Video: “It’s a great time to be in b-to-b — if you know your why”

Clark Pettit

May 16, 2012 - At ABM’s 2012 Annual Conference earlier this month, which focused on “The Customer Drive-Future,” ABM CEO Clark Pettit outlined why he believes it’s a great time to be in b-to-b—as long as companies understand why they exist, which is to serve an audience, not simply produce products.

“I’d posit to you that we are not in the media business, we are not in the events business, and we are not in the business information business,” Pettit said. “We are in the audience intelligence and access business. We are about fundamentally enabling and being part of a community, building knowledge about it and monetizing it.”

Pettit offered five steps for b-to-b companies to rediscover their why, including:

• Let Nerd Passion Drive Your Culture - “If you’re in b-to-b, you’ve got to have some nerd in you,” Pettit said.
• All Roads Lead To Data - “Any interaction with customers should be about getting further information about what that customer wants and needs.”
• Share the Crap - “I spent 10 years in the music industry, and we fought each other until we were gone.”
• Make Fact-Based Decisions
• Unlock Your Value

View highlights from Pettit’s presentation on the Customer-Driven Future below.

By Matt Kinsman