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A New Year. Revitalize and “KickStart” your sales!
2015 has arrived, and in some countries it’s around the corner. For example, in China, the Spring Festival, widely known as Chinese New Year in the West, begins on February 19. Wherever we are, the New Year gives us an opportunity to reflect on past year’s...
Reinvent your Sales Kickoff
Everyone loves the kickoff for the New Year. Reinvent your sales kickoff. Go beyond the customer panel, motivational speaker and endless PowerPoint slides. Do the unexpected. Reverse engineer common components. Think outside the box. Your team will love it and you...
Why initiatives fail and how to get them on track
At the close of a year we look back on the resolutions set, the projects planned and the initiatives launched a year earlier, only to find disappointing results. Why is that? Why to do these resolutions, projects and initiatives fail to achieve their desired results...
Is CRM making sales people dumb?
CRM is making sales people dumb. “No, absolutely not, that’s heresy” shouts Salesforce.com, Velocify, SugarCRM and sales management. When sales people act like robots inputting data and taking action without thinking, the answer is YES. Unfortunately, the answer is...
B2B marketing: 7 best practices as you plan for 2015
The Direct Marketing Association of Northern California, DMAnc, hosted speaker Ian Michiels, Principal & CEO of Gleanster Research, at its November 2014 meeting. The topic, “B2B tactics that worked in 2014 and how to prepare for 2015.” Gleanster gathers benchmark...
100 Customer Advisory Boards (CABs) and counting! 3 important lessons I’ve learned
For the past 12 years, I've been working with hi-tech B2B companies to help them plan and facilitate their customer advisory boards. I recently crossed the threshold of 100 CABs. As I look back, here are 3 important lessons I've learned. 1) Semantics are everything....
Mike Gospe’s integrated marketing templates now available for download
In 2008, I wrote the book, Marketing Campaign Development. Updated again in 2013, the templates and techniques are now available for anyone to download. As a marketing ops leader of a hi-tech company, I was constantly having to reinvent launch processes and templates....
Pitching to prospects? Follow these 3 presentation guidelines and you’ll be invited back
Entrepreneurs and start-up executives continue to struggle with the best way to present their company to venture capitalists and their target customers. Especially for early stage companies, their personal and professional credibility are on the line. Unfortunately,...
Embracing “marketing attribution” requires change management
“Marketing Attribution” tools and services are rapidly being adopted by Fortune 1000 companies. But successful application of these tools and services require much more than just operational finesse. It requires a deep understanding of your company’s culture....
New Horizons: from tech marketer to record label owner
This year, I had the good fortune to help my son, 18-year-old singer-songwriter Zach Gospe, as he recorded and released a six song EP (extended play record) called New Horizons. Zach has always loved music, having...