The Wealthy Business - by EnergizeGrowth

Delicious Marketing Lessons From Anthony Bourdain's Voracious Brand

I’m a voracious traveler. For the past 30 years, I’ve traversed nearly every state, trekked through Central American rainforests, swam the rough Pacific seas, and sampled Europe’s refined cultures.

Nothing, however, compares to Anthony Bourdain’s travel log. In case you do not subscribe to cable TV, Bourdain hosted a highly acclaimed show on The Travel Channel, No Reservations. He is a prolific food author and speaker with a penchant for food porn. He just landed a food-documentary series on CNN, Parts Unknown.

Bourdain doesn’t sample new cultures; he feasts on them. He lives in the moment with every episode. It’s a Zen experience to watch his shows. He is on a mission to help our society connect with and embrace other cultures through shared food experiences.

Five Primal Lessons in Marketing and Publishing from Guy Kawasaki’s APE

An overview of "APE," the new bible of self publishing, from Guy Kawasaki and Shawn Welch.

Last year, Guy Kawasaki was preparing to speak at an annual conference. He had just published his ninth book, and contacted Penguin Publishing to fulfill 500 digital orders of Enchantment. The publisher, to his dismay, said that they could not fulfill the order. He was slightly upset.

As disgruntled anchorman Howard Beale said in the film Network, many authors are mad as hell, and they are not going to take it anymore.

4 Timeless Qualities Of Strategic Marketing Leaders

Being a marketing leader in today's economy reminds me of my first solo cross country flight in 1988: even when I think I'm totally in control, bad things can happen.

I prepared one week in advance for this adventure from Stratford, Connecticut to Concord, New Hampshire. I had all of my sectional charts clearly marked, and the forecast was clear blue skies and calm air. As I crossed the invisible aerial border from Connecticut to Massachusetts, something strange happened.

I was headed for an airport--but it wasn't the Concord airport. In fact, it had two runways. It took me several seconds to realize it was Manchester airport, a military base. Visions of armed military guards greeting me and my Cessna 152 were scary. Even though I had meticulously prepared for this day, my plans were almost thwarted.

It's All About Trust: Growth Insights from a Marketing Master

I just returned from my regular pilgrimage to an Alan Weiss event. As usual, Alan never disappoints. Here are some insights from our session that you can immediately apply to your annual planning activity.

photo courtesy of Gary Hallquist

Guest Post: B2B Marketing = Shift from Sales “Push” to Demand “Pull.”

Here is a guest post from my friend Charles Gold who has been a software marketing executive for nearly 20 years.  He serves as CMO at Sonatype, where he has helped propel the company's growth to category leadership.  Charles believes passionately  marketing is rapidly becoming *the* thing that distinguishes software market winners.  Read Charles' blog on software marketing at www.cgoldmarketing.com and find him on Twitter at @chasgold.

Have you bought a car recently?  How much information did you get from the sales person?  Not much, right?  You probably did your research online, read reviews, determined fair pricing, and checked in with your network on Facebook. Then, and only then, were you ready to talk to a sales person.  You had self-educated, and were ready to enter a buying process.

Sales take place when a buyer has convinced him or herself of the value of a purchase -- and generally not until then. Like so many things, it’s true in B2C and it’s true in B2B.

Featured Guest Post: Grow Your Existing Customer Base in 2013

Here is a post from my friend Seth Kahan, author of the upcoming book, Getting Innovation Right. Seth has a wealth of ideas on innovation and leading change. Here are some key considerations as you plan to grow your existing customer base in 2013.

Expanding your customer base depends on five factors:

1. Current customer satisfaction
2. Desire for your offering
3. Your reputation as a provider
4. A value proposition you can deliver
5. Effective outreach

The Parallel Worlds Of Gondolas And iPads

When we arrived in Venice last week, I could not locate a single car. Only gondolas and transport boats peppered the waterfront. After hundreds of years, the transportation system has barely changed. The gondola, a marvelous, ancient rowing craft, is part of a complex web of commercial and passenger interdependence, and has withstood the test of time. Will today's game-changing mobile innovations be able to boast the same infamy?

How HR Can Transform into Effective Marketers

Mitch Hershkowitz never thought he would see the day when HR and marketing teamed up to drive higher profits. But that day came in 2009. Dimension Data, where he is National Practice Manager, Consulting Services, was under pressure to standardize on a single internal instant messaging platform to eliminate employee silos--a daunting task for a global company with over 14,000 employees. Marketing's clever "Rule the Waters" boogie boarding and beach-themed internal campaign for the new system triggered a tsunami of support.

The #1 Risk Facing B2B Businesses

Here is a guest post from my colleague, Jon Picoult of Watermark consulting.

The biggest risk facing businesses today is also one of the most manageable.

That’s my conclusion after reading Lloyd’s of London’s newly released 2011 Risk Index report, which ranks the top concerns of companies around the world based on a survey of over 500 C-suite and Board level executives.

The Power of F2F in B2B relationships

How many times this week did you avoid calling a colleague and send them a text message? Or participate in email banter in lieu of a 30 minute coffee date? Your B2B business opportunities may be slowing due to the lack of F2F (face to face) contact.

Alan Weiss, my consulting mentor and prolific communicator, recently shared this comment in his weekly news flash: