Posts Tagged ‘Sales’

The Importance of Aligning Marketing and Sales

Thursday, November 11th, 2021

There is often tension between marketing and sales in many organizations. But why? Shouldn’t these two functions be closely aligned to most effectively achieve the revenue and ROI goals of the organization? What causes this tension, why is alignment important, and what steps can you take to bring these two important organizational functions closer together? (more…)

How Becoming a Trusted SME Can Boost Your Sales Ability

Tuesday, October 23rd, 2018

Hiring marketing or content marketing talent?Many people are somewhat wary of having something sold to them. Even with professional salespeople, and even when we’ve actively sought out the product or service a salesperson is offering, there is a tendency to be skeptical of what they’re telling us. After all, they are trying to get money from us. That’s why anything that can be done to boost the credibility of a salesperson is a big boon. (more…)

When You Simply Have to Say “No” To New Business, or a Potential New Client

Tuesday, May 26th, 2015

By Linda Pophal

Have you ever turned down new business or said “no” to a potential new client? It may seem hard to believe (especially for very new businesses), but there are definitely times when saying “no” is the best thing to do. Doing so effectively, though, is a bit of an art, and it may take a while for you to determine the types of clients and projects that make the most sense for you to tackle—and those that simply don’t make sense. (more…)

Sometimes “no” means “yes.” Don’t give up too soon!

Tuesday, August 26th, 2014

There’s often a big difference between siblings, even those close in age growing up in exactly the same environment. That was certainly the case between my brother and I. He was the kind of kid that would ask for something and not take “no” for an answer–even when threatened with punishment. I, on the other hand, would take rejection or refusal at face value and move on. I have that same tendency today and I know it’s not the right way to approach life–or building business.

The point was driven home to me recently when catching up on some reading. (more…)

B2B Marketers: Are You Focused on Firmographics?

Wednesday, July 30th, 2014

If you’re reading this post, chances are you’re familiar with the use of demographics in helping to define and understand your target audience.  Demographics are objective criteria such as age, sex, income or geography/location. You also may be familiar with psychographics. Psychographics are qualitative characteristics of your audience–whether they are family-oriented, enjoy the outdoors, etc.

But, if you’re in the B2B (business to business) space, there’s another marketing term that you should be focused on: firmographics. Firmographics are (more…)

Are You Using BANT to Qualify Prospects?

Tuesday, July 29th, 2014

Every lead is not a prospect and every prospect is not equally qualified. In your early days of running your business you, like many entrepreneurs, may consider every lead a “hot” lead. After all, business is business, right? Well, not exactly. The longer you’re in business, and the more successful your business becomes, the more selective you will need to be about which customers you decide to take on. What a great problem to have, right?

There are a variety of different ways that you might decide to evaluate or “score” your prospects. One commonly used approach, though, can be very helpful–BANT. (more…)