Fatal Sales Failure: Forget the Front Lines
Chris Conrey explains that it’s a Fatal Sales Failure to be rude to the “front line” people at a prospect company. Don’t let that Executive Washroom go to your head!
Is Your Company Discoverable? Hear What Chris Baggott Has to Say
Conversation with Chris Baggott about "The Key to Fast Growth is Discoverability."
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Ask Your Customers The Ultimate Question
Whale Hunting is a great strategy to grow your company fast. But even fast-growing companies make on average 80% of their revenue from existing clients. So it’s much more important to keep existing whales than to hunt for new ones. How do you find out if there is a high probability that existing whales will work with you next year, too?
Thought Leader: Tired or True?
Isn’t thought leader just old biz jargon? After all, the term’s been knocking around for years, like “headhunter” and “game changer” and “team player.”
But no, for a B2B company today, being known as a thought leader demands your attention. And fortunately, through social media, becoming a thought leader gets easier for small and midsize companies than ever before.
Three Ways to Practice “Think Big, Act Big”
A lot of small companies adopt a mantra of “Think Big, Act Big” as a way to motivate everyone towards growth. It’s an amazingly common attitude. Donald Trump claims he invented the “Think Big” phrase. New Zealand thinks their prime minister invented it. It’s the title of a really bad movie. So I don’t really know where it comes from, […]
Can Technology Substitute for Real Customer Knowledge?
I received a very disconcerting email this morning from amazon.com. It was the typical occasional email that amazon.com customers receive, recommending books that I might enjoy.
Amazon, of course, is known for its ability to understand its customers’ taste and to make recommendations on that basis. The entire system is technology-based, not human-based. That is to say, amazon.com doesn’t really know me at all; it creates the illusion of knowing me by crunching data about my browsing and buying habits on its site.
Sales Position Open: Rock Stars Need Not Apply
I can’t tell you how many owners and CEOs I talk to who are looking for a rock star with a rolodex to save their sales. But today’s complex B2B sales require thoughtful, analytic team players who can put ego aside and involve their company’s subject matter experts in the sales process.
Pursuing the Preferred Customer–Strategic Focus is Key
As this economy brings changing market conditions, the process of scouting, or honing in on the preferred customer, becomes essential. It is the dedication to a focused, strategic business development process for targeting that ideal customer that may mean the difference between accelerated growth versus business as usual.
Do You Lose Them at Hello?
Today’s guest post is from Jill Konrath, best-selling author and sales guru. The article first appeared in Jill’s blog and we are publishing it here with her consent. In the movie Jerry Maguire, when Tom Cruise is in the midst of his proposal to Dorothy, she stops him with, “You had me at hello.” Every […]
How do you talk to your customers?
Social media platforms and spaces foster conversations among companies and their customers in unprecedented ways. In the B2B space, we’re just starting to figure out why do we want to have conversations, what’s their value, how to conduct them, and how to how to nurture them over time. How can your company talk to your […]
Five Proven Ways to Generate B2B Leads with Social Media
You might think social media activities are simply random, and you may wonder if you can really acquire B2B leads through social media sites. But here are five proven ways to use social media to create leads in a B2B market.
Is Your Recession Over? The Top Five Ways to Profit Now
In a post-recession economy, small businesses need a fresh set of tactics and tools in order to reposition themselves for growth. Here’s how.