Why you need to be a “pipe”, not a “bucket” marketer. B2B marketers seem to come in two varieties; those with a propensity to act, and those with a propensity to ponder. The former usually have a much higher output than the latter. And yes, they also make more mistakes (guilty as charged here!). On […]
I’ve watched more episodes of MTV’s Catfish than I’m proud of. I’ve seen enough to know that each episode of Catfish follows the same dramatic formula. A confused young adult, finding themselves duped by an online romance, receives assistance finding out the real identity of their fake companion. Eventually they will meet the imposter in real life […]
I write a lot about the importance of choosing the right B2B revenue model, including my most recent post, Does Your B2B Revenue Model Need an Overhaul or a Tune-up? However, while selecting the most effective way to generate revenue (at a reasonable price) is important – how you implement that revenue model is crucial. […]
In his excellent article titled, An Open Letter to CEOs, Alex Osterwalder, co-founder of @Strategyzer, reported, “A recent McKinsey study shows that 80% of your CEO peers think that their current business model is at risk. The research also shows that a mere 6% of your executives are satisfied with the innovation process in your […]
When challenged, we humans have a tendency to resort to the known and familiar path (not taking “the road less traveled”). And in the B2B arena, this can often mean figuring out a way to sell faster, harder, more aggressively, etc. This can mean upgrading sales skills, hiring more sales people, changing comp plans or […]
My team and I are often asked to comment on – or do a more formal evaluation of – a product or business concept prior to launch. This may be part of a new venture concept or a new product line in an established business. In either case, the basic question is: “Will we be […]
Rather than my usual practice of writing some in-depth content about a specific subject area, thought I would share some quick thoughts on some important subjects related to B2B marketing and sales. Sometimes there’s just too much going on for a single-topic post! Monitoring Performance A guy named John Wanamaker, who was a pioneer of […]
At the beginning of each year, my team and I publish a report on significant trends in B2B sales and marketing. This report is based on our experience with our B2B clients as well as relevant industry research. The purpose or the report is to provide information that is timely and actionable. You can read […]
eMarketing Strategy’s Ruth Stevens, one of the nation’s foremost practitioners of B2B marketing, posted the above graphic on LinkedIn. Based on our experience speaking with many B2B organizations, these results pass the smell test. My only problem with the graphic is the 45 percent who claim they are “getting there.” This group could range from companies […]
Friends and colleagues occasionally ask me if they should accept the various connection requests from social media platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. This usually leads to a lively discussion since most business people are faced with this issue on a regular basis. On one end of the continuum are those that are […]