The Wealthy Business - by EnergizeGrowth

What The Next Generation Of Star CMOs Have In Common

 

In my previous post, I shared insights from my latest CMO Trends 2013 study. In today’s boardrooms, marketing leaders must prove they can be tech-savvy, data-driven, strategic, and creative.

Some of the 46 CMOs who responded to my survey clearly struggle with self-management, persistent cross-departmental conflict, budget and resource constraints, and low technology acumen. These challenges may sound insurmountable, but they are not. They are actually hiding the true enemy of today’s CMO: their lack of urgency around improving their condition.

Call it fear; call it comfort with the status quo. Over time, these marketing leaders will be replaced by risk takers, thought leaders, and technology-savvy decision makers. I am fortunate to have met several who fit that latter description. I also found several qualities these leaders share in common:

April Guest Blogger: What do Your Customers Really Want?

I’m pleased to introduce our April guest blogger, Urko Wood. He has some practical, yet powerful insights on discovering what your customers really want. Keep reading to find the three essential questions every marketing leader needs to incorporate in marketing research and customer feedback initiatives.

Today, every marketer talks about the term “buyer personas.” While personas can be powerful tools for guiding all kinds of value creation activities, such as messaging, positioning, and new product development, the critical information marketers need to discern is “What are people trying to accomplish with your offering?” While there may be a strong correlation between various customer characteristics and certain purchasing behavior, people don’t buy products and services because of their characteristics; they buy products and services to accomplish functional, emotional, and/or social ends.

A special audio bonus for my community…

More and more marketing leaders are facing new demands on their time and roles. That’s why RainToday recently interviewed me. Editor Michelle Davidson wanted to know what challenges my CMO community is facing, and what they can do to rapidly address them.

Here is the link to the interview (18 minutes).

In this interview, you will learn:

• How marketing leaders can alleviate the dysfunction between their department, the sales team and the executive board
• The new competencies marketing leaders must adopt
• How organizations such as Infosys, MindJet, and Red Hat are overcoming challenges and thriving

What are your experiences and thoughts as a marketing leader or business owner? Please share them—I want to hear from you. The first three people who respond on my blog will receive a complimentary copy of my book.

And, if you are an active, VP level marketing executive located in the Washington, DC area, contact me to reserve your seat at my next CMO breakfast on June 26. (no agencies, please)

copyright 2013, Lisa Nirell. All rights reserved

Four Essentials For Modern B2B Marketers

The four "Cs" shaping electrifying, modern marketing include: conscious content, CMO reporting, courage, and culture.

I used to be magnetic; now I'm downright electrifying."

That aphorism from best-selling author Jeffrey Hayzlett encapsulates the overall mood at the Eloqua Experience 2012 conference in Orlando.

I recently attended the annual gathering of 1,400 Eloqua employees and enthusiasts. The Eloqua Experience 2012 conference resolved a hunch regarding the current source of marketing innovation. Based on the profile of the attendees and marketing award winners, the most electrifying participants represent traditionally innovative industries: high technology and cloud-based marketing companies. Furthermore, traditional marketers are still roaming the earth in droves, and continue to outnumber the modern B2B marketers. (Eloqua sponsored my media pass.)

Ten Signs Your CMO Runs A Cost Center

When I turned seven, my parents moved from a bucolic small town in Connecticut to Morris Plains, New Jersey, a sprawling suburban jungle. It was a major transition for me. I went from "local kickball hero" to "zero" within no time. For weeks, I was the last person selected for the coed kickball team. It was a crushing blow.

I have met many CMOs who feel the same way in the C-suite, especially when they have accepted a new position. Over the past month, I interviewed a dozen CMOs across North America to find out how they managed.

The First Step to Becoming a Modern Marketing Leader

I just returned from an action-packed week at Eloqua Experience 2012 in Orlando, Florida.

Eloqua's much-anticipated keynote speaker was Jeffrey Hayzlett, author of the new bestseller, Running the Gauntlet. Eloqua's theme of becoming a modern marketer permeated the high-energy sessions, and Jeff's was no exception.

• Why it's important to cause tension in your organization
• The value of keeping good company
• Where to find inspiration

Marketing Planning in an Interdependent World

Thank you, Tiffany Shlain. Your award-winning film, Connected, was an unexpected summer treat. It heightened my awareness of the need for marketing leaders to recognize their growing interdependency on others.

As I have mentioned in recent Fast Company posts, CMOs no longer "own" every aspect of marketing. They cannot operate in an isolated fashion. They must establish stakeholder relationships that support, activate, and measure interactions and brand experiences. Every initiative must either create communities, generate good leads, drive revenues, edify the brand, or perpetuate positive customer experiences.

Now, let's talk about this film for a moment, and how it relates to how CMOs lead. Connected made its global debut in 2011. Throughout her documentary, Shlain weaves her own personal, life-changing moments with examples of political and social leaders whose policies--often fueled by short-term thinking--caused long term and often irreparable damage.

Client Success: Corent Wins Market Share and Mind Share

June 11 was a busy week for Corent Technology CEO Feyzi Fatehi.

It all started on June 13 at the TechAmerica American Technology Awards in Washington, DC. Feyzi, one of my longstanding clients of 9 years, attended to accept the nomination. He also invited me as his guest to meet some of this country's top innovators. Corent was nominated for the "Best Cloud/SaaS Product" award. Surrounded by hundreds of technology industry luminaries, Corent ceded to Virtela Technology Services.

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.

Three Causes of Business Growth Gridlock

 I was just interviewed on Allegiance Radio today. In this 30 minute discussion, you will hear:

• How the definition of a wealthy business has changed in the past decade
• The three main causes of business growth gridlock
• The role that Voice of the Customer programs play in today's challenging business environment
• Examples of successful customer-centric companies

 
Thank you, Jeff Olsen, for inviting me today. Here is the link for you to enjoy.

copyright 2011, Lisa Nirell. All rights reserved.