The Pipeline

JUNE 25, 2019

In Good times and bad, the one thing most sales professionals try to do is shorten the length of their sales cycle. They believe that shorter sales cycles bring several benefits, some indeed materialize, most do not. The complete opposite of what it should be, we need to focus on buying cycles to shorten sales cycles. It seems everyone has ideas on how to shorten sales cycles, wanting to go beyond the limits my experience only, I took the question out to others.

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Buying Cycle Sales Cycle Pipeline Buyer 183

Partners in Excellence

SEPTEMBER 4, 2013

Too often, we think of the customer’s buying process as something that, once we understand it, is fairly structured and defined. Our job as sales professionals becomes aligning our selling process with the customer’s buying process, moving through the process in a disciplined manner. I think there is a different view of the buying cycle, one that is more “squishy.” I think this picture represents a lot of what I see in B2B buying cycles.

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Buying Cycle Compensation Engineering Education 99

Customer Centric Selling

JUNE 26, 2014

Sales Tips: How to Accelerate Sales and Buying Cycles. Sellers push so hard buyers decide not to buy. sales tips selling tips sales technique sales tip selling technique sales cycles buying cycles By John Holland, Chief Content Officer, CustomerCentric Selling® - The Sales Training Company. Image courtesy of ddpavumba at FreeDigitalPhotos.net. As a general rule, sellers push to get orders earlier than buyers are ready to make decisions.

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Buying Cycle Customer Discount Energy 64

Partners in Excellence

JANUARY 19, 2015

Buyers Get Smarter Through The Buying Cycle. But the buying process is very dynamic. The gap continues to widen as we focus on where they were in their buying process, not where they are and where they are going. If we’re really good, creating the value we should and facilitating their buying process, we are right beside them as they make their buying journey. Buyers get smarter through their buying cycle.

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Buying Cycle Buyer Proposal Relationals 98

Speaker: Achinta Mitra, Founder and President, Tiecas Inc.

It's the plight of an industrial marketer: over the course of a 12-18 month long buying cycle, you make contact with a whole host of influencers who read your content, who may or may not actually work in purchasing. By the time the RFQ comes in, the original project might be completely different. and your initial point of contact may be long gone! Meanwhile, the purchase somehow takes place, and Sales claims all the glory. How is a marketer supposed to make the business case for better content marketing? Join Achinta Mitra, Founder and President of Tiecas, Inc, as he explains how, despite the long, grueling buying cycle, you can prove the ROI of your content marketing. and win (or keep!) buy-in from your higher-ups.

Buying Cycle

The Pipeline

OCTOBER 23, 2014

You can, by using every stage in the buy cycle to your advantage. What is the Buy Cycle? Here’s how you can incorporate full-circle sales at each stage in the buy cycle. Before a customer buys from you, she has to know you exist. By not offering more during this stage in the buy cycle, you lose a tremendous opportunity. Sooner or later, your customer will want to buy more. The Pipeline Guest Post - Megan Totka.

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Buying Cycle Pipeline Loyalty Social Media 201

Customer Centric Selling

NOVEMBER 5, 2014

Sales Tips: How to Begin Buying Cycles with Pain vs. Goals. One of the fundamental concepts of CustomerCentric Selling® is that buying cycles begin when Key Players share goals or admit problems they’re willing to spend money to achieve or address. Once a goal has been shared (or a problem admitted) a buying cycle has begun. By John Holland, Chief Content Officer, CustomerCentric Selling® - The Sales Training Company.

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Buying Cycle Customer Revenue Training 73

SBI

JULY 17, 2012

It is not uncommon today for decision makers to avoid talking with a salesperson early in the sales cycle thinking, somewhat erroneously, that they are able to diagnose their own needs and to then seek and find the best solutions through their own investigation. And that, all too often, is at the end of the buying cycle. You can win even when prospects engage with you late in the buying process if you play by these rules.

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Buying Cycle Prospecting Buyer Vendor 99

Openview

SEPTEMBER 19, 2017

The buying environment is becoming increasingly complex. But have you considered how a generational shift in your prospects’ demographics might impact the buying environment as well? Today’s B2B buying committees are growing more diverse as Millennials take their seats alongside Generation X and Baby Boomers. Read on to learn what they uncovered and the implications a generational shift has on the B2B buying process.

