#10 – Amazon: Friend or Foe?
With the pandemic impacts on many businesses, a shift to more digital marketing and digital engagement with customers is definitely a priority for many CEOs and Marketing execs. One bridge to be crossed is the shift, or addition, of e-commerce channels for products and service delivery. And the second bridge comes right after the decision to move online: should you consider Amazon a friend or a foe as part of your e-commerce strategy?
There are two parts to understanding an Amazon decision, the first an analysis of strategic fit and the second, if you decide to use Amazon’s reach and capabilities, is what form of a relationship to have with them.
#9 – Customer Communications Are Evolving: Are You Ready?
Now that the shift to a higher percentage of remote workers looks like it will continue after the current pandemic recedes, it’s time to ask what types of communications businesses should be used for effective customer acquisition and current customer development and retention. With an anticipated, 20-30% of the post-pandemic workforce projected to work remotely, what are the most effective communications channels and content? Should we reconsider a blend of more traditional communications along with a higher mix of digital? In this program, we’ll discuss best practices and share practical ideas for managing internal and external communications.
#8 – Leadership: Inspiring People to Be Their Best
When you boil down the model for successful leadership, what do you have? Do those key aspects of leadership translate from military to public companies? And is it possible to share practical guidance to help developing leaders grow?
In this podcast, I’ll be discussing these and related topics with Craig Whelden–a retired Major General in the U.S. Army. Craig also served as a senior executive for nine years in the U.S. Marine Corps. If you are aware of the cultural differences between these two service branches, you’ll understand just how unique Craig is in bringing his leadership model successfully to both.
Craig is an in-demand speaker and author on leadership. He brings a unique perspective built on practical guidance based on his own experiences and learning. And you’ll see that one of Craig’s characteristics is being authentic. It’s not just the situations which went well which polished Craig’s leadership model—it’s situations which turned out very differently than expected.
#7 – A Realistic Evaluation of EOS® – What it does and doesn’t do for your business.
Many consider EOS®/Traction to be a best practice management discipline. Many small- and mid-sized businesses have adopted Traction to beef up their management processes as it provides a structured approach to aligning and prioritizing key initiatives and projects.
As a process, Traction doesn’t have a mechanism for developing actual content. For example, Traction implementation requires content like a one-page Marketing plan and a ten-year plan. Traction works best when paired with great content like that generated from planning approaches such as Horizon Growth, which is a best practice for planning your future revenue and profit streams.
This program is an honest evaluation of what EOS®/Traction can and cannot do for your business.
The follow-on program will discuss how you can generate the content required to have a more effective Traction implementation. Together, these two programs will provide practical approaches with a goal of continuous improvement—one through improved planning for future growth and the second through improved execution.
#6 – EOS® and TRACTION is an excellent management process, but where does the content come from?
Many consider EOS®/Traction to be a best practice management discipline. Many small- and mid-sized businesses have adopted Traction to beef up their management processes as it provides a structured approach to aligning and prioritizing key initiatives and projects.
Traction only works when you have a mechanism for developing the required content. Traction implementation requires content like a one-page Marketing plan and a ten-year plan. Traction works best when paired with great content like that generated from planning approaches such as Horizon Growth, which is a best practice for planning your future revenue and profit streams.
This program covers the development of key content like the one-page Marketing plan: how to create it, tools you can use, support that is available.
The follow-on program will discuss how you can generate the content required to have a more effective Traction implementation.
#5 – Lies, Damned Lies, and Marketing
This podcast is a very unusual, but realistic, view of what Marketing does well, and what it doesn’t do well.
You’ve been promised big results with a quick turnaround. You’ve been told that social media is a silver bullet for increased sales (so far, you haven’t seen an impact). Your marketing team and vendors have overpromised and underdelivered, and you’re disappointed. You’re frustrated.
Perhaps you’re close to giving up on marketing entirely, but something tells you that you shouldn’t—you just need to know how to use it wisely.
In Lies, Damned Lies, and Marketing, Atul Minocha reveals the root causes of your frustration and provides you with the insight you need to utilize your marketing dollars for real results.
#4 – Transformational Growth -Time to Consider?
There are many ways to approach growth. Some businesses think incrementally about building off their core revenues and current customers. Others are a bit more ambitious and think one- or two years out and focus on bringing existing products and services to new adjacent markets. Still fewer other businesses think more openly about growth as transforming their existing business model or starting new businesses which could add significant revenue and profit streams. So, do you pick one, some, or all of the above forms of growth?
Transformational growth seems challenging and risky, so why consider it? In this program, we’ll discuss what it involves, when you should consider it, and how to proactively manage it to improve results and reduce risks.
This is a big topic, and for this show, we are going to focus on answering two questions: WHY and WHEN. We feel every business leader who wants to consider a change should first start with an understanding of WHY and WHEN to consider transformational growth.
#3 – Brand The “How” Not the “What”
The value proposition of most businesses is based on what they do well. In many cases, focusing on what the company does–the products they make or the services they offer–is neither differentiating nor compelling. Even more problematic, many value propositions do not offer clear benefits to the problems and challenges their customers face.
In this podcast, we will discuss creating value propositions on the “how” businesses create value instead of “what” they do. Codifying, packaging, and branding a company’s service components can often deliver a message which is more compelling and differentiating. And what’s more, codifying the way customers are serviced is a great way to integrate operations, sales, and marketing.
#2 – What’s Going on in Industrial Marketing?
Unique markets have different levels of Marketing maturity, use different ways of going to market, have different metrics of success, and view the role of Marketing in their businesses quite differently. Sometimes, it’s too easy to get too focused on what you have traditionally done in Marketing, and also a challenge to look outside your unique market for best practices in other markets which you might adopt. In today’s program, we are going to do a deep dive on the industrial businesses, and do a temperature check on their overall health and growth prospects. We will also characterize businesses in this sector—and try to highlight best practices inside the market, but also identify best practices from other markets which might be
beneficial to an industrial marketer.
My guest today is Kimberly Miller, a colleague from Chief Outsiders who has spent the better part of her career in Marketing roles in industrial companies. We’ll tap into Kimberly’s industry insights as we look to offer practical guidance.
#1 – What’s Going on in Healthcare Marketing?
Unique markets have different levels of Marketing maturity, use different ways of going to market, have different metrics of success, and view the role of Marketing in their organizations quite differently. Sometimes, it’s too easy to get too focused on what you have traditionally done in Marketing, and also a challenge to look outside your unique market for best practices in other markets which you might adopt. In today’s program, we are going to do a deep dive into the Healthcare market, and do a temperature check on its overall health and growth prospects. We will also characterize organizations in this sector—and try to highlight best practices inside the market, but also identify best practices from other markets which might be beneficial to a Healthcare marketer.
My guest today is Deborah Fell, Area Managing Partner and CMO at Chief Outsiders. Deborah is an excellent colleague who has brought strategic marketing and dramatic improvements in Marketing programs and performance to her clients. Deborah has worked with healthcare clients in the insurance, mobile clinic, and senior living markets.
