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He’s making a list

He’s checking it twice

He’s gonna find out who’s naughty or nice

‘Tis the season! This is the last you’ll hear from me in 2023 – and I wish you all the best for the holidays, and a rockin’ 2024! As always, I want to hear from you – feel free to reach out – and let’s all finish the year strong and start January off with a bang!

Give this holiday standard by Brian Setzer a listen and enjoy the naughty and nice lists below… HO HO HO!

You-Know-Who is Comin’ to Town

This week’s song is a very cool version of the classic “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town” – by the Brian Setzer Orchestra. There have been so many good versions of this over the years, that I thought I’d share a list of them for you – no matter what your musical style, one of these should make you happy!

• Bruce Springsteen
• Michael Bublé
• Jackson 5
• Burl Ives
• Pentatonix
• Alan Jackson

And while we’re at it, let’s take a look at some naughty and nice lists for 2023!

Naughty Lists

Want to know what NOT to buy that special someone on your list?? Here’s a list of the worst tech of 2023 – the ‘anti-gift’ guide!

Seen any good movies lately? When you’re cuddling up at home over the holidays, you may want to avoid these…

Nice Lists

Check out the top tech trends of 2023 – would you agree?

It was a great year for live music – check out the top-grossing tours!

As always, don’t hesitate to call me to brainstorm or just say hello – Happy New Year!

Looking forward,
Rick

Rick Endrulat, President | ricke@v-causeway.com | www.linkedin.com/in/rickendrulat

The post Your B2B Naughty and Nice Lists appeared first on Virtual Causeway.

What Do B2B Marketers Do Now? is an ongoing email. Join the mailing list to be the first to receive these weekly insights!

On this date…

…something exceptional happened.

What, you may ask? Well – there’s always SOMETHING – google it and you’ll get a huge list of big moments on any given date.

How about this week – listen to the song I’ve chosen, and see how you can tie it in to our weekly theme, and perhaps some specific event. Deal? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Now give this song by Tom Petty a listen with me as we see what the experts are saying this week!

B2B Flip-flop

Since I started my career in marketing I’ve seen what I call the B2B flip-flop happen every year. Usually starts in January, when sales complains that a) we don’t get enough leads from marketing or b) we don’t get enough QUALITY leads from marketing. Strategies are developed, lead definitions changed, and marketing initiatives engaged! That’s the flip.

Then, invariably, 2-4 months later, based on feedback from sales, the strategy is reversed. That’s the flop. It’s a very reactive strategy, and unfortunately – this misalignment between sales and marketing continues all these years later.

Do you have anyone in your B2B life that causes you all sorts of grief because of their shortsightedness? Maybe it’s a business partner with too much focus on revenue and an ignorance of what’s best and ‘right’ for the organization. Maybe it’s a client focusing on immediate results and not thinking about the longer-term benefits.

According to Clayton Christensen, that’s a dangerous way to build a strategy:

“In your life, there are going to be constant demands for your time and attention. How are you going to decide which of those demands gets resources? The trap many people fall into is to allocate their time to whoever screams loudest, and their talent to whatever offers them the fastest reward.“

Seth Godin says that,

“when you hustle a colleague or a friend, they can tell. They can tell that you’re being selfish, angling for a short-term win and trading something precious for something now.“

So as you plan for 2023 and kick off the new year, keep these things in mind. As we know, sales and marketing programs – especially in B2B – take time. If you don’t give your programs a chance to run before you pivot, then you’ll never be able to ramp up properly and achieve any real success.

What’s in Your Junk Drawer?

On this date in 1839, daguerreotype was announced and became the first publicly available process of photography. (See? I can google too!) For the following 20 years daguerreotype was the most commonly used process – but of course, we know that photography processes have changed many times since.

I was cleaning out my ‘old tech’ drawer the other day – the place where old phones, external drives, and media players go to die. It’s astounding when I think about all of the different pieces of technology I embraced (and then subsequently tossed when they became obsolete). And even more astounding when I start tallying my total spend on these gadgets!

