By Jan Hutchins, CEO, SocialAgenda Media.

Because you feel strongly about marketing with all its drama and plot twists, roller coaster ups and downs, this article asks you to imagine the demand generation process was made into a movie… Where does your imagination take you with the mention of “The Dark Knight”, “Titanic”, “The Godfather”, “Star Wars”, “The Wizard of Oz”, “Gone with the Wind”, “Avatar”, “Citizen Kane”, “Shawshank Redemption”? Our panelists/critics rose to the occasion spicing up their answers to our questions with movie references that should make consuming these valuable marketing insights even more enjoyable. But before, check the integrated demand generation process flow we’ve designed for you and download the presentation to learn about our LeadGen Journalism as a new demandgen method…  and then enjoy our interviews with marketing experts.

Here’s our panel of “critics” ready to give their thumbs up or down:

Jeff Asada, VP of Business Development at Viscira, a leading provider of interactive, new-media communication and technology solutions for the life sciences industry.

Debra Marino, VP of  Marketing at Datacert, providers of enterprise legal management software and services designed for law departments.

Sarah Noel, Product Marketing Manager at Flexera Software, which enables companies to get more value from their applications.

Barbara Pilliod, VP of Marketing & Communications at Transfinder, which does school bus routing software including GPS fleet tracking, fleet maintenance, and field trip management for pupil transportation.

Nate Pruitt, Senior Director, Demand Generation at Shoretel, whose solutions, whether on-site or in the cloud, exploit the power of IP with unified communication tools.

Susan Vitale, Chief Marketing Officer at iCIMS, a leading provider of software-as-a-service talent acquisition solutions.

Tyler Reed, Manager, Demand Generation & CRM at Control4, home automation solutions and products such as home wide audio, and entertainment center with one universal remote

Craig Weiss, Vice President, Demand Generation at True Influence, which links crowd sourced and verified prospects with the right offer, at the right time via its proprietary targeting technology – the Relevance Engine.

SocialAgenda Media: Considering not just your company but everything you’ve seen done in the industry, what demand generation, sales enablement, social engagement and content marketing strategies and execution processes have you seen turn into tragedies?

SUSAN VITALE:
Over the years, I have seen many organizations experience challenges because of choosing to focus on customer acquisition versus retention and expansion of existing accounts, and it indeed can turn into a tragedy. At iCIMS, we structured the Sales operation so it aligns with the customer experience philosophy and the company’s commitment to customer service excellence.

We innovated a new structure in the industry by splitting the Sales department into two separate entities, one responsible solely for new sales and another responsible for renewing annual technology subscriptions. Companies that choose to de-emphasize the importance of renewing existing customers, often leave renewals to the original sales representative. Unfortunately, these resources are typically more focused (and largely compensated) on new business; often leaving existing customers in the cold. iCIMS became one of  the first companies in the recruitment technology space to provide a dedicated Client Relationship Director for every customer as insurance the customer experiences ongoing success and renewal. This structure has allowed the team to focus on new sales to drive home consistent results against increasingly challenging expectations, and, also steadily increase customer retention and expansion rates.

JEFF ASADA:
From what I have witnessed in the life sciences and pharmaceutical marketing area, “tragedy” occurs around the balance between strategy/innovation and implementation.  Often there is a deep focus on the strategy, but a significant lag with regards to implementation.  The vision for developing a blockbuster of an approach is often there but the obstacles for implementation (both perceived and real) within a highly regulated marketing environment turn “blockbuster” ideas into tragedies that never leave the port.

CRAIG WEISS:
We can call this the tragedy of unrealistic expectations.  Time and time again, I have witnessed organizations try to jump start the sales cycle by treating content syndication and other marketing leads as sales ready leads.  This behavior ultimately causes disconnection between the needs of the sales organization and the customer.  The lack of a comprehensive, well-structured nurturing plan leaves the organization desperate for leads that can close immediately and the cycle gets repeated quarter after quarter.

DEBRA MARINO:
I still consistently see company blogs become “tragedies,” particularly at mid-market companies.  For example, blogs that are updated too infrequently, ones where the content is blatantly self-serving, ones where minimal effort is made to add real value (e.g., simply posting company news releases), etc.  It’s also a recipe for failure when the blog isn’t part of a larger, integrated digital and SEO strategy.  I think many companies launch a blog because they think it’s expected and that it will make them industry thought leaders overnight.  However, they often have no clear understanding of what their desired audience truly wants to learn or a strategy for ensuring the blog’s long-term success or sustainability.  The end result is that, much like Romeo and Juliet, the key players wind up dead at the end, having “poisoned” themselves. 😉

TYLER REED:
The biggest tragedies I’ve seen came a few years ago when social media was still very nascent and every company was still trying to figure out how to monetize social. I was part of a campaign where we tried to treat a Facebook ad campaign to generate actionable leads in the same way we generated many of our other leads. It failed miserably and we had to regroup and realize that social is more about being a part of an existing conversation instead of trying to force our message upon others.

NATE PRUITT:
It’s amazing to me that most marketers still think outbound marketing still works in 2013.  Buyers are much smarter now and the way people buy has changed dramatically over the past few years.  Anything “disruptive” in terms of marketing (emails, banner ads, direct mail, etc.), flat out doesn’t work with 90% of buyers today.  Buyers today are much smarter and don’t want to be “sold to”.  They want to discover, consume, and buy – in most cases without ever speaking to a sales rep.  Marketers need to think like a buyer –and not be a sequel-like traditional marketer from 2005.

SARAH NOEL:
It’s tragic when companies focus on products they are selling from a content perspective to the point where it clearly is a sales pitch.  With all of the content available to them, people see through that now.  People want to feel like a brand understands who they are and are ready to deliver what they want from that brand.

BARBARA PILLIOD:
Entering a market too soon with a product that is not ready for prime time and creating demand that has no hope of being fulfilled and fizzling out as a credible supplier creates an ongoing tragedy for any company.  Personnel become demoralized, lose confidence, and cannot sell with any conviction.

SocialAgenda Media: On the other hand, what strategies and specific processes produced results so successful they qualify as blockbusters?

CRAIG WEISS:
Expertly timed, multi-touch, integrated marketing campaigns create the blockbusters of demand generation.  Placing top of the funnel leads into a well constructed nurture campaign consisting of 5 to 7 key touch points prior to sales engagement can create conversion rates that rival the box office success of Avatar.

TYLER REED:
We have recently had amazing success with 30 second video clips that showcase our products and solutions and ask the prospective customers if they would like to learn more. Producing the videos was high effort but it is really nice to see it pay off with measurable ROI.

DEBRA MARINO:
It’s talked about quite a lot, but content marketing done well, can be a huge success for a company in terms of building brand awareness and credibility, as well as driving lead generation.  This has definitely been our experience over the last year.  Here are some keys to success:

(1)   Have a commitment to developing truly high quality content that is educational and helpful to people at different stages in the buying cycle.  This includes creating white papers that provide real depth and insight and that aren’t just thinly veiled sales pitches.  In addition to white papers, one of the content assets that we’ve had the most success with is to provide sample RFPs to prospects lower in the sales funnel.  These are very highly requested tools and it’s always gratifying when Sales receives an RFP from a prospect that is based on your template.  It also provides very clear indication that the prospect is in an actual buying process.  And of course, ideally, they’ve been consuming educational information from your company for quite a while, as they’ve moved through their buying process, so they already have a very positive perception of you and intend to include you in their purchase consideration.

(2)   Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket.  Not everyone learns or wants to consume information the same way.  For maximum coverage and consumption, utilize a variety of mediums for your content assets, including webinars, white papers, checklists, podcasts, videos, etc.

(3)   Leverage media outlets that are already trusted by your target audience to promote your content assets to their established subscribers via email campaigns that drive the requestor back to your site to download the asset.  This is particularly helpful for a market that your company is just entering.  This accelerates the creation of brand recognition/credibility and the development of a high-quality contact database for the new market, and drives increased website traffic.

(4)   Make the absolute most of your content assets.  Have a clear plan for all of the ways that you are going to use them.  For example, don’t just develop a white paper and throw it up on your website.  Get creative and have a strategy that integrates with your other marketing tactics, such as email campaigns, social media, events, etc.  Also, when you promote a content asset via something like an email campaign, take the extra step to segment your messaging about the asset to your various targeted audiences.  You’ve already done the heavy lifting of creating the asset.  Now make the most of it!

Following these and other maxims have made the last 12 months a “blockbuster” year for us in terms of breaking into new markets and lead generation.

SUSAN VITALE:
I would say a blockbuster would be tailored prospect engagement based on the sales stage the contact is in within the company’s cycle. The easiest, but perhaps most damaging thing a Demand Generation Team (including Inside Sales Team) could do is lose focus on prospect engagement and nurturing after contacts are passed through to the Sales Team. Plenty of companies use marketing automation tools to market to non-sales ready leads, but what about the sales-ready ones? For best results, use a tool to automate communications with prospects who are already being nurtured by the Sales Team and you’ll see close rates increase in short order.

