Bold Calls to Action from the 2017 Women’s Leadership Forum

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We’ve all heard the stats:

• Women make 78 cents for every dollar men do.[1]

• Latina women earn 55% of what their white male counterparts earn.[2]

• Women hold 4.6% of CEO positions at S&P 500 companies.[3]

• Two-thirds of illiterate adults in the world are women, as they are more likely to be denied education.[4]

• Only 13% of venture capital goes to women-led enterprises.[5]

And all too often, we have heard the stories behind these stats of women who face the daily struggle of pervasive gender inequality at work and at home. Our most recent presidential election was no exception.

But, last week, we had the opportunity to hear a defiant response: Stories told, by women bold.

The Women’s Leadership Forum, hosted by the AdClub, brought over 1,000 leaders together in Boston’s Seaport World Trade Center to learn from the experience of 7 women making a remarkable impact in our world. Their bold calls to action remind all of us that there is work to be done, and the baton is in our hands.

Photo: Ryan Stranz

1. “You represent millions of dollars of purchasing power. Do some good in this world.”

- Mary Mazzio – Award winning director and social impact documentary film maker

Her earliest film, A Hero for Daisy, chronicled the fight for equality of Title IX pioneer and two-time Olympian Chris Ernst. At this year’s WLF, Mazzio shared the motivation behind her seventh social impact film since then, named I am Jane Doe, as she works to expose the very real epidemic of child sex trafficking here in the US.

Mazzio cited a recent study that showed 60% of consumers five years ago bought products based on quality, price, or value. Today, those same consumers make decisions based on what a company stands for.

She implored many of the business leaders in the room to help not only their organizations, but also the world at large by leveraging their marketing purchasing power for good, by supporting initiatives like hers that work to create positive change.

Photo: Ryan Stranz

2. “Find your own voice, and use that voice to lead.”

- Sarah Hurtwitz – Chief Speechwriter to Michelle Obama

In today’s climate, Sarah described, we often hear a call to fear, blame, anger, and obedience. She reminded attendees that these are not – and never will be – American values.

She told the story of her own non-linear career progression, from white house intern to chief speechwriter for Michelle Obama, and the struggles of her own mother and grandmother. What Sarah learned, and what she instilled in us, is that we are each in a position to succeed because of those who came before us.

American values, Sarah clarified, are founded in hard work, and a duty to leave the world in a better place for our children, especially in the face of rising inequality, and declining social mobility. She urged all attendees to heed this calling, to use our voices to lead in today’s climate, and to keep telling our very best American story.

Photo: Ryan Stranz

3. “Embrace emotions as an essential part of life, not a sign of weakness.”

– Dr. Miriam Meckel, Expert on Media Economics and Communication

“The mind, body, and soul are a human trinity that cannot be torn about, or ignored,” shared Dr. Miriam Meckel.

Often, particularly in situations of survival or in a professional setting, we suppress emotions, treating them as a sign of weakness. Meckel urged us to embrace the emotional aspects of our lives as women at work and at home. When we ignore our emotional life, she said, we actually miss out on an essential part of what it means to be human. If our left-brain selves dominate – that comes at a price.

The power of emotion is real, and if we let it, that power can guide us to be more whole. We all make decisions every day in an attempt to be rational, casting aside the impact of emotions on those choices. But emotions provide a kind of map to ourselves, when we grant ourselves the freedom to explore these complexities.

Regarding women’s equality, Meckel urged attendees to continue the fight for acceptance beyond only formalized equality such as legislative rights for women. She reminded us there is still uncharted territory in the fight for equality that requires us to bring our hearts and souls into the movement, and to use both hemispheres of our brains.

“Feminism is not just a rational choice,” she said. “It is a deeply emotional movement, a fight for acceptance, and a fight for inclusion. It is worth every endeavor, every resistant move, and every tear related to it.”

Meckel’s call to action, truly, was to live wholeheartedly, and to uncover what sustains us from the inside.

Photo: Ryan Stranz

4. “Fight for the ideas that matter, and deliver them your way.”

- Lizz Winstead – Comedian, Writer, & Co-Creator of The Daily Show

Winstead is one of the top political satirists in America, having helped change the very landscape of how people consume news media.

She told a poignant story of watching the news one evening at a bar on a particularly bad date, as they watched real-time coverage of the Gulf War. Between explosions and dramatized talking heads, she realized that the news media has a tendency to portray things in a sensational way.

“I couldn’t tell if they were trying to sell me the war or report on it.”

This was the inspiration for The Daily Show, a series that felt like the news, looked like the news, but, to quote Winstead, “gave the audience some credit, and exposed all the BS that is the news, and the people behind it.”

Using humor as the vehicle for truths about the world at large was not only effective, it was necessary. After 9/11, she said, people needed to laugh. It was a catharsis.

Today, her understanding of the power and impact of humor has lent itself to Lady Parts Justice, a comedy-based champion of reproductive rights, as she continues to educate, galvanize, and support the women’s health mission through comedy. She inspired all of us to fight for those ideas that truly matter, and to deliver them our way.

Photo: Ryan Stranz

5. “You’ve got to tell people who you are.”

- Madge Meyer - Award-winning author, former EVP and Chief Innovation Officer at State Street Corporation

Meyer shared a number of compelling stories from her career, which cumulated into a series of lessons that I previously chronicled here.

One particular story I enjoyed from early in Madge’s career focused on a series of achievements she made in highly complex technical roles. With degrees in mathematics and chemistry, she worked in – literally - rocket science. Despite outstanding work, she found herself passed over for promotion in favor of her male colleagues multiple times.

