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Outsider Insights | From Hustle to System: Why More CEOs Are Rebuilding Their Sales Function
Outsider Insights
Across Chief Outsiders, we talk to hundreds of CEOs every month. In this new series, we explore the trends and challenges we’re hearing from these discussions – and what you can do if you’re facing the same issues in your business.
How to Eat an Elephant One Bite at a Time: Working Successfully with Your True Marketing Capacity
Wed, Jun 22, 2016 — It’s not the prettiest analogy ever written in marketing – but the American vulture is truly a great example of a creature that has perfected the art of “biting off one piece at a time.” Whether it’s a roadside meal here in my hometown of Richmond, or a massive, expired elephant in the African Serengeti, there’s only one surefire way for the big bird to eat its dinner – one patient, calculated bite at a time. Do you take the same approach to marketing your B2B business – or do you dive into an expansive, expensive marketing strategy like a man-eating piranha? Sure, you’re enthused about your brand and its new product – but have you truly invested the time to ensure that your customers will enjoy it, too?
Pick a Strategic Direction: What Alice in Wonderland and the Cheshire Cat Can Teach CEOs about Growing Their Business
Tue, Jun 21, 2016 — In the whimsical world of Lewis Carroll’s famous tale Alice in Wonderland, the author paints mind-bending pictures of some of the most pressing questions in modern society. Though many regard this classic as merely a children’s story, every modern CEO can appreciate several scenes woven through the book that can be applied, succinctly and directly, to the challenges of today’s global business environment.
Are You Marketing An Organism Or An Ecosystem?
Wed, Jun 1, 2016 — People like to use metaphors. When we are trying to explain something, describe a situation, or develop an idea, we often compare the subject at hand to another thing that the listener may already know. Marketers use metaphors in many situations to reduce the amount of time and effort it takes to grasp a concept or an idea behind a product. Terms like bandwidth, information highway, the cloud, data mining, and even internet and web are all attempts to transfer what we know about one thing to something inherently dissimilar – the definition of metaphor.
Sync Your B2B Sales and Marketing Strategies
Fri, May 13, 2016 — Once upon a time, many businesses thought of sales and marketing in a very black-and-white world–where salespeople were salespeople – and marketers were marketers. In this world, the customer’s journey (and, therefore, how you acquire customers) was well-defined and linear. The marketer built marketing plans to entice and interest the prospect, supported by ads, events, collateral pieces, and customer experiences. Once a prospect read the pamphlet, walked up to a snazzy-looking booth, or happened across an ad, the charismatic, bright-eyed salesperson would swoop in, perform deal-making magic, and put a lid on the transaction.
The Marketing Power of Three
Tue, May 10, 2016 — Variety may be the spice of life, but having too many choices turns people away. Our brains have evolved so that we perceive three main things about options presented to us, and the rest gets chucked aside. Give us only two choices, we feel torn. Give us four, we’re confused. Give us three, we pick one easily. Curious, isn't it? When we write about things, talk about things, look at things, we instinctively seek out three options. It's pleasant, this power of three. We don't feel forced to choose between two things and it doesn't feel overwhelming. It feels just right.
The Buying Process Has Changed: How Well Has Your Marketing Adapted?
Sun, Dec 8, 2013 —
Big Data – More Transformational Than the Gutenberg Printing Press?
Sat, Nov 16, 2013 — Last month I visited the Gutenberg Museum in Mainz, Germany. Until this visit, I had not fully considered the impact the invention of the printing press had on the dissemination of knowledge and in enabling democracy. Prior to Gutenberg’s invention, the transfer of recorded information was reliant on scribes copying information by hand from one book to the next. After the printing press, multiple copies of a document could be created, increasing the dispersion of knowledge and lowering its acquisition cost. More information, lower cost.
Start Using Market Research Strategies to Drive Your Company’s Growth
Sat, Aug 24, 2013 — Market Research Strategies: Getting to Your Company to The Next Level Quite often these days, especially evident in mid-market businesses, I come across CEOs, who have been very successful at building their company’s revenues but are now are challenged with reaching the next level. Sales may have slowed down; the low hanging fruit picked; or competitors are upping their game. They may also have been successful in using their technology and expertise in one market, but totally misread another. Whatever the issues are; in order to flourish, every company should consider integrating market research strategies into their growth plan to keep a pulse on their market and its dynamics and to capitalize on market opportunities. Growing through market research strategies can include new products and services, new pricing plans, new positioning, new market segments, changes in business models, or new channels of distribution. Each of these should be evaluated, researched and integrated into your growth strategy and ultimately into your business, product development, and tactical go-to-market plans.
Don’t Let Your Business Journey Become “The Ride From Hell”
Sun, Aug 18, 2013 — My wife and I recently took a trip to Virginia to help my daughter look for an apartment as she is moving from New Jersey for her first post-college job. We were lucky enough to find a nice place in a good neighborhood where she and a friend from college will live in their first “grown-up” apartment. This made all of us very happy and certainly helped relieve some parental anxiety. Our task finished, we headed back to NJ at around 1pm on Sunday, and that’s when it happened. Our pleasant weekend was hijacked by one of the worst road trips I’ve ever taken, as no matter which way we went, we ran into traffic tie-ups and delays. We finally pulled up the driveway around 9 pm both aggravated and exhausted. Once I had a chance to relax and catch my breath, I got to thinking of ways to equate the ride to lessons I can use in my business life and work with growth-oriented midmarket companies.