Harris CMO Partners

Tales From the Business Crypt!

"But, by George, I learned how to sell and, to me, this is one of the greatest assets anybody can bring into a job."

Another pearl of wisdom from a "seasoned" executive.

Talking about change management at a $30 billion company.

90 second clip...link to full podcast in comments

https://youtu.be/bcOxloJ-m48?feature=shared

The importance of learning sales - Mike Harris Mike Harris explains why it's so important to personally learn sales. And not always just in a transactional context for revenue generation but more broadly ...

“We started out every weekly meeting with a look at the P&L, and that did two things: it grounded everybody in reality and, surprising to me, it helped with esprit de corps because it showed each team member the value of what they were bringing to the table.”

Talking about a successful turnaround at a major corporation. (2 min)

Cross-functional P&L-led teams FTW - Mike Harris Mike Harris explains why it's essential your growth or turnaround teams are cross functional. But also, start those meetings with a particular focus at the s...

"people were holding onto their turf like nobody's business..."

Another short clip from the John James podcast earlier this week.

There's a lot of politics involved when you're trying to fix a challenging business situation. That was my case when charged with turning around a $100 million division of a Global 100 company.

Pay attention to the 'hugs and chugs' strategy... 🤣

Bridging data, diagnosis and solutions - Mike Harris Mike Harris explains how to use data diagnose properly before jumping to potential solutions. Strategy 101An excerpt from episode 6, season 5 of the Champagn...

Stories about corporate politics can be endlessly entertaining, and can teach us a lot.

On this guest spot podcast, I share three from my own career at big companies...two attached to turnarounds.

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/officialjohnjames_politics-growth-activity-7197861042754887680-Ad5F?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

Adding marketing coaching as a company benefit can offer several advantages, both to the employees and the organization as a whole:

Skill Development: Marketing coaching provides employees with the opportunity to enhance their marketing skills, which can lead to improved job performance and career growth.

Employee Engagement: Offering coaching as a benefit demonstrates that the company is invested in the professional development and growth of its employees, which can boost morale and job satisfaction.

Improved Marketing Strategies: Employees who receive coaching can apply their newfound knowledge and skills to develop more effective marketing strategies, leading to better business outcomes.

Enhanced Creativity and Innovation: Coaching can help employees think more creatively and come up with innovative marketing ideas, which can give the company a competitive edge.

Talent Retention: Providing coaching as a benefit can help attract and retain top marketing talent, as employees may be more inclined to stay with a company that invests in their growth.

Team Building: Coaching can foster a sense of community and collaboration among marketing team members, leading to better teamwork and more cohesive marketing efforts.

Adaptation to Industry Changes: The marketing field is constantly evolving. Coaching can help employees stay up-to-date with the latest marketing trends and technologies, ensuring the company remains competitive.

Increased Productivity: Employees who receive coaching may become more efficient in their roles, leading to increased productivity and better results for the company.

Leadership Development: Coaching can also help identify and nurture future marketing leaders within the organization, ensuring a strong leadership pipeline.

Positive Brand Image: Offering coaching as a benefit can enhance the company's reputation as an employer that cares about employee growth and development, which can be attractive to potential hires.

Alignment with Company Goals: Coaching can be tailored to align with the company's specific marketing objectives and strategies, helping employees contribute more effectively to the organization's success.

Personal Growth: Beyond professional benefits, coaching can also contribute to employees' personal growth and well-being, leading to more satisfied and fulfilled team members.

In summary, marketing coaching as a company benefit can lead to improved employee skills, better marketing outcomes, increased job satisfaction, and a more competitive and innovative marketing team. It aligns with the company's goals of employee development and can positively impact both the individual and the organization as a whole.

Why did I launch CMOboost™, the coaching service for B2B marketers?

Because there's a shortage of vertical and function specific marketing coaches.

Someone who's walked the walk can understand you better than someone who hasn't.

Mid-level marketer aiming to move up?

VP or CMO who could use some guidance from a fellow traveler?

Marketing careers are tough, and getting tougher.

