We are all unique, or we think we are, with this problem: our products are becoming more and more like commodities. You know, gasoline, steel, top soil. Our superior product dreams are trampled by the heavy feet of commoditization. Wouldn’t it be so much more fun to tout the amazing technical wizardry in the annual ... Read More

A persona is a hypothetical archetype used to represent customers in a given market segment. Follow 4 practices for B2B growth: 1) Design for just one person, 2) be specific, 3) remember precision is more important than accuracy, and 4) separate user personas from buyer personas. ... Read More

Imagine you spent two years developing a new product, and have just launched it. You’re waiting to tell your boss about exciting new sales… and waiting. As the months go by and you get more feedback from the field, you realize the market has responded to your launch with one big, collective… yawn. What went ... Read More

What is Smarketing? “Smarketing” is when marketing is only executed with a short term, sales mentality. It’s the unholy melding of sales and marketing. Why is this bad? With Smarketing, the longer term, less urgent, strategic marketing activities are pushed aside. Strategic vs. Tactical Marketing Strategic marketing sets the course and tactical marketing steers the ... Read More

Many companies struggle trying to enter new markets or introduce new technology. You can apply a new “de-risking” methodology to identify those "landmines” that could blow up your project. This approach not only gives teams a detailed roadmap to follow… it allows them to clearly communicate risk to management. ... Read More

Absorb far less risk in your transformational projects by following 4 steps: 1) Diverge to many potential risk factors, 2) converge to the high-impact, low-certainty factors, 3) investigate these with a CheckPoint Plan, and 4) intelligently communicate progress to management. ... Read More

Portfolio management links strategy with execution for new product development. A Voice of the Customer program maximizes ROI for all new product initiatives, whether incremental or breakthrough. ... Read More