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Read to the end of this blog post to receive $1 million!

Oh, if only that were true. I’d probably read through more than once. However, now that I have you thinking about the proper way to motivate someone, I’d like to share some tips on how to craft a clear and engaging call-to-action (CTA) for your marketing campaigns.

What Is A Call to Action In Marketing?

Your call to action is the part of your advertisement that tells your target audience what they should be doing once they click on your PPC ad and hit your website or landing page. The simplest example of a call to action is “Buy now!” The more information you can provide your potential customers with your CTA, the better it will be for all parties involved. You can let your audience know what to expect when they click on your ad, and you can help dissuade the wrong users from clicking by means of a clear and direct message. While it is also important to understand what industry-specific phrasings or messaging your potential customers would respond well to, the CTA tips below are equally valuable.

Image via Boris Lechaftois

1. Use a strong command verb to start your CTA

It’s all about being clear and concise with your CTA. You don’t have a ton of space in your ad to get your point across, with the character limit set at 35 characters per description line, so it is important to get straight to the point. Let your audience know exactly what you want them to do, and don’t dilly dally – start the CTA with the desired action.

• Run an e-commerce website? Start your CTA with words like “buy,” “shop,” or “order”
• Promoting a newsletter or white paper? Start your CTA with words like “download” or “subscribe”
• Want someone to request more information? Try “fill out a form for…” or “find out how…”

Let’s go back to that white paper example. If you’re a marketing agency promoting your latest tips and insights, you want to be sure to that your audience understands exactly how to access that white paper. If your CTA read something like “Our latest white paper is available” you may not get a great click-through rate, as folks might not be sure where or when they can expect to get their hands on it. A call-to-action such as “download our white paper today!” is much more direct and informative, which should help improve CTR.

2. Use words that provoke emotion or enthusiasm

You want to be able to elicit a strong response from your audience as a result of their enthusiasm. If your CTA is enthusiastic, then your audience will be enthusiastic too. Take a CTA like “buy now and get 50% off!” – not only are you providing them with a massive benefit, but who wouldn’t be thrilled to get their order for half off?

For someone looking to book a trip with their family, a CTA such as “plan your dream vacation today!” will excite them about the notion of a family trip and make them eager to click on your ad. A small, yet effective element here is adding an exclamation point to the end of your CTA in order to provoke that enthusiasm. It makes your CTA pop, and gives it a little extra kick.

3. Give your audience a reason why they should take the desired action

In other words, what’s in it for them? Will it help them do their jobs better, lose weight, or save money? This will tie in heavily with your value proposition, or unique selling point (USP). Your USP is arguably one of the most important pieces of acquiring new leads, so creating a nice USP/CTA mash-up is a great way to increase clicks. A good example of this would be something like “call today to schedule your free consultation!” Not only have you stated the action you want the user to take (call today), but you have also provided them with a reason why they should take that action (a free consultation).

4. Take advantage of FOMO

This is actually one of my favorite tactics when it comes to a successful CTA. Fear of missing out, otherwise known as FOMO, is an extremely effective motivator. When people think they might lose out on an opportunity that might not come around again, they’ll be mighty quick to hop on the bandwagon. One of the best uses of FOMO in your CTA is to mention a sale or promotion that your company is holding, and which won’t last forever. You probably get emails with this sort of messaging all the time, I know I sure do. I’m talking about messaging like “Shop today! Sale ends on Monday,” perhaps during a three-day weekend. Or even “buy now while supplies last!” during the holiday season. It’s tough to ignore a prompt like that, especially during a time-sensitive, under-the-gun type of situation (e.g. the Christmas season). Similar to provoking enthusiasm as we discussed earlier, provoking fear of missing out in your CTA is sure to get you some additional clicks.

5. Know your devices

Creating a killer call-to-action is important, that’s no secret. But I also urge you to consider customizing your CTA based on the device being used by your audience. Google considers desktop and tablet as the same device, as the screen sizes are roughly the same, and people use them for search in similar scenarios. An example of this would be a person sitting on the couch at night, who sees an ad on TV for a product they’re interested in. The next thing they’ll probably do is grab their laptop or tablet and search for more information on it.

However, mobile devices tend to have different user behavior and search intent than desktop/tablets, making it prudent to tailor your CTA based on device. Users who search for something on their desktop or tablet are typically still doing their research, and are not quite ready to commit. But users searching for something on their mobile phone are often looking for “instant gratification” or fast results. Someone could be walking down the street when they see an ad on a moving bus, and whip out their phone and quickly search for what they saw before it leaves their brain. Their search will also likely result in a phone call to complete the desired action, rather than browsing a website. My advice is to create a more phone call-centric CTA for your ads that appear on mobile devices. You could try something like “call now to get started” or “call us today for more information,” and that should help guide your target audience to take the action you want them to take.

There are two ways you can make this tactic even more effective:

• Google gives you the ability to set a mobile preference for your ads, which allows you to designate certain ads to only appear for searches completed on mobile devices. With this option, you can focus your CTA on generating more phone calls.
• You can also enable call extensions, which allow you to display your phone number alongside your ads. This option is available for all devices, and I strongly recommend that you take advantage of it, but Google automatically adjusts the way your call extensions are displayed on mobile searches. Instead of your number appearing, a small “Call” button will be display, allowing for one-touch dialing. This is what is known as Google’s “Click- to-Call” function.

Google’s Click-to-Call button appears on mobile searches

6. Don’t be afraid to get a little creative

It’s important that you keep your CTA’s fresh, much like you should with your ad copy in general. A good, old-fashioned A/B test is a great way to identify which CTA’s bring you clicks, and which CTA’s bring you frowns. While your tried and true calls-to-action like the ones we’ve already discussed are always good to use, you really never know how they’ll perform in your account until you actually use them.

PPC is definitely a game of trial and error (which is why it can be frustrating!), and your calls-to-action are no exception to the rule. Something could look great on paper, or may sound great when a colleague recommends it to you, but the only way you’ll absolutely know for sure if something will work for your account is if you test it out. Your target audience may not respond well to what could be considered a “surefire CTA,” which is enough to make you pull your hair out. I recommend not only testing different CTA’s, but being creative with them too. If your target audience isn’t responding well to your ads, you might as well try to think outside the box a bit!

Elisa Gabbert shared some examples of creative CTAs in a blog post if you are looking for some additional inspiration.

7. Use numbers when possible

We consumers respond well to seeing numbers such as pricing, discounts, promotions, incentives, etc. It helps us to determine whether or not it’s worth splurging on items we desperately want, but probably aren’t essential to everyday life. So when the opportunity arises, why not appeal to your target audience that way? I am always a big proponent of including pricing information in your ad copy in general, and that includes your CTA. If a user sees your pricing information in your ad, and decides to click through to your site, then you know they are still interested in the product or service you are offering. Now you know you have yourself a valuable click, and an increased chance at generating a conversion. But, if you don’t include your pricing information in your ads, someone may click through to your site, excited about your products/services, but then get scared off by your prices; now you have yourself a less than desirable situation. This leads to the dreaded wasted spend in your account, and who wants to deal with that?

Try experimenting with your pricing information in your CTA, as well as any other applicable numerical information. A CTA such as “Shop today for TVs under $300!” not only shows a user how little they will pay for a TV, but it also hits on the FOMO element as well (pretty sneaky huh?). If you are running a special promotion for shipping, you could try something like “order by Sunday for 1-day shipping.” Maybe you are an auto body shop looking to incentivize your audience with a discount; your CTA might look something like “Book today! 15% off your next visit.”

Honorable mention: Use crappy language

This doesn’t make the top 7, as it can be a little risqué, but it can also be pretty effective in catching someone’s eye. I don’t always recommend trying this, as it can be tough to pull off, but sometimes using negative words can motivate a person to change something they are self-conscious about. For example, if I was on Google looking to lose weight and saw a call-to-action such as “end your crappy diet today,” I might just want to click. Sure, it’s a bit brash, which is why I recommend using this technique sparingly, but it definitely commands attention.

Another example might be if I was looking to fix the brown patches in my lawn. If I was perusing Google and saw an ad with a CTA like “your yard sucks, let us fix it,” not only would I probably chuckle, but I would also probably click – just to see exactly what that lawn company could do for me. You’re walking a fine line with this technique, but it can pay off.

Do you have a preferred call-to-action, or perhaps one that surprised you with how well it did? What about one that you were hoping would perform well but ended up bombing? I’d love to hear about it, so feel free to sound off below!

