customer growth

Confusing Customer Segmentation, Buyer Profiling, and Buyer Personas Harms Marketing

In the 15 years since originating the concept of buyer personas in 2001, there has been one issue that continues to plague fully understanding exactly where, how, and why buyer personas can be beneficial.  Compounding the issue today is the prevalent use of the term buyer persona to describe customer segmentation and buyer profiling efforts.  …

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Mapping Buying Experiences: Creating Growth Through Aligning With Buyer Goals

Engaging new buyers and repeat customers are the lifeline to achieving growth.  While the context of these fundamental challenges has changed via digital technologies, they nevertheless are constant pressures.  Recent surveys of CEOs by IBM, PWC, and KPMG all point to major concerns and priorities in expanding the lifeline to growth. Creating distinctive and engaging …

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How B2B CMOs Can Achieve Customer-Centric Marketing With Buyer Personas

A recent survey by B2B Marketing, in conjunction with the UK-based agency Tomorrow People, indicated only 38% of marketers considered their content to be “very customer-centric.”  This mirrors findings of other surveys related to content marketing and customer-centric marketing, which consistently hovers in the 35- 40% range of “very customer-centric” or “very effective content marketing.” …

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The Emerging Importance Of B2B Ethnography To Buyer Personas

Better, deeper, insightful, and well-rounded understanding of customers and buyers is on the top of the list for many CEOs and CMOs today. In recent studies by IBM and other research studies on CEO sentiments, customer insight and understanding are identified as a top focus for CEOs.  A majority of surveys also find a growing concern …

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What CMOs Need To Know About Listening To The Customer

It is a generally accepted notion that listening is vital to having positive and healthy interpersonal relationships. Listening is an essential skill for leaders in business, politics, sports, and in many different aspects of culture and society.  As a country, we have had many leaders rise to the occasion upon their ability to listen and …

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The Missing Link Between Business, Marketing, And Customer Strategy: Buyer Personas

One significant change in the past few years is the top of mind presence of the customer on the part of CEOs. The mandate of “getting closer to the customer” has never been stronger. Various surveys point to CEOs linking business growth to increasing customer engagement efforts, growing their customer base, and improving customer retention. …

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Facts vs. Insights: How To Know You Have Truly Profound Customer Insights

The edge.  When you have it, it is powerful.  It is what many B2B organizations are seeking today.  What is sought is an edge over competitors, which translates into more wins.  How to get the edge is what perplexes many marketing and sales leaders today in B2B organizations. Gaining an edge usually involves uncovering a …

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Why B2B Should Invest In Branding (And What Happens When You Do Not)

When the financial crisis hit in 2008, a certain word went missing in business.  And, another word became all too powerful.  The word, invest, and the inertia behind it lost traction in B2B business.  Rocked by the financial crisis, many plans were shelved.  Collecting dust.  The word, cut, became dominant in business vocabulary. A few …

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CMO 2014: Achieve CMO and CEO Alignment With Powerful Insights

2013 may turn out to be a watershed year.  According to PWC’s (Price, Waterhouse Cooper) annual survey of CEO’s, nearly 65% view building a customer-focused organization as one of their top priorities.  Along with this top priority comes a willingness to invest time and money into developing customer intimacy and expanding their customer bases.   What …

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