A Clean Pipeline is a Healthy Pipeline. By Charles Bernard, CEO of Criteria for Success, Inc.
Every good salesperson knows that maintaining a robust pipeline full of well-qualified deals is the first step to successful selling. After all, few deals close without going through the pipeline first – and a better qualified pipeline results in higher close rates. Good salespeople also know this is one of the most difficult parts of the job.
Why B2B Marketers Should Care About “Couch Tracking” In their new book, Absolute Value: What Really Influences Customers in the Age of (Nearly) Perfect Information, Itamar Simonson and Emanuel Rosen contend that several long-standing and widely-accepted principles of marketing are becoming less relevant in today’s competitive environment.
For example: Brand names and brand perceptions are becoming less powerful, and they are playing a reduced role in the customer decision-making process.Customer loyalty is declining. Content Curation: Three Tools For Finding Content. If content curation is part of your content marketing efforts, you know that the time you save creating your content will be spent hunting for it.
Finding great content is time consuming, but there are tools that can make it easier for you. Here are three of my favorites . . . . Google Alerts. Content Curation: Three Tools For Finding Content. Google+'s "ghost town" could be marketers' next bustling metropolis. (Brad Wang/Getty) The infamous remark from New York Times columnist Claire Cain Miller, that Google’s much maligned social network is like a “ghost town,” was always going to rile the Google+ brigade.
But their disapproval seemed to miss the crux of Miller’s piece, which is that it doesn’t matter whether Google+ is a ghost town or a bustling metropolis; what matters is its increasing function as the one account that ties all of Google’s services, and therefore users, together. “Some analysts even say that Google understands more about people’s social activity than Facebook does,” Miller writes, going onto point out that “before Google released Plus, the company might not have known that you were the same person when you searched, watched videos and used maps. Have You Implemented Semantic Markup?
Although there’s still some disagreement over whether or not semantic markup will help your site rank better, there’s little disagreement that proper use of semantic markup will improve your click-through and conversion rates.
While the schema markup isn’t visible on your site’s page, the rich snippets that your markup creates on SERPs create an engaging experience for the searcher. For example, these site’s search results provide an image, rating, and descriptive bit about the search term “Taco Salad.” Wouldn’t you be more likely to click through to a highly rated recipe where a picture is present? Learn more about semantic markup through this handy infographic compliments of NineHertz.
How to Be the Best Salesperson – the Four Key Steps. Getting Past No. Queries & Clicks May Influence Google's Results More Directly Than Previously Suspected. Date / / Category / Data, Marketing For a long time, folks in the search, technology, and marketing worlds have surmised that Google is using query and clickthrough data to bias search result rankings.
I recently observed several examples of this via some industry colleagues (that, unfortunately, I cannot share publicly), and thought, “what the heck, let’s give it a spin.” On April 30th, at 6:03pm Pacific, I performed the following query: A blog post I’d published last week ranked number 7 in Google US results (incognito/logged-out, without regional geographic bias), the same as it had a week prior just after I wrote it (sadly, I forgot to take a screenshot last week when I first looked at the ranking). After noting the position and taking a screenshot, I sent this tweet: Over the next few hours, people on Twitter took action, and responded back. I’d estimate between 175-250 people likely saw the tweet and took action (though it’s hard to know that number for certain).
The Modern-Day Online Seller & Marketer. The internet has changed everything for sales & marketing.
The old strategies and tactics may not work as effectively in the self-educated buyer era. Introduction to Quality Score: What Does Google Look For. If you are spending a lot of money on Google AdWords and seeing little return on investment, chances are your Quality Score may be to blame.
Quality Score is an extremely important factor in determining your bid and ad placement on Google AdWords; however, it’s one of the least understood aspects of the Google AdWords equation. So, what exactly is Quality Score? According to Google, “A measurement of how relevant your ads, keywords, and landing page are to a person seeing your ad. Social Media Statistics to Consider in 2014. 5 Problems You Can Solve to Keep Your Marketers Happy. While as a business owner you have a lot to shoulder, it’s a fair bet to say that your marketers are often pretty stressed out.
