Brian Vellmure

Often, when asked a question by media, existing customers, or prospective customers, I find myself answering with some version of “It depends.”

What’s the biggest priority in 2012?
Should we begin a Social CRM initiative?
What’s the first thing we should do?
Which software solution should we buy and implement?
Where should we spend our marketing dollars?

Inputs like organizational competence, customer jobs to be done, organizational goals and strategies, cost structures, industry trends, the competitive landscape all influence answers to questions such as these. In other words, the proper direction as it relates to defining and executing organizational or customer strategies are highly contextual, and depend on a comprehensive analysis to determine the right course of action.

However, in speaking with and working with lots of organizations spanning industries from service to manufacturing to distribution in both B2B and...

Last week, at the Los Angeles Convention Center, Blog World Expo appeared in its fifth incarnation.  I spent a couple of days watching, listening, and engaging with a dense concentration of experienced and enthusiastic new media evangelists.

The keynotes were well done. Peter Shankman is hilarious and gifted. Amber Naslund shared passionately and enthusiastically her observation and exaltations to the digerati to change the future of business.

However, the keynote address that arguably provided the most valuable insights and takeawys was provided by Shani Higgins, CEO of Technorati as she shared findings from Technorati’s “State of the...

We are living in interesting times indeed. Geo-political revolutions, financial crises, economic uncertainty. Try as we might to ignore them, the fact is that the very fabric of capitalism is being re-evaluated, and perhaps even rewoven.

What we have assumed and known for at least 150 years is at the very least being questioned. Institutions that have spanned generations are now vulnerable.

Banks are still closing down weekly. The situation in Europe is increasingly fragile as previous whispers of dramatic austerity and potential collapse of the Euro become potentially viable outcomes.

In the United States, President Obama’s approval rating is at an all time low. Congress approval rating is at 14% – FOURTEEN PERCENT! – also an all time low.

Civil unrest has spread from oppressive dictatorial regimes in the Middle East and Africa to the developed world (see London riots).

Corporate America is obviously feeling the effects of many...

The era of mass marketing, sales driven information gathering and sharing, and being “just good enough to win” is being shattered by the rapid emergence of a smart, networked, and increasingly demanding generation of empowered customers. In the fragmented and fast moving world of concepts, buzzwords, technologies, and applications, most executives are looking for looking for answers to a few basic questions:

- What matters?
- What’s different?
- How can I and or my organization benefit?
- Where is the opportunity?
- What should I do now?

As I survey the evolving landscape, there are four primary things that stand out as emerging keys to sales and marketing success in an always on, attention scarce, information rich world.

• Growing your network
• Sending signals that are valuable
• Building a glowing reputation...