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January 9, 2014 by Marc Hausman

The Perils and Pearls of Thought Leadership

Oracle’s Ellison defines thought leadership. (Photo source: Wikipedia)

Thought leaders have thoughts.  It’s this predictive, engaging and often provoking insight that is the foundation of a successful content marketing program.

That’s straightforward, right?

So, why is it such a challenge for executives at many organizations to articulate a unique opinion?

The equally straightforward answer is a single word:  risk.

Risk in thought leadership is typically served in two flavors.  The first is the daunting prospect of disagreement from respected voices in the industry, which could include customers, analysts, bloggers and other influencers.

People shy from conflict and disagreement – in life and in business.

The second brand of risk in thought leadership is the prospect of ultimately being proven wrong.  A projection that falls short or flames out could sabotage executive credibility…or so the thinking goes.

Stand tall, I say, and embrace the hazards associated with thought leadership.  Oracle’s Larry Ellison has braved this path time and time again.

Remember his bold claims nearly two decades ago about push technology?  Ellison projected this emerging capability as the future of his company’s software development strategy.

Salesforce’s Marc Benioff is the most recent executive to pivot from a once steadfast prediction.   At Dreamforce 2011, he hailed the rise of the “social enterprise” and self-anointed his company as uniquely qualified to help an organization realize its potential.

Salesforce’s Benioff missed with the social enterprise. (Photo source: BusinessInsider.com)

“Our social enterprise vision fundamentally changes how companies collaborate, share and manage information,” Benioff proclaimed in a company announcement. “By creating social customer profiles, employee social networks, customer social networks and product social networks, companies can delight their customers in entirely new ways.”

Jump forward to late 2013 and Benioff acknowledged to investors the “social enterprise” never quite took hold.

Salesforce reps took the social enterprise mantra to customers, but couldn’t find the buyers, he said.  Benioff also admitted that his own company didn’t exactly understand what it meant.

Although the size, strength and success of Oracle and Salesforce shield Ellison and Benioff from the full brunt of flawed thinking, it’s also their willingness to recognize the misstep and change course that preserves their reputation as visionaries.

That flexibility is something any credible executive can emulate.

And, of course, Benioff has jump started conversations among technology buyers with his latest projection:  “Internet of Customers.”

Behold the beauty of thought leadership.

Filed Under: Articles, Uncategorized Tagged With: blogging, brand journalism, content creation, content marketing, executive visibility, Larry Ellison, Marc Benioff, Oracle, push technology, sales enablement, Salesforce, social enterprise, social media, social media marketing, technology

September 3, 2013 by Marc Hausman

A Brush with Technology Coolness

The coolness of singer and songwriter Neil Diamond.

My interest in entertainment, sports and pop lifestyle celebrity is modest.  The only autograph I have ever requested was from Neil Diamond on an airplane and that was for my mom.  (OK…I admit it, I dig Neil too.)

In comparison, I sport a healthy intensity and desire to learn from technology entrepreneurs and accomplished executives.  I have tremendous adulation for industry creators and innovators, and have organized my schedule to attend conferences that featured presentations from Jeff Bezos (Amazon), John Chambers (Cisco), Scott McNealy (Sun Microsystems), Larry Ellison (Oracle) and Marc Benioff (Salesforce).

For 18 years, I have invested passion, purpose and perspiration to create, build, manage and maintain Strategic Communications Group (Strategic).  I’m wholly proud of what the company has accomplished, yet I recognize we are a niche consultancy in a broad and complex market segment.

Game changers like Chambers, McNealy, Ellison, Bezos and Benioff demonstrate the vision, talent and execution prowess to elevate their organization to global relevance, while outfoxing competitors along the way.

Rarely do I get an opportunity to cross paths with such a visionary beyond sitting front center at a conference presentation.  That changed this morning when I learned a campaign Strategic recently launched on behalf of Iron Bow Technologies and Dell was re-tweeted by Michael Dell himself.

Yes, I realize a simple retweet is not an expression of gratitude or recognition for a job well done.  It’s cool though and, like Neil Diamond, I dig Michael Dell too.

Share your stories about #DellRugged technology surviving the worst at http://t.co/AGG2Rm69xZ

— DellRugged (@DellRugged) August 28, 2013

 

Filed Under: Articles, Uncategorized Tagged With: Amazon, Dell, entrepreneur, Jeff Bezos, Larry Ellison, Marc Benioff, Michael Dell, Oracle, sales enablement, Salesforce, Scott McNealy, social media, social media marketing, Strategic Communications Group, Sun Microsystems, technology CEO, visionary

September 28, 2012 by Marc Hausman

Gazing into the Crystal Ball: What to Expect at Eloqua Experience 2012 – Part 2

In today’s special Friday edition post, we’re wrapping up our two-part series on what Eloqua Experience 2012 conference participants can expect at this year’s upcoming user conference in November. (If you missed part one of the series, you can check it out here.)

Since we here at All About Experience appear to lack clairvoyant capabilities to predict the future, we’re taking a look at some of the other content marketing conferences that have recently taken place around the country to make our predictions.

