A Newsletter on Marketing (and Life) #005

Good morning!

Do you enjoy Friday newsletters?

If not, let me know (but if you don’t like them, it’s unlikely you’re reading this…).

I hope your past week was peaceful and productive. Mine was. More of the latter. Another email written at 9:14pm the night before. I’ll do better.

Here’s a link to that (2-hour long) podcast where I share some of my more refined thoughts and concepts on life: https://youtu.be/VZOMqbgZVmc (enjoy!)

Let’s jump into this week’s podcast takeaways:

Podcast Takeaways

(Time to read: 2:30 minutes)

What does it look like to go from lead to demand generation?

Sam Kuehnle (VP of Marketing @ Loxo) shares that it's a short- to long-term shift (in mindset and action).

That means focusing less on collecting emails and "leads" and instead building long-term relationships. All the while helping them make progress on what matters.

This requires patience and a different perspective. If you want to gain that, listen to Sam. He knows what he's talking about.

Enjoy the insights from our conversation (listen to the conversation here):

Takeaway #1: Successful marketing uses a common sense approach

Marketing is unique because we usually throw out our rational (common sense) thinking when we create it. Even though we never buy a certain way, we expect our customers to.

According to Sam, common sense marketing acknowledges that traditional linear paths for marketing strategies may no longer apply.

"We've all been buyers in B2B, right? We know how we go about buying, yet for whatever reason, B2B marketers like to pretend that we're still on this linear path, downloading ebooks, wanting to talk to SDRs and not peers..."

Marketers must consider "how is buying being done today, not ten years ago." This involves thinking creatively and practically and having a perspective (POV) you can stand up for.

Finally, this common sense approach realizes that marketing must drive business results. One way to do this is by focusing on and understanding your customer well.

"If you want to grow, you also have to take in feedback from what your customers need, or you're going to be left behind, and you're just not going to be able to see any opportunity."

What to do next?

• Be aware of (document) how you search and buy something that is tangentially related to what you market/sell

• Talk to customers weekly about where they need help in making progress and create content to assist

• Stop doing marketing that doesn't pass the common sense marketing approach

Takeaway #2: The mindset of "demand generation" > "lead generation"

I see you scratching your head. Aren't these two similar concepts the same? They might be. They also could be a helpful dichotomy to create better marketing.

Let's start with the worst option: Lead generation. Sam describes this as a short-term approach focused on capturing information to pass on to sales. He criticizes this approach for its narrow focus and treating all leads equally. "Lead gen is saying, 'How do I capture information so I can pass it over to sales?'"

Now, the better option: Demand generation. Sam describes this as a long-term strategy focused on building awareness and trust within audiences. "Demand gen is the long game. It's building awareness and trust with your audience with the intent of growing scalably over time."

The goal is to shift from lead generation to demand generation in mindset and action. Focus on something other than getting an X amount of leads; instead, focus on building relationships and trust with your audience.

What to do next?

• Look up examples of both lead and demand generation and see which you're currently doing more of

• Begin to shift into a more demand-gen mindset by prioritizing relational v. transactional marketing

• Look into creating content shows that revolve around helping customers make progress without mentioning your company (see Mailchimp Presents)

Takeaway #3: Continuous learning and adaptability are vital skills for marketers

Call it confirmation bias, but I love this point. The best marketers (and thinkers) are always learning, rethinking, and improving their conceptual frameworks.

Marketing is changing daily, so we must stay up on it. It's not about wasting hours on Threads every day. It's about learning and applying that learning to the current situation. It can (and should) be learning outside of marketing too.

"What I find has been most helpful is reading books (outside of markeitng) on World War II, strategy in different areas, and even basic human psychology."

Sometimes the best marketing gems are found outside of marketing.

What to do next?

• Learn one thing today that is outside of marketing that you can relate to marketing

• Develop a learning practice that constantly exposes you to new info and divergent thinking (i.e., read daily for 15 minutes)

• Accept the mindset of lifelong learning and find others who value the same thing

Three quotes. Three books.

"Being truly ourselves is a prerequisite of good writing."

– Julia Cameron (Author of The Artist’s Way)

"When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do?"

– John Maynard Keynes from the book Noise

"Humility is the only soil in which virtue takes root.”

– Andrew Murray

Links to the three books quoted above:

• Write for Life by Julia Cameron 

• Noise: A Flaw in Human Judgment by Daniel Kahneman, Olivier Sibony, and Cass R. Sunstein

• Humility by Andrew Murray

Personal Note from Jo

(Time to read: 1:33 minutes)

The Practice of Washing Dishes

I have a love-hate relationship with the dishes.

On the one hand, they are so damn annoying. They never leave. And I don't think they pay any rent.

On the other, they provide a change of pace, and when done with consistency, they're easy.

Some clamor long about their mindful benefits or potential for zen. I can see it—water on your hands. Bruce Lee, be like water. Okay, I'm with you.

But in the end, they are just damn dishes that need to be cleaned.

And when your dishwasher is sitting in the living room, they become even more of a thorn in your side. Don't ask me; ask my wife (she runs the place).

Over time, I've gotten grilled more times than your George Foreman in college by my wife for slacking on the dishes. I do them inconsistently.

The result is an upset wife (this I imagine to be Hell) and a significant build-up by Friday, which takes almost an hour to devour.

I now see that if I can devote 15-20 minutes every day, then there will be minimal at most times. I have time for 20 minutes, even on my busiest day (no Threads scrolling 👋). Dishes will become my daily practice.

Both therapeutic and practical.

Like writing.

Which is also a daily practice. That's why I'm sitting outside my duplex writing this at 8:46pm on a Monday. It has to happen. And the 20 minutes I can find is now.

The author Julia Cameron calls this Laying the Track. The only way to lay the track across America was a little at a time. Make it your practice and show up daily.

The result will be therapeutic and useful.

You'll explore yourself, your moods, and your future. The (digital) page listens. I promise. Or maybe it only listens to me? (I promise no bribes were made)

What do I write about?

Open your eyes. I just opened this with dull dishes. You can do better than me. Look around and find a thread.

Writing is all about threads and pulling them together. Though, you don't do much. If you sit, things work.

If I show up to the dishes for 20, things will move forward.
If I write for 20, my project will get closer to being done.

Therapeutic and useful.

– Jo (every second counts)

P.S. Here is what I’m working on:

• Guide to the human iOS (no new updates): https://www.notion.so/jordanogren/The-Guide-to-the-human-iOS-98df3dcdd98349c48a15721417a22a11?pvs=4