JEFF ASADA:
In my opinion, the blockbuster within the pharmaceutical marketing and sales enablement arena is the quick, enterprise-wide technology adoption of Apple’s iPad.  The introduction of the iPad within pharma has led to a significant paradigm shift, and the rapid uptake for the iPad has evolved the industry’s thinking with regards to its customer interactions.  It was great to see pharma, the “sleeping giant” with regards to technology, embrace the device and augment their traditional models to incorporate the benefits.  We continue to see very positive trending dynamics that support this “blockbuster” move that has been implemented broadly across the industry.

NATE PRUITT:
Inbound marketing has been and will continue to be the proper way to execute marketing with a focus on content.  Great content that informs, educates, and helps buyers understand what they need to be a “modern company”, won’t go away and the way people buy today will only become more content driven along with trusted networks.  Those two components will be the most influential elements over the next decade.

SARAH NOEL:
Blocks are busted when the organization totally understands their target audience and how they would like to receive information from the visuals, design, content and approach of the campaign. Reaching that point, they had succeeded before even launching the campaign.

BARBARA PILLIOD:
Entering the Canadian market, we did some research on a high-impact direct mail program that would cause each recipient to actually open it as it arrived as a gift.  Since our company was a location intelligence and bus routing company, we decided on an Innushuk, a welcome stone marker common in Canada that greeted trekkers, orienting them to the terrain, confirming the accuracy of their directions and helping them navigate the often complex landscape. It was an instant hit and gave our company immediate brand recognition.  We also used the Innushuks in our trade show displays, and held drawings at our trade show booth for a large wooden Innushuk.  It was a blockbuster for us and we had many qualified leads and scored our first clients in Canada during the two years we ran the promotion.  It remains our signature in Canada.

SocialAgenda Media: What are the issues in demand generation, sales enablement, social engagement and content marketing that still qualify as genuine mysteries?

NATE PRUITT:
The notion of “buyer personas” and who is your ideal customer, would be the two areas that I believe companies are still trying to figure out and in my opinion, using those tactics means they aren’t focusing on the right things.

SARAH NOEL:
Reaching senior level decision makers in a way that captures their attention amidst all of the other information they receive throughout their working day is still a mystery.

Not exactly a mystery but a major challenge is getting the right balance between the amount of people resource you have available, the amount of budget you have available and the activities you choose to do in each of the markets you are trying to penetrate.

TYLER REED:
Despite the great tools we have for automation it is still a difficult process to produce highly targeted content that gets to the users at the right moment. The mystery isn’t that we need the content, it’s how to make sure it’s the right content is delivered at the exact right moment.

BARBARA PILLIOD:
Having been in marketing for more than 30 years, the tension between sales and marketing still remains strong.  All wins are still credited to sales and little or no recognition is given to marketing for generating the qualified leads that result in sales.  Whenever I’ve made a concerted effort to point to the ROI in marketing, sale seldom acknowledges this.  The marketing/sales relationship in most companies qualifies as a genuine mystery, since both disciplines work so closely together to drive revenue growth.

SUSAN VITALE:
There are a lot of reports and stats on the importance of social media strategy to a company’s long-term branding and lead generation, but since social is ever evolving and it varies depending on B2B or B2C, industry, business segment, etc. there isn’t always a clear view of the impact. It’s easy to execute a social strategy but it can be challenging to report on direct company growth from it. One area where we feel there is a lot of opportunity for success for companies — both in terms of reach and ability to track impact —  is with respect to employee referrals that are solicited via social media. In the recruitment industry, employee referrals are “gold” and recruitment advertising solutions can help companies of all sizes get better at mining this valuable talent acquisition source and rewarding employees for their referrals.

CRAIG WEISS:
Let’s call this one, The Mystery of Buyer Behavior.  In the CRM age, marketers are armed with so much data that it seems that honing in on exact attributes of potential customers would be simple.  Unfortunately, this is not the case in most circumstances. Determining the exact mix of targeting for campaigns and ensuring that campaigns are not too narrowly focused (based on somewhat misleading data) is the key.

DEBRA MARINO:
I think many B2B companies are still struggling with how to incorporate social media into their marketing strategies in a way that makes sense and helps them achieve their corporate objectives.  Like blogs, this is another area where I see companies jump in with no clear strategy, flounder around for a while, and then often abandon.  For us, the key was to clearly define the role that each social channel would play in our strategy, based on the accessibility it provides to each of our various target audiences.  For example, we have found that LinkedIn is the best channel for reaching our target buyers and our partner network, while Twitter is best for reaching targeted industry media.  Having clarity around the role that each channel plays is the first critical step to developing and implementing a social media strategy that supports your objectives.

SocialAgenda Media: What are the most horror-ble marketing mistakes you’re willing to admit making?

DEBRA MARINO:
It’s impossible not to look back at where you started or where you were a year ago and not cringe at some things you did (or didn’t do) that you do differently and better now.  For me, I’d say looking back to a time when we didn’t use our CRM technology effectively enough to have any real visibility into true marketing metrics is definitely “cringe-worthy.”  It’s impossible to make good business decisions without the necessary data and, looking back now, it’s hard to believe that we were ever in the position of not knowing even basic information, such as our true conversion rates.  Today, we have critical KPI data at our fingertips on executive dashboards, so maybe this doesn’t qualify as a “horror” story, because it actually has a happy ending.

SUSAN VITALE:
I would have to say the most visible mistakes had to do with errors using our marketing automation tool. There have been a few instances where, due to simple human error, Marketing Coordinators have sent communications to the wrong list or to the same person multiple times. The mistakes rarely go unnoticed by the recipients. They see it and email right back with how they feel about the situation. It is not the worst thing ever, but it is definitely something we learn from and try to avoid. For us, providing a great customer experience really starts with the Sales cycle, so we certainly want to send the right messaging to the right audience and minimize errors that might irritate potential customers.

TYLER REED:
Relying too heavily on a single piece of content that produced amazing results at a given time. We had great success with a certain campaign so then, every month when we needed sales we went right back to that same campaign to the same subset of customers. It doesn’t take a genius to realize the creative became very stale, very quickly.

JEFF ASADA:
My mistakes were nothing like the “Hangover” but some great lessons have been learned.  Now, before making difficult decisions I always consult my Flux Capacitor!

CRAIG WEISS:
I have developed and delivered programs for organizations that were trying to truncate the sales cycles and treat marketing leads as sales ready. The results were straight out of a Wes Craven film, a real “Nightmare on Elm Street”.

NATE PRUITT:
When feeling the pressure to deliver more revenue for the company, I have been known to get lazy and go back to trying some of the old outbound techniques to force spikes in leads.  It never works and I instantly know when the results are poor, that I shouldn’t have done it.  It happens very rarely these days.

SARAH NOEL:
Doing a campaign where I wasn’t able to show a clear ROI, but I’ve never done anything like “John Carter” or “Heaven’s Gate”.

BARBARA PILLIOD:
I once pushed the envelope too far on an idea that worked in one industry but didn’t translate to another.  The company I worked with had commercialized its first superconductive magnet for MRI systems and our market was the medical (radiologist) community. I created a poster that simulated the experience of entering an MRI system.  To be creative, we designed an image that had an otherworldly look on the cover with a patient suspended in a series of rings.  We printed several hundred as trade show giveaway and few, if any, took one home. It was too large for a briefcase and had to be contained in a tube, creating an obstacle for traveling.  It also reminded too many of a popular movie at that time called COMA! Not a very good image for the medical community. The company had to erect special storage shelves to hold the tubes – and there were hundreds – that never saw the light of day.  Those shelves were built in plain view of my office and amounted to a source of company humiliation and a total waste of the company’s money.  HORROR-BLE!

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Also read:

 

What will it be in 2014? Will the disruption be more mobile, even bigger data, consumer behavior that conforms to an algorithm, the next Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Apple, Microsoft? Whatever the next technological and marketing disruptions turn out to be they’re sure to change the way we interact with and engage our audiences.

This SocialAgenda Media article asks a panel of marketing experts from both technology and service companies for predictions about which disruptions they expect in 2014, what changes they see coming in marketing channels and technologies, and what are their best practices for optimizing the sales process. Let’s see what we can learn about how to use the inevitable disruptions ahead to actually create marketing opportunities. But first, check the integrated demand generation process flow we’ve designed for you and download the presentation to learn about our LeadGen Journalism as a new demand gen method… Now enjoy the article.

Our virtual panelists are:

Meagen Eisenberg, Vice President of Demand Generation at DocuSign, has more than 17 years in the high-tech industry. She received the 2011 Markie Marketing Visionary award.

Umesh Malhotra, Director of Demand Generation at Arena Solutions, has over 10 years of experience in marketing. He was one of the first employees at Friendster, the mother of all Social Networks.

