Juniper Networks is updating its consultant relations strategy to better reflect the role these influencers play in customer decision-making. The new consultants program, under the umbrella of its channel partners program, is aimed “at partners who influence a customer’s buying decisions but don’t actually take part in the sale.” This is an interesting approach to formalizing and updating consultant relations … Read More
Two thumbs up for IDC Directions 2009
I attended last week’s IDC Directions09 conference in San Jose, courtesy of IDC in light of my role as an industry analyst watcher and blogger. It was one of the best that I can remember, and I’ve been to a few over the years. The theme, content and speakers were good — but that’s not why I’m giving it 2 … Read More
Handling your company’s high-profile detractors
The annals of influencer marketing have their share of horror stories — influencers who won’t let go of a negative point of view, and won’t stop sharing it. It doesn’t really matter how good your influencer marketing program is. Sooner or later, an influencer will shift from neutral to negative. How will you handle the situation? In our Influencer50 client … Read More
LinkedIn for the influencer program backoffice
You probably think of LinkedIn as a recruiting and job hunting network. It also serves as a valuable backoffice tool for analyst relations, consultant relations, and fully integrated B2B influencer programs. The price is certainly right: basic services are free, and business upgrades are economical. Plus, the number of profiles keeps growing. As of last week, LinkedIn claimed more than … Read More
Don’t turn decision influencers into fans
It’s tempting to think of influencer programs as master plans for turning objective decision influencers into your company’s bona fide fans. The truth is, that’s not a desirable goal for your influencer programs. Valuable influencers maintain a high level of objectivity. Some call it integrity. Others describe it as independence or ethics. Whatever label you prefer, compromising it is a … Read More
Putting your competitors to work for you
Your top competitors are as influential with your customers and prospects as you are. This raises an interesting question: how can you leverage competitors as part of your influencer marketing program? One proven tactic is recruiting influential staff from competitors. Another tactic is getting competitors to talk about your company in a positive way. To do this, you want to … Read More
Right influencers and wrong influencers
It’s easy to fall into thinking that focusing on the top 15 or 25 or 100 influencers in a given market is a good idea for every company. That’s not necessarily so, unless you can vet their influence with decision-makers for your product or service in your market. Mack Collier points out a good example: his experience with the “Pepsi … Read More
Building communities of one
Marketers tasked with building online communities learn quickly that size matters. Which would you rather aim for: building one community of 50 members, or 50 communities each with one member? Odds are good you’ll go for the one larger community. It’s a matter of survival, isn’t it? Your professional reputation, job security, and next quarter’s budget may hang in the … Read More
Coping with influencer attrition in 2009
It’s going to be a tough year to stay current with influencers. Under normal circumstances, Influencer50 research puts the attrition among a company’s top 50 influencers at about 20 percent per year. That means that in a 12-month period, 10 of the 50 will have changed jobs. It doesn’t look as though 2009 will offer normal circumstances. I would expect … Read More
Aiming influencers at sales objections
An influencer program can be a powerful asset in countering sales objections. Here are a few well-proven tips from our collection of case studies: 1. Compile and prioritize specific sales objections. Don’t accept generalities at the outset. You can generalize later. Start with clear, articulate objections. Get a good sense of frequency, too. 2. Identify external influencers who have both … Read More