The Center for Sales Strategy Blog

It's Friday, and time to share the Top 5 blog posts, articles, and resources we've found online this week! Here are our "best" from around the web.

1. How to Get Better at Giving and Receiving Feedback — Inc.

It's not easy to give feedback. Will the person take what you say the right way? How can you communicate your message so that the person will understand? And receiving feedback often isn't much easier. This Inc. post explains how effective feedback strengthens relationships and improves performance, and it offers practical ways to both give and receive constructive feedback. 

We'd add to this list that when managers give feedback to their team members, it's best to do it in light of their individual talents. For example, if a salesperson struggles to use mini closes while making an in-person presentation because he or she has softer Command and Persuasion talents, your feedback to the salesperson will be more successful if you suggest building mini close statements into written proposals. This person is much more likely to use a mini close if it’s in writing than if he or she has to do it in person.

We've found several excellent thoughts and ideas online this week, and now it's time to share them with you! Here are our "best" from around the web.

1. How Marketing Can Increase Customer Lifetime Value — SBI

It's much easier to sell to a client than to sell to a prospect. Customer loyalty makes marketing and sales easier, lowers costs, and increases customer lifetime value (CLV). So how can you make it happen? This post from Sales Benchmark Index digs into how to create loyal customers who continue to buy from you again and again. 

It's Friday, and it's time for our Top 5 favorite news articles and industry blog posts from this week! Here are our "best" from around the web.

1. UX, Content Quality, and SEO — Moz

Just how do UX design and content quality affect your SEO ranking? This video from Moz explains how your site's user experience and content quality influence where your pages appear in the search results. 

As Baby Boomers are retiring, Gen Xers (those born from about 1965 to 1980), now with several solid years of experience, are moving into decision-making positions. A few days ago I read an article in the Wall Street Journal about how this shift is affecting the culture of companies and how they’re run. The article explained a few shared characteristics of these younger bosses. 

Throughout the week we're reading news articles and industry blogs, and Friday is the day we share our Top 5 with you. Here are this week's "best" from around the web.

Each week we gather up the Top 5 (in our opinion!) posts or articles we've read online, and share them with you. Here are this week's "best" from around the web.

I recently reached out to a friend of a friend. I wanted to pick his brain on some business ideas that I thought were very related to what he does. I was hoping for a new connection, some thoughtful conversation, and a little free advice.

When I finally reached out, he very politely said “no.” Of course, he said more than just “no,” but the bottom line was that he was strapped for time working on a new online course that was about to launch and that his wife was about to have a baby. He said he would love to help in the future—like six months down the road—but that right now, he just had to say “no” to some things.

At first, I was a little put off, even shocked. I hadn’t expected him to say no. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized there was a lot I could learn from this experience. His “no” wasn’t personal at all, and I do believe he meant it when he said he’d have that conversation in six months. But he had to choose. He had to be picky with his time, and I respect that. That’s something I try to be hyper-aware of in my life, as we all know that time is our most precious commodity.

So, I ask you: Are you saying “no” often enough?

Think about these four kinds of people in your life:.

1. Your Customers

Sometimes we over-serve. Shoot, I probably over-serve my clients every day, and they probably don’t even realize it (shame on me). But this can be a big problem and one that we all need to work on. It’s okay to get paid for what you do and to acknowledge when something is outside the scope of your contract or your capabilities. Don’t feel like every request has to be met or you’ll lose their business. Don’t leave that client hanging; suggest alternatives. Quality partners will appreciate and respect you more when you are honest about boundaries.

See also: "How" Selling Solves Your Business Problems

You started an inbound marketing program a few months ago. You followed all the advice. You even read about what to expect in your first year of inbound marketing. Now... it seems to be working!  People are exchanging their information (email address, title, phone number) for your premium content, just like you heard they would!

Visitors to your website are becoming inbound leads!

Now what do you do?

Here are five things to consider with every inbound lead that comes in.

I think Albert Einstein was onto something with that statement.

If you’ve ever found yourself trying to explain something technical or complex to someone who isn’t familiar with the topic, you know what I mean. Perhaps you work in finance or real estate and are all too familiar with the puzzled looks from your clients when you try to explain mortgages, stocks, or investments. (This is where all those “______ for Dummies” books come in handy, right?)

As an inbound marketing consultant, I get the confused look pretty often. It’s easy for me to assume everyone knows what inbound is. After all it’s a big “buzzword” in the digital marketing world. But the reality is it’s still a relatively new topic and those in other industries don’t always understand. Sure, maybe they’ve heard the term, but they don’t really have a good grasp of what it is or what it looks like. In fact, I have friends in sales, management, and even some working in traditional (outbound) marketing that are still giving me that quizzical look even after I provide them with the general definition—and these are people that should know. They’re the ones who can really benefit from it.

It’s at this point where I typically recall (and laugh about) the scene from The Office, where Steve Carrel’s character is trying to understand an explanation of their budget but doesn’t get it. After briefly pretending to understand, he finally asks his coworker to, “Explain it to me like I’m 5.” And, ever since then, I’ve found myself thinking this same thought when someone is trying to explain something complex or technical that I’m not familiar with, or when I need to explain something of similar nature to someone else.

Here’s our official definition of inbound marketing:

The process of attracting the attention of prospects, through content, before they are even ready to buy; the best and most cost-effective way to convert strangers into customers and promoters of your business.

But, again, what does it really entail? What does it look like? Complexities and technical jargon aside, of
course.