LeadG2, on December 11, 2015
Hope you all have had a wonderful week! It's Friday, and time for us to share what we've been reading online this week. Here are our "best" from around the web.
We've all been in those meetings: the kind that are a complete waste of time and that bore us to tears. But meetings don't have to be useless. This infographic offers nine ways to make them more effective.
Brian Hasenbauer, on December 9, 2015
Like many of you reading this, I would much rather read an email or visit a website to learn about a product or service than talk directly to a salesperson. And forget about meeting a sales representative in person.
Nothing against salespeople—I was one myself at one time. We will truly never be able to replace salespeople in the sales process, but we need to adapt to the reality that most buyers aren't ready to talk with salespeople early in the buying journey. Yet we need to be present at the early stages of the buying journey. We need to give our marketing a real voice in order to build trust and deepen relationships that will lead to an in-person sales discussion.
It's often been said that people do business with people they know, like and trust, and I wholeheartedly agree. The challenge we have as marketers is how best to get people to know and like us and our company's products and services—and more importantly, how to trust us.
Some of the most popular methods of communication that marketers use to help us get to know, like and trust a a company are videos, podcasts and webinars.
Let's look at a few distinctions between videos, podcasts and webinars to see why webinars are becoming so popular.
LeadG2, on December 4, 2015
We've come to the end of the week, so it's Friday and time for us to share what we've been reading online this week! Here are our "best" from around the web.
One of the main purposes of the Marketing team is to set the Sales team up for success. This post digs into how to streamline marketing operations for efficiency and effectiveness.
John Henley, on December 1, 2015
Today’s sales leaders have to be much better at managing change than at any time in the recent past. It’s part of the job now. But just because change is more common and comes faster, doesn’t mean that people are suddenly much better at handling it. It still takes a gifted leader to help salespeople respond well.
I help a lot of companies manage change and I suggest 8 action steps leaders should take to help their team embrace change. Before I get to those, some thoughts on change:
There are several “change models” out there, but one that is familiar to most is:
Janie Worch, on November 30, 2015
One of the biggest issues salespeople have is time management. We all feel busy, but busy doesn’t always equate to success. Salespeople often have the best intentions of working smarter, not harder. They talk about wanting to spend more time prospecting, setting up new Client Needs Analyses (CNAs) updating CNAs with Key Accounts, pre-selling Key Agencies, and building relationships with important contacts. These are the best use of their time.
Unfortunately, these things often get pushed to the back burner because a client needs something NOW, a mistake needs to be fixed, a manager needs a report, a collection call needs to be made, or a co-worker stops by his or her cubicle to shoot the breeze. Next thing you know, a whole day has gone by without any IMPORTANT work getting done.
LeadG2, on November 27, 2015
Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! It's Friday, so it's time for us to share what we've been reading online this week. Here are our "best" from around the web.
Only one-third of sales reps meet or exceed quota, and only 10 percent are consistently high-performers. Sales enablement software can help to change that. Here are 7 signs that you should see what a sales enablement solution could do for you.
Matt Sunshine, on November 26, 2015
Happy Thanksgiving! We're taking a break from the sales, talent, digital, and inbound marketing posts today to say, "Thank you!" to each of you who read these articles. We appreciate our community here.
Beth Sunshine, on November 23, 2015
Yesterday I opened my mouth and my mom’s voice came out!
Excited to visit our twin daughters in college and spoil them a bit, my husband and I spent last weekend in a tornado of tailgates, football games, happy hours, sushi dinners, and fall shopping. At the same time, our girls were also juggling advisory meetings and spring registration. It’s that time of year.
After a discussion at brunch about course requirements and degree expectations, I noticed a pattern in their responses. “I’ll just wait and see what I need.” “We probably don’t need to worry about that yet.” “No need to spend time on something if we don’t need to.”
One minute I was listening and nodding and the next thing I knew, I opened my mouth and my mom’s lecture on the importance of planning ahead came out. I even channeled my dad for a minute there, pulling out the old adage, “measure twice, cut once.” I watched their eyes glaze over.
I get it. We’ve all been there. But it’s easier to see clearly from the outside looking in.
LeadG2, on November 20, 2015
Happy Friday! We've come to the end of another week, and it's time for us to share what we've been reading online this week. Here are our "best" from around the web.
Good content is more important than ever. Native ads, or sponsored stories, aren't just ads—they're valuable to the reader. As such, they don't get blocked the way display ads do. This article from Media Post explains the dynamics, and why native ads are the future of effective advertising.
LeadG2, on November 17, 2015
Radio Advertising Calgary was started by three account managers from Corus Radio Calgary. Together, Sherie, Jason, and Michelle bring over 35 years experience in marketing consultation and customized new media to their clients.
About a year ago, Sherie, Jason, and Michelle started realizing that traditional outbound sales methods like cold calling were no longer enough to bring in the advertisers they needed. They knew the buying process had changed, and they knew they could use their expertise and thought leadership to attract leads. After reading Matt Sunshine’s book, LeadG2: Getting Prospects to Raise Their Hands, they realized that they needed to craft an inbound marketing program to match the modern buyer’s journey.
