Hi, I’m Keith Bossey (keith@bossey.com) , publisher of Bossey.com and President of Bossey Research Partners (See Update Below!), a consultancy focused on B2B Sales & Marketing strategy, especially for organizations whose main product or service is intangible (research, consulting, training, finance, etc.).
My career started in the glamourous field of insurance sales where I successfully turned fear into a living. Later, I dove into the world of Wall Street, first as a stockbroker, then as a research analyst for a boutique trading and investment banking firm, and I learned that you could package and sell almost anything if you could tap into the greed factor. Leaving the markets at a time of “irrational exuberance”, I landed a great role in sales at a consultancy selling marketing research about the investment community to Fortune 1000 companies. Not only did this small company allow me to grow into the role of VP of marketing and sales, I became a consultant to senior level management at our client firms.
It was here that my approach to B2B marketing began to take shape, and that approach involves Branding. Most B2B organizations do not look at branding in the same way as consumer products companies or B2C firms. In fact, they often disdain branding, or confuse it with advertising. A company’s brand is its essence. It is a feeling. It communicates what a client/customer should expect. It is THE story.
A common denominator in my career, as salesperson, stockbroker, investment analyst, and management consultant is that in each case, my role involved clearly communicating or uncovering that essence. Do it well, and you have growth. Fail here, and you stall (at best). Brand is the heart of an organization, as all other activities are driven by brand. It influences who your customers are and creates their expectations. It provides guidance on your employment practices, your compensation systems, your training, and engagement. It focuses your marketing and sales efforts, in fact it guides the creation of an effective process. Finally, it allows you to align your investors (and any other key stakeholders) with your overall corporate strategy. Get clarity on your brand and you influence your entire organization. Remain clouded on brand and your likelihood for success is minimal
My goal is to provide you with Brand Clarity, and reset your organization on its growth path.
Are you stalled? Do you seek to bring your organization to another level? Have you lost the passion? I would like the opportunity to help you. Lets have one conversation to find out how!
Email me and I’ll call you right back: keith@bossey.com
UPDATE: In January 2009, I was asked to join GfK Custom Research, North America, the fourth largest marketing research company in the world. My role involves helping the financial services team expand their industry relationships and grow their business. This group provides full-blown, fact based consulting to financial services clients, helping them to be successful in each stage of the marketing cycle (from trend analysis, to new product development, branding & communication, customer segmentation & loyalty, to broader stakeholder communications) using market research as the foundation for that guidance.
For more information on GfK, visit www.gfkamerica.com
****The views I express here are my own and are not necessarily reflective of the views of GfK and its subsidiaries.
My plan is to continue to use Bossey.com as a platform to discuss my ideas on B2B Branding and how it impacts sales, marketing & communications, strategy and corporate reputation and to continue to work with companies with a desire for success.
Thanks for visiting!
-Keith
