Andrew Rudin
CustomerThink
Virginia, United States
Contact Andrew
Discover and connect with journalists and influencers around the world, save time on email research, monitor the news, and more.
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Past articles by Andrew:
Time to Re-Think Your Company’s Sales Compensation Plan
Years ago, a recruiter for an IT company asked me for details about my earnings history in a prior sales role. Although many hiring managers make the same request, hers went further. She wanted copies of my past three years of W-2’s. “It’s part of our interview process,” she told me. “We need earnings proof so that we can propose an appropriate base salary and commission for this job.” I asked… → Read More
Are Your Decisions Risk-Informed? Six Missteps to Avoid
“In April 2017, Kevin Johnson took over the reigns as CEO of Starbucks, the iconic coffee giant. He faced a number of key decisions to keep the global retail giant competitive, but one in particular loomed large . . . Were there certain times or circumstances where it was appropriate to engage in brand activism, and what impact might these initiatives have on brand integrity and the bottom… → Read More
Why Good Salespeople Do Bad Things. And How They Can Avoid Going Astray
Most salespeople believe they are ethical and committed to customer success. Our mantra: “Treat customers like you would like to be treated.” If we could, we’d brush our teeth thrice daily with these words. Unfortunately, companies worshipping at the Maximize Shareholder Value altar have trashed and trampled this ideal. Wells Fargo, VW, and Purdue Pharma come to mind. They’re not alone. If… → Read More
Discounting Belongs in Every Marketing/Sales Toolkit
Discounting gets a bad rap, and it just isn’t fair. Critics consider it an act of desperation, a reflexive last-ditch tactic vendors try when buyers seem reticent. Discounting is a Sure Sign of Sales Failure, proclaims one recent headline. Others reflect similar disdain: Salespeople Who Give Discounts Are Not Salespeople. It’s easy to get cowed into believing that only a fool would attempt to… → Read More
No, This is Not the Age of the Customer
Astrologers peg the Age of Aquarius between 1447 and 3597 CE – a range of 2,150 years, give or take. The Age of Enlightenment happened in Europe in the 18th century, around the same time as the emergence of the industrial age. And so far, all my life experiences have happened during the information and digital ages. I can’t quibble with any of these age appellations. Forrester has anointed our… → Read More
Top Global Risks in 2019: Coming Soon to Your Community!
Whenever I visit a chain grocery store like Safeway, Albertsons, or Publix, I experience sameness. Same layout, same products, same experience – regardless which location I’m shopping. But Wegmans, an east-coast grocery chain based in Rochester, New York, is different. The store I visited last week is in Gainesville, Virginia. Just 37 miles west of the US capitol, Gainesville has lost its rural… → Read More
Top Global Risks in 2019: Coming Soon to Your Community!
Whenever I visit a chain grocery store like Safeway, Albertsons, or Publix, I experience sameness. Same layout, same products, same experience – regardless which location I’m shopping. But Wegmans, an east-coast grocery chain based in Rochester, New York, is different. The store I visited last week is in Gainesville, Virginia. Just 37 miles west of the US capitol, Gainesville has lost its rural… → Read More
Sales Process: Stick to the Path or Go Your Own Way?
Ask a top sales producer about keys to success, and they’ll share insights like “prioritize your work,” “maintain a good opportunity pipeline,” “serve the customer,” and “be like a duck.” “Be like a duck” seemed weird the first time I read it. But the explanation makes sense: “On the surface, a duck glides gracefully and calmly. Beneath the water, though, a duck’s feet are working a mile a… → Read More
Sales Process: Stick to the Path or Go Your Own Way?
