I just attended the 2012 International CES in Las Vegas last week. While the show was overwhelming and exhausting, the comprehension and implementation of these technologies and products was even more so!
A total of five Indium Corporation executives attended the event, along with 150,000 other people. We witnessed many new products, services, and concepts that ranged widely, from furniture, to kitchen electronics, to microprocessors, to monitors, to iPad covers.
When we regrouped to review what we had all learned, there were five different stories, experiences, and opinions. Each was valuable, as well as wildly incomplete and non comprehensive, and filtered through a unique lens - reflecting the person's personal background and perspective. After we all testified to our experiences, integrated each other's observations and conclusions, and synthesized the whole thing into one big story, were we able to get a good handle on what had occurred.
To me, what it all boiled down to is that:
- unlike in "the old days" none of us will ever be an "expert" in any one field. I define "expert" to mean a person who is THE resource for info on a topic. These days, no matter how much a person knows about anything, another person can simply turn to the internet and gain much more information on any topic.
- so many things are changing on so many fronts that, in order to maintain a respectable level of awareness and competence, a person can NEVER stop learning at a furious pace. Even WITH such an investment, a person can never become an "expert".
This felt quite a bit like the last several years in B2B Marcom. There is so much to become aware of, to experiment with and understand. To integrate. To measure. To evaluate. To change.
As B2B marketers, we need to become ultramarathoners – capable of a long, grueling, seemingly never-ending, experience. And we must be SMART! Our journey is doomed if we aren’t always learning, growing, well informed, making excellent decisions, and aren’t capable of making critical decisions on the fly.
Most importantly, no one person is capable of knowing it all, being able to take it all in, and become "the expert". These days, it takes a team - it is the era of "we". We need to learn together, we need to observe and experience things, we need to make decisions, and we need to review the feedback so that we make the best decisions.
CONCLUSION: Hand-select an incredibly bright and capable team, keep everyone in constant learning mode, and always work as one unit. If you don't, then expect another B2B Marcom team to beat you.
Congratulations B2B Marcom leaders! You had a great 2011, filled with many achievements. You are now preparing to settle into 2012 and enjoy the fruits of your labors. Not so fast!
Travis Stanton
I say this nearly every day: "Always begin at the end." 
And, when it comes to goal setting, I say it isn't a GOAL if it isn't put down in writing. There's something very powerful about the very act of touching that pen to the paper, of hitting the key, and seeing your thoughts on display. When we put our GOAL in writing we are exposed for being disorganized, scattered, incoherent, or (hopefully) logical, focused, thorough, inspired, and aligned with the team.
If you've been in business to business marketing communications for any length of time you've heard parts of this. If you are a newbie, this might freak you out. Trust me on this one: seasoned pros stay very sharp on this topic, beginners MUST ramp up and get really good with this, fast.
Here is another example of a residence. This time it exists in modern times, was designed with modern technologies, built with modern tools - to address a modern goal.
It is always important, sometimes critical, to come off well when interviewed. Most often the interviewer is an industry (or larger) celebrity and the printed or videoed story/article will appear in an influential trade journal, website, or blog. The third-party credibility, maybe even endorsement, lent by being interviewed by a prestigious personality or publication could be very valuable to your organization. The command, albeit brief, of the media's audience - your target audience - is highly desired. Other times you may be communicating with an internal team - the people you work with every day. Additionally, you may be interviewed by your local news media for good, or not so good, reasons. It's never been easier to capture your thoughts, in audio, in writing, on video, and share them with your key decision makers and stakeholders. This is show time, people!
Another element of "working with the interviewer" involves you, as the Marcom leader, accompanying your engineer (or other person being interviewed) to the interview. Take some of the stress off of them by handling minor chores for them. For example, if at a trade show, take a quick final look at your colleague: remove their exhibition badge, take all the pens and metal rulers from their shirt pocket, etc. In addition, add further value by doing things the interviewee could never do. Monitor the interview - chime in when you see a chance to improve things. Whether it involves lighting, camera angle, content, flow, or even the need for a quick break - you can add value from the sidelines. In the image (right) I was monitoring the video capture on the interview technician's computer. I noted people in the background and other potential distractions. Be sure the interviewer is prepared for your involvement. CAUTION: Do not be a "stage mom". Everyone hates that person!
#6: BOIL IT DOWN: There is a 
#7: ARRIVE EARLY: You being comfortable and relaxed will transfer to the interviewer and to your audience. It's the same when you are harried, stressed, and off balance. Arrive early, feel great, own the space, and shine.
#9: REQUEST A HAND IN THE EDITING: Some interviewers will scoff at the idea of you being involved in post production. Others will allow you to see the final product candidate and will accept ideas from you. A third group will actually WELCOME your offer. It can't hurt to ask. Approach it from perspective of "fact checking" and organization enhancement. I've rambled through an interview, expressed my regret at not crafting my thoughts better, asked to see the transcripts, then submitted my edited version. It can work. Always ask, respectfully. That said, always give an interview with the belief that you will NOT have any chance of being involved with the editing - be safe.
I'd like to coin a term, "nuse". It means to use the news, in a bad way, to your benefit.
Being from Upstate New York, where we enjoy weather extremes, I am all too familiar with frozen rivers. Most activities, including B2B Marcom, are like a frozen river. Things get stuck in a certain way and they don't change - at least not too much or too easily. When things are frozen, there is really very little that can be done to effect change.
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