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Six marketing gotchas CEOs can avoid

Posted by Rebekah Donaldson on Wed, Jun 10, 2009
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By Rebekah E. Donaldson

GOTCHAS EBOOK HERO

In a normal year, alot of missed opportunities can hurt sales. This year, they can kill a company. So it’s time to get deadly serious about avoiding marketing mistakes.

Are there patterns in the marketing mistakes small to midsize companies make? I think so. In particular, I’ve noticed at least six ”gotchas” when it comes to CEO-led decisions about marketing. In a new ebook called Six Marketing Mistakes that CEOs Can Avoid and a series of blog posts here, I’ll describe each one’s telltale symptom… and outline a better way.

Combining CEO + CMO duties

If you are going to be Chief Marketing Officer as well as CEO, you need to take the shortest, least expensive route to:

  • Get found by the right people
  • Start meaningful conversations
  • Alleviate worries about buying

If you’re already doing all three things well, you win a prize: a pipeline full of great leads!

Sidestepping six marketing “gotchas”

If you are falling short in any of those areas, very likely you are making some marketing mistakes. In a normal year, those mistakes merely hurt sales. But this year, when it seems like every other company is either failing or already belly up, marketing mistakes can be fatal. So it’s time to get deadly serious about avoiding them.

  1. Gotcha: Tactic Tunnel Vision
  2. Gotcha: Hiring Specialists Too Soon
  3. Gotcha: Awareness – The Red Herring
  4. Gotcha: Push Marketing
  5. Gotcha: Coordinating Specialists
  6. Gotcha: Me-Too Marketing Plan

In a new ebook I try to describe each one’s telltale symptom and why it’s a problem — and outline an alternative route.

It’s called Six Marketing Gotchas that CEOs Can Avoid — and I hope to hear from readers in this forum about what I got right and what I got wrong. (The publish date is 6/15/09 but you blog readers are getting access early.)

Fire away!

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Comments

Hi Red, 
 
You’re very welcome. 
 
As to a review of Jack Trout’s “Differentiate Or Die” I’m certain its been widely reviews but highly recommend anyone who hasn’t read Jack before or in a long time, read some of his more recent material. He and Al Reis have been writing lots of great stuff since their original work on Positioning. The chapters in either of the editions of “D or D” on ways of differentiating and examples of how companies have effectively done so, are more than worth the time and money. A review won’t get you that. With that info, perhaps a few marketers will discover something else to say about their company than simply claiming being “a leader” in something. :)
Posted @ Saturday, November 28, 2009 3:50 AM by Ford Kanzler
Ford, thanks for weighing in. 
 
It sounds like you’re dealing with some of these issues at your company. 
 
You make excellent suggestions about clarifying the “strategy first” point. When I publish a second edition I’ll make this change and cite you! 
 
It’s been ages since I spent time with Jack Trout’s book. Is there a review of it that you recommend to folks who are following this thread? 
 
Or might you review on your blog/site?
Posted @ Saturday, November 28, 2009 3:50 AM by Rebekah Donaldson
Hello Rebekah, 
 
Good ePaper, if not book and an excellent thought leadership self-promo. The problem often faced typically in the tech sector is the CEO has near-zero marketing capability since they most often come out of an engineering background. They just THINK they know marketing, since engineers often think they know everything. 
 
Your info is useful. Suggest adding something about “strategy first, then tactics.” This is alluded to but not stated strongly. Also, under #3, I’d offer that for most companies, particularly newer ones, awareness IS critical. Combined with awareness is Credibility which speaks to “alleviating customers’ worries.” What also should be mentioned is Differentiation, something many companies of all sizes seem to miss entirely. Your free consulting offer is very clever. 
 
The best read for any CEOs (or others) in a hurry to understand marketing is Jack Trout’s “A Genie’s Wisdom: A Fable of How a CEO Learned to Be a Marketing Genius.” It condenses a lot of his key concepts. Also Trout’s latest edition of “Differentiate Or Die” should be on everyone’s reading list whether you’re in Marketing or Sales. It clearly demonstrates how to differentiate a brand beside claiming “leadership” which is so often done its utterly meaningless.
Posted @ Saturday, November 28, 2009 3:51 AM by Ford Kanzler
No problem sharing thoughts in your publication with credit. 
 
Seems to me that CEOs are in the driver seat with regard to organization. Industrial companies structured so that marketing strategies are, to some degree, implemented through the sales organization, have the best chance for marketing success. If sales people are not in on marketing strategies and their development or, worst case, working against marketing, they can sabotage the good intentions of the entire organization. 
 
A smart, well-informed CEO can create a top-down marketing organization. That means that marketing sets the stage for sales to occur according to business strategies set at the CEO level and Marketing and Sales leadership have the P&L responsibility to make it happen. Everyone throughout the organization knows and understands the business objectives, and is a part of making it real. 
 
I like what you are doing. Probably one of the most thoughtful approaches I’ve seen in my short exposure to Linkedin.
Posted @ Saturday, November 28, 2009 3:51 AM by Jim Proctor
Jim you're absolutely right. Too late or not at all can hamstring marketing. I should have included that. 
 
You're dead right too about having Marketing and Sales in silos. I've written on the subject (Which B2B Sales Tools Work?) but didn't think to cover it in the book -- arg!  
 
Sales and marketing don’t mix well at many organizations. But they should and they can. The right B2B sales tools help: 
 
* Build collaborative relationships 
* Improve life on the front line 
* Boost sales  
 
What do you think CEOs can do to bridge the marketing-sales divide?  
 
If I write an updated edition of the book in 2010, I'll include the two more "gotchas" you've outlined and cite you, ok?
Posted @ Saturday, November 28, 2009 3:52 AM by Rebekah Donaldson
#2 About hiring specialist – you might add “too late or not at all”. Critical to get it right and knowing your internal strengths and weaknesses with regard to marketing is essential. 
 
Another #7 I might add is not fully integrating a marketing program with the sales organization. Too often Sales and Marketing operate independently from one another, particularly in industrial settings where sales people “own” the relationship. Getting buy-in is essential for success and even getting participation in development can be crucial.
Posted @ Saturday, November 28, 2009 3:53 AM by Jim Proctor
Matt – I’m really glad it’s useful. It’s great to hear feedback. I wanted the analogies to make important points — without tired marketing industry jargon. 
 
… Speaking of jargon-free, you did a dynamite article last week. Folks, check out “Churchill, Lincoln, Kennedy…and Bloggers?” http://abbrr.com/8eG — first appeared on Hubspot’s Internet Marketing Blog, now republished at Matt’s blog.
Posted @ Saturday, November 28, 2009 3:54 AM by Rebekah Donaldson
There are countless e-books floating around for free, and the vast majority are worth what they cost…not so with Six Marketing Gotchas. Every point is well laid out, and the use of real world examples (love the one about shade-tree mechanics) make this both an enjoyable and highly useful read. Thanks Rebekah!
Posted @ Saturday, November 28, 2009 3:55 AM by Matt
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