Ask a top sales producer about keys to success, and they’ll share insights like “prioritize your work,” “maintain a good opportunity pipeline,” “serve the customer,” and “be like a duck.” “Be like a duck” seemed weird the first time I read it. But the explanation makes sense: “On the surface, a duck glides gracefully and calmly. Beneath the water, though, a duck’s feet are working a mile a… → Read More
Feeling Morally Queasy at Work? Tips for Voicing Your Values
I’d like to encircle the workplace with yellow safety tape. Long ribbons of it. “Caution! Do not enter!” That would give others an inkling of the dangers lurking within. I’m not talking about back pain, eyestrain, and paper cuts. I’m talking exploitation, harassment, and passive aggression. I’d use safety tape to protect people from the risks that threaten their personal values. Since 1943,… → Read More
Feeling Morally Queasy at Work? Tips for Voicing Your Values
I’d like to encircle the workplace with yellow safety tape. Long ribbons of it. “Caution! Do not enter!” That would give others an inkling of the dangers lurking within. I’m not talking about back pain, eyestrain, and paper cuts. I’m talking exploitation, harassment, and passive aggression. I’d use safety tape to protect people from the risks that threaten their personal values. Since 1943,… → Read More
One Sales Interview Question Best Unasked
My point of view often differs with opinions that I read online. No biggy. Much rarer is when I read business advice so ill-conceived that my forehead collides with my keyboard. “awfjsoefivfdljkmdvfl;jkvxcljkvxcljk;m,..,m.” You can quote me. Even rarer are situations when I believe the writer’s advice is so dangerous that I must speak up. That happened today when a colleague shared an article on… → Read More
How to Execute Better Strategy
In these tumultuous times, I lust for every bit of surety I can find. I search for rules, immutable truths, and superlatives. My motive is patently self-serving. Limiting my perspectives saves time. Nuance? Things to consider? Outliers and exceptions? Too squishy! Give me something concrete I can hold onto for dear life. Here’s a superlative that has endured since I learned it in graduate school… → Read More
Nike and Kaepernick: Oh Baby, Show Me The Money
I’ve often wondered why companies hammer sharp social stakes into the ground. Ben and Jerry’s. Hobby Lobby. Chick-fil-a. Lately, Levi’s – my jeans brand – has advocated for gun restrictions. Gasp! Ardently promoting a social agenda is antithetical to what I’ve learned about marketing. Don’t alienate people with disposable income or investment capital. Better yet, don’t alienate anyone! Just… → Read More
Three Myths about Customer Loyalty
We’ve met the characters in the HBO series Silicon Valley in real life. The sardonic, whip-smart software developer Gilfoyle. The dweebie, hoodie-wearing tech entrepreneur Richard Hendricks. The Type A-on-steroids venture capitalist Russ Hanneman. The over-the-top greedy, predacious CEO Gavin Belson. Most of us can name similar people within our own orbits, though maybe as extreme. While they… → Read More
Marketing for Business Growth, Forty Years on
The temperature in Washington, DC is steamy hot, and my dogs don’t bother lifting their heads when the UPS truck rolls up. Not even a tepid growl leaves their throats. That would take energy. Every August, DC’s torrid pace abates, providing me an opportunity to reset. I dive into books and other reading I’ve arranged in wobbly stacks about my office. Some materials have been patiently awaiting… → Read More
Ethical Selling: American Express Offers a Teachable Moment
“Every ethics question a business person could face comes down to a question you face on your very first sale: what are you willing to do for a buck?”, Philip Broughton wrote in his book, Mastering the Art of the Sale. The question needs to be asked at every company. From the mom-and-pop Custom Cupcakes by Diane, to this week’s ethical letdown, financial behemoth American Express. The Wall… → Read More
Revenue: MiMedx Shows How to Fake It Till You Make It
Suppose your company pioneered a product able to improve the health of millions of people. Suppose that over the past five years, you reported at least 50% year-to-year revenue growth. To cap it off, suppose Fortune recognized your company as the fifth-fastest growing public company in the US. How might your company’s revenue prospects appear to investors, and what would be the impact on its… → Read More
Revenue: MiMedx Shows How to Fake It Till You Make It
Suppose your company pioneered a product able to improve the health of millions of people. Suppose that over the past five years, you reported at least 50% year-to-year revenue growth. To cap it off, suppose Fortune recognized your company as the fifth-fastest growing public company in the US. How might your company’s revenue prospects appear to investors, and what would be the impact on its… → Read More
Long-term Revenue Success Depends on Moral Leadership and Sound Ethical Conduct
Elizabeth Holmes, CEO of Theranos, and John Zimmer, CEO of Lyft, have much in common. They are the same age – born less than two months apart in 1984. Both were accepted into prestigious universities. Holmes attended Stanford, and Zimmer went to Cornell. As undergraduate students, they were recognized with high academic honors. Holmes was a Stanford President’s Scholar, and Zimmer graduated… → Read More