Her brother gave her important advice to this end. “You’ve got to tell people who you are, otherwise, why would they listen to you?”

Being a Chinese immigrant, she held a cultural expectation that her accomplishments would be enough to get her promoted. Her experienced was proving this not necessarily true in America. While she did not want to brag, she realized the importance of outside recognition.

Years later, as a manager at State Street, Madge ensured the work her team did was recognized consistently, to the tune of 32 industry awards. She encouraged all of us to consistently show our value to the business, as doing a good job is simply not enough. It's critical to toot our own horns, and to be our own advocates.

Photo: Ryan Stranz

6. “Say yes, and figure it out.”

-       Grace Kelly, Musician, Singer, Entertainer, and Songwriter

Grace lent her musical skills to this year’s WLF, kicking off the event with a performance that served well as a metaphor for her - full of energy, brazenly unexpected, and refreshingly talented.

This prodigy recorded her first album at 12, played with the Boston Pops at 14, and played for President Obama’s Inauguration at 16. Today, into her 20s, she’s part of The Late Show’s house band. She is acclaimed by critics and audiences alike as she’s muscled her way into the boys’ club industry of jazz music and entertainment.

With so much success early on, Grace shared the lesson that guided her through endless uncertainty and doubt in her career: Say yes, and figure out how to make it happen.

Her confidence in the face of insecurity was a powerful message for those in the room.

Photo: Ryan Stranz

7. “Never accept no for an answer.”

-       Collette Divitto, Entrepreneur, Collettey’s Cookies

We were all endlessly inspired by the day’s recipient of the Women’s Leadership Forum Admiration Award, presented by John Hancock. Receiving this esteemed recognition this year was Collette Divitto, a remarkable woman with Down Syndrome who did not let a series of job application rejections keep her from her dream of making a living through her baking skills.

Rather than accept “no” as an answer, she founded her own business, Collettey’s Cookies, and business is flourishing. Divitto serves as a model for all women who face setbacks in their pursuit of their dream. Today, she is leveraging her success to help others with disabilities find employment. (And, for the record, her cookies are delicious.)

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The 2017 Women’s Leadership Forum brought together bold stories from bold women, and today, these stories matter more than ever.

Thank you to all who were involved in making it happen, and to these seven individuals who shared their experiences within the larger narrative of what it means to be a woman in 2017.

May we each be inspired by these calls to action, as we work to continuously shape that narrative towards equality.

[1] https://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/equal-pay#top

[2] http://www.forbes.com/sites/clareoconnor/2016/04/12/equal-pay-for-equal-work-the-gender-wage-gap-by-the-numbers/#1fc628c15f9e

[3] http://www.catalyst.org/knowledge/women-ceos-sp-500

[4] http://en.unesco.org/gem-report/sites/gem-report/files/girls-factsheet-en.pdf

[5] https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/pl/Documents/Reports/pl_Putting_all%20our_Ideas_to_Work_Women_and_Entrepreneurship.pdf

Every week(ish) I send out new ideas, writings, and interesting links on marketing, business, and life. It’s free & curated by me. Get on the list.

Listen Well, Speak Up; and 3 more Lessons from Madge

Every week(ish) I send out new ideas, writings, and interesting links on marketing, business, and life. It’s free & curated by me. Get on the list.

There really isn’t a word that accurately describes the feeling of walking into a room of over 1000 women.

Part of me was surprised – I mean, I’m so used to conferences being a room filled with mostly men. Another part of me was filled with anticipation - I’d been looking forward to this day for weeks.

It was the 2017 Women’s Leadership Forum, hosted by the Ad Club.

Regardless of how I felt walking in, it’s easy to articulate how I felt walking out:

Emboldened. Activated. Reassured.

One talk among many that day left me feeling particularly energized. It was given by Madge Meyer – a public speaker, author, and former EVP and Chief Innovation Officer at State Street, with a long career at organizations including Merrill Lynch and IBM.

Madge offered concise, yet profound lessons to the room, good and sound advice for both men and women.

1.    Speak Up

Early in Madge’s career, at IBM, she was told by a manager that she’d be no longer invited to his meetings. Why? Her quiet and shy personality.

“You never ask questions or make suggestions. You occupy a seat, and never give me any value.”

Though she was listening, albeit passively, it wasn’t good enough. This is an important takeaway for anyone (talking to you, ladies) who may feel nervous about speaking up in a meeting.

Madge asked her manager for a second chance. She promised to ask at least one question, and make at least one good suggestion every meeting. She was allowed to return.

Studies show (and so does women's collective experience every day) that professional women are actually penalized for voicing their opinions more frequently.

“Male executives who spoke more often than their peers were rewarded with 10 percent higher ratings of competence. When female executives spoke more than their peers, both men and women punished them with 14 percent lower ratings.”

Read more in this NYT article.

The article describes a speaking-up double bind that harms organizations by depriving them of valuable ideas.

While before, Madge would attend passively, she began attending actively – and her success in doing so was predicated on her ability to listen the right way.

2.    How to Listen Well

Madge pointed out that many suffer from selected listening in meetings.

We can all likely relate to this. Who hasn’t interacted with someone who spends entire conversations just waiting for their turn to talk?

For Madge, the difference between passively and actively attending was to cultivate the skill of listening well – focusing on what someone really says, and asking intelligent questions.

She shared the tenets of Ting – the Chinese word for the art of listening, which consists of four elements in its Chinese character; ear, ten eyes, a heart, and a king.

Listen with your ear, but with 100% attention and focus (ten eyes), wholeheartedly, and as if listening to your King.

