article thumbnail

Winning the Elusive Marquee-Brand Customer Advocate

Harvard Business Review

It''s one of the sweetest moments a business can have: landing a marquee-brand customer like Apple or Coca-Cola, Walmart or Boeing. Just because a salesman says he needs a reference from Boeing to close a deal doesn''t mean that he really does, or that some lesser known brand might not furnish a more powerful proof point.

Brand 8
article thumbnail

The 3 Things CEOs Worry About the Most

Harvard Business Review

Their concerns fell into three broad categories: talent, operating in a global marketplace, and regulation and legislation. Randall Stephenson of AT&T explained, “We had 270,000 people we employed around the globe. ” The challenge then was to foster global mindsets and cultural competencies. .”

CEO 8