In 2023, average CMO tenures have dropped to their lowest levels in a decade.
Marketer burnout is a trending topic on social media. https://www.marketingweek.com/cmo-tenure-falls/

Options and pricing are on my website. I welcome your call.
https://harriscmopartners.com/cmo-coach/

CMO Coach...Be the Best You Can Be | with Mike Harris A great CMO coach can turn years of OTJ training into just a few months. Be the best tech marketer you can be. I can help.

https://harriscmopartners.com/2023/08/b2b-marketing-roi/

It's B2B Marketing ROI season again.

Heading into Q4, your marketing plans will be due soon.

To help, I've made public our B2B Marketing ROI Calculator. Anyone can use for free, no email or signup required.

Link is in blogpost, at the top.

Pair the calculator with AI queries to help create your plan faster than ever.

It's B2B Marketing ROI season again! Free online calculator. It's B2B Marketing ROI season again! Use this free ROI calculator to think through all your campaigns for 2024.

Recently I was startled to see one of the best advertisements I've seen in 2023.

On a moving truck. On a Nashville freeway.

I don't know about you, but I seldom see cool advertising on the freeway. And I sure never see anything cool and memorable from a moving company.

So I did a deeper dive on Black Tie's marketing to see what it could teach. Here's what I found:

https://harriscmopartners.com/2023/08/executive-branding/

https://harriscmopartners.com/cmo-coach/

Because everyone needs career help.

Cue this new coaching service for tech marketers.

Multiple options, starting at $250 per month.

No contracts, you're in control.

What is it so darn hard for tech and SaaS companies to get noticed these days?

We don't have to look far for the reasons:

✱ paid search costs are high, results are questionable for many

✱ most traditional business media is now pay-to-play

✱ most solutions viewed as commodities, even when they're not

✱ info overload (whoa Nellie!)

✱ fragmented media landscape

✱ lack of relevance and personalization

✱ ad-blocking and ad-blindness

✱ people are following humans, not products or companies

✱ buyer reluctance to engage is off the charts

A few years ago tactics like personalized outreach and focus on content came into play.

Tout le monde jumped on those bandwagons, with many doing it poorly. Today, every spam email and LI request has my name on it, so personalization just doesn't matter. To me, anyway.

As a marketing chief, I'm always on the prowl for new and better ways to differentiate authentically. Life cycles of effective tactics are getting shorter and shorter.

Nowadays, I'm keen on executive branding and personalization.

Whether you use my service or someone else's, you might want to give it a chance. Compared to paid search, advertising and other budget hogs, executive branding has the potential for a much better ROI.

https://lnkd.in/ehyek4kP

Personal Branding for Executives | Harris CMO Partners Why is personal branding for executives such a hot topic? It builds resonance for professionals and their target markets.

Why are smart B2Bs integrating strategic narratives with personal executive branding?

Many prospective B2B buyers now view your solution as a commodity, even if it’s not.

What’s not working?

❗️your company’s history? not so much…
❗️leadership bios? meh…
❗️client logos…everyone has those
❗️speeds and feeds…worked in the ’90s

In 2023, with its tsunami of spam and clutter, it’s never been more true that people buy from people with who they resonate.

Resonance and reach are now huge differentiators if you’re selling something.

When a prospective buyer perceives the human touch, they are much more likely to engage.

Our plans start at $1K per month.

Executive Branding Strategies | Harris CMO Partners Executive branding strategies are hot. Why? Executives and companies with stories that resonate do better than their competitors.

There’s a lot of talk about building executive brand image today. And for good reasons.

I’ve been in the c-suite for decades, mostly in marketing.

Let’s look at the reasons why executive brand matters:

#1 – It’s getting much harder to differentiate
#2 – Most solutions seen as commodities, even when they're not
#3 – Lack of relevance & personalization in B2B
#4 – Ad-blocking & ad-blindness
#5 – People follow humans, not companies

But there seems to be no one addressing the needs of tech and SaaS execs. Why? Because it's difficult to talk the talk, if you haven't walked the walk.

So today I'm launching ProfileVIBE™, an executive branding and stories service for tech and SaaS.

Would love it if you checked out the service and shared.

https://harriscmopartners.com/2023/06/building-executive-brand-image/

Building Executive Brand Image | Powerful Juju Building executive brand image is a hot topic today. I've been in the c-suite for decades. Here are my thoughts on why it matters today.