Wouldn’t that make for different meetings…

3.    Tell People Who You Are

One particular story I enjoyed from early in Madge’s career focused on a series of achievements she made in highly complex technical roles. With degrees in mathematics in chemistry, she worked in… well… literal rocket science.

Despite outstanding work, she found herself passed over for promotion in favor of her male colleagues multiple times. Frustrated, she went to her brother for advice.

What he said to her resonated with me, and the rest of the room, as I saw heads nodding in agreement:

“You’ve got to tell people who you are, otherwise, why would they listen to you?”

Being a Chinese immigrant, she possessed a cultural expectation that her accomplishments would be enough to get her promoted. Her experienced was proving this not necessarily true in America. While she did not want to brag, she realized the importance of outside recognition.

“You must show your value to the business. Doing a good job is not enough.”

Years later, as a manager at State Street, Madge ensured the work her team did was recognized consistently, to the tune of 32 industry awards.  

It's critical to toot your own horn. Be your own advocate.

4.    Never Accept No

Whether it was “you’re no longer invited to this meeting” or “you will never become an EVP” or “the answer is no on this project” – Madge persisted.

In one story shared, Madge had identified a massive cost-savings opportunity for State Street. While it would require some significant change, it would save the organization millions. Her proposal, however, was rejected by a committee who told her – Madge, the answer is no.

Expecting a fight, they were relieved to hear her say “OK” in the meeting, and walk out.

Where she was headed, however, was directly to her manager. She confidently brokered a deal (seriously, love this woman) – to let the results of a test dictate the viability of the proposal. If she couldn’t save the company $10M, they could fire her.

Yeah, she bet her job on it. No pressure. Casual.

Madge ended up saving the company $42M (boom), and earning the trust she so well deserved on her path to EVP.

In this story, she mentioned a piece of advice from her parents:

“When the boat hits the shore, you don’t keep trying to move forward. You turn right or left.”

Never accept no for an answer. Go around, and find a way to make it a yes.

5.    How to Innovate

All of these stories, weaved throughout her experience, built a strong foundation for Madge’s unique understanding of the concept of innovation – something she consults organizations on now. At the end of her talk, Madge shared a kind of alphabet of innovation, at least from A-G.

Innovation is:

Anticipatory, not reactive.

Business focused, not technology-driven.

Creative destruction, not guardianship. It’s very easy to hold on to the old way of doing things. Change is a risk.

Distributive leadership, not command and control. Companies that are top down must consider a culture of innovation, letting all people bring ideas to the surface.

Execution, not just inspiration. Madge recalled a Japanese saying:

If you have a vision with no execution, you have a day dream. If you have execution with no vision, you have a nightmare.

Fast and flexible, not fixed or frozen.

Global mindset nor parochial thinking. Leaders must move past only what they're comfortable with, and reach beyond boundaries.

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I could not get enough of Madge’s easy humor, or her confident humility.

I realize “confident humility” may be an oxymoron, but what I witnessed was a delicate balance of touting her remarkable success, sharing lessons born of mistakes, all delivered with an empathy that left each of us feeling that her journey was – or could be - our own.

For more, listen to Madge’s podcast “Innovation is Business as Usual” and read her book The Innovator’s Path.

Thank you to the Ad Club of Boston for having me at the 9th annual Womens Leadership Forum – Stories told, by women bold.

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When to Start a Company

Every week(ish) I send out new ideas, writings, and interesting links on marketing, business, and life. It’s free & curated by me. Get on the list.

90% of startups just don’t make it (Fortune). Yet, every year, despite these odds, 100 million businesses are started (GEM Global Report.)

That’s 3 businesses every second. 11,000 per hour. 

That’s nuts.

But we should celebrate entrepreneurship - more than half of all entrepreneurs expect to create jobs in the next five years (GEM). 

Speaking from personal experience, cofounding a business was one of the hardest, and most rewarding, things I’ve ever done. I love meeting others who can relate to the roller coaster of bootstrapping, fundraising, and growing a startup. Especially those who happen to be women. 

Last week, I had an excellent chance to do just that at Female Founders Night at VentureCafe. If you’re in Boston/Cambridge, and you’re interested in entrepreneurship or Boston’s startup ecosystem, their weekly programming and open office hours are an excellent resource. Learn more.

This particular event featured a fireside chat with Communispace Chairman and founder, Diane Hessan, a panel of investors including Deb Kemper from Golden Seeds, Payal Divakaran from .406 Ventures, and Jennifer Jordan of MassVentures, and a female founder panel featuring Janelle Nanos from the Boston Globe, Donna Levin, co-founder of Care.com, my good friend Nataly Kogan, CEO of Happier Inc, the hilarious Zoe Barry, CEO of ZappRX, and Snejina Zachria, CEO of Insurify.com. 

That’s a lot of smart women in one place. 

Throughout the evening I couldn’t help but wonder…. when should you start a company? 

(Yes that was a total Carrie Bradshaw moment.)

Here’s what I heard.

1. When there’s a problem worth solving. 

The #1 reason startups fail is a lack of market need for their product. 

Source

Donna Levin, co-founder of Care.com, experienced firsthand the massive struggle of finding reliable care for her children - one shared by many of her friends.

So she created a company to fix the problem.

Zoe Barry, CEO of ZappRX, watched her brother, diagnosed with epilepsy, wait MANY months to receive proper medication.

So she created a company to fix the problem.

Nataly Kogan, CEO of Happier, spent years chasing the idea of “happy” through achievements and success, before realizing there was a massive problem in how many of us define happiness.

