Sat.Oct 19, 2013 - Fri.Oct 25, 2013

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Why Klout Matters to Your Sales

The Sales Heretic

'Whether you’re in sales, marketing or HR, you need to understand Klout. And if you’re a small business owner, professional or CEO, you need to fully embrace it. Why, you ask? Gina Carr and Terry Brock do an excellent job of answering that question in their new book, Klout Matters: How to Engage Customers, Boost [.].

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Are you a Persuader or Mediator? – Sales eXchange 222

The Pipeline

'By Tibor Shanto - tibor.shanto@sellbetter.ca. I don’t see why anyone in sales should take offence to being called a persuader, it is after all our job, to persuade people that yes it is time to buy, and buy from us. I wear the label of persuader much more proudly than one of being a mediator, a label many in sales would rather wear. Based on a discussion I had recently with two experienced sales people who were trying to persuade me (sell me), on the fact that what they do is much more “medi

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We’re Smarter Than Our Buyers

No More Cold Calling

'The customer is NOT always right. Welcome to the age of the informed consumer, or the digital buyer … or “Buyer 2.0.”. Once upon a time, clients looked to salespeople for information. Now, with a quick Google search and a little time on our websites and social media, they can learn all about us. Buyer 2.0 is very good at homework. In fact, 86 percent of business buyers engage in research independent of the sales cycle.

Buyer 271
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Your Passion Helps Decide Your Success

The Sales Hunter

'Are you passionate about sales? If you want to be successful, your customer needs to see, feel and hear your passion when it comes to assisting them. Passion is a word that gets bantered about a lot, and yet few people truly understand what it means to the selling relationship. I have yet to see a study that accurately shows how much passion can impact sales, but what I’ve found is salespeople who are passionate simply close more sales.

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Sales & Marketing Alignment: How to Synergize for Success

Speaker: Carlos Hidalgo, Co-Founder & CEO of Digital Exhaust, Author, International Keynote & TEDx Speaker

Recent research shows that only 50% of B2B organizations state that they have good alignment between their marketing and sales teams. This lack of alignment tremendously impacts the ability to meet business goals, and is a limiting factor for building and maintaining customer relationships. While many B2B organizations continue to struggle with aligning their marketing and sales teams, they can take practical steps to unify both teams and simplify their overall approach.

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The CMO’s Achilles' Heel

SBI Growth

'The Achilles'' Heel is defined as a fault or weakness that causes or could cause someone or something to fail. B2B CMO''s largely do not have direct reports with expertise in demand generation. This is a major weakness heading into 2014. The pressure to provide marketing contribution to the funnel is greater than ever. The specialist roles involved in executing world class B2B marketing in 2014 is complex.

More Trending

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Don’t Have Time to Nurture Your Network?

No More Cold Calling

'Book four breakfasts and five lunches each week, and watch your sales soar. As a smart, strategic sales professional, you know full well the value of building and maintaining a strong network of clients and referral sources. But you simply don’t have time to meet with them in person, right? Wrong! There’s no doubt we’re all busy. Research from CSO Insights shows that while only 63 percent of sales reps made quota in 2012 , revenue targets are 16.4 percent higher this year.

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Selling - We're Going Back to AIDA And You Should Be Scared

Understanding the Sales Force

'Understanding the Sales Force by Dave Kurlan As wonderful as all the hype is about inbound, lead gen, and the new way to sell to these leads, one important fact is being ignored. While the tools have changed, information is available in the blink of a click, and leads are in huge supply, people, at their core, have not changed the way they buy. Sure, they may be meeting with or speaking with salespeople later in their buying process.

Inbound 253
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How to Avoid a Marketing Automation Catastrophe

SBI Growth

'The pressure is on. Marketing leaders must prove their contribution to Sales Revenue. Advertising and tradeshows are not enough. Marketing must produce leads that generate new business. And fast. In this environment, many of your peers have turned to marketing automation as the solution. The conventional wisdom says the technology will solve the lead gen deficiency.

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Which ‘R’ Word Will Help You Sell?

The Pipeline

'By Tibor Shanto - tibor.shanto@sellbetter.ca. Sales people are always told to pursue relationships as a means of securing buyers, clients, and building trust. While I may not always agree with the order or sequence of these, they are the right ingredients, how you mix them, then cook them up and serve them will directly impact the perception of your buyer, and their willingness to consume or buy what you are dishing.

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Streamlining Salesforce for Maximum Impact: A People-Focused Pocket Guide

Step inside the world of Salesforce consulting, stripped of fluff and jargon. Our guide provides a detailed exploration of five key success criteria, complete with actionable steps for immediate implementation. Elevate your Salesforce investment with insights on goal setting, system design, core object utilization, user adoption, and crafting a system tailored to your needs.

