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From Loyalty Programs to Leadership: What 20 Years in CRM Taught Me About Organizational Growth
Loyalty programs taught many of us how to turn casual buyers into raving fans. My 20 years in CRM and loyalty for brands like Marriott, Amazon, and American Express—and leading a $3B customer platform—taught me something bigger: The same system that keeps customers coming back also keeps your best people from leaving. When growth stalls, most CEOs reach for the usual levers: more demand gen, more recruiting, more channels.
A CEO’s Guide to Marketing ROI
Wed, May 2, 2018 — The old John Wanamaker quote from 100 years ago still rings true today for many CEOs: “Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is, I don’t which half.” While we have made amazing advancements in marketing, in some circles, accountability is not among them. Are you happy with the financial documentation being provided to you on marketing effort ROI? If the answer is “no,” you share a common pain point that many CEOs we work with share with us when we first sit down with them. The good news? This is a pain point that can be addressed in a relatively quick manner -- in many instances, within 90 days. If you haven’t been given one before, a “marketing-return-on investment-roadmap” is a great way to visually gauge what you’d like to see changed within your marketing structure.
Attention CEOs: What is the Real ROI on Social Media?
Wed, May 24, 2017 — Let’s travel to an alternate universe for a moment – one in which your corporate accounting is being handled by a cashier from 7-11; in which your IT is being entrusted to your neighbor’s grandfather, who once re-wired a lamp; and one in which your sales is being handled by a guy wearing a trench coat at the top of the subway steps.
When is Return on Learning (ROL) More Important than ROI?
Thu, Feb 16, 2017 — If you completed a class on finance and accounting, you are likely familiar with Return on Investment (ROI). Are you ready to take the pop quiz on how to calculate it? No? That’s OK, it’s not my objective here or to question your degree. What I do want to do is to highlight when to use ROI, and when an even more powerful concept, Return on Learning, or ROL, can be even more appropriate.
What Does a Fractional CMO Cost?
Wed, Oct 12, 2016 — A Growing Spectrum of Fractional CMO Service Providers Ensures a Range of Fee Levels More CEOs are hiring fractional executives to bring expertise to their management teams, but are they really affordable? And how should a CEO evaluate their value and the quality of work they deliver? These are really good questions! After all, there’s a wide range of skills, seniority and experience from marketing consultants, agencies and firms that call themselves fractional or outsourced CMOs. So, as you’d expect, there’s a wide range of price points from these sources. But to get started, let’s put these into a few oversimplified categories: “Single Shingle” Marketing Consultants “Loose Confederations” of Brokered Marketing Consultants “Professionals” who are Part of a Firm Senior management from a marketing or advertising agency Partners from an “Executives-as-a-Service” firm (such as Chief Outsiders) Partners from a large consultancy (such as McKinsey & Co, Bain)
3 Ways to Justify a Chief Marketing Officer
Thu, Jun 4, 2015 — I frequently talk to chief executives about the value of a focused, well-reasoned strategic marketing plan. Invariably, during these discussions, I’m hit with the big question: “But how can we measure the ROI of our marketing efforts?” It's THE question that makes many marketers shudder, because, let's face it, what they're really asking is "can you please justify your existence, your budget, and your future with this organization?"
6 Ways Mobile Wallets Can Reshape Your Customer's Experience
Wed, Jun 12, 2013 — This blog elaborates on Richard Browne’s article in CSP Magazine entitled, 'Future-Proofing Your New Site.' The mobile wallet revolution is poised to happen over the next 12 months. Besides the major branded entrants like Square, Google, PayPal and ISIS, there are now over a hundred other mobile wallets announced or in service. The mobile wallet has the potential to reshape your business; here are six benefits that create opportunities for you to improve your customers’ experience.