Held earlier this month was Content Marketing Insitute’s (CMI) second annual Content Marketing World 2012 in Columbus, Ohio. According to reports, the conference doubled in attendance from last year’s conference—a sure sign that content marketing is on the rise.

Editors from BtoB Magazinewere in attendance and came away with some impressive statistics based on a study of 2,400 marketers completed by CMI. The most surprising statistic was that only 36% of marketers believe their content marketing is effective—proof that forums like the upcoming Eloqua Experience user conference are very much needed.

Eloqua's VP of Content Marketing, Joe Chernov

The speakers on tap at Content Marketing World were equally as impressive as those at Hubspot’s conference. In fact, there was even a panel discussion moderated by none other than Eloqua’s VP of Content Marketing, Joe Chernov.

One conference attendee responded with a recap of the event titled, “11 Eyebrow-Raising Moments from Content Marketing World”. A few of the more interesting conclusions included a plug for print media, the realization that e-mail is social media’s “secret weapon”, and the fact that not everyone is onboard yet with social media.

The most recent event to wrap up was Salesforce.com’s Dreamforce 2012. With attendance around 72,000, this year’s conference claims to be the largest yet of its kind.

According to a recent article in SocialMediaToday, this year’s conference gave attendees a chance to preview new product offerings as well as gain insight on other platform enhancements and upgraded features.

Conference attendees also had the opportunity to hear from Salesforce.com’s CEO, Marc Benioff. One of the key takeaways from Benioff’s presentation was that “CEOs believe that social has become one of the top ways to engage customers, mainly at the expense of traditional approaches.”

One of the most surprising and entertaining guest appearances according to CRMBuyer was a special performance by MC Hammer “singing a modified version of two of his hits with Salesforce-centric lyrics.”

Overall, Eloqua Experience attendees can expect to gleam many jewels of wisdom from their participation in the conference. Attendees will have the opportunity to sit at the feet of some of the most experienced and successful content marketers and gain invaluable insight into content marketing, a medium that is exponentially growing year after year.

We expect that conference participants will also be privy to information on the growth and direction of Eloqua in the future. It is likely that any new product updates or new offerings will also be presented, most likely with demos.

Additionally, if the previous conferences have taught us anything, there will also be a healthy dose of fun. As we’ve heard repeatedly from Eloqua employees, the Markie Awards Ceremony continues to be one of the most anticipated times of the conference, promising to be full of fun and laughter.

Filed Under: Articles, Eloqua Tagged With: cmworld, content marketing, Content Marketing Institute, content marketing world, df12, dreamforce 2012, ee12, EE12NA, eena12, eloqua conference, Eloqua Experience, eloqua experience conference, Hubspot, Marc Benioff, marketing automation, Salesforce

September 27, 2012 by Marc Hausman

Gazing into the Crystal Ball: What to Expect at Eloqua Experience 2012

As the countdown to Eloqua Experience 2012 ticks on, attendees may become increasingly curious about what to expect from the upcoming user conference. Since we here at “All About Experience” seem to have misplaced our crystal ball, we decided to take a look at some of the other content marketing conferences that have taken place recently throughout the country in an effort to offer some insight on what to expect at the highly anticipated Eloqua user conference in November.

First up was Hubspot’s Inbound Conference, held this past August in Boston, Massachusetts. The conference managed to attract approximately 2,800 attendees despite being held during a week notorious for last minute vacations and back-to-school preparations.

The conference boasted several impressive and well-known keynote speakers including David Meerman Scott, Rand Fishkin, Susan Cain, and Gary Vaynerchuk. Each of the speakers provided attendees with insights on inbound marketing strategies ranging from conceptual to technique-based.

A writer for The Boston Globe attended the conference and had the opportunity to speak with Hubspot CEO Brian Halligan. The summary of their chat offered some great insights as to the direction of the company as well as the future of the marketing automation industry.

For more in-depth reading of Hubspot’s Inbound Conference, check out these recaps from Marketing Automation Times and WAM Enterprises.

And since Hubspot knows that marketers aren’t all serious business, they provided attendees with a special appearance by 80s pop queen, Cyndi Lauper!

So what can we learn from Hubspot’s Inbound Conference? Along with being a prime opportunity to network with other potential customers and partners, conference attendees can expect to gain insight and wisdom on content marketing strategies from industry professionals to ensure success in their social media and marketing programs. Participants can also expect a healthy dose of fun for a well-rounded conference experience.

Be sure to check back with us tomorrow as we conclude our two-part series with a recap of Content Marketing Institute’s Content Marketing World 2012 and Salesforce.com’s Dreamforce 2012.

Filed Under: Articles, Eloqua Tagged With: cmworld, content marketing, Content Marketing Institute, content marketing world, Cyndi lauper, david merman scott, df12, dreamforce 2012, EE12NA, eena12, eloqua conference, Eloqua Experience, eloqua experience conference, gary vaynerchuk, Hubspot, inbound conference, Joe Chernov, Marc Benioff, marketing automation, rand fishkin, Salesforce, susan cain

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