Sales and Marketing Management

OCTOBER 26, 2020

Author: Mark Kovac, David Deming and Sushant Khandelwal Virtual selling in business-to-business markets, often associated with inside sales, has carried a bit of a stigma within field-dominated sales organizations. Myth 1: Field sales reps sell primarily in person.

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Lead Rank Quota Face-to-face Hiring 339

Partners in Excellence

JANUARY 25, 2024

The majority of our sales engagement strategies involve us in only the very latest stages of our customers’ buying journeys. The old Challenger data shows customers typically involve vendors when they are about 60% through their buying process. We train our people in our products and their superiority. And PLG???

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Competition Customer Buying Cycle Vendor 117

Customer Centric Selling

FEBRUARY 15, 2017

Sales Tips: Quantity vs. Quality and Making Sales Numbers. At the start of my sales career my manager set targets for me for how many calls per week to make, how many proposals per month to issue, the number of cold prospecting calls that should be made each week, etc. As a sales manager I noticed something curious….

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Pipeline Buying Cycle Quota Call-back 64

Braveheart Sales

JANUARY 7, 2020

Have you spent money on sales training without seeing rewards? Many sales training organizations focus on tactics and strategies only. And establishing a sequential flow to any sales conversation is critical. These all make complete sense within the framework of a sales workshop or a sales kick-off.

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Training Sales Cycle Account Coaching 59

The Sales Hunter

JULY 23, 2019

Below is a list of 20 things I have found in common with the top 1% of all sales prospectors. To be great at prospecting, you don’t have to be born with the “sales gene.” Check out my video where I talk more about what it takes to be in the top 1% of all sales prospectors: As you go through the list, don’t just read it.

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Prospecting Buying Cycle Social Media Segment 242

Mindtickle

JUNE 22, 2023

Buyers are already short on time, and the last thing they want is to listen to another sales pitch. Research from our 2023 State of Sales Productivity Report found that during a call, buyers asked an average of 18 questions, a significant increase from 13 questions in the 2022 report. Assign training to help them improve.

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Cold Calling Lead Rank Lead Scoring Ideal Customer Profile 98

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.” Playing the numbers and pricing game to win their fair share of RFP’s.

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Buying Cycle Ideal Customer Profile Customer Education 48

The Pipeline

NOVEMBER 26, 2012

While the sales industry continues to improve and move the dial on “pitching” less, and asking more questions, adopting the “Don’t Ask – Don’t Sell” [link] philosophy. Sadly one contributor to this shortcoming are sales experts in my own field. They haven’t been trained again, because it is still about selling the product.

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Buying Cycle Buyer Follow-up Motivation 276

The Pipeline

OCTOBER 31, 2012

Last week I got an e-mail from one of the traditional providers in the sales enablement business. It seems they have discovered social media, Sales 2.0, You can tell your friends and family that you are in sales, but if that’s you, you’re an order taker, end of story. What’s in Your Pipeline? Tibor Shanto.

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Decision Maker Oracle Buying Cycle Social Media 257

SalesLoft

OCTOBER 5, 2022

Every sales team has that legendary sales rep. Don’t worry, there is plenty of truth behind the need for a sales engagement platform. What is a Sales Engagement Platform? What is a Sales Engagement Platform? How is Sales Engagement Software Different from Sales Enablement? Learn more.

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Lead Rank Lead Scoring Buying Cycle Forecasting 52

Customer Centric Selling

MARCH 5, 2014

Sales Training Article: Trouble Closing or Selling? By John Holland, Chief Content Officer, CustomerCentric Selling® - The Sales Training Company Image courtesy of Pakorn at FreeDigitalPhotos.net Unlike other B2B selling skills, closing gets a disproportionate amount of attention.

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Closing Training Buying Cycle Incentives 61

Partners in Excellence

AUGUST 22, 2019

Too often, as executives look to improve sales performance, they look to doing something new or different. Any of these can improve sales performance, but the come with their costs. Pipeline cleanup/pipeline integrity: We waste so much time and productivity with sloppy/bad pipelines. Hyperfocus on your ICP.

Ideal Customer Profile 91

Ideal Customer Profile Top of Funnel Hiring Sales Methodology 91

Partners in Excellence

AUGUST 19, 2020

Our jobs, as sales people and managers, are complex and multifaceted. For example, as sales people, we may focus on the deals in our pipeline, forgetting that we have to continue to find new deals to keep our pipelines healthy. As sales people, if we don’t prospect, our pipelines empty.

