In an earlier post, I talked about the importance of patience while implementing a strategic marketing program. This type of initiative is very different from a typical marketing campaign, where you usually know how well it’s working right away. In a business-to-business company, the rewards of a well-executed strategic marketing program can take months, quarters

In my last post, I talked about some of the common high-level marketing challenges that many mid-market CEOs experience, and provided some recommendations on how to address them in 2015. In this post, I’ll address many of the common operational marketing challenges I see, and discuss how I’ve resolved them in my own companies and

In my last post, I talked about a “solution” to the frustration that many mid-market CEOs and leadership teams feel when it comes to the marketing function. Today, I’d like to take the next step and provide some actionable items that many of you can begin tackling right now and in 2015. I’ll start with

To most mid-market CEOs, the term “marketing” is one that causes frustration at some level. And there’s a good reason why: The marketing function is the least understood business function for most mid-market companies, and it has changed more than any other function over the last 20 years. When you take something that’s already confusing

Last month I talked about how to inspire action by communicating from the inside out. This certainly struck a chord; it was great to hear from so many of you. Once you realize that communicating from inside out is more likely to inspire people and change behaviors, the next step is determine exactly what you

Many of you have heard me talk about the importance of having a clear purpose – for yourself and for your company. People want to be inspired. Your employees want to be inspired. If your company can’t inspire them, they create their own sense of purpose and end up leaving you when they find a

If your product or service was better, faster and cheaper than your competition, would that be a good thing? From a marketing standpoint, the answer is no. Most mid-market company executives have enough understanding of strategic marketing to avoid this mistake at the planning phase, but I see it happening often – more than you’d

You will probably answer Yes since you’ve built a company from scratch or are running a company that someone else started. But your offering is much more than just the products or service that you sell. Apple doesn’t sell computers, phones and MP3 players. Apple sells an experience. Do people go to Starbucks because they

In my talk at the January 2014 LPBC, I focused on the concept of change, and how that impacts our businesses. It’s been said that the ones who survive are those who are the most adaptable to change. And when you think about it, our world is constantly changing … even faster than we think. Only 100