I believe one of the most incredible thinkers in #B2Bmarketing today is Jann Martin Schwarz. There are writers who are much more than the stories they tell. These stylists deliver more than anyone else. Nabokov, Kafka, Elliot. Today I believe James Parker and his new book “Odes to Being Alive” is the greatest contemporary example. Jann shares something with them – it’s not simply the content of his argument that makes engaging with Jann so valuable. This is important because he’s famous for taking “contrarian” points of view on modern marketing challenges. He's pioneering thinking during his leadership of The B2B Institute, collaborating with brilliant thinkers like Mark Ritson, Roger Martin, and Les Binet around topics like customer promise, category entry points, etc. He’s challenged widely held assumptions around hyper-targeting and other supposed truisms of our industry. While there are incredible practical insights in this work (and I’d recommend heading to Linkedin's B2B Institute without hesitation), the way Jann thinks and considers our area of the marketing ecosystem is even more important than the content of his thinking. Finding inspiration in how Jann thinks will help ALL of your work – beyond the specifics of any given topic. I was lucky enough to spend a moment with him at The Saturnalia Chateau, where he shared incredible insights about the buying committee and the complexity of how groups make decisions. A few friends who might enjoy: Dan Rosenberg, Toni Clayton-Hine, Jessica Deckinger, Amanda St L Jobbins, Christopher Burns, Dan Petrossi, Jonah Goodhart, Patrick Reynolds, Noah Brier, Natalie Ely, Jeremy Botwinick, Hannah Budreski, Anna Griffin, Tisha Hulburd, Christi Moot, and Jeff Brooks #B2B #buyingcommittee #marketingstrategy
Spot on Scott Stedman - this is a sharp insight and valuable!!! I wish I'd been able to catch the whole session! Jann Martin Schwarz's insight here about buying committees are one of the many reasons I believe so many B2B marketing leaders are struggling right now. Between a challenging macro environment with tight budgets in house and at prospect accounts + the added dynamics of having to both reach and influence a buying committee - demands are at an all-time high for marketers to be able to articulate their value prop and pain point alleviation value with pintpoint accuracy, clarity and pithiness. Love this! Thank you!
No one recounts an anecdote quite like Jann. Always sharply insightful, invariably entertaining, and with oddly pertinent asides about people like Aristotle Onassis thrown in for good measure. You will always come away enlightened and amused. (Also no one rocks a wicker shoe and/or bandannas with quite the same panache.)
Jann is perennially in the running for the title of "The World's Most Truly Interesting Man," and rightly so
Agree! Jann Martin Schwarz has an amazing and unique ability to weave compelling narratives, stories, and humor around data points that make any business or leader more successful.
Love Jann Martin Schwarz! You are spot on Scott Stedman - he’s the EF Hutton of #b2bmarketing
Insightful post! Jann Martin Schwarz understanding of group decision dynamics in B2B marketing highlights the need for tailored strategies across marketing as well as sales, product, and leadership teams. Thank you for sharing Scott Stedman
Thank you so much, Scott, you are making me blush! Here is the full story for those who want more: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/janns_as-a-b2b-marketer-you-have-one-job-activity-7212078087868461061-1stF?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop