Breakthrough Marketing 

Category Lessons from Club Volleyball???

My son Owen is a high school club volleyball player. While he isn't near the tallest, at almost 5 ft 10in and still growing, he definitely is the giant of our house. And his height DEFINITELY comes from Mom's size. Owen plays setter. Setter is, as I have learned, the...

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The (Secret?) Power and Beauty of the #CategoryMeme

A client of mine recently launched their new Category initiative. They are both a technical and customer innovator in a hot, but crowded market, like pretty much all B2B technology innovators are. Their CEO views their #CategoryMeme as one of of their "Secret weapons"...

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Everything I Ever Learned About B2B Messaging…In One Picture!

Sometimes, you just have to net it out! After nearly 14 years as a GTM messaging advisor, this is one of those times. The other week, a client looked at my Messaging Hierarchy and asked, “what are the message deliverables out of this project?” a question I get a lot. And then I realized I had never mapped deliverables to my 4 M Model of “Method, Money, Magic, Mythos”

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Five Tips on Hiring Messaging Help

Having written last on the "5 DIY B2B Messaging Mistakes" I've decided to address another challenge, hiring "Messaging Help", that consultant, agency or firm that's gonna help you get it right. And while I admit I have a biased view here, in the sense that I am a...

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Five DIY Messaging Mistakes Start-ups Make

Messaging, after product and funding, is arguably the third key thing to get right for early stage B2B start-up success. Yet just the other day, a friend of mine who is a well respected Venture Capitalist said to me, "You know Ken, most of our early stage company...

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Creepy Customer Care, Thanks But No Thanks?

Get Out and Engage! - Why You Need Both Customer Empathy AND Intimacy to Drive Aligned Engagement Do you know what keeps your customers up at night? What gets them excited in the morning? Have you walked in their shoes? Do you seek to understand before being...

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Five Bad Messaging Habits Every B2B Brand Should Break

In my post of November 4th, I outlined the Five Messaging Habits of Highly Successful B2B Brands, in this post I'll take on 5 Bad Habits to Break. We all have bad habits, both in our personal and professional lives. Over the years, I've noticed 5 Messaging Habits that...

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The 5 Messaging “Habits” of Highly Effective B2B Brands

View the recording of my 5 Habits Webinar here Market Leaders do it better! When you are a follower, it feels like you are pushing a boulder uphill while your rival leader is like a snowball rolling down. So what are some of the messaging habits that Market Leaders...

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“Filming” Your Blockbuster B2B Go To Market Story

Much is made by many including myself of getting your go to market narrative and value messaging nailed. SO IMPORTANT. Without a great story and value messaging, you can NEVER reach and leverage Message-Market Fit and achieve and grow market leadership. Aligning your...

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Customer Nirvana – What IS Beyond Customer Success?

It's become cliche' to talk these days about Customer Success.  As companies scale beyond the first 50-100 customers, they often shift from a simple support mindset to a customer success one.  They implement technology, appoint a VP or Director of Customer...

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Make Your B2B Messaging an 8 Layer Cake!

I recently read an article in the Harvard Business Review called "The B2B Elements of Value" by Almquist, Cleghorn and Sherer, 3 Bain and Company consultants from San Francisco.  It's a long somewhat complex article with one big take away for me, B2B buyers are people...

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