Jul
12
In the 25 years since I first started selling, the world of business to business selling has changed dramatically. Back then, the primary appointment generation method was “phone power”. We’d pound the phones, get face-to-face as often as possible, and that was how we were measured. The only way to quantify your contribution and your… Continue reading »
May
24
In a study conducted over a recent 60-day period, lead generation and sales support company EB Quickstart, acting on Sales Engine’s behalf, produced the following conclusions: 1. When inside sales resources followed up immediately on marketing-generated, email newsletter click throughs, they produced 3.21x more appointments than cold calling 2. When inside sales resources followed up… Continue reading »
Feb
08
I’ve noticed a startling pattern…Marketing Directors/VPs are either leaving or being let go from their companies with an alarming frequency . In the past 30 days, I have spoken to 6 separate companies (Revenues 10-50 Million) who had just parted ways with their Marketing leaders. Not sure that I have a lot of answers…but I… Continue reading »
Feb
03
Fans of the TV show Mad Men know that Don Draper is the quintessential ad man. He is cool, creative and smart. The show takes place in the 1960′s and there are many vestiges of an era long passed: – The characters all smoke – in their offices – Drinking is encouraged and condoned during… Continue reading »
Jan
26
Last night I received a call from Eddie. Eddie mentioned my friend Mike said I might be interested in seeing a presentation for his product. He then gave me a little pitch and closed for the meeting. Cold calling is a tough business in any economy. It is difficult to get a “live” voice on… Continue reading »
Jan
21
Most Sales Executives I speak with believe once the economy turns around, their revenue numbers will be once again achievable. Budgets will be funded…people will start buying and happy days will be here again. The economy is not a like a light switch that is either on or off. Economic downturns like the one we… Continue reading »
Jan
12
Over the weekend I spoke with a friend who is marketing a sports related product. We were throwing ideas back and forth when I asked him how many website visitors he gets each month. He said about 6,000. I then asked how many email addresses he harvests from those visits. He said none. One of… Continue reading »
Jan
11
The whole premise of lead nurturing campaigns rests in the concept that all prospects are not ready for “buy now” sales messages. This does not mean you have to be passive in your approach. Accelerator campaigns attempt to move prospects along in your process based on their previously identified behavior. By recognizing and analyzing their… Continue reading »
Dec
09
Your company has the latest eMarketing technology and a formal nurture-marketing program in place. You notice a spike in activity with a prospect you’ve been digitally nurturing for several months. They spend 15 minutes on your website and download an ROI calculator you’ve made available. Clearly it is time for a Sales Rep to call.… Continue reading »
Dec
04
I came across an interesting statistic from Juniper Research: “Four out of 10 social network participants are using these sites to gather product information and recommendations.” One of the challenges B2B marketers have with social media is tying their efforts and activities back to results. Clearly, this data point doesn’t constitute “full validation” of social… Continue reading »
