This post was going to be a direct refutation of the assertion by Rick Segal, President of GyroHSR, that B2B marketing is obsolete. But before rereading the B2B Magazine article, “Is B2B Marketing Really Obsolete?” by Sean Callahan, I did a quick Google search [B2B marketing is dead] to see what others had to say.

The search results made me laugh. Here I thought I was being way cool and timely and following David Meerman Scott’s advice with regard to real time marketing . . . . and dozens of people have already beaten Mr. Segal to the punch.

Judging by the search results, everything is dead, from traditional marketing and white papers to SEO. (Whether Elvis is dead is questionable.)

Here’s the deal: B2B marketing is definitely NOT dead! B2B marketing is alive and well and thriving, thank you very much.

What is dead, however, is the ability for high-overhead agencies and clueless consultants to pass on crappy marketing advice — and then charge mega dollars for it (case in point: an SEO firm charging $4,000 a month for regurgitated Google Analytics reports, cough, cough).

Why is that? Because now everything is measurable. In the old days you could get away with suggesting a huge ad spend in trade journals and then design image ads where you can’t even read the URL and even worse, sending people to the home page versus a (trackable) landing page. Not anymore ducks.

(The above link goes to a great Chasers column in B2B Magazine about print being the doorway to the Web. Be sure to read it.)

What do you think? Is B2B marketing dead or do you agree with me that it’s alive and thriving? Leave your thoughts below.

(Image by Frances Ellen Speaks!)

While doing a Website audit for both a B2B Website design firm and a B2B marketing services company last week, I noted that the firms’ owners simply showed screen shots of some of the projects their companies had completed in the last couple of years.

The screen shots, while pretty, lacked any supporting copy.

Here’s the problem with showing just pictures: they don’t tell the story behind the picture. You think they tell a story because you know what the picture is about. Your prospects don’t know the story, however, making the photos pretty much useless as sales tools.

How to get around this? Tell the story!

Telling stories is what made the J.Peterman Co. so successful in its heydey. It wasn’t the products themselves that were so wonderful, it was the story behind them — like this one about the “Secret Thoughts Cape.”

For both the Web design firm and the marketing services company, I recommended that the owners pull out three to five of their best projects and create case study pages for each one. Each case study should include:

1. The business challenge and the solution
2. The implementation
3. The results

Even better, these stories should include quotes from the clients and their names / business titles plus some interesting “bits” to lend color and depth.

Two things happen when you present case studies (or success stories) on your site: You show your company’s expertise, and prospects see themselves in these stories and say, “Hey! This company solved this particular problem, which we’re experiencing, too. I bet they can help us.”

I’m such a believer in telling success stories with words AND pictures that I now include developing a couple of case studies as part of my proposal when quoting New Websites and Website Overhauls.

Story Contest!

B2B marketers — here’s a chance to have some fun. In 100 words or less, tell me the story behind these sneakers and why a collector would want to add them to a “canvas sneaker collection.” Post your story in the comments section. Contest ends Friday, January 21, 2011.

The writers of the top five winning stories will receive Godiva Chocolates plus recognition on this blog. Have fun!

The word “innovation” conjures up big change, especially when the change disrupts entire industries or even society at large (think the Internet, Google, and Facebook, to name a few).

Yet “innovation” can also be small and still have great impact.

This idea was reinforced for me this morning as I pulled a package of frozen chicken breasts out of the freezer for tonight’s dinner.

The problem with buying packages of chicken breasts is that they normally come three (or more) to a package. If you’re cooking for one, you have to defrost all three and then find a way to use the other two breasts in the next couple of days.

Or, you have to be organized enough to separate the chicken breasts when you arrive home from the grocery store so that you can freeze them separately.

Harvestland, producers of all natural chicken and turkey products, solved this problem, and quite nicely I might add.

They individually wrap each chicken breast.

I’m moving toward organic and “natural” foods and picked up Harvestland chicken for the first time last week at the market (mostly due to the verbiage on the package). Imagine my delight when I pulled the chicken package out of the freezer and realized I had to remove only one chicken breast.

