The Center for Sales Strategy Blog

If you’re in sales, it is not unusual to run into people (prospects) who tend to focus on the negative. In fact, some of us still run into people who consider the economy to be on the shaky side… as if we are still in the grips of the Great Recession. 

Inbound marketing is your ticket to not only being part of the dialogue but having the ability to start conversations with your top prospects and your best clients. This is done by publishing online content through your website and blog, and providing ways for visitors to qualify themselves. Creating content and generating leads are at the core of a successful inbound marketing program and we help businesses every day develop and execute successful inbound strategies. However, you too can start implementing a plan that will help you get found online, fill your lead funnel, and find new customers. 

If you’ve ever had the opportunity to sit on the listening-side of a role-play, or act as an observer or manager while an eager account executive makes their pitch, you have likely witnessed that pivotal moment when a flawless presentation slides into pointless monologue.  It is like the rise and fall of a well-orchestrated opera, when the prospect is sending all kinds of positive signals… but the sales person presses on with their argument.  (They have a lot invested in the preparation of this presentation… and they’re going to darn well deliver it.)

Have you ever heard sales managers when talking about their sales team say, “Well, we can’t have all “A” players” or “he/she is a good “B” player and they can’t all be top sellers”? So my question is, why?

You’ve been working hard at your inbound marketing program… consistently writing interesting and informative blog posts, optimizing with keywords, promoting through your social media pages, and driving new traffic to your website. But the leads aren’t rolling in like you hoped they would and you just can’t figure out why. What could be the problem?  

We run a division of our company called the Appointment Lab, where our team takes ideal prospects that our clients identify and we do the hard work to set appointments with those accounts. Anyone in sales knows this is one of the toughest parts of the sales process—if not the toughest.  

Driving to the airport recently, it occurred to me just how sloppy some people have become in the age of distracted driving. I was nearly involved in three different accidents, but was able to swerve away from harm.

Have you seen the new Ford ad campaign?  It is what they call the "AND not OR" campaign. They are using this campaign to build the perception that when you buy a Ford you don't have to compromise. One ad asks if you want a "Bed or Breakfast?"  No one wants that. We want both.