One of the first conversations I had with Larry (aka “Dad”) when I first started working for him focused on the importance of proofreading. “Our business is one of perfection,” I was taught. It’s our job to make sure that when a client is represented through marketing content, it is flawless in every way conceivable. No pressure though.

The fact is that as the years have gone by, I’ve become rather addicted to proofreading, as sad as that may be. In fact I would say it’s a problem that plagues most of us at Clayman, to the point where we even have started proofing things we did not do. In all of that proofing we have come to notice that there are certain mistakes you can look for and spot all the time. These represent good catches that clients often appreciate, and more to the point, they represent catches that can prevent serious misunderstandings down the road.

While these “Ten Commandments” aren’t necessarily written in stone, they represent what we think is a pretty good start.

1. Thou shalt make sure your ® and your ™ usage correct. This is not just a marketing concern, it is a company concern. Everyone should know which of your products are registered and which are trademarked. Missing the mark on your registration marks can cause a lot of problems, not the least of which is heavy embarrassment that you don’t seem to know your own products’ legal status.

2. Thou shalt make sure thine work is copyrighted. Even more than that, thou shalt make sure thine work is copyrighted correctly. This seems to be a particular problem with websites. It’s very easy to forget to update those copyright dates annually, but you don’t want your website to have a copyright date of 2008 (most likely). That calls into question what else might be lagging.

3. Thou shalt make sure thine numbers and letters are not transposed. Ist usually pretty eays to tell when letters are transposed. Numbers, like in pricing or in a phone number, can be trickier to spot. Without thorough proofing, you may not even know you have a problem until you REALLY have a problem.

4. Thou shalt make sure all contact information is flawless. In business, if there is one rule that should be hammered into people’s heads, it is that contact information should always be correct. This is a professional courtesy. Whatever you are doing, whether it is an email or a brochure, make 100% sure that all contact information is spot on. Special mention to a person who once emailed me and referred to me as “Michael.”

5. Thou shalt make sure thine images will print properly and look sharp on the web. Few things can make your marketing look worse than a poorly produced image. Make sure your proofreading process includes double-checking your images to make sure they are crisp and clear. Don’t make your target audience think they need new glasses!

6. Thou shalt check thine spelling and grammar. This is what most people probably think of when they hear proofreading, and yet, it is not too difficult these days to find words misspelled or to find grammar mistakes that are not as gooder as they should be. Don’t just rely on spellcheck either. Much like your phone’s auto-correct feature, spellcheck has its limitations.

7. Thou shalt Make sure thine capitalization Makes sense. Marketing content often uses seemingly random capital letters to emphasize specific words. That’s all Well and good, but if you aren’t Careful it can look like just random slips of the finger. Be consistent with the kinds of words you capitalize and when you capitalize them.

8. Thou shalt make sure thine characters are the correct characters. Are you using inch marks or quotation marks? Are you using a hyphen where there should be a long dash? These kinds of details are the ones that can truly differentiate your work overall. Mind the details.

9. Thou shalt make sure thine spacing/leading/kerning are consistent and aesthetically pleasing. When proofreading, you need to combine looking for tiny inconsistencies as well as looking for inconsistencies in the big picture. Step back from your work. Are words too smushed together or too far apart?

10. Thou shalt make sure thine content actually makes sense. Focusing on minute details can distract away from making sure that your copy and your overall message actually makes sense. Sometimes we wander off like that time I saw a squirrel and my dog started to chase it and then we get so tied up in making sure everything is spelled right we lose track of the fact that we are making no sense. This is why we advise reading everything out loud with one person reading and another person following along.

So there they are, our Ten Proofreading Commandments. What would you add?

Among the multitude of tools you can use for ecommerce, very few would regard Google Analytics as the sexiest.

With the tools you’re using to run split tests on your product page, the pieces of software that score your leads and automate parts of the marketing process, and the keyword and display campaign tools you’re using to drive traffic, it’s almost drudgery if you’re suddenly jumping to the tool that only analyzes traffic

That’s a huge misconception; Google Analytics can be pretty great for ecommerce.

For Google Analytics to be pretty great for ecommerce, you need to bring the great. That means going beyond looking at views and visits, and creating Advanced Segments that answer business questions. Here are three that will get you started.

Abandoners

Let’s start with one of the basic ecommerce segments: people who started down the path of the conversion, but abandon at one point or another. This is a success metric you should watch closely, because it will let you know when the changes you make to your checkout funnel are working as prescribed.

To build the Advanced Segment in Google Analytics, you need to plug in an “include” filter for the page URL at the beginning of your checkout process, and an “exclude” filter for the URL of the thank you page. This will net you the visitors who got past your product page, but did not go all the way through the checkout process. As you make changes to your checkout pages, you should be plugging the leaks you identify in Google Analytics, and bringing the percentage of abandoners down.

As a bonus, if your Google Analytics tool is connected to AdWords, you can take the segment you created, click on the configuration tool for the Advanced Segment, and click on “remarket” to go after the people who abandoned your cart.

That’s pretty far removed from basic traffic monitoring.

Converted Customers

Then, of course, you have the people who made a purchase. They’re people to whom you can upsell.

If you sell cameras, purchasers of DSLR cameras might be primed to buy the extra lens; if you sell laptops, purchasers might be primed to purchase mobile hard drives or laptop accessories. These opportunities will be different for every business, but the point is that Google Analytics can help you capitalize on them.

Hopefully, your product lines have differentiated URLs at the end of the funnel. That way, you can create an “include” filter for each product line’s thank-you page URL. In the camera scenario, if your checkout page for a Canon DSLR is “/canon-70D-thank-you/”, your condition would be Include> Page> Contains> /canon-70D-thank-you/. Then, as with the abandoners, you can remarket to those people. It’s basic, but powerful, and definitely something to consider for your toolbox.

High Volume Customers

If you have tagged your pages for revenue, and you know what your average revenue per session is for your site, you can do some pretty interesting things with that data.

You can figure out where your volume purchasers are spending most of their time, and run promos designed for them in the relevant sections of the web site. You can figure out where the premium item buyers usually pass through, and get them discounts to other premium items. To find the big spenders, you can create an “include” filter for quantity per session under ecommerce, and add in a quantity of purchasers above 3 (or whatever your threshold is).

You can also create an “include” filter for revenue per session, and then put in an above average value. Once you have the Advanced Segment ready, go to Behavior> Site Content> All Pages to see which pages you need to start changing and running tests for.

Segments Are Powerful

Visits and page views don’t really mean much in and of themselves, especially in ecommerce where you can find abandoners, converted customers (good upsell prospects), and high volume customers. Be sure to apply these segments and start getting more out of Google Analytics for your ecommerce site.

Customer segment image courtesy of Shutterstock.

What if I told you the secret to getting cold prospects to always open and even act on your sales emails?

Here it is: There is no secret.

The truth is, every prospect is different, so there’s no guaranteeing that one best practice will work above all others. What you can do to build trust with cold prospects is be honest and provide real value in every email interaction you have with them.

That’s why this cold sales email template works so well:

Hi ,

As an avid business professional, I like to stay up to date on industry news and insights. Recently, I noticed that your company .

In my experience, that means that becomes a challenge. What might help you in your transition is to learn how others have dealt with similar issues. My company helped tackle this problem with what they called “.”

If you’d like to learn more, let’s set up a quick call. How does Tuesday afternoon between 2 and 3 p.m. EST sound?

Regards,

P.S. If you’re not the right person to speak to, who would you recommend I reach out to?

Let’s break this down.

Starting from the top, the inside sales rep in this email makes the first sentence about the prospect’s company, not about their own. The first sentence also establishes the sender as a “business professional” instead of a “salesperson,” rebranding the inside sales rep as a trusted advisor.

The second paragraph shows that the rep researched the company beforehand, and from that research drew conclusions about the prospect’s current challenges. Decision-makers are bombarded by calls every day from sales reps asking them about their current situation, about what they do as a company, and about their current pains. Instead of interrupting this prospect’s day with questions the sales rep could have found the answers to beforehand, this email streamlines the process.

There’s also a short sentence in the second paragraph that highlights the inside sales rep’s company – and their customer service – with a short quote from a case study. Done right, this technique can prove your expertise. After all, buyers don’t want to hear from the seller about your product or service; they want to hear from others who have had experience with it. That’s why sites like Yelp exist!

In the final paragrph, the sales rep emphasizes that he or she is just looking for a “quick call.” Instead of waiting for the prospect to respond with a time, the rep chooses the date and time and leaves it open for the prospect to change accordingly.