Heidi Bullock, Senior Director Marketing at Marketo, has more than 10 years of B2B marketing experience with high tech companies.

Trish Stromberg, Vice President of Demand Generation at Infinisource, has more than 20 years of executive marketing experience.

Dave Webb, IT/Marketing Director at Wellbuilt Equipment, has 13 years working in marketing and technology.

 

SocialAgenda Media: What are the biggest B2B marketing disruptions you expect to see in 2014?

HEIDI BULLOCK:

Consolidation of technology platforms. I’m anticipating gravitation towards singular platforms.  Marketers need their own system of record – specifically around core marketing capabilities that are best of breed.  It will continue to be increasingly important to get a complete view of the buyer (needs, preferences, habitual behaviors) to ensure all of a company’s communications are personal and targeted.

New ways to view and engage with content.  I expect there to be technologies that support more visual interaction.  There have been big steps for the consumer, where apps like Flipboard take the old idea of a reader and make it beautiful and interactive – but I think there will be a new wave of apps that move from a manual and stream model into a personalized and disruptive one.

Marketing will get more targeted and personalized.  For example, retargeting in its current format is not as optimized as it could be – something will take its place (that fills this function) that feels less invasive or ‘creepy’ to the consumer.

Lastly, there will be a trend towards predictive analytics.  Big data will be leveraged more effectively to predict ‘next best action’, automate scoring, and help create an experience that feels more personal.  This is the one area I am the most excited about and where the value of big data could make a significant impact for marketers.

MEAGEN EISENBERG:

Using Big Data to uncover your customer DNA. Companies like Mintigo and LatticeEngines provide solutions for lead prioritization and intelligent sales enablement.

Using Big Data to locate and target future customers and better message to their needs. Companies like Mintigo and Oceanos leverage research and technology to provide clients with data strategies and deliver list intelligence to help optimize sales and marketing performance.

B2B leveraging social better for lead gen.  You’ll be filling your funnel with Social leads using companies like Social123 and Insightpool with Social taking a bigger role and impact to your sales pipeline.

Mobile. I see everything being mobile targeted and optimized.  At DocuSign we are all about helping companies Keeping Business Digital™ to accelerate speed to results, reduce costs, and delight customers. Mobile solutions and mobility are a large part of that.

UMESH MALHOTRA:

New changes will occur in search algorithms. Google’s search algorithm changes quite often. Even SEO gurus have struggled to keep up with these frequent enhancements. When you factor in the updates, it becomes imperative for every business to know the landscape and adapt their web tactics. SEO is a key for small and medium sized businesses to generate leads organically since they don’t enjoy the luxury of the large budgets that big organizations have for advertising.

SocialAgenda Media: Since the only thing constant in the world of B2B marketing these days is change – what challenges do you see in the near future caused by new channels and technologies and what opportunities might these changes present?

MEAGEN EISENBERG:

The biggest challenge will be the amount of data to which we have access.  How do we capture and maintain it?  How do we sort through it effectively?  How do we know the right questions/queries to ask of it and distill into action?  And, how we prioritize what is important or not will determine our success and ability to make it a competitive advantage.  The companies that figure out the Big Data play will kill the competition by delivering products and services at the right time to the right person.

As a consumer, I want everything JIT (just in time) and just for me.

Accurate data will be key.  Right now we are seeing more accurate data from social channels because they are self-maintained and people maintain their own brands on them, such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.  But the info we need in B2B is not readily available – email, phone number and company affiliation (outside of LinkedIn of course).  The technologies out there helping us access this social data are improving – such as Social123, Insightpool and LittleBird, and helping us on the B2B side to get the relevant info for contact – phone and email address, so we can figure out how to sell to them without being too intrusive.

TRISH STROMBERG:

I anticipate a continuing trend of prospects removing suppliers from their education about a service or product. Customers do not contact vendors until they are deep into the sales cycle. As that trend continues, customers will seek communities, either online or offline to validate their preconceived ideas.

Effective marketing will need to communicate more than content and thought leadership, but rather convey information that either dissuades or confirms these preconceived ideas and makes the customer want to engage more.

There is a lot of opportunity for companies creating the right type of content, but content that is pure thought leadership is not going to drive the demand nor the leads and therefore the revenue at the pace desired by the Board.

UMESH MALHOTRA:

As a B2B Marketer, one must always be prepared to deal with changes in technology and in the industry and utilize the changes to create an advantage. But you must ask yourself – “Do I really need this technology? Is this right for my business? Will implementing this application help me? Or, will it cause delays in execution due to drifting focus to this new tool?” Change is a challenge and opportunity to respond sooner rather than later, in a way that aligns with your target audience and marketing programs.

HEIDI BULLOCK:

Many marketers are on board with leveraging multiple-channels such as email, social, mobile, etc.  The tricky part is making sure there is a consistent strategy and message across the channels and that the resulting data is analyzed as a composite, not as unique entities.  The buyer or consumer does not care if you have different teams that manage social or email – they care about a consistent experience.

As the number and variety of channels grow, it will become more important to think about message and delivery of that message.  For example, bulleted copy in an email can work well, but Facebook requires a more visual approach for successful engagement.  Companies need to think about how to manage that process.

In addition to message, there continues to be large volumes of data that are generated across platforms.  It is critical to analyze the data in a holistic fashion to get a complete view of customer behavior.  Without the right tools in place, it could become more difficult to effectively measure which channel (and respective programs) drove success – i.e., making the attribution problem trickier.  An opportunity for 2014 is for companies that can support multiple channels on a single platform – including analytics!  It is not only easier for marketers to manage fewer technology platforms, but it becomes easier to get a clear and complete view of customer behavior.  Companies that are able to do this will have an advantage.

DAVE WEBB:

I think the biggest problem our business will face in B2B marketing over the next couple years is what to do with social media. Will it suddenly become a major contributing factor to our bottom line, or remain more of a distraction than anything else?

We need a serious change in the way social media is used for B2B marketing before it can truly become successful. At this point social media is great for communicating and talking “at” people, but misses out on talking “with” people. The big challenge, unless someone changes the way social media is being marketed to companies and for companies, is how to use social media for business to business marketing when currently it is just as the name states, more social networking than business networking.

SocialAgenda Media: When visibility to your buyers’ strategies is limited how do you help your sales team gather accurate insights to address prospect pain points and help them make more educated buying decisions?

UMESH MALHOTRA:

Continuous customer meetings help understand what that type of industry/employee size/job function has found useful and what they will need in order to simplify things for them. In addition, some research by reading analyst reports to validate those pain points, what the industry is today and what will it be few years from now can help understand the direction in which a business needs to head – keeping prospects vision in mind.

TRISH STROMBERG:

At a high level, Marketing assists by providing detailed buying personas, and competitive analysis, and sharing with Sales what makes buyers tick. But, we can also track the small “yes’s” to each step in the lead generation process and share those learnings with Sales, as they provide key insight into what is driving the customer to act.

HEIDI BULLOCK:

Now more than ever, marketers can use technology to understand more about customer buying behavior in a multi-faceted way.  There are outstanding marketing platforms that can collect information and insights from buyers and consumers.  In the past, a lot of insight was gathered in person, which is great, but not always scalable.  The trick is being able to collect information on buyers (in a way that scales) across all the channels with which they engage.  You can provide your sales organization a real advantage if you can access buyer behavior in real-time and be able to respond equally as fast.  For example, this is one of the most significant advantages of marketing automation.  The sales organization can call potential buyers at the right time (based on lead scoring) and have intelligence on their interests (last website visit, etc.).

MEAGEN EISENBERG:

Teach them to ask the right questions and to LISTEN, what I call curiosity selling.  Sales needs to be able to understand the buyer’s needs first and probe further than Yes / No answers.  If they can put themselves into a consultant type role helping the buyer make better decisions for their business they are in a good place.

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Also read:

 

The Scientific Revolution of the 16th century transformed views about society and nature, replacing religion, superstition and fear with an emphasis on reason and knowledge. That shift, which journalist H. L. Mencken described as “The Pope [losing] his hold on the secular mind” led to the Age of Enlightenment and its encouragement of arts, education, human rights and challenge to traditional ideas of government eventually expressed in the French and American revolutions.

Among the cultural effects of the Internet Revolution of the 21st century is a similar shift toward the individual and society at the expense of institutional powers. As the Post-Digital Age eats away at the heart of print journalism and network TV, it also connects, informs and empowers the crowd in new ways that create revolutionary opportunities to reshape our lives.

The revolution in communicating the information related to marketing, where, according to Hanley Wood Business Media seventy-eight percent of CMO’s now think custom content is the future, shows power is shifting into the hands of consumers. And they clearly want businesses to engage in conversations that respect that power. Hubspot reports companies that blog get more than 15 times the amount of traffic than companies that don’t and Content+ says companies that blog collect 97% more leads. Content marketing costs 62% less than traditional marketing, and per dollar spent, generates 3 times the number of leads, proving the paradigm is “I don’t care about your business unless you focus on what’s in it for me.” This, of course, explains why it’s now called social media.