So she created a company to fix the problem.

Snejina Zachria, of Insurify.com, had a background in operational excellence at Gartner. After a frustrating personal search for insurance, she was shocked that she couldn’t find what she needed instantly, with the ease of booking a hotel. So, she fixed this problem.

So she created a company to fix the problem.

Notice a theme? Find a problem worth solving. Then go start a company to fix it.

2. When you understand the game.

Eyes wide open.

Go into this thing with some idea of what to expect. 

Understand you don’t need to follow the myth of the entrepreneur, the hero, hooded white guy. You can do it your way. You can fund a company on customer revenue. You can fund it with grants. Or with only angel funds. 

“Success does not equate to venture capital,” said Payal Divakaran, Principal of .406 Ventures, who raised a common misperception among startup founders, that to be successful they need VC funding. 

She explained that, as a VC, her firm has a responsibility to invest wisely, as resources come from sources such as pension funds, etc. They must show a return, to the tune of 10X usually. 

That’s simply not the growth trajectory for many businesses. It’s why only a handful of companies she sees every year are funded. 

Know this going in, know what options are available to you, and learn the game of entrepreneurship. 

3. When you’re ready for the journey.

Jennifer Jordan, VP at MassVentures asked entrepreneurs to consider, “are you ready for the journey?” This is not a faint decision. If successful, you’re in this for the long haul. This is a multi-year commitment. 

And when you get an investor, particularly institutional funding, “it’s like going into a marriage,” said Deb Kemper, Managing Director of Golden Seeds. 

It requires long days - very long days - and a near-constant cacophony of “you’re insane” and “sorry, no.” It’s full of tough decisions like firing your friends, which Zoe Barry, CEO of ZappRX had to do. 

Or maybe you end up facing the realization that people you thought you could trust end up back-stabbing you in a way that nearly crushes your business. 

Earlier in the evening, Communispace founder Diane Hessan shared a story of hiring a salesperson she’d worked with in the past - personally advocating for this individual - who ultimately faked signed contracts with major brands. The act caused major disruption to the company’s revenue projections at a critical point in the business, threatening their trajectory and throwing a wrench into even the best laid plan.

The journey is a personal one, too.

There are moments of insurmountable pressure, and moments of stress in which you need to remain composed in your ability to be a leader. You need to be strong in the face of chaos.

At the same time, you need to be willing to continuously be transparent with your employees (to the appropriate extent), and admit when you’re wrong. 

The point is - this is not for the faint of heart.

4. When you really can’t help but start a business

Nataly Kogan shared a hilarious, but relatable, feeling that stemmed from a Russian saying “To write is like to pee. You should only do it if you can't hold it anymore.” 

She applied that same urgency to starting a company - do it when you can’t hold it in anymore, when the thought of someone else executing on the idea you have deep inside keeps you up at night.

When you can't stand the thought of looking back one day and wondering... "what if?"

It's intuition. A gut-check. Your instincts. 

Successful entrepreneurs (and great marketers, for that matter) have good instincts. 

It's that feeling that kicks in when you’re up against all odds, when you know a teeny tiny percentage of startups will make it, but you do it anyway. 

It's what keeps you going when you know, as any entrepreneur, especially a female, or a minority, you’re up against massive odds. Female CEOs receive only 2.7% of all venture funding (Inc.)

Your instincts are everything - especially in the face of uncertainty and ambiguity.

If yours are telling you, "start that business" well… who are you to deny them? 

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I’ve written before about the adventure joining a startup can be. I’m exceedingly attracted to early-stage organizations both for the opportunity for explosive growth, and the freedom to try new things, take some risks, and have some fun. 

I joined NetProspex as employee #12, I guided comms strategies for startups while at Version 2.0 Communications. I worked within a 30-year-old analyst firm Aberdeen Group during a pivot - like a startup creating something new. And finally, I co-founded a MarTech venture of my own with Cintell. Now, as a consultant, I work with many early-stage organizations seeking growth - seeking their shot at glory. 

The patterns are the same — the good ones have a problem, can’t help but set out to solve it, against all odds, and often knowing all the risks involved. But when the stars align - and truly some days that’s what it feels like - it’s worth it.

(And even if failure comes a'knockin, which it is undeniably prone to do, it's still worth it.)

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Did 13 of Last Year’s Marketing Industry Predictions Come True? Let’s Find Out

Every week(ish) I send out new ideas, writings, and interesting links on marketing, business, and life. It’s free & curated by me. Get on the list.

Happy New Year. For aud lang syne and all that.

We are well beyond that beautiful limbo of the holiday season, an inevitable opportunity for us as individuals to pause and look back on the previous 12 months.

Maybe there’s a tinge of regret (they are teachable moments), glimmers of brilliance, and hopefully buckets of pride in what we’ve achieved.

In the marketing industry, like all others being changed by technology, this time of year that falls at the end of calendar Q4 and beginning of Q1 is when we make predictions.

Collective groan.

Don’t get me wrong, I love prediction pieces! They have kind of become an industry norm – something every blog and publication tends to run. Many are super helpful expert-POV that help us make sense of the change.

Running a quick Google search will reveal hundreds of articles.

Most often, these predictions are a hugely optimistic look at the months ahead, and a really compelling benchmark - like a time capsule - as to where we are collectively the very moment the calendar year (human construct of time, human construct of time, human construct of time) comes to an end.

In the hype race, customers are left behind.

Now, if you’re situated comfortably within the marketing corner office of a marketing tech vendor (or more likely in a funky open office setting, you know, with the plebians) your predictions likely centralize around whatever it is that you’re selling.

