Lead Generation Insight

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  • Illuminating the Furture

  • What Does It Take to Be a Thought Leader?

    • What Does It Take to Be a Thought Leader?
    20 Jul, 2010
    It's probably clear by now that an individual's compensation or an enterprise's growth is tied to what sets it apart. You won't succeed in this marketplace if you don't specialize and offer something that is truly distinctive. But it's not...

  • Getting Provocative: How Visual Provocations Engage Buyers

    • Getting Provocative: How Visual Provocations Engage Buyers
    26 Jun, 2010
    It's now tougher than ever to turn prospects into customers. But prospective buyers won't make any moves unless they understand the full scope and magnitude of the challenges they currently face - and comprehend what a value-rich solution might look...

  • The Demand Center Breakthrough

    • The Demand Center Breakthrough
    10 Jun, 2010
    As the pace of marketing innovation accelerates, B2B marketers are struggling with growing complexity and growing expectations. "B2B Marketers now have access to dynamic technologies that are transforming how leads are generated, prospects are engaged and customers are acquired," according...

  • 7 Keys to the Kingdom: How to Fully Capitalize on Your Content Investment

    • 7 Keys to the Kingdom: How to Fully Capitalize on Your Content Investment
    04 May, 2010
    Some say content is king. They recognize the power of relevant and resonant content to attract buyers, guide them through challenging decisions and drive growth to new levels. But many other organizations seem to consider content an unruly tyrant. One...

  • Leading Lights: Marketing and PR Strategist David Meerman Scott

    • Leading Lights: Marketing and PR Strategist David Meerman Scott
    10 Apr, 2010
    We've been liberated to elevate our businesses and ourselves through the new tools of marketing. In fact, new tools mean new rules. We no longer need to rely on the media for attention and publicity. We are the the media...

  • The Visibility Premium

    • The Visibility Premium
    31 Mar, 2010
    Are you personally seeking higher visibility in your field or profession? If you answered yes, you’re not alone. More and more of us are aiming to be widely recognized. This can benefit us personally as well as the companies we...

  • Leading Lights: Visual Communicator and Problem Solver Dan Roam

    • Leading Lights: Visual Communicator and Problem Solver Dan Roam
    25 Mar, 2010
    Dan Roam is giving us the power of sight. How about that for a gift? Roam, who is the author of the best-selling book Back of the Napkin and the newly released Unfolding the Napkin, is an expert in discovering,...

  • Shorting Our Customers

    • Shorting Our Customers
    23 Mar, 2010
    Just got finished watching Michael Lewis (one of my favorite writers) on the Charlie Rose show. He was describing his new book, The Big Short, about contrarians who bet against the sub-prime mortgage debacle and made millions doing so. What’s...

  • Leading Lights: Content Marketing Strategist Ardath Albee

    • Leading Lights: Content Marketing Strategist Ardath Albee
    21 Feb, 2010
    As one of the most insightful and prolific strategists in the emerging field of content marketing, Ardath Albee deserves your attention. She is the author of the compelling new book eMarketing Strategies for the Complex Sale. But she also blogs...

  • What Jack Bauer Can Teach Us

    • What Jack Bauer Can Teach Us
    22 Jan, 2010
    Jack is back. With a new season of 24, Kiefer Sutherland (aka Jack Bauer) is back on TV taking out bad guys. Should you care? I think so. Here’s why: Every week, this fast-paced drama offers us insights into the...
  • Idea Sellers

  • Sales Performance & Compensation Relationship in a Recession

    • Sales Performance & Compensation Relationship in a Recession
    10 Sep, 2010
    There are two types of business owners: 1. Those who view their sales team as an asset. 2. Those who view their sales team as an expense. Type 2's do not understand the value and contribution of their salespeople. They...

  • Superior Sales Managers Defined

    • Superior Sales Managers Defined
    09 Sep, 2010
    The sales environment, like all aspects of the world around it, has changed drastically over time. Though these changes have occurred, selling, at its core, has basically not. Selling, distilled down to its core, can be described as the transference...

  • Sales Performance & Compensation Relationship in a Recession

    • Sales Performance & Compensation Relationship in a Recession
    09 Sep, 2010
    There are two types of business owners: 1. Those who view their sales team as an asset. 2. Those who view their sales team as an expense. Type 2's do not understand the value and contribution of their salespeople. They...

  • Sales Performance & Compensation Relationship in a Recession

    • Sales Performance & Compensation Relationship in a Recession
    08 Sep, 2010
    There are two types of business owners: 1. Those who view their sales team as an asset. 2. Those who view their sales team as an expense. Type 2's do not understand the value and contribution of their salespeople. They...

  • Is Your Prospect Trying To Buy Something?

    • Is Your Prospect Trying To Buy Something?
    07 Sep, 2010
    It seems simple enough: After reviewing their web site for the first time, a prospect contacts a supplier and wants to order something. (As all the marketers shout Halleluiah!) Before we get too excited, let's stop and examine this scenario...

  • Sales Performance & Compensation Relationship in a Recession

    • Sales Performance & Compensation Relationship in a Recession
    07 Sep, 2010
    There are two types of business owners: 1. Those who view their sales team as an asset. 2. Those who view their sales team as an expense. Type 2's do not understand the value and contribution of their salespeople. They...

  • Words of Encouragement Go a Long Way

    • Words of Encouragement Go a Long Way
    06 Sep, 2010
    Clemson's Dabo Swinney received encouraging support for their coming ACC title effort from perhaps the most unlikely of sources, South Carolina Gamecocks' Head Coach, Steve Spurrier. The Clemson Tigers, ranked #25, face neighboring Georgia Tech, ranked #12, for the coveted...

  • Sales Performance & Compensation Relationship in a Recession

    • Sales Performance & Compensation Relationship in a Recession
    06 Sep, 2010
    There are two types of business owners: 1. Those who view their sales team as an asset. 2. Those who view their sales team as an expense. Type 2's do not understand the value and contribution of their salespeople. They...

  • Sales Performance & Compensation Relationship in a Recession

    • Sales Performance & Compensation Relationship in a Recession
    05 Sep, 2010
    There are two types of business owners: 1. Those who view their sales team as an asset. 2. Those who view their sales team as an expense. Type 2's do not understand the value and contribution of their salespeople. They...

  • Sales Performance & Compensation Relationship in a Recession

    • Sales Performance & Compensation Relationship in a Recession
    04 Sep, 2010
    There are two types of business owners: 1. Those who view their sales team as an asset. 2. Those who view their sales team as an expense. Type 2's do not understand the value and contribution of their salespeople. They...
  • B2B Rainmaker / Jim Logan

  • What is the character of your business?

    • What is the character of your business?
    05 Jul, 2010
    Whether or not you are aware, your business is known for something.  Your customers know it and your prospects will eventually discover it. Your business is known for one of these or related characteristics: fast response, committed, hard to work with, stringent, openness, expert, clueless, trustworthy, loyal, etc.  Just as people carry favorable or negative reputations, your business character is known. It can be a great asset or a reason to avoid your offer. And it's not just your business th more »

  • The small business advantage

    • The small business advantage
    02 Jul, 2010
    Here is a simple way small businesses can offer their customers an advantage in doing business with them as opposed to their larger competitors: make yourself available and respond faster. Many businesses place roadblocks and barriers to customer interaction – voice mail, call screening, auto attendants, unnamed email boxes, etc.  These are barriers that limit the timeliness of customer interaction and hinder quick response to customer questions and issues. Sure, a level of technology bet more »

  • What's your big idea?

    • What's your big idea?
    01 Jul, 2010
    Do you have a big idea - a thought or perspective of your business or market that simplifies complex concepts or causes a paradigm shift in how others view their world?  If not, you should pursue one. A big idea guides you, leads your approach to solving problems, and is your fall-back when things get tough in your business or market. Big ideas are worth paying for.  Big ideas are what prospective customers notice.  Big ideas are the creative engine of your business and person. Big ideas can b more »

  • Can you be replaced? If not, you can't lose.

    • Can you be replaced? If not, you can't lose.
    01 Jul, 2010
    I've worked with a company, product or service that wasn't the best.  Maybe you have too. You know the scenario – we weren't the least expensive, the most feature rich, the most flexible. We were a good company with a good offer, but we didn't really offer anything special.  Or did we? I believe we offered something far superior to our competition -- ourselves.  We offered outstanding sales, service, and account management.  I always believed my team and I were the superior part of the more »

  • You need a plan

    • You need a plan
    23 May, 2010
    You need a plan.  I’m not talking about a business plan, although you probably need one of those too.  I’m talking about a personal plan.We all need a little focus, direction, and map to guide our activities.  Not something to tell us what to do today, that would be a calendar or organizer.  No, that’s not what I mean.  I mean we need some focused thought and a few notes on what we want to accomplish.A few well thought activities, coupled with an outline of key points, o more »

  • Tired of competing on price? Try this instead

    • Tired of competing on price? Try this instead
    20 May, 2010
    Need a simple way to reduce the pressure to discount your offing:  consistently exceed your customer's expectations. Simple.   But not always easy. Give more than expected – deliver faster, add bonuses, giveaway extras, respond faster, increase your quality, and outperform your competition in all areas of customer service and support. Give far more than expected and you will reduce your need to discount. Your price is justified by your actions.  Your customer will realize the benefit an more »

  • The simplest way to improve customer communication

    • The simplest way to improve customer communication
    18 May, 2010
    Here is the simplest and yet possibly the best marketing communication test and tactic of them all. Do this and odds are your ability to communicate the value of your product or service will improve: Present your copy and give your spiel to a number of close friends and family.  Every time you catch yourself saying “What I mean by that is…â€� stop yourself and write it down.  That’s what you should be saying all along. It's a safe bet you're probably not aware how often more »

  • Creating sales-ready leads -- A free 57-page case study

    • Creating sales-ready leads -- A free 57-page case study
    16 Apr, 2010
    Grab your copy of the report at the bottom of this post -- no registration required. ======= Several years ago I wrote a letter on behalf of a client to 40 of the largest counties in one of the largest sates in the United States.  The letter was sent to County Supervisors, the highest elected official in county government. The same techniques used in this letter were used to gain access to senior executives in F1000 offices across the country - same product, same approach, and same incredible r more »

  • A free 57-page tell-all report of how a one page letter created sales meetings with executives ...

    • A free 57-page tell-all report of how a one page letter created sales meetings with executives ...
    14 Apr, 2010
    Grab your copy of the report at the bottom of this post -- no registration required. ======= Several years ago I wrote a letter on behalf of a client to 40 of the largest counties in one of the largest sates in the United States.  The letter was sent to County Supervisors, the highest elected official in county government. The same techniques used in this letter were used to gain access to senior executives in F1000 offices across the country - same product, same approach, and same incredible r more »

  • What's wrong with this email? -- The answer

    • What's wrong with this email? -- The answer
    07 Apr, 2010
    In a previous post I shared an email I received and asked if you thought there were anything wrong with it.  Here's my answer:  Plenty. Here's the email again: My names is [Joe Salesperson] and I am contacting you on behalf of [Company]. We are a lead validation and management provider. As an affiliate network, you know the importance of lead quality and understand how vital it is to the success of your business. We are currently offering two validation platforms at highly competitive prices more »
  • Marketing Interactions

  • How to Get More Social on Twitter

    • How to Get More Social on Twitter
    10 Sep, 2010
    For some B2B marketers, Twitter isn't intuitive. I could come up with a list of reasons why not, but you can probably do that on your own. The thing is that many B2B companies want to establish a social media presence. They want to get their companies on the social media map so they don't miss an opportunity. The kicker...

  • Juan Eloqua's Grande Guide to Lead Scoring

    • Juan Eloqua's Grande Guide to Lead Scoring
    08 Sep, 2010
    Eloqua has released the first in a series of B2B marketing guides labeled the Grande Guides. This first one is on Lead Scoring. To have a bit of fun, they've also created Juan Eloqua - who's quite a Bold and Smoky guy whose specialty is growing fine coffee and, of course, revenues. If you haven't met Juan, you should. The...

  • 5 Things to Consider BEFORE Using Social Media

    • 5 Things to Consider BEFORE Using Social Media
    07 Sep, 2010
    Many companies I work with today are enthusiastic about diving into social media. It's shiny object syndrome at its finest. The problem I find most prevalent is that companies have no realistic idea about what it takes to launch and support a social media program. It takes a lot more than creating an account and setting up a profile with...

  • Webinar Q&A: Content is Marketing Currency - Australian Audience

    • Webinar Q&A: Content is Marketing Currency - Australian Audience
    06 Sep, 2010
    It was my pleasure to present to a great Australian audience earlier this week about how Content is Marketing Currency, sponsored by Citrix Online, GoToWebinar. We didn't have time to get to all the questions, so I'd like to do so now. In case you're wondering why the place distinction, I presented a version of this webinar to a U.S....

  • Webinar Q&A: Content is Marketing Currency - Australian Audience

    • Webinar Q&A: Content is Marketing Currency - Australian Audience
    05 Sep, 2010
    It was my pleasure to present to a great Australian audience earlier this week about how Content is Marketing Currency, sponsored by Citrix Online, GoToWebinar. We didn't have time to get to all the questions, so I'd like to do so now. In case you're wondering why the place distinction, I presented a version of this webinar to a U.S....

  • Webinar Q&A: Content is Marketing Currency - Australian Audience

    • Webinar Q&A: Content is Marketing Currency - Australian Audience
    04 Sep, 2010
    It was my pleasure to present to a great Australian audience earlier this week about how Content is Marketing Currency, sponsored by Citrix Online, GoToWebinar. We didn't have time to get to all the questions, so I'd like to do so now. In case you're wondering why the place distinction, I presented a version of this webinar to a U.S....

  • Give Marketing Content a Job Description

    • Give Marketing Content a Job Description
    03 Sep, 2010
    Content and more content. You can read tons of blog posts, analyst recommendations, industry articles and more, all pointing out the need for content. Today's marketing is fueled by massive amounts of content - whether online or off. But, without a plan your content will likely suck wind. Content has a job to do. This means it needs a job...

  • Webinar Q&A: Content is Marketing Currency - Australian Audience

    • Webinar Q&A: Content is Marketing Currency - Australian Audience
    03 Sep, 2010
    It was my pleasure to present to a great Australian audience earlier this week about how Content is Marketing Currency, sponsored by Citrix Online, GoToWebinar. We didn't have time to get to all the questions, so I'd like to do so now. In case you're wondering why the place distinction, I presented a version of this webinar to a U.S....

  • Webinar Q&A: Content is Marketing Currency - Australian Audience

    • Webinar Q&A: Content is Marketing Currency - Australian Audience
    02 Sep, 2010
    It was my pleasure to present to a great Australian audience earlier this week about how Content is Marketing Currency, sponsored by Citrix Online, GoToWebinar. We didn't have time to get to all the questions, so I'd like to do so now. In case you're wondering why the place distinction, I presented a version of this webinar to a U.S....

