Episode #83 - Interview with John Jantsch


Questions Ed Asked John

You are the author of near 3500 blog posts in total. When did you start blogging?

Is the Blog still the “absolute starting point?”

What is marketing? Get someone who has a need to know, like and trust you?

How do you define marketing strategy? How does it differ from tactics? Objectives? Goals? Mission?

Your TedxKC talk is about purpose, how does that tie into marketing strategy?

How do you feel about the idea that strategy is more about what will you say “No” to?

Talk about the marketing hourglass and how it replaces the marketing funnel?

Why do so many businesses, especially professionals, believe the are in a commodity business?

Please expand upon you belief that, "Price is a function of value!”

Why is pricing so often take out of the hands of marketing?

What is “the perfect referral?”

Who are some of your major business heroes?

Who is a non-business hero of yours?

Questions Ron Asked John

John's reaction to Peter Drucker's statements:

“Because its purpose is to create a customer, the business enterprise has two––and only these two––basic functions: marketing and innovation. Marketing and innovation produce results; all the rest are costs.”
“If marketing were done perfectly, selling would be unnecessary. Marketing and selling are not complementary and might even be adversarial.”

Reaction to Tim William's statement: "The default purpose of marketing is not to increase sales but rather to increase profit."

Is there a correlation between market share and profitability?

What’s your advice with respect to business models?

How do you market risk?

How do you de-commodotize a product or service with marketing?

Why do you think most companies don’t offer a guarantee?

Which companies do you admire from a marketing perspective? John answered REI and Patagonia.

What’s your advice on RFPs? Don't do them!

Who are your business mentors/thinkers/authors? Peter Drucker, Michael Gerber, Seth Godin.

John also recommended the books Dealstorming and Love is the Killer App, both by Tim Sanders.