Growth Insights for CEOs
Bob Sherlock
Recent Posts

Outsider Insights | You Can't Measure AI ROI If You Can't Measure Marketing ROI
Executive Takeaways
- Most mid-market companies lack the measurement foundation to evaluate AI — or any marketing investment.
- Hours saved, speed to market, and revenue realized are the three key AI ROI markers — baseline required.
- AI amplifies what's working. If measurement is broken, AI won't fix it.
- Real results start with a defined problem and a way to measure it — not the tool.
Outsider Insights
Across Chief Outsiders, we talk to hundreds of CEOs every month. In this 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.
Recent Posts

Sold, not Bought: The Marketing of Unfamiliar Solutions
Mon, Nov 20, 2017 — Several years ago I met Davis, an executive in Ohio, who segmented his product lines into “Bought, not Sold” and “Sold, not Bought.” “Bought” products, he said, were familiar to prospective buyers. They had self-diagnosed what they needed and self-prescribed a product solution for that need. Often, they’d previously purchased a product in the category. By contrast, a “Sold” product presented an unfamiliar solution—so the prospect couldn’t self-prescribe, and may not have self-diagnosed. In fact, their need could be latent and wouldn’t be recognized without prompting.