All this makes it interesting to talk to those on the cutting edge, redefining marketing in the world ruled by content.

Our thought leaders on this topic:

Joe Chernov, VP Marketing at Kinvey. Before Kinvey, Joe ran content marketing at Eloqua, where he won Content Marketer of the Year.

Michael Brenner, Vice President of Global Marketing and Content Strategy for SAP. Michael developed an award-winning inbound marketing content destination site for SAP called Business Innovation.

Lisa Rhodes, Vice President of Marketing and Sales at Verne Global where she is responsible for all aspects of customer interaction, marketing and public relations.

Frank Donny, Founder and CEO at Marseli. Frank has 25+ years of experience at Fortune 100 and start-up organizations driving marketing and sales operations.

Aaron Goldman, CMO of Kenshoo and the author of “Everything I Know about Marketing I Learned from Google.”

Amanda Maksymiw, Content Marketing Manager at Lattice Engines. Amanda is a Content “Tactician” responsible for setting and managing the company’s content marketing strategy.

QUESTION: “Rather than create billboards with their social fan pages, centered around contests, giveaways and special offers, marketers are finally beginning to understand that it’s through content that they influence and empower their fans. Building influence requires a strategic and sustained approach to developing and distributing valuable content across multiple platforms. What innovative content strategies have you implemented and what are the most common mistakes you still see major brands making?

Chernov: “I’ve seen innovation at all levels. Intel was wildly innovative when they made public their social media policy. At the time that was remarkable transparency for a company of that size. At Eloqua, where I used to run content, we published our “Social Media Playbook” for free. It was our own internal resource, made available to anyone. No form was even required. And then there are really nimble creative brands, like a startup design firm called Beutler Ink, that creates timely content around pop culture trends — like an elaborate infographic on Breaking Bad — which allows them to enjoy major PR for a company of their size. But what do these all have in common? They all deliver value and ask for nothing in return.”

Rhodes: “Innovation sometimes comes out of necessity and that was our situation.  We knew from day one that our value proposition was unique so our sales and marketing approach also needed to follow a non-traditional path.  We decided to lead our messaging campaign with industry insights versus information about our company.  It was from there we discovered Curata, which provided a platform for us to curate content for a newsletter focused purely on green ICT and use social media as the primary outreach method for the newsletter.  We believe the brands who provide unique and valuable insights to their customers are the ones getting the most traction in any industry.”

Brenner: “We have found the most effective content is that which best meets the needs of the audience. List posts and “How to” articles go a long way to building this kind of credibility but they aren’t enough. This kind of content needs to be balanced with deeper thought leadership that also inspires our customers to think differently about the challenges they face. The biggest mistake brands make is in creating too much content that is focused on the brand and not enough content that is focused on helping the audience.”

Maksymiw: “Content marketing has been used for decades as a means to build influence. That is nothing new. But more and more companies are utilizing content marketing strategies to engage their audiences, drive conversions and build passionate brand followers. Some of the most innovative strategies I have implemented to do so include developing a content hub and incorporating influencers. A big mistake that brands are still making is providing company-centric or product-centric content only. Social audiences aren’t necessarily interested in learning about your offerings. Instead they want to engage with your brand and in most cases, they want to do so on the social platform, not on your website.”

Donny: “My answer is based on a B-to-B sales environment where the sales cycle is longer and more complex – more than 60-days and more than one buyer that requires a buyer process (they will put a seller through a process and the seller will put the buyer through a sales process).

There are two main types of content.  Content that gets a potential buyer interested in your company and content that will help sales people engage and sustain a buyer along the buyer’s journey with your company.  Both are critical.  Let’s discuss both. 

In the first type, it is critical to have content that is mapped to a buyer’s personal profile (the person’s role, industry, needs/challenges).  Second, there has to be engagement strategy based on how the potential buyer engages your company.  Not how you want to engage them.

The biggest mistake is marketing not understanding the buyer and what they need and when they need it.  This is not about selling something.  It’s about educating the buyer and providing them with useful content/insights that will allow them to do their job better and make more informed decisions on how to improve performance.  Make it personal.  The more it is about the issue that they are facing and about how someone in their role would solve the issue is paramount to success.  This again goes back to understanding the buyer persona and journey.

Next is to then have a content strategy for each persona and engagement along the journey.  Failure to have ongoing current and relative content is a death sentence to any marketer.  Let’s discuss a few examples.  Successful content marketers will develop content for a wide range of “consumption” formats – audio, video, PDF, blog – as different people consume in different ways.  So, when content is developed, each needs to be released through all types of media.  Using only one media (like just blogging or video) will only allow you to capture a small part of your audience. The next strategy is reverse engagement.  Say what?  Yep, get your market to engage you first.  Offer a platform for feedback, idea submittal, guest blogging on your blogs and social sites, etc.  Social is a two way street.  Get your customers, prospects and market to generate content for you.

The second type of content is that which influences a buyer who is already in a sales process/engagement.  This is about understanding what your sales people need to succeed in each stage of their process.  They don’t need 1,000’s of articles or content assets.  They only need a few very key and very relevant assets per sales stage or situation.  Quarterly interviews with sales reps and managers and customers will help to uncover those assets that are most and least useful.  This also requires strategy – on managing the content and sunsetting documents that are no longer of use.  The key here is to listen to reps and customers about what worked and did not work.  Having a customer content board is a great way to keep content relevant and to bounce new content ideas off of a group before they are launched to the market.”

Goldman: “We’re telling stories through data. I wouldn’t say it’s the most novel or innovative approach but it’s working. By mining the $3 billion in ad spend running through the Kenshoo platform, we’re able to keep our fingers on the pulse of the industry and help our customers identify trends that are impacting their business. Kenshoo tries to strike the right balance of quantitative and qualitative content so that it’s easy to digest the insights while clearly showing the supporting evidence.

The common mistakes we see brands making are not thinking about their audience and just putting out content for content’s sake. We also see brands changing their voice to meet the medium. You don’t have to be cool and hip to use social media. You can (and should!) be true to your brand persona and consistent at all touchpoints.”

QUESTION: What changes in the process flow and use of technologies need to take place across organizational functions in order to simplify, automate and scale integrated campaigns and accelerate the convergence of content, social, search, mobile, and other marketing?

Chernov: “This isn’t a technology problem. It’s not an integration problem. It’s not a mobile, social or next-generation-whatever-you-call-it problem. It’s a “muscle memory” problem. Although their “heads” may know that supplying high-value, educational content is the best way to generate quality leads and build a trustworthy brand, most organizations’ muscle memory still draws them toward self-promotional marketing. There’s not a technology in the world that can fix that problem. It’s cultural.”

Maksymiw: “Creation and distribution efforts will continue to get tighter and tighter around goals. More work will be outsourced in order to leverage the team to its fullest capacity.”

Rhodes: “Content marketing is our primary method for reaching our target market and we have built the back end of websites to feed leads and analytics directly into SalesForce.  Our sales team depends heavily on that interface to properly research a company prior to contacting them. Sales can see what content a company is reading, what content they comment on and this helps build instant rapport during the early stages of a relationship.  We’ve had several instances during initial meetings where the potential client brings up our curated newsletter, Green Data Center News, as an information source.  That is the biggest compliment.”

Brenner: “Content marketing does a couple of things for business development. It generates leads directly. We map content to each stage of the buying process so we can include offers and “calls to action” and triggers as part of our content strategy. That way, whichever stage of the buying process our visitors are in, we can nurture them to the next level. For those who are quite close to being ready to buy, we employ mechanisms to capture them and begin the process of converting them directly into sales.

But effective content marketing also provides the content our own social sales teams an inside sales executives need to nurture their own prospects. We enable this by creating weekly “best of” email newsletters and both internal and external community discussions for sales enablement. Then our account execs use that content to generate interest on the part of the leads they are nurturing.”

Donny: “Content has to come with a user guide.  Meaning, don’t just make content and then pass it to sales.  They need to know how and when to use it.  Marketing needs to do this with sales and create a strategy based on their needs and the needs of the buyer.  What is missing in many cases is teaching sales how to use the content – how to speak to it, leverage the insights and speak to the benefits.”

Goldman: “This could be a very long answer but I’ll try and simplify. More than anything, it’s a matter of mindset. People need to embrace change and be open to new ideas. Try new products. Try new processes. Never stop learning and improving. There’s always another tweak that can be made to get better results. We call this “Infinite Optimization”.”

QUESTION: What changes do you think should happen in 2014 for content marketing operations to experience increased ROI and improved efficiency of both their in-house and outsourced content and social marketing teams?