Widget vendor? 2017 is undoubtedly the year of the widget.

If you’re in the media, you’re likely writing or being assigned stories that fall into the greater narrative of the tech industry. (Writing about “AI in marketing” this year? Yeah, you.)

We all know the dangers of hype.

Too often, executives who are making predictions try too hard to… well… sound like they can predict the future. Yes, we should all seek to be thought leaders, on the bleeding edge of our industry, ahead of the game, yadda yadda yadda. But what’s happened in many fields, especially marketing, is a bit of a race that’s getting out of control.

Vendors rush ahead to be innovative (or sound innovative). Our customers can barely keep up. Fast-forward 12 months and it’s time for another set of high-level, pie in the sky predictions that very few practitioners are ready to take advantage of.

Where is the customer in the maturity and adoption of these tactics? Who are you writing for?

They’re still trying to implement 2013’s predictions. Some are stuck in 2009. It’s not their fault, it’s the pace of change that is far more difficult to implement than the time it takes to write a thinkpiece on the future of their industries.

We are really not helping anyone with hundreds of pieces about what’s to come in the year ahead that are grounded in truth only realized by early-adopters, or worse, grounded in fiction.

So, I thought it would be fun to do a brief sanity-check of last year’s predictions. See how right our fortune teller industry luminaries really are.

Note: this is done in jest. I don’t mean to call anyone out, in fact I came across quite a few folks that I know and love and have left all names off my piece.

Let’s get into it: 13 Marketing Industry Predictions from 2016 – Did They Come True?

1.    Digital Marketing will Cease as Marketers Shift to Marketing in a Digital World - Forbes

Forget digital, we’re so digital we’re not even digital anymore.

2.    The Era of Cognitive Commerce has Begun – Forbes

Spoken like a guy who works for a cognitive business technology company, oh wait, he does (IBM).

3.    Real-Time Marketing Analytics will Unite Online and Offline Behavior for Richer Lead Scoring and Nurturing in 2016 – Forbes

I know the predictor behind this one, and he’s a smart cookie. This one is getting closer to the truth, as it hopes phone activities from sales will be included in lead scoring. Also, he works at a company selling insights around phone activity. Moving on.

4.    The arrival of Virtual Reality, combined with a major explosion of streaming and the death of old world distribution models will unleash a new age of what we used to call “TV” – Forbes, and this article too

Oooh a new age. I think ages, by definition, take a few years to shake out, so why don’t we check back on this one in a couple of decades.

5.    Being Human Will Return to Marketing / Getting Back to Basics Will Trump the Sexy, Shiny, New Marketing Vehicle – Forbes

Now these guys are speaking my language. Are these predictions? Or is this a cop out? The jury is out…

6.    The Maturation of Addressable Communications will Advance Across Channels – Forbes

I will take bread with this buzzword soup, yes, thank you. Mmm, delicious.

7.    Intent-based Marketing Has Become a Reality – Forbes

Hello my friend! This predictor is also a very smart marketer who I love and respect. Three guesses what his firm sells.

8.    By the end of 2016, CMOs will no longer present slideware to show their impact on revenue in board meetings– Forbes

Down with PPT!! Right after I finish editing next week's board slides.

9.    In the same Forbes article, there’s one about the importance of data-driven marketing, from a marketing data vendor.

10. Another about sales and marketing alignment from a sales enablement technology vendor. And on it goes.

11. In content marketing, this article predicts live streaming will skyrocket in popularity (I do see a lot more of it from brands. I can’t yet find data on its usage but suppose this is closer to reality.)

12. It also speaks to the rise of personal authority over brand authority – something I harp on with my own clients. I’m behind this one.

13. This one predicts “brand/product/marketing/sales and CS teams will reorganize around innovation and customer experience”—again, let’s check back on that one in a few years. I love the spirit of this, but this one will take a while to shake out. Re-orgs take time…

Looking back, thinking ahead.

Look, while this article is done in the name of fun, I do hope it tempers next year’s slew of prediction pieces back to a pace that both positions your company as an innovative leader in your space, while addressing the real problems faced by your customers.

Otherwise, practitioners are sitting on the train, reading your piece on their phones, thinking “wow. My peers are so much farther along than me.” The truth is, most are not. It’s an illusion.

Speak to where customers are today, while painting a bright future for what they could have tomorrow. This will have more impact than lofty predictions.

In marketing, we can’t afford to be so full of BS about the future of our space. It’s become a joke.

Founders, you don’t need to always fake the illusion that you are somehow light years ahead of the market. No, investors don’t want to hear it. They know the companies that build billion-dollar industries are solving an addressable market problem, at the moment of need, with an eye to what’s to come.  

Next time you write a prediction for the year ahead, do a quick gut check.

Now... where’s the champagne? I’m still celebrating.

Article originally appeared on LinkedIn.

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5 Things Great Product Marketers Do

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Something not many people know about me is that I’ve got a twin sister.

She’s brilliant. If you are into the left-brain right-brain dichotomy of categorizing people, then she is the pragmatic left with a PhD in biochemistry and I the demiurgic right with a career in marketing communications and a propensity for trusting my intuition.

As everything in life, however, we both exhibit a holistic blend of both left brain logic, and right brain creativity.

In the industry of marketing, we are often quick to separate those in our profession into these two categories - data-driven and analytical marketers against creative, visual, and artistic. Whether you’re left, right, or center…  marketing is about empathy.  

I’ve written before about the need to tap into not only both sides of that three pound lump in our heads, but also another vital organ in our systems:

“The new truth is that marketing is a trifecta of art, heart and science.”