Territories 73

Territories Maximizer Buying Cycle Pivotal 73

BuzzBoard

MARCH 28, 2024

An Overview of the Marketing Agency Sales Process The sales process in a digital marketing agency is a multi-step journey that requires a thorough understanding, strategy, and execution. Lastly, the follow-ups and closing the sale come in. Therefore, understanding and mastering the marketing agency sales process is critical.

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Webinar Metrics Case Study Comparison Small Business 98

Allego

JUNE 28, 2022

Today’s sales managers face tremendous pressure to achieve ambitious targets. Now more than ever, you need to up your game to increase sales performance. But choosing which sales metrics to measure can be tough. 6 Sales Performance Metrics to Track. Sales Lead Quality. Sales Call Quality.

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Ideal Customer Profile How To Top of Funnel Lead Rank 62

Customer Centric Selling

MAY 22, 2013

Sales Training Article: Premature Closes. By John Holland, Chief Content Officer, CustomerCentric Selling® - The Sales Training Company In creating and evolving CustomerCentric Selling®, a cornerstone of our methodology has been trying to provide superior buying experiences.

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Closing Training Buying Cycle Incentives 45

SBI

JUNE 28, 2021

Remote Selling has become an important focus for every sales organization. Digital sales technologies, by default, are what enables remote selling. Q: What are your customers doing to adapt to - or leverage - the trend towards distributed sales teams and remote selling?

Hiring 86

Hiring Lead Rank Lead Scoring Scale 86

Customer Centric Selling

APRIL 2, 2014

Sales Training Article: 2014 - So Far, So Good? By John Holland, Chief Content Officer, CustomerCentric Selling® - The Sales Training Company. Now would be a good time to attend a sales training workshop to learn how you can save the year and make your number. Need some help with your sales performance?

Training 59

Training Buying Cycle Engineering Sales Cycle 59

Pipeliner

JANUARY 4, 2018

Most sellers don’t want to think about their sales process. After all, it’s more ‘Art’ than ‘Science’, comes naturally and every sales situation is unique. Let the sales leaders think about it, the sellers just want to sell. So, what are the benefits of a Clearly Defined and Adhered to Sales Process? Pipeline ratios.

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Sales Process Buying Cycle Guarantee Pipeline 79

Hubspot Sales

AUGUST 30, 2023

But what changes will it bring to the sales industry? Will it be the end of salespeople, or will it become the secret weapon to help sales reps work more efficiently? Furthermore, we’ve interviewed leading sales teams to collect 11 AI sales predictions that you should watch in 2023. Let’s jump to the nitty-gritty.

Lead Rank 91

Lead Rank Data Top of Funnel Cost per Lead 91

Pointclear

AUGUST 9, 2016

Near-Term Opportunities are Important, But So is Keeping the Pipeline Full. Your sales team likes nothing better than getting leads with a high probability of closing soon. 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.

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Sales Qualified Lead Lead Rank Lead Scoring Leads 100

Score More Sales

NOVEMBER 14, 2014

Many sales reps and sales managers commented and shared about the previous post on How Salespeople Goof Up on LinkedIn so we were compelled to share more ideas to help sellers do better. First, I wanted to share that our blog is up for an AWARD – as one of the top Sales Blogs at Top Sales World. Close More Deals.

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LinkedIn Referrals Buying Cycle Up-Sell 247

Partners in Excellence

JULY 18, 2022

We’ve a robust hiring market for sales people. I thought it might be interesting to do a thought experiment, imagining a year in the life of a modern sales person. Day 1, month 1: The sales person is starting a new job. Months 3-6: As they emerge from the onboarding programs, they have to start building a pipeline.

Hiring 63

Hiring Sales Qualified Lead Lead Rank Buying Cycle 63

Customer Centric Selling

JUNE 12, 2013

Sales Training Article: Confusing Activity with Progress. By John Holland, Chief Content Officer, CustomerCentric Selling® - The Sales Training Company One of the major differences of sellers that will deliver their quota and those that can''t is having an understanding of the difference between activity and progress in opportunities.

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Trade Show Training Demographics Face-to-face 53

SalesLoft

NOVEMBER 17, 2020

Today’s top-performing sales reps use data, intelligence, and productivity tools 30% more than average performers. Whether you need to gain visibility into pipeline activity, manage deals, or decrease rep ramp time, Sales Engagement tools can help you improve efficiency, leading to sustained growth and profitability.

