spectacle of athletic competition. Across the globe, sports inspires us, gives us hope, makes us healthier, breaks our hearts and, ultimately, brings us together. Though most fans care about how their player or team performs in the field of play, away from the field, the business of sports has been in disruption. How sports organizations are addressing these newfound challenges provides a road-map for fundamental lessons that can help a CEO in any business gain growth-oriented insights. In a series of blogs, I will lead you through the high level challenges shaking the foundation of the business of sports, and offer some frameworks and ideas to address them. My goal is to build on conversations that are already taking place—and, perhaps, start some new ones.
A Practical Guide to Using Account-Based Marketing: What Small- and Mid-Sized Business CEOs Need to Know
Thu, Feb 28, 2019 — Mark Coronna, Partner & CMO--Chief Outsiders with Tom Judge, VP Strategy--Direct Marketing Partners Account-Based Marketing, or ABM, has increasingly captured the attention of marketers in the past several years. If the concept is new to you, don’t worry, you are not too far behind the adoption curve. Small- and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) are the focus of this article for three important reasons: ABM is often misunderstood as a shiny new wonder-tech or a label for strategic selling or outbound tele-prospecting programs. We want to clear any misunderstandings up. The newest technology and best practices related to high-performing ABM programs are still trickling down to SMBs from much larger businesses which have adopted this approach. But the fundamentals of ABM are at the fingertips of most small/medium firms without expensive technology. ABM programs can be scaled to SMBs in a way that makes them both effective and affordable, and can be an integral part of your combined go-to-market and sales program.