Finally, let’s not forget the P.S. Prospects might not read your full email, but they will read your P.S. if it’s short. Use it as a call-to-action for them to refer you to the right contact, or as a short message saying, “If you’re free, you can call me now, at this number.”

If you’re in inside sales, customize this message and see if it works for your company. Let us know the results in the comments!

By Tibor Shanto - tibor.shanto@sellbetter.ca 

Sales is very much a balancing exercise, somewhat like a scale, to keep balanced, you need to ensure that there is as much weight on one side as there is on the other. When there isn’t it could lead to problems for the parties involved. The most common example of this in B2B selling is price. More often than not, when a sales person finds themselves negotiating on price, or selling on price it is the result of not having created enough value to merit the price they are demanding.

It is easy to find one’s self with a value deficit just at the wrong time, and having to give unnecessary concessions to win the deal. A fundamental element is a lack of an understanding of value, after all, value is a subjective thing. Like beauty, value is in the eye of the beholder, some line up to pay for a high end performance auto, while others are loath to pay full price for even the most basic vehicle. Part of the problem is a lack of definition around value, just because it is subjective, does not mean it cannot be defined, especially in the context of a sale. This is especially so in a day when everyone is so keen to rest on their value proposition. As I have said in the past value propositions are useless, you can put lipstick on it but it is still a pitch.

So let’s define value, especially in a way that allows you to avoid a value deficit. This is an actionable definition we use with our clients:

“Buyers will see value in those offerings that remove barriers, obstacles, or helps bridge GAPS between where the buyer is now – and – their objectives!”

By helping clients move towards their objectives, or better yet achieve them, you can build value right from the start. Add to that the needed step of quantifying the outcomes you can deliver, you can in effect quantify the value you deliver, and expand that to the value your buyer will realize, which can be greater, especially if you sell it right. By that I mean that if you can help the client see how achieving specific steps or objectives will help open up opportunities beyond that, the payoff will seem and in fact be better than initially understood, and worth paying for.

As an example, let’s say you can demonstrate that you can help the client improve manufacturing process. A good enough objective and outcome on its own. But why stop there, why not explore further, further than your product goes, with the improvement in the process, can they reduce the cost of good, which can both reduce their requirement for operating funds and increased margins. With better margins, can they increase targeted market share, which in turn helps them negotiate better terms with suppliers, etc. Most sales people stop short of this because their product may not be directly delivering or involved in all steps taken, but all I need to be is the catalyst, not doing every bit of it. By extrapolating the value I bring to their objective, I can create a value surplus, or at the minimum, avoid a value deficit.  In other words, build value for the buyer, not value for your product.

What’s in Your Pipeline?
Tibor Shanto 

I am convinced sales reps are making key mistakes when it comes to sending email messages. The email I receive weekly from sales “professionals” serve as great examples. I was inspired to write this after reading my colleague Mark Hunter’s post Preparing for Dreamforce and the Stupid Emails I’ve Been Getting.

I think he summarizes my thoughts well on this – sales pros need to do a BETTER job, putting in MORE effort to do some research, and then PERSONALIZE a message to me, your potential buyer!

Like Mark, I am also heading to Dreamforce (see my previous post) so am on everyone’s list with a target on my back with vendors exhibiting.

One vendor’s rep invited me to come and hear the top sales influencers they have asked to speak at sessions they are sponsoring.  He didn’t realize that I am one of those influencers – do a little homework, please – and don’t send me a generic, un-segmented blast email.

It’s sloppy, and it’s lazy. It makes me not want to do business with companies when that happens.

Another email was from a sales rep asking me to check out their sales training program. Umm, that’s what WE do. Oops. Sloppy.

Do some due diligence. And keep it short and to the point. Send a copy to yourself and read it on your smart phone. If you have to scroll down once or twice, it is TOO long.

Know who your buyer is  – and know how you can be of value before you call.

Don’t sell them – pique their interest because you have ideas on how you can help them in their work or in their life.

Otherwise, you’re wasting your time and theirs.

Lori Richardson is recognized on Forbes as one of the “Top 30 Social Sales Influencers” worldwide. Lori speaks, writes, trains, and consults with inside sales teams in mid-sized companies. Subscribe to the award-winning blog and the “Sales Ideas In A Minute” newsletter for sales strategies, tactics, and tips in selling. Increase Opportunities. Expand Your Pipeline. Close More Deals.

email lori@scoremoresales.com | My LinkedIn Profile | twitter | Visit us on google+

The post Money Monday – Send Smarter Sales Messages appeared first on Score More Sales.

Unless you’re Amish (or at least something close), you’ve encountered at least one statistic that served to contradict personal experience. Whether the topic’s political, economical, or old-fashioned business, it seems like the internet’s hotwired to find a statistic that will prove you wrong.

But perhaps what’s more startling is when these battle of numbers make their way into your sales appointments and shake up the process of generating sales leads.

Not helping, Mr. Twain.

It even gets aggravating at some points. Take this piece from the AsktheManager blog. Apparently, 92.6% of LinkedIn users believe made up statistics. In spite of the clear irony, it’s a really scary thought considering that LinkedIn has become a go-to social media resource for B2B sales.

It’s like that agonized moment when you can’t seem to trust anything anymore. How can you create power, relevant content without citing questionable resources? It’s like this idea about made-up statistics has become some depressing, Lovecraftian ‘truth’ that renders everything you do as hopelessly biased.

Here’s the simplest answer to that: So what?

It’s true that, when you get to the heart of the matter, you’re gathering all these ‘reliable’ statistics in the hopes of convincing a sales prospect. You conduct your own surveys, present your own findings, and parade your case studies for the sake of winning the trust of potential customers.

Perhaps the real issue isn’t the reliability of your resources but your attitude towards marketing and selling. Just because you don’t want to look desperate for a sale doesn’t mean you don’t want the sale period. Otherwise, why are you selling? Why can’t you just give away your entire business?

Now with this out of the way, it’s high time to be honest with yourself. Yes, you’re citing, researching, and providing testimony to make the case for your business. It’s part of your job. It’s part of your experience. The best part though is that the attitude towards statistics also says a lot more about your prospect than whether or not how much you cite is based on fact:

• They don’t want to buy – When it feels like they’re so accustomed to criticizing your statistics, it’s clear that these people are just not interested. You’re better off re-tailoring your content and your call lists to exclude those who are intent on disproving their demand for your products/services.

• They’ve got their own bad experience – Instead of having a round of statistical debate, why not get to the heart of their objections? Was it bad experience with a previous vendor? Did they get results far less then expected? You want objectivity, tackling the actual problem makes more sense than the general numbers around it.

• They’re simply not sure themselves – Maybe it’s the complete opposite of a bad experience. Maybe they’re completely new customers and feel constantly ‘starved’ for information. Instead of simply throwing more numbers at them, try to execute simpler follow-up strategies and create more convincing demonstrations.

Take note that this is just one of the many issues that divide professionals in the field of content marketing and sales. But instead of just worrying about every individual report or statistical error, look at the bigger picture and get to the heart of why your prospects aren’t just simply buying it.

The Secret: Plan Your Work And Work Your Plan

October is a special month for sales teams. Most companies in the U.S. follow a calendar fiscal year, and see October as a start to the “final lap” of the year, or Q4. This is when sales teams need to close-out deals and finish the year strong.

At the same time, sales plans and Quarterly Business Reviews need preparation, to ensure the coming year starts right. No matter how you look at it, October is when salespeople need to plan their work and work their plan.

Think and act with these mindsets, and you’ll kill it in Q4.

Everything Is Urgent

Major events like OpenWorld and Dreamforce BOTH occur in October, and take a week out of the schedule. People return to the office with maybe six weeks left in the quarter. December is typically when businesses wrap-up the year and head out for the holidays (which makes scheduling a meeting difficult).

• Whip your email inbox into shape. Invest time responding to the most important messages, deleting the irrelevant ones, and organizing the others.
• Schedule same-day or same-week appointments. Don’t procrastinate! Whether following-up on inbound leads or prospecting into an account, suggest meeting with the prospect that afternoon, or just 1-2 days later. After all, you’re just as booked as everyone else.
• Walk faster. That’s right. When you put pep in your step, and literally pick up your pace, you generate a sense of hustle that becomes infectious to everyone around you.

Make Each Week Super Productive

There’s no time to screw around in Q4. Hack away at the unessential and tackle the tasks that will move you forward. Plan your success.