Rhodes: “As a start-up, I think it’s easy to get lost in the product development phase and not put enough emphasis on building trust between your brand and your target audience; something that content marketing offers early and quickly. Sometimes it’s difficult to quantify value from a relationship in the early stages but for us it has provided a key element of brand recognition and a more educated target audience. I think there is real opportunity for platforms, like Curata, to help companies bring together high-value content with a cost-effective distribution mechanism that not only gives them credibility with their target audience, but enables them to become a valued resource as well.

For marketing operations to increase their ROI and efficiency in the future, they should closely scrutinize what content has been most successful historically and focus their content generation efforts there.”

Brenner: “We are seeing a lot of technology and startups in the content marketing space. There are curation tools, CMS, reporting engines, editorial workflow and calendaring tools and platforms that try to do all these things. In order to increase ROI, brands need to figure out the right mix of creation, curation and syndication and build a team of people who really understand how to think and act like a publisher. Once that is in place and working like a machine, it’s time to build the kind of platform that can scale and sustain growth into the future. 2014 will see brand content marketing teams that take on the look and feel of real newsrooms including the technical platforms to support that.”

Donny: “Reverse engineer content.  Understand first what is working for sales and what is impacting how your sales team is selling and how your buyers are engaging them.  ROI is about pipeline contribution and revenue generation.  That means that a full line of sight into a revenue supply chain is a must.  Meaning, marketing leaders need the ability to see every stage in the buyer process from inquiry to revenue and all steps in between.  Having key KPI analytics like volume and velocity, leakage, sales behavior, activity tracking and the correlation of all of these to one another will be a must.  Marketing needs to understand the full view of both, the marketing lead management cycle and the sales process cycle.  Combined together, marketing will get insights that will allow them to predict asset or campaign performance based on historical performance behaviors.  Predictive analytics is the next frontier.”

Goldman: “The first step to increasing ROI is measuring ROI. Too many organizations lump content marketing under branding and assume that direct results cannot be tracked. Whether it’s proxy metrics such as clicks, time spent, and shares or bottom-line metrics such as leads, revenue, and lifetime value, what doesn’t get measured doesn’t get done.”

Chernov: “I don’t think changes need to happen per se. I just think companies need to experiment a little more, track a little more, optimize a little more, and then re-experiment to complete the cycle. It’s an evolution. I think marketers are “getting there.” You have to remember that in many ways, the marketing industry has been “flattened” by social media, big data and automated tools. We are rebuilding ourselves in real time. Sometimes we should stop and admire the progress that’s been made versus always looking at what needs to be built.”

 

It is an evolution all right, and it is certain we are rebuilding ourselves in real time. If you’re a glass half full type, this revolution represents an opportunity and might even contain the seeds of a new Age of Enlightenment that will change our relationship to collective power in ways that more fully honor our humanness. What kind of world might result when marketing is fully incentivized to “provide unique and valuable insights to their customers?” “Meets the needs of audiences?”  “inspires… customers to think differently about the challenges they face?”

What can you imagine for such a world, as it relates to marketing, culture, politics?

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Check the integrated demand generation process flow we’ve designed for you and download the presentation to learn about our LeadGen Journalism as a new demand gen method.

Also read:

By Olga Kostrova, COO of SocialAgenda Media

Richard Grehalva sales speakerWe started our company and love so much what we do because we have the opportunity to work with remarkable people. Our thought leadership marketing clients, as well as our speakers strive for excellence, seek deep insights that help them arrive at better understandings. They improve the lives of many through sharing their knowledge and advocating better actions. Today I offer you my conversation with a speaker Richard Grehalva as he shares his Top 5 Most Important But Not Obvious Principles Of Selling And Business In General, and much more. Richard is the author of “Unleashing the Power of Consulting Selling” and “The Boomerpreneur Revolution” He combines the heart of a teacher and the head of a successful business executive to guide organizations and individuals to reach their true potential. The son of Greywolf an elder, he has been described as a “Renaissance Man” From growing up in the tough streets of East Los Angeles he developed a “Achiever not a Disbeliever Mindset.”

OLGA KOSTROVA: A while back while I ran a marketing operation for a media agency I hung a sign on my door “DON’T TELL MY MOM WHAT I DO FOR LIVING. SHE THINKS I PLAY PIANO IN A WHORE HOUSE”. :-) My colleagues liked to come and make a new joke about it every day. Some people find comfort in having a negative opinion about advertising or PR. Even more people treat selling the same way – as “whoring”. They hate to sell and hate to be sold. What’s your advice to those who hope that if they just lay under a tree the magic banana will fall into their mouth, already peeled?

RICHARD GREHALVA: I’m not surprised at what people say about selling. Every year for over a decade the Gallup organization conducts a survey asking “what is the most trusted profession?” Number 1 is “Nurses” and last on the list every year is: “Used Car Salespeople”. We stereotype salespeople into whatever we believe them to be.

When I work with clients that tell me ”they do not like selling” I tell them “Then don’t sell.”

They of course react and say “I have to sell”. I then ask them if this scenario fits. Does your customer come to you with a problem or a goal? Do they want to solve it?  Are they looking for a solution? The answer is yes.

I then state it this way, “Your customer is looking at their “current state or situation” and they want to get to a “future state or situation”, is this correct?” The answer is yes.

The place between “my current problem or state”, to the “future state” where your customer wants to be, is called the “Transformation.”

This is what our customers and clients are after, and this is where you and I come in.

What we do is help them through “The Transformation Process” with our products and services. Isn’t this gratifying to know we help people to get from where they are today to get to where they want to be?

This is the new belief I want my clients to take on, and let go of the limiting belief about selling. I ask them, “Are you selling?” or are you “Helping them with their transformation acting as a…Change Agent?”

OLGA KOSTROVA: Johnny Depp said “Tomorrow it’ll all be over, then I’ll have to go back to selling pens again”.As a speaker do you ever feel pressure from competition? Many these days try to get some real estate on the stage  :-)  What sales and marketing processes do you incorporate in your daily routine for opening new “accounts”?

RICHARD GREHALVA: The question is “How do I fill my sales funnel?” I do it by turning it upside down. Think of the sales funnel like an hourglass. It has a funnel on top and one on the bottom that is upside down. The sales funnel was first described in 1887.

We live in the “Information Age” of the well informed and savvy customer.

When you have a problem what do you do? We don’t wait for a sales call. We go onto the internet like the vast majority of people. We as consumers follow the path of the traditional sales funnel.

We search for suspects, qualify them into prospects, qualify them and compare them to their competitors and then contact the best few. This is done by the customer not the sales person.  Guess what? Most sales people or CEO’s do not understand this is happening.

The customer or potential customer finds us and we must make sure to take them through the bottom half of the sales funnel by first educating the potential buyer you can solve their problem, give them the results they are after and eliminate their problem.

This means it is vital to have online visibility. Not to sell them but to educate them. I want to educate them I’m an expert or a trusted advisor that can help them through “The Transformation” of their current situation to obtain their objective or to avoid the problems they are having.

I spend a good part of my time expanding my digital footprint. When they search I want them to find me. I also network and as a speaker this brings new customers to me.

OLGA KOSTROVA: “It doesn’t matter whether you come in first, in the middle of the pack, or last. You can say, ‘I have finished.’ There is a lot of satisfaction in that”, said Fred Lebow, New York City Marathon co-founder. John Trautmann had a bit more aggressive view: “Everyone in life is looking for a certain rush. Racing is where I get mine.” I know you were a racer. Does it make you more competitive or give you understanding of a better ride? What are the most important lessons you learned from racing that you later applied to business, selling and sales training?

RICHARD GREHALVA: The kind of racing I do is not going straight like at a drag strip or at ovals like NASCAR but road racing. The tracks I race at have anywhere from 12 to 16 turns. The   track is about 2.5 miles long.

I learned a lot of transferable life lessons from the track that I apply to my personal and professional life.

Here is one big lesson I learned, “Don’t look at the wall.”

In racing, your car goes where your eyes go. If your car spins and you keep looking at the wall: then you are going to hit the wall. If you look ahead and down the track, you can gain control.

The lesson is, “Look to where you want to go by having a vision and a goal.”

OLGA KOSTROVA: Og Mandino, the author of the bestselling book “The Greatest Salesman in the World” said “Obstacles are necessary for success because in selling, as in all careers of importance, victory comes only after many struggles and countless defeats”. Of course that’s been said by hundreds of other people in countless variations. During your career as a sales executive what interesting and hopefully inspiring stories can you recollect in support of this notion?

RICHARD GREHALVA: I have never met a PHD in sales or even someone with a Masters degree. We all know that it does not exist. We all get into sales by accident. It is not something you will hear children say to mom and dad at an early age; “When I grow up I going to be a salesperson.”

Metaphors tell us a lot. Some see sales, for instance, as war. There are people to kill and enemy’s to conquer. The top sales people do not view sales as war. It is not about life or death. They instead view it as a game.

One of the very best sales people I have ever seen was a former professional tennis player. He was ranked in the top 100 in the world. An injury to his back ended his career. He ended up in sales and later he became the CEO of the company.

