By Paul Wiefels, co-founder & senior advisor of Chasm Group, LLC When markets undergo structural change, the greatest risk to an organization is not a lack of planning—it is reliance on the wrong kind of planning. History offers a clear lesson. In the final years of the Soviet Union, economic decline was met with more… Continue reading Plans Don’t Win Markets. Power Does.
Category: B2B Market Strategy
The Song Remains the Same: When Categories Consolidate
By Paul Wiefels, co-founder & senior advisor of Chasm Group, LLC Cisco’s announcement that they will acquire Splunk in a reported $28 billion transaction is further evidence that the cybersecurity category is consolidating. But is consolidation “bad” per se? If the past is prologue—and in the tech industry that is practically guaranteed—customers typically come… Continue reading The Song Remains the Same: When Categories Consolidate
Is Your Market Strategy Three-Dimensional?
By Paul Wiefels, co-founder & senior advisor of Chasm Group, LLC For many enterprises, the coming fall season brings with it the start of the planning season for every function in the enterprise. Creating a market strategy typically culminates in sales kick-offs and company-wide get-togethers where the plan is unveiled, and it is hoped, bought into,… Continue reading Is Your Market Strategy Three-Dimensional?
How Different Must “Different” Be?
By Paul Wiefels, co-founder & senior advisor of Chasm Group, LLC They aren’t the best at what they do. They’re the only ones who do what they do.” The legendary rock impresario, Bill Graham, reportedly said this about the Grateful Dead back in the day. It is still a point well-taken now. Being “different”… Continue reading How Different Must “Different” Be?
Positioning Isn’t a Product Story. It’s a People Story.
By Paul Wiefels, co-founder & senior advisor of Chasm Group, LLC Marketers love to talk about positioning, but most of those conversations eventually drift toward product features, company attributes, and multiple differentiators, especially in B2B tech. What we talk about far less is customers: who you’re truly for, who is for you, and just… Continue reading Positioning Isn’t a Product Story. It’s a People Story.
From On-Prem to SaaS – How Has Enterprise Sales Changed?
Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose.” (= The more things change, the more they remain the same.) – Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr, 1849 As mentioned in my last blog post, “The Unique Mentality of Top Enterprise Sales Pros”, I recently interviewed a dozen experts on sales-related matters. This group included former CEOs, sales leaders,… Continue reading From On-Prem to SaaS – How Has Enterprise Sales Changed?
B2B Market Strategy – Figuring Out Your ICP Without Needing a PhD
Over the past decade the startup/scaleup world has seen the emergence of a few key business concepts that quickly became three-letter acronyms, such as “PMF”, “MVP”, “PLG” and, more recently, “ICP”. Whereas PMF (Product-Market Fit) and MVP (Minimum Viable Product) – concepts popularized by Eric Ries in “The Lean Startup” – have helped startup founders… Continue reading B2B Market Strategy – Figuring Out Your ICP Without Needing a PhD