We marketers have something in common with magicians. Prestidigitators and product promoters are both students of human behavior. While magicians take advantage of distraction, marketers tap into three other psychological traits. Unlike magicians, we marketers have no code that prevents us from revealing our secrets. Tips and tricks blogs on growth hacks must number in the tens of thousands by now. So, I don’t fear being ostracized from the CMO club. Here are three of the ways marketers use … [Read more...]
Teaching an Old Dog New Tricks: How to Transform into a SaaS Marketer
Can marketers change? Are we nonmillennials doomed to fade from the scene, our old ways weighing us down like a boat anchor? While it may be true that a leopard can’t change its spots, I don’t think it’s true that old-hand marketers are immutable. Old salts, perhaps, but not old dogs. Anyone can change course and become a successful SaaS marketer. I know this, because I made the switch. After a good ten years of marketing enterprise software, I had to change my stripes. I was happily … [Read more...]
Three Math Tricks Every SaaS CMO Should Know
Time was when you just needed to be an idea guy to be a great CMO. When it came to academic strong suits, English was desirable, and maybe Art if you were really good. But marketing has changed. Numbers are much more important than words or pictures. To be a great CMO, you need to be great at math, too. This shift to numbers is even more pronounced when it comes to running marketing at subscription businesses like SaaS. That may be a tall order for some. You can’t just decide to become a … [Read more...]
A Step by Step Guide to Building an LDR or SDR Team – Part 1 – Strategy and Structure
Sales Development Reps (SDRs) and Lead Development Reps (SDRs) are not new. But they are a hot topic right now, especially in the SaaS and Cloud marketing circles I frequent. With all the buzz, I’m surprised how few people truly understand proper strategy and structure for these roles. Quite often, these teams underperform because the up-front thinking has not been done. In this two part series, I present a checklist for doing it right. I’ve worked with and set up several SDR and LDR teams … [Read more...]
Is Growth Hacking a Marketing Function or a Mindset?
Around the time I was making my final edit to the chapter on building a marketing department in The Professional Marketer, I happened to be part of a number of conversations on the “growth hacker,” aka “growth hacking.” The job title “growth hacker” wasn’t in the chapter, and I wondered if it should be. For those not familiar with growth hacking, it is “a marketing technique developed by technology startups that uses creativity, analytical thinking, and social metrics to sell products and gain … [Read more...]
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