Vol. 4 , No. 17     April 27, 2004

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Jim Lenskold and Hugh Macfarlane
The Marketing Profitability Path: Mapping Your Journey (Part 4 of 4)

In the first three articles in the journey, the authors identified and uncovered sources for improving marketing performance and generating additional profits.

This final article in the series is the last stop on the path. In it, Hugh and Jim present additional insight and strategies. At the same time, they offer a view of the entire process in its integrated form.

Get the full story.

Dr. Dan Herman
The ‘What’s Next? Process’ for Developing Your Strategy

The old, customary procedure of strategy development has a pure and sound logic. It has been designed to answer the question, What is it that we should do in order to achieve our goals?

But the problem is that this time-honored process is no longer adequate. It's insufficient in the current competitive environment. It does not help managers steer their organizations in the direction of success and profitability. In fact, it's nothing but Wishful Strategizing.

Get the full story.

Sean D’Souza
Endless Customers: Sobering Lessons From Harvard University

In 1999, Harvard’s endowment was $14.4 billion. In one amazing year, Harvard University’s wealth jumped nearly a third.

So what’s Harvard University doing that you aren’t?

It's a question worth answering. Because Harvard’s structure and marketing system can teach us one heck of a lot.

Get the full story.

A Note to Readers

An Evolving Discussion

I don’t pretend to be a big cheese in the online space. But having worked in and around online marketing since my 7-year-old daughter was a newborn, I do feel like I’ve witnessed (and in some cases participated in) an amazing evolution.

That evolution is especially palpable in online discussion. As someone who actively participated in email discussion lists in the mid-1990s and launched one of them (the now-defunct ClickZ Forum) in the late 1990s, nothing thrills me more than to see new discussion ground being broken.

For example, here are MarketingProfs, it’s been great to see the evolution of the Know-How Exchange .

Those of you who haven’t dropped by… you should! My colleague Val Frazee does an incredible job of keep things hopping over there, and it’s awesome to experience the collaborative effort, with participants weighing in on everything from career training to marketing metrics. The Exchange is free and open to anyone—from a Realtor looking for help with email regs to a consultant looking for ROI benchmarks.

At the other end of the spectrum, my long-time colleague Bill McCloskey recently launched a private discussion list called The One Hundred Club. Bill—along with Nick Friese of MediaPost and Nick Johnson of Revenue Science—has created an active and outstanding discussion list with some of the best brains in the online marketing space. (Read details, along with some of Bill’s interesting insights about what makes for a good discussion list, here .)

What’s interesting about both of these lists is that they do a great job of keeping themselves fresh and compelling. They have very different models and operate from different perspectives. But each, in my mind, does a great job of encouraging its members to participate in meaningful ways.

Enjoy this week’s issue! As always, your feedback is both welcome and encouraged.

Until next week,

Ann Handley
ann@marketingprofs.com
MarketingProfs.com

Last Issue's Top 5

Recent Know-How Exchange Questions/Answers

Elaine Fogel
The CEO as Chief Expectations Officer

When your CEO has high expectations for the organization that include new initiatives and directions during the fiscal year, long after budgets are approved, you are at a crossroads. You must balance between achieving your established targets and managing the delivery of new ones, possibly without additional resources.

Now, you’ve got a challenge.

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Yvonne Bailey and Hank Stroll
SWOT Team Ponders Webinars: Ginsu Sales or Quality Leads?

This week, weigh in with your own ideas to: How can an organization develop successful Webinars that generate high-quality leads?

Also, read your answers to last week's dilemma: One product, three markets. How can a launch occur at the same time for different audiences?

Get the full story.

Karon Thackston
Copywriting Makeover: Know Where Your Customers Are in the Buying Process (Part 2 of 2)

In part 1, Karen introduced a client that suffered from copywriting traumas.

The basic diagnosis was a lack of synergy within the copy, ineffective use of testimonials, a lack of focus on the target customers’ buying process and the inability of the current copy to support the conmpany's search engine goals.

Now here's the plan of action.

Get the full story.

Alison Chandless
How to Launch With Impact

Launch teams often focus their tools and training on communicating product knowledge and features, rather than communicating a solution’s strategic value to your customer.

These narrowly designed launch materials may prepare you sales team for calls on a technical buyer, but they fail to equip them for campaigns across an enterprise. The result? Your launch loses its kick. Here's the solution.

Get the full story.

Contact

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Content: Ann Handley
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