Do you have a tech ‘junk’ drawer? Is it because we’re tech enthusiasts and innovators and just want to try the coolest new gadget? According to Vox, it’s partly because our tech stuff is just plain worse now – and the cult of consumerism has ushered in an era of badly made products. Amen! And don’t get me started on trying to get support or return a tech product nowadays…

And if you’re a tech geek like me, you’ll appreciate this video of rare and bizarre media types. Long play microgroove? 500k floppy disks? LaserDiscs!! Check it out here. How many of these are in YOUR junk drawer?

How does this impact B2B? No matter how awesome and revolutionary your technology is, use these bygone technologies as a reminder – markets change, your customers’ needs change, and technology changes. Don’t rest on your laurels to become the disruptor that gets disrupted – always be innovating!

As always, don’t hesitate to call me to brainstorm or just say hello!

Looking forward,
Rick

Rick Endrulat, President | ricke@v-causeway.com | www.linkedin.com/in/rickendrulat

The post Need to Succeed? Allow Ramp-up Time! appeared first on Virtual Causeway.

What Do B2B Marketers Do Now? is an ongoing email. Join the mailing list to be the first to receive these weekly insights!

How often do you mix up your routine? There’s something about getting outside your usual comfort zone, or work environment, to mix things up. You’ll see things in a different way.

I had the privilege of spending some quality time with two people I admire greatly last week – both CMOs at fast-growing tech firms. Spending time with @garyamaral and @darrylpraill was invigorating, as it gave me the opportunity to hear what keeps these guys up at night – and what tech trends I need to follow. These successful leaders just don’t stop thinking about tomorrow!

Give this song by Fleetwood Mac a listen with me as we see what the experts are saying this week…

How Much Cash Do You Carry?

If you’re like me, you don’t carry much cash – the pandemic has made us wary of cash and much more comfortable paying by other means. Do you use Apple or Google Pay? It took just a little while longer than expected for the iPhone to become a wallet – but Apple’s patience is slowly paying off.

What about your customers? One thing that many start-ups forget is that cash-flow is king. SaaS companies that originally marketed their services as a monthly subscription are all pushing for annual (up front) payments! Do you make it easy for your customers to purchase your solution? Do your teams think about payment terms in their negotiations?

A Return to Normal?

The media has been inundated with stories of a return to normal, to what once was, before the pandemic. But what are we really seeing?

People aren’t going to the movies as anticipated – box offices haven’t returned to pre-pandemic levels. Last week, Cineworld warned there had still not been enough major releases to attract cinema audiences and that this is impacting admissions.

And we’ve recently heard that streaming topped cable TV viewing for the first time in July! From Bob Lefsetz:

Streaming services captured 34.8% of total U.S. TV viewing time during the month, while cable TV attracted 34.4%, the ratings company [Nielsen] said in a release published recently. People spent 23% more time streaming content than a year earlier and 9% less time watching cable.

A return to normal? Just the opposite! We’re seeing things in a different way. According to Bob Lefsetz, it’s not the old normal, but a completely new one, and the key definer of this new normal is that it keeps changing. Beware of those who try to convince you to live in the past. It might be good for them, but it’s usually not good for you, and by not disrupting themselves, media and corporations end up having to play catch-up in the future, or losing altogether.

Yesterday’s gone, but there’s plenty to keep us occupied today. So don’t stop thinking about (and planning for) tomorrow, and keep yourself and your business at the head of the pack.

As always, don’t hesitate to call me to brainstorm or just say hello.

Looking forward,
Rick

Rick Endrulat, President | ricke@v-causeway.com | www.linkedin.com/in/rickendrulat

The post Disrupting Your Pattern appeared first on Virtual Causeway.

What Do B2B Marketers Do Now? is an ongoing email. Join the mailing list to be the first to receive these weekly insights!

I’ve been on a kick since I was at #forrb2bsummit in Austin. I’ve been inspired – in many ways. Re-evaluating our marketing tech stack; implementing some new strategies with our clients; sharing some of the benchmarks provided. And of course, listening to music from some cool bands from Austin…

Give this song by another of Austin’s own – Spoon – a listen as we see what the experts are saying this week.

Tech, Entertainment, and Breakup Fees

As I’m sure you’ve figured out by now, I’m a big fan of tech and B2B intersecting with music/entertainment. I love looking at business lessons learned from various industries.