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Buying Cycle B2C Demographics B2B 73

Customer Centric Selling

AUGUST 7, 2013

Sales Training Article: The Foundation of Buying Cycles. As a practical matter it means buying cycles do not begin until a buyer has shared a goal (or a problem) they are willing to spend money to achieve (or address). Does this mean a buying cycle has begun? At this point or somewhat later, quantification of the magnitude of the revenue loss can be done, but until the seller got the issue clarified, a buying cycle had not begun.

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Buying Cycle Customer Positioning Buyer 48

Customer Centric Selling

MARCH 20, 2013

Sales Training Article: Electronic Starts to Buying Cycles By John Holland, Chief Content Officer, CustomerCentric Selling® - The Sales Training Company This article is a continuation from last week's article , as part of the IIWII ("It Is What It Is") series. A recent study by Marketing Leadership Research concluded that buyers on average are 57% of the way through buying cycles before contacting vendors.

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Buying Cycle Customer Vendor Trade Show 43

Customer Centric Selling

APRIL 24, 2013

Sales Training Article: Agreed Upon Buying Cycles By John Holland, Chief Content Officer, CustomerCentric Selling® - The Sales Training Company As mentioned in my last blog article , “no decision” is a common outcome of buying cycles that sellers participate in. A major issue for both seller and buyer, however, is figuring out where they are in the buying process. Agreeing to the plan is a commitment by the buying committee.

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Buying Cycle Customer Negotiation Vendor 43

Partners in Excellence

JANUARY 25, 2015

It’s that time of year again, there are lots of posts around the popular research that indicates, “Customers aren’t engaging sales until they are, 57, 70, 90 (depending on the research you read) through their buying cycle.” Or perhaps they want to, perhaps it’s easier just to become RFP fodder, churning out responses to customers who have figured out what they need through the 57, 70, 90% of the buying process.

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Buying Cycle Education Vendor Churn 96

SBI Growth

FEBRUARY 1, 2018

Article Corporate Strategy Marketing Strategy Sales Strategy csm customer buying cycle customer success customer success - timing of a CSM customer success leader customer success manager Customer Success Professionals customer value early engagement introduction introduction to csm Professional Services sales campaign sales process timingIn our customer success engagements, the timing of when to introduce the Customer Success Manager (CSM) is one of the most common questions.

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Buying Cycle Campaigns Customer Strategy 219

Jonathan Farrington

OCTOBER 6, 2014

It is essential that all frontline sales professionals fully understand both the value and importance of rigorous objective qualification, not just at the front end but right the way through the sales cycle. At the very highest selling levels i.e. strategic “big-ticket” selling and marketing, clearly the sales cycle is much more protracted, complex, and typically moves through four stages i.e. Rigorous opportunity assessment.

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Buying Cycle Face-to-face Conference Analysis 33

KLA Group

JULY 14, 2021

blog Lead Generation & Nurturing client buy cycle Inbound lead follow-up PPC Sales funnel SEOYour B2B marketing campaigns are generating inbound leads. Marketing carefully tracks the source and hands over the information to sales.

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Follow-up Inbound Groups Leads 100

SBI Growth

JULY 22, 2019

Market-leading companies develop and execute on strategies that are aligned to their customers expressed and unexpressed needs. This is often captured in a Customer Journey Map. While this tool is frequently used to prioritize operational improvement efforts, to deliver on.

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Customer Buying Cycle Analysis Leads 168

SBI Growth

OCTOBER 5, 2018

Article Marketing Strategy account management analyze bottom of funnel business development buy buyer data buyer's journey buyers buying buying cycle Chief Marketing Officer CMO CMOs collect creative ideas cycle insights kpi leader leverage Marketing MCL MQL opportunity Q4 Randall LaVeau report right data sale sales sales leader tactic tactics team top of funnel touchpoints

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Funnel Buying Cycle Buyer Data 175

KLA Group

FEBRUARY 1, 2022

When does the customer experience begin? Once the product is delivered or service rendered? This is when most businesses begin to consider their customers’ experience.

