012 - Are you playing the short or long game?
1* My favourite meme of 2022 so far
Source DGMG
2* Are you playing the short or long game?
“If you don’t have a long-term view, you're missing lots of opportunities because most of the most impactful opportunities take a long time to develop”.
How quick are you to stop your strategy, a campaign, tactic, or test?
What’s the cause for stopping this initiative potentially prematurely? Self-doubt, pressure from your line manager, expectations not managed from the offset, outputs not aligned with your personal objectives.
It’s difficult, when you get questions such as “Your leads are too expensive”, “What’s my ROI”, “This isn’t working, Google is cheaper”. “Your content isn’t bringing in any direct leads”
What is the default reaction when something doesn’t work? You go back to the “tried and tested”.
One day “tried and tested” will not be as effective or obsolete.
Field sales, cold calls, and unsolicited outreach, All once upon a time great tactics for your marketing strategy, sure, they still all have a role to play in today’s world, but you wouldn't hang your hat on those tactics for growth in 2022.
The takeaway, have conviction with your strategy, see it through, adjust, adapt, don’t pause. Reconsider what good looks like, learn how to manage upwards, educate managers and decision makers, and place guardrails into your experiments and minimise your losses.
Keep learning, keep pushing forward, don’t settle for mediocracy and plan for the future.
Another gem from Chris Walker.
3* How To Align Marketing and Sales: 4 Leaders Share Why You Should Not Wait to Do So
Marketing and sales, what often should be a match made in heaven, with one aligned goal, is often two teams, with two agendas, not singing for the same hymn sheet.
This piece by Dave Gerhardt provides so much practical advice on how marketing and sales can play nicer together.
Heidi Bullock, CMO at Tealium discusses the focus on Mindset.
Kyle Lacy, now SVP at Seismic recommends managing the marketing and sales handoff.
Guillaume Cabane, founder of HyperGrowth Partners suggests building campaigns fit for both teams.
This blog is jammed back with real life considerations and actionable insights.
4* Customer Partnerships To Boost Growth
When considering your partnership program, you're naturally drawn to channel partners and strategic arrangements with synergistic brands.
But one technology manufacturer has cleverly adopted a partnership program led by customers.
PVD Products outlines their playbook, results, and the considerations you need, to build your own customer partnership program.
What is your customer led program? Check out this blog for inspiration.
5* 9 Thoughts On What Makes a GREAT Pricing Page
Jason Lemkin shares 9 helpful tips on what makes a great pricing page. He goes one further and links to 19 SaaS businesses and their pricing pages.
Conversations You Should Read
99% of websites don’t address these 3 key things for their customers
The VP of Sales doesn't care about marketing attribution at all.
How to check on your competitor’s growth plan
Tools & Platforms
Each week I share a tool I have used, plan to use or I find interesting.
This week I haven’t got one tool to share, but 30! Check out this Twitter thread outlining a ton of helpful tools.