Speeding Lessons
Whether you call it a recession, a depression, or an adjustment, a time of uncertainty is the time to accelerate – if you have the capital and the backbone. I understand this view may be counterintuitive, perhaps seen by some as reckless. Conventional wisdom would ask: How can you think of being aggressive at a time when deals are at risk, satisfied customers are coveted, and the market is jittery? History has shown that post-downturn winners are those who took a long view while others around them only focused inward. Take a look at this chart from Accenture. What do the winners have in...
read moreHow to Fix a Sputtering Pipeline
Following my post on Leads, Leads, Leads, I came across Keith Ferrazzi’s latest: How to Fix Your Pipeline When it Sputters. His views are simple, fundamental and completely consistent with our view of building relationships based on value. Keith was a client when he was CMO of Deloitte...
read moreLeads, Leads, Leads
This is the second post in my Balancing Act series. “Andy, Andy. I hear what you’re saying about awareness, but we need leads. Leads, leads, leads. Leads are what we need. Leads are what I want. Now, get me some leads!” Sound familiar? Can you guess who’s doing the talking? And who’s on the receiving end? This interplay between the CMO of a $100 million technology company and his CEO is one that happens far too often. If you haven’t witnessed or been a part of this kind of exchange, you probably will be. It doesn’t matter whether you’re the CMO or the CEO or even the Chief...
read moreOutside Influence
CEOs at some of the world’s leading companies are searching for new ways to break out of old ruts as they prepare for the “new normal.” Some might even say they need a sales and marketing transformation. Others just have an uneasy feeling that they’re not prepared for what’s next. No matter how you frame it though, these new opportunities raise a fundamental question: Who should you turn to when you need to make big things happen fast? The profile of likely candidates usually starts with those who have comfortable traits. You know the resume. It’s loaded with category experience,...
read moreShort-Term/Long-Term
I had a hard time deciding what to title this post. The subject was clear. This post would be about the balance between strategic positioning work and tactical activities. That is, the balance between driving enterprise value over the long run and enabling 90-day results. The word ‘balance’ is what threw me. Balance implies equality, but in a quarterly culture that favors short-term over long-term, sales and marketing activities are anything but balanced. Imbalance more accurately reflects the weighted state in which organizations operate today. The reality is that this balancing act is...
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