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Week 2: Customers First in Singapore
Week 2 was spent in Singapore working with a large global networking company delivering workshops on Customer-Centric Selling. This highly successful networking company realized that their sales teams were focused on “pushing” products and fulfilling customer needs....
Introducing the Insanely Great Customer Journey
In January 2013, Forrester published 2013 B2B CMO Imperatives - Driving Growth With Customer Insights, Marketing Automation, and Content Marketing by Sheryl Waksman-Pattek. The report states that we are in the "Age of the Customer" in which 60% of B2B buying decisions...
Customer Advisory Board meetings: “host” vs “facilitator” roles
When it comes to customer advisory board meetings, the terms "host" and "facilitator" are often interchanged. However, they are very different. Here's how to think about these roles and who should hold them. The role of "host" The host is almost always the executive...
Positioning Statements: how to be unique in a crowded market
When crafting positioning statements, one of the most challenging items is the category. When done well, new categories feel obvious. Here's one of my favorite examples of a company that forever changed the way we watch television. You can capture a strong position in...
Customer advisory boards vs executive briefings: what’s the difference?
Customer advisory boards (CAB) are not meant to be executive briefings, yet they are often treated as such to the dismay of the attending customers. Like the hammer and screwdriver in your toolbox, it's important to apply the right tool to the right job. Here's a...
5 Marketing Best Practices Used by Marketo
Jon Miller, VP Marketing and Co-Founder of Marketo, recently shared with the Northern CA Business Marketing Association best practices that Marketo leverages to market themselves. He began his talk by reviewing how the Internet has changed the buying process. With the...
Give Sales the Right Selling Tools
by David Fradin, Principal, Spice Catalyst The sales force is your front line army. They get shot at every day and that constant rejection is not easy. Your job as a Product Marketing Manager is to make sure the sales force has all the training and weapons they will...
How to get CAB members to give relevant feedback on something they haven’t seen yet
This is a great question. Sometimes companies want to test new product concepts with their customer advisory board. But if customers haven't seen or used the product yet, how should this subject be tackled? The best way to get relevant feedback on a new product or...
Adding Gamification To Your Marketing Toolkit
Gamification is emerging as a dynamic force in the marketing arena, and it can be a powerful tool to drive awareness, demand, and customer engagement. Understanding what gamification is, and how it can best be applied within the marketing domain is key to get the best...
What’s the ideal sales coverage model for Global or Multi-National accounts?
Building successful global account coverage models is really dependent on your sales organization approach and how you enable delivery to serve and meet your customer's expectations at the headquarter level, region and local markets. Some key approaches to consider: •...