A prospective client recently lamented that his company doesn’t have the capabilities and processes in place to ensure delivery of a consistent, high-quality customer experience across a range of channels. This got me thinking about the best ways to connect customer experience and go-to-market (GTM) strategy. 

Gold was discovered 165 years ago at Sutter’s Mill in Northern California. When most of us think of this momentous event, we picture the iconic image of a grizzly prospector bent over a stream frantically panning for gold. Few of us remember Samuel Brannan, the first millionaire of the California Gold Rush.

Many credit Brannan with launching the gold rush when he walked through the center of San Francisco holding up a vial of gold dust yelling, "Gold! Gold! Gold from the American River!" As thousands of hopeful prospectors scrambled to chase their dreams in the Sierra Nevada goldfields, Brannan famously bought up all the mining supplies in San Francisco and resold them at a handsome profit. There is a lesson in his strategy.

Meanwhile back in Technology Land, the lord looked on helplessly as his traders abandoned him for the competition, initially in a trickle and then en masse. The speed with which the shift happened was mind-boggling. With all his money and power gone, he was ruined.

As he reflected on his life (he had a lot of time now), the lord wished he had heeded his minister’s good advice sooner.

What could he have done differently to prevent the slide in trader loyalty while he was on top? And how could he have anticipated the shift in loyalty better?

Every year around Saint Patrick’s Day, I find myself reminiscing about my first trip to Ireland when I was in college. It was a memorable experience as I was captivated by the Irish people, culture, natural beauty, music and ... whiskey.

Set aside for another day the ongoing debate about the merits of Net Promoter Score as a corporate metric. Your company, among a growing number, has decided to use NPS to measure customer loyalty, and has set a corporate NPS goal for 2013. Today’s concern isn’t whether it’s a good goal—it’s how to reach it.

I grew up listening to parables that simply illustrated complex concepts about life, ethics and morality—so I used this technique to illustrate key points about channel loyalty…

Once upon time in Technology Land, there lived a mighty lord who ruled ironfisted over his traders. They followed his orders, sold the royal goods and paid their (high) taxes.

When it comes to resolutions, my problem is not a lack of ideas: stay in better touch with my friends, stick to my running schedule, cut out the salt, be more patient with my children … there is never a shortage. So I choose too many, and keep only a few, some not particularly well (ask my 16-year-old who’s learning to drive!).

My colleague recently explored how to keep a resolution to set better sales quotas. His perspective made me reflect on this quandary, which I face each New Year. As I was reflecting, I realized my predicament isn’t much different from the one confronting many sales leaders.

A few weeks ago, I kneeled to help my younger son blow out his birthday candles. As he listed all of his new plans now that he’s 2 (Sleep in big-boy bed! Ride blue bike!), I found myself thinking about how we divide time into days and years, discrete periods for which we set objectives and plan achievements.

I defined Big Data in my last post and why you should care about it.

Now, the next big question: How do we prudently invest to realize the promise of Big Data and not get overwhelmed by the hype?

I can still remember as a child listening to The Three Little Pigs. From the bellowing wolf to the squealing pigs, it is a story that captivates children.

As I now read it to my own kids, I hope to teach them the merits of planning, enterprise and good old-fashioned hard work, albeit through the questionable tack of terrifying them with the harrowing tale of a hungry wolf. 

In the end, the pigs learned their lesson and we listeners agreed: Do things the right way and build for the long-term, even when there are easier alternatives or short-term gains. 

And we still agree. Right?