Posts Tagged ‘opportunity’
Tuesday, November 22nd, 2011
IBM released their Global CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) study last month. I like the way they gathered the data: personal interviews with 1,734 CMO’s from 64 countries and 19 industries. This is how you find out where the bodies are buried.
Here are the top three imperatives according to the respondents:
- Delivering value to “empowered customers” — using all that data to figure out buying behavior and demand patterns.
- Creating relationships with those customers — over half say the answer lies in social media, with the focus of going beyond the transaction. Their key question: how to help the buyers enjoy their purchase.
- Measuring marketing impact on the business — so they can get their fair share of the budget and kudos.
The best news: a big majority (over 60%) believe they are unprepared for the above onslaught. What the most proactive are doing: focusing on relationships instead of transactions and creating a clear — alert! new buzzword coming up — “corporate character”.
If this isn’t an invitation to help, I don’t know what is. Don’t think that because you are not a marketing expert, you can’t take advantage of this. There are a lot of places to play in these initiatives. Click here for the summary and the full report.
Tags: consultants, experts, Marketing, opportunity, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
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Tuesday, July 5th, 2011
Many thanks for all the birthday wishes last Tuesday. This time I celebrated quietly (as compared with last year’s four-day blow out at a Scottsdale resort) and reflected on what is precious to me now. One word: grateful. There is so much good in my life. For my second stage, I’m focused on helping others and letting the chips fall where they may. I have enough. I am enough.
Which explains why I’m celebrating being 39 (again) by cutting my product prices by — you guessed it — 39%. It’s time to see what good they can do in the world. And if making less helps more people, then let’s go for it. Click here for details and promo code. And thanks for letting me in your life for another year. With your passion and my systems, we can make the world a better place.
Tags: education, experts, Marketing, opportunity, positioning, Speaking, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
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Thursday, May 12th, 2011
When many experts saw their big corporate contracts vanish, they migrated to small business where sales cycles were shorter. That was a good move as this segment is now focused on growth for the first time since 2006, according to the 2011 American Express Open Spring Small Business Monitor released last month.
Using these findings, four opportunities for experts are promising:
- General growth strategists: 56% of respondents are ready to risk for the sake of growth. They need to know the safest bets and how to get from here to there.
- Social media is still strategy du jour for promoting to new customers, moving up to 44% from 39% last year. Don’t assume that only social media experts can apply; sales gurus can help, too. The priority: how to turn that interest into sales. The top concern is return on investment.
- Hiring the right people will take center stage, as plans to expand here is up nine points to 35 percent. Remember, many of these folks don’t have an HR department, so they need the basics as well as the advance material. This is a broad area, so packaged products on interviewing, assessments, etc., will be more welcomed than traditional training.
- Financial and risk management folks can have a field day in this segment. Cash flow is a huge concern for 66% of the respondents, up from 60% a year ago. This means collection issues, evaluating credit policies (and customers), all that can be priority.
Click here to see more findings.
Tags: experts, Marketing, opportunity, positioning, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
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Friday, January 21st, 2011
Yes, it’s true. You can get free legal advice from LawPivot, where attorneys (not newbies but seasoned pros) offer their advice for free. How can this happen in a world of the six-minute billable? Three words: access to prospects. This recent Fast Company article spells it all out.
The process is simple: post a question and get a pretty detailed answer back. For free. What do the attorneys get: folks who need help. Antidotal information shows promising results, so I suspect more attorneys will play. This is a great option for small businesses who can’t afford in-house counsel.
The moral of the story: access to qualified leads is everything. Think this business model won’t work for experts such as coaches and consultants? Just watch…
Tags: coaching, consultants, conversations, Marketing, opportunity, positioning, promotion, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
Posted in Marketing, strategy | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, August 24th, 2010
Many of my profitable colleagues are growing their businesses abroad. And this article from Booz Allen’s strategy+business is a great example why. The business elite in the Middle East have embraced the next generation of leaders and have identified three qualities they need to develop:
- a long-term outlook that builds sustainable organizations for future generations;
- the willingness to seek new ideas and customize them for the gulf’s environment; and,
- the awareness that their work is not only building organizations but the gulf region’s prominence on the global stage.
Here’s an idea: instead of trying to find U.S. leaders who are willing to invest in these qualities, why not go where you are preaching to the choir? Remember, these young leaders went to school in the U.S. and Europe, so everyone is well aware of global leadership practices. My thinking: there’s plenty of opportunity for those experts who are willing to get out of their U.S. comfort zone. Best next step: take the long-term approach and figure out how to plant seeds now.
Tags: consultants, experts, Marketing, opportunity, speakers, Speaking, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
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Thursday, May 20th, 2010
Another area of rapid recovery this year: sponsorships in general. Industry giant EIG reports that Corporate America continues to be on the prowl for new deals this year. Other interesting stats:
- 66% report looking for new deals — slightly more than 2009’s uptick of 60%
- Budget cuts are still around, but not as much: 31% say they will cut sponsorship spending this year; yes, this is good news as 51% decreased spending last year. About half report the same budget for 2010.
- 41% spend NOTHING to evaluate prospective partnerships. Translation: decisions are very subjective and “fit” is open to interpretation.
- Speaking of fit, co-branding new products shot up in popularity this year. For us content producing machines, this means joining forces with associations and other industry groups is a no-brainer.
Tags: 2010, associations, branding, economy, opportunity, Sponsorship, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
Posted in Marketing, Sponsorship, strategy | No Comments »
