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RACI+ Joins the Race: How to Supercharge Your Sales Funnel
Wed, Sep 21, 2022 — To win at the growth game, ownership is everything – and in fact, you would agree that the leaders in the marketplace truly “own” the customer journey. But if you’re among those looking up at the market leader, it’s possible that you have a secondary ownership problem –- an inability for all your cross-functional teams to own their role in the sales funnel, which is a big part of the customer journey.
Positioning Mistake No. 365 -- Treating Prospects Better Than Existing Customers
Wed, Jun 22, 2022 — From the world of “shocking but true”: There are real, actual companies out there that are turning away revenue. Literally, they have customers shaking fistfuls of dollars in their direction and walking in the opposite direction. Before you shake your head, thinking this is blasphemy, the stark reality is this: You, too, could be guilty of the same offense.
Lead Incubation Has a New Shape: The Marketing Hourglass Has Supplanted the Sales Funnel
Tue, Jun 21, 2022 — You spend countless hours, and endless resources, to encourage your sales team to dump leads into the top of your sales funnel, with the hopes of squeezing them through the tiny orifice at the bottom. Once those precious few fall out the bottom and onto your client rolls, now what? With an overheated market, dogged competition, and an enlightened consumer that is more fickle than ever, how can you make sure all of that effort is worth it? How can you ensure that you keep what is rightfully yours?
Why CPG Managers Might Miss the ‘90s…
Tue, Jun 14, 2022 — Seasoned consumer packaged goods (CPG) executives—with more than 25 years of experience—probably think of the 1990s, or earlier, as “the good old days.” Why? Because for them, life was much simpler. There were far fewer outlets for advertising and distribution. Think about it. From an advertising standpoint, the three broadcast networks still ruled. The handful of cable channels available did not even carry ads. There were newspapers and magazines in which to advertise and place coupons. On radio, there were a handful of local stations from which to choose. Websites were nascent. And direct mail was alive and well.
Injecting the “V-FACTOR” Into Your Marketing Efforts Can Be a Game Changer
Mon, Sep 13, 2021 — If the lifeblood of any business is customer cash, then perhaps we can consider customer satisfaction the heart and soul. As a CEO, you likely are well aware of the value of a satisfied consumer. They stick around, spend more, and often become fierce advocates for your company, its products, and services.
Applying “Growth Gears” to Your Personal Brand
Tue, Sep 7, 2021 — “Hi – I’m Don Lee. I help companies build growth engines.” After reading those first two sentences, are you intrigued? Do you want to know more about me? Do you wonder what a “growth engine” is, and how I help to build them? If so – and I hope you do – you are getting a sense of how powerful a personal brand can be in marketing yourself – not necessarily as a tangible commodity, but an intangible resource that can be of value to you, the customer.
The Fractional Chief Marketer: An Insider’s View
Thu, Aug 19, 2021 — How much is just enough? When you are the CEO of a small or mid-market business, this time-honored question isn’t just a euphemism, but a way of life. Obtaining just the right amount of resources – at the right moment in the company’s maturity – can be a game changer. Enter the fractional executive – an experienced, highly-credentialed CMO-for-hire who can be plugged in for a right-sized engagement, without the expense or expectations of a full-time senior marketing executive.
Your Strategic Marketing Plan: Five Gotchas to Avoid
Mon, Jun 28, 2021 — Written by: Paul Sparrow, Area Managing Partner & CMO, and Don Lee, Partner & CEO, both of Chief Outsiders The city of Las Vegas is an interesting study in best intentions -- resplendent with people hoping that the flip of a card or the roll of the dice will produce luck-driven riches. About 150 percent of the time, our protagonists leave with empty pockets and dashed hopes. If luck is so evasive in Sin City, what makes anyone think it’s the foundation for any serious effort? Unfortunately, we see it all the time – a well-meaning entrepreneur or CEO employing instinct and a mega-watt smile, hoping to achieve Bezos-like success.
Why Innovate? How SMB Product Companies Grow
Thu, Jun 10, 2021 — Part 4: Business Case – The Second Phase Gate By Ahmet Abaci and Beth Somplatsky-Martori As we prepare to discuss the second phase gate needed to validate your new product idea – the business case – first, a juicy story. You may remember a while back hearing of a new company that was going to revolutionize the process of delivering freshly squeezed fruit and vegetable juices to the masses. Named Juicero, the product hinged on a Keurig-like drink machine that would turn bespoke packets of fresh ingredients into the kind of juice you’d get from an extractor – without the mess and the need to raid the local farmer’s market.