Required Reading: Gen Next?

The old marketing model is broken, and it can't be fixed. It must be replaced with concurrence marketing. In their new book, Coming to Concurrence, authors Walker Smith, Ann Clurman, and Craig Wood explain that consumers now possess the tools, technologies, and determination to assert control, because they don't have the time, patience, or interest for mass marketing. These three experts from Yankelovich Partners outline tomorrow's blueprint for marketing success. CRM magazine's Colin Beasty spoke with Smith. CRM magazine: In the book you say the old marketing model is broken. Why is that? Smith: The main reason is because consumers have evolved. The traditional model was very much a push model, where marketing messages were pushed down to consumers and presence in the marketplace was the key objective. Marketers had all the control. It was all about getting as much exposure as possible. That has led to an increasingly cluttered marketplace and consumers are sick of it. They're no longer content just being the recipient; they want marketing that is more relevant and more precisely targeted. The other part of the new model is consumers want a different kind of relationship in which they are in control and they receive value for the time and attention they give marketing. Time is becoming the next big commodity to consumers. CRM magazine: You say marketers must adopt and move to concurrence. What is concurrence marketing? Smith: It's marketers getting aligned with what consumers really want these days. As we look at marketing, we see a lack of connection, or concurrence, between what marketers want to do and what consumers want to get. The change has to come from marketers. Consumers are so empowered and proficient today, they don't really need marketers anymore. They want products, and as far as consumers are concerned, they can purchase products without marketing. Their attitude is, "Just put the products out there and let me figure it out." Unless marketers get aligned with what consumers want, they'll find themselves spending a lot of money on campaigns that don't produce results. CRM magazine: What will readers find most interesting about your book? Smith: I think readers will find the first section of the book, which are about consumer trends within the marketplace, very interesting. They'll also find the last four chapters of the book, which is about rebuilding the marketing model, very interesting. We also cite a lot of examples that readers can leverage. Other Page Turners:

According to a recent HR Chally Group study, today's sales professionals--5 million in the U.S. alone--are the most effective weapons in a company's arsenal. B2B customers rank salesperson effectiveness as the most important factor in their buying decisions, even more so than the price, quality, and availability of the product or service. According to Howard Stevens of the HR Chally Group, 30 percent of salespeople fail to make sales--and 65 percent of those who fail were not adequately trained to succeed. In Achieve Sales Excellence, Stevens surveys 80,000 customers in 15 industries to reveal a new paradigm for B2B selling.

Every business leader should know these facts: Over the next decade the number of age 50-plus consumers will increase at a rate nine times faster than the growth of their children's' and grandchildren's generations. They will account for 67 percent of income in the U.S. In his new book, The 50-Plus Market, author Dick Stroud dispels the myths and explains the truth about marketing to this charmed generation.

Now in a brand new, updated edition, Delivering Knock Your Socks Off Service, 4th Edition, provides companies with invaluable guidance that will help every business work successfully with today's smarter, more demanding customers and satisfy them wherever they are. With proven techniques, strategies, and humor, this front-line customer service book helps businesses create a service advantage.