And while it’s true that many of our colleagues could be easily categorized into one or the other, the best marketers I’ve seen are a stellar mix of left brain, right brain and empathy. And perhaps nobody characterizes this blend more eloquently than a great product marketer.

5 Characteristics of Great Product Marketers

One of my very favorite people in this world is Hally Pinaud, a product marketer at Marketo. She’s the best at what she does, and we are all going to be very lucky to work for her someday… until then, her and I recently chatted about what great product marketers look like:

1. "They are great storytellers, but never tell a fairytale." 

Studies show that our brains (those three pound lumps I mentioned earlier) are not hard-wired to understand logic or retain facts for very long. They are wired to understand and retain stories. When used right in marketing, with emotional drivers and authenticity, storytelling results in persuasion and action.

Great product marketers understand their product, of course, but more importantly they understand how it connects to the pain of the buyer. They should articulate that story better than most, putting it together in a powerful way that resonates with a customer's day-to-day life. They not only do it for themselves, they can scale it to the rest of their organization, leading me to our next trait:

2. They are great trainers

Not only can great product marketers tell good stories that tie product back to a problem, they can equip the organization to do the same. A hallmark of great product marketing is their collateral. Good collateral does a lot of the heavy lifting for somebody – but it's not enough by itself.

A PDF can't teach someone when, and how, to use it effectively. Research has found that up to 70% of B2B content goes unused (SiriusDecisions), partly due to its irrelevance, and partly due to a lack of training.

Product marketers must therefore be excellent trainers, able to put tools in front of people and teach them to look for the right clues to leverage them correctly. When in the sales cycle, or in the lifecycle of a customer, is this part of the story relevant? When in that lifecycle are you making this connection?

They must not only create content that moves people along a journey, demonstrating how the solution can solve for pain every step of the way, but articulate when and where to use that content in context. Excellent product marketers are able to evolve from simply equipping the team to true empowerment.

3. They understand the lifecycle – yes, including post-sales

Speaking of lifecycle, great product marketers have a keen understanding of the whole lifecycle of a customer, not just up to the point of acquisition, but also what comes after. They understand meeting with current customers, and knowing the process, can illuminate whether what you’re doing delivers the right level of impact to them.

While many product marketers are great with sales, see my next point, they often risk ignoring the post-sales team. In an age of buyer mistrust and strong competition, our post-sales team is critical to delivering the type of customer experience that creates advocates.

This team brings the product vision to reality, and forms the very foundation for word-of-mouth marketing. For product marketers to have true impact, they’ve got to foster clarity and collaboration with this often grey area of the customer lifecycle.

4. They respect and work with sales

This really should be point #1. One reason I’ve always respected, admired, and appreciated great product marketing is their position within the organization, connecting product development and management to the marketing team, and most importantly acting as a liaison to the front lines of the business, sales.

More than a liaison, great product marketers understand and respect the profession of sales. They forge powerful partnerships that transcend a near-universal narrative of “animosity” that predicates the sales and marketing relationship. They respect that intangible aspect of great sales that requires a high level of emotional intelligence (or EQ) – that je ne sais quoi that you can’t teach.

Product marketing gives sales the ammunition they need to have honest conversations with people, making sure they’re informed so they can channel that EQ in an authentic way. That means being a realist, giving them real-world examples of your competition – the good, bad, and the ugly. They have to speak authentically, and informed, about shortcomings in order to do what they do best.

Great product marketers challenge their colleagues across the organization to do their best work, and trust that they will.

 5. They work in the grey areas

“People are delighted and deals are won in the grey areas.”

This was one of my favorite quotes from Hally, who explained that a great PPT deck can’t get into the nitty gritty of a customer’s experience. Every buyer is different. The ultimate role of a great product marketer is to ensure their organization has empathy for these grey areas, and feel empowered to make decisions with authenticity and realism that allows them to operate in good times and bad.

At the end of the day, product marketing sits in a very strategic arm of the organization. Blame comes to them when things don’t go well, respect comes when they do. There's no mystery why the good ones are in high demand. As someone who comes from and gravitates to the wedge of the marketing pie chart that deals with comms, I find good product marketers to be inordinately invaluable.

I raise my glass (err… of coffee) this morning to each of you. Happy Monday.

Thank you to Hally for these insights - you can follow her on Twitter here.

This post originally appeared on LinkedIn

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3 B2B Marketing Topics You Should Focus on to Unleash What’s Possible

My friend Samantha opens her new book, Unleash Possible, with this line:

An investor, a CEO and a CMO walk into a boardroom…

If you’re waiting for the punchline, it’s in the form of 15 chapters filled with hard-fought lessons picked up in the real world, from the perspective of someone who has spent her career growing businesses one product launch, sales pitch, customer interview and marketing campaign at a time.

I worked alongside Samantha over the course of the past few months editing every word in this powerful book. 15 case studies, 66,957 words, and 406,311 characters later, it is a real testament to what it takes to be successful in high-growth organizations today.

The book focuses on three core sections, and they are each important areas of concern for business leaders who want to, wait for it… unleash what’s possible. (See what I did there?) They are three things every business leader should focus on in the coming year:

1. The motivation - and the metrics - that matter.

Hiring, and motivating, top talent is one of the most difficult pressures facing business leaders today, especially in digital marketing.

Understanding what drives your team, what fosters collaboration and true brainstorming, and what makes people LOVE to come to work every day and produce for you is critical. Hint: it’s not just about work perks like beer on tap (though that definitely doesn’t hurt.)