  • Are B2B Marketers Missing the Point?

    • Are B2B Marketers Missing the Point?
    01 Sep, 2010
    Marketing Sherpa released this chart today about the processes B2B marketers are using to manage prospects across their buying cycles. What concerns me is the percentage of marketers who've labeled these processes as non-priority items and assigned them to purgatory. In my opinion, these marketers may well be the next to experience purgatory. Let's take a look at why a...
  • Marketing Operations Partn ...

  • Marketing Ops, Social Media Monitoring and NewComm Forum 2010

    • Marketing Ops, Social Media Monitoring and NewComm Forum 2010
    14 Apr, 2010
    In previous blog posts, I explored the relationship of Marketing Operations to Social Media and the ”instant gratification” Marketing ROI organizations... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

  • Increasing the Value of Marketing Operations with Predictive Analytics

    • Increasing the Value of Marketing Operations with Predictive Analytics
    25 Mar, 2010
    Today our Marketing Analytics team lead, Creig Foster, dives into the sexy topic of predictive analytics (PA). Why are we so enamored with PA? One of my students, the Marketing Operations leader... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

  • Social Media ROI?????

    • Social Media ROI?????
    13 Mar, 2010
    Whether in a new business process, in conversation with current client executives or via a daily supply of Tweets from Social Media experts and wannabees alike,... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

  • Marrying Marketing Ops and the Social Web

    • Marrying Marketing Ops and the Social Web
    04 Mar, 2010
    As I write this, I’ve just celebrated my 26th Valentine’s Day as husband to the love of my life, Melissa. A successful long-term marriage... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

  • What Marketing Needs from IT

    • What Marketing Needs from IT
    04 Mar, 2010
    Marketing and IT are arguably two of the most overloaded and under-resourced functions in the enterprise. As marketing complexity increases, a key aspect of a scalable marketing strategy is... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

  • Reengineering Marketing Operations at Work

    • Reengineering Marketing Operations at Work
    03 Mar, 2010
    My avid readers (both of you? ( [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

  • Think Like Your Customer: Aligning Selling to Buying Process

    • Think Like Your Customer: Aligning Selling to Buying Process
    03 Mar, 2010
    I'm finishing up Bill Stinnett's excellent book, Think Like Your Customer, which should be required reading for anyone in Sales and Marketing, especially if you market high-value products and... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

  • Talking Marketing Ops at EBIG

    • Talking Marketing Ops at EBIG
    03 Mar, 2010
    In addition to our webinar, I’ll be speaking about Marketing Operations before the Sales & Marketing SIG of the East Bay IT Group (EBIG) this Thursday, November 16... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

  • Looking back on Henry Stewart NY 2007

    • Looking back on Henry Stewart NY 2007
    03 Mar, 2010
    Well, I didn’t have any takers go out on the limb by sharing their thoughts on the Henry Stewart Conference in advance of my post, so here we go. One... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

  • Marketing 2.0 Author in San Francisco This Week

    • Marketing 2.0 Author in San Francisco This Week
    03 Mar, 2010
    Bernie Borges of Find and Convert, author of the upcoming book, Marketing 2.0: Bridging the Gap Between Seller and Buyer on the Social Web, will be in San... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]
  • My Educated Guess / TechTa ...

  • The Holy Grail of offering the “right content, to the right user, at the right time.â€�

    • The Holy Grail of offering the “right content, to the right user, at the right time.â€�
    27 Aug, 2010
    Demand generation. It’s not just about filling the pipeline with a volume of leads - but maintaining a relationship with those leads as they move through the buying cycle. Yes, the extremely active, sales -ready leads should be escalated to the sales team, but what about everyone else? B2B marketers are continually faced with the challenge [...]

  • Handling and identifying your sales-ready marketing leads

    • Handling and identifying your sales-ready marketing leads
    30 Jul, 2010
    While an influx of leads is always a good thing for marketers, many don’t have the resources to follow up on all of them as quickly as they would like. This can pose a serious problem as leads are followed up on in a random order and a hot lead can end up being called [...]

  • Coaching Your Inside Sales Team to Improve Online Lead Conversion

    • Coaching Your Inside Sales Team to Improve Online Lead Conversion
    12 Jun, 2010
    I don’t know of any marketer that doesn’t have improving lead conversion to sales high on their list of priorities these days, especially since marketers are so focused on revenue and getting the most out of their budget dollars. As marketers, you do the best you can to cultivate and prioritize leads so they are [...]

  • New Evidence Shows the Rules for B2B Marketing are Changing

    • New Evidence Shows the Rules for B2B Marketing are Changing
    19 May, 2010
    A new report reveals helpful insights on how the B2B marketing landscape is changing and how marketers should respond to better meet customer needs. The data supports much of the research TechTarget has done over the past several years, and is a good reminder to all B2B marketers that your customers are in the driver’s [...]

  • Impacting Your Pipeline More Effectively

    • Impacting Your Pipeline More Effectively
    07 May, 2010
    One of the challenges I often hear from online marketers is figuring out what to do with the hundreds of leads they generate from their online campaigns. Understanding the best way to identify the real opportunities for marketers and sales people can be found in the content they download, the stories they read, and the [...]

  • The Big Event Showdown: Face-to-Face Trade Shows vs. Virtual Trade Shows

    • The Big Event Showdown: Face-to-Face Trade Shows vs. Virtual Trade Shows
    26 Mar, 2010
    2009 was the year of the “Great Recession”, in which both consumers and marketers had to get creative to make the most of drastically cut budgets. One area which saw a large impact was the face-to-face trade shows - which, when all is said and done, can get quite costly when you start adding dollars [...]

  • How the Right Content Can Help Drive the Sale

    • How the Right Content Can Help Drive the Sale
    05 Mar, 2010
    In today’s tough economy IT marketers want their online leads to turn into sales as soon as possible. Regardless of whether their sales cycle is six weeks or nine months, they want to see hot leads now!  And it’s not only about generating as many leads as possible, but to really focus on lead quality.  [...]

  • Social networking is here to stay!

    • Social networking is here to stay!
    22 Feb, 2010
    Social networking has become a powerful, but necessary strategy for any technology marketer to actively increase their membership base. Many IT companies are getting into the social media arena by blogging, creating fan pages on Facebook, building a Twitter following, or by creating Groups on Linkedin. But, there are no guarantees your message is heard amongst all [...]

  • Let actual CIO behavior train your technology marketing

    • Let actual CIO behavior train your technology marketing
    02 Feb, 2010
    The closest we can get you to actually standing over the shoulder of an IT buyer as they research technology business solutions, is our latest Google/TechTarget behavioral research study on the enterprise technology buying process. But on February 11 at the Google offices in NYC, we’re taking it one step further and inviting you to join [...]

  • Don’t Let Organic Search Leads Fall by the Wayside

    • Don’t Let Organic Search Leads Fall by the Wayside
    28 Jan, 2010
    As we enter 2010 and online marketing strategies are getting even more targeted, IT marketers forget about the importance of nurturing organic search leads versus their targeted leads.  Marketers are concerned with only promoting to a certain audience and utilizing leads that are from email list promotions.  Late stage leads that are further down the [...]
  • Revenue Journal

  • Efficiency is the new gold

    • Efficiency is the new gold
    08 Sep, 2010
    What makes your business special? It doesn't matter if you are one person working out of your house or a company with thousands of employees. If you are the most efficient at what you do, you're golden. Efficiency is a big concept. That label belongs on a lot of good things. If you are efficient, you:

  • Why I HATE Sales Scripts

    • Why I HATE Sales Scripts
    31 Aug, 2010
    Two people. On the phone, having a conversation. That's what people use phones for - to have conversations. What happens in a conversation? One person says something. The other person listens, understands (or asks a question to make sure he understands), then responds appropriately. The conversation moves from point A to point B because BOTH people are talking - and listening. Now let's apply this to sales calls. Yes, it is possible for a salesperson to have a conversation with a potential cu more »

  • Subject Lines: Separating so-so leaders from great leaders

    • Subject Lines: Separating so-so leaders from great leaders
    25 Aug, 2010

  • Why you need a social media firestorm policy - NOW.

    • Why you need a social media firestorm policy - NOW.
    16 Aug, 2010
    Companies aren't really set up to interact efficiently with individual customers. Companies are organizations, filled with teams of people, doing their particular tasks. Companies have lots of customers. Individual customers can, and do, get upset, when the company disappoints them. Now, thanks to the many channels available to them, customers - even one customer - can make a big stink, in a big hurry. Marketers need to react quickly, and in the right way.

  • How to differentiate yourself

    • How to differentiate yourself
    09 Aug, 2010
    I have just finished interviewing about 25 top execs running system integrator companies. Some are doing well, some aren’t. But one thing they all had in common: a desire to differentiate themselves, and no clue as to how to do it.

  • Is marketing copy becoming irrelevant?

    • Is marketing copy becoming irrelevant?
    04 Aug, 2010
    Now that consumer-generated product information - mostly in the form of reviews - is overwhelming the web and dominating the customer's buying process, I have to ask the question: is marketing copy becoming obsolete? Does the very fact that a marketer wrote some copy make that copy  less-believable, less-trustworthy, and therefore - dare I say - irrelevant?

  • Social Commerce: Harnessing social media power during the buying process

    • Social Commerce: Harnessing social media power during the buying process
    08 Jul, 2010
    The word "social" in "social media" really means conversations between individuals. In social media, those conversations happen "out there" - on social media sites. These conversations may or may not be related to a customer's buying process.

  • The Great Marketing and Selling Crisis of 2010 - and how to escape it

    • The Great Marketing and Selling Crisis of 2010 - and how to escape it
    06 Jun, 2010
    We are smack dab in the middle of a terrible dilemma. The entire marketing and selling world is "betwixt and between." Traditional marketing and selling methods are not working the way they used to, and social media is not the end-all answer, either. In spite of the hype level and some people who are actually making it work, it's just a hint at the answer. But it isn't THE answer. There is an answer, fortunately, but first let's look at the crisis itself. This is a serious crisis because it's a more »

  • How well do you stack up against the three revenue success factors?

    • How well do you stack up against the three revenue success factors?
    14 May, 2010
    Most CEOs assume they have firm control of their company's success. They make decisions all day long, and believe that what they are deciding is driving their revenue. But they're missing something. In my experience, their control is more in the 50% range - because they not focusing on the three revenue success factors. What are the success factors? And, as a CEO, how can you get them under your control? Success Factor #1: Your website actually makes it easy for customers to buy.

  • Intranets: That Giant Sucking Sound

    • Intranets: That Giant Sucking Sound
    29 Apr, 2010
    Intranets are places where someone - usually a customer, partner, or employee - signs in and then tries to do something.   Given my own experience as the user of intranets, and as someone who rebuilds broken intranets, here's my take on the current state of intranets.   Intranets, on the whole, are TERRIBLE.   Most executives visit their company websites occasionally, but they never go to their company's intranets. They especially never try to do anything on those sites. They simply don't real more »
  • Sales Lead Insights

  • Responsible for B2B marketing or lead generation? Be my guest at B2B University in Boston on May 18th

    • Responsible for B2B marketing or lead generation? Be my guest at B2B University in Boston on May 18th
    01 Jul, 2010
    Responsible for B2B marketing or lead generation? Be my guest at B2B University in Boston on May 18th. This all-new-for-2010 session is focused on helping you stay ahead of the curve and excel in the changing B2B marketing environment. If you'd like to learn more, please use my Contact Form, call me directly at 1-800-944-5553 or +1-401-294-7730, or check out the marketing consulting or speaking and training pages on my website.

  • Webinar Leads Demystified: Free webinar on April 28, 2010 at 2:00 pm EDT

    • Webinar Leads Demystified: Free webinar on April 28, 2010 at 2:00 pm EDT
    30 Jun, 2010
    Don't miss this complimentary webinar about turning webinar registrants and attendees into qualified, sales-ready leads. Webinar Leads Demystified: Best practices for leveraging both webinar registrants and attendees Wednesday, April 28, 2010 2:00 p.m. EDT (11:00 a.m. PDT) For more information and to register, click here. A webinar, or webinar series, can be a strong performer in a marketer’s demand-generation program. [...] If you'd like to learn more, please use my Contact Form, call me more »

  • B2B Marketing University: See you in Palo Alto on April 7th…

    • B2B Marketing University: See you in Palo Alto on April 7th…
    29 Jun, 2010
    B2B Marketing University. A free half-day seminar on April 7, 2010 in Palo Alto, CA. If you'd like to learn more, please use my Contact Form, call me directly at 1-800-944-5553 or +1-401-294-7730, or check out the marketing consulting or speaking and training pages on my website.

  • What B2B marketing automation is all about, and why you should care: Executive Breakfast Briefing Tomorrow (6/29) in Waltham MA from 8:30 to 10:00 am.

    • What B2B marketing automation is all about, and why you should care: Executive Breakfast Briefing Tomorrow (6/29) in Waltham MA from 8:30 to 10:00 am.
    28 Jun, 2010
    Interested in learning more about marketing automation and how it may benefit your company? You won’t want to miss this complimentary, 90-minute breakfast briefing in Waltham, MA, tomorrow (6/29/2010), from 8:30-10:30am. It is designed specifically for senior executives at mid-sized or large companies, or at a fast-growing, venture-funded, small companies, that sell products or services to other companies. If you'd like to learn more, please use my Contact Form, call me directly at 1-80 more »

  • B2B Marketing Automation: Here’s My Definition

    • B2B Marketing Automation: Here’s My Definition
    23 Jun, 2010
    How's this for a definition of B2B marketing automation? The use of technology to generate, nurture, score and qualify leads, and drive sales, using customized, multi-touch marketing communications tailored for each contact's profile, level of interest, behavior or place in the buying process. If you'd like to learn more, please use my Contact Form, call me directly at 1-800-944-5553 or +1-401-294-7730, or check out the marketing consulting or speaking and training pages on my website.

  • What B2B marketing automation is all about, and why you should care: An Executive Breakfast Briefing near Boston on June 29, 2010

    • What B2B marketing automation is all about, and why you should care: An Executive Breakfast Briefing near Boston on June 29, 2010
    22 Jun, 2010
    Interested in learning more about marketing automation and how it may benefit your company? You won’t want to miss this complimentary, 90-minute breakfast briefing in Waltham, MA, on June 29, 2010, from 8:30-10:30am. It is designed specifically for senior executives at mid-sized or large companies, or at a fast-growing, venture-funded, small companies, that sell products or services to other companies. If you'd like to learn more, please use my Contact Form, call me directly at 1-800-94 more »

  • Sales and Marketing Integration: An Interview with Elizabeth Vanneste, CMO of Miller Heiman

    • Sales and Marketing Integration: An Interview with Elizabeth Vanneste, CMO of Miller Heiman
    21 Jun, 2010
    My guest today is Elizabeth Vanneste, Chief Marketing Officer, Miller Heiman. We are going to be talking about aligning sale and marketing, and the impact it has on a company's sales results. If you'd like to learn more, please use my Contact Form, call me directly at 1-800-944-5553 or +1-401-294-7730, or check out the marketing consulting or speaking and training pages on my website.

