Figuring out what I have to say—and why anyone should pay attention.
This week in 50-somethinghood, I’ve been thinking about what 25+ years of experience actually earns you.
For most of my career, I’ve worked inside large B2B marketing organizations. I know how campaigns get built, how content gets created, how demand generation is discussed and measured, the importance of understanding your audience, funnels, engagement metrics, pipeline velocity - all the things.
Through it all, I’ve always come back to the same question: “Have we earned the right to ask for someone’s attention?”
Now that I’m no longer sitting inside one of those large marketing organizations, I’ve started thinking about that question differently.
I have decades of B2B experience. I’ve worked for companies everyone knows. I can talk about funnels and pipeline and demand generation until everyone in the room wants to leave.
But none of that means I’ve earned your attention.
And maybe that’s part of what I’m trying to figure out here.
What do I know that’s actually useful? What have I experienced that’s worth sharing? What am I curious enough about to spend time exploring? And what can I give someone before I ask them to give me their time?
Brand awareness isn’t the same as earned attention. Neither is a résumé.
