Remember that old adage: “Loose lips sink ships?” Well, the word
is out: the high seas battles between the trading ships known as Schwab, E*Trade
Financial and TD Ameritrade have begun. And if you are a strategic marketer,
your periscope is watching this duel closely.

Last week, these three online trading juggernauts announced commission-free trading. For some online firms, this created a single-digit hit to revenue projections. For others, double-digit dips are underway. In fact, TD Ameritrade’s stock price plummeted more than 25% in response to this bold pricing strategy….

Summer solstice often means that it’s time to slow down, dust off the patio furniture, and kick back. But opportunities  don’t always present themselves on our timeline, and force us to operate at sudden warp speed.

Here are 3 strategies I practiced when life “turned up the heat” – and how I will thrive in the year ahead.

This month’s guest blogger is David C. Baker, Author of The Business of Expertise. His take on systems thinking applies to any expert or marketing leader who wants to serve the most profitable and enjoyable customers. Follow David at www.davidcbaker.com.This month’s guest blogger is David C. Baker, Author of The Business of Expertise. His take on systems thinking applies to any expert or marketing leader who wants to serve the most profitable and enjoyable customers.…

In today’s dynamic work settings, it’s easy to default to a common decision making cadence. You run your meetings a certain way and you might think it’s a predictable, winning formula.

Once I met with the head of a successful investment firm, who boasted that “we make the majority of our decisions by consensus.” It’s no wonder they can’t agree on what lunches to order!

In all seriousness, choosing a default decision-making tool has one major disadvantage….

Given our growing addiction to newness (per Nature Communications), we’re finding it tougher to focus.

In fact, did you know that researchers found that only 2.5% of us can be effective multi-taskers? And that, as marketing leaders and CEOs, it’s getting tougher to cultivate critical thinking?

Yes, FOMO (fear of missing out) is a real thing. I see it first-hand among some of my friends, as well as some clients.

And it’s killing strategic thinking and creativity in our organizations….

The Amazon hiring machine, which promises to add
25,000 new jobs in DC the coming decade, has arrived with great fanfare. With 3.7% unemployment in our region, hiring and
retention is on every leader’s mind.

Local, smaller firms
have good reason to be are worried. Sadly, many are still in denial.

Thankfully, our
clients are thinking differently. They are being proactive and creative. They
are not following the hiring herd.

This month, our
private Marketing Leaders of DC™ discussion focused on how CMOs can dramatically improve their
ability to attract top candidates—even when Amazon is invading your space….