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From Market Competitor to Trusted Advisor: Leveraging Research to Dominate Your ABM Strategy
My previous article explored how research-based thought leadership transforms prospect relationships in ABM programs. Now, let's tackle the practical framework: How do you build and implement research-driven ABM to elevate yourself from being seen as just another market competitor to becoming an indispensable trusted advisor?
The Revenue-Ready Marketing Playbook, Part 4: How a Shared Playbook Across Sales and Marketing Unlocks Value
Fri, May 2, 2025 — This is Part 4 of the Revenue-Ready Marketing Playbook, a 4-part series for mid-market CEOs who want marketing to move the needle. You’ve got a sharp Marketing team. An experienced Sales leader. Solid product-market fit. And yet, the customer experience feels disjointed. Campaigns generate leads that go quiet after handoff. Sales calls start from scratch, even when prospects have engaged with marketing content. Messaging shifts between touchpoints and the onboarding experience doesn’t match what was sold.
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.
What Marketing and Sales Executives Can Learn from Each Other
Fri, Mar 28, 2025 — In too many organizations, marketing and sales operate in silos—sometimes friendly, sometimes not. But in today’s fast-moving business landscape, the best-performing companies know that the relationship between all revenue functions – typically the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) and Chief Sales Officer (CSO) - is not just important. It’s mission-critical.
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.
Is Your 2025 Sales Strategy Built to Adapt?
Tue, Jan 7, 2025 — In today's changing business environment, agility isn't just an advantage—it's essential for survival. According to McKinsey's 2023 B2B Sales Pulse Survey, 71% of sales leaders say market unpredictability is their biggest challenge, and 65% report struggling to adapt their plans quickly enough to keep pace with change. Yet 65% of sales leaders report they can't adapt their plans fast enough to keep pace with rapid change.
Unifying Revenue Teams: How a Fractional CRO Drives Cross-Functional Success
Tue, Dec 17, 2024 — For mid-market CEOs navigating growth, aligning sales, marketing, and customer success can feel like herding cats. As these teams expand, they often develop siloed processes that hinder efficiency and impact the bottom line. A fractional chief revenue officer (CRO) offers a cost-effective solution to this challenge, bringing executive-level expertise to unite revenue functions without the full-time price tag.