I think we’re all caught up (or maybe fed up) with the Twitter/Elon Musk news these days – and how about the Johnny Depp/Amber Heard trial? Musk stands to lose $1 billion in a ‘breakup fee’ if he walks away from his Twitter deal – and with this deal on hold, perhaps everyone is staying on their side after all. And in the meantime, there’s new evidence regarding Musk’s involvement in a mysterious donation to the ACLU on behalf of Heard.

Famous-sounding words (and people) make your head feel light… They say there’s no such thing as bad publicity. What do you think – are you part of ‘they’?

Fun Musical Updates

Some quick updates from Alan Cross to keep you hanging around:

A Spinal Tap sequel is coming. It’s been forty years since the original movie came out. But the key question: Who will be the drummer?

Supermassive Black Hole. The big astronomy news this week was the release of the first-ever photo of Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the centre of our galaxy. But what does the singer of Muse think about this?

Pink Floyd looking to sell their catalogue. Looks like Pink Floyd, one of the most successful acts in the history of recorded music, is looking to join the list of artists that have sold their catalogues. Could the current high-water mark of $550 million (Bruce Springsteen) be surpassed?

Maybe finding a lesson we can apply to B2B from a photo of a black hole is a bit of a stretch. But when it comes to business strategy… Bet you got it all planned, right? Well, maybe not quite – things are always changing. What ideas can you get from these musical updates? I’d love to hear them!

As always, don’t hesitate to call me to brainstorm or just say hello.

Looking forward,
Rick

Rick Endrulat, President | ricke@v-causeway.com | www.linkedin.com/in/rickendrulat

The post Breakups: Hard Lessons Made Easy for B2B appeared first on Virtual Causeway.

What Do B2B Marketers Do Now? is an ongoing email. Join the mailing list to be the first to receive these weekly insights!

The other day was one of those beautiful, clear and sunny winter days. Sure it was cold, but with the sun beating down it felt like anything was possible. How do we have more days like that in our day-to-day lives, deal with anxiety and still focus on building B2B possibilities in 2022?

Give this song by Tom Petty a listen with me as we see what the experts are saying this week…

B2B – A New Era of Uncertainty?

Workin’ on a mystery? Goin’ wherever it leads?

The process of B2B tech buying is changing. This shift is partly due to the post-COVID changes in the marketplace and that many buyers, like many of us, find themselves with less time on their hands than ever before. So, what exactly has changed? Let’s take a look at some of the changes that have led to this shift.

• With massive amounts of information on the internet, buyers can find almost anything they want to find about a product, technology, or service without ever having to speak to a representative.
• The buying process has gained a new level of complexity, with many sales interactions being completely remote.
• And there’s been a massive shift in the number of touchpoints between problem and solution, with buying interactions increasing from 16-17 pre-pandemic to 17-27 in the last year!

What the COVID-19 pandemic has brought on is a deep Era of Uncertainty that may very well last the rest of this decade.

So how do we deal with this as marketers?

Those now in charge of B2B tech purchases (often Millennials) care more about self-service, remote connectivity, data security, and privacy than previous buyers. These are the new concerns that have to be addressed, and they have to be addressed through passively provided information.

Hit cruise control when you provide good, direct information to your buyers. Allow them to discover that information on their own and make it easy for them to finalize purchases without having to go through a representative.

The B2B Metaverse?

Chinese tech giant Tencent Holdings is reportedly planning to acquire gaming smartphone manufacturer Black Shark in a move that could help the company build its own metaverse.

Tencent has stiff competition from other tech giants in a race to build the metaverse – namely from Meta (formerly known as Facebook). We’re definitely seeing a lot of expectations around metaverse technology plays.

What are your thoughts on metaverse as a B2B tool? Is there an application? How can we leverage this new medium to put the pedal down and make some time (and sales)?

As always, don’t hesitate to call me to brainstorm or just say hello.

Looking forward,
Rick

Rick Endrulat, President | ricke@v-causeway.com | www.linkedin.com/in/rickendrulat

The post Upheaval and Uncertainty in B2B Trends appeared first on Virtual Causeway.