• Take a “bookends” approach to the week: Mondays and Fridays are for internal meetings, research, and administrative work; Tuesdays to Thursdays are for sacred prospecting and meetings with prospects and customers.
• Zero-in on who and what are most important. Talk to people you must contact or hear from to get things done.

See The Ball, Hit The Ball

People already know what’s required to win, but most don’t do that stuff. If you had a crappy year in sales, then create new habits, new rituals. Act like the best and you will become the best.

• Select tools that will fine-tune the machine that is you. From Evernote to Momentum to Outlook, there’s a bottomless toolbox of technologies that will help.
• Simply decide to finish the year strong. There are so many helpful ways to make it happen, so pick a few that make sense to you.

Try these out today and Q4 will be a breeze.

If you’re here, you probably spend a good chunk of your time reading up on marketing and digital to stay current. Social media marketing certainly feels like the wave of the future; every day there are 10 more reasons to focus your time (and budget) on connecting socially to grow your business. It’s a common topic here on the OMI blog, where there are often tips for getting the most out of your social media marketing efforts.

Related Class: Introduction to Social Media Marketing

But is social really earning its keep at your business? Is it your biggest traffic-pusher, your best lead-converter, your most effective sales-generator? If it is, that’s great. Yet for many businesses, this is just not the case, and without running the numbers, you’ll never know where you fall. Today, a robust social media presence is definitely a requirement for any business – we’re not arguing against that. But you should keep your marketing priorities in line with the ROI they bring you, regardless of what is newest or most on-trend in the marketing world.

Crunching the Numbers

A huge range of studies have examined the value of email vs. social media when it comes to marketing, and while you can split hairs, the overall results show that email still far outpaces social platforms when it comes to getting customers and profits. This summary highlights recent studies with some impressive stats: specifically, that email is roughly 40 times more effective for acquiring new customers, and 3 times more likely to lead to a sale. And when you get that sale – email sales have an average order value 17% higher than those acquired through social media.

What do these numbers mean for you? That depends. Obviously these studies examine a wide range of businesses, and you’re most likely only interested in one business – your own. You’ll need to crunch your own numbers to see how your social media marketing efforts add up when it comes to new leads, website traffic, and sales. Careful work with your website’s analytics, and tools like Facebook’s Insights, can help you determine how your time and efforts are paying off. This is particularly important if you’re paying to ‘promote’ or ‘boost’ your social media posts, since you don’t want to throw money at a strategy that isn’t going to pay off in sales.

Where Social Wins Out

There are also, however, many intangible things that are a lot harder to quantify with numbers, but that you should still consider within your social media strategy. Even if your Facebook page or Twitter account aren’t bringing you new sales, many marketers (including this one) would still argue that your social media presence has major value.

Today, those searching online (your potential customers) assume that you’ll have a page on Facebook, a location on Google+, and a social presence that they can look over. You won’t be able to quantify it, but it might very well be that your winning Facebook page and genuine tweets helped them feel a sense of trust and reliability, which somewhere down the line (a day, a week, 6 months later) brought them to your webshop or your brick-and-mortar business.

Because social media humanizes your business and connects you personally with potential leads and customers, it will never truly be a waste of your time and effort. But all the same, you may never be able to track these social media victories, and might not even have a comment or like to let you know you’re doing well online.

What Does This Mean for Your Priorities?

Once you’ve run the numbers, you should have a better idea of where your best ROI is coming from – and whether your time and efforts reflect that ranking, or not. If your social media presence is sucking up a lot of your valuable time, or requires too much attention from your in-house team, then you should reconsider whether the time is paying off in sales and new customers. Of course, dropping it altogether isn’t really an option, but scaling back the frequency with which you update, post or tweet could help you manage time and improve quality.

Related Class: Tracking and Measuring Email Marketing Results

On the other side of the equation, you should make sure that you’re giving email marketing the attention it deserves. Every email you send is reaching a targeted, interested person (more than you can say for a Facebook post), and you can deliver great content straight to them. If you’re doing a monthly email newsletter, that’s great – but do the numbers show that a biweekly newsletter would drive more sales? Or, try rolling out triggered emails when customers visit your site, or if they haven’t purchased anything in 6 months. A little A/B testing will go a long way, so you can tell how your email efforts are paying off.

Stay tuned for my next post exploring the topic of content channels, and how different channels like email, Facebook and Twitter should be used in ways that play to their strengths, instead of a one size fits all approach.

In the meantime, explore the practical aspects with this class, Measuring the Value of Social Media Using Simple Analytics. You’ll learn how to accurately measure social media traffic to your website, calculate engagement metrics, and much more.

To be successful at lead generation, marketers can’t rely on one specific tactic. Rather, they must leverage a portfolio of channels.

The best marketers approach their work like a portfolio manager would run a mutual fund. Portfolio managers are constantly thinking about, and testing, the optimal investment strategy. They analyze the financial marketplace and make choices that balance high risk and high reward with tried-and-true methods to achieve the highest return from their investment portfolio.

A while ago, I created a mind map of lead generation channels for my book Lead Generation for the Complex Sale. I’ve updated it to include more content marketing and social media channels. I hope you find it helpful. You click the map image to expand it or download it as a PDF:

Download the Lead Generation Channel Map as a PDF

How do you determine which channels are the best for generating leads and finding future customers? One approach is testing several different lead generation channels — and measuring the results. If you’re still not sure where to start, here’s a list of the most widely used lead generation tactics.

Here’s a few other ways you can use this map:

Choose more channels to test

As you look over the lead generation channel map, ask yourself a few questions:

• Which of these channels are we using?
• Which are our competitors using?
• Do you know how your tactics are performing?

Now think of what you know about your customers’ buying process. Are they working together in a complementary way to connect each step in the customer’s buying process?

Use your answers from the previous questions to identify the gaps.

Build your lead generation calendar

Try to detail a lead generation calendar for the year that maps out anticipated programs and tactics by month and quarter. At minimum, map out your activities for each month and then really follow it.

Don’t just make irrelevant pitches more often. Create a plan to add value every time you touch your future customers with relevant ideas, content and resources.

Also, build an effective closed-looped feedback system to capture feedback from your sales force that can be converted to actionable ideas to optimize your channels.

Optimize your current channels

Review your channels in terms of what’s working and what’s not, and make adjustments. If you can’t measure your marketing channels in terms of return on investment to the organization — leads generated, opportunities in the funnel and business closed — why should your company “invest in your fund?”

When was the last time you looked at your channels and asked, “How can I make this channel perform better?”

What else would you add to this mind map? Let me know in the comments below.

You also might like:

Multichannel Marketing: 6 challenges for planning complex campaigns [More from the blogs]

31 Tips for Improving Sales and Marketing Lead Generation Alignment[More from the blogs]

Lead Gen Tactics from 4 MarketingSherpa Case Studies [More from the blogs]

Lead Generation: Customers are looking for a solution to their problems [More from the blogs]

More technology means more access to clients, more potential for growth, but much more complexity in how we build business to business and direct-to-consumer leads. We can try to close our leads following our natural instinct for sales. Coming up with the perfect email when the inspiration hits us. Or drawing on our charisma to make that definitive sell over the phone. You may be a team full of talented, spontaneous sales reps, but is that going to be applied in a consistent and effective way over the long-term?

At some point we all have to be methodical. Research from small and big businesses alike show that only 20 percent of leads are sold in the heat of the moment. That means 80 percent of leads take longer, sometimes much longer to close and require careful consistent patterns of contact. As the quantity and combinations of leads multiply a team better strive for best practices.

SalesExec from ClickPoint Software gives you a great system to automate, manage, analyze and nurture your leads as you customize the entire process.

Lead management made both easy and systematic, this software streamlines the process so you never lose an opportunity.

Gabriel Buck, CEO of ClickPoint Software says this is what they are trying to do: “…to really keep that person engaged so that one month down the road when they are ready to purchase–or two months down the road–they’re thinking of your company and they haven’t gone to the competition”. Here’s how SalesExec helps you manage your leads.

SalesExec: Lead Management for Sales Teams

Here are the five reasons you need a lead management software for you and your sales teams”

Add or import all the leads you want

• SalesExec knows you are coming from different places, verticals and software. With a smooth system for importation, they make possible an effective and hassle-free integration.

You don’t have to guess at what works

• There’s an easy-to use system for scoring leads so you can evaluate the quality of each lead and eliminate bad leads in a methodical, not an arbitrary way.
• You can also improve the process of how your team closes leads. Customize your workflow within the SalesExec system to achieve a smooth and consistent method of lead management. And then make adjustments based on the results.