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Lead Generation Leads Groups Customer 76

KLA Group

JULY 21, 2021

Sales Prospecting Sales Success client buy cycle cold calling consultative selling skills conver more inbound leads Inbound lead follow-up Lead generation services lead generation strategies marketing campaigns sales coaching Sales funnel

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Inbound Groups Sports Leads 91

The Pipeline

SEPTEMBER 11, 2018

Most sellers have no clue how long their sales cycle is. As I have shared before when you ask sellers how long their cycle is, most respond “depends.” And sadly they are encouraged to continue to travel blind by many of the idiot pundits who tell things like sales cycles and numbers don’t matter. And while different team members will have different length of the cycle, I can now take steps to change it to improve outcomes and working smarter.

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Pipeline Buying Cycle Retail Trends 176

Membrain

OCTOBER 17, 2021

We struggle to get in front of customers, to find opportunities, to nurture them through the buying cycle, and, ultimately, to win. Yet, the majority of those complex buying opportunities end in “No Decision Made.”.

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Buying Cycle Opportunity Customer Sales Management 110

SBI

JUNE 3, 2014

Duncan: The buying process has changed dramatically in the last decade and today as much as 70% of the buying cycle happens before a prospect ever reaches out to a vendor. Executive Interviews Buying Cycle Duncan Lennox Qstream Reinforcing Sales Knowledge sales behaviors selling skills Welcome to our biweekly blog feature. Every two weeks, I interview an executive from a top sales and marketing solutions company.

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Pharmaceuticals Decision Maker Revenue Closing 54

Jonathan Farrington

FEBRUARY 2, 2014

How often have you read that prospects and customers are coming into the traditional buying cycle, as much as 70% up the curve? More tomorrow … General Buying Cycles Sales Cycles Transactional Selling Yes, it is true, customers and prospects are still marching, but they are no longer marching to our drum – by “our” I mean us sellers. They have wrestled the drum away from us and they are now organizing their own marches.

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Buying Cycle Industry Buyer Prospecting 33

SBI Growth

MARCH 16, 2014

Sales enablement alignment to the customers buying cycle is required. Misalignment can result in missing the buying cycle completely. Timing and preparation for new product releases is everything. Your 2014 number requires net new revenue from new product launches. A poor launch will waste R & D dollars. Lack of sales enablement will cause you to miss the number. CMO Resources CMO New Product Sales Enablement Sales Readiness

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Buying Cycle Revenue Resources Customer 223

Sales and Marketing Management

DECEMBER 10, 2015

Teaser: There are three value conversation “moments of truth” in every buying cycle that you must excel at. But they are also integrated in a way that a salesperson must master in order to move seamlessly between them as the customer buying cycle dictates. There are three value conversation “moments of truth” in every buying cycle that you must excel at. Issue Date: 2015-12-11.

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Sales Cycle Buying Cycle Marketing Conversion 163

SalesforLife

MARCH 30, 2019

Today’s modern buyer is drastically different than buyers of the past, and the buying cycle has also changed significantly. Turning potential prospects into customers is no longer easy for salespeople. The modern buyer is being transformed. What can salespeople do to adapt to these changing times? Social Selling modern buyer

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Buying Cycle Prospecting Customer Buyer 92

Sales and Marketing Management

NOVEMBER 22, 2013

Teaser: By the time a customer engages a salesperson, they’re 60 percent of the way through their buying cycle and have done most of their research online. By the time a customer engages a salesperson, they’re 60 percent of the way through their buying cycle and have done most of their research online. Issue Date: 2013-11-23. Author: Michael Harris.

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Buying Cycle Marketing Research Customer 167

Sales and Marketing Management

NOVEMBER 4, 2014

Teaser: If you believe the hype around studies that say customers feel they are through 60 percent (or more) of the buying cycle before engaging a salesperson, you could be giving your salespeople the wrong content for the wrong conversation. A recent survey of more than 700 B2B marketers and salespeople revealed a clear disconnect between where salespeople feel the most pressure in the sales cycle, and how well their companies prepare them to face these tough messaging moments.