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Is Your Sales Process Broken?

No More Cold Calling

'Successful salespeople don’t just happen. You already know that referrals are the most effective and powerful way to attract new customers. But referral selling doesn’t just happen. It’s an intentional, proactive sales strategy. A disciplined, measurable referral system delivers every time. But while referrals are our biggest competitive differentiator, most companies have only a hit-and-miss process for referral prospecting.

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The Challenge of the Challenger Sales Model - The Facts

Understanding the Sales Force

'Understanding the Sales Force by Dave Kurlan Last week I wrote an article, Now That You Have a Sales Process, Never Mind , that was very critical of an article that appeared in Harvard Business Review. The authors were nice enough to clarify their position and, even if you read my original article, it''s worth revisiting because of the additional discussion that took place after it appeared.

Lead Rank 250
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How to Rescue Your Sales Leader

SBI Growth

'Your fiscal year is coming to a close in a couple months. When you assess the performance of your sales leader, perhaps you’re feeling let down. You wanted to grow 25%, 50%, or even double this year. It hasn’t worked out. You hired a good guy. He works hard. Your team likes him. Your customers like him. But, it feels like he’s a bit lost. As you plan for next year, you have two options: Pull the Plug – Fire your sales leader and find someone else.

Hiring 241
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Small Business Week – BNN Interview (#video)

The Pipeline

'By Tibor Shanto - tibor.shanto@sellbetter.ca. This week is Small Business Week in Canada, as part of that BNN , Canada’s business news television network is running features highlighting the Canadian small business space, and looking at trend and advice for the small business community. . On Monday I had the pleasure of discussing how small business owners approach hiring sales talent, what works, and what they should avoid. .

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How to Improve Email Deliverability and Optimize Each Send

Learn how to optimize email deliverability and drive greater email ROI. What lands your email in the customer’s inbox? Understanding those factors, otherwise known as email deliverability, is critical to getting the most return on your campaign investments. But the “rules” around which factors land you in the spam folder aren’t always easy to keep up with.

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Look at Me When You’re Talking to Me

No More Cold Calling

'Is technology killing eye contact? Has our dependence on technology gone too far? And is it taking away our ability to talk to each other, to connect, or even look each other in the eye? It’s easy to get sucked into the digital universe. But our relationships are what really matter, and if you’re too busy staring at a screen to look at the person in front of you, that’s a problem—especially for salespeople, whose careers depend on the ability to build and maintain relationships with clients and

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Use Four Eyes To See The Customer In Focus

MTD Sales Training

'We’re often asked what are the key components of success when it comes to sales. We always say there are no quick fixes and no short cuts to success, and few salespeople are willing to do the. [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]].

Customer 227
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How Top Sales Reps Evaluate and Discuss Compensation

SBI Growth

'Companies are deep into 2014 planning. As part of that, they are evaluating comp plans and quotas. As a sales rep, are you wondering if your compensation fair? Do you have the ammunition you need to receive more compensation? The best way to prepare for this discussion is to know your value to the company. If you know what value you provide, you’ll know what you deserve in return.

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PowerMinute: [Video] Learn How Fewer Leads Can Drive Higher Sales

Pointclear

'Are your sales reps rejecting your marketing leads? Far too many companies evaluate marketing’s success by the number of leads they hand over to sales. Many of the same companies fail to hold sales accountable for closing the good leads and reporting back results that feed the marketing and sales model. The overall result is often wasted marketing dollars and wasted sales time.

Lead Rank 236
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How Intent Data Helps Marketers Convert A-List Accounts

One of the biggest challenges for any B2B marketer is understanding your prospects’ next move — who is most likely to buy and when. Without these insights, marketing campaigns can feel more like guesswork, with high investment and little return. We’re here to tell you there’s a better way. By tracking buyers’ digital footprints and online activity, such as website visits, product reviews, and spikes in content consumption, you can engage prospects with a message that really resonates.

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Inside Sales Power Tip 137 – Build Your Network

Score More Sales

'Networks are important for sales professionals. You need to create a network that has clients, prospective clients, referral partners, other partners, past and present colleagues, and vendors. I like to think of networks like wheels with a hub and lots of spokes. Most networks that people join already have a hub, so you become one of the spokes. A much more powerful way to build the right network for you is to become the hub of your network, and then you craft your network based on the “s

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The Value of Sales Leadership

The Sales Hunter

'Recently I’ve been working with a number of salespeople making sales calls that stretch across a wide range of industries, and one thing stands out — Sales Leadership. With each person with whom I’ve worked, it is amazing to me how the demonstration of sales leadership makes a huge impact. This is true when working with an existing customer and when courting a prospect.

