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Are You Building a Business That's Ready to Scale - or Just a Business That Has Had Great Growth?
There is a version of business success that feels like momentum but isn't quite there yet.
Do CMOs Really Matter? Harvard Business Review Says Yes!
Thu, Oct 29, 2015 — The October 2015 issue of Harvard Business Review contains an interesting article that discusses the value that Chief Marketing Officer bring to organizations, Do CMOs Really Matter? The business press and academic studies have questioned the value of having a marketing person as a member of the executive team over the past few decades. As you can imagine, the answers have varied. 66% of CMOs recently surveyed indicated they are continually under pressure to demonstrate the value of marketing.
Why You Should Stop Your PPC Ads Now
Wed, Oct 28, 2015 — A Call to Return to Marketing Basics—for the Good of the Consumer and Lead Gen When I’m interviewing a talented applicant for a marketing position, I’m not only interested in their qualifications and experience, but the value they can add to my company, how creative they are in generating solutions and new ideas and -- just as important -- their knowledge of, or at least their desire to, understand my company’s customers.
Rebooting Your Marketing Strategy to Meet B2B Buyer Expectations
Wed, Oct 21, 2015 — Before the digital marketing boom, sales teams were the hunter-gatherers – the ones that had to go into the forest and slay or harvest what our company would subsist upon. In those days, the typical B2B marketer was asked to sharpen the arrows, restring the bows – and hope that our prep work was good enough to ensure an acceptable bounty. When the sales team shouldered 100 percent of the prospective buyer’s journey, it was up to us to ensure the prospect knew about your company, could call or visit the office for more information, and were loaded down with a highly polished set of sales materials (and telephone script) that hooked them on the notion that yes, we are the definitive answer to their problem.
Hiring the Right Marketing Consultant: A Quick Guide
Tue, Oct 20, 2015 — Different Kind of Hiring Hiring a marketing consultant is not exactly like hiring an employee. Here’s why: A consultant should bring value more quickly to your company The problem you are trying to solve is likely finite, not on-going You should expect a consultant’s fees to be disproportionate to a salary So in a nutshell, you should be on the lookout for a firm with an individual who has the experience and track record to quickly add value, and expect this impact will come at a premium as compared to hiring an employee.
Are You Eating Your Own Dog Food?
Fri, Aug 21, 2015 — How An Old Microsoft Corollary Holds New Significance For Today’s Digital Marketer When I helped control Bill’s “Gates” many moons ago, as a marketing executive for Microsoft, there was an old nugget of wisdom that I believe offers new relevance for today’s digital marketer. To ensure the quality of its products – particularly in the “go-go” days of the 1980s, when Microsoft was relatively unchallenged in the marketplace for PC software – executives and employees alike were told to “eat their own dog food.”
Why You Should Spend More Time Evaluating Your Pricing
Thu, Aug 13, 2015 — In the end, there are three avenues to increasing your profit margins: cost, sales volume and price. In our experience, companies tend to focus on the first two, costs and sales, at the expense of the third, price. There are good reasons for this: any company that is competitive over the long term is very good at managing costs, continually measuring and reducing costs over time, and they have invested in elaborate processes and technologies just to stay in the game. Similarly, companies know their sales histories and are comfortable forecasting sales revenue, with a fair degree of precision, with mathematical models that have withstood the test of time.
Nine Reasons – Plus One -- To Hire an “Executive-as-a-Service”
Tue, Aug 11, 2015 — In my previous blog, I identified some of signs of “Business Malaise” that could signal a growing disconnect between the business vision and the company’s growth goals. And as noted, when you consider the competitive pressures wrought by the hyper-charged business universe, early indicators of corporate distress are best addressed sooner than later. Many small and mid-sized companies face this situation – desperately in need of skilled marketing expertise – but believing that they lack the resources to procure it. That is why I am devoting this post to explore a new option – the Marketing Executive-as-a-Service.
What Giraffes can Teach You about Building a Strategic Growth Plan
Thu, Jul 23, 2015 — A funny thing happened as animal beings evolved over the past several billion years – one such beast was bestowed with the ability to get a bird’s eye view of all it surveyed – while staying firmly planted on the ground. The giraffe can grow up to 18 feet high, with nearly half of that height accounted for with a neck and head. The giraffe, rightfully so, is often chosen symbolize taking in the big picture, communication and gracefulness. This, my friends, is why you will understand when I say you need to roadmap like a GIRAFFE – visualizing your organization from a broad view before fabricating the details of its long-term strategic direction.
Your 2020 Vision Is Now A Five-Year Plan
Wed, Jun 24, 2015 — For those who have been disciples of futurist Arthur C. Clarke, it’s quaint to look back at his prescient interviews of a half-century ago, and try to imagine how he could possibly pinpoint conventions like the internet, instant messaging and even the way we as a society would interact. Even just two decades ago, the year 2020 still seemed a destination so distant, that it was difficult for many to bring into focus a realistic vision of what it could be. But author John Kotter, in his 1996 book, Leading Change, said, “The rate of change is not going to slow down anytime soon. If anything, competition in most industries will probably speed up even more in the next few decades."