They suck down eighteen cups of coffee a day while creating and monitoring a zillion pieces of content, managing various social media platforms, budgeting, monitoring website analytics, building your brand, email campaigning, SEO, SEM and probably a lot of little things I didn’t mention. Yeah, marketers have it rough. How to whip a struggling sales team into shape, startup-style. A Tale of Two Sales Funnels. This is a story about two companies’ sales funnels.
One company has a sales funnel that improves win rates, the other doesn’t. “Company A” uses the most common approach, orienting its sales funnel to the steps of its sales process: qualifying, solution identified, quotation provided, demonstration delivered, etc. A Tale of Two Sales Funnels. A Quick (but Thorough) Guide to YouTube Optimization. Though many companies have succeeded in reaching their audiences via social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, only a fraction have explored the option of marketing via YouTube. Yet, YouTube is not only the second-largest search engine but also the third most-visited website in the world, only behind Google and Facebook. It receives over 1 billion unique monthly visitors, and it has about 6 billion hours of videos watched each month.
10 Effective Social Media Posts in 10 Minutes or Less. Social media is a critical piece in the online marketing puzzle for local businesses (and others). But, some days, you have so much to juggle that you just need a quick, easy way to post interesting, engaging content. So, here are 10 ideas you can use to keep your social channels full of relevant, timely, and useful content—fast! 1. One Way to Make Feeding the Content Beast Easier. Other than lack of time, the biggest challenge now facing B2B content marketers is producing enough content, according to the latest #content marketing survey by the #content marketing Institute and MarketingProfs. The volume of content required for effective B2B marketing has increased dramatically over the past few years in part because publishing new content frequently is important for improving search engine rankings.
More significantly, though, companies must produce more content because of the need to make marketing messages more relevant for potential buyers. To improve relevance, marketers are increasingly using two best practices: They are creating buyer personas and developing content that is tailored to address the particular needs and interests of each persona. This increases what I call personal relevance.They are developing content that is specifically designed for each stage of the buying process, which increases what I call situational relevance.
Creative Marketing: Rewards for You and Your Customers. Whether you’ve just launched your first startup business, or you’re seeking new opportunities to reach your demographic or audience you have in mind, getting creative with your marketing and advertising campaigns is a way for you to provide rewards for both you and your potential customers. Understanding a variety of ways to reach your customers while also providing rewards and incentives is not only a way for you to generate more income and revenue, but it also helps to increase the number of loyal customers and fans you have both online and off. Destroy Price Objections - A Step by Step Guide. Struggle with price objections? I have written several articles about price objections and how, in fact, most price objections are not really about price but more about conveying value to the prospect. Whether the price objection is about price or not – it still needs to be addressed. Let’s assume the preliminary steps have been taken care of professionally.
Prospecting: You have done the research and asked the correct questions to determine that the prospect can benefit from your offer and that they have the resources to purchase if they choose to do so. In other words, they are qualified prospects. Top 40 Sales Tools of 2014! Finding the Right Candidate for Your Inside Sales Team. What Would Don Draper Do? Sales Lessons from Mad Men. How Should You Measure Sales Productivity? Top 40 Sales Tools of 2014.
The Softer Side of B2B Marketing. Social media marketing is no longer solely for B2C companies. B2B marketers are recognizing the benefit of engaging with audiences via social networks. By creating an online persona for your brand, you’re humanizing it, just as those in the consumer space do, creating a relationship that makes people feel like they know your brand personally. 91 percent of B2B companies are present on LinkedIn and more than 80 percent have Twitter and Facebook accounts. 21 Shocking Sales Facts That Will Change How You Sell Forever! The State of “Enterprise-Level” Content Marketing. LookBookHQ and Oracle Eloqua recently published the findings of their Eloqua Community State of Content Marketing Survey 2014. The State of “Enterprise-Level” Content Marketing. Business How Tos: Six Ways to Collect Customer Reviews. Two Things That Kill Motivation In Salespeople. The Vital Importance of “Unrealistic” Thinking.