What was different is he may have lost a match, in this case, a sale. He reviewed what he did and what he needed to do to perfect his game. He was not devastated or depressed. He hated to lose but he never gave up.

He knew that in sports you win and lose. The key is to get better. I witnessed him never giving up a sale, even when he lost the sale. He stuck with it. He stayed in contact and 3 years later he got the rematch. He landed the biggest deal in the company’s history because of his attitude.

OLGA KOSTROVA: Miuccia Prada said “I am interested in communicating with the world by selling to many people.” To what degree do you find companies can communicate with the world via selling and what opportunities do you think many overlook?

RICHARD GREHALVA: In today’s world we have access to incredible amounts of information because of the internet. Companies mistake this as free marketing. It is not. The internet is for content and television is for advertising.

If you look at a companies website or their material, it is all about What’s-In-It-For-Me. It is a billboard for I have the solution. In fact, I have many solutions. Here is how I respond:

What is the point of offering a solution if you do not know what he problem is or the result the customer wants?

If I ask “what problem do you solve?”… “We increase productivity”. Really, having more productivity is the problem or is this the result? or the problem we solve is: “We show you how to make more money.” Really, making more money is the problem or is this the result?

Companies must turn this around. Instead of trying to persuade you to buy they need to become the source of free education. You must become the go to trusted advisor. People will come to you and once in their mind you are their trusted source. Once you establish trust, you will create a customer.

OLGA KOSTROVA: “Writers are always selling somebody out”, said Joan Didion. Who were you selling out in your book?  <smile> Rich, incentivized sales teams sometimes have to compromise their integrity, morality, or principles to boost their commissions if the product team doesn’t deliver or customer service is behind. How have you dealt in the past with such conflicts of interests?

RICHARD GREHALVA: When I teach a workshop I always say this: “They are no unethical processes only unethical people.” I learned many years ago to follow this rule: “Treat others the way you want to be treated.”

A business man recently wrote in a blog post: “Several years ago when I was working with clients many of those clients became my friends and we worked together to help them make their businesses successful but also in the process find their purpose for doing their business and make sure that executing on their purpose was part of the equation.

Somewhere along the way I lost my compass and begin simply trying to find clients for the money, not for the ultimate benefit of how I could help them. And that approach over the past two years has cost me not only financially but also in my relationships, with my family and in who I am.

Along the way he lost his internal compass. The good news is – he regained it.

There are “Universal Principles” you can challenge, but you will fail…

OLGA KOSTROVA: And finally, what are the top 5 most important but not obvious principles about selling and, business in general, readers can learn from your books, and audiences from your speeches?

RICHARD GREHALVA: “Understanding Change is key to our success.” Think about it: everything we do in business has to do with change. We meet not to discuss problems, but to discuss change. We ask our customers to change from what they’re going to buy our product or service. We ask our team to increase our productivity, to change what they’re doing now, to do something different. On a personal note, my wife is always telling me I need to change. The truth is, we do have to change if we want to have better relationships, and so it goes.

Here are my “My 5 Principles of Change”:

Principle Number 1 – Change means — you have to take action immediately.

Now you’re saying to yourself, “d’uh,” but here’s a fact: Two things you need, information and action. Many of us get the information but then don’t take action. We’re all saying I want to start and at the time we really mean it. We say we’re going to start tomorrow, next week, next month, but we don’t so… why is that?

Most often, we want way too much, too quickly, and there’s a part of ourselves that just wants to put on the brakes. Why do we want to make all of these changes? We’ve been fine with what we’ve been doing, it has been working for us.

Bottom line is, the voice in our head says: “why change now?”

So the key here is we want to take one, two, or three small steps, immediately. We don’t want to try to take too many things on, too quickly. That never works out, so the key is one, two, or three steps, immediately, today.

Take action.

Principle Number 2 – Change means — you have to change your thinking.

I know you’ve heard this one before: “If we keep thinking the same way, we will get the same results,” and it is so true. We need to change our minds from what we are today, to where we want to go, or be. Get a vision of what that is. Once you have that vision, then you will need to go out and get the training, get the resources, find likeminded people, or get a mentor or coach to begin thinking differently. Ask yourself, what can I do today, to turn my new way of thinking, to help my new vision of myself become real?

Principle Number 3 – Change means – you have to change your environment.

The environment that I’m talking about is the one inside your mind. What I’ve done is turned my car into an institution of higher learning, and I do that by listening to educational CDs, I listen to the inspirational words from the masters and elders. I listen to book summaries that give me the essence of what they’re saying that might be helpful to me. In my physical environment, I make time for relationships — family, friends, nature, meditation and spirit.

Principle Number 4 – Change means – you have to change your focus.

You know what Steve Jobs did when he returned to Apple? Focus. He eliminated 350 products to focus on 10. He removed the clutter that got in the way of what Apple did really well. We must do the same thing in our lives. We need to eliminate the clutter and the non-important things that we do, and focus on the three to five important areas that will improve our personal and professional effectiveness. The key is to pick the one that brings us the greatest results, just like Steve Jobs did at Apple. Follow his pattern, eliminate what you cannot do, and focus on what you will do to bring you these benefits.

Principle Number 5 – Change takes time.

Stick with it and each day do to better than the day before. There are no get rich overnight schemes, there is no push-a-button and “everything is magically going to be different from tomorrow” cure. It’s going to take time, and if anyone tells you otherwise, they’re just not telling you the truth. You know there are going to be setbacks; this is part of the process, so expect them, learn from them, and continue on your path. Self-made millionaires do not succeed on their first try. Statistically, it’s something like seventeen before they actually are successful, but they never view the past sixteen times as failing.

Like what you hear? Book Richard Grehalva to speak at your next event. Get in touch with us to schedule his speech.

* * * * *

Check the integrated demand generation process flow we’ve designed for you and download the presentation to learn about our LeadGen Journalism as a new demandgen method…

Also read:

By Olga Kostrova, co-founder and COO of SocialAgenda Media.

Jay Elliot, author of "The Steve Jobs Way: iLeadership for a New Generation"

Jay Elliot, author of “The Steve Jobs Way…”

This is a continuation of the interview with Jay Elliot (please read part 1 here Building brand the Steve Jobs Way), former Senior Vice President for Apple, the author of worldwide best sellers “The Steve Jobs Way: iLeadership for a New Generation” and “Leading Apple with Steve Jobs” who is now represented by SocialAgenda Media as a speaker.

Olga Kostrova: Lao Tzu said “A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves”. People believe this doesn’t apply to Jobs’ leadership style. What can you say about it?  

Jay Elliot: Yes, this was not Steve’s way; he was a dynamic leader and people knew his every thought about what the direction needed to be. He was always there representing the user in all aspects of the product, and that was the inspiration that people followed. Yes, people were free to develop the product/technology but they all knew what Steve wanted.

Olga Kostrova: Peter Drucker said “Leadership is lifting a person’s vision to high sights, the raising of a person’s performance to a higher standard, the building of a personality beyond its normal limitations.” How did this translate or not in Jobs’ world?

Jay Elliot: This was very true because Steve gave almost impossible goals, with impossible timelines, but people responded because they saw the big picture of the product and how the users loved it. Once in a meeting the engineers did not get the iPod small enough and said that was as small as they could make it. Steve dropped in into an aquarium in the room and bubbles came out. Steve said “See there is still wasted space”. It was this kind of simple example that highly motivated innovation and people.

Also, Olga, I have sent to you parts of my book where I had an argument with Peter Drucker over Functional vs Product organizations. (Editorial note: I will publish this in an upcoming article)

Olga Kostrova: Warren Bennis’s opinion is “The most dangerous leadership myth is that leaders are born-that there is a genetic factor to leadership. That’s nonsense; in fact, the opposite is true. Leaders are made rather than born”. Would you agree with it in relation to Jobs? From what you know about Steve’s life what do you think made him the leader who became an icon?

Jay Elliot: I disagree, it’s not about being born or made. It is a transition of events that require you to take charge. Tom Watson Jr took over IBM from his father, so he had been made to do that. Steve Jobs on the other hand had to manage a series of events where he found out that his voice was more heard than others. It is about who is going to listen to you. I as a teenager was always given the leader job. Where did that come from? It came because I was always a responsible child that did what I needed to keep our farm business going. When this great idea of the Apple II took off it gave Steve great opportunity to be heard above others. It’s the voice that counts.

Olga Kostrova: Ralph Nader said, “I start with the premise that the function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers”. Would you say the results that Jobs got from his well-known micromanagement style agree with this notion?

Jay Elliot: Steve’s style was about product micromanagement, not micromanagement; that is where everybody does not understand. And people learned from that. Most of these people do not understand. Actually, Ralph was on a very specific mission that met this idea.

