Gartner, being one of the few publicly traded industry analyst firms, notified the SEC that it was reducing headcount by 117 this week. This was followed by SageCircle reports of a reduction at AMR Research. Not surprisingly, the double-serving of downsizing news sent murmurs through the analyst relations and analyst watchers communities. Dennis Howlett, an Enterprise Irregulars and ZDNet blogger, … 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
New podcasts: decision-maker ecosystems
One of the new features on the Influencer50 website is a library of resources for building effective influencer programs. We’ve recently posted a pair of podcasts on decision-maker ecosystems. In part 1, Nick fleshes out the concept; in part 2, he digs a little deeper into how DMEs work. You can download the complete podcasts from the online library (register … Read More
Personal CPM draws near
Charlene Li predicts that ‘Personal CPM’ innovations will figure in the social media/marketing front in 2009. Personal CPM is one of the more interesting outcomes of joining up social media with consumer marketing. The idea is to analyze social behavior to more accurately target consumers. In Charlene’s words, “Each person’s profile will command a different, personal CPM based on a … Read More
NorCal BMA – Satmetrix breakfast
I’ll be attending the NorCal BMA breakfast meet on January 15th, to catch a presentation by John Abraham and Dr. Vince Nowinski of Satmetrix. The topic is practical methods for quantifying WOM, and linking it to customer loyalty and long-term business success. They’ll include recent research on WOM and customer value using the Net Promoter Score as a gauge of … Read More
Too famous to influence
Social media has made “rock stars” of many ordinary people. They gather audiences and attract vast social networks of friends and followers. Essentially, they achieve celebrity status. If you’re thinking of hitching your influencer program to one of these stars, take care to grab on early in their ascent. Fame can kill influence. Most influencers fall into two categories: peers … Read More
Bert Decker’s Top 10 best and worst communicators for 2008
I know, I know, the good gentleman from our UK office deplores lists. I like lists. Here’s one that’s useful for many of us who analyze influencers and aspire to be influential: Bob Decker’s list of the top 10 best and 10 worst communicators for 2008. The list is completely subjective. There’s no science behind it, no magic. Yet IMHO, … Read More
From reputable to roadkill in 60 seconds
Building a trusted reputation among decision-makers takes concerted effort over a long period of time. Damaging a trusted reputation, on the other hand, takes little effort and can be accomplished in less than a New York minute. For 10 hilarious cautionary tales, check out Jim Diamond’s Stupidest Statements Awards of 2008. I like the entries on Sarah Palin, Vijay Prakash … Read More
A-listers, heroes and influencers
“My heroes have always been cowboys. And they still are, it seems. Sadly, in search of, but one step in back of, Themselves and their slow-movin’ dreams.” – Willie Nelson Promise yourself and your company that your 2009 influencer program will be much more accountable for results, and much less susceptible to A-listers and marketing heroes. Achieving greater accountability requires … Read More
Poll: media is worsening U.S. economic crisis
Think the media is losing its power to influence the public? Apparently, many Americans would disagree. A poll released today by Opinion Research Corporation finds Americans blaming the U.S. media for making the economic situation worse. 77% of the 1,000 polled believe that the U.S. financial press is “damaging consumer confidence and damping investment” by focusing on and embellishing negative … Read More