In 1960, Theodore Levitt wrote a landmark article for the Harvard Business Review titled, “Marketing Myopia.” When it was republished in 2004, HBR editors said the article, “introduced the most influential marketing idea of the past half century.” 8 Reasons to Sort Out Your (Lack of a) Contact Management Solution. But I'm a Marketer, Why Do I Feel Like I'm Being Pulled into Sales? The Concept of SWOT Analysis. The Concept of SWOT Analysis. Image source: The concept of SWOT analysis allows you to develop and evaluate your business strategy, by taking you in a structured way through your business’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
At the end of the day, your SWOT analysis is simply an organized list of those four aspects — the first letters of which form the acronym, SWOT. Top 10 (fixable) Sales Mistakes. The New Rules of Marketing Management. 9 Software Offerings To Help Marketers Manage And Convert Leads. Better Processes & Improved Focus with Queue-Based Lead Management Platforms. Why the Direct Approach in Lead Generation Isn’t Always Best. How to Sell and Really Love It. Website Metrics Tracking Workbook. How to Limit Social Media Abuse in the Workplace. Oops! 7 Awkward (But Common) Grammar Mistakes. Today’s Buyer: The Good, Bad & Ugly. Best Sales Ideas from Sales Pros. Cold Calling - Sales Training - Sales Tips » Blog Archive » Six Ways to Handle the “I’m Not Interested” Blow Off. When Sharing Isn’t Caring. One Easy Tip for a Successful Sales Conversation. B2B Sales 101: Winning the Hearts of Administrative Assistants. Social Listening: How Can My Company Benefit From It? Twitter Turns 8: How To Fail In 140 Characters.
Has Your Site Been Punched in the Face? Has Your Site Been Punched in the Face? How to Ensure Your Direct Mailing Ads Don’t Go Straight to the Trash. How To Get The Most Out Of A Joint Sales Call. Training and Coaching Is (Not) Expensive. Good Content Marketing Starts With Knowing Your Customers. Why Your Content Marketing Plan Must Focus on More Than Lead Generation. Need Sales Lead Guidance? VanillaSoft Leads the Way. 18 Sales Experts Share Their Best Tip for Maximizing Productivity. Google Analytics Workshop: 5 Crucial Customizations To Boost Your E-Commerce Sales.
How to Quickly Position Yourself as a Trusted Advisor. 10 Email Marketing Tips to Reach the Inbox. How to Survive Working for a Workaholic. Cold Calling is an Art: Debunking Myths. Lead Management Software, Inside Sales, Queue-based CRM. New White Paper: 4 Ways Queue-Based Lead Management Is Shaping The Inside Sales Industry. New White Paper: 4 Ways Queue-Based Lead Management Is Shaping The Inside Sales Industry.
Tips for Using Social Media to Generate Leads. Evolution of Logos. When Multiple Generations Blitz. Match Your Content to the Type of Demand You Need to Create. 5 Tips for a Better Presentation. Why The Customer Is Not Always Right. Sales Leaders – You Get What You Ask For – Sales eXchange 237. B2B Social Selling: The how & why for three key channels. Why Both Marketing and Sales Must Focus on Early Engagement. Surfing the Internet. Building A Social Business: 10 Questions. How do I create a Social Selling culture inside an Enterprise company? How To Get Your Business Well Known Online.
Find Your Blog Voice. Celebrating the Greatest Sales Enablement Tool – the Telephone. Instill Confidence in Your Inside Sales Reps. Sales management across generations – similarities not differences. Old School Direct Reach. The Top 3 Ways of Selling on LinkedIn in 2014. Auto Dialer Software – How Does It Improve Outbound Sales Productivity? Promotional Products and Protecting Your Client's Brand. Five Questions to Ask Before Investing in Chat. Why Both Marketing and Sales Must Focus on Early Engagement. Protect Your Website - Ten Things Hackers Look for in a Potential Target. The Benefits to Having Your Meetings in California.
The Holy Mail. How to Tell if a Lead Is Worth Your Time. Please, New Is So Old Now – Sales eXchange 236. Why Customer Feedback is So Important to Have.