Olga Kostrova: Ken Kesey said “You don’t lead by pointing and telling people some place to go. You lead by going to that place and making a case.” What are your thoughts on that in relation to Apple management as you remember it?

Jay Elliot: Apple was a product centric company, it all revolved around the product. So this statement applies to the fact that Steve set the roadmap for where the product was going and what the user could expect. He usually had 3-5 visions of what users could expect from Apple.

Olga Kostrova: Author John Maxwell said “People buy into the leader before they buy into the vision.” Does your observation agree in Steve’s case, and if so what characteristics (real or perceived based on media coverage) made him magnetize billions of people?

Jay Elliot: No, I do not agree with this statement. Steve’s vision was really the essence of his leadership. When I met Steve I was 14 years older, he virtually had no experience to reflect leadership, it was his vision that I bought into. The leadership came later with the experience as part of the vision.  All the cult-user members bought into the amazing products and Steve as their cult leader.

Olga Kostrova: Author Max Lucado said “A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd.” Are there events during Jobs’ leadership that demonstrate this and if so, to what effect?

Jay Elliot: This very much applies to Steve’s leadership. He was building products for the consumers, as he was the number one consumer, so his back was to the crowd. Remember, all the pundits said the Apple store was going to fail, but Steve knew the crowd would flock to it to see the great products he was building for them. It really was not a store but a demo center for the users. Apple stores today get about $8,000 per square foot in sales; the next closest one is Tiffany’ at $3,000 per square foot in sales.

Olga Kostrova: General Colin Powell said “Great leaders are almost always great simplifiers, who can cut through argument, debate, and doubt to offer a solution everybody can understand.” How did Jobs manage to align his design teams to accomplish this?

Jay Elliot: Again, he connected everyone to the product, which was the simplicity of the culture of Apple. All teams were product centric and user simplicity was the goal of all the teams. This was not easy because if you disagreed with a product feature it was hard to sometimes change Steve’s mind. One of the big issues I, and the design team, had with Steve was not to include a fan in the first Mac. Heat had to be dissipated without a fan, almost impossible, but Steve did not want the fan. Overtime, he was right, since all Apple products do not have the annoying fan sound. But at the moment it did not work in the original Macs.

Olga Kostrova: Colin Powell also said “Leadership is solving problems. The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help or concluded you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership”. What feedback loop did Apple have to be proactive for problem solving on the product design level, in marketing and in other functions?

Jay Elliot: Design meetings at all levels were the culture of Apple. These meetings were simple, short, but very to the point of what problem needed to be focused on. Another part of the meeting was “show and tell”, you needed to have prototypes of what you were responsible for, cables, boxes, ads, it was all about the complete eco system. The importance part of the process was that all parts of the company knew that their part of the product/user process was as important as any others. Marketing, Sales, and even Admin functions has the same quality expectations that the Engineering group had.

Olga Kostrova: Stephen Covey said “Management is efficiency in climbing the ladder of success; leadership determines whether the ladder is leaning against the right wall.” What are your observations in relation to Jobs defining Apple’s culture?

Jay Elliot: The product vision was one of the key parts of the Apple culture and the essence of all communications to employees. The product introduction sessions with the press, shareholders, and employees were the key indicators of what the vision was and where it was going. Every employee in Apple was expected to use the product, totally understand it and be able to use it. This was a great way to integrate vision as part of the culture. I understand today they are integrating Steve’s vision into what is called Apple University – a program I invented in 1983.

Olga Kostrova: By being projected upon by Steve Jobs every day, what did you learn about yourself during your years working side by side with him?

Jay Elliot: A key term here is working with him. What I learned is that the key to our relationship was to be very relevant to every aspect of what you are doing and be completely product centric to what you are doing. I also learned that inside me was a very creative person, and an entrepreneur that wanted to get out and work on my own. I did not want to work for someone but wanted to work for myself, this was the great insight I had working with Steve. Be yourself. This was the big misconception about Steve, he brought out the best in you, but in a totally different way. It wasn’t about some intimate relationship; it was about making a product to change the world. Almost like the Wizard of Oz.

Olga Kostrova: You have spoken to hundreds of thousands of people around the world about your books and the story of Apple. How have audience questions or reactions to your story changed the way you see the history of Apple, as well as Jobs and your role in it?

Jay Elliot: While in Apple from 1980 to 1987 I could not see the significance of what and how we were operating and over the next 20 years, its eventual impact on the world. It’s hard to recognize greatness when it is a daily occurrence, and I have been somewhat surprised in the reaction to my books and Steve. The Apple story and his integral part of all of it is why I wrote the books. Apples and Steve’s success are not luck, it was well orchestrated!

Olga Kostrova: What is your next step, next book, next song, next love?  :-)

Jay Elliot: Several things, 1. I am starting a new company in an area I have great passion for, Healthcare. My company is called iMedGo, making health information relevant and at your fingertips. 2. I am writing another book, “The Entreprenurial Journey”, the working title. How to recognize if you are an entrepreneur and tips on being one. 3. Keeping closer to my family and helping my wife, boys, animals, live a better life.

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What great insights! I would like to express my gratitude to Jay for what he shared in this interview and in his books. And a question to readers, did it illuminate something for you? Destroy any of your illusions and misperceptions? Do you find yourself inspired about something? Please share, don’t be shy…

And of course, if you feel Jay could add value to your event and speak in front of your audiences, connect with me or other team members to book him. We’ll make things happen for you. Thank you for sharing 10 intimate minutes with us  :-)

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Also read:

By Olga Kostrova, co-founder and COO of SocialAgenda Media.
The Steve Jobs Way, iLeadership for a new generation - Jay Elliot
If you ask anybody who is even remotely familiar with the world of technology “Who was the world’s greatest product manager of all time?” I believe the answer would be consistent – Steve Jobs is the most admired CEO and product innovator, because of his exceptional sense of simplicity, elegance, and incomparable user experience. Jay Elliott worked side by side with Jobs as Senior Vice President for Apple for many years. Following our cup of coffee with Jay in Los Gatos, I decided to ask him a few questions and share his insights with you. Jay is the author of worldwide best sellers “The Steve Jobs Way: iLeadership for a New Generation” and “Leading Apple with Steve Jobs” and is now represented by SocialAgenda Media as a speaker. As you might know, I love stirring your imaginations; this time with quotes – to spice up my questions… Enjoy!

Olga Kostrova: Max DePree said “The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality.” How did Jobs define the reality which made both employees and customer tribes to follow him with such unquestionable loyalty? 

Jay Elliot:  Steve’s reality was the User. He was defining what the user really needed and how it could benefit their life. Obviously it takes the user to agree and most Apple users were so loyal they were almost like a cult!

Olga Kostrova: “Every advertisement should be thought of as a contribution to the complex symbol which is the brand image”, as David Ogilvy said. What ideology, what complexities and simplicities of the conceptual “symbol” did Jobs envision with Apple when he started the company, and how did it evolve in the next few decades?

Jay Elliot: Steve envisioned simplicity as the undercurrent of Apple, it was because the products were so simple to use with such efficiency that they changed the world. Over time the brand got even stronger, particularly with the use by young children at school and home.

Olga Kostrova: And as Ogilvy also said “Nobody has ever built a brand by imitating somebody else’s advertising”. What marketing innovations made Apple what it is now? What major strategies and tactics made the most impact and led Apple to become probably the most desired brand in the world?

Jay Elliot: The advertising was based on being different and again, always delivering a message that resonated with users – simplicity of use, and great benefit to your life. It started with Dick Cavett with the Apple II; he was honest, straight to the point of how this product would benefit your life, and then moved to the Mac with the 1984 ad in the Super Bowl. That was the first time people lined up around the stores, the day after the ad ran, to see this new innovation called a mouse. The strategy is presenting the benefit to the user and the simplicity of use.

Olga Kostrova: “Brands must empower their community to be change agents in their own right. To that end, they need to take on a mentoring role. This means the brand provides the tools, techniques and strategies for their customers to become more effective marketers in achieving their own goals”, shares Simon Mainwaring. What Apple’s practices enabled their customers to become their greatest advocates? What was the role of Guy Kawasaki in the big picture of the brand advocacy and what was his impact on the brand adoption?

Jay Elliot: Apple put the word “personal” in the computer. Windows dominated the corporate landscape, but with Apple it was always, you, the user. A product that was so intuitive to use, your children could use it. iPads today are used by 5 year olds to 90 year olds, its about the user. Probably the children had the greatest impact of being advocates than any other group, except developers. Despite how Guy represents himself, he was a low level guy in marketing who had very little impact, other than to make the word “evangelist” famous, and he did not invent that word.

Olga Kostrova: Jack Welch said Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.” I understand Jobs had done a lot of inner and spiritual seeking. How did that affect his influence on others?

Jay Elliot: First, I do not totally agree with Jack’s statement, it is old school. The complete passion for Apple and the product was the part of the inspirational leadership that Steve provided. It started and ended with the product in all aspects of the organization. His Buddhist background gave him the ability to bring points down to very simple forms, and helped keep him on track. But it was the product leadership that opened the way for people to grow.

