Share You’ve worked really hard on your strategy and plan. You’ve communicated it to the troops. You’ve done this frequently though a variety of channels. But six months later, your strategy isn’t getting traction? There are lots of reasons strategies fail. In a study by Donald Stull (MIT Sloan School of Management) and Kathleen Eisenhardt […]
Read MoreShareA CEO of a $50M SaaS company is faced with a strategic implementation problem. In order to recognize his strategic vision of double-digit growth he has challenged his sales team to get so many orders that his implementation team leader literally cries. Failure of managers to work across disciplines to implement strategy is one of […]
Read MoreShareThe VP of Sales is the most fired position in corporate America today. The reason is simple. Their forecast number is tattooed on their foreheads for everyone to see. Make it and the Sales VP is a hero for a day. Miss it and well…. But consider this. Before any sale goes up on the […]
Read MoreShareThe first thing to die on the battlefield is the battle plan. The same thing applies to strategic plans. A big problem with strategic plans is that they often assume a static view of the world or the competitive landscape. For example, assuming that if you reduce your price, competition will just let you take […]
Read MoreShareIt’s not just your differentiation that makes your strategic plan successful. It’s where that differentiation occurs in the Value Chain, and whether it’s worthwhile. When my daughter was younger, she came to me and asked me to help her develop a plan for a terrarium business. I thought it might be a teaching moment. So […]
Read MoreShareWhy don’t you pay your VP of Marketing or CMO the same as your VP of Sales? This may seem like a radical concept. But as CEOs and business leaders, our success is often in how we hire, and how we motivate our team. The classic answer to the question is that the VP of […]
Read MoreShareIn the movie City Slickers, Curly says, “There is just one thing.” I think he was wrong. When it comes to driving business growth and fixing problems, it’s not just one thing. If it were, then you’d just fix it and get on with your growth. Then take a break in Barbados. Chances are the […]
Read MoreMany CEOs, presidents, and owners of small and medium sized B2B businesses believe Brand is something that only large consumer businesses like Target need to think about. They have lots of other pressing investments, and Brand has the connotation of being expensive, with lots of glitz, advertising, and PR, but without a good or measurable ROI. I agree don’t agree with this assessment, and I believe there’s another way to think about Brand.
Read MoreShareAs a CEO, President or Owner of a company, you are not paid to solve problems. Rather, you are paid to think about the consequences of problems, determine which ones are critical, and then get the appropriate resources focuses on solving them. That is management. Motivating your people and allowing them to solve the problems is […]
Read MoreCuriosity is the catalyst for learning. If you aren’t curious or interested, it’s very difficult to learn. I believe learning is important in sales for two reasons.
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