Save your time and save your leads

• More leads means more response time. There’s no possible way of nurturing all your leads over the course of months without software that helps you reach out to your customers at the exact right time.
• Automate emails and follow-up emails to nurture those leads in a timely, persistent fashion.
• Check out who has been opening and clicking on those automated emails and create notifications for specific team members to follow-up right at the moment.
• And automate all kinds of triggers to let your team know when things must be done.

Quicker contact, more leads won

• The SalesExec software comes with a Power Dialer that integrates with VoIP phone systems such as Cisco, Avaya, and Fonality. Just connect your phone and you can begin to make click-to-dial calls that increase calling efficiency by 50%.

Fostering healthy competition

• Most leads close on the 7^th phone call. Most sales people give up by the 3^rd call. With comprehensive reporting on performance you know exactly how often team members contact and close in a specific time-frame. Reward those sales reps with the highest close percentage.
• Also, with your user-permission you can instigate a little team competition with stats on performance by team member appearing on each person’s dashboard. Everyone will know exactly how the team is performing and the contribution of each member.

Think you’re a natural? Try being a little more nurturing with your leads. Use SalesExec.

ClickPoint Software completes the circle from lead generation to completed sale. While SalesExec is geared toward sales teams, another lead management system is designed for marketers, LeadExec. This solution is all about the generation and distribution of leads so those quality leads can be sold to link buyers while easily integrated into CRMs and other link management solutions. Here’s what their system can do:

LeadExec: Lead Management for Marketers

Here are four reasons why you need lead management for your marketing:

Practice the art of capturing leads

• High quantities of leads, multiple verticals and lots of different lead sources make for a unfathomably complex amount of data input to keep track of. LeadExec’s software captures all this information and makes it manageable so you can nurture each and every one of those leads coming from all those different places.
• Whether it is from phone calls, forms, landing pages, Internet leads or other lead sources, LeadExec has a great customizable system for organizing your team.

Create and customize your own lead sources

• If you are seeking leads from different kinds of clients, you probably need forms and other lead sources that are sensitive to the situation of each customer.
• For example, say your marketing team is working the medical vertical and is interested in whether a client has insurance or not. You might need two different forms tailored to how respondents answer even that first question.
• Create and adapt new forms to any situation with a tool that is easy to use and that can be implemented instantly when contacting your various clients.

Pass off the leads to the sales team

• You’ve got the lead sources adapted, you’ve got the leads captured and now it’s time to distribute. LeadExec integrates all those leads into hundreds of lead buyers and sellers.
• Your leads can be integrated into any CRM or lead management software giving your marketing team lots of options for distributing leads to customer service teams and sales teams.

Break it down

• You’d be surprised at how many large companies rely on nothing more than natural instinct that a certain lead management strategy is working. Producing repeatable best practices for your team require analysis and reporting.
• Be open to change. Organize your team around custom, real-time, exportable reports that recommend concrete improvements to your methods for managing leads.

Looking to boost your marketing team’s capacity to manage leads?

Check out LeadExec, as well as summaries and reviews of other lead management solutions on GetApp.

Marketing automation provides a variety of benefits to sales teams. It can shorten the sales cycle, uncover new upsell and cross-sell opportunities, and maximize the lifetime value of every customer. What’s more, it gives the sales team visibility into key interactions with customers and prospects. Sales reps can see which pages on the site a prospect has visited, which documents they downloaded, and which emails they responded to – and when.

For many sales teams, this visibility can be a real superpower. With this kind of X-ray vision, reps can stop cold-calling leads. They can see quickly what prospects are interested in and follow up with targeted, relevant messages and offers. They can also reach out at the perfect time – right at the ideal moment, and not a minute too soon (or too late).

Let’s take a look at how this astonishing visibility works in the real world. Recently, we created a case study about CobbleStay, a unique vacation rental agency representing luxury properties around the world. Because their website features lush photography of accommodations in locations such as Paris and Puerto Vallarta, the site tends to get a lot of traffic that’s “just looking.”

Sorting through large numbers of visitors to find qualified leads was a time-consuming process for the sales organization. It was bad for the team’s productivity as well as the company’s bottom line. But increased visibility – the kind marketing automation provides – helped them overcome this challenge. Here are three ways the CobbleStay sales teams used increased visibility to make the sales process more effective.

1. Eliminate Cold Calls

When the marketing team has the tools to effectively nurture leads, reps can guide these prospects through the sales funnel at their own pace, based on how they’ve responded to previous communications. This process generates more (and better-qualified) leads who have displayed buying intent, while also uncovering those who should be dismissed. As a result, sales can spend less time with inefficient and unproductive cold calls and more time in front of prospects who are actually ready to buy.

That’s one of the reasons the sales team at CobbleStay found Act-On’s powerful lead scoring capabilities to be so useful. Because booking travel can be a complex, high-consideration sale, the CobbleStay team needed a way to address the needs of their customers, while also prioritizing leads and striking while the iron is hot with those most likely to convert. Now, any time the team looks at an inquiry in their system, they can understand how engaged the lead is, and decide how much attention to give each one.

2. Remove the Blindfold

Knowing who to call and what to say makes the job of the sales team much easier. Using a combination of behavioral tracking and attribute profiling, marketing can create segments that have meaning for sales messaging and then deliver relevant communications that match the prospect’s interests. Customer intelligence dashboards show key aspects of the prospect’s journey, including which content they’ve viewed and what actions they’ve taken while on the site. This knowledge makes it possible to effectively tailor conversations and talk to each prospect about their unique needs.

Recently, CobbleStay has noted more people spending their time looking at options without reaching out and engaging directly. But the people who do engage are much more informed and ready to buy, and the system identifies them accordingly. Using automation and lead scoring, the CobbleStay team has consistently – and significantly – improved their results. In fact, this year they’ve had a 50% increase in conversion rate over last year.

3. Know When to Call

In addition to knowing who to call and what to talk about, calling at the right time is essential.

Marketing automation helps you keep tabs on where each prospect is in the buying cycle through real-time behavioral tracking, lead scoring, and alerts. This means you’ll know when someone is thinking about your company and solutions; you can even set alerts that inform you when a particular buyer is on a specific page. That way, you won’t call leads who aren’t ready to buy – or miss out on leads whose buying windows close before you can contact them.

Marketing automation makes it easy for CobbleStay to decide how long a score is valid. Just because a prospect opened an email a month ago doesn’t mean it’s appropriate to call them this week. Activity history is not just about behavior but also the recency of that behavior. The sales team is also empowered to send email to interested prospects directly through their CRM system. If a site visitor reaches out to learn more about a particular apartment or house, the sales team can quickly send out a message with available properties to suit their criteria, as well as a price quote for their stay. It’s that kind of rapid response that gets results, and that turns window-shoppers into active vacationers.

Read the CobbleStay case study to learn about the many ways increased visibility has improved conversion rates, boosted booking rates, and also enhanced the overall morale and effectiveness of the sales team.

The kind of visibility provided by marketing automation is extremely potent. But the benefits of marketing automation for sales teams go far beyond increased insight. Read this eBook to learn more, and find out how to drive improved efficiency, faster funnels, and higher close rates.

By the time a farmer is harvesting his crop, he’s already well into the planning of his upcoming planting season. We marketing types could learn a lot from those farmers.

The fourth quarter is a very busy time for most businesses for several reasons:

• Lots of clients are spending the remainder of their budgets
• Customers are motivated to wrap things up before the year’s end
• Many companies are working short staffed and lose a lot of productivity around Thanksgiving and throughout December because of holidays and vacations
• Internal planning for 2015 budgets and work plans is typically done during this time

That’s why it’s not all that surprising that you aren’t thinking about the sales/activity dry spell that often comes in January and February. You may be the exception to this rule, but for many organizations, the first few months of the year are often the slowest in terms of leads, sales and revenue. That’s why you need to plant some marketing seeds right now.

It’s usually around the end of January that someone inside the company says, “Wow, our sales are really slow. We’d better do something.” They go into a brainstorming session and come up with some sort of promotion, marketing tactics or special to generate some sales activity.

Odds are, the ideas that get generated at the end of January usually start producing results 30-90 days after they’re deployed.

So if that’s the case…wouldn’t it make a lot of sense to begin those promos, specials, and increased efforts now, sixty days before your inevitable dry spell?

