Growth Insights for CEOs

AI Strategy for Financial Services CEOs: Why “Good Enough” is no Longer Enough
AI in financial services has moved from lofty claims about AI's use to being at the center of the growth conversation, shaping how you compete, run, and stay trusted. Margins are under pressure as customers benchmark you against their best digital experiences, whether they are opening a checking account, redeeming loyalty points, disputing a card charge, or seeking hardship help.
Recent Posts

B2G: Three Reasons Why Marketing to Government Can be a Win-Win Proposition
Wed, Jun 16, 2021 — The days of the $1,300 toilet seat and the $800 screwdriver are long over. Today, government procurement is an intricate process that ensures government agencies have the tools, resources, products, and services they need to serve their constituents, and that providers are offering the best combination of price and quality.

Marketing with Impact: Four Goldmine Strategies
Fri, May 21, 2021 — Of all the ways to make money, panning for gold is probably among the most difficult. But what if I were to give you all the panning equipment and a map indicating exactly where the gilded stash is buried? A little easier now, right? Today, I’m here to deliver the precious metals – a goldmine of marketing strategies that, if followed, may not result in gilded nuggets, but instead more customers, more revenue, and a golden future.
US Markets are Recovering – Are you ready?
Tue, May 11, 2021 — Source: ITR Economic Trends Report, March 2021 According to the latest trend forecast from ITR Economics, the US economy is demonstrating its resilience, markets are recovering and, even though supply disruption and many hiccups will likely continue, companies in most industries can now become more focused on growing vs simply surviving. CEOs have a range of choices depending on industry growth rate, cash flow and ability to ramp up the commercial engine:
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Positioning for Explosive Growth: A CEO’s Guide To Enthusiastic Leadership - Part Five
Mon, Mar 29, 2021 — Hiring Talent and Setting Them Free It is highly unlikely that the New England Patriots of the NFL would have won so many championships if they kept quarterback Tom Brady on the bench. The NBA’s Chicago Bulls would likely have been a perennial loser if Air Jordan was grounded on the sidelines. Fortunately for these players and their fans, rather than being threatened by their greatness, their coaches put their own egos aside, embraced their excellence, and got out of their way.

Positioning for Explosive Growth: A CEO’s Guide To Enthusiastic Leadership - Part Six
Mon, Mar 22, 2021 — Creating Like No Other There’s no body part more popular these days than the human eyeball. Marketers invest millions of dollars in a competition for its attention; technology companies plunk down billions in development costs to wow it with the latest devices and apps; and content creators seek to create visually appealing potions with just the right amount of sizzle to keep it pointed in their direction. This never-ending bid for eyeball-inducing superiority has created a crowded, cacophonous landscape unlike anything we’ve ever seen. For businesses, we must find a way to elbow and muscle aside competitive interests and earn an interested gaze that could, with a little luck, lead to buying behavior.

Positioning for Explosive Growth: A CEO’s Guide To Enthusiastic Leadership - Part Seven
Mon, Mar 15, 2021 — Measure, Measure, Measure There are many things in our life that would fall flat if we opted not to use measurements: Everything from home construction to a load of laundry would be a bit off kilter if not for the rulers, cups, and spoons that allow us to be precise with our intentions. Strange that for several generations, then, that in the advertising and marketing arena, the only measurement used was in dollars and cents. Along the way, there would be creative campaigns, print ads, billboards, and radio commercials, with no means to really measure whether they were hitting the mark.

Positioning for Explosive Growth: A CEO’s Guide To Enthusiastic Leadership - Part Eight
Thu, Mar 4, 2021 — Celebrating Success At a time when it seems that employee pay has been increasingly in the spotlight, there lies an interesting conundrum that might be just as shocking as it is contrarian. Money, it turns out, for today’s employee, isn’t everything. Though our present-day landscape is dotted with discussions about a K-shaped economic recovery from COVID-19, and the push for a $15 federally mandated minimum wage, it just so happens that there’s a lot more that motivates today’s employees besides the bi-weekly take-home check.

Focusing Your Sales Force During an Economic Downturn
Thu, Oct 1, 2020 — By Aurora Toth and Ann Anderson During times of business volatility, companies are forced to make quick decisions about how to deploy their resources – financial and human. While we acknowledge that Sales is an expensive function within an organization – it is a critical one. Times of crisis provide an opportunity to look at how the salesforce is deployed, where it creates the largest impact, areas you may be missing and how to either refine or completely redesign Sales to achieve your business objectives. My colleague, Ann Anderson is the founder at Retail Partner Solutions. Ann has spent 25+ years partnering with America’s largest retailers such as Target, Walmart, Walgreens, Barnes & Noble, Sam’s Club, Costco and more to help CPG brands thrive in-store and on store shelves.

Why Now is a Great Time to Build Customer Loyalty – A Guide for CEOs of Mid-Sized Companies
Thu, Sep 24, 2020 — Companies should always be concerned about loyalty and growing the value of existing customers. But now, perhaps more than ever before, as we navigate through the disruption of the pandemic and the resulting economic volatility, reactivating existing customer relationships is a critical path to restoring revenue. I spoke recently with Tres Tronvold, a strategist and customer loyalty expert. Tres states that at a macro level there are three broad things companies should think about when it comes to reactivating their customers -- Safety, Creating Occasions and Driving Sales.