by Mark O'Brien | Jun 30, 2015
In my line of work, you have to say a lot of things that most folks find distasteful. This one elicits sneers, jeers, fears, and tears every time: Marketing is not a sales-support function. Sales is a marketing-fulfillment function. Salesperson: What do you mean...
by Mark O'Brien | Jun 5, 2015
I saw a post the other day the very title of which froze me in my proverbial tracks. The title was this — “It’s Simple: Giving Back Must Be a Part of Doing Business” — and it’s rubbish. Start here: The more profitable we are as a company, the...
by Mark O'Brien | Jun 3, 2015
Take heart, people (or persons). We may be on the way out, but we’re not quite dead yet. How do I know? A little birdie told me. But it didn’t need to. The idea of eschewing personal relationships in favor of compiling more data, the mechanized...
by Mark O'Brien | May 29, 2015
In a recent post, I posited the notion that disruption is the new change. As if on cue, two articles appeared in my sundry feeds almost immediately thereafter: “Big Food’s Big Problem: Consumers Don’t Trust Brands” and “The...
by Mark O'Brien | May 20, 2015
Here’s a partial list of the things most companies say they want on the pages of their websites: Sizzle. Fashion Shows. Popularity contests. Pizzazz. Things that make the boss happy. The kitchen sink and all the attendant plumbing. Cool stuff. And here’s...
