Jurgen Stephan
Executive Director, New Business Development
I recently talked to the executive team of a prominent financial services organization discussing their plans to upgrade their customer profile from beginner to advanced user.
While seeing higher transaction frequency, higher average dollar values per customer and a higher lifetime customer value seem like obvious goals, this isn’t a gimme. Other competitors want the same thing and...
Jurgen Stephan
Executive Director, New Business Development
Everyone has their own agenda. When we get offers to partner with someone via cold call, e-mail or at a networking event, we ask a lot of questions: Does this product/service benefit me? Do I need to give up something? How can I trust that person? Are they reliable? Will they compete with me? Will they taint my client relationship?
Jurgen Stephan
Executive Director, New Business Development
Just found this quote from Steve Jobs on my recent AMA MarketingPower newsletter.
"It’s really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot of times, people don’t know what they want until you show it to them."
Darn right, Steve. I would even go a step further....
Jurgen Stephan
Executive Director, New Business Development
2009 has been a rather depressing year for many marketers. Staff has been cut (maybe yourself, too), budgets have dwindled; what was true yesterday isn’t anymore; and nobody could really give you a straight answer about the prospects. Social media – while highly touted in the media and in hallway conversations...
Jurgen Stephan
Executive Director, New Business Development
For those of us who like our decisions to be cut and dried, marketing can sometimes be messy. When looking for success models, you can always find counter-examples to your examples.
Should you specialize and "stick to your knitting," like Radio Shack? Or should you broaden your appeal and pursue a more all-things-to-all-people approach, like Amazon.com? Which is feasible? Or credible? Which...
Jurgen Stephan
Executive Director, New Business Development
It’s a little early to start talking about year-end goals, isn’t it?
For marketers with long sales cycles, however, the year could be considered half over. My team has very likely teed up all the sales we can expect to sign by the end of first quarter. It’s possible a few deals could come in over the transom and surprise us, but most of the signatures we’ll read on...
Jurgen Stephan
Executive Director, New Business Development
Over the years, I have had many discussions about quality vs. quantity in lead generation.
Another prospective... Sometimes a prospect will say, "I want fewer, better leads."
Jurgen Stephan
Executive Director, New Business Development
Life is a trade-off. My dad used to say, ''You can do anything you want. You just can't do everything you want.'' Saying yes to one thing means saying no to many, many others. It makes logical sense, but just about everyone still has trouble with it.
EMarketer.com came out with an
Jurgen Stephan
Executive Director, New Business Development
In many organizations, sales and marketing report to the same executive leader or are even in the same department, but they rarely seem to be on the same team. When things aren't going as smoothly as desired, the finger-pointing begins.
"Sales just doesn't care about maintaining our standards on branding or lead generation."
"Marketing couldn't sell their way out...
Jurgen Stephan
Executive Director, New Business Development
This morning we started with a strategy session that really inspired me. About twice a week the company's executives get together for a Strategy Council meeting that focuses on one of our clients or prospects.
This time we got a number of other account people involved to share what's working with their clients — so that we could use that information on behalf of a specific client who's...
Jurgen Stephan
Executive Director, New Business Development
Marketing folks used to be the big spenders in the company and always got the evil eye from the CFO. Not any longer! These days, marketing spending is getting more and more measurable, and is driving the company's top line and making cost effective choices at the same time.
The online revolution has brought upon us precise ways of measurement from the early buying cycle of prospects to the...