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Why the CEO-Led Growth Model Breaks at Scale
Series Overview
As companies grow, GTM breakdowns rarely show up as sudden failures. They emerge as friction. Progress slows, pipelines become less predictable, and confidence in forecasts declines, even as teams work harder and act with good intent. Written from both the marketing and sales lens, this six-part series, Building a Unified GTM Operating Model, explores why scale exposes weaknesses in informal GTM systems and how an intentional operating model restores clarity, alignment, and scalable growth.
| Executive Takeaways |
| CEO-led, informal GTM models break predictably as scale introduces complexity. |
Wizard or Witch? How to Keep Your Business Ahead of the Tornado
Tue, Mar 21, 2023 — My little sister, the owner of an upscale hair salon in Georgia, called last week. Twice. No message. In our family that means a twister has touched down in the backyard, so “call me back – now.” I eventually reached my dear sis and she spat, in a Wizard-of-Oz-Lions-and-Tigers-and-Bears-Oh-My tone of voice, her concerns over the economy. The collapse of two banks. Rampant inflation.
Is ChatGPT Going to Change Search Marketing?
Tue, Mar 21, 2023 — Microsoft’s recent announcement on adding ChatGPT AI Technology to Bing must be sending warning signals to Google on the future of search marketing. With the integration of ChatGPT in Bing, the search engine will be able to provide results in a natural language – more conversational than a list of links that is today’s norm.
“It worked really well, until it didn’t”
Thu, Mar 9, 2023 — Over dinner with Ted, the retired founder/CEO of a successful company in the electric power sector, I heard an interesting story with a widely applicable lesson.
The Dollars You Could Invite to Stay
Mon, Nov 28, 2022 — We’re hearing concerns from business owners and executives that it’ll be harder to fund their growth initiatives. It’s understandable, with most companies experiencing increases in the cost of their inputs (people, materials, etc.) and some facing softer demand. The good news: There are two major sources of money companies can tap without needing to raise external capital:
Beyond the Elevator Speech: Messaging that Truly Leverages Your Employee Brand Advocates
Wed, Oct 19, 2022 — Who is the most important brand ambassador at your company? Is it you, the CEO, whose job it is to motivate, inspire, and exude confidence in your company, its products, and its services? How about your business development team, whose sole purpose is to funnel new client lifeblood into your veins and arteries? Or is it the marketers, who toil to define and develop your brand and make it ready for prime time?
B2B Brand Positioning: How to Claim Your Company’s Land of Opportunity
Wed, Sep 14, 2022 — For more than 100 years, scientists and philosophers have been asserting that if a tree falls in a forest, and no one is there to hear it, then it does not make a sound. The lesson for marketers is resounding: If your brand is not resonating in its preferred landscape, it is likely that your most desired buyers will never be there to hear what you have to say.
Fresh CMO Insights: Why an Industry Outsider Might Give You the Inside Track
Thu, Sep 8, 2022 — By Paul Sparrow and Atul Minocha If you’re a CEO who paints the world with a well-worn brush and the same old can of flat white, this blog is for you. If you’re bemoaning the headwinds created by your industry and wondering why the same-old marketing plan (or lack thereof) has you stuck on “go,” read on. We would like to open your eyes to a way to improve your marketing effectiveness that only comes if you’re willing to try a fresh roller—and some new shades of opportunity—to color your balance sheets in hues of deep green.
Is There Any Role for Traditional Marketing Today?
Thu, Aug 25, 2022 — By Atul Minocha and Paul Sparrow As we try to determine whether old style, hand-to-hand, touch-it-and-feel-it marketing can compete in today’s switched on, always moving world, is it possible that a bird feather holds the key to the question posed in our headline? The answer requires a bit of insight into how we got to this seminal moment which by the way is a precarious place for the newspapers, billboards, mailers, radio and even TV ads comprising what is predominantly known as “traditional marketing.”
The Innovator’s Dilemma – Fast, Correct, or Both?
Mon, Aug 15, 2022 — Most people would say Tesla is an innovative company. Others would say maybe they push the envelope a bit, for example, with “self-driving” software that is truly amazing but is not yet fully “self-driving.” The other side of the coin is other companies who wait until an idea is thoroughly tested, I’s dotted, and T’s crossed, fully qualified but maybe at the cost of missing the market. Innovation is the lifeblood of growth in any industry or channel. Companies with high levels of innovation do better over time than companies that do not have it. So how to address the Innovator's Dilemma? Is it one or the other? Here are four ways to think about it: