WHO DO B2B TECH BUYERS TRUST AND WHAT THIS MEANS FOR MARKETERS

By Mike Neumeier, APR, Principal at Arketi Group

Recently we hit a generational milestone – millennials have officially become the largest generational group in America’s workforce. This got us thinking. We wanted to understand how this much-hyped group was impacting B2B enterprise tech purchasing.

We looked around to see if anyone had studied this and found a few interesting reports. A 2014 thinkwithgoogle survey found nearly half of B2B researchers are millennials, up 70 percent from 2012. This was interesting!

Here's what will happen when 30 billion devices are connected to the internet

The Internet of Things (IoT), built from inexpensive microsensors and microprocessors paired with tiny power supplies and wireless antennas, is rapidly expanding the online universe from computers and mobile gadgets to ordinary pieces of the physical world: thermostats, cars, door locks, even pet trackers. New IoT devices are announced almost daily, and analysts expected to up to 30 billion of them to be online by 2020.

Expect more robots, health-focused start-ups in the next 5 years, say VCs

Prepare for many more household robots, a new wave of health-conscious individuals and more data extraction. At least that's what some of Silicon Valley's top venture capitalists are predicting.

Five VCs discussed up-and-coming tech trends Wednesday night during Churchill Club's 18th-annual dinner in Santa Clara, California. On the panel were Pat Grady of Sequoia Capital, John Lilly of Greylock, Emily Melton of DFJ, Ann Miura-Ko of Floodgate and Aydin Senkut of Felicis Ventures.

Throughout the night, each of the panelists held up green or red paddles to indicate whether he or she agreed or disagreed with each trend as it was revealed. The audience also reacted to the trends via an online polling service, and most attendees agreed with the VCs' 10 forward-looking insights overall.

Goldman Sachs: Blockchain Tech Could Save Capital Markets $6 Billion a Year

A new report from Goldman Sachs Investment Research projects that the implementation of blockchain technology could streamline the clearing and settlement of cash securities, saving capital markets $2bn in the US and $6bn globally on an annual basis.

The figures are supported by breakdowns of the specific market areas where Goldman Sachs sees the technology as valuable, as it projects up to $900m could be saved in reduced personnel and $700m could be saved from IT systems improvements.

How To Scan Your Business Model Environment For Disruptive Threats And Opportunities

It's not easy to systematically assess your business model environment for potentially disruptive threats or to seize opportunities that can improve or reinvent your business model. It's something every company should learn how to do. We created the Business Model Environment tool to help you ask specific questions that can uncover new business model ideas. In this post, I'll show you how to use it.

Three qualities all great intrapreneurs have in common

Intrapreneurs are the people happily working for your company, but with the mind-set of an entrepreneur. They can give your business purpose. They can come up with amazing ideas for exciting new products and services. They can drive your company forward, helping you achieve long-term success.

But before this can happen, it’s up to the leaders in your business to spot the intrapreneurs within your workforce and give them the tools and encouragement they need to triumph.

Here are the three qualities that all great intrapreneurs have in common.

Exponential Finance: Financial Advice In the Age of AI and Long Life

Ric Edelman is one the top financial advisors in the US. His firm, Edelman Financial Services, has 41 offices across the country. And he thinks, all things constant, most financial advisors as we’ve known them won’t be around much longer.

Future-financial-planners-61At Exponential Finance, Edelman said, “I firmly believe that in the next ten years, half of all the financial advisors in this country will be gone.”