  • Mac McIntosh Announces our New Division for Implementing Lead Generation: AcquireB2B

    • Mac McIntosh Announces our New Division for Implementing Lead Generation: AcquireB2B
    20 Jun, 2010
    Mac McIntosh Inc has provided consulting and speaking/training related to helping companies like yours generate more qualified leads and drive more sales using the latest B2B marketing strategies, tactics, media and technology since 1990. However, many of our clients have also been having us help implement their marketing-driven lead generation programs for them. So we decided to create a new division focused on those implementation services and named it AcquireB2B. If you'd like to learn more more »

  • Are Inbound Leads Really Leads? I Believe the Majority Are Not.

    • Are Inbound Leads Really Leads? I Believe the Majority Are Not.
    14 Jun, 2010
    I think some of the information being touted by companies that have a stake in inbound marketing can be misleading. What I am talking about is the categorizing of all inbound inquiries as “leads.� If you'd like to learn more, please use my Contact Form, call me directly at 1-800-944-5553 or +1-401-294-7730, or check out the marketing consulting or speaking and training pages on my website.

  • Managing B2B Leads for Sales Success – 30 minute, on-demand webinar

    • Managing B2B Leads for Sales Success – 30 minute, on-demand webinar
    13 Jun, 2010
    Join us for a conversation with Gord Hotchkiss (author of The BuyerSphere Project) and B2B marketing and sales lead expert, Mac McIntosh, on the current realities of B2B demand generation. If you'd like to learn more, please use my Contact Form, call me directly at 1-800-944-5553 or +1-401-294-7730, or check out the marketing consulting or speaking and training pages on my website.
  • Six Sigma Selling

  • Six Sigma Selling blog has moved!

    • Six Sigma Selling blog has moved!
    10 Jun, 2009
    We will no longer be updating the blog messages on this site. For future blog posts, and Sales Performance Improvement Forum (SPIF!) messages please visit our primary website: www.salesperformance.com You'll see the blog page in the menu, the url is...

  • Six Easy Ways to Boost Your Company’s Sales Results

    • Six Easy Ways to Boost Your Company’s Sales Results
    10 Jun, 2009
    I hope the spring weather has reached your area. We've finally had rain here in Atlanta, and the buds and blooms are vigorous. Recently, a reader asked: "What is the 20% of sales process improvement that generates 80% of the...

  • Quick Sales Productivity Boosts

    • Quick Sales Productivity Boosts
    10 Jun, 2009
    If you are a salesperson, and you need a productivity boost, there are lots of possibilities, such as better meeting preparation, more practice presenting, maintaining your relationships, and working to become more organized. However, what if your entire organization needs...

  • The Last Thing a Fish Discovers is Water

    • The Last Thing a Fish Discovers is Water
    10 Jun, 2009
    Last week’s blog post “Why People Are NOT Your Most Important Asset� created some strong reaction. Here is an example: Michael, I was recently fired from my sales job, because I wasn’t on the road “cold calling� enough … Instead,...

  • Need More Traction with Prospects?

    • Need More Traction with Prospects?
    10 Jun, 2009
    Why Prospects Don't Understand Your Value - And What You Can Do About It All too often businesses launch products, promotions, and proposals that do not achieve their goals. When that happens, cost of sales goes up and confidence goes...

  • Why People are NOT Your Most Important Asset

    • Why People are NOT Your Most Important Asset
    10 Jun, 2009
    Sales executives often think that having the right people is the key to success. This article shows why this is myopic, and presents a better idea.

  • How to Make Salespeople 25% More Productive in 90 Days or Less

    • How to Make Salespeople 25% More Productive in 90 Days or Less
    10 Jun, 2009
    Michael Webb and Bill Bentley will present a remarkable approach that simultaneously increases forecast accuracy, provides powerful information about the sales process, and eliminates waste in sales and marketing.

  • How to Design Your Sales Process to Help Customers Buy Now

    • How to Design Your Sales Process to Help Customers Buy Now
    10 Jun, 2009
    Most companies haven't thoroughly considered how their sales process should be designed, much less how to make sales easier. This webinar shows how to do it.

  • Got a Technical Team? Here’s a Great Way to Help Them Sell

    • Got a Technical Team? Here’s a Great Way to Help Them Sell
    10 Jun, 2009
    Recently I spoke with Burke, the VP of Business Development for an engineering firm in the material handling industry. What he told me was a great model for how selling can be made easier - and more effective at the same time.

  • Help for improving your sales process

    • Help for improving your sales process
    10 Jun, 2009
    Sales Performance Consultants, Inc., will launch a new professional sales process education website very soon.
  • Inside Sales Tips Blog

  • Unsuccessful Webinars & Demonstrations: when you lose, get a win!

    • Unsuccessful Webinars & Demonstrations: when you lose, get a win!
    10 Sep, 2010
    If you do online demonstrations and webinars, you know very well that in spite of your great product offering, superior questioning skills, and good delivery, you sometimes come away with a promise for future business, or a flat “no.” In other words, no order. You can still get a “win” out of it, though.  To preface the rest of this post, ensure that you’ve read my whitepaper on conducting a successful sales webinar, so that you haven’t left any bases uncovered when you did your due more »

  • More on Age Bias and Texting

    • More on Age Bias and Texting
    10 Sep, 2010
    One of my blog correspondents has been raving enthusiastically about the diversity of employees at her new inside sales job, where the manager of the department has loaded the team with people of a myriad of ages and ethnicities. These differences of backgrounds and cultures has created a very strong team that seems to be energizing everyone, and she says it’s elevating the concepts of Best Practices and team communication to a high level, as the inside reps bring their diverse experiences into more »

  • Reach your quota faster through your mobile phone

    • Reach your quota faster through your mobile phone
    10 Sep, 2010
    I just delivered our Telesales Skills for Field Reps ' target='_self'>Telesales Skills for Field Reps course to a few dozen field reps working for one of my clients. They’d taken all the well-known, standard sales courses, but realized they could be far more effective by doing better qualification work on the telephone before they made face-to-face sales calls. They were all very sharp reps, and one asked me how to apply these telephone techniques when he was on his mobile phone, and couldn’t more »

  • Critical Steps in training your in-house Inside Sales team

    • Critical Steps in training your in-house Inside Sales team
    10 Sep, 2010
    This week I’m delivering a presentation to the American Teleservices Association under the topic of Call Center Training: Trends, Techniques, and Tools. All of what I’ll be discussing comes directly from what I teach in my inside sales training courses' target='_self'>inside sales training courses, and it’s important enough that I’m including the ideas I’ll be discussing here in this week’s blog post.  It’s in outline form, but all of you Inside Sales Directors and Managers will fi more »

  • What other solutions are you considering? A can’t miss question that will save you time and trouble on RFPs and RFQs

    • What other solutions are you considering? A can’t miss question that will save you time and trouble on RFPs and RFQs
    10 Sep, 2010
    One of my most popular blog posts is the one dealing with getting "shopped" by purchasing folks that ask you to bid on a project that you've already lost. Now that the economy is nicely rebounding, my inside sales training customers are telling me that unsolicited RFPs (requests for proposals) and RFQs (requests for quotes) are starting to come in over the transom, from telephone and email from prospects to whom they've never spoken.  Answering these blindly without talking to someone first is more »

  • A toast to a past job

    • A toast to a past job
    10 Sep, 2010
    Every time I teach one of my insides sales courses, one of the first things I do is ask what the folks in the room did prior to becoming inside sales people. Not only does this help me to know them better, but when we get to the part of the course where we talk about the importance of knowing the prospect's business, I can link it back to some expertise in business areas that the reps, in many cases, had forgotten they had. We're all experts in something related to business, and the kinds of ques more »

  • Some tough challenges in doing business overseas

    • Some tough challenges in doing business overseas
    10 Sep, 2010
    Two weeks ago, I wrote about the challenge a client of mine is facing, namely being located in an area where an increasingly violent civil protest is taking place.  Even before an M79 grenade hit across the street from his facility, he'd arranged to have his inside sales team work from home. Even so, as power was shut to his building during days where the temperatures reached the mid-90s, he realized that his servers might be damaged, and not work when fired up again, and his concerns turned out more »

  • 5 steps to fast-tracking your career move to upper management

    • 5 steps to fast-tracking your career move to upper management
    10 Sep, 2010
    I read a very good article today on career development strategies, written by Kriengsak Niratpattanasai, a management consultant who writes periodically in the Bangkok Post. While his article is geared to people already managing, I'd like to take a more basic approach, and suggest that if you're a Business Development or Telesales rep right now, I think it's a very good idea to look at your career in its current state, and design a plan for your next career step. A good number of inside sales re more »

  • 3 Tips to increase Channel Sales… try thinking out of the box

    • 3 Tips to increase Channel Sales… try thinking out of the box
    10 Sep, 2010
    This past week I met with a prospect that had a fairly common sales dilemma. His telesales team sells both directly and through a reseller channel. They are compensated on both types of sales.  Channel sales had been subpar, and in our discussions about our inside sales training courses, he wanted some ideas on improving the way his inside sales team works with the Channel. Being an "out of the box" thinker is always helpful in sales, and you have to be that way with the Channel, too. By doing s more »

  • Improving pipeline quality: what constitutes an “Aâ€� lead?

    • Improving pipeline quality: what constitutes an “Aâ€� lead?
    09 Sep, 2010
    One of my inside sales training course ' target='_self'>inside sales training course clients had a real dilemma a couple of weeks ago. Since her Lead Qualification reps were being compensated on appointments being sent to the field, she was finding that there were a significant number of unqualified appointments being made, and the Field salespeople were beginning to complain.  One of the problems was that there wasn’t a lead grading system in place, so a lead was characterized as either being more »
  • Build A Sales Machine

  • The 7 Fatal Mistakes CEOs and VP Sales Make

    • The 7 Fatal Mistakes CEOs and VP Sales Make
    02 Mar, 2010
    While I'm on the "Fatal Mistakes" topic, here is a presentation about seven of the main ones that executive teams make time and time again.Some of the text is small to read in this small blog-sized format. To make it easier:There is "Full Screen" button in the top right of the viewer, orYou can download the presentation.Please comment below on which one is your favorite - or if you think I'm wrong!7 Fatal Sales Mistakes CEOs and VP Sales Make -

  • The Fatal Mistake Boards & VP Sales Will Make In 2010 Planning

    • The Fatal Mistake Boards & VP Sales Will Make In 2010 Planning
    02 Mar, 2010
    Note: I first published this post exactly one year ago. Unfortunately it bears reposting again and again!. I have a feeling this same post will be relevant for another few years until the conventional wisdom evolves.If you're looking for help with growing sales, and especially in creating an amazing inside sales lead generation function, I have an overview of my sales consulting practice at www.PebbleStorm.com/cpr.-----------For companies selling products worth less than $100,000-$250,000, the more »

  • Marketo's Definitive Guide to Lead Nurturing

    • Marketo's Definitive Guide to Lead Nurturing
    02 Mar, 2010
    (Want expert help - based off of salesforce.com's $1 billion best practices - in building your B2B Sales Machine? See Build Your Sales Machine)I'm a big fan of Marketo, mostly because of the people there like Jon Miller, Kelly Abner and now Maria Pergolino. Marketo's application and the team's knowledge and practical experience around demand generation and lead nurturing is A+!So when they shared their new "Definitive Guide to Lead Nurturing" with me, I knew it'd be something worth sharing with more »

  • [PebbleStorm] The Art Of PebbleStorm & CEOFlow (July 2009)

    • [PebbleStorm] The Art Of PebbleStorm & CEOFlow (July 2009)
    02 Mar, 2010
    Last night I spoke at a Meeting Of The Minds event in Westlake Village (SoCal). MOTMS was started by Kurt Daradics of FreedomSpeaks and Baron Miller, and is a great group of entrepreneurial people that meets monthly. I really had fun sharing with them last night. The format was casual (more of an interview) and not a presentation, and so rather than a slide deck, I put together a collection of sketches I've done over the past year, and at different times during the talk I'd call one up to share more »

  • [CEOFlow] New sketch: "Revenue, Space & Enjoyment"

    • [CEOFlow] New sketch: "Revenue, Space & Enjoyment"
    02 Mar, 2010
    As I wrote about in My original notes on frustrations with the way work, uh, works, PebbleStorm: CEOFlow is like "advanced PebbleStorm". I've been playing with my CEOFlow circles for awhile, and finally this morning they really clicked: My sales advisory/consulting service: www.CEOFlow.com/servicesSubscribe to CEOFlow by Email

  • Bessemer's Top 10 Laws for Being "SaaS-y"

    • Bessemer's Top 10 Laws for Being "SaaS-y"
    02 Mar, 2010
    Bessemer Ventures collected a great set of learnings around what it takes to build a successful SaaS ("Software-as-a-Service") company: Bessemer's Top 10 Laws for Being "SaaS-y". It's excellent! Your key monthly business metrics are: CMRR (Committed Monthly Recurring Revenue), Churn, and Cash flow - “Bookingsâ€� is for suckers Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) and Customer LifeTime Value (CLTV) are the best more »

  • DataSalad: "Fresh B2B Marketing Data"

    • DataSalad: "Fresh B2B Marketing Data"
    02 Mar, 2010
    Last year, Brian Mackley of Tech Advocacy and I started a business called DataSalad, to offer marketing lists based around the user and customer lists of vendors (such as lists of salesforce.com or NetSuite customers).We created DataSalad because we were sick of all the "junky" lists and data sources out there. DataSalad creates databases of contacts and companies through primary data-gathering and research, and guarantees them. Like organic food, which costs a little more but is worth it more »

  • CNN Money & Fortune articles..."Why to be wary of commission-only sales staff"

    • CNN Money & Fortune articles..."Why to be wary of commission-only sales staff"
    02 Mar, 2010
    CNN Money/Fortune interviewed me a few months ago, and some quotes turned up in a couple of their articles worth sharing:1) Fortune Small Business article: "Why to be wary of commission-only sales staff""Hiring a salesperson on commission sounds like a cost-saver, but investing in your staff usually pays off in the long run. "2) CNN Money article on "Hire picture-perfect employees""We answer three questions about how to find and keep your company's most important asset: its workers. Plus: Advice more »

  • [CEOFlow] CEO meeting in westside Los Angeles (Santa Monica), March 13th

    • [CEOFlow] CEO meeting in westside Los Angeles (Santa Monica), March 13th
    02 Mar, 2010
    Eric Golden (CEO of Equipois) & I (Aaron Ross bio) are organizing a formal, facilitated CEO group here on the westside that will meet monthly. The group will help CEOs support each other in navigating through and prospering from the economic turmoil, focusing on topics such as creating predictable revenue, and working with investors and customers in the new climate. The CEO group is afilliated with Nitro.la and CEOFlow: Nitro.la, in partnership with USC, UCLA and Caltech, is a non-profit mentorin more »

  • Phone Works 2008 Inside Sales Compensation Report

    • Phone Works 2008 Inside Sales Compensation Report
    02 Mar, 2010
    Ah, fun with compensation :) PhoneWorks just published another sales comp report worth checking out. Here's their introduction and a link to the full online report:A question on everyone’s mind these days is, “How is the slow economy affecting sales compensation and quotas?â€�. We set out to answer this question. As we do every year in the fourth quarter, Phone Works conducted an online compensation survey of inside sales professiona more »
  • Buyer Persona

  • Two surveys nearly miss key buyer insight

    • Two surveys nearly miss key buyer insight
    20 May, 2010
    I just saw the results of yet another market survey that almost failed to ask what turned out to be the single most important question. Several people within the vendor's company, each with decades of experience in the target market,...

