Our back pages: 20 years of B2B marketing advancements
by Pat McAuley, President/Chief Strategy Officer We all were so much younger in 1998. Busting “The Running Man” moves in our Zubaz, the future sure seemed bright. Turns out, we were right … and not only because Zubaz aren’t a thing anymore.* Boomm B2B Marketing turns 20 this summer and we feel we’re better than ever. Today, our work benefits from an ever-expanding marketing toolbox filled with new and improved tools. Let’s take a quick look at a few of these B2B marketing advancements. Design That was then (1998): Most agency art directors and designers found themselves saddled with QuarkXPress desktop publishing systems, which dominated the market. Design software was about 10 years old
Journey Journal: Lessons from the creative brief
by Randy Mitchell, Creative Director If you were a student in my marketing class back in 2009, I am deeply sorry. Like a fool I stood in front of you and babbled on about strategy, concepting, workflows, tactics and social. And somewhere in that caffeinated wall of words, I devoted 30 seconds to the creative brief. Wait, what? It may provide little consolation now, but please know that I have learned my lesson. Over and over again. The creative brief is a topic that everyone wants to discuss in depth. In fact, it has become a focal point in every class I teach, from MBA level marketing down to creative basics. We debate it,
Feeling Comfy About Your Sales Presentation?
by Jeff Andrews, VP Client Services Introductions have been made, business cards have been passed, drinks offered…all of the first-time-meeting rituals have passed. You even brought the right dongle to connect with the prospect’s monitor. Your sales presentation is going smoothly, no glitches and right on schedule. You and your team are starting to feel good about the meeting and your opportunity with this prospect. But wait, there’s no checkered flag just yet. Be in the ‘No’: You have a great organization and every confidence that your team is a perfect fit for this prospect. Okay, then why do you feel the meeting going south? Any chance that you failed to think about
Are You Wowing Prospects with your Sales Presentation?
by Jeff Andrews, VP Client Services We all know that there’s no silver bullet or one-size-fits-all sales presentation that will have prospects stuffing your inbox or signing on the dotted line before you leave the meeting. But there are things you can do to engage your audience during your limited time together. Cliché, yes, but it holds true that you only have one chance to make a great first impression. One other thought before outlining some ideas about the sales presentation. Just like job hunting in today’s market, most prospects are looking to see if your organization is a group they can work with; i.e. do they like you? There are many,