Getting to the next level. Whatever that means.

By Pete Monfre
Everybody wants to get to the next level. That elusive next level might be in the realm of revenue, customer satisfaction, efficiency or laser tag – name your game - it seems that everybody wants to get to this magical place. So why do so few achieve “Next Level” performance year after year?

Dare I say that it's a lack of a clearly defined process? (Oh, no. I've said it.) With no clearly defined process, most things related to business get messy. And messy means “expensive”. They key is to stop what you are doing and deliberately map out the specific steps and detail to achieve your stated goal. However, I've found that this critical step is rarely done with a not-so-coincidental correlation to under achievement.

I like to start by capturing the existing processes on a white board. This is trickier than you think. for example when it comes to sales process more often than not each sales person has his or her own process. They key is to establish the best baseline process (What is being done now) and then, step back and refine the process (What the process should be).

Once the big picture is mapped out some time should be invested working on the detail for each step – for example, a marketing strategy might have: tactics, responsibilities, timing, metrics, budgets, etc. For an internal process, detail might be who is responsible for the process, expected outcome (dollars or time), roles (if multiple people run the process), etc.

Whether you decide to make micro tweaks to your existing process, or you chuck the whole thing out the window and start over, you're odds of success are much greater. Because, chances are, your competitors are too busy to to mess around with boring old processes.

Not getting enough new opportunities in the door? Maybe it's your fear of commitment.

By Pete Monfre
The average tenure of a chief marketing officer is about 22.9 months at the top 100 branded companies. (according to Spencer Stuart, a global executive search firm). This is due to many reasons, not the least of which is my observation that “marketing” has lost its way. Over the past decade there has been a trend in the marketing industry that threatens to destroy any credibility the discipline deserves. I call this trend “Marketing as a Project”.

Here's how it works.
Clients love projects. They like projects because they come in a neat little package that includes a defined scope, a price tag and a clear beginning and end point. Totally understandable. Marketers like projects too because they are easy to sell to clients and they generally avoid the messy realities of actually getting involved in the client's business. Fair enough.

But here's the rub. Marketing is a process - not a project or series of projects. The marketing industry has given in to the client demands for something easy and cheap – however, building a successful business is neither. The marketing firm delivers the web site, brochure or advertising campaign, collects it's check and that's it. The client is often left wondering “is that all?”.

I hear a repeating refrain from the CEOs, Presidents and business owners I work with on a daily basis. When I first meet them the refrain goes something like this: “We've worked with many marketing (guys, agencies, firms, people, etc.) and we have always been disappointed.” Ouch. As I uncover more information about these expensive disappointments the reasons fall into a a couple of distinct areas.

Misaligned Expectations
One reason for this widespread dissatisfaction with “marketing” people involves the client's expectations. For some crazy reason, the client wants to realize an improvement in their business.
However the reality is that the marketing team is working on one small part of the overall picture and it is unlikely that any measurable uptick can be traced to this isolated effort. They complete the project, cash the check and start on the next project.
Lack of Process
One of my clients revealed to me that their previous outside team would meet briefly with them, then disappear for days. Then they would return with “The Big Idea”. This approach can't possibly produce results – it is just glorified guessing. Plus it doesn't include the client team– easily the most knowledgeable people in the room with regard to how the business works.

The Great Divide
Another common mistake is to exclude examination and refinement of the sales function. While the rift between marketing and sales is legend, it is totally avoidable. Sales can provide valuable intelligence and insight to a marketing strategy – but they must be part of a fair and transparent process from the beginning.

The key is execution.
Even if you are looking for the next creative ad campaign, good decision making must be based on a logical and objective foundation of shared knowledge. And then executed fearlessly and consistently over time. I've seen too many companies start a promotion with high hopes only to kill it when it doesn't produce instantaneous results. Or the effort just slowly derail due to a lack of organization. Keep in mind that most sales cycles take time – people don't generally respond when they first hear your message – it's the fourth or fifth high quality contact that starts to move the needle in your favor.

