Archive for December, 2008
Is the Marketing Function Under-Performing at Your Company?
Do you suspect that the marketing function at your company is not doing enough to help grow revenue and move the company forward? If these thoughts are in your mind don’t feel like the Lone Ranger. There exists in many B2B companies a “marketing malaise” that is a drag on company performance.
Much can be done in 3-4 months to transform the marketing function into a finely tuned and inspired machine.
I give an overview of my approach in a Flash presentation called, “Transforming the Marketing Function in B2B Companies: The Road to World-Class Performance”. View the presentation. No registration required.
Please share your comments and thoughts on the topics after you’ve seen the presentation.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )New Blogs for Executives
Four new blogs were launched in December that you should check out and add to your RSS feeds. The initial posts indicate that these blogs will be valuable sources of tips for executives–permanent or interim. Plus, as with any blog they also provide a means to comment and link back.
http://interimvp.biz The Executive Politics Blog
http://www.interimmarketing.info/ The Executive Marketing Blog
http://interimsales.net/ The Executive Sales Blog
http://interimvptoday.com/ The Executive Productivity Blog
Using an Interim Manager for Project Consulting—Is that Legal?
One of the things I like about being an interim marketing executive is the variety of assignments I am fortunate to work on each year. Not only do I work with a wide range of companies in different industries, but I’m asked to take on projects as well as interim assignments. In fact during the past few years my project to interim assignment ratio is about 2:1.
It’s not uncommon for an on-demand executive to be involved in an interim gig for one company a few days a week, and run a project for another company that occupies a day or so per week.
For the client the advantages of using an interim leader for certain project work is very clear. Interim executives are very experienced leaders with 20 years or so of duty in the field running sales or marketing organizations. They’ve been building a track record of achievement in the real world for 20 years, not holed up in a business school library.
The on-demand leader that takes on a project is a senior-level person, not a junior associate. He or she will most likely be over-qualified for the task. So what? That means its going to be done right and with a level of insight and objectivity that’s hard to find.
So, for your next important project in marketing or sales that requires some outside assistance, ask an interim manager for a proposal and see how it compares to the usual suspects you ordinarily use.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Thinking of a Career Change? What About Interim Management?
Many of you are in transition now, or looking at the real possibility that you’ll be in transition soon. Or, perhaps after 20 years or so of senior manager experience you are looking for a career change.
Interim management isn’t for everybody, but it can be a great way to leverage your work experience and achieve a level of independence and lifestyle not possible when working as a full time employee.
If you want to research a career in interim management I highly recommend three books. These will give you a good understanding of what it takes to establish an interim management practice–no matter what field you’re in.
All three of these books are available from Amazon, or other online book resellers.
Leadership On Demand: How Smart CEO’s Tap Interim Management to Drive Revenue, by Charles Besondy and Paul Travis. (Yes, I’m plugging my own book, but it is the only book to focus on interim marketing and sales management).
Interim Management, The New Career Choice for Senior Managers by Dennis Russell.
A New Brand of Expertise, How Independent Consultants, Free Agents, and Interim Managers are Transforming The World of Work, but Marion McGovern and Dennis Russell.
These books will help you decide whether or not to take the next step. They are also good if you are a business owner or CEO looking to hire interims.
If you are a senior marketing or sales manager and are seriously considering becoming an interim let me know. I can provide some free advice.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 2 so far )Use an Interim Management Strategy to Catch Your Competition Napping
The newest Manpower employment survey was released on December 9. It revealed that 67% of the companies surveyed planned to hold steady their staff levels in Q1 2009. Caution is in the wind. Most companies are taking a wait and see position and who can blaim them.
For really smart companies this is a great time to sock it to their competition with the help of interim marketing and sales talent, of course.
Taking a “wait and see” attitude doesn’t mean your company should put itself in neutral. It simply means taking a conservative stance in terms of headcount for full time employment. Use interim sales and marketing leadership to help you accomplish those mission-critical initiatives or fill key vacancies for a season. This is an opportune time to gain market share from those competitors who are hiding in their dens afraid the sky is falling.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 2 so far )Employment Outlook Not So Bad
What if you heard that over two-thirds of companies in the U.S. plan to hold staff levels steady in Q1 2009? That sounds like pretty good news relative to what we’ve been fed by the media the past few months. Granted, it is not a time of milk and honey and some industries and metro markets are worse off than others, but let’s be thankful that most companies are taking a wait and see position rather than slashing payroll further.
The latest Manpower Employment Survey was released today (December 9). Of the 31,800 employers surveyed, 16% anticipate an increase in their staff levels during Q1, while 13% expect a reduction in payrolls, 67% expect no change, and 5% are undecided.
You can download the full report from Manpower’s site. The results for their global study are also available as are reports for individual SMA’s.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )
