By now you may have read or heard about the joint CMO Council/NetLine Select & Connect study that came out recently-you know, the one that said you, as a marketing professional, "lack customer touch" and "have a long way to go" to effectively leverage your company's customers?

That's right. According to the study, you, as a marketing professional, probably find yourself in a situation that looks pretty much like this:

• Your efforts towards "optimal customer insight and intimacy" are, in general, unappreciated; they are likely thwarted by technical, organizational and sociological challenges.
• Your company does not have a customer advisory board or council (nearly 75% of respondents' companies did not), nor do you have a word of mouth program (66% did not).
• You have "little control" over how your company segments or targets its customers (30% of respondents reported that other titles hold this role).
• Most customer touch points are held by sales, leaving you, unfortunately, out of the loop and out-of-touch.

Our experience tells us that the study is correct in its findings; and that the situation at your company may very well look like the one outlined here. You may very well feel disconnected from your company's customers.

But this same study does two things that bug me: 1) it seems to point the finger at marketing professionals, as if you're the one to blame for all problems "customer"; and 2) while it substantiates what you already know is wrong, it fails to show you how to make those wrongs right-as is often the case (and is often the problem) with studies.

Over the next few days, I intend to directly point you to the path along which results lie by providing you a reality check and next steps you can take to begin connecting with customers, positively influencing sales and earning your marketing organization the respect (and budget!) it deserves.

Tune in next time for a reality check: find out the real reasons why company leaders often fail to make smart sales and operations decisions.