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Why You Can't Fill Your Open Sales Manager Positions

SBI Growth

'A post for Sales and HR Leaders to find root causes of Sales Manager (SM) vacancies. The Sales Manager position is the fulcrum between sales leadership strategy and sales force execution. Make sure you know why there are vacancies so that you can keep them filled. Teams without effective sales managers lack morale and discipline. Sales forces that consistently lose (or fail to keep) sales managers are losing money.

Hiring 236
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PowerViews with Jill Rowley: Social Employees Should Connect and Amplify

Pointclear

'A lot of people don’t know how to use LinkedIn. Many see it as a job board where they can post their resume, not as a hub that connects people with like-minded interests. In a business-to-business world, the main connectors are on LinkedIn, but many people are underutilizing this social media platform, says my latest guest on PowerViews, Jill Rowley, aka the Eloqueen.

Oracle 223
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Retail Tech: Empower Associates, Optimize CX, and Boost Productivity

Speaker: Andrew Regan, Managing Partner at BlueSeed Retail Ltd.

Did you know that 70% of new retail technology fails to deliver expected benefits and can often decrease customer value, service, and experience? With that in mind, how can we empower our store associates to leverage new technology to optimize the customer experience and boost productivity? This exclusive webinar with Andrew Regan will dive into strategies to empower retail associates for success with new technology.

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Choosing A Business Name: Descriptive or Unique?

Sales and Marketing Management

'Issue Date: 2013-10-25. Author: Eliyahu Federman. Teaser: Businesses seek to find a name that distinguishes them from competitors and increases their recognition. In a crowded marketplace, it’s critical that customers be able to find and remember a business easily. The dilemma: if your company name is a generic description of what you do, like Orange Juice Inc., how do you stand out as unique and memorable?

Consumer 170
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Keeping It Simple is a Great Sales Strategy

The Sales Hunter

'We’ve all heard the expression KISS, as in “Keep it Simple Stupid.” Yes, we’ve all seen things and have been part of things that are way too complicated, but have you thought about how KISS might work for your customer? I’m not talking about your sales process. What I’m talking about is what it is your customer is buying.

Strategy 214
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Creating the Ideal Performance Culture

SBI Growth

'Success is based 50% on talent and 50% on performance conditions. As you plan for 2014, are you investing enough in both? Your people will need new capabilities to thrive in a changing market. The comp plan must incentivize the right behavior. Reps must have the tools and support to win the big deals. Sales Operations is responsible for creating that winning environment.

Hiring 236
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Don’t Be a Target—Put Your Cell Phone Away

No More Cold Calling

'Technology tunnel-vision can threaten your career—and your life. Technology can save us time. It can save us money, and in some situations, it can even save lives. But when we focus more on our gadgets than the people around us, technology can endanger not only our sales careers, but also our lives. A Dangerous Distraction. For example, check out this excerpt from a recent front-page article in the San Francisco Chronicle , entitled “ Absorbed device users oblivious to danger ”: .

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Connect, Care, Convert: Secrets to Establishing Trust with Niche Markets and Turning Them Into Clients

Speaker: Lynnette Khalfani-Cox, The Money Coach®

Niche markets represent a huge opportunity for the financial services industry in America. From college students and women to communities of color and low-to-moderate-income households, niche populations have specialized financial needs – but they often underutilize many valuable financial products and services. How can you better connect with these consumers?

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Fifty-Year High School Reunion – Seems Like Yesterday

Jeffrey Gitomer

'We''ve Moved! Update your Reader Now. This feed has moved to: [link] Update your reader now with this changed subscription address to get your latest updates from us.

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VIDEO SALES TIP: You’ve Got Customers You Need to Fire

The Sales Hunter

'Some customers are a tremendous drain on your resources. And you need to fire them. I know what you’re thinking — that the whole idea of “firing” a customer seems very counter-productive. Truth is, though, that some customers cost you more money than they are worth. More often than not, you didn’t see they were headed in that direction when you first made the sale.

Video 208
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The One Thing You Cannot Skip When Hiring an ‘A’ Player

SBI Growth

'It’s that time of the year. Planning for 2014 is in full swing. You just got off the weekly call with the Sales Leadership team. Your boss, the SVP of Sales, has some ‘great’ news. “We got budget approval to add new sales heads. Start recruiting now so we can start of 2014 with a full team.” Thoughts race through your mind because the last few hires have not worked out: How do I hire the best reps?

Hiring 235