Co-founder and MD of SiriusDecisions, and guest speaker at B2B Marketing’s Marketing Leaders Forum, John Neeson, reveals his favourite brand, biggest indulgence and best advice
What was your first B2B-related job?
3M – it has a media services division that sold software to publishers, and I was a consultant.
What do you most enjoy about your job?
I work with over 800 companies and get to see what is working and what is not. I often feel like my organisation is in the catbird seat to B2B sales and marketing, being able to develop models and frameworks on how to implement the best practices we see.
Which other B2B brands do you most admire?
There are a few. Adobe is interesting because it gets to blend B2B with B2C and enterprise with SMBs. IBM’s scale is amazing and has done a very nice job with its ‘Smarter planet’ campaign to bring the complexity to simplicity. GE is another incredibly respected company whose core values are best represented by the values it instils in its people.
Whose job would you like most apart from your own?
I love what I do so that is difficult to say.
What’s the best piece of marketing advice you’ve ever been given?
Marketers solve problems. If you can’t define the problem well, you probably should not be working on it.
Which marketing campaign or idea do you wish you’d thought of?
IBM’s ‘Smarter planet’.
To succeed, a B2B marketer must…
Understand sales – direct and indirect. This means having empathy for what they do and working very hard at communication. Ninety per cent of all issues between sales and marketing are communication-related. You get that right and you can have a tremendous impact as a marketer.
What’s the next big thing in B2B marketing?
Marketing makes the first sales call. Buyers are doing more and more online, socially with their peers and subordinates so by the time a sales person first interacts with a buyer, a good portion of the sales cycle is complete. This means marketing is making the first impression and sales call – this will dramatically change the emphasis of marketing in the next five years.
What is your favourite B2B ad campaign past or present?
Apple’s ‘Think different’ campaign with a variety of key people who changed the world was really cool.
Our jobs would be easier if…
There was better understanding and communication between sales and marketing.
What are the traits you most and least admire in yourself?
I guess the trait I like most about myself is that I am curious. I have a thirst to learn and with what I learn, I’m able to communicate it effectively to others. Least? Patience… I guess mum was correct on this one.
My biggest extravagance is…
Good wine.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
“No worries.”
What marketing challenge are you currently wrestling with?
Doing research on marketing best practices for BRIC countries.
What was your last marketing epiphany?
The ‘demand centre model’ a few years ago and this year, the idea of a ‘marketing ecosystem’.
Which marketing or business books would you recommend?
Clayton M Christensen is a great business writer and has a new book called How Will You Measure Your Life, which is excellent.
What is your proudest achievement – professional or otherwise?
Founding SiriusDecisions and being part of its fast-growing team.