  • Read this before starting a persona project

    • Read this before starting a persona project
    19 May, 2010
    I'm seeing a lot of blog and email traffic that is motivating this post -- two earnest requests directed to people who are just beginning to develop buyer personas or put them to work. Request #1 - Outsource buyer persona...

  • Trigger Your Own World Wide Rave

    • Trigger Your Own World Wide Rave
    18 May, 2010
    My friend David Meerman Scott has done it again -- he's written another book that is perfectly aligned with the needs of his buyer persona. The new book is "World Wide Rave: Creating Triggers that Get Millions of People to...

  • How Kristine developed a great buyer persona

    • How Kristine developed a great buyer persona
    17 May, 2010
    I recently reviewed twenty-four buyer personas produced by four product marketing teams. While most needed a lot more work, Kristine’s was exceptional. I didn’t know the story I’m about to share with you when I reviewed Kristine's work. As none...

  • As the chapter closes on my role as a Pragmatic Marketing instructor, a new plan for buyer-focused marketing

    • As the chapter closes on my role as a Pragmatic Marketing instructor, a new plan for buyer-focused marketing
    09 Apr, 2010
    My largest client for the last decade has been Pragmatic Marketing, the company that inspired and marketed the Effective Product Marketing seminar that I developed in 2001. When I sold the seminar to Pragmatic Marketing in 2007 and trained another...

  • How many buyer personas can you afford to engage with unique messaging and campaigns?

    • How many buyer personas can you afford to engage with unique messaging and campaigns?
    10 Feb, 2010
    That’s my answer when people ask me how many buyer personas they need. It probably isn’t satisfying when I answer a question with another question, especially when the expected answer is a number -- three, five, ten or whatever. But...

  • A new year, a new decade, a new chance to help buyers find answers to their problems

    • A new year, a new decade, a new chance to help buyers find answers to their problems
    04 Jan, 2010
    Judging by the current interest in buyer personas, 2010 could be the decade when companies realize the competitive advantage that belongs to those companies that have the deepest insight into their target buyers. Armed with a well-researched buyer persona, the...

  • A quick, easy way to gather info for buyer personas

    • A quick, easy way to gather info for buyer personas
    16 Nov, 2009
    For the last few weeks I've been helping a client conduct their win/loss calls, listening to recent buyers talk about how they made the decision both for and against my client's solution. Once again, I was amazed at the useful,...

  • A persona for people who create personas

    • A persona for people who create personas
    02 Sep, 2009
    Here is a frequently asked question -- who should develop our buyer personas? For years I answered the question within the questioner's expected context -- I'd say that the people in marketing or, more specifically, product marketing, should own this...

  • Bloggers miss the point of buyer personas

    • Bloggers miss the point of buyer personas
    06 Jul, 2009
    The most important component of buyer personas is missing from much of the discussion I'm seeing in whitepapers and blogs. Personas can't make a credible impact on sales and marketing strategies if their description is limited to information about demographics...
  • The Customer Collective

  • Please add our current RSS feed

    • Please add our current RSS feed
    29 Jul, 2010
    Sorry for the inconvenience. We recently moved to a new platform and thought all of our RSS subscribers canme over but, lo-and-behold, we were wrong! Here are the current RSS feeds for our sites: http://feeds.feedburner.com/socialmediatoday_allposts http://feeds.feedburner.com/theenergycollective_allposts http://feeds.feedburner.com/myventurepad_allposts http://feeds.feedburner.com/smartdatacollective_allposts more »

  • Social Media in B2B - it’s not just about the blogs

    • Social Media in B2B - it’s not just about the blogs
    18 Jun, 2010
    At a conference recently I was asked by someone what I did, as soon as I mentioned the term social media she scoffed and mentioned something along the lines of “Social Media in B2B? So you help write ...

  • Sales Coaching Tips: 5 Reasons Why Sales Professionals Need A Vacation

    • Sales Coaching Tips: 5 Reasons Why Sales Professionals Need A Vacation
    18 Jun, 2010
    In a 2009 International Vacation Deprivation Survey from expedia.com: One in three employees do not use their allotted vacation days each year, even though they said they are more productive after r...

  • 5 Lessons a BtoB Marketer can Learn from “Breaking Badâ€�

    • 5 Lessons a BtoB Marketer can Learn from “Breaking Badâ€�
    18 Jun, 2010
    Have you heard of AMC’s critically acclaimed series “Breaking Bad?� If you’re a business to business marketer, you ought to check it out. I consider it an Owners Manual for B2B marketing today. P...

  • Three social media marketing trends from the crowd at #smmuk10

    • Three social media marketing trends from the crowd at #smmuk10
    18 Jun, 2010
    Today’s Social Media Marketing 2010 conference (search for #smmuk10 on Twitter) was a great mix of theory and case studies, presentations and debates, clients and the odd social media agency. We pre...

  • Three Things Every Sales Force Needs to Know

    • Three Things Every Sales Force Needs to Know
    18 Jun, 2010
    Recently I had a conversation with a very good friend of mine who is a director level sales executive for a global Fortune 100 organization.  We have been known to mix it up, dig into big issues, an...

  • 3 Sure Fire Ways to Turn Sales Reps into Social Fanatics

    • 3 Sure Fire Ways to Turn Sales Reps into Social Fanatics
    17 Jun, 2010
    The dysfunctional relationship that can exist between corporate sales and marketing departments has the potential of souring social media initiatives by adversely impacting the resources, time and att...

  • Trust and Reputation: the Virtuous Link

    • Trust and Reputation: the Virtuous Link
    17 Jun, 2010
    I awoke at home on a sunny (!) morning in London last week to the dulcet tones of Bill Clinton’s erstwhile Labor Secretary, Robert Reich, talking about BP on the BBC: “To start with, it actually ...

  • In Search Of The Perfect Leader

    • In Search Of The Perfect Leader
    17 Jun, 2010
    Most writing on good management and what it takes to get to the top focus on leadership. It is regarded as one of the most important areas of personal development. This also explains the growing i...

  • More Predictions About Online Advertising’s Future

    • More Predictions About Online Advertising’s Future
    16 Jun, 2010
    It looks like the mid-year re-evaluations and updates to the “start of year� predictions for the future of advertising are rolling in at a rapid pace. Today’s entry comes from one of the largest adv...
  • Sales X Marketing

  • Top Three Obstacles to Marketing Automation Adoption and Usage

    • Top Three Obstacles to Marketing Automation Adoption and Usage
    14 Jun, 2010
    I recently received some great questions about what's blocking organizations from purchasing marketing automation, and what are the biggest obstacles to using marketing automation technology as well as it could be used. Understanding that these are questions that could be...

  • Lead Scoring Made Easy

    • Lead Scoring Made Easy
    24 Feb, 2010
    I am at the Online Marketing Summit in San Diego, and I spoke on the Demand Generation & Sales 2.0 Panel yesterday. It was a great conversation, with great questions from the room -- people are definitely engaged in how...

  • Emails, Offers, and What Makes Buyers Click

    • Emails, Offers, and What Makes Buyers Click
    18 Feb, 2010
    I'm reading new research from Marketing Sherpa about how buyers rank the most valuable content and offer types, and it's very interesting. As marketers, we're all so used to hearing it's about educating your buyers, providing relevant content -- so...

  • Create Leverage and Engage Your Leads

    • Create Leverage and Engage Your Leads
    19 Jan, 2010
    Getting valuable content to your target market is important. It helps you build relationship and regard. But putting together compelling content takes more than just providing information to your leads. It’s also taking into account and triggering four Key Engagers....

  • Agitation Can Make The Difference In Your Messaging

    • Agitation Can Make The Difference In Your Messaging
    05 Jan, 2010
    I recently listened to an interview between Perry Marshall, a marketing expert that I follow and Joshua Russell a Professor of Screenwriting and Film Aesthetics at DePaul University. It was a fun and interesting conversation where they explored the power...

  • The 6 Influencers of Human Behavior

    • The 6 Influencers of Human Behavior
    29 Dec, 2009
    I was listening to an audio that came with a subscription to a series of panel discussions called "The League of Extraordinary Minds". it was a conversation that the organizers of The League had with Tony Robbins. In this conversation,...

  • LinkedIn Doesn't Get The Social Media World

    • LinkedIn Doesn't Get The Social Media World
    25 Dec, 2009
    LinkedIn has experienced HUGE growth -- particularly in the business/professional sector of the social media space. But recent experiences with LinkedIn have led me to believe that they are accidental recipients of that growth, and don't really get (nor are...

  • Use Social Media to Gain PR Traction

    • Use Social Media to Gain PR Traction
    24 Dec, 2009
    I was at a coffee gathering for the local Business Marketing Association as a follow-up to a social media panel presentation that I was unable to attend the previous week. It was a great conversation -- but there was this...

  • Does Your Messaging Distinguish You From Your Competitors?

    • Does Your Messaging Distinguish You From Your Competitors?
    23 Dec, 2009
    What is your Unique Selling Proposition? Is it unique? Does it distinguish you from your competitors? Next question: Does your messaging do the same? In your industry where your competitors offer essentially the same thing that you do, how do...

  • Are We Really Marketing and Selling Happiness?

    • Are We Really Marketing and Selling Happiness?
    22 Dec, 2009
    As we work to figure out and put together content that is not only engaging, but also compelling, we've got to get very clear about what our Unique Selling Proposition is. Without that, what will guide the messaging that we...
  • Buzz Marketing for Technol ...

  • Could AT&T kill the iPhone Brand?

    • Could AT&T kill the iPhone Brand?
    10 Sep, 2010
    According to a study conducted by Gartner, the first quarter of 2010 witnessed a whopping 707 percent increase in Android sales. As a result, the sales of the Google Android OS-based smartphones have surpassed the sales of the Microsoft Windows Mobile-based handsets around the world. And this month I saw a stat that said the sales [...] Related posts:Why is Google Scared and What it means for B2B Marketing! At a recent dinner with a buddy of mine from... Social Media – is it really mains more »

  • Could AT&T kill the iPhone Brand?

    • Could AT&T kill the iPhone Brand?
    09 Sep, 2010
    According to a study conducted by Gartner, the first quarter of 2010 witnessed a whopping 707 percent increase in Android sales. As a result, the sales of the Google Android OS-based smartphones have surpassed the sales of the Microsoft Windows Mobile-based handsets around the world. And this month I saw a stat that said the sales [...] Related posts:Why is Google Scared and What it means for B2B Marketing! At a recent dinner with a buddy of mine from... Social Media – is it really mains more »

  • B2B Marketing needs a stronger Why

    • B2B Marketing needs a stronger Why
    08 Sep, 2010
    Last year I wrote about how the balance of content has shifted. Bottom line is there is more content being produced by Users than by Publishers these days. Which means Publishers (or Marketers) are now the “white noiseâ€� in comparison to User Generated Content. Our messages are being drowned out by user generated content. This struck [...] Related posts:The 4 P’s to Social Media Marketing Ok ok – based on the great response I got... The 4 C’s of B2B Marketing We’ve all hear more »

  • Could AT&T kill the iPhone Brand?

    • Could AT&T kill the iPhone Brand?
    08 Sep, 2010
    According to a study conducted by Gartner, the first quarter of 2010 witnessed a whopping 707 percent increase in Android sales. As a result, the sales of the Google Android OS-based smartphones have surpassed the sales of the Microsoft Windows Mobile-based handsets around the world. And this month I saw a stat that said the sales [...] Related posts:Why is Google Scared and What it means for B2B Marketing! At a recent dinner with a buddy of mine from... Social Media – is it really mains more »

  • Could AT&T kill the iPhone Brand?

    • Could AT&T kill the iPhone Brand?
    07 Sep, 2010
    According to a study conducted by Gartner, the first quarter of 2010 witnessed a whopping 707 percent increase in Android sales. As a result, the sales of the Google Android OS-based smartphones have surpassed the sales of the Microsoft Windows Mobile-based handsets around the world. And this month I saw a stat that said the sales [...] Related posts:Why is Google Scared and What it means for B2B Marketing! At a recent dinner with a buddy of mine from... Social Media – is it really mains more »

  • Could AT&T kill the iPhone Brand?

    • Could AT&T kill the iPhone Brand?
    06 Sep, 2010
    According to a study conducted by Gartner, the first quarter of 2010 witnessed a whopping 707 percent increase in Android sales. As a result, the sales of the Google Android OS-based smartphones have surpassed the sales of the Microsoft Windows Mobile-based handsets around the world. And this month I saw a stat that said the sales [...] Related posts:Why is Google Scared and What it means for B2B Marketing! At a recent dinner with a buddy of mine from... Social Media – is it really mains more »

  • Could AT&T kill the iPhone Brand?

    • Could AT&T kill the iPhone Brand?
    05 Sep, 2010
    According to a study conducted by Gartner, the first quarter of 2010 witnessed a whopping 707 percent increase in Android sales. As a result, the sales of the Google Android OS-based smartphones have surpassed the sales of the Microsoft Windows Mobile-based handsets around the world. And this month I saw a stat that said the sales [...] Related posts:Why is Google Scared and What it means for B2B Marketing! At a recent dinner with a buddy of mine from... Social Media – is it really mains more »

  • Social Media – is it really mainstream in B2B Marketing?

    • Social Media – is it really mainstream in B2B Marketing?
    05 Sep, 2010
    So I ran across some interesting stats last week when I picked up a tweet from Jeff Bullas on the 15 essential social media facts and figures for B2B Marketing. Seems as if more B2B Marketers are engaged in Social Media then B2C marketers (actually data point from the article – 81 % of B2B companies [...] Related posts:Social Media Lead flow in B2B Marketing Word spreads quickly in Social Media – sometimes more quickly... What’s your Social Media diet? I often get asked the question more »

  • Facebook Advertising for Dummies (Wiley)

    • Facebook Advertising for Dummies (Wiley)
    05 Sep, 2010
    Whether you’re on the Facebook  home page, reading comments on a friends’ Walls, or playing your favorite Facebook game, you have probably noticed at least one advertisement running on the right hand side on the page. These ads are available to anyone with an advertising budget, from $1 to $1 billion.  And many large advertisers, [...] Related posts:Generating a Buyer Persona with Facebook Advertising I am a big fan of David Meerman Scott’s work... Social Media and th more »

  • B2B Marketing needs to Curate a Vibrant Community

    • B2B Marketing needs to Curate a Vibrant Community
    05 Sep, 2010
    If you ask the members of my leadership team – they will tell you I keep talking about how I think we have B2B Marketing backward. Let me explain … We focus a lot of energy on the acquisition part of marketing looking for new customers and getting them up the awareness to consideration to purchase cycle. [...] Related posts:B2B Marketing: Trust + Community = ROI Trust is not a new thing when it comes to... Getting a customer is not the end goal it’s the middle In a recent sp more »
  • B2Blog

  • Is industrial marketing this boring?