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This article is continued on next page. Please read Jay’s answers to leadership questions in the blog post The Steve Jobs Way: iLeadership for a New Generation – interview with ex-SVP of Apple, Jay Elliot.

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Also read:

It’s never dull here at SocialAgenda Media because we consciously include play in all our work. Finding one’s “voice” is almost always a challenge for heart-based beings who feel called to their message. Feel the earnestness right under the humor in this blooper piece.

Jan Hutchins social agenda media speakerOAKLAND, May 25, 2013— Jan Hutchins, CEO of SocialAgenda Media, has been named a Black Journalism Pioneer by The Multi-Ethnic Sports Hall of Fame, (MESHOF), along with legends Barbara Rodgers, Ray Taliaferro, Valerie Coleman-Morris and Jerri Lange. MESHOF will celebrate this historically significant generation of broadcast journalism pioneers for their outstanding contributions to the media and to society at a very special event, “A Celebration and Tribute to Bay Area Black Journalism Pioneers”. The event will take place on June 22, 2013, at Geoffrey’s Inner Circle, 410 14th Street, Oakland, CA, from 6 to 10 p.m.

“Our world is endangered because journalism has become politicized pandering,” said Hutchins. “The media today cynically create and exploit fear. The people being honored are “Old School” journalists, still seeking excellence in an industry that’s been dumbed down by corporate ownership seeking profit at the expense of service. This award is extra special because it includes me with a group of beautiful, brave journalists I love and admire.”

The Mistress of Ceremony for “A Celebration and Tribute to Bay Area Black Journalism Pioneers” event will be the award winning radio and television journalist, Rosie Lee Allen. Allen most recently filled in as co-host of a radio show on Talk 910. She has over 40 years of journalism experience, with more than 25 of those years as co-anchor of the award-winning KGO Afternoon News, and was contributor and host of the ABC-7 television program, Marketplace. Allen is also a founding member of “Friends of Faith” Inc., and remains active as producer for the Faith Fancher Breast Cancer Challenge fundraising event.

Jan Hutchins has over 20 years of service to the community as a sports and newscaster on television and radio, and he served as mayor of Los Gatos, CA. He is a public speaker and now an entrepreneur and is co-founder and CEO of SocialAgenda Media, a Silicon Valley-based Public Relations and Thought Leadership Marketing company specializing in launching and promoting other visionaries with remarkable ideas and strategies.

Barbara Rodgers retired from her position as co-anchor on CBS 5 Eyewitness News at Noon in 2008 after nearly three decades of outstanding journalism contribution and service to the community through her exceptional style and her commitment to mentoring young journalists.

Ray Taliaferro is a political commentator and former radio talk show host of The Early Show, which aired on KGO Newstalk 810 in the San Francisco Bay Area from 1977 to 2011. Ray was also a television news anchor on KRON4, was inducted into the Newseum Washington, D.C. National Hall of Fame in 2011, and was president of the San Francisco Chapter of the NAACP.

Valerie Coleman Morris began her career in the early 70s in San Francisco at KRON-TV as a reporter and then at KGO-TV as a longtime anchor. She also worked as former business anchor for CNN and at WPIX-TV in New York, and is currently a financial journalist and CBS radio host of With the Family in Mind. Valerie is also the author of the book, It’s Your Money So Take It Personally®.

Jerri Lange hosted community-based television shows in the Bay Area from 1969 to 1979 on KEMO, KBHK, KGO, and KQED and is the recent recipient of the prestigious Living Legend Award from the renowned Third Baptist Church in San Francisco, CA. She is also the author of the book, Jerri Lange ~ A Black Woman’s Life in the Media.

Join MESHOF and these dynamic media pioneers on June 22, 2013, at Geoffrey’s Inner Circle, 410 14th Street, Oakland, CA 94612. This will be a time to connect with Bay Area journalism history and to effect positive change for the future. Proceeds from this event will help support deserving youth through educational mentorship and life skills opportunities. The cocktail hour and book signing begins at 6 p.m., followed by dinner at 7, and the ceremony at 8. Tables of 10 are available, as are sponsorship opportunities. Tickets can be purchased online at www.afrosportshall.com.

About SocialAgenda Media:

SocialAgenda Media is an innovative Silicon Valley based thought-leadership marketing agency that launches remarkable companies and people with remarkable ideas. The company drives results through integrated demand and lead generation programs that include design and promotion of crowdfunding campaigns, celebrity endorsements, digital marketing, social advocacy, thought leadership, content marketing and media relations. Recently the company added a speakers bureau division to its operation and now helps visionaries spread big ideas. SocialAgenda Media’s mission is to identify and evangelize the ideas, principles and technologies that positively impact individuals, markets and communities.

“Like” SociaAgenda Media on Facebook and find more information at http://SocialAgendaMedia.com.

About MESHOF:

MESHOF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to broadening the public’s understanding of ethnic history and the role of diversity and cultural tolerance in the growth of professional sports and in the community. MESHOF supports youth through mentorship and life skills opportunities. The honorary chairpersons for this historical event are the Honorable Willie Brown, former mayor of S.F.; the Honorable Donald White, Alameda County Treasurer; the Honorable Elihu Harris, former Democratic assemblyman, former chancellor-Peralta College, and former mayor of Oakland; Fred Jordan, Fred Jordan & Associates; Donald Hopkins, former district administrator for Congressman Ronald V. Dellums; and Belva Davis, author and television journalist.

Ray's indiegogo cover

May 1st, 2013, San Francisco, California – Author, speaker and advocate for men’s emotional maturity, Ray Arata, today announced that his campaign on the Idiegogo crowdfunding platform called “Crowd-Authoring ARATACode” which is designed to co-write with supporters a second edition of his popular book “Wake Up, Man Up, Step Up”, exceeded its fundraising goal of $10,000 within the first 8 hours of the campaign launch. (Campaign page: igg.me/at/ARATAcode).

“I see it as a sign we’re onto something that can help us create a safer world. Hurt men are hurting innocent people in numerous ways all over the planet. I’ve committed to, by 2015, provide one million men in crisis, practical guidance, tools and inspiration for emotional maturity and accountability so they become able to prevent and resolve conflict in their families, workplaces and communities. After the contributors add their stories to the new book, we will send the books into prisons, as well as boardrooms and Congress, so men who really need it can read it,” said Ray Arata.

Supporters are also contributing to have the book anonymously sent to their bosses, mates, friends, family members or others who could use some growing up. Arata’s book, “Wake Up, Man Up, Step Up” is described by one reviewer as: “a treasure map that, if followed, will lead you to your best self. It will help you see that the journey inside yourself is where the freedom is. Around the world, our communities – our women, and children need us men, to wake-up and step-up.”

Arata, whose main work is coaching men, women and corporate executives how to become their best selves and leaders in their worlds, sees a wider lesson in the success of his campaign. “It takes a while to get men to learn that it is not a sign of weakness to ask for help. Crowdfunding is all about not trying to do it alone and it feels great that people respond.”

Since in his spare time Arata does pro-bono work in prisons, Olga Kostrova, COO of SocialAgenda Media, marketing company behind the campaign says, “I’m hoping that Ray takes the story of the success of his campaign to inmates, so they learn not only lessons of emotional intelligence and accountability, but also understand that crowdfunding is a new option for their families to start income generating projects and get out of poverty.” Kostrova, who was one of the innovators who pioneered the crowdfunding industry in 2004 with her crowdfunding platform that, as VCs said, was 10 years ahead of its time, adds: “Crowdfunding as an industry can become a vehicle for real social change, because now the least powerful among us can bypass banks and other gatekeepers, and find ways to start small businesses and attract the support they need to progress in life.”

“Even though Ray works mainly with people outside of prisons, we emphasized the prison angle in the campaign because it symbolizes the way many of us become imprisoned in our attitudes and patterns,” offers SocialAgenda Media CEO, Jan Hutchins. “When we become willing to do the inside job of dis-identifying with old beliefs and actually become peaceful, loving and productive, that’s when the outside world starts to change.”

By Olga Kostrova, Managing Partner of SocialAgenda Media

Our very own and stunningly handsome Jan Hutchins :-) (CEO of SocialAgenda Media) has just found out he has been chosen / honored as a Black Journalism Pioneer and will receive a tribute Saturday June 22nd along with fellow honorees Valerie Coleman, Gerri Lange, Barbara Rodgers and Ray Taliaferro at Geoffrey’s in Oakland.

I’m just hoping his hats still fit afterward. 😉

The honorary chairs of the event are the Honorable Willie Brown (former Chair of the State Assembly and Mayor of San Francisco), Honorable Elihu Harris (former Democratic Assemblyman and Mayor of Oakland), Fred Jordan, Alameda County Treasurer Donald White and boadcast legend Belva Davis.

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