A Chief Marketing Officer Who "Gets It"

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  1

  travisvan

  10/09/08 | Report as spam

  RE: A Chief Marketing Officer Who "Gets It"

  I agree. WAY too many blowhards out there in marketing who couldn't "strategize" themselves out of a paper bag. It's about getting the leads and stoking the sales fire ... not about this strategic hubris that passes for marketing at so many (failing / flailing) vendors.

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  colinparker

  10/10/08 | Report as spam

  RE: A Chief Marketing Officer Who

  The assumption that she is all tactics is a simplistic view. The fact that she might be talking purely about tactics doesn't mean that her organization doesn't have a strategy. I see companies everyday that have great tactics but have not spent the time and attention to strategy so for the most part they end up sending completely mixed messages to the market. Sales reps are left to their own devices. Tactics are born out of strategy. I will take a company with a well throughout strategy with crappy tactic over a company with great tactics and suspect strategy. The company with a great strategy will win 9 times out of 10. Tactics in no way give you a unique defensible position in the market place.
  
  Marketing is not about neat slogan and nice materials. There are blowhards out their who have never sold but take from a guy who has worked on both sides. There are too many people on both sides that do not do the work needed to be successful or for some even competent.

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  Geoffrey James, Sales Machine

  10/10/08 | Report as spam

  RE: A Chief Marketing Officer Who

  QUOTE: I will take a company with a well throughout strategy with crappy tactic over a company with great tactics and suspect strategy.
  
  Well, it's probably easier to fix a faulty tactical execution than a faulty strategy, but that's because faulty strategies can't possible generate effective tactics.
  
  
  
  
  But you're completely wrong all the same. Strategies are pretty plug and play. The ONLY thing that distinguishes companies is tactical execution. Example, EVERY company has the strategy to provide good customer service. Very few manage to do so. The ones that do (i.e. have good tactical execution) are the ones that win the competitive advantage.
  
  
  
  
  My experience is that people who talk a lot about strategy don't like to work. They like to talk. Mostly about strategy. Strategy is easy -- it's just blowing wind. Tactics are hard. They mean that you actually have to do something.

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  Catton

  10/10/08 | Report as spam

  RE: A Chief Marketing Officer Who

  Strategy is to plan - as Tactics is to execution. Without the execution, it's just a plan. And now I look up to Geoffrey's comments and see that I am redundant...my bad. Ask Cub fan if they would choose strategy over tactics?! Strategy guys are the MBA dudes - you know, "let's talk about it" (no offense to all you MBAers). Tactics guys are the sales reps...the guys/gals on the street...getting it done!

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  colinparker

  10/10/08 | Report as spam

  RE: A Chief Marketing Officer Who

  I guess if you think good customer service is strategy than you are right it is easy. Good customer service is the price of admission not a strategy.
  
  I see companies who have great marketing, spend money to train and improve sales peoples abilities, and have the latest technology for sales teams but never get the results they expect. Not the sales peoples fault they go out work really hard with the message the company has provided them with. The problem is that the company executive didn't spend the time on getting the strategy right so you have a disconnected strategy that in now way helps you in the crowded market place.
  
  Strategy takes time, research, insight and hardwork. When it is done right it changes the company. When you use broad sweeping judgement like strategy is blowing wind and tactics are really hard you sound like the a lot of President who wonder why their sales reps are so lazy and just don't go out and sell because sales is so easy. I have worked in sales, been a sales manager and a Vice President of Sales with a billion dollar high tech company. I don't think sales are easy. I know that good sales people work hard and have to put up with a lot of crap. My experience is sales growth beyond industry levels only came when we spend time and hard work getting positioning and strategy right, when we did the hard work.
  
  Plug and play strategy good luck with that.

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  Geoffrey James, Sales Machine

  10/11/08 | Report as spam

  RE: A Chief Marketing Officer Who

  b>QUOTE from colinparker: Good customer service is the price of admission not a strategy.
  
  This is the sort of bromide that, when uttered, generally causes the executive team to do a unison bobblehead nod.
  
  
  
  But it's really not true, is it? Customer service, especially in high tech, generally sucks. Try getting a PC repaired or a software bug fixed. The reason: lousy tactical execution.
  
  
  
  A company that ACTUALLY did provide good customer service in high tech would most definitely have a competitive advantage. People would do business with them out of pure amazement.

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  Geoffrey James, Sales Machine

  10/13/08 | Report as spam

  RE: A Chief Marketing Officer Who

  I respond more fully to "colinparker" in:
  
  
  
  http://blogs.bnet.com/salesmachine/?p=553

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  tudor.montescu

  10/26/08 | Report as spam

  RE: A Chief Marketing Officer Who

  "managers are, in general, less important to the running of a company than the line employees.
  
  I definitely believe that."
  
  I mean, come on. GJ, if you do believe this, then I suggest trying to start a company without management. I wish you good luck.