    • Is industrial marketing this boring?
    31 Aug, 2010
    BtoB Magazine has its hands full, trying to offer content for different types of B2B marketers: Agencies, technology companies, big companies, small companies. The August 16 issue has a two-page feature on ‘manufacturing marketing’ with three articles and a list … Continue reading →

  • Are B2B marketers so stupid they fall for this?

    • Are B2B marketers so stupid they fall for this?
    09 Aug, 2010
    This is not the first time I’ve received a warning email from a trade show organizer warning exhibitors about “Expo-Guide” scamming for directory listings. But this email seemed rather complete, including possible grounds for canceling the contract, so it is … Continue reading →

  • The Ugliest Brochure Contest?

    • The Ugliest Brochure Contest?
    02 Aug, 2010
    Who doesn’t love to see an ugly brochure … as long as it isn’t ours? B&Z Marketing is running a promotion to find the ugliest B2B brochure. The prize? A complete re-do. With a prize value of $5,000, you might … Continue reading →

  • OMG, Yahoo Search PPC is a rip-off

    • OMG, Yahoo Search PPC is a rip-off
    22 Jul, 2010
    I don’t say this lightly: Yahoo Marketing Solutions’ search advertising is junk … a rip-off. It was an expensive and surprising lesson in online marketing. (I don’t mean their content network, I knew that was worthless years ago, as is … Continue reading →

  • A virtual waste?

    • A virtual waste?
    21 Jul, 2010
    I read a lot of marketing blogs every day (and I really need to contribute to the blogosphere more myself). One post I saw recently attempted to justify ‘virtual’ trade shows as an acceptable alternative to the real thing, given … Continue reading →

  • The rise of the marketplace … again?

    • The rise of the marketplace … again?
    30 Jun, 2010
    No one will argue as of 2010 ThomasNet has survived the cross-over to a web-based directory service. No simple feat! However, even though ThomasNet has thousands of advertisers and users, but it was never leveraged into a marketplace. (Of course … Continue reading →

  • Engaged? Don’t tell my wife!

    • Engaged? Don’t tell my wife!
    01 Jun, 2010
    I’ll be spending the rest of this week in Chicago at the Annual BMA (Business Marketing Association) Conference. The theme this year is ‘Engage!” And while I don’t expect anyone to drop on one knee, I do expect we’ll be talking about how to woo … the customer. I was there last year (link to 4 posts) [...]

  • Adding a local sales-rep map to your website

    • Adding a local sales-rep map to your website
    06 May, 2010
    Back in the early days of the web, I had a map that visitors could click on to find their local salesperson. It was just simple hot spots on a map jpeg that I had borrowed from another website. (Funny thing was how many hits that page got by people searching for ‘USA map’… via [...]

  • Directory listing scammers charged in Canada

    • Directory listing scammers charged in Canada
    28 Apr, 2010
    In 2007 I posted: The same old directory scam, will it never end? It’s the basic “we’re calling to update your listing” rip-off call I’ve been getting since I started doing marketing here over 15 years ago. Well, the company and owners have finally been criminally charged by the Canadian Authorities: OTTAWA, April 12, 2010 — The [...]

  • The real beginning of the end for trade pubs?

    • The real beginning of the end for trade pubs?
    19 Apr, 2010
    Whammo: Reed Business Information’s Shocking News (Russ Green @ godfrey.com) “Friday’s news that Reed Business Information is closing many of its US trade publications and web sites – without warning – is truly shocking to B2B marketing professionals who have relied on these vehicles to reach technical audiences.” Wholy crap! (Read the news & list from the RBI site.) [...]
  • B2B Marketing Confidential ...

  • Cascading detail for sales enablement

    • Cascading detail for sales enablement
    10 Sep, 2010
    I've been working on a lot of sales enablement kits lately.  My biggest learning on sales enablement came about ten years ago, when I did a study for a big enterprise technology company on marketing effectiveness.  We looked at three marketing objectives: Generate demand, drive awareness and comprehension, and enable the sales force.  In hindsight, it was ultra-simple.  But, we came up with a really powerful conclusion.  The most effective programs, in terms of ROI, were sales enablement pro more »

  • A novel approach to solving healthcare?

    • A novel approach to solving healthcare?
    10 Sep, 2010
    In honor of MLK day, I'm not writing about my livelihood, marketing, but rather about a slightly larger and more relevant topic, health care.  Don't worry, faithful readers, you'll get more abstruse marketing ideas soon. I started thinking about this problem in detail because I've recently switched employers, which has meant switching health insurance companies.  This has led to the typical bewildering array of changes.  Some Doctors take one insurance plan (the old one) but not the new one. more »

  • Affordable Transaction Economics

    • Affordable Transaction Economics
    10 Sep, 2010
    I'm always looking for more scientific ways to spend money on marketing, as people who consistently read this blog  know.  I spend a lot of time looking at Return on Marketing Investment (ROMI), for example.  Lately, I've been dealing a lot with pipeline marketing strategy, and I stumbled upon something that is probably fairly obvious, but I thought I'd outline it formally.  My friend and mentor Tim Furey wrote a book in 1999 called The Channel Advantage.  It was a great book, and its simp more »

  • Big Pharma Ad Budgets

    • Big Pharma Ad Budgets
    10 Sep, 2010
    Great article and infographic from NG Pharma.http://www.ngpharma.eu.com/news/pharma-ad-budget/

  • Segmenting Segmentation

    • Segmenting Segmentation
    10 Sep, 2010
    The problem with the word "segmentation" is that it has lost its meaning. Like "analytics", a marketer saying "segmentation" can mean virtually anything. This isn't necessarily a problem, if we are simply using "segmentation" to mean "the parsing of customers in some way", but often people mean something very specific when they say the word, while the people listening interpret something very specific as well, but something specifically totally different.I've often tried to come up with ways to s more »

  • Three Ways to Track ROMI

    • Three Ways to Track ROMI
    10 Sep, 2010
    In keeping with this week's "three ways" theme, here's a framework to track ROMI (return on marketing investment) that can pretty much solve any problem. It's high-level, but it's been very helpful for me over the past couple of months in thinking about a very complex, multi-channel marketing measurement problem.First, Test vs. Control. This means for every direct tactic that you launch, hold out a control group. The control group can be small, but should be selected from the exact same list tha more »

  • Mobile Codes and B2B

    • Mobile Codes and B2B
    10 Sep, 2010
    Over the past decade, I’ve been involved with many projects to “de-tangleâ€� digital marketing for big companies. Big companies want to know what’s out there in the digital landscape, and how it all fits together. Most importantly, they want to know why the latest trend is important to them. Take Twitter, for example. Is it a real, honest-to-goodness life changer that will be used addictively by a whole generation of digital influentials? Or, will it be the Segway scooter more »

  • Thoughts on and Definition of Inbound Marketing (Listening)

    • Thoughts on and Definition of Inbound Marketing (Listening)
    10 Sep, 2010
    Marketing is a word that has lost its meaning, and marketing is a discipline that has lost its way. When I say “marketingâ€� to most people on the street, the first words that are mentioned are overwhelmingly negative. Marketing is thought of as “advertisingâ€�, “spamâ€�, “pushy offersâ€�, or “tricksâ€�.Here's an ironic and unlikely hypothesis--marketing accountability has driven this trend. This is meant to be a controversial statement. Mark more »

  • Corporate vs. Product Advertising in Tech

    • Corporate vs. Product Advertising in Tech
    10 Sep, 2010
    When talking about allocating a marketing budget, one of the most important questions is the split between corporate and brand spending. In other words, is it better to lift the brand as a whole, or hawk specific products? Peeling the onion another layer, when doing corporate advertising, should a company focus on "hard" attributes--also called "corporate ability" or CA advertising--or on softer "corporate social responsibility" or CSR?I hadn't really thought about this much in the context of tec more »

  • Are Marketing Data Expanding Faster than the Universe?

    • Are Marketing Data Expanding Faster than the Universe?
    09 Sep, 2010
    I'll start by making a statement that I think I can back up: the amount of data available to marketers is growing geometrically, not linearly. Linear growth of marketing data would mean something like the following: An individual starts a new company on January 1, 2010. He buys a list of 1000 names to market to. A year later, he has added 100 names to this list, for 10% growth. A year later, he buys 110 names to market to, for a further 10% growth, and so on, and so on. Exponential growth is d more »
  • ReadyContacts

  • Conversations Start The Process Of Sales

    • Conversations Start The Process Of Sales
    05 Aug, 2010
      I have been tracking Sales 2.0 conference updates from @greenleads and @damphoux this morning and came across this tweet that that RT’d on @readycontacts just now. For the first time in a long time I heard someone say something “real” about the challenge of generating sales. While all the discussions on social media, marketing automation [...]

  • Do You Have CallerID For Your Website?

    • Do You Have CallerID For Your Website?
    04 Aug, 2010
    Everyone visiting your website is a potential lead. This is especially true for B2B companies because the most likely reason business contacts visit a B2B company website is because they are looking for a similar solution. So its critical for you to have complete knowledge of who is visiting your website. Its like having CallerID [...]

  • Are you investing enough in Sales Research?

    • Are you investing enough in Sales Research?
    02 Jun, 2010
    B2B demand generation is getting tougher than ever before. Mass marketing is dead. Direct marketing is ignored. Email marketing has turned into a spray and pray tactic. But sales quotes have remained the same and are growing. In this situation, its imperative for every marketer to think outside the box – I know everyone says [...]

  • ReadyContacts – Business Marketing And Sales Bestsellers Quiz

    • ReadyContacts – Business Marketing And Sales Bestsellers Quiz
    28 Aug, 2009
    If you’re an avid reader of marketing and sales bestsellers, you’re bound to enjoy this one. Have fun! Don’t forget to tweet this to your followers if you enoyed it: RT @neil_s Check out our new quick “Business Marketing And Sales Bestsellers Quiz” warning: this one is not a piece of cake – http://bit.ly/kQD9r

  • Inside Sales Tips – How To Improve Your Connect Rate Through Good Data

    • Inside Sales Tips – How To Improve Your Connect Rate Through Good Data
    28 Aug, 2009
    “My connect rates are great! I connect with someone 80% of the time when I dial any number off my list!” … Aren’t we missing the point here? How many of those dials end up connecting with the real decision maker at that account? Not as many in several cases. Typical scenarios of an inside [...]

  • Our Top 5 Most Challenging B2B Business Contacts To Locate – Can You Beat This?

    • Our Top 5 Most Challenging B2B Business Contacts To Locate – Can You Beat This?
    28 Aug, 2009
    We’ve been building very specific role based business contact lists for our customers very specific campaign requirements for what seems to be a very long time now. Over this time we have worked with such a range of B2B companies it’s difficult to recall every project undertaken especially for those who had a smaller, one [...]

  • The Lean Mean Sales And Marketing Machine – Page1

    • The Lean Mean Sales And Marketing Machine – Page1
    28 Aug, 2009
    Every company works towards improving their sales and marketing effectiveness. It’s a never-ending process in quest for how to generate better results and in today’s perspective, how to do this more efficiently without exponentially increasing resources to get those better results. The “Lean Mean Marketing And Sales Machine” is going to be a series of [...]

  • Garbage In Garbage Out: Why Focus Is Critical In Marketing Campaigns

    • Garbage In Garbage Out: Why Focus Is Critical In Marketing Campaigns
    09 Jul, 2009
    Marketing’s objective is to reach out to prospects and nurture them to build a pipeline of warm contacts who can be further developed into opportunities. Outbound marketing including email marketing, direct mail and telemarketing form the foundation of marketing’s reach out program and the urge, rightly so, is to reach out to as many contacts [...]

  • 2000+ Virtual Iron Customers Are Waiting For Help. Do You Know Them?

    • 2000+ Virtual Iron Customers Are Waiting For Help. Do You Know Them?
    09 Jul, 2009
    A common outcome of mergers and acquisitions is that the customers and partners of the acquired company face a lot of uncertainties about product evolution, product support and their own technology roadmap considering this uncertainty. Its also a golden opportunity for competitors of the acquired company to launch an aggressive sales effort of win over [...]

