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AI Isn’t a Replacement—It’s an Accelerator: How SMBs Can Use AI to Elevate Human Performance Across the Organization, Part 2
AI as an Executive and Organizational Force Multiplier
In Part 1, we explored how AI streamlines execution in outward-facing functions like marketing, sales, and customer service. Now it’s time to turn inward. In this second half, we’ll examine how AI empowers internal operations, drives better financial strategy, and helps executive leaders see farther and act faster—without sacrificing the human qualities that make a business thrive.
The Revenue-Ready Marketing Playbook, Part 3: How Marketing Can Deliver Predictable Outcomes
Fri, May 2, 2025 — This is Part 3 of the Revenue-Ready Marketing Playbook, a 4-part series for mid-market CEOs who want marketing to move the needle. In many boardrooms, the prevailing sentiment is "Marketing is a black box - effective in parts, but it's unclear which parts." That kind of uncertainty is surprisingly common. For many growth-stage businesses, marketing still feels like a gamble. You spend, you hope, you wonder if it worked.
The Revenue-Ready Marketing Playbook, Part 2: In a Noisy Market, Make Clarity Your Competitive Edge
Tue, Apr 22, 2025 — This is Part 2 of the Revenue-Ready Marketing Playbook, a 4-part series for mid-market CEOs who want marketing to move the needle. A CEO once said to me, “We know our product delivers real value. Our customers are happy. But when we show up in the market, it feels like we’re saying the same thing as everyone else.” That stuck with me, not just because it was honest, but because it’s common. In crowded markets, sounding the same is the fastest way to become invisible. Buyers tune out. Sales cycles drag. Margins shrink. And despite how strong your actual offering is, you keep getting boxed in as “just another option.”
The Revenue-Ready Marketing Playbook: Why Your Brand Is Your Most Powerful Compounding Asset
Tue, Apr 22, 2025 — This is Part 1 of the Revenue-Ready Marketing Playbook, a 4-part series for mid-market CEOs who want marketing to move the needle. Each chapter explores how to turn brand, positioning, operations, and customer experience into engines for measurable growth.
Waitflation: The Hidden Cost of Economic Paralysis
Fri, Apr 11, 2025 — The New Economic Fog We’re not in a recession. Not in a boom. Inflation isn’t gone, but it’s no longer spiking. And yet, everywhere you look—executives are hesitating. The markets are twitchy, customers are cautious, and leadership teams are frozen in Waitflation: the tense, uncertain space between reaction and resolution.
A Different Perspective on Marginal Cost Pricing
Fri, Mar 7, 2025 — I pulled up behind a Prius at a red light. A sticker on its left rear bumper, in type too small to read unless you were within a car length or two, said: “Sorry for driving so close in front of you.” A different point of view on the tailgaters that clearly bug that vehicle owner!
The Power of the SKO (Sales Kickoff Meeting)
Thu, Feb 20, 2025 — It's that time of year again! A Sales Kickoff (SKO) meeting is a cornerstone for energizing your sales team and aligning them with your company's goals. It sets the tone for the year, fosters collaboration, and provides valuable insights to empower your team to succeed.
The Hidden Costs of Overwhelmed Sales Teams
Fri, Feb 7, 2025 — An alarming insight from Gartner: Overwhelmed sellers are 45% less likely to hit their quota. The culprit? Too many required skills and tech tools meant to "help." Overwhelming sales teams with non-sales tasks and excessive technology can significantly impact performance and profitability. Salespeople burdened with administrative duties and complex tools have less time for core selling activities, leading to decreased sales performance and lower conversion rates.
A CEO’s Guide to Marketing Performance | Measuring Performance (and Underperformance)
Thu, Feb 6, 2025 — Part 3 of A CEO's Guide to Marketing Performance In the marketing world, performance is the difference maker - not experience, expertise, effort, or endurance, just results. This article is about how to address underperformance in the three major measurement components (Market Presence, Brand Strength, and Pipeline Health), and six key performance indicators (reach, share, engagement, loyalty, pipeline, and progression).
Unlocking Business Growth: The Power of USP, Value Proposition, and Positioning
Wed, Jan 15, 2025 — As a CEO, you understand that growth depends on effectively communicating the value of your products and services to your customers. However, our language and strategies to convey that value can often get muddled. That’s where understanding key concepts like Unique Selling Proposition (USP), Value Proposition, and Positioning becomes crucial to driving brand differentiation and customer loyalty. In this post, I’ll break down the differences between these terms and explain how they contribute to the growth of your business.