There is no “me” in prospect. If there is one reason marketing fails to deliver on its promise of lead generation, sales support and customer retention, it is because companies are to “me” focused. To be sure, every company needs to promote itself. That’s not what we’re discussing here.
In ...
Once there was a man whose house was in a flood. He stood on the porch as the waters rose. A boat came by, the driver urged the man to get on board but the man said he was waiting on the Lord to save him. The waters rose, the ...
I did something recently I haven’t done for a while—in person cold calling. After all, even marketing copywriters have to keep the pipeline filled with new prospects. What I discovered reminded me why I no longer work in full-time sales . . . it’s hard!
It used to be a ...
I just read an article on BtoB Onlinehow we may be at the beginning of the “golden age” of lead generation. The article stated marketers never had the array of marketing tools now available or the ability to manage the data.
Take control of your company's marketing.
One VP of marketing said, “Buyers have more tools than ever to evaluate products and services, and more are turning to social as part of the due diligence process. Social media offers an opportunity to extend marketing’s reach, optimize the value of existing marketing efforts and increase the return of marketing programs.”
Translation: Marketing has to provide the B2B consumer with a ton of
If men are from Mars and women from Venus, where are marketing and sales from?
I talked with a sales trainer the other day. While he didn’t come out and directly say it, you easily gather from his comments that the two departments are seldom in the same galaxy.
Good ...
So you woke up this morning and decided it was time your company had a case study written on product X. Good for you! That’s a great first step and one that improves the quality of your marketing.
Not all case studies are equal. Make sure your case studies move the sales process forward.
A few days later, you present the case study to the sales team and proudly tell them to use this valuable sales tool because it will help close more sales and gain market share. They smile and politely file it away.
What happened? Doesn’t your sales team understand the impact a case study has? They do. However, a case study is valuable only when it offers value. So what causes a case study to crash and burn?
John Gold of Huthwaite International, says the paradigm for sales experienced a radical change from the traditional sales model. Gold contends that because of social media and the Internet, buyers of goods now hold the cards. Your company’s sales team can no longer control the sales process. You probably know this already, but may not be willing to accept it. Well, the fat lady is singing on the traditional sales process. Get over it and move on to the new reality.
Instead of internal fighting, a company's sales and marketing departments now must work more closely than ever.
That new reality is a partnership between marketing and sales. Nothing new about that, you say?
There was an interesting article in the January/February edition of Sales & Marketing Management entitled “Meeting of the Minds.” Did you read it?
The article revolves around an interview John Golden, president of Huthwaite, a sales performance improvement firm based in Washington D.C. Mr. Golden says we are entering a ...
Image campaigns don't help an advertiser sell product which is what the company desparately needs in this economy.
I’m not a fan of awards shows or contests. Too often, these emphasize all that is wrong with (fill in the blank). In the world of advertising and marketing, the selections are seldom based upon tangible criteria, like “how many leads generated” or “% increase of product sold.” Instead “experts” gather to judge the creativity/entertainment value of a marketing campaign, an ad, the use of new technology, etc. BtoB magazine’s “Best of 2011” awards presentation is an example of the latter instead of the former.
Companies representing many on the Fortune 500 are among the list of winners and runner’s up. Many of the well-known agencies are taking home the honors. But are these “honors” really something to be coveted by your company or mine? Let’s explore that for a minute.
Where’s the market headed? How will it impact the future of my business? Can my company withstand another recession?
These and similar questions are on the minds of business leaders. Do you want to help ease some of their concern? Make sure your B2B marketing efforts are successful. How?
Here’s ...
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