Woo hoo! Someone “got it.”

Wrapping each chicken breast individually isn’t exactly revolutionary — and I’m sure Harvestland implemented this change for other reasons. But I can just imagine the conversation at other chicken companies regarding this idea:

“We can’t do that. No one else is doing it.”

“Our customers won’t pay the extra cost. We’ll lose market share.”

“It’s never been done it that way before” or “That’s the way it’s always been done.”

“We can’t afford what it will cost to change our processes and packaging equipment.”

“Why would anyone want individually wrapped chicken breasts? What a dumb idea.”

Seeing the individually wrapped chicken breasts reminded me that small changes can often have big impact — on your company, your customers, and your industry. What idea have you had that you’ve nixed due to one or all of the above statements? What kind of change can you envision if you implemented it?

My friend mentioned that she was using a plan she found in a magazine to “jump start” her exercise routine for the new year.

Her comment made me pause for a bit. What makes it so that some of us are very disciplined when it comes to achieving one goal but not another?

For me, exercise has always been a priority. Yet, I’m not so disciplined when it comes to limiting distractions while working — especially stuff like email, social media, chatting with friends on the phone or responding to texts, cleaning off my desk, etc. etc.

My friend, however, can work 10 – 12 hour days without being distracted by social media and telephone calls.

Here’s what I’ve concluded: You have to have a really good reason for WHY you want to achieve a certain goal and you have to MAKE TIME to develop the new habits that you want.

These ideas aren’t new. Timothy Feriss talks about the WHY in his book, The Four-Hour Work Week. Dan Kennedy talks about the HOW in this blog post, Where Did My New Year’s Resolution Go?

If you have a goal you want to achieve — and have wanted to achieve for years now — you need put aside the standard advice of making your goal specific and quantifiable. Instead, consider the following ideas:

1. Why do want to achieve your goal?

Why you want to achieve a specific goal should be specific to you. It should be something you feel absolutely passionate about — so much so, that you’ll move heaven and earth to ensure you get it done. If not, you’ll give it up after a month or so.

One reason I get to the gym regularly is because about five or six years ago I had excruciating lower back pain. Because I had been running since high school, I had pretty much blown out the disks in my lower vertebra. After months of physical therapy — and knee surgery to boot — the doctor said it might be best to give up running.

Because I was getting older, I realized I needed to find a way to remain healthy through my 40s, 50s, and well into my 60s, 70s and 80s. So instead of coming up with a short-term goal of “lose weight,” I decided to ensure I was living a healthy lifestyle — one that would last me until old age.

2. How will you achieve your goal?

To achieve a big goal, you have to break it down into little steps and then ensure you have the resources to tackle each step (i.e. information, time, money, etc.).

For me, attaining my goal of being healthy meant I had to join a gym, something I was loathe to do. (I used to *hate* the gym — that’s why I ran. Freedom. Outdoors. Nature.)

A couple of years after joining the gym, I began working with a personal trainer. Then, I made a huge step and learned how to use the strength conditioning machines. Now I’m at the gym at least four days a week doing strength conditioning and cardio. I also limit my alcohol intake and while I don’t count calories, I do make an effort to eat healthy meals.

All of this has meant that I’m in better shape now than I was in my 20s.

3. What will you give up to reach your goal?

Dan Kennedy hit the proverbial nail when he said that you have to make time to achieve your goals and that to do so you have to give up something else.

This doesn’t mean that you have to give up something good, only that you need to monitor your time to figure out where it’s going . . . so that you can determine what you’ll remove in order to make time for your goal.

For me to make exercise my priority, I’ve had to juggle my son’s schedule with my exercise schedule, say “no” to people who want me to do things during my scheduled gym time, and go to bed early on those mornings when I have to be at the gym by 5:00 AM.

You may have to watch less TV, spend less time on the computer, or ask your spouse to take over some household responsibilities so that you can reach your goals.

What’s your experience with achieving goals? Do you have one thing that you’re very disciplined about and something else you haven’t been able to achieve no matter what you do? Please share your experiences.