ERIK WOLF

Apr 8

That’s a real statistic by the way, courtesy of the Harvard Business Review. And it is a shame that opinion is so widespread in our business community because it means that both the CEOs and the marketing leaders in question are both missing out on insight and an opportunity for success. But it’s ...Read more

That’s a real statistic by the way, courtesy of the Harvard Business Review. And it is a shame that opinion is so widespread in our business community because it means that both the CEOs and the marketing leaders in question are both missing out on insight and an opportunity for success. But it’s worth noting that there are really important reasons that CEOs feel that way— I have seen CEOs express frustration at marketers who overpromise and underdeliver, at marketers who drown them in numbers that they don’t understand and seem disconnected from the numbers that truly matter to the business, and at marketers who keep telling them that they would have all the success they’ve been promised and more if they would just spend more money. Yes, CEOs have a right to be frustrated and marketers aren’t always eager to meet them in the middle and so we have an epidemic of mistrust. The counterpoint in that HBR study was that while 80% of CEO’s don’t trust their marketing leaders, 75% of those marketers don’t feel empowered to do the job they were hired for. This also, unsurprisingly, has merit. At the end of the day, all of our mutual success depends on this divide being healed and it’s not going to happen overnight. So if you’re a CEO or business leader who counts themselves among that 80%, try to let go of that frustration and approach your next group of marketing people differently if you don’t want to relive the same unpleasant situation again.

Apr 2

Many of us have been wired to have a certain perception of marketing, that it’s our moment in the spotlight. That’s not exactly true. I would like to give you a different mantra: “Marketing isn’t for us, it’s for our customers.” When we perceive that prospects are sitting on the proverbial fence, p...Read more

Many of us have been wired to have a certain perception of marketing, that it’s our moment in the spotlight. That’s not exactly true. I would like to give you a different mantra: “Marketing isn’t for us, it’s for our customers.” When we perceive that prospects are sitting on the proverbial fence, plagued by indecision or analysis paralysis, that’s a symptom of the problem that we’re witnessing, NOT the actual problem. The real issue is that these folks aren’t confident enough to make a choice.  Solve that problem by proactively trying to bridge that gap in confidence. Come up with ways to communicate that you have solutions to the issues that are holding your audience back. Confidence is a gift that you can give these buyers, and that they can then return to you with a purchase :)  #marketingleadership #communications #marketing #sales

Apr 2

Recorded some video this morning with my colleagues Sandeep Guppta and Craig Andrews, talking about marketing, professional development, and our upcoming Profitable Marketing Pivot event in May. Looking forward to sharing! #profitablemarketingpivot #marketingleadership

Apr 1

When you’re running a business, or even working in a business, it’s terribly easy to lose objectivity and to see the world through the lens that the business provides. It’s completely natural. And when you do that it’s really easy to conflate what your customers want with what you want FOR them. Of...Read more

When you’re running a business, or even working in a business, it’s terribly easy to lose objectivity and to see the world through the lens that the business provides. It’s completely natural. And when you do that it’s really easy to conflate what your customers want with what you want FOR them. Of course, that’s how well-meaning people end up misunderstanding their market. But the good news is that this issue is easily fixable: talk to people and listen to what they have to say, what they want and need, what they are afraid of, the pressures they are under. You’ll never know what ALL your customers want, but you’ll be able to easily find the common themes and ideas that can instantly improve your marketing ☝️ #marketingleadership #marketresearch #marketing

Mar 27

Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE software; I love innovation, and I love it when people are able to get their hands on tools that inspire them to do better. But as much as I love CRMs, and as much as I love marketing automation platforms, software is NEVER going to be the difference-maker in a ...Read more

Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE software; I love innovation, and I love it when people are able to get their hands on tools that inspire them to do better. But as much as I love CRMs, and as much as I love marketing automation platforms, software is NEVER going to be the difference-maker in a marketing or sales department. Yes, a good CRM is important, but you’re not failing because of the CRM and getting a new one will not reverse your fortunes. Marketing and sales fail behind poor strategy, poor market alignment, poor budgeting, and ill-conceived investments in tactics that don’t serve their goals. The software only improves things when everything else is already working well on its own. And when things do improve after implementing the new CRM, it’s not because you got a great CRM— it’s because good software amplifies great strategy and the team that’s aligned with that strategy. #marketingleadership #marketingautomation #crm #marketing #sales