Let’s call it your planting seeds effort. You want to generate interest now but deliver the services/goods in January and February. How might you plant some marketing seeds now?

Offer a 2014 budget/2015 delivery deal: You know that many of your clients have a fiscal year that ends in December. They have “use it or lose it” budgets. So why not help them wisely spend those budget dollars? Create an opportunity for them to make a smart purchase in 2014 for things they’ll need in the first few months of 2015.

Put together a package: Why not bundle some of your products/services in a way that guarantees usage over the first few months of the year? Set the end date to purchase the bundle sometime in the middle of January. Begin talking about the bundles now and you’ll either sell some in December or you’ll plant the seeds now and make the sale in January.

Kick off a PR campaign: Maybe it’s time to create some buzz? That kind of buzz usually takes some time to build up so starting now means you’ll have some momentum in a few months. Be smart – concentrate on a few key publications that will position you in the right way with the right audience.

Reach out to former clients: Now might be the perfect time to re-connect with some of your former customers. Keep in mind that they’re (hopefully) doing their 2015 planning right now which might result in their realizing that they are going to need what you sell.

Develop and distribute helpful content: Depending on your industry and your customers, this might be an e-book, a white paper, a podcast, or even an in person seminar. Use this opportunity to demonstrate just how smart you are and how you can help them by sharing that expertise. Use the content to reach back out to potential customers you’ve already courted, prospects and even current customers.

Mine your referral network: Your best customers are typically more than happy to boast about your work. Now is the perfect time to ask them who else they think might benefit from your expertise/products. Set up those initial meet and greets for the first week of January.

Don’t wait until you’re in the middle of your slow season to worry about shortening it. If you plant some marketing seeds right now, the slow season may be a thing of the past.

You keep looking at your sales numbers – and they aren’t quite as high as they need to be.  Or maybe you aren’t having much luck with your customers lately and can’t understand why you’re not selling more – after all you have a great product and you know customers need it.

So why are you really not making those sales?

1)      You put your customer last.

When you set out to go and sell your product or service, your customer isn’t at the forefront of your mind.  What is actually at the forefront of your mind is:

• What your target for this quarter is – am I going to hit it?
• What’s that customer’s phone number/address/name – how can I get hold of them?
• What are the product features that I need to remember?
• How many leads do we have from our telemarketing campaign?

None of these things are important to your customer.  So, when you go into a sales call with these topics at the forefront of your mind, you are putting your customer last.

Instead, you need to focus on your customer first.  So try thinking about:

• What is important to my customer?
• What is important to my customer’s industry?
• What challenges is my customer probably facing?
• Where do they want to get to, and how can I help them?

2)      You expect the same results from the same sales activities.

If you think about how you typically go about acquiring new customers, I bet there’s not much variation from one sales campaign to the next.  Does your most recent campaign look something like this:

• Send out an e-shot to customers highlighting your product, its features and an introductory offer.
• Follow up with a telemarketing call.
• Follow up with twenty further calls until the customer answers the phone/gets back to you/tells you where to get off.
• Send some marketing collateral to the customer following the call.
• Hope that the customer is so overwhelmed with joy and anticipation after your 2 minute marketing call that they phone you up immediately to buy your product in bulk.

Unfortunately, the last point never seems to happen.  But the next time you have a product launch or a new sales push, you will probably follow a similar pattern.

This time, look around at what your competitors are doing in the market.  Who is making real headway?  It’s likely they are disrupting the market by doing things differently, in a way that resonates more effectively with customers.

For instance, are they:

• Trying to position themselves as a thought leader in the industry by writing for journals in the customer’s market.
• Speaking at strategic events to show customers that they have the expertise required.
• Using social media to interact with clients in a more subtle yet helpful way?
• Focusing on how they can solve customer challenges rather than talking about how great their product is?

Very often, the old way of doing things becomes stagnant, and just a little refresh to the existing plan is all that is needed to help your sales campaign become more successful.

3)      You (or your sales teams) are not actually seeing customers.

Sometimes, it’s easy to get caught up in ‘sales-like’ activities, without actually seeing, or speaking to, real customers.  A few examples of ‘sales-like’ activities are:

• Creating a list of target customers.
• Profiling your customers.
• Creating marketing copy and content.
• Redesigning your website.
• Planning when and how you are going to call/meet with your clients.
• Preparing presentations for when you do eventually meet with a client.
• Reading lots of articles/journals/news sites about how to cold call/present to customer/close a sale.

These are all useful activities, but in the face of actually calling a customer or closing a sale, it can be easier to trick ourselves into thinking we are busy by spending too much time on these activities, without ever speaking to a customer.

I’ve seen countless sales people busy themselves with lots of activities that have no real bearing on a customer sale, just to avoid having to actually meet with the customer and do the hard bit: selling.

Make sure you are constantly critically assessing your own (and your sales teams’) weekly activities, to ensure you are making the best use of the selling time you have available.

4)      You are too eager to make a sale.

Customers know when a sales person is desperate for a sale.  They might be too nervous, or too eager to commit, or simply too pushy.

Desperation is the quickest way to put off a potential prospect.  If you are acting too eager or keen for the sale, then it sends a signal to your customer:  “Nobody else wants this product so please, please, please can you buy it”.

It makes them worry that they are buying something that no one else wants – what could be so wrong with the product that nobody wants it?

Is it bad quality?  Is it old technology?  Is there something better out there that people are actually buying?

So don’t lie about your product’s success with customers, but make sure you aren’t subconsciously giving new clients the impression that they must buy it/commit/move along in the sales stage.  Otherwise they will back off quickly, and probably never return.

5)      You simply don’t have enough customers.

Obvious, yes?  Who does?

Many salespeople stick to their trusted group of customers, who they know well and can phone up for a friendly chat whenever they need to.  And they rarely venture outside of their comfort zone.

This means that as they inevitably lose customers over years, they never ‘replenish the stock’, so their customer base gets smaller and smaller, until they don’t have enough customers to sell to.

They try to get the same revenues out of a smaller base of customers, which is impossible to sustain in the long term.  So, constantly reassess your customer base, and keep adding in new customers to keep the numbers at a healthy, manageable level – where there is sufficient sales potential to go after.

Do some of these reasons for not making the sale resonate with your company?  Or perhaps you are seeing different factors that impact on your sales targets?

About The Sales Way

The Sales Way is a UK consultancy, focused on creating sales enablement content for the technology industry.  We specialise in supporting technology providers in reaching new customers and in channel enablement for reseller recruitment.  The Sales Way supports providers in working better with their reseller community, and how to go about sales enabling their channel sales force for higher revenues, margins and success.

Image “No Sale” courtesy of Steve Snodgrass, CC

Is there anything more important than scalability in business?

I guess that depends on what your CEO deems important. But think about it.

We’re talking about increasing the volume of energy the V12 engine that is your company churns out while still meeting your customers’ needs.

That should rank pretty high on any company’s list of importance.

Scalability in your organization’s sales enablement platform needs to be thought of in the same way.

Sorry, Lot Full

Imagine a sales enablement app is like a parking garage. Maybe on a Saturday morning there is hardly any congestion and plenty of space.

But after a sporting event that parking garage turns into a traffic jam. Everyone starts laying on their horn and there’s little to no movement.

Whether your company is adding thousands of new sales reps to an app, adding thousands of new products or collateral to the app, or both at the same time, the infrastructure of your app needs to be able to flex to accommodate growth. You don’t want to end up stalled in the parking garage.

Your sales enablement platform is likely to have users spanning around the world, accessing your sales enablement apps 24/7/365 from every time zone. Data from your app must always be available and be delivered with consistent high performance no matter the place or time.

The only platform that will complement a scalable business is scalable mobile software. Plain and simple.

Scalable to Add Products, Collateral and People

When I was growing up, I enjoyed playing with those Magic Growing Egg toys that would hatch dinosaurs and grow when you would place them in water. Sure it expanded about 700 percent in size, but the dinosaur kept it’s appearance without ripping after absorbing all the water.

As funny as this will sound, your sales enablement platform need to be Magic Growing Eggs.

When you launch your business app, you might only have 20 sales reps in the field selling a handful of products using 15 pieces of sales collateral.

In time, you may grow to 150 sales reps around the globe selling numerous extensive product lines, with collateral numbers reaching into the hundreds.

Will you have to switch to a new business app, or can your current solution scale hand in hand with your growth?

Think about your company’s future when deciding on your platform. If the app can’t accommodate future growth, it might not be the right solution.