Successful marketing and selling is a process. Not an isolated inspiration or series of projects. To achieve a dramatic outcome, a strategy must be developed and executed consistently. That is not to say that changes in direction cannot be made – just that there must be a commitment to do what it takes to achieve the goal – whether it takes three weeks or three years. You just have to do it.

What if every Entrepreneur had to tell the Truth?

By Wil Schroter

In the movie Liar Liar, Jim Carrey plays attorney Fletcher Reede, who’s been cursed with the inability to lie. Every attempt Fletcher makes to lie results in him blurting out the God’s honest truth instead. Imagine what would happen if an entrepreneur were cursed with the same affliction. What would their pitch really look like?

The Sales Pitch
“Hello, I’m Wil Schroter, and thank you for being the only client that was willing to return my phone call. I’ve borrowed my roommate’s car to get here and you’ll probably notice that while it’s the middle of August, I’m wearing a 3 piece wool suit that I bought for a $1 from a thrift store yesterday. Since this is the first time a real customer has ever looked at my product, I’d like to pitch you on every last idea we’ve ever had for the product, hoping that one of these ideas is something you’re potentially looking to purchase today. Unlike pitches I’ve given for previous employers that simply meant a bigger commission in my regular paycheck, this time I’ll be pitching for the money that pulls me out of a mountain of debt. In many ways, your reaction to this pitch will determine whether or not I can pay my rent next month, so I certainly hope you like it.

The Product
You may not realize from my fancy PowerPoint presentation that the wonderful product I’m presenting is nowhere near completion. In fact, there has been more product development done in Adobe Photoshop to make these slides look legitimate than on the actual product itself. Regardless, I’m hoping you share my excitement about the potential of this product, despite the lack of any tangible value that I could deliver today. The beauty of an intangible, undeliverable product is that I can not only make it into anything you desire, I can also sell it to you for any budget you’re willing to pay. Don’t bother holding your questions to the end of this presentation, because I can already tell you the answer – it’s “yes.” Wondering if the product is effective? Yes. Can we deliver upon your made up timeline? Yes. Are we the best possible vendor for a product that hasn’t even been proven? Well, yes, we are.

The Company
Of course you’ll want some background on our startup company, so let me fill you in on the details. The company was founded when I realized I could make more money competing against my last employer than working for them. I am taking advantage of this opportunity by draining all of my personal savings, selling every possession I have, and giving my friends and family basic “visiting hours” by which to contact me. We’re currently in discussions with some very large venture capital firms about investment. So far our discussions have gone so far as to say “who is the person I would speak with to send in our business plan?” and we’re anxiously awaiting their responses. In addition, we’ve lined up key partnerships with major companies like AT&T (when we signed up for our cell phone), American Express (when we got our credit card), and Dell computer (when we used our Amex to buy a laptop). These vendors are very excited about getting in on the ground floor of our startup company.

The Team
The Team I’ve assembled has an incredible amount of experience in just about everything but starting a company. The man standing beside me is not only our CFO, but is also my cousin-in-law who actually works at H&R block as a tax prep counselor and is on his lunch break for this meeting as a stand-in. We (and by “we” I mean “I”) have attracted top notch players to our company, especially our all-star Board. You’ll recognize many of the names on our Advisory Board, even if the people on the Board wouldn’t ever recognize ours.

The Close
In closing, I’d like to beg for you to part with even a nickel so we can land our first customer. You’d be shocked and appalled if you knew how little we really had to deliver on a completely underfunded and un-staffed product idea. We hope you’ll look past that to do business with us. We’re so passionate about what we want to accomplish that we’re completely unaware of what we’re committing to. We’re told that’s what being an entrepreneur is all about, and we assume only other entrepreneurs could be that clueless. Despite the fact that our whole presentation today is a joke, if you even hint that you’ll work with us, we’re going to be incredibly relieved. We’re going to spend every waking hour from this point forward cow towing to your every whim because frankly, we have no other choice. We want to be open and fair about how excited we are about this opportunity. Let’s face it – honesty is the best policy, right?”
Wil Schroter is the Founder and CEO of the Go BIG Network, the largest network of startup companies and entrepreneurs at www.goBIGnetwork.com. Thanks to Linda Ford for pinging me on this – I thought it was funny.