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Marketing Buying Cycle Survey Study 210

Accent Technologies

AUGUST 1, 2019

We all know that content plays an important part in the B2B buying cycle, but how do you know what content is moving things along and what’s falling flat? The answer is you need a scalable and methodical approach to measuring content performance. more…

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Buying Cycle B2B 53

SalesforLife

APRIL 13, 2018

The modern buyer is drastically different and the buying cycle has changed significantly as well. Who is the “right” sales talent in today’s business environment? As buyer expectations and demands shift, sales professionals must master new sales methodologies such as social selling and digital selling in order to keep up. Sales Management

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Buying Cycle Sales Methodology Social Selling Sales Talent 62

Sales Training Connection

OCTOBER 28, 2013

Senior executives are not equally engaged throughout the buying cycle. In general, they are involved early and late and delegate most decisions in middle part of the buying cycle to others. The early part of the buying cycle warrants senior executive attention because the overall priority and strategy for the project is defined. Selling to the C-Suite. Selling to the c-level ?

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Buying Cycle Referrals Competition Conversion 94

Jonathan Farrington

APRIL 17, 2019

It would be very easy to be seduced into believing that in today’s selling environment the need to rigorously qualify every opportunity at the front end of the sales/buying cycle […]. General Sales Qualification

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Buying Cycle Opportunity Sales 32

BrainShark

OCTOBER 27, 2011

70% of the buying cycle has taken place before buyers are willing to engage with a live salesperson. But do you know how much of the buying cycle has taken place before buyers even get to your web site?

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Buying Cycle Buyer Revenue Video 48

Zoominfo

DECEMBER 28, 2020

You’re armed with your prospect’s buying signals, right? What are customer buying signals? By definition, buying signals are the actions potential customers take that indicate they’re close to making a purchase. How to spot buying signals.

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Closing GoldMine How To Buyer 245

The Pipeline

MARCH 7, 2019

Buying cycles have expanded more than measurably. Other sources confirm this trend in lengthening buy cycles. So, when buyers tell you that they have earmark four months for a decision based on the last time they made the purchase, say four or five years ago; current buying team members may not have even gone through a buying cycle before, and behave differently than their predecessors. By Tibor Shanto.

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Pipeline Buying Cycle Commission Buyer 172

SBI Growth

AUGUST 25, 2013

Instead, their buyer was engaging with sales later in their buying cycle. The frontline of the buying cycle is research and information gathering. In 2011, the Sales Executive Council reported the average B2B buyer engaged with a vendor 57% of the way through their buying cycle. Companies that live in the second half of the sales cycle will increasingly find themselves in a competitive battleground.

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Collateral Buying Cycle Software Software 249

Sales and Marketing Management

AUGUST 14, 2017

If your offerings are $50K or higher, be prepared when following up to talk with people that: Don’t have the authority to buy. Long sales cycles. There are several advantages of making proactive attempts to start buying cycles: You can start at levels that have the authority to create budget. If there’s little chance of a buying decision, buyers won’t waste their (or your) time. This approach aligns with the way senior executives want to buy.

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Gatekeeper Marketing Buying Cycle Inbound 206

Pointclear

AUGUST 16, 2018

Often hot leads are really buying companies that have already been sold by another vendor. They’ve indicated they have a short buying cycle and they’re eager to talk, but what these buyers may be doing is validating a decision already made. A longer-term lead may lack urgency, but it makes up for it by giving your team a very real chance to form relationships with decision makers, and in fact define and manage the buying process (including designing the RFP).

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PointClear Leads Buying Cycle Insurance 109

Pointclear

AUGUST 9, 2016

They’ve indicated they have a short buying cycle and they’re eager to talk, but what these buyers may be doing is validating a decision already made. A longer-term lead may lack urgency, but it makes up for it by giving your team a very real chance to form relationships with decision makers, and in fact define and manage the buying process (including designing the RFP). Leads at every stage of the buying cycle are essential for a healthy pipeline.

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Leads PointClear Buying Cycle Insurance 138