Top of Funnel 105

Top of Funnel Lead Rank Lead Scoring Buyer Persona 105

Customer Centric Selling

SEPTEMBER 18, 2013

Sales Training Article: Are You Cloning Bad Selling Habits? By John Holland, Chief Content Officer, CustomerCentric Selling® - The Sales Training Company. Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net My first sales manager''s advice as he put me on quota was: "Call high. Don''t lead with product."

Training 53

Training Outbound Inbound Vendor 53

Customer Centric Selling

OCTOBER 2, 2013

Sales Training Article: Taking the Path of Least Resistance. These sellers take great comfort in having pipelines with large numbers of unqualified and therefore low probability opportunities. Marketing organizations by default now own the top of sales funnels. Need some help with your sales performance?

Top of Funnel 61

Top of Funnel Training Lead Rank Lead Scoring 61

Sales Hacker

NOVEMBER 1, 2019

The problem in sales is that we tend to be “givers.” By understanding all the gives and gets along the way and matching them up, we can know exactly what to ask for, and when, in order to move the deal through the pipeline to closure — or get out before it’s too late. Keep track as you go through the sales process.

Negotiation 86

Negotiation Discount How To Buying Cycle 86

Score More Sales

NOVEMBER 1, 2013

That’s why there is a buying cycle– why most people don’t buy on the spot. The rule of thumb in sales research varies a bit, but generally has been that it takes 5-12 “touches” to make that impression for the customer to buy. Other posts here on trust: Inside Sales Power Tip – Build Trust.

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Lead Rank Lead Scoring How To Buying Cycle 236

Score More Sales

AUGUST 26, 2014

Did you know you’re missing out on sales opportunities by having a poor mobile company website? By applying science and metrics to your client and prospect buying cycle, you can impact connection and real support to help them. Lori speaks, writes, trains, and consults with inside sales teams in mid-sized companies.

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B2B Revenue B2C Ideal Customer Profile 232

Customer Centric Selling

MARCH 6, 2013

Sales Training Article: Penny Wise or Pound Foolish? 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 series. They take comfort in the number of "opportunities" in their pipelines.

Training 49

Training Top of Funnel Sales Qualified Lead Face-to-face 49

Partners in Excellence

MAY 29, 2022

Pipeline Health Example: Let’s look at an example, pipeline health is almost a universal issue for sellers. Let’s start to diagnose issues with pipeline health, I won’t go through everything, but I’ll give you some way to start thinking about how you might approach these issues to build healthier pipelines.

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Pipeline Analysis Sales Cycle Buying Cycle 82

Anthony Cole Training

JULY 28, 2010

HOME ABOUT US SOLUTIONS INTEGRATED LEARNING CLIENT RESULTS FREE RESOURCES SHOPPING CONTACT US SALES BREW SALES FORCE ONE SELLING FOR LIFE. 5 Direct Sales Activities that Lead to Sales Success? 7 More Sales Core Competencies. 7 More Sales Core Competencies. What’s Your Funniest Sales Story Ever?

Hiring 136

Hiring Buying Cycle Ideal Customer Profile Margin 136

No More Cold Calling

MAY 12, 2015

Gartner’s Tiffani Bova identifies three dangers looming over modern sales organizations. What is predictable is the challenges sales organizations face. Sales organizations are finding it harder and harder to deliver predictable revenue, and historical sales models are beginning to show cracks. Conference. Conference.

Lead Rank 120

Lead Rank Top of Funnel Face-to-face Lead Scoring 120

SBI

DECEMBER 4, 2018

In this series, we ask Sales Tech Executives to describe how their solution can change a sales organization in a significant way. We call it Sales Tech Game Changers. NANCY: WHAT ARE THE TOP 3 WAYS YOUR SOLUTION CHANGES THE GAME FOR A SALES ORGANIZATION? This week I interview John Steinert , CMO of TechTarget.

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Intent Data Intent Data Enterprise 139

Customer Centric Selling

AUGUST 28, 2013

Sales Training Article: The Well-beaten Path to Mediocrity. By John Holland, Chief Content Officer, CustomerCentric Selling® - The Sales Training Company Image courtesy of Ambro from FreeDigitalPhotos.net While claiming to be customer-centric most vendors have an inward looking focus on products and services they offer.

Outsourcing Services 45

Outsourcing Services Training Buying Cycle Hiring 45

Corporate Visions

OCTOBER 13, 2018

Make your 2019 sales meeting kickoff theme about maximizing profitability throughout the entire customer relationship, not just during the initial deal. With that in mind, I’m going to look at one key moment you need to train for during the deal, and two key moments your reps need to master with customers that are already in the fold.

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Meeting Demand Generation Agencies Maximizer Top of Funnel 67