Growth Insights for CEOs

GEO – What it is and Why You Should Understand It
Part 2 of our four-part series exploring how AI search is transforming visibility, SEO, and digital strategy - and what CEOs need to do now to stay competitive.
| Executive Takeaways |
| GEO is about optimizing for answers within AI search engines. Ranking well doesn’t guarantee visibility anymore – AI citations are needed too. Offsite reputation and mentions are just as critical as on-page SEO. |
Recent Posts

What’s the #1 Job that Marketing Needs to Do for Your Business?
Wed, Dec 13, 2023 — I joined a group of colleagues recently to brainstorm a request from one person’s client: “Develop a catchy, differentiating idea that hooks prospects.”

How to Establish a Strategic 2024 Growth Plan and Justify Your Marketing Budget
Wed, Oct 25, 2023 — Article 3 of the 7-part series: Accelerating Growth In 2024 with Strategic Business Planning By: Scott Wright and Jack Bowen In an era characterized by rapid technological shifts, changing consumer behavior, and a volatile global economic landscape, successful businesses are those that look ahead, anticipate challenges, and seize opportunities. But when it comes to developing your own business growth strategy, are you prepared for all that 2024 will throw at your company? Or are you content on a “lather, rinse, repeat” approach to strategic business development?

Analyze Your Current Customers to Supercharge Your 2024 Annual Business Planning
Thu, Oct 19, 2023 — Article 2 of the 7-part series: Accelerating Growth In 2024 with Strategic Business Planning By: Scott Wright and Jack Bowen When we ask our clients why customers buy from them, much of the time, they either don’t know, or are completely off-base about the reason. In an uber-competitive marketplace and with so much at stake, this inability to define why people should buy your product or service can be a fatal misstep.
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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.

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