Scalable Across Divisions

It’s counterproductive to purchase multiple sales enablement platforms, perhaps one for each division, when you can have a single sales enablement platform that can be tailored to each division.

Think of it like cooking dinner. A chef is cooking for ten and pasta carbonara is on the menu.

The chef can cook ten individual servings of pasta carbonara, using ten different pans and varied recipes. Or the chef can use one recipe to make ten servings of pasta carbonara. He can even make some customizations to each serving.

The later is the best decision because it saves time, money on ingredients and still delivers tasty pasta carbonara.

We have a current customer that was in a similar situation, with each division using its own solution and corporate having to juggle multiple vendors offering essentially the same solution.

Since switching to FatStax, they saw immediate benefits from managing and deploying one platform for their multiple divisions. And the transition was simple, with many sales reps already familiar with the sales enablement app and platform.

Scalable for Multiple Use Case Scenarios

When the number of employees grow within your company, you’ll find the number of use cases for your sales enablement platform grow as well.

My wife has been getting me into camping. The one thing we won’t camp without is a Swiss Army knife.

It’s amazing. I can do so many tasks with one tool, rather than pack multiple tools. It makes me more efficient and lightens my backpack when hiking to our campsite.

The Swiss Army knife analogy can translate with the scalability of your sales enablement platform.

Sales needs an app for this. Technical support needs an app for that. The trade show group needs an app for this, that and the other.

That’s a lot of individual apps to manage and back ends to connect. It’s inefficient.

Make sure the apps for your company are scalable enough to handle the multiple needs within your company. It will let you collect and manage important data from one centralized location, rather than multiple systems.

Let FatStax Be Your Scalable Sales Enablement Platform

Think of FatStax like a mobile binder for your teams and their marketing collateral. FatStax allows companies to create multiple catalogs specific to individual divisions and products. Those individual catalogs are synced to the right divisions where collateral can be easily shared and tracked.

FatStax is used by many companies for multiple purposes, from generating leads at trade shows, to training sales reps on new product launches and providing service technicians with detailed product information.

Scalability is critical for a business to succeed. Business leaders need to surround themselves with sales tools that are scalable, like FatStax, to drive revenue and enhance their customer’s experience.

Photo credit: Gemini Global Group

We've told you to skip "references upon request" on your resume, but you still want others to sing your praise. Including testimonials on your resume lets you get the point across that you're awesome.

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I Stand Corrected: How Teaching Western Manners in China Became Its Own Unforgettable Lesson

Eden Collinsworth

Never one to avoid adventure, American author Collinsworth spent the last half of 2011 and part of 2012 in Beijing writing The Tao of Improving Your Likability: A Personal Guide to Effective Business Etiquette in Today’s Global Economy. It was a bestseller in China, and Collinsworth was asked to lecture at universities and create a curriculum for children in the public school system. Her book is a thoughtful account of the joys and frustrations of living and working in a country where Confucian principles mix incongruously with Maoist thinking from the Cultural Revolution.

Speaking very little Mandarin, Collinsworth learned to navigate censors, bureaucrats, dinner hosts, and business colleagues with very different norms of behaviour. It’s okay, apparently, to ask what a gift costs or compliment someone on their portly girth. There’s a ritual to exchanging business cards (hold it with two hands, card facing the receiver, Chinese side up) and a limp handshake is appreciated as a sign of deference. When served a soup containing five rare Tibetan caterpillars, it’s best to eat up. When asked by a businessman if you’ll accept $20,000 to write a letter to Angelina Jolie, just put pen to paper. Don’t ever whistle, point, or snap your fingers, which the Chinese find offensive.

These tips, however, are just the tease. The substance of Collinsworth’s book is her predictions about the coming car crash that is modern China. She sees that robust business debate is hampered by the dread of giving offence. (In Chinese culture, she says, one is to never cause another to lose face by speaking too directly, surely an impediment to progress in industry.)

The education system, she predicts, will prevent national growth by stifling the creativity needed for innovation. Most important, she concludes that the quest for personal fulfillment in the new generation will soon threaten China’s stability. And what will happen in 2020, when a surplus of 35 million men—a number that “exceeds the entire population of Canada”—cannot find wives?

The post A crash course in Chinese etiquette appeared first on Macleans.ca.

TORONTO – Investors on North American stock markets are in for further losses as a long-anticipated market correction took hold last week, sparked by a combination of slowing global growth, the end of a key stimulus measure by the U.S. Federal Reserve, a surging greenback — and just plain seasonality.

“People are now using any news at all as an excuse to go,” said Colin Cieszynski, chief strategist at CMC Markets.

Losses were steep with the TSX falling 562 points or 3.8 per cent, leaving the main Toronto index down 8.6 per cent from its September high but still up 4.45 per cent year-to-date. The energy sector was a huge weight, losing more than seven per cent last week alone as oil prices hit 22-month lows around the US$86 a barrel level. A higher American currency also depressed prices since commodities are priced in U.S. dollars.

New York’s Dow industrials gave back 466 points or 2.8 per cent as the blue chip index gave up the last of its gains for the year.

The view that the U.S. is the only major economy supplying appreciable lift to the rest of the world solidified last week when Germany, Europe’s biggest economy, delivered disappointing data on factory orders, industrial production and exports, raising worries that the economy could slip into recession.

“We really are in a situation where everybody else is really starting to struggle here and especially the Germans — their economy just seems like the wheels are falling off,” said Cieszynski.

The limits of help available from central banks are also becoming clear.

There have been increasing calls for the European Central Bank to do more to stimulate the economy, such as embarking on massive bond buying – the exercise known as quantitative easing which the U.S. Federal Reserve has used to good effect. But ECB president Mario Draghi has made it clear that governments need to do more on the fiscal side.

Also, the Fed’s third and likely final dose of quantitative easing comes to a close at the end of this month, which is something that Cieszynski said worries him most, noting that U.S. markets retreated 10 per cent when the central bank ended the previous two bouts of stimulus.

“The bigger issue is that the liquidity party is ending,” he said.

Analysts maintain that seasonality is also a factor as September and October are traditionally the worst trading months of the year.

“Someone commented April being the cruelest month — not on the market,” said Monika Skiba, senior portfolio manager at Manulife Asset Management.

“The markets’ season is the fall.”

The correction on markets isn’t seen as a surprise since markets, particularly those in the U.S., have surged ever since the post-financial meltdown lows from March 2009 and there hasn’t been a meaningful correction for indexes in years. Most analysts regard corrections as part of the investing landscape and welcome them as they tend to put some sort of a floor underneath stock prices.

This is also happening just when earnings reports from the third quarter are starting to flood the market. Traders expected a decent season with earnings continuing to grow, but at a slower pace. There was also uncertainty about how the higher greenback would affect overseas earnings of the big multinationals.

In any event, Cieszynski think that earnings could give individual companies a boost, but not to the overall market.

With markets awash in red ink, it’s only understandable investors wonder how long this will last but Cieszynski noted that seasonality provides its own complication this year.

“At some point we will get a rally into the end of the year,” he said. “My concern is, I think because the seasonal correction started late, it might drag into November, particularly with quantitative easing ending October 31, it might drag a bit into further into November than usual.”

The post Investors should brace for more losses amid long anticipated market correction appeared first on Canadian Business.

OTTAWA – When the federal environment commissioner reported this week that Canada would not meet its 2020 international commitment on greenhouse gas emission cuts, no one was surprised.

The Conservative government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper has been saying for years that it would not sacrifice economic competitiveness — particularly in the oil and gas sector — for environmental gains.

But eight years after trumpeting to the world Canada’s “emerging energy super power” aspirations, the phrase appears to have fallen out of fashion with the Harper government.

Despite current record numbers in the oil sector, there are troubling clouds on the horizon that could rain on the Conservatives’ pro-growth energy policies.

Michael Cleland, the Nexen executive-in-residence at the Canada West Foundation, wrote in 2007 that the government’s “energy super power” terminology was — as he puts it now — “kind of stupid.”

Events, he said in an interview, have borne that out.

First, the good economic news.

Last week, Canada hit three million barrels a day of oil exports to the United States for the first time ever, while also shipping out its first tanker of Alberta bitumen to Europe.

Crude oil exports climbed from 1.77 million barrels per day in 2006 to 2.59 millions barrels per day in 2013, according to Natural Resources Canada, and some $19.6 billion was invested in Canada’s oil and gas producers in the first eight months of 2014, putting the country on track to surpass the record $25.5 billion invested in 2007.

