We fed 50 kids for a year!

We fed 50 kids for a year!

What an awesome feeling. Serving side-by-side with 30 business professionals, representing brands from all across the Twin Cities, gathered together for one reason: to do good work. Yesterday, Authentic had the opportunity to host a second event for Two Or More: a community service movement. And the movement is building! Even on a summertime afternoon in Minnesota, when calendars are jammed with vacations and back-to-school activities, this crew showed up. They served with big hearts, and had a ton of fun in the process. (more…)
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There’s no such thing as balance. How life and EOS® showed me a better path.

There’s no such thing as balance. How life and EOS® showed me a better path.

Balance. I once thought it was possible. Until I hit the proverbial wall. My career wasn't moving in the direction I had planned. I had just had my second child. I was spending too much time commuting, not enough time sleeping, and was nowhere near living up to the expectations I'd set for myself as a wife, mother, friend, community member, and business leader. In short, I felt like I was half-assing every category in my life. (more…)
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Beyond Buzzphrases: How emerging tech could actually change everything for marketers

Beyond Buzzphrases: How emerging tech could actually change everything for marketers

For the past several years, there's been plenty of buzzphrase mania around topics such as IoT (internet of things), connected devices, big data / deep data, artificial intelligence, cognitive computing, machine learning, and virtual / augmented reality. And while many of these concepts may still feel abstract and fuzzy, these emerging technologies are taking tangible shape right now in many businesses. In fact, new research just released by Forbes today, based on Salesforce's Fourth Annual State-of-Marketing Report, shows that: (more…)
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Two Or More Service Event: Feed My Starving Children

Two Or More Service Event: Feed My Starving Children

Join us for the two or more LAUNCH event on June 29th, 2017! (Updated) The first two or more service event is coming up, and we are now at capacity and taking registrations only on a wait-list basis. If you haven't done a meal-packing event with this organization before, you're in for a treat. And if you have done this before, you know just what a great experience it is - so grab a friend, colleague, or customer and let's do this. (more…)
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Let’s be friends: How sales and marketing can help each other

Let’s be friends: How sales and marketing can help each other

What can salespeople do to help marketers? And conversely, what can marketers do to support sales? I love this question because I've been on both sides. I cut my professional teeth in B2B sales before shifting my focus to marketing, and then marketing team leadership. I've experienced the tension between these departments, and the reality is that it doesn't have to be that way. So, here's a little bit of advice for both sides, from someone who gets it. (more…)
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How Do We Get More Customers?

How Do We Get More Customers?

“How do I get more customers or clients?”  It sounds like a smart question, right? Because it's not asking "How do we get more leads?" but rather "How do we get more sales?", which should be the core metric of a growing business. But be careful here. We're living in an era of MORE. (more…)
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Event Recap: DenamiCON17

Event Recap: DenamiCON17

Earlier this week, I had the privilege of being included in the speaker lineup for DenamiCON17, an inbound growth-focused event, hosted by Denamico (Hubspot-certified partner) and MentorMate (software development firm). Missed the event? Watch the recorded live stream here, and follow along with my mini blog series below that provides my expanded perspective on the topics discussed. (more…)
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Shocking But True: The Marketing Automation Disconnect

Shocking But True: The Marketing Automation Disconnect

I'll never forget the day I realized just how huge the gap could be between expectation and reality, relative to marketing automation. I had recently taken a new job, after 13 years in sales and marketing for a fast-growth technology consulting start-up; a firm that specialized in CRM and marketing automation. My new organization was a contrast to my start-up experience in every way (more…)
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The hard truth about marketing automation

The hard truth about marketing automation

It's one of the greatest misnomers of modern marketing: marketing automation. It's not a new term or technology. In fact, the pioneers in this space entered the market as early as 1999. And yet, despite its strong adoption and incredible growth, businesses large and small still struggle with what marketing automation actually means, and the level of commitment and resources required to manage an effective program. (more…)
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Brace Yourself: It’s Marketing Conference Season

Brace Yourself: It’s Marketing Conference Season

It seems that every 18 months or so, the conversations around B2B marketing shift. The most obvious way to observe this evolution is through the themes and titles of marketing conference keynotes and breakout sessions. A few years ago, all the conferences were focused on social and mobile. More recently, inbound and content marketing have dominated the topic lists. Today, everyone's talking ABM, predictive analytics, and lifecycle marketing. And rumblings are picking up around artificial intelligence, machine learning, and virtual / augmented reality. (more…)
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