2021 Lessons Learned in Navigating Change

Here we are, entering another year where the only certainty is uncertainty. Take a deep breath and recognize all the growth you’ve achieved and the stability you’ve provided in spite of rapid change. You’re helping to build a culture of resilience and action in the face of ambiguity. 

What’s to come this new year? 

• Continued hot market for consolidation [download our new M&A integration guide]
• Changing marketing strategy & digital transformation
• Emerging opportunities driven by global change 

As we begin 2022, here’s a look back at our most popular articles: 

1. Product Launch KPIs: Milestones & Metrics for Success
2. Product Launch Guide & Communication Plan
3. Internal Communications eBook 
4. Pandemics and Product Launches: How to Effectively Go to Market in a Changing World

We are grateful for the smart, committed community here—every day we learn from each other and the clients we serve. Here are some lessons learned this year: 

• Digital marketing proved to achieve consistent, steady growth for those who had already committed to digital transformation. 
• Alignment is harder—and more important—than ever. As companies grow, consolidate, centralize and standardize, cross-functional alignment—especially in a hybrid environment—may be your barrier to growth. Focus on the customer to position your company and create a clear plan.
• Get out of your own head. Your customer base, their timing, needs, and expectations have changed—time to update your customer personas and sales process accordingly. 
• It was always about your people. Strong branding and culture are helping companies win the war for talent. Social media and internal communications can be your strongest retention and recruiting tools. 
• Automation can help free up bandwidth and elevate your people to focus on what matters. It can help keep you in front of a prospect during a long sales cycle with useful information to support their decision. It can’t substitute for an informed, empathetic salesperson willing to pick up the phone and ask the right questions. 
• A data-driven approach and the foundation to support it increase your company’s value. In M&A, time and again, we saw a well-defined sales process, CRM and sales and marketing toolkit paid off in an accurate forecast that raised valuations.  

2021 was a big year: we have grown our change management line of business, added new staff, and helped clients hit new heights. Cheers to new challenges in 2022!