When you make a purchase decision, what is the one thing, more than anything else, that gives you confidence that the other party can (and will) do what they promise? Yes, statements of work, contracts, and case studies all play a role. But what about references and testimonials? References are those conversations [More]
Marketing and sales are at the core of almost every organization. Whether it is writing a proposal for a prospect, encouraging a person to join your organization, or selling an internal team on a concept, the act of gaining alignment and commitment is critical. More evidence of the importance of [More]
Often times, the greatest insights happen at the intersection of two areas, and this is certainly true of the intersection between marketing and business development. Typically, what lives here are leads. Marketers develop initiatives that build leads. Then sales "works" the leads, hopefully converting them into clients. This is true, [More]
After arriving at an event and noticing a few people you know - and hundreds that you don't - what is your first inclination? a) To make a bee-line to those you know? b) To introduce yourself to those you don't? c) None of the above? Sadly, more people are [More]
How often have you walked in a shop, only to feel pressured into buying something you didn't really want? Perhaps you were at a restaurant, and the waiter actually sits down at your table, introduces him or herself, and asks for your order? Or maybe you found yourself in the [More]
Looking to grow your organization? If so, a key question is this: Where are all of the "new" zip codes? The ones that live in different sectors and geographies? The ones who come from different cultural backgrounds and different generations? The first-time bums in seats? One thing is for sure: [More]
Forget likes, shares, retweets, and comments: how can you use Social Media to actually sell products? (Here's a post on selling services.) To do so effectively means understanding two key concepts: the funnel, and conversion. The funnel refers to the process that prospects go through before they actually put down [More]
With all of the wheel-spinning and effort spent on social media, wouldn't it be nice to actually use it to grow sales? Not improve awareness, develop the brand, help with marketing, or "continue the conversation". But actually sell. Here are four ways that social media can be use to sell [More]
How do you determine the ROI on your marketing and sales investments? The standard formula is simple: divide the return, less investment, by the investment. A marketing campaign costs $1000, and reaches out to 1000 prospects. Five per cent of these respond, generating $1000 profit, for an ROI of zero: [More]
"I am great! Really. Truly great! Really!" How many people (or organizations) have marketing strategies that boil down to self-serving claims of greatness? (Too many.) How effective are these emails, LinkedIn profiles, ads, websites, TV commercials, or billboards? (Not effective at all.) There is a trust hierarchy of marketing strategies: [More]
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