  • How Good Data Turbo Charges Lead Generation: An Interview With Ardath Albee CEO of Marketing Interactions

    • How Good Data Turbo Charges Lead Generation: An Interview With Ardath Albee CEO of Marketing Interactions
    10 Jun, 2009
    Our interview series on “How Good Data Turbo Charges Lead Generation” is turning out more exciting with each passing weak and uncovering some really good insights from experts in the B2B marketing and lead generation space. This week we speak to Ardath Albee, CEO of Marketing Interactions and author of the upcoming book E-Marketing Strategies for [...]
  • Hubspot

  • 50 Killer Free Social Media Icon Sets

    • 50 Killer Free Social Media Icon Sets
    10 Sep, 2010
    Social media is an incredibly effective tool for sharing content, boosting popularity, improving search engine optimization, and getting found on the internet.  Using actionable icons that integrate with the theme of your site, content and online activities instead of bland generic ones will help encourage readers to share your content.  Finding the perfect icon set can take time, so we have decided to do some of the leg work for you. Here is a collection of 50 free social media icon sets you c more »

  • Expert Advice: Creating Divine Website Redesigns

    • Expert Advice: Creating Divine Website Redesigns
    10 Sep, 2010
    Now that we’ve looked at the steps you should take before starting a website redesign as well as some SEO tips to keep in mind, we’re going to move on to what many consider the “sexiest” part of a redesign: the actual look and design of the website. It’s very easy to get swept up in the excitement and wind up overdoing it or building something that looks great but isn’t very functional. Here are some tips from HubSpot Partners to keep you on the right path. Don’t Turn Anyone Off or more »

  • 9 Awesome Search Engines That Aren’t Named Google

    • 9 Awesome Search Engines That Aren’t Named Google
    09 Sep, 2010
    Searching is one of the core utilities of the internet. Most websites today have a search function, and we all spend a lot of time searching. On Google, for example, 34,000 searches occur each second. For many internet users, Google has become the default search engine in web browsers and mobile devices; however, Google isn’t always the best search engine for the job. When Google isn’t getting the job done, give one of these other search engines a chance. For the marketers reading this post, more »

  • 6 Sales and Marketing Communication Tips to Build Smarketing

    • 6 Sales and Marketing Communication Tips to Build Smarketing
    09 Sep, 2010
    A key part of sales and marketing alignment is building strong communication between the two groups.  At HubSpot, we have built Smarketing (a term that I think was coined by Dan Tyre over two years ago) which is a partnership between sales and marketing that uses a number of different techniques to align sales and marketing better.  One of the most fundamental parts of this relationship is communication.  We have found that having strong communication between sales and marketing helps in many more »

  • Google Launches New Search Interface: Google Instant

    • Google Launches New Search Interface: Google Instant
    09 Sep, 2010
    Have you ever thought finding what you were looking for on Google took too long? Google did. Today, the search giant launched a new version of its search engine interface. Google is calling this new interface Google Instant. Google Instant provides real-time suggested results as a user begins to type a keyword into Google.  See the video demonstration below from Google to get a better understanding of how this new search interface works: Google Instant is a major change to Google’s sea more »

  • 5 Educational Email Marketing Infographics

    • 5 Educational Email Marketing Infographics
    08 Sep, 2010
    Considering all of the conversations online and offline about new social media applications, when it comes to lead generation, email is a major driving factor. Despite being the elder statesman of online marketing tools, email is still growing in adoption as a marketing channel. We found five educational infographics about email power and adoption as a marketing platform that we think are worth a look. 1. The History & Evolution of Email by Focus.com 2. What Does Your Email Provider Say About You more »

  • 60 Proven Ways to Increase Your Online Marketing Influence

    • 60 Proven Ways to Increase Your Online Marketing Influence
    08 Sep, 2010
    On July 7, in the late afternoon, I tuned in to The Influencer Project. For the next 60 minutes (actually it was closer to 62 minutes), I listened to 60 online experts tell at least one proven way to increase your influence online. We’re talking real experts like David Meerman Scott, Anne Holland, Brian Solis, Todd Defren and our own Mike Volpe, and all of the unmentioned names are equal in expertise to those I mentioned. While some of the advice was obvious, like create valuable content or more »

  • Mobile App Downloads Are The New Email Opt-in

    • Mobile App Downloads Are The New Email Opt-in
    07 Sep, 2010
    Online marketers' top priority at the top of their funnel is to increase reach. Increasing reach on the web has long meant increasing the size of a company’s email marketing database, and email is a hugely important tool for online marketers to help drive leads and sales. Despite the power of email, it is quietly beginning to be replaced; however, it's not being replaced by text messages as many marketers may think. Instead, the distant competitor picking up speed is the text message’s close more »

  • Website Redesign SEO Mistakes to Avoid

    • Website Redesign SEO Mistakes to Avoid
    07 Sep, 2010
    We’ve already discussed what you need to think about before you even begin your redesign, now we’re going to discuss what SEO elements you need to keep in mind once you start the process. Once again we turned to our well versed team of HubSpot Partners to gain insight into how they approach the process. Don’t Lose Sight of Your Old Site Sure, your website might need a redesign, but that doesn’t mean everything you currently have is terrible. Partner Tony Meister of NetSolutions Group says more »

  • Top 5 Inbound Marketing Articles to Start the Week: Convert Traffic to Sales

    • Top 5 Inbound Marketing Articles to Start the Week: Convert Traffic to Sales
    06 Sep, 2010
    Generating traffic to your website and blog is all well and good, but if you're a B2B company, chances are traffic isn't enough. In your case, turning traffic into leads and ultimately sales is where it's at. In this week's top inbound marketing article, Chris Brogan shares some simple steps you can take to turn the traffic you're getting into coveted leads and sales. 1. How to Convert Traffic to a Sale Author: Chris Brogan on chrisbrogan.com If you're looking to get the most of the traffic comin more »
  • Demandbase

  • My Bad Reputation -- B2B Marketing Best Practices That Need to Die

    • My Bad Reputation -- B2B Marketing Best Practices That Need to Die
    09 Sep, 2010
    His message was different and refreshing in a room full of "inbound" marketers, to whom the thought of pursuing leads instead of just letting them stumble upon you on their own seemed downright distasteful. As if their reputation would be damaged by dialing a phone. Mike wasn't afraid to say "bulls**t!" and seemed to be the only one who wasn't ashamed to actually pick up the phone to generate leads. And he is our speaker next week...

  • Best Practices That Need to Die Week 3: Lead Scoring Demystified

    • Best Practices That Need to Die Week 3: Lead Scoring Demystified
    03 Sep, 2010
    As marketing transforms from art to science, lead scoring has become a priority for aligning sales and marketing to improve sales efficiency. However, the “recipe� and real-world examples haven’t been widely published demystifying how to successfully design and implement a lead scoring system within your firm.

  • Your Biggest Competition Is Not Who You Think

    • Your Biggest Competition Is Not Who You Think
    02 Sep, 2010
    You should spend more time educating them about the implications of doing nothing rather than telling them how you perform 1.3 times better than the other guy.

  • Best Practices That Need to Die Week 2

    • Best Practices That Need to Die Week 2
    26 Aug, 2010
    Many B2B marketers have too many leads in their database who have never been followed up on. Essentially, there is a lot of untapped revenue in those databases, that can be extracted with improved lead nurturing processes. The result: you generate additional revenue from your existing leads.

  • B2B Marketing Best Practices That Need To Die

    • B2B Marketing Best Practices That Need To Die
    18 Aug, 2010
    B2B marketers are under significant pressure to improve conversion and clicks, to lower cost per marketing qualified lead, and generate more pipeline. An optimized campaign will, on average, consistently deliver 2-4% conversion rates. But how do you get to 5-6-7%? How do you go beyond best practices?

  • The Typical B2B Website Wireframe

    • The Typical B2B Website Wireframe
    06 Aug, 2010
    How many of your visitors go straight to the "About" page because your home page doesn't tell them anything about you? And maybe you have done some work to understand your "buyer personas" -- but if they don't know what you do, why would they click on the track designed for them?

  • Marketing is a Mix Tape

    • Marketing is a Mix Tape
    24 Jul, 2010
    ...marketing automation systems have done a great job at helping people market poorly, faster.

  • 5 Tips to Improve Conversion Rates

    • 5 Tips to Improve Conversion Rates
    12 May, 2010
    It's not hard to find a list of tips aimed at helping to improve your conversion rates, but it is much harder to synch these suggestions with the tools designed to make them realistic and effective. Here are 5 tips to improve conversion rates, along with links to some tools to help get the job done.

  • One Key Takeaway from Chris Brogan's New Marketing Experience Summit

    • One Key Takeaway from Chris Brogan's New Marketing Experience Summit
    24 Apr, 2010
    Social Media is still trending hot, with monitoring and reporting tools starting up faster than marketing automation vendors in 2005. Ad:Tech seems to be improving year over year (from a B2B perspective, though, it still needs work) -- but for the second year in a row New Marketing Labs put on a great show. Here are some tidbits from various speakers at the event (I will try to credit the quotes when possible but won't always have the name of the speaker):

  • Can't Get It Out of My Head

    • Can't Get It Out of My Head
    23 Apr, 2010
    Seriously, how much sense does that make? If you strive to make sure all of your marketing efforts observe "best practices" how are you ever going to achieve anything other than very average results? Your conversion rate may be 2% -- but would that crazy idea you had but were too chicken to try have yielded an 8% conversion rate?
  • B2B Lead Generation Blog / ...

  • LinkedIn B2B Lead Generation Roundtable Group Turns One

    • LinkedIn B2B Lead Generation Roundtable Group Turns One
    10 Sep, 2010
    Last year, I launched the B2B Lead Gen Roundtable Group on LinkedIn. It started with a simple goal: to create a group to discuss and share ideas that focus on the many aspects of B2B lead generation such as lead...

  • Webinar: Beyond Lead Generation - Helping Sales Drive Revenue with Jeff Thull

    • Webinar: Beyond Lead Generation - Helping Sales Drive Revenue with Jeff Thull
    10 Sep, 2010
    The purpose of B2B marketing and lead generation is to help the sales team sell; however marketers can often get so wrapped up in driving campaign activity they seem to forget it's about driving sales conversion and helping the sales...

  • Most important B2B Marketing Metrics For CEOs

    • Most important B2B Marketing Metrics For CEOs
    10 Sep, 2010
    Today CEOs expect marketers to provide metrics and to be accountable to meeting their numbers just like sales people. They do have a bunch of activity metrics and some squishy metrics like brand recognition. At the same time, most CEOs...

  • Online Lead Generation: How to optimize forms to convert “window shoppersâ€� into leads webinar by Flint McGlaughlin

    • Online Lead Generation: How to optimize forms to convert “window shoppersâ€� into leads webinar by Flint McGlaughlin
    10 Sep, 2010
    As I’ve written before, when dealing with the complex sale, most people aren’t coming to your website to buy; they’re coming to your site for information. And people are hesitant about giving up too much info on forms before you've...

  • Lead Generation via Search: Comparing Quantity and Quality

    • Lead Generation via Search: Comparing Quantity and Quality
    10 Sep, 2010
    Have you wondered about where you should put your online lead generation budget into search engine optimization or paid search? Check out this new chart by MarketingSherpa, "Comparing the Quantity and Quality of B2B Search-Generated Leads": (click chart to expand)...

  • LinkedIn for lead generation - Are You the Missing Link?

    • LinkedIn for lead generation - Are You the Missing Link?
    10 Sep, 2010
    It takes time and commitment, but LinkedIn has become ideal venue to nurture relationships and generate new leads, especially for sales people involved in a complex sale. On that topic, I wrote an guest article for MarketingProfs, titled "10 Tips...

  • Lead Generation Check list – Part 8: Lead nurturing for lead development

    • Lead Generation Check list – Part 8: Lead nurturing for lead development
    10 Sep, 2010
    To help you start the New Year, I’d like to wrap up my Lead Generation Checklist Series with the secret to successful lead generation – and, for that matter, marketing in today’s B2B space: lead nurturing. At it's core, B2B...

  • How to Get the Twitter Username You've Always Wanted (even if it's taken)

    • How to Get the Twitter Username You've Always Wanted (even if it's taken)
    10 Sep, 2010
    Don't forget to secure your Twitter name! I signed up for twitter a year an half ago but that wasn’t soon enough to get my hands on my company's Twitter name of choice of @intouch. So if you were late...

  • How to Design Lead Nurturing Programs that Drive Sales webinar with Ardath Albee

    • How to Design Lead Nurturing Programs that Drive Sales webinar with Ardath Albee
    10 Sep, 2010
    You’ve probably seen a lot of discussions regarding lead nurturing lately. People want to know: How can I create enough content with my organization’s limited resources? How can we develop a nurturing program that actually builds our pipeline? What measurements...

  • 50 Most Influential People in Lead Management

    • 50 Most Influential People in Lead Management
    10 Sep, 2010
    The Sales Lead Management Association posted their list of the 50 most influential people in lead management. I was humbled to see that I was included on the list along with a lot of of people I really like and...
  • Pacifica Group

  • What's the most effective demand gen approach?

    • What's the most effective demand gen approach?
    25 Aug, 2010
    I recently posted some discussions on LinkedIn that asked the question: what’s the most effective telemarketing and lead generation approach for technology companies? This triggered some excellent responses and lively discussions, as well as a few questions. To follow is a brief overview of the discussions, and a few answers to the questions posed.

  • Announcing Aventi’s Vector for Channels

    • Announcing Aventi’s Vector for Channels
    24 Aug, 2010
    I’m very pleased to announce a new Aventi Group’s offering masterminded by our very own Bill Reed. Aventi’s Vector for Channels is a deliverable made up of methods, tools, templates and even a bit of software aimed at helping technology clients optimize channel sales. Specifically, Vector for Channels is intended to help the VP of Sales/Marketing drive higher response rates from demand generation programs for the channel, increase channel sales rep effectiveness with sharp more »

  • It's that Target Market again...

    • It's that Target Market again...
    23 Aug, 2010
    Lately I've been advising a couple of different companies who are either introducing a new product or contemplating a new market. Invariably the question comes up how should we think about which markets to enter. Simple answer: wherever you can maximize your opportunity! Well not so simple really, when you start thinking about it.

  • CIO Tells Us How to Sell to CIOs

    • CIO Tells Us How to Sell to CIOs
    22 Aug, 2010
    I had a great conversation with my dear friend and neighbor, Walt Thinfen. He’s the Vice President and Chief Information Officer (CIO) of Visioneer, a high tech company here in Pleasanton, California. I took the opportunity to get his thoughts on how our clients and other technology vendors could do a better job of selling to the CIO. Listen in on this conversation for some great gold nuggets some of which might really surprise you.

  • Time for that Annual Partner Satisfaction Survey?

    • Time for that Annual Partner Satisfaction Survey?
    21 Aug, 2010
    Thinking about surveying your partners to assess your channel program and prioritize objectives for the coming year? We recently conducted such a survey for a global software organization, and despite current challenges in the economy, we heard channel partners asking for some fairly common resources.

  • Lessons Learned on Customer List Development

    • Lessons Learned on Customer List Development
    20 Aug, 2010
    Bill Reed, Sam Young, and I have been running several appointment setting campaigns for numerous tech clients with surprisingly outstanding results. We use a very unique, proprietary approach called Vector, which is resulting in 65% to 75% of our completed appointments rated as “goodâ€� to “excellentâ€�, meaning they are moving to next steps in our client’s pipeline by meeting rigorous criteria. As part of our approach, we acquire target customer prospect lists throu more »

  • The Aventi Group Network -- Check It Out!

    • The Aventi Group Network -- Check It Out!
    14 Aug, 2010
    Here's an invitation to all of you independent consultants who might consider joining the tight network of executive consultants in the Aventi Group extended team. Please join me and fellow founders, Bill Reed and Jeff Thompson, on a webinar for a discussion on how we leverage our flexible network of experts/executives to add unique value to our clients...and see how you can benefit from this for your own practice. Click here to register for the webinar on Wednesday, January 7, 2009 at 8:00 AM more »

  • Leading Globally Distributed Teams

    • Leading Globally Distributed Teams
    13 Aug, 2010
    If you’re like most executives you manage a global team. But what’s the secret of running a team that cuts across time zones, cultures, and languages? How do you create a strong culture that balances centralized control with distributed authority? What metrics drive the right behaviors and business outcomes when you can’t see your team on a daily basis? I had a great lunch with my friend, Suresh Balasubramanian, who is a director in charge of a sales/field marketing te more »

  • Making your Channel “Product-Friendlyâ€�

    • Making your Channel “Product-Friendlyâ€�
    12 Aug, 2010
    A few months back Sridhar discussed the importance of tailoring your product or solution to the channel. It’s a vital step to ensuring that you will maximize the revenue opportunity through channels. An integrated program will ensure initial mindshare AND pave the way for initial success. Your channel partners have lots of products, and shifting attention to your solution will take focused effort. At Aventi, we have been assisting a major IT vendor roll out a major worldwide program t more »

  • Managing Upward – Tips on Handling a Demanding Boss

    • Managing Upward – Tips on Handling a Demanding Boss
    11 Aug, 2010
    “My boss is driving me nutsâ€� vented Richard, a director at a large software company and client of ours. “He’s constantly changing his mind on what my team’s priorities should be.â€� I personally heard three such executives in December exasperated that they were being asked to get more done with less while also being asked to handle frequent changes in direction and priority. Here are three recommendations I passed along to them. More are coming in additio more »
  • Selling to Big Companies / ...

