The Accidental Marketer Podcast

Inertia and habit are the enemies of customer-centricity in business. In most industries, market dynamics often change long before companies adjust their strategies. Learn about a company that discovered they were focusing on the wrong stakeholder -- and how they changed their strategy in the nick of time. Mary, Sean and Tom discuss how you can save yourself the angst and morph your strategy befor...

Businesses of all types can learn a lot from what pharma companies do when their blockbuster drugs come off patent. Some fall off the revenue cliff, and some -- like Viagra -- do a remarkable job of holding share. In this episode, the team highlights what any business that faces low-priced competition can learn from Viagra's continued success.

One of the most underrated and over-performing businesses in the world is in the refrigeration business in China. You may have not heard of them, but there are some important, counter-intuitive secrets to their success. These include extreme dedication to customer-centricity (demonstrated over decades) and an ability to anticipate customer needs. Listen in as the team unlocks this company's succes...

The retailer Kohl's will return items to Amazon for you -- are they crazy? New types of partnerships are emerging almost daily, some between companies that have been -- or will soon be -- competitors. Why is this happening? Is it a good idea? The team dissects the idea of symbiotic competition -- when it makes sense, when it doesn't, and how B2Bs can think through the unimaginable -- should you pa...

B2B companies are seeing some of their high-margin offerings being undercut. Smaller competitors with fewer assets are specializing, moving faster, and leaving the traditional competitors to fight it out over commoditized products and services. In the worst case scenario, some industries are being "Uber-ized!" Find out what you can do to protect yourself!

This season's focus is modern case studies -- successes and failures -- that B2B companies can learn from. This episode examines the recent struggles of Kraft/Heinz -- how did they miss some key trends that have resulted in a significant drop in sales, profits and stock value? The team looks at why incumbents fail to act on big changes, and provides advice for how big companies can be more nimble...

All industries are being affected by new trends, technologies and competitors. With so much uncertainty about the future, companies need to be constantly experimenting with new ways of doing business. So why do so many companies continue to place big bets instead of monitoring a number of pilot projects for winners? The group discusses why this happens so often, and makes the case for more discipl...

People who understand value-based pricing know that it's a powerful strategy. So why don't more companies implement? Many think its not possible to accurately measure value from the customer's viewpoint. So they default to cost-based or competitor-based pricing approaches. The group concludes that those who think value can't be measured are wrong, and they are missing a huge opportunity to price b...

When your product or service generates important data that your customers can use in a broader "ecosystem," are their situations where you should block the data flow? What if this broader ecosystem includes your competitors? Should you willingly be part of "open systems", or is it to your advantage to create self-contained proprietary, closed systems? The team looks at all sides of this issue.

Does narrowing your focus to a single or a few target segments limit your opportunities for growth? While it is logical to think that targeting reduces your total addressable market (and it does), the team talks about the magnetic effect of focus - the ironic result of serving one segment so well that other segments are drawn to your value proposition.

Many B2B's have had the initial excitement of creating a needs-based segmentation strategy...only to have it fizzle out due to poor buy-in and bad execution of the initiative. They conclude that "it doesn't work." But it is actually very practical! And the answers to successfully implementing are easier than you think! Listen to the team give tips on how to make this powerful, differentiating appr...

It's a myth that most successful companies are doing enough to stay ahead of new competitors and technologies. The team discusses the very human - but dangerous - reasons incumbents move too slowly. Hear how legends like Jack Welch and Andy Grove made sure it didn't happen to them, how Millennial's might be just what these companies need, and how executives can solve the main issues and lead chang...

Some think that conducting B2B customer research is difficult, expensive, and not valuable because customers don't tell the truth about their needs! The team debunks these myths with many practical examples -- including stories of great insights uncovered in difficult industries and ideas for how to get truthful insight using very practical and inexpensive methods.

The team starts out this episode disagreeing on whether marketer's should continue to structure their strategies around the tenets of product, place, promotion and price. But they come to an agreement on how the 4Ps can still be a useful organizing principle for marketers.

Our second season continues to expose popular marketing myths. In this episode, Mary, Sean and Tom talk about why marketing and sales often don't work well together, and keys to getting them on the same page to the benefit of the entire organization.

Our second season will expose popular marketing myths hampering business growth. In this episode, the team talks about SWOT analysis -- and how this often-used and seemingly useful business planning tool can lead a business to invest in exactly the wrong things!!!

Many business people believe that pricing based on value-delivered is impossible. So they set price based on cost and/or competitor's approach and either over-charge or leave money on the table. In this episode, the team of Mary, Sean and Tom demonstrate an approach that will lead you to maximizing share and profits through state-of-the-art strategic pricing strategies

If you don't choose the image or perception that you want to own in your B2B customer's mind, your competition will! In this episode, Tom, Mary and Sean talk about the principles of positioning -- how to do it proactively, effectively, and in accordance with how your customers mind really works!

The answer to the question "is your product unique and relevant" predicts success more than any other. Listen in as Sean, Mary and Tom talk about the levers marketers can pull to differentiate all kinds of products and services -- even those thought to be commodities.

Businesses that have more defined targets have broader appeal! Mary, Sean and Tom discuss how this ironic truth -- and little known secret to business -- plays out in consumer and B2B markets.

Most business people think that you can't quantify the value delivered by a company. We beg to differ! In this episode, Tom, Sean and Mary describe the fabulous Ability to Win framework, which has been helping companies measure, analyze and improve their level of differentiation for over 30 years.

If you can't define an attractive target market, you'll chase every opportunity and dangerously dilute your company's focus. In this episode, Mary, Sean and Tom describe a powerful tool and process that has helped their clients gain agreement on everything from target markets to potential partners to project priorities.

Why do companies develop products with little to no competitive advantage? Tom, Sean and Mary discuss the forces that cause companies to falsely believe they have a differentiated value proposition, and provide practical tips for developing unique offerings that customers appreciate -- and buy.

Most companies define their markets too simplistically -- missing the opportunity to shape the competitive environment in a way that's beneficial. The team of Sean, Mary and Tom discuss ways that markets can be defined creatively to yield a truly creative mindset and a superior value proposition for customers.

Can influencer marketing work as effectively in B2B as it has in B2C? In this second in a series of "surprise topics", Sean asks the group to weigh in on the practicality of B2B influencer marketing.