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 …
CMO 2014: Achieve CMO and CEO Alignment With Powerful Insights Read More »
Attempts to keep up with changing buying behaviors are very much like a car chase scene in an action packed movie. Just as we are about to catch up with the buyer, new technology accelerates buyer progress. Creating an ever present need to gain insight into newly forming behaviors on the part of buyers. Otherwise, …
For many Chief Marketing Officers and marketing leaders, especially in B2B, there is a seismic shift taking place in how marketing is approached and done. A staple in yearly strategic planning is the product or service as the central focus of marketing and sales plans year after year. Product marketing is just as the name …
CMO 2014: Brand Experience Will Matter First Before Content Marketing Read More »
How the world has changed. Yet, how things remain the same. One thing remaining the same is the gap. And, how the gap is filled. What Is The Gap? Customers and buyers, no matter the market or industry, are in constant motion to fill the gap. You see, they have a gap between what is …
In commoditized markets, B2B organizations are under constant threat of watching their customer base evaporate into thin air. Getting caught flat-footed as markets migrate to competitors offering newer products and services. Suffering the consequences of not transitioning from a product-centric company to a customer-centric company. Is Customer-Centric Enough? B2B organizations continue to struggle in the …
4 Hurdles To Being Customer-Centric (4 Steps to Jump Over Them) Read More »
Since 2003, the role of the Chief Customer Officer has gone from numbering under 30 to numbering in the thousands today. While still new and evolving, this role holds promise for significance in building true customer-centric businesses. An interesting development during the past ten years is counterintuitive. The role sounds logical for large enterprises. According …
Should the Chief Customer Officer Be The Hub for Buyer and Customer Insights? Read More »
The issue of Marketing and Sales Alignment has been raging on for several years. We have heard all kinds of reasons why. From sales not receiving support they need, to marketing believing sales is not following up on its leads. We have also heard we have to align with customers and buyers. I agree. I …
Bridge the Divide Between Marketing and Sales with the Buyer Insight Bridge Read More »
On the minds of most executive leaders for B2B organizations is two pressing objectives. They involve two additions – increasing customer acquisition and increasing customer retention. From a customer lifecycle and buying cycle perspective, it means getting more in the front end and less leaking out the back end. At the most basic level, it …
The idea of market research has been around for a very long time. Conceptually, market research is a strong component of overall business strategy. A key element of market research is the gathering of valuable buyer and customer insights. Ideally these insights will result in competitive advantage, innovation, and market leadership. Sounds good. Except there …
5 Obstacles to B2B Market Research and Actionable Customer Insights Read More »
We hear it all the time. The mantra of being customer and buyer focused. Every year it shows up in one document or another. It is widely announced at the beginning of each year. The national meetings and celebrations fire up the troops. Then, like a slow warping LP record in the hot sun, it begins …
