Comments on: Why bother with thought leadership? Five questions and answers. http://www.christopherakoch.com/2009/04/why-bother-with-thought-leadership-five-questions-and-answers/ Marketing and Sales Strategy for B2B Tue, 07 Sep 2010 08:57:14 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: drew nicholson http://www.christopherakoch.com/2009/04/why-bother-with-thought-leadership-five-questions-and-answers/comment-page-1/#comment-75 drew nicholson Fri, 24 Apr 2009 11:31:15 +0000 http://chriskoch.wordpress.com/?p=87#comment-75 I think this is very fertile ground, but I wonder, isn't it time for a new approach for thought leadership? So many tech vendors are doing it, but just reading Wikinomics (Tapscott and Williams) proves now more than ever that it is time for dialogue not monologue; time to put your message in the hands of other people and for marketers to be on 'receive' mode as well as 'send'. The case histories of the likes of Goldcorp prove that there is just as much talent and vision outside an organisation's walls as there is inside. That being so, it's a lot harder now to convince prospects that your organisation alone has a monopoly view on the future. Wikis, blogs and social networks have led the way, so I wonder if it is time for Thought Leadership to have a makeover and maybe even give way to Thought Meritocracy. Set the agenda of course, but why not open up the conversation by inviting prospects, partners and customers to be part of the Thought programme. Ask for their views and you will surely get perspectives that only people on the outside can see - and that in turn may mean your view becomes better balanced and all the richer for it. Maybe that is the way (perversely) that you REALLY become a leader - by listening and learning more rather than sticking to only internal thinking. Vendors are waking up to Thought Meritocracy; it is easier to learn more and develop your thinking by listening than it is by speaking. Best Drew Nicholson dnx I think this is very fertile ground, but I wonder, isn’t it time for a new approach for thought leadership?
So many tech vendors are doing it, but just reading Wikinomics (Tapscott and Williams) proves now more than ever that it is time for dialogue not monologue; time to put your message in the hands of other people and for marketers to be on ‘receive’ mode as well as ‘send’. The case histories of the likes of Goldcorp prove that there is just as much talent and vision outside an organisation’s walls as there is inside.
That being so, it’s a lot harder now to convince prospects that your organisation alone has a monopoly view on the future.

Wikis, blogs and social networks have led the way, so I wonder if it is time for Thought Leadership to have a makeover and maybe even give way to Thought Meritocracy. Set the agenda of course, but why not open up the conversation by inviting prospects, partners and customers to be part of the Thought programme. Ask for their views and you will surely get perspectives that only people on the outside can see – and that in turn may mean your view becomes better balanced and all the richer for it.
Maybe that is the way (perversely) that you REALLY become a leader – by listening and learning more rather than sticking to only internal thinking.

Vendors are waking up to Thought Meritocracy; it is easier to learn more and develop your thinking by listening than it is by speaking.

Best

Drew Nicholson
dnx

]]> By: Tim Parker http://www.christopherakoch.com/2009/04/why-bother-with-thought-leadership-five-questions-and-answers/comment-page-1/#comment-74 Tim Parker Sat, 11 Apr 2009 13:21:00 +0000 http://chriskoch.wordpress.com/?p=87#comment-74 Chris Good potted history. A couple of things I wonder about: • “Products and services are becoming more complex and sales cycles are getting longer.” I wonder: I don’t imagine selling leather to Henry Ford for 10s of thousands of cars a year was either quick or easy – still had to deal with consistent quality, high volumes, complex logistics etc, all with fewer tools and poorer information. With communications being what they were, the sales cycle might have been longer. Unless Henry grew his own, which would lead to the next point... • "Marketers began using thought leadership when they recognized that customers and prospects were growing weary of salespeople trying to sell them products without knowing about the business issues that customers and prospects faced." People have been selling each other stuff for thousands of years – why would weariness only have set in a couple of decades ago? Might have something to do with increased outsourcing/disaggregation of companies that means there is more inter-organizational selling of complex offerings, for instance. And the internet making it easier to publish and find educational material. Possibly more than one factor. Again, useful perspective. thanks Chris

Good potted history. A couple of things I wonder about:

• “Products and services are becoming more complex and sales cycles are getting longer.” I wonder: I don’t imagine selling leather to Henry Ford for 10s of thousands of cars a year was either quick or easy – still had to deal with consistent quality, high volumes, complex logistics etc, all with fewer tools and poorer information. With communications being what they were, the sales cycle might have been longer. Unless Henry grew his own, which would lead to the next point…

• “Marketers began using thought leadership when they recognized that customers and prospects were growing weary of salespeople trying to sell them products without knowing about the business issues that customers and prospects faced.” People have been selling each other stuff for thousands of years – why would weariness only have set in a couple of decades ago? Might have something to do with increased outsourcing/disaggregation of companies that means there is more inter-organizational selling of complex offerings, for instance. And the internet making it easier to publish and find educational material. Possibly more than one factor.

Again, useful perspective.

thanks

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