Posts Tagged ‘science of influence’

Note to CMO: Selling Marketing to Non-Marketers (Abridged)

TweetDear CMO: You and I have seen this movie a thousand times. Someone with little comfort in the marketing discipline says, “we don’t need to do ‘marketing’… this is what my sales people are supposed to do all day long…” One of several things probably happens to you at a time like this. The twitch comes back. You slowly […]


Note to CMO: Don’t Fall in Love with Typeface

TweetDear CMO: I had the chance to catch up with writer, inventor, speaker and philosopher Roger van Oech on the phone last week. Roger has been very helpful in shepherding Killing Giants along, which is a euphemistic expression for ‘keeping me on track.’ In his gentle manner, Roger warned me about the pitfalls of what Robert […]


Note to CMO: Separating Leaders from Ideas (and the Aikido of Consistency)

TweetDear CMO: Once our snap judgments paint the Rorschach test-like image of a person or an idea in our minds, it’s hard for us to objectively change our minds. If a new player is deemed to be “good,” then they are given wider latitude and their actions are viewed with more forgiveness than those deemed, […]


Note to CMO: The Pitfalls of Consistency (or, Learning to Love Your Hubris)

TweetDear CMO: I’ve heard three pieces of good news over the past few weeks. First, I understand that the feared AIDS epidemic within the heterosexual communities of developed countries is no longer a threat, according to the World Health Organization. Second, I learned that not only is the US not in a recession but that […]


Note to CMO: Making it Easier to Get to “Yes”

TweetDear CMO: Are we in a recession? No? It feels like it. Probably because the media believes that any economic growth less than “exuberant” means we’re heading for the breadlines and soup kitchens. Anyway. Let’s agree that everyone in a position to buy whatever it is you sell is nervous right now, so selling is […]