The keys are empowerment and trust.

What’s more, when measuring your marketing efforts, don’t get bogged down in activity-based metrics like click-through-rates. Tell a story with your numbers. Demonstrate your impact in the language the rest of the business uses: revenue and growth.

1. The most important marketing stakeholder: Sales.

“Collaboration and alignment.”

These are the most over-used and under-implemented buzzwords I hear when someone is describing the relationship marketers have with their counterparts in sales.

(Can I get an Amen?)

There is a real, concentrated effort behind true sales and marketing alignment.

It requires consistent input, joint efforts over time, and working in tandem on shared goals (see focus area #1). This doesn’t work if it’s just lip service.

It requires compromise, and creating common ground on items like:

• who your target customers really are (I especially recommend the chapter in this book on the dangers of only chasing the c-suite)

• how to develop accounts together (yes, Account Based Marketing)

• how to execute outbound efforts without sales tearing their hair out

None of these efforts can happen in a silo. I won’t spoil the book, but here’s a tip: ice cream can help.

1. Applying buyer-driven guardrails to every tactic you deploy.

From my time as CMO of Cintell, the topic of being customer-centric has always been near and dear to me (watch my TEDx talk on the topic.)

It’s a simple difference of mindset that separates the “meh” and mediocre marketers from those who are high-performing. Customer-centric businesses have always been more profitable, but today, more than ever, it’s easy to lose sight of this fundamental aspect of our roles. We’re so busy, there are so many tools, never enough time.

In the book, Samantha applies the concept of being buyer-driven to a variety of marketing fundamentals. The takeaway for business leaders today is simple: if you’re not making decisions, whether strategic or tactical, with radical empathy for your buyer, your competitors will.

Whether you’re writing marketing content, creating email campaigns to nurture buyers over time with marketing automation, designing a referral program, wrangling together your CRM database, or crafting a PR strategy (all of which is discussed in this book, yes really), all of it starts, and ends, with your buyer - not with you.

--

book-render

You know that thought you have every now and again?

“I really should write a book.”

It’s usually followed by thoughts of “nah, I don’t have that kind of time,” or “nobody will read it.”

It’s simply not true. While writing a book like this is a great and enormous endeavor, it is totally worth it. When practitioners like Samantha, who have some solid and real advice to offer their peers put pen to paper, things like Unleash Possible are born. I personally believe the world of business is better off with this book in it.

And like all great and enormous endeavors, it’s totally surreal to see the final result in my hands. I’ll leave you with two points to consider (and trust me, I have read every word.)

You’ll want to keep it nearby. Unleash Possible is one of those books that you keep near your desk for reference. It will be something you read with a pen in one hand, ready to underline passages and make notes in the margins. The ideas within aren’t fluffy, they’re not out-of-reach, and they’re not intangible.

If you’re been following the hype problem in marketing, this book might be exactly what marketers seek these days.

You don’t need to be a marketer to learn from - and act on - this book. The chapters within are geared for CEOs, leaders in sales, investors, and more as it contains all the practical perspective you need to understand the charter of marketing today.

Congratulations to Samantha on this professional achievement. Thank you for including me in the journey, and for sharing your perspective with the world.

Now, who’s next?

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Hype, Disillusionment and the Great Content Marketing World Troll of 2016.

Warning, this post contains two f-bombs and a partridge in a pear tree. 

This year my Content Marketing World agenda was more floral decision-making and vow-writing than it was attending sessions, networking, and partying with the who's who of marketing industry celebrities.

With my upcoming nuptials just days away (f*ck), I am officially on hiatus from conference season. But like a good marketer, I followed the buzz of the conference hashtag #CMWorld and the activity of my friends who were speaking, attending, and sponsoring.

I saw the usual feed of interesting stats, some thought-provoking and pithy quotes. I heard the AC was too cold, and folks were generally hungover on day two. Normal conference stuff.

Wait.

A couple of times I realized there was a new voice among those Tweeting along with the event. Selfie Humblebrag @SHumblebrag.

They were funny.

Friends don't let friends say "Knowledge Bomb." #CMWorld

— Selfie Humblebrag (@SHumblebrag) September 7, 2016

They were a little, um, pointed.

"One of forty prizes given annually by some guy in Cleveland" - @realdanlyons #CMWorld https://t.co/Mt8CKABx83

— Selfie Humblebrag (@SHumblebrag) September 9, 2016

And in some cases they were really pointed.

See you next conference. Same time. Same place. Same content. Selfie Out, bitches. #cmworld pic.twitter.com/3eraUNSk6O

— Selfie Humblebrag (@SHumblebrag) September 8, 2016

They shared anonymous criticism of the event, of the speakers, and of the insights shared. No one was safe - not the attendees, not the speakers, and certainly not the event organizers.

At first, I laughed. I cringed a bit when I saw folks I know and love in the line of fire. But still I laughed because... well it was funny!

Reactions.

I didn't know what to make of it. I asked my network on Facebook what they thought. Marketers responded.

One person said

"I was digging him. Yes, he was a bit obnoxious, but generally on point."

(They had a like for support.)

Another,

"Well at least I can't be blamed. But, yea, generally on point. Aren't they are just starting to feel like the same message, same conference?"

One summed up her feelings with

"Tee hee"

One, a speaker at the show, said

"Funny at times. But cowardly and lots of cheap shots. It's fun to get a contrary voice but have the courage of your convictions. Wonder how she'd do on stage..."

(He was the first to suggest this person was female. His comment had another like for support.)

