For many manufacturing industries, the Internet of Things is already here, and the race has already started. The following are Stonehill’s analysis and findings, based on what we have seen, on how to win this new arm’s race.

In recent years, a trend has emerged where Chief Marketing Officers (CMO’s) become (or are replaced by) Chief Growth Officers (CGO’s). The trend has gotten increased attention in 2017 because large companies (like Coca-Cola, Colgate-Palmolive, and others) are jumping on that bandwagon. So, is this just a trendy title change, or is there more to it?

When launching a new product or starting a new company it is very important to be able to explain what you do and the benefits of your services in a one-minute elevator speech. I have found that although this is much needed, people are much more visual than we believe. Furthermore (even in this digital world) there is something brilliant about putting the visual on a piece of paper, providing not only a visual but also a tactical experience.

As our firm consults with clients we continually hear growth plans that center on hiring more salespeople while expecting immediate results. When asked about marketing strategy, sales process, or leading indicators we get a variety of responses, but only in rare cases is the plan fully outlined. Without this clarity, it is impossible for the team to understand the expectations and leverage the individual skills they are good at.