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What’s your marketing team’s charter?
One of the biggest challenges marketers face is in setting expectations with their internal "customers." Unnecessary friction results when marketers and sales managers don't understand the hand-off points between the two organizations. Or even when marketing functions...
Week 1: Innovation in Santiago, Chile
Embarking on a 5-week around-the-world business trip is both exciting and daunting. This first week in Santiago, Chile was exciting. There is a great deal of innovation, invention and new ideas that are developing here. Work with SRI International's "Five...
For startups: 7 best practices to maximize lead generation results
Successful lead generation campaigns require more than compelling messaging, creative design, relevant offers, media placement and optimized landing pages. Behind the scenes are essential infrastructure elements and well-defined processes. Often, startups and SMBs do...
3 ground rules for employees who attend advisory board meetings
There are many ground rules that employees should follow to ensure a smooth, well-run advisory board meeting. Here are 3 of them. 1) Don't sell A most awkward moment occurred in London in a global advisory board meeting. A customer was answering a question about an...
Is Your Website Responsive?
With the growth in the use of mobile devices to access the Web, sites today need to be responsive. This means that they need to adjust to the screen size and resolution of the viewing device of the website visitor. Google calls this "smartphone-optimized websites."...
What to expect from a facilitator
Some people believe that facilitating a customer advisory board or business meeting is easy. It is not. In truth, it is easy to be a poor facilitator. If you are facilitating a business meeting yourself, or you are hiring a professional facilitator, here are 10...
The operations manual for running customer advisory boards
Mike Gospe, professional facilitator and KickStart Alliance co-founder, has just published a two-volume set of books that demystifies customer advisory boards (CAB). Complete with customer stories, techniques, and templates. Learn how to get a free copy. Click here to...
Tips for handling customers that are slow to act
A common business problem is "the slowness in which people act." This is a situational problem but there are a number of common issues that affect customers, clients and partners that you are doing business with. Important need. In a buyer-seller relationship or...
IDC on Transforming Lead Management
Kathleen Schaub, Research Vice President, CMO Advisory Service of IDC, recently spoke at a Northern CA Business Marketing Association (BMA) meeting. The topic - "Transforming Lead Management: How the New Buyer is Killing Your Funnel (And what to do about it)." Here...
Integrated marketing & the college application process
Here's a real-life lesson in integrated marketing. Last week we dropped off my newly minted freshman son at college. I wandered into his room last night and noticed a pile of forgotten mail hastily shuffled on a far corner of his desk. It was a collection of college...