  • Back to School Reading: Part 2

    • Back to School Reading: Part 2
    10 Sep, 2010
    In today's post, I'm continuing to share the good books that I think you'll find extremely valuable. Go For No! By Andrea Waltz & Rich Fenton Last month I finally had a chance to meet Andrea Waltz, co-author of Go for No and founder of the entire Go for No! movement. I love, love, love what she's doing. Go for...

  • Social Selling to Crazy-Busy Prospects

    • Social Selling to Crazy-Busy Prospects
    10 Sep, 2010
    Recently I had a chance to talk with Umberto Milletti, CEO of InsideView, about his perceptions on the changing sales landscape and the emerging concept of "social selling." Jill: How do you see social media impacting salespeople? I'm talking about things like blogs, twitter, Digg, YouTube and more. Umberto: Salespeople are now facing a new breed of prospect that I...

  • Creating Content that Attracts Prospects to You

    • Creating Content that Attracts Prospects to You
    10 Sep, 2010
    Recently I had a conversation with Chas. Cooper about how important content is to capturing the attention of today's crazy-busy people. Personally, I believe if salespeople don't have quality content for all three stages of their prospect's decision process, they're fighting a tough battle that's hard to win. Good content is delicious. It makes your prospects want more. They can't...

  • Shamelessly Going After What You Want

    • Shamelessly Going After What You Want
    10 Sep, 2010
    When I was in elementary school, I ran for class president. Unfortunately I got beat by one lousy vote. In debriefing why I "lost the sale" with my mom, I'll never forget her saying, "You did vote for yourself, didn't you?" I hadn't. I didn't think it was nice. When I told her no, she promptly set me straight. Flash...

  • High Velocity Sales to Fill the Funnel & More

    • High Velocity Sales to Fill the Funnel & More
    10 Sep, 2010
    If you have a moment today, check out my recent interviews: Fill the Funnel: In his weekly radio show, Miles Austin interviews me on selling in this new era, the impact of social media on sales, and the key strategies from my new book, SNAP Selling. Click to listen. High Velocity Radio: Hosts Stone Payton and Todd Schnick grill me...

  • If You're Crazy-Busy Too, This Might Help

    • If You're Crazy-Busy Too, This Might Help
    09 Sep, 2010
    Ever read a book and saw yourself in it? That's what happened recently when Mike started reading my new book, SNAP Selling. As I described today's frazzled prospects who are struggling to get everything done, it hit home. But what really bothered him was when I pointed out that their frenetic multi-tasking actually caused them to accomplish less. He knew...

  • Join Me: Free Webinar You Won't Want to Miss

    • Join Me: Free Webinar You Won't Want to Miss
    09 Sep, 2010
    Simplicity: The Key to Selling to Crazy-Busy Executives Wednesday, July 28th 2 pm ET, 1 pm CT, 12 noon MT, 11 am PT Register: http://bit.ly/b5NVKw Want to learn fresh strategies to increase your sales effectiveness with today's frazzled execs? In this session, you'll discover: How being super-busy impacts how executives think as well as their expectations. What sellers and marketers...

  • High Velocity Sales to Fill the Funnel & More

    • High Velocity Sales to Fill the Funnel & More
    09 Sep, 2010
    If you have a moment today, check out my recent interviews: Fill the Funnel: In his weekly radio show, Miles Austin interviews me on selling in this new era, the impact of social media on sales, and the key strategies from my new book, SNAP Selling. Click to listen. High Velocity Radio: Hosts Stone Payton and Todd Schnick grill me...

  • Are You Thinking About Being More Helpful to Your Frazzled Prospects?

    • Are You Thinking About Being More Helpful to Your Frazzled Prospects?
    09 Sep, 2010
    I had a great conversation with John Cousineau of Innovative Information the other day. The focus? What works with crazy-busy prospects — the topic of SNAP Selling, my #1-ranked Amazon sales book. Here's his take on a highly valuable strategy that's working for sellers today. Sellers: Spend More Time Thinking About Being Helpful Look closely, today, at the activities and...

  • What Do You Need to Master the World of Selling?

    • What Do You Need to Master the World of Selling?
    08 Sep, 2010
    Just a quick note today about a new book that's out called, "Mastering the World of Selling." This book, edited by Eric Taylor and David Riklan, includes articles from top sales experts, premier training companies, as well as the old masters. As someone who was selected as a contributor, I can assure you I gave them my "best stuff." So...
  • Accelerating IT Sales

  • Explore the Web with Alternative Browsers

    • Explore the Web with Alternative Browsers
    10 Jun, 2009
    Web browsers are integral to everyday life for anyone who spends any time on the Internet. Whether you work for an online company, spend your days blogging and tweeting, buy everything from clothes to airline tickets online or connect to friends, music, and your community on the Internet, you do so within the confines of a browser. Most people use the same few browsers, and probably don't think much about what their particular browser choice offers (or doesn't offer) when compared to other browse more »

  • How B2B Marketers Can Monetize Social Media

    • How B2B Marketers Can Monetize Social Media
    10 Jun, 2009
    If you've been trying to introduce social media and networking tools and create an online community centered around your company, products or services, there's a good chance that you've hit walls when it comes to explaining how exactly these new products can be monetized. While B2C has leveraged the power of social media and social networking with great success, B2B is still struggling to justify the investments required to develop, host, and manage social tools and communities on their websites. more »

  • Using Social Media to Shorten Sales Cycles

    • Using Social Media to Shorten Sales Cycles
    10 Jun, 2009
    Social media and online communities have exploded over the past few years, but most B2B marketers still haven't figured out how social media can be implemented and monetized as part of their overall marketing strategies. With stable revenue sources already in place, insignificant budgets for developing and building new (and untested) marketing tools, and little data on the ROI of social media, B2B marketers are sticking with traditional online models (including lead generation and banner advertis more »

  • The Basics of Content Jacking

    • The Basics of Content Jacking
    10 Jun, 2009
    There's a new criminal in town, and it's out to get your content! As the web expands, and content creators face increasing pressure to develop new, unique, interesting and accessible content for the masses, content theft increases too. Content jacking is the unauthorized, unattributed redistribution of content from its original website to another site, and content thieves will sometimes post articles without permission, or even scrape entire websites and steal all of the content contained therei more »

  • The Role of Social Media in B2B Marketing

    • The Role of Social Media in B2B Marketing
    10 Jun, 2009
    For those of us who keep an eye on trends in social media, it seems as if EVERYONE is jumping on the social media bandwagon. From Barack Obama and John McCain's use of the technologies in their campaigns, to major IT companies like IBM and SAP's social efforts, one might easily get the impression that social media is everywhere. Social media isn't really everywhere - only 35% of B2B marketers participating in a Forrester Research teleconference currently use social media in their marketing effor more »

  • Search and Google Aren't Synonymous

    • Search and Google Aren't Synonymous
    10 Jun, 2009
    There has been quite a bit of disappointment over Google, Yahoo and Microsoft searches, and their agreement in censoring search results as part of China's Golden Shield Project. According to Wikipedia the Golden Shield Policy is the censorship and surveillance project operated by the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) of the People's Republic of China. Because of this policy, some people have ceased their use of Google, Yahoo and Microsoft searches, and are looking for alternative search engines t more »

  • Scrub Your Leads For Job Security

    • Scrub Your Leads For Job Security
    10 Jun, 2009
    Email list hygiene - and the specific practice of scrubbing out bad email addresses - should be of the utmost concern for any of you out there who actively distribute marketing materials via email messages or enewsletters. When sending your marketing materials to huge lists that have not been scrubbed for junk, you run the risk of destroying your company's reputation and losing business along the way. And while it would be easy to sit here and cite statistics about email bounce rates, blacklistin more »

  • BtoB Online Goes Interactive with the Lead Generation Guide 2008

    • BtoB Online Goes Interactive with the Lead Generation Guide 2008
    10 Jun, 2009
    The recently released the BtoB Online Lead Generation Guide 2008 provides a comprehensive overview of the B2B lead generation industry's recent innovations and upcoming trends, and is published in an interactive format that puts their own suggestions regarding content usage into action. The interactive guide has a range of features that allow users to search, bookmark, customize, and generally manipulate their experience with the content within. To explain all of the features, the guide contain more »

  • Keywords, content and tag clouds

    • Keywords, content and tag clouds
    10 Jun, 2009
    Have you seen or heard of tag clouds, yet never been too sure what they are or why they're on so many sites? Have you ever want to see what your website or blog would look like with a tag cloud? I was curious about tag clouds myself - so I did a little research and created a few tag clouds to share on this site. According to Wikipedia, tag clouds are "...visual depictions of user-generated tags, or simply the word content of a site, used typically to describe the content of web sites." Flikr, t more »

  • Pushing Prospects through the Pipeline

    • Pushing Prospects through the Pipeline
    10 Jun, 2009
    A recent Marketing Sherpa report addresses lead nurturing best practices, and is a helpful update on how to best reach prospects once they've engaged with your content, but not independently returned to your site. By applying the practices outlined in Lead Nurturing Best Practices: New Data, Charts, Tips to Put More Punch in Your Cultivation Tactics, you can align your lead nurturing program with what's shown to be working industry-wide. In compiling this report, Marketing Sherpa partnered with more »
  • Anything Goes Marketing

  • Top 10 LinkedIn Tips for Lead Generation

    • Top 10 LinkedIn Tips for Lead Generation
    10 Sep, 2010
    I had the pleasure of guest blogging on the “It’s all About Revenue Blog�. Here is a snippet from that post: If you haven’t logged into LinkedIn these days, it’s time to get back in there and see some of the cool stuff that is now available. This post will provide tips for sales professionals and marketers to get the most out of LinkedIn so you can stay on top of your customers and prospects and

  • Lead Scoring Has Drastically Changed – How do You Measure up?

    • Lead Scoring Has Drastically Changed – How do You Measure up?
    10 Sep, 2010
    With my son Matthew turning one this week, I’m feeling a bit nostalgic. I dug up and started contributing to a personal online journal that I hadn’t touched since 2004, reviewed pictures from past trips with my wife, and reflected on memories that I’ve had in my first year as a dad. Taking a look back and reliving great times in your life provides perspective and helps explain how things have

  • Customer Service at its Best: Wind Mobile

    • Customer Service at its Best: Wind Mobile
    10 Sep, 2010
    For someone who lives and breathes customer service as part of my profession I am very critical with companies I deal with as I have a high expectation on the type of service I should receive. I’ve finally found a company that does a fantastic job at servicing its customers across many channels and you know I have to blog about it. Up here in Canada we’ve had three main mobile providers for as

  • Lead Management and Football

    • Lead Management and Football
    10 Sep, 2010
    In one of my meetings these past few weeks I was thinking of an analogy where I could break down the lead management process into much simpler terms so everyone could understand their roles - this is where football comes in. Why football? Well, if I compared it to hockey no one outside of Canada would care. I'm going to introduce the players and coaches below and then summarize how the different

  • Why I Use Twitter

    • Why I Use Twitter
    10 Sep, 2010
    While I'm not turning this blog into a Twitterfest, I've had a few people ask me recently why I use Twitter and how do I use it effectively without it taking over my life. Instead of answering people one by one I thought I would write a quick post on it (it better be a quick post!). I hope that you find this useful. And hey, this blog is called "Anything Goes Marketing" so I'm just keeping it

  • Email Marketing Gone Wrong - It's not the 1990s Anymore

    • Email Marketing Gone Wrong - It's not the 1990s Anymore
    10 Sep, 2010
    I've just got off the treadmill and getting ready to turn in and received an email from a Canada's largest retail drug store - Shoppers Drug Mart or "Shoppers" for short. The email broke most of the essential email best practice rules and I want to ensure that you are aware of these and that Shoppers takes these into consideration for future campaigns. This email may have cut it 1999 but will be

  • Twitter and Customer Service - Potential PR Nightmare

    • Twitter and Customer Service - Potential PR Nightmare
    10 Sep, 2010
    Your company may have just started down the path of using Twitter as another communication channel. (If you're not there yet, that's cool but keep reading because there are some items to be aware of. Now back to our story). You may use it to highlight upcoming events, press releases and product/service updates. Using it for this purpose is fairly straightforward. It's mostly a marketing function

  • 10 Tips for Using Twitter And Email Marketing for B2B

    • 10 Tips for Using Twitter And Email Marketing for B2B
    10 Sep, 2010
    I was told that every blog needs a "top 10 post" and I thought today would be a good day to write one on a topic that is growing in popularity. That topic is Twitter and how best to use this tool for your B2B marketing efforts. I thought I would take a stab at providing tips on blending a tried and true tool like email with Twitter. Let me know what you think and if you have additional tips (

  • How to Prevent List Attrition yet Drive Event Attendance

    • How to Prevent List Attrition yet Drive Event Attendance
    10 Sep, 2010
    This week's blog post was inspired by an idea by Yaro Starak over at Entrepreneurs-journey.com who suggested to look for blog ideas by scanning Facebook groups. I decided to do a quick scan on Linkedin instead and found a great topic on email marketing. Here is the question that was asked:How does your company email customers about events and web seminars without sending too many emails to the

  • Top Automated Marketing Personalization Tactics

    • Top Automated Marketing Personalization Tactics
    09 Sep, 2010
    There is a lot of talk these days that personalization is back in marketing but what does that really mean and what are some of the tactics you can use? This is important: Besides all of the technology out there that can make this process easier, it’s important to keep in mind that the goal is to create engaging experiences for your customers and potential customers so that they will
  • Ask Justin Hitt

  • When To Handle Objections

    • When To Handle Objections
    20 Jul, 2010
    "Should I handle the objections during the time of the sales presentation OR ask for another appointment to answer the objections?" -- Harriet Mpora When possible, handle common objections prior to your presentation in pre-sales materials, then again address in your presentation, and right before your close. Always seek to address objections before your prospect asks them -- but almost never in another appointment.

  • Do I Need a Copywriter Specializing in My Field

    • Do I Need a Copywriter Specializing in My Field
    21 Feb, 2010
    I'm wondering if I need to hire a copywriter with advertising experience in the Construction industry. I'm a building contractor that would like to start advertising to the contractor market and am looking for some useful tag lines. If you are an expert in what you do, then you don't need a copywriter who specializes in your specific field. They don't need to have sold in you field, nor have written for your industry before. However, they must ...

  • Increasing Direct Mail Response Rates

    • Increasing Direct Mail Response Rates
    20 Feb, 2010
    I started sending out the following letter (attached.) I have been getting about a 1/2 percent response. Anyone have any suggestions on increasing my response rate? Perhaps the best advice anyone can give you it to tweak and test one thing at a time until you know what works. Only through testing will you know what works. But, don't make this common mistakes ...

