.png?width=1500&height=398&name=CO_Corporate%20Logo%202021_4C_HOR_FNL-1%20(1).png)
The Chief Outsider
.svg)
Recent Posts
Go-To-Market Cultural Alignment: The Invisible Variable in U.S. Expansion
Many companies that find success outside the United States have one thing in common: the need to succeed in the U.S. market.
That is not complicated or surprising. The United States is the largest economy in the world and, in many categories, the single biggest available market. World Bank data clearly shows the scale of the U.S. economy relative to most global markets. For companies in high-tech, scientific, medical, industrial, and systems integration sectors, the U.S. is not just attractive. It is strategic.
Company leaders want to grow. The U.S. is where they look. They are not wrong.
The Shocking Cost of a Bland First Impression
Wed, Jul 22, 2015 — The Tale of the Flavorless Wonton Soup, or Brand Strategy gone South When we first moved into our peaceful cul-de-sac home somewhere in suburban Seattle, my family and I were pleased to note the existence of a Chinese restaurant, on the corner of a street just two blocks away. Disappointingly, our first trip to this establishment was, in a word – awful. If Yelp! had existed a dozen years ago, my review would have read something like this:
Content Marketing: How to Cut Through the Noise
Thu, Jul 9, 2015 — Almost any marketing discussion these days will turn at some point to content marketing. Its fans will say it’s the next big thing, and its detractors will demand to see the return on investment. Both views are valid, so where does that leave a CEO wondering how to proceed? The answer depends on your company, its goals, and its willingness to think differently. Done right, content marketing leads to the development of valuable and relevant written and video content that attracts targeted audiences and inspires an action from those audiences. Does that mean it can close a big deal? Probably not. That’s what people are for, and they should remain at the center of that process.
Creating An “Authentic” Customer Relationship (Part 1): Three Macrotrends To Understand Right Now
Tue, Jun 30, 2015 — There’s a “Holy Grail” that the best marketers rarely mention out loud, but represents the ultimate victory in the loyalty game – keeping a customer or guest until they pass on to the great beyond. In reality, having a “customer for life” has become a concept that few can truly visualize anymore. The effect of protracted worldwide recessions, the arrival of finicky Baby Boomers and restless millennials on the scene, and the effectiveness of technology in leveling the marketplace, have threatened the existence of the concept – for those who are unwilling to make significant changes to match the cadence of today’s consumer.
Did you test your landing page before you took off?
Sat, Jun 6, 2015 — If more than 50% of your new visitors land on your homepage, you might have a problem… When people “walk in the door” of your website, what are you serving them? Have you thought about your first impression beyond the colors and design of your website?
What Digital Marketing Managers Can Learn From the Slow Food Movement
Thu, Apr 23, 2015 — The Need for an Organic Marketing Strategy Pay-Per-Click (PPC), sponsored content, and paid links have become the McDonald’s of modern marketing. With these methods, marketers hope to get traffic and, with luck, conversions, as quickly as possible and with as little effort as possible. It’s as if digital marketing had a drive-through window.
How Predictive Fitness Analytics Can Better Health & Wellness Programs
Thu, Mar 26, 2015 — Technology is changing Predictive Fitness Analytics Technology has made it possible for billions of consumers to shrink the world down to bite-sized, accessible chunks of data. But the growing popularity of health and wellness programs, predictive fitness analytics, and wearable devices is motivating users to focus not only on the world around, but the world inside as well.
Key Marketing Metrics for Revenue and Profit Growth
Fri, Mar 13, 2015 — Marketing metrics are at the essence of any business program. Key marketing metrics indicate the heights to which revenues will soar or the depths to which fortunes will plummet—as a result of your strategic business efforts.
How to Use Predictive Analytics & Lead Scoring to Supercharge Your Sales Funnel
Thu, Feb 5, 2015 — It's time to add predictive analytics and lead scoring to your sales strategy tool belt. As I have discussed in my previous articles, digital marketing tools and technologies are transforming the way businesses connect with prospective and existing customers. Adoption of these technologies is key to maintaining and gaining competitive advantage.
Random Acts of Marketing…Bad for Business
Tue, Feb 3, 2015 — Does your company practice what is sometimes called the “Hope Method” of marketing? That is when you hope you will get new clients, hope people will refer you and hope sales will increase. Most often I see business owners and CEOs practice what I call the “Random Acts of Marketing” method. In executive meetings, the management team laments that the sales team is not meeting expectations. Suddenly the table is filled with marketing experts who begin chanting a litany of marketing ideas (although all too often there isn’t anyone with real marketing expertise in the room). We need a new brochure. Our branding is killing us. The website is tired. Let’s run some advertisements. We need to do social media. Let’s run a sale. We need to do more trade shows. Let’s do some press releases and get an article about us in a trade publication. Then after earnest debate, someone in marketing (or someone posing as marketing) is tasked with one or two of these programs. Voila! You have just witnessed the birth of random acts of marketing. Given that these tactics are born of pain rather than an integrated strategic marketing plan with measurements, they rarely yield profitable outcomes. When CEOs approach me as a CMO consultant, they often tell me they have tried everything to grow their business (and they probably have) but are not seeing the results they expected. They want to know if “I should do more” of whatever the tactic du jour happens to be for them. Being the pragmatist that I am, I usually ask them a series of questions: