The CRAP Report

Maybe you’re asking yourself, “Self, who should I follow on Twitter?”  Maybe you’ve asked yourself that and have made your way here, to The CRAP Report.  If so, you can check out two posts below to see who I suggested you follow two months ago.  Maybe you’ve followed all of those folks and are looking for more.

I still think the Follow Friday blog post is a good idea.

Here’s my list of B2B all-stars that I think you’ll find yourself glad to follow:

• @mvolpe – Mike Volpe, HubSpot’s VP of Inbound Marketing.  Mike’s also the co-host of HubSpot TV, and the majority of Mike’s tweets are about, what else?  Inbound marketing.  You’ll also get some good SEO knowledge, great blogging tips, marketing data, and some lead gen stuff, too.  Check out Mike’s blog Marketing with Mike for blog articles.
• @keenan – Jim Keenan, VP of Sales Strategy at 2Wire.  Jim always offers great sales advice, and does so with a personal touch through his blog, A Sales Guy.  Jim tweets about sales issues, sales management issues, and sales processes.
• @paulcastain – Paul Castain is the VP of Sales Development for Consolidated Graphics.  Paul’s whole M.O. is to make people better, whether it’s a better sales rock star or a better sales Jedi.  Regardless of what you want to become, Paul wants to help, and one way he does so is through his blog Paul Castain’s Sales Playbook.
• @MackCollier – Mack Collier is a social media consultant, trainer, and speaker.  His tweets are going to be full of these, except on Sunday nights, when he runs a blog chat through Twitter.  Mack knows about building a community and it’s evident if you read through a blog chat transcript.  Mack’s blog, The Viral Garden, is one to read for thoughts on any of the topics above.
• @HolgerSchulze – Holger Schulze is a technology marketing guy from Washington, D.C.  Holger tweets really relevant articles regarding B2B Sales and Marketing, and you should read his blog, Everything Technology Marketing. Holger’s articles are typically about trends and issues surrounding, yup – you guessed it, technology marketing.
• @justinlevy – Justin Levy is the Director of Business Development, Corporate Strategy, and Client Services at New Marketing Labs.  Justin is a prolific tweeter and his tweets are often a mix between the personal and business, but they’re always good.  Justin has a blog, Justin Levy, which explores social media and its impact in the business world.  Justin is also a partner at Caminito Argentinean Steakhouse.
• @iannarino – S. Anthony Iannarino is a B2B Sales coach, and his tweets reflect that.  The majority of his tweets are ways to improve B2B sales reps/teams.  His blog, The Sales Blog, is chock full of articles on becoming a better sales person.  Check it out.

Hopefully I’ve been able to share someone new with you.  If you want, feel free to leave some more recommendations in the comments below!

Photo Credit:  Rosaura Ochoa via Flickr

As a new feature here on The CRAP Report, I’m going to start posting interviews every so often.  I had the fantastic opportunity to interview marketing expert David Meerman Scott back in February, and although most interviews include short snippets of what the interviewee’s answers are, I thought it was really important that I present to you the full transcript of the interview.  I couldn’t find anything that I thought I should leave on the editing floor, so to speak.  It’s a bit long-ish, but trust me when I tell you, it’s worth the read. 

I was very honored that David was willing to spend an hour with me and answer some questions about his the second edition of his book, The New Rules of PR and Marketing, as well as some questions about marketing and blogging.  The guy is fantastic – he’s really cool and down to earth and says what he thinks.  I like that. 

So, without further adieu, here’s my interview with David Meerman Scott: Read more… »

So, I received a call the other day from someone who I really respect.  In fact, her call caught me out of the blue.  She is someone in our industry who I really look up to and I value her opinion.  Imagine my chagrin when she told me why she was calling:  “I can’t read your stuff anymore.  It’s too long!”  I’d heard that before from folks, but my wife and Mom don’t really count, do they?  I mean, they do count, but I don’t write for them.

So, what I’ve decided to do, in vein of good ol’ Regis Philbin, is call in a lifeline – I’d like to poll the audience.  This time, though, I want you to give me your final answer.  If you vote in the poll, I’d love it if you leave a comment, too.  Hell, if you don’t vote, you can still leave a comment.  Regardless, let me know what you think:  Are the entries in The CRAP Report too long?

I love that skit from Jimmy Fallon on SNL with all the lame “Morning Zoo” characters that typically fill up your AM commutes.  Anyways, as you can see from the picture to the left, and maybe from an absence of new entries, I’ve been away for a bit in the hospital and am now back.  After a terrific, five day IV-antibiotic fueled bender in the lovely City of Champions, I’m feeling better and The CRAP Report will resume normal blog schedule tomorrow.  Later!