  • Most Sales People are Unprepared

    • Most Sales People are Unprepared
    19 Feb, 2010
    John finally get an appointment to sit down with purchasing and a long sought decision maker, yet is already wrong on two issues of the prospects experience, you'd think he'd be more prepared. According to a recent study, executives say 82% of sales representatives are unprepared for meetings.

  • Your logo has no selling power

    • Your logo has no selling power
    18 Feb, 2010
    Before your company changes its logo, read this very important message! On a live chat for Inside Strategic Relations subscribers, a reader asks:If one's company is chaging Logo, doesn't that affect level of sales? And, how can one overcome this handle? -- Unknown (via Chat)

  • Discovering Demographics and Psychographics

    • Discovering Demographics and Psychographics
    18 Feb, 2010
    I am currently having trouble trying to find the demographics and the psychographics of my target market (mid level, top level, and, ceo executives). I wanted to know is there any information that you could possibly give me or point me in the correct direction? -- Chris Momon, The BOSS Group Having a clear and understandable profile of your best customers is a valuable influencer of selling results. Knowing your customers helps you take the right actions, rather than just educated guesses. Ge more »

  • Speaking In Front of a Trade Group

    • Speaking In Front of a Trade Group
    17 Feb, 2010
    What would be a good presentation to do for a dinner meeting for a group of Purchasing professionals? -- Ted Kosiek, Kerneos Inc You're in luck, my wife is a purchasing professional with a Fortune 500, and member of the local chapter of one a large purchasing associations. When speaking in front of any trade group, there are three things to consider:

  • Do Special Reports Still Work

    • Do Special Reports Still Work
    16 Feb, 2010
    Many less informed marketers say special reports are over-done and most of the time lacking value, especially in lead generation. Do special reports as part of lead generation still work?

  • Get Better Results Using Content from Real Experience

    • Get Better Results Using Content from Real Experience
    15 Feb, 2010
    I had some sales letters and articles written on {Freelance Site Here}, they don't bring in the response I was expecting. How are your clients writing articles to connect with prospects and for newsletters? -- Terry G. One thing, I pride myself on is providing visitors real unique value from real life experiences. Visitors of this site expect a unique prospective that advances their interests, and so do your customers. Here's why that statement so important.

  • Bad Advice on B2B Lead Generation

    • Bad Advice on B2B Lead Generation
    14 Feb, 2010
    My newsreader brought to my attention B2B lead generation advice from a popular publication, an expert proclaiming that cold calls followed up by email works. It seemed simple enough until he missed one critical point.
  • Marketing & Strategy Innov ...

  • Regulating the Use of Social Media Data

    • Regulating the Use of Social Media Data
    10 Sep, 2010
    If you were to walk into my office, I’d have a pretty decent sense of your gender, your age, your race, and other identity markers. My knowledge wouldn’t be perfect, but it would give me plenty of information that I could use to discriminate against you if I felt like it. The law doesn’t prohibit me for “collectingâ€� this information in a job interview nor does it say that discrimination is acceptable if you “sharedâ€� this information with me. read mor more »

  • There Is No “Bestâ€� Social Media Channel

    • There Is No “Bestâ€� Social Media Channel
    10 Sep, 2010
    Guest Post by: Monica (Market Sentinel) People always ask us what the “best� social media channel is for their particular marketing strategy. If you play it by the numbers, Facebook rocks them all: last January, Compete.com reported that Facebook had over 133 million unique visitors (UVs), compared to YouTube’s 97.7 million and Twitter’s paltry 23.5 million. How many Facebook fans do you have? read more

  • No Pictures Please

    • No Pictures Please
    10 Sep, 2010
    I was reminded of this issue by C.B. Whittemore's post on our recent retail walkabout at Levi's Customer Retail Experience. During our visit to the Levi's store, C.B. asked about taking a picture of their new Curves display and we were told that we couldn't take photos in the store. read more

  • Anarchy in the UI

    • Anarchy in the UI
    10 Sep, 2010
    WikiLeaks shakes the security assumptions of the US government by releasing classified documents relating to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. An operation called Project Vigilant hacks WikiLeaks and reveals its source. read more

  • People Make the Experience, Technology Enhances It

    • People Make the Experience, Technology Enhances It
    10 Sep, 2010
    I've been involved in a number of customer service conversations lately, as I believe that in our social media world, companies are going to have to deal a lot more with customers who complain publicly when things don't go well. read more

  • Social Divisions between Orkut & Facebook in Brazil

    • Social Divisions between Orkut & Facebook in Brazil
    10 Sep, 2010
    I have been writing about social divisions between Facebook and MySpace for some time now, focused exclusively on American teenager dynamics. Yet, every time I post about this subject, folks write to me to ask if I know much about social divisions elsewhere in the world. Alas, I have never done fieldwork outside of the US and so most of my knowledge is second-hand. Even worse, I’m never quite sure where to point people to. read more

  • Five Magic Days to Sell (to Women)

    • Five Magic Days to Sell (to Women)
    10 Sep, 2010
    What if there were five days every month when your customers were unusually receptive to your product? If you market products or services that make women more attractive (apparel, cosmetics, diet programs, etc.), those magic days exist. New research shows that women’s purchasing behavior is unconsciously influenced by their hormones. Specifically, it was found that women who are ovulating buy and wear sexier clothes, and their choices are less influenced by men than by the need to outdo fe more »

  • Startling Experiments Are Absorbed in a Day

    • Startling Experiments Are Absorbed in a Day
    10 Sep, 2010
    This is a quote I came across 18 months ago, in a great article about the NY Times data visualisation/graphics team. nymag.com/news/features/all-new/53344/ read more

  • It Takes a Village to Clean Up Twitter

    • It Takes a Village to Clean Up Twitter
    10 Sep, 2010
    Twitter is a mess. Maybe it’s just me, but in the last few weeks the vast majority of my new Twitter followers were bots or people promoting something. Perhaps that’s not unexpected. After all, I’m sure an even higher percentage of my email is spam. In this day and age, it’s a certainty that any free medium will attract abuse. But the problem is that there are lots of enablers for Twitter abuse. Are YOU an enabler of bad behavior? read more

  • A Few Thoughts on Name Changes & Reputation

    • A Few Thoughts on Name Changes & Reputation
    10 Sep, 2010
    I’ve changed my name twice. First, I took my (now ex) stepfather’s last name when I was a child. At 18, I started the process to take my maternal grandfather’s name to honor him and to create an identity that meant something to me. The process was finalized when I was 22. And let me tell you, it was a Pain in the F* Ass. read more
  • B2B Sales & Marketing Know ...

  • Too Much of a Good Thing

    • Too Much of a Good Thing
    08 Sep, 2010
    Yesterday Xerox launched a new global marketing campaign titled, Real Business.  Xerox is calling it their most ambitious and innovative campaign ever created. Realbusiness.com includes interactive billboards, innovative media, video, and what they are calling “attention-grabbing digital unitsâ€� showcasing Xerox’s clients, featuring brand icons, such as P&G’s Mr. Clean.   The launch of the website will be followed by TV ads and a global roll-out...Europe is up next.  more »

  • Inside the Ritz Carlton Customer Experience Model

    • Inside the Ritz Carlton Customer Experience Model
    08 Sep, 2010
    For years, the Ritz-Carlton has been recognized for its ability to delight customers.  Although I’ve used them frequently as a best in class example for clients, I never truly experienced what makes them so good…until now.My family and I just returned for our summer vacation where we had the good fortune of staying at the Ritz-Carlton on Grand Cayman in the Cayman Islands for the week.   While we originally booked the Marriott, a special off-season promotion through American Expre more »

  • Cloud Computing - Vaporware?

    • Cloud Computing - Vaporware?
    08 Sep, 2010
    The Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary defines a cloud as a “visible mass of particles of condensed vapor.â€�  According to CIOs interviewed for an article in the June edition of the Harvard Business Review magazine, cloud computing might as well be defined as “vaporware.â€� The article includes research by Gartner Group VP, Mark McDonald, who found that CIOs interest in the cloud has grown from 5% in 2009 to 37% earlier this year.  However, three out of four re more »

  • The New Partner Marketing Model

    • The New Partner Marketing Model
    08 Sep, 2010
    In the “good old daysâ€� companies like IBM built a ubiquitous brand with unique products and then dictated their terms and funds to sales channels. Brand advertising was typically done on one of the three major TV networks aimed at the mass market to create a “pullâ€� that would have customers do whatever it took to get those products regardless of price, location or availability. Product marketing teams would assemble sales and marketing material, and route it to partners more »

  • Why Product Companies Can’t Build Solutions - Reason #1

    • Why Product Companies Can’t Build Solutions - Reason #1
    08 Sep, 2010
    I’m working on my umpteenth “transition the organization from being product led to solution focused…â€� project. In today’s market environment, I imagine other organizations are pursuing this strategy as a way to improve margins, increase sales, etc.The challenges facing companies that venture down this path are fairly consistent and complex…and certainly not easily described or solved in a post. With that said, I thought it might be helpful to describe how o more »

  • B2B Social Media and the Upside Down Funnel

    • B2B Social Media and the Upside Down Funnel
    08 Sep, 2010
    In my post on 6 Steps to Getting Control of Social Media, I mentioned the concept of an “upside-down funnelâ€�.  I thought I’d spend some time explaining it in this post.  As with most new technologies, social media is starting to “settle inâ€� and common applications of the platforms are becoming known.   In many large B2B organizations, that means social media is finding a home in the marketing communications group, often landing in PR. That seems fine for B2 more »

  • The New Online Paradigm

    • The New Online Paradigm
    08 Sep, 2010
    In 1962, Thomas Kuhn wrote The Structure of Scientific Revolution, and fathered, defined and popularized the concept of "paradigm shift." Kuhn argues that scientific advancement is not evolutionary, but rather is a "series of peaceful interludes punctuated by intellectually violent revolutions", and in those revolutions "one conceptual world view is replaced by another".So what if you spent half your time at work on Linked-In, Facebook or Twitter? Yes, the recession has slowed business significan more »

  • 7 Steps to Creating a Social Media Strategy

    • 7 Steps to Creating a Social Media Strategy
    08 Sep, 2010
    Lots of clients are now interested (finally) in getting their Social Media house in order. Fortunately, there is a ton of information on Social Media available…unfortunately; I haven’t seen anything that tells a Marketer what to do about it.After spending a year and a half on this topic and working with clients, here's a quick “To Doâ€� list based on the best and worst practices observed. The first 3 deal with the current state, the remaining 4 are future looking. At this more »

  • Insights and Epiphanies from a recent B2B Social Communication Event

    • Insights and Epiphanies from a recent B2B Social Communication Event
    08 Sep, 2010
    I attended the B2B Social Communications Case Studies and Roundtable event in New York last week, my first live event since the downturn. Got to admit, I was impressed by the attendance (probably close to 250 folks) and list of companies presenting included; Microsoft, Amex, Intuit, Dupont, IBM, Deliotte, Pitney Bowes, and others. I came away with some great new insights, not only of social media in a B2B world, but also regarding the structure of the event itself. Get In, Then Get Out - In my l more »

  • Is B2B Web 2.0 Over Before It Ever Started?

    • Is B2B Web 2.0 Over Before It Ever Started?
    08 Sep, 2010
    Not yet, but it’s getting close. The potential suspects in its death…the recession, the CFO and the Legal Department. Suddenly, every legal department around the country has become the de facto Web 2.0 governance committee. What doesn’t get killed, modified, or mangled is left to the CFO to cut. Senior executives, who for the most part lack an understanding of the tools, are growing tired of all the noise around Digital, Web 2.0, Social Media, etc. They are now directing  more »
  • The Innovative Marketer

  • A primer on Social Media ROI

    • A primer on Social Media ROI
    10 Sep, 2010
    Olivier Blanchard Basics Of Social Media Roi View more presentations from Olivier Blanchard.

  • 10 Great Marketing Podcasts you Should Not Miss

    • 10 Great Marketing Podcasts you Should Not Miss
    10 Sep, 2010
    Before doing some spring gardening this weekend, I loaded up the ol' iPod with a bunch of recent marketing-related Podcasts. Podcasts, you recall, were the world-changing, paradigm-shifting phenomena of four years ago, kind of like Twitter is today. My day...

  • An open letter to PR agencies ...

    • An open letter to PR agencies ...
    10 Sep, 2010
    Hello, my friends in PR. Some of you have seen that I'm looking for a new agency, and a few of you have submitted responses to the RFI we sent out. I even met with some of you these past...

  • Trendsurfing on That Marketing Show

    • Trendsurfing on That Marketing Show
    10 Sep, 2010
    Spoke with Rodger Roeser of That Marketing Show recently about Web 2.0 marketing tactics, measurement and Digital Body Language. The show's online now. Check it out here.

  • Podcast #24 - Interview with Robert Cialdini, expert on persuasion

    • Podcast #24 - Interview with Robert Cialdini, expert on persuasion
    10 Sep, 2010
    Dr. Robert Cialdini will change the way you communicate forever. His research, books and talks (he'll be keynoting at the Eloqua International User Conference next month), have been read and attended by hundreds of thousands. He consults for Fortune 100...

  • Q&A from the B2B Magazine Social Media Webinar with David Meerman Scott

    • Q&A from the B2B Magazine Social Media Webinar with David Meerman Scott
    10 Sep, 2010
    David Meerman Scott and I went over time on our B2B Magazine Webinar on social media and agreed that we'd handle Q&A on this blog (and perhaps over on David's as well). I consolidated some of the 50+ questions we...

  • What is lead nurturing?

    • What is lead nurturing?
    09 Sep, 2010
    Salesforce.com’s big Dreamforce conference is over. The keynotes have been distilled down to talking points for the media. The hangovers from the after parties have been dealt with. The Black Crowes have flown away, the hangovers from the after parties...

  • A click is not currency

    • A click is not currency
    09 Sep, 2010
    Oh, the coveted click. It’s traditionally been considered the Holy Grail of the Internet, and marketers have spent millions in search of clicks. Google made billions by providing them. The legendary dot-com bubble was fueled by an ever ballooning belief...

  • Q&A from the B2B Magazine Social Media Webinar with David Meerman Scott

    • Q&A from the B2B Magazine Social Media Webinar with David Meerman Scott
    09 Sep, 2010
    David Meerman Scott and I went over time on our B2B Magazine Webinar on social media and agreed that we'd handle Q&A on this blog (and perhaps over on David's as well). I consolidated some of the 50+ questions we...

  • Question #3: Measuring Effectiveness of Social Media

    • Question #3: Measuring Effectiveness of Social Media
    09 Sep, 2010
    Jennifer said: How do you measure effectiveness of social media if you're not gating content? There are a bunch of metrics you can use. Links from other web sites. Mentions on blogs. Print publication pickup. Increases in numbers of speaking...