The interactive web has given us two things. On one hand it has made it much cheaper to start conversations. On the other, it has made it possible to listen to customers in a way we never could before.
Looking at the web today, it's clear that many are talking more but few are listening. This is no surprise - when a transforming technology comes along, people initially try to use it to support existing processes. The term for this in the business re-engineering days was "paving cowpaths".
Yes, marketing will always involve crafting compelling messages. But the unprecedented ability we now have to find and join buyer conversations should cause people to take a more balanced approach. The sales profession learned, over a half a century ago, that listening, not talking, was what separated the top performers from the rest of the pack. It's time for the marketing profession to follow suit.
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