And finally,

"I'm ok with voicing dissent but it's a shame to do so with snarky disrespect and hiding behind a false identity. Feels more like a call for attention then a rally to improve our industry. But it got people talking so there is that..."

It made me think.

On scrutiny. 

Throughout my career I have always followed the advice of an early mentor who said "the loudest voice in the room is not always the right voice."

Though I have always strived to amplify the reach of my employer or client's message, I believe the brand with the loudest voice is not always sharing the best advice to follow.

Discernment is important as to whose advice we follow. Especially in an industry of self-promotion like marketing. I think we all need to be judicious about accepting advice and seek proof.

On humility.

On the flip side, I have worked one-on-one with many executives who are terrified to put themselves out there, on stage, or in writing for this very reason.

They fear being ridiculed.

Humility has a way of preventing very smart people from sharing or promoting their ideas.

A lack of humility allows some others to promote theirs without regard.

No marketer left behind.

We exist in an interesting time in marketing. New tech, new tools, new ways of buying, new... well everything.

It's changing at a pace that leaves some - many - behind.

The speed at which the conference agendas move sometimes feels like light years ahead of where many practitioners are.

The media around marketing is incentivized to cover what's next, what's new, what's cool, what's innovative. Especially in marketing tech.

But many practitioners in marketing are often a few years behind the media. They are still trying to achieve the top priorities from the conference they attended three years ago.

Does marketing have a hype problem?

Are we too good at hyping up our ideas without regard for their practicality, their validity, or their defensibility? Are we all sizzle and no steak?

4,000 MarTech tools. More here.

A truly awesome amount.

My father used to berate me for using the word "awesome" incorrectly. I use it now to mean truly, that which induces awe.

An overwhelming feeling of reverence - or fear.

It's too much.

This doesn't feel like a sustainable pace.

I have found an abundance of companies in my consulting practice who feel left behind - trying desperately to keep up with where the industry says they should be.

A storm is brewing.

I believe it has opened a large market for service providers. The gig economy. Sherpas.

But I also believe it has created a perfect storm of disillusionment.

On one hand we have 4,000 marketing technologists, hundreds more marketing celebrities and speakers, and plenty of publications and blogs all telling the beleaguered marketer -- this is your next most important priority. This is what you should do. Here, this is your mantra (this year).

On the other hand, there is the pace of real business, the lethargy of many organizations to adopt technology or change, and the sheer high-pressure nature of marketing.

The longer time goes on, the larger this gap gets between what's real, and what's not. Between what's happening, and what we say in our keynotes on stage should be happening. 99u ran an article about this in the creative world, calling it the "Bullshit industrial complex."

That gap that is created is filled with disillusionment. A widening sense of skepticism. And ultimately, fear. Fear of being left behind, of being the only one in the room not able to keep up. Fear of failure.

Enter, the voice of disillusionment.

Enter our friend (or foe), Selfie Humblebrag.

Whether they are male, or female.

Whether they're right, or wrong.

Out of line, or a welcome respite from blind agreement.

Whatever your opinion of this person...

They are not the problem.

Perhaps they are, instead, a symptom of an industry too focused on hype.

Though I didn't see her keynote, I know Ann Handley was planning to talk about the importance of slowing down in her keynote. We had chatted about the idea months ago.

Her intuition was SPOT on. I was in vehement support of the importance of slow.

Perhaps it's because I have recently begun the practice of yoga, of mindfulness, and of chilling the f*ck out long enough to quiet the noise, and focus on what matters.

Chill.

Can we do the same in marketing? Can we self-reflect long enough to make some changes? I don't know. As an industry, we have a lot of reconciliation to do between the hype and the reality of our profession.

Maybe the answer is simply, as another mentor of mine always says, let the bad apples weed themselves out. Let the good ideas, and the right thinkers remain. Can this happen if our conferences and spokespeople are nothing more than an echo chamber?

Maybe Selfie Humblebrag is giving voice to the inner rumbles of frustration that more feel, but do not say aloud. Maybe we do need to be more critical of our conferences, our media, and our institutions that, in a changing world, act as our respite, our guidance, our safe spaces to learn and figure it out. But perhaps we can do it not anonymously, but with confidence, and respect.

As for our friend, Humblebrag, it's interesting that he chose a Van Gogh painting to be his avatar.

"For my part I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream."

Huh, pretty humble guy, that Van Gogh.

What do you think?

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Here's Your Go-to List of 25 Content Marketing Format Ideas

Studies prove (and we kind of inherently know) that increasing the variety of content in your marketing mix helps more people find it, allows those with different styles of learning to find what they need, and improves the shelf life of your concepts. I keep this list in Evernote that I reference when I'm considering new content ideas for clients. I hope it helps you think of some new ways to make your story come to life!

Feel free to leave more in the comments.

From short > long:

1. Social posts

2. Infographic

3. Instructographics (how-to, steps)

4. Poster

5. Landing page

6. Blog posts

7. Byline

8. Checklist

9. Quick guide (3-5 page)

10. Case study

11. Worksheets or templates

12. Tear sheet (or quick reference guide)

13. Expert Q&A podcast

14. Video interview

15. Slideshare

16. Interactive quiz

17. eBook

18. Whitepaper

19. Email course / newsletter

20. 60 min live webinar event

21. Speaking session / deck

22. Podcast series

23. Research report (custom research or third-party)

24. Microsite

25. Publication (online destination site OR printed)

3 Things That Are More Important to Content Marketing Success Than Tools

Every week(ish) I send out new ideas, writings, and interesting links on marketing, business, and life. It’s free & curated by me. Get on the list.