“Money is being shovelled into the Canadian oil and gas industry like coal into a furnace,” according to a report last month from ARC Financial Corp., a private equity firm specializing in the sector.

Yet not all is well on the oil and gas front:

— Three years after Harper called the Keystone XL pipeline from Alberta to the U.S. Gulf Coast a “no-brainer,” the White House has yet to approve the project amid massive environmental protests.

— The proposed Northern Gateway pipeline to Kitimat, B.C., remains beset by public antipathy and threats of First Nations lawsuits despite conditional approval by the National Energy Board.

— A Quebec court has temporarily suspended exploratory drilling for an oil terminal in eastern Quebec that is key to TransCanada’s proposed Energy East pipeline project.

— Malaysian oil and gas giant Petronas is currently threatening to pull out of its promised multibillion-dollar liquefied natural gas project in British Columbia, while Norway’s Statoil put a major oil sands investment on hold last month.

— Total and Suncor Energy Inc. put their $11-billion Joslyn North oilsands project on hold indefinitely earlier this year.

In June, the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers predicted rising costs would slow the previously anticipated growth in oilsands production growth, while a glut of American shale oil and gas combined with moderating global demand is causing analysts to predict flat or declining prices for years.

Last week, the benchmark price for Brent crude oil fell below $90 a barrel, continuing a three-month slide.

“In fairness to the government,” said Cleland, the former CEO of the Canadian Gas Association, “I don’t think they could have anticipated all of (the impediments to energy growth), whether it’s on the demand side or the public support side or dealing with climate change, or just the normal vicissitudes of energy markets.”

But Cleland says those external factors have been exacerbated by Conservative policy decisions they should have anticipated would cause major public blow-back, especially on the pipeline front.

Natural Resources Minister Greg Rickford was not available for an interview but his office provided a slew of data to bolster its contention that Canada’s energy sector is booming.

“We have no reason to moderate expectations for growth and see huge potential in emerging markets,” spokesman Chris McCluskey said in an email.

Andrew Leach, the Enbridge Professor of Energy at the University of Alberta, said current oil production is not the issue.

“The impact that this government is having is not on production today,” said the energy economist.

“This is a longterm industry. So things the government has done in the last two and a half years have created more uncertainly and have stoked some of the opposition. That leads to long-run impacts.”

Cleland argues public suspicions were raised needlessly by burying controversial environmental changes in omnibus budget bills and curtailing debate, which silenced a full airing of the pros and cons of the moves.

Cleland was also sharply critical of the government’s decision to politicize the National Energy Board by giving the cabinet final approval.

“The loss of public support, I think it borders on being crippling,” said the industry executive.

Leach also contends the government should have served as a “broker” between energy project proponents and objectors.

“They chose the opposite approach,” he said.

“They chose to kick sand in the face of the environmental movement in Canada. They chose to talk down to American objections. They chose to take a very heavy-handed approach in terms of talking up the possibility of not needing the U.S. market.”

In fact, Canadian oil exports to the United States have increased 59 per cent over the past decade, according to data compiled by the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

As the Keystone XL pipeline delay illustrates, that leaves Canada’s energy sector vulnerable to American domestic politics and public opinion.

Leach argues there was an “opportunity for the government to show some serious progress, not just on (reducing) GHGs, but on the environment and the oil sands in general.”

The irony is that by failing to aggressively address Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions, the government may have actually hobbled the longterm economic prospects of the oil sands while trying to protect them.

Cleland lays much of the blame at the feet of the previous Liberal government, which wildly over-promised on GHG cuts in the Kyoto Accord and then failed to deliver.

“We managed to make ourselves the poster child for not doing the right thing on climate,” said Cleland.

“That’s made a big difference in terms of international perspective.”

The oil sands, meanwhile, will have difficulty attracting investment if projections of flat or falling oil prices continue. As Cleland puts it, if the future price per barrel is projected as closer to $80 than $100, “a lot of these projects are pretty dubious at that price.”

“Those are all things out in the world over which Canada has no control. Never did, never will.”

Leach also notes the Harper government cancelled the accelerated capital cost allowance on oil sands projects, altered the ground rules with China on foreign investment and changed the tax treatment of income trusts — which affected many mid-size oil and gas production and processing companies.

Add it all up and that goal of becoming an energy super power remains elusive.

“If this were a Liberal government, or an NDP government, and this were the outcome, I don’t think (Conservatives) would be cheering from the opposition benches,” Leach concluded.

Follow @bcheadle on Twitter

The post Lax climate policy hasn’t resulted in ‘energy super power’ status for Canada appeared first on Canadian Business.

Fingers stroke vellum; the calfskin pages are smooth, like paper, but richer, almost oily. The black print is crisp, and every Latin sentence starts with a lush red letter. One of the book's early owners has drawn a hand and index finger which points, like an arrow, to passages worth remembering.

In 44BC Cicero, the Roman Republic's great orator, wrote a book for his son Marcus called de Officiis ("On Duties"). It told him how to live a moral life, how to balance virtue with self-interest, how to have an impact. Not all his words were new. De Officiis draws on the views of various Greek philosophers whose works Cicero could consult in his library, most of which have since been lost. Cicero's, though, remain. De Officiis was read and studied throughout the rise of the Roman Empire and survived the subsequent fall. It shaped the thought of Renaissance thinkers like Erasmus; centuries later still it inspired Voltaire. "No one will ever write anything more wise," he said.

The book's words have not changed; their vessel, though, has gone through relentless reincarnation and metamorphosis. Cicero probably dictated de Officiis to his freed slave, Tiro, who copied it down on a papyrus scroll from which other copies were made in turn. Within a few centuries some versions were transferred from scrolls into bound books, or codices.

A thousand years later monks meticulously made copies by hand, averaging only a few pages a day. Then, in the 15th century, de Officiis was copied by a machine.

The lush edition in your correspondent's hands--delightfully, and surprisingly, no gloves are needed to handle it--is one of the very first such copies.

It was printed in Mainz, Germany, on a printing press owned by Johann Fust, an early partner of Johannes Gutenberg, the pioneer of European printing. It is dated 1466.

Some 500 years after it was printed, this beautiful volume sits in the Huntington Library in San Marino, California, its home since 1916. Few physical volumes survive five centuries. This one should last several more. The vault that holds it and tens of thousands of other volumes, built in 1951, was originally meant to double as a nuclear-bomb shelter.

Although this copy of de Officiis may be sequestered, the book itself is freer than ever. In its printed forms it has been a hardback and, more recently, a paperback, published in all sorts of editions--as a one off, a component of uniform library editions, a classic pitched at an affordable price, a scholarly, annotated text that only universities buy.

And now it is available in all sorts of non-printed forms, too. You can read it free online or download it as an e-book in English, Latin and any number of other tongues.

Many are worried about what such technology means for books, with big bookshops closing, new devices spreading, novice authors flooding the market and an online behemoth known as Amazon growing ever more powerful. Their anxieties cannot simply be written off as predictable technophobia. The digital transition may well change the way books are written, sold and read more than any development in their history, and that will not be to everyone's advantage. Veterans and revolutionaries alike may go bust; Gutenberg died almost penniless, having lost control of his press to Fust and other creditors.

But to see technology purely as a threat to books risks missing a key point. Books are not just "tree flakes encased in dead cow", as a scholar once wryly put it. They are a technology in their own right, one developed and used for the refinement and advancement of thought. And this technology is a powerful, long-lived and adaptable one.

Books like de Officiis have not merely weathered history; they have helped shape it. The ability they offer to preserve, transmit and develop ideas was taken to another level by Gutenberg and his colleagues. Being able to study printed material at the same time as others studied it and to exchange ideas about it sparked the Reformation; it was central to the Enlightenment and the rise of science. No army has accomplished more than printed textbooks have; no prince or priest has mattered as much as "On the Origin of Species"; no coercion has changed the hearts and minds of men and women as much as the first folio of Shakespeare's plays.

Books read in electronic form will boast the same power and some new ones to boot. The printed book is an excellent means of channelling information from writer to reader; the e-book can send information back as well. Teachers will be able to learn of a pupil's progress and questions; publishers will be able to see which books are gulped down, which sipped slowly. Already readers can see what other readers have thought worthy of note, and seek out like-minded people for further discussion of what they have read. The private joys of the book will remain; new public pleasures are there to be added.

What is the future of the book? It is much brighter than people think.

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It’s difficult to wrap the mind around what is happening in America’s oil patch. The shale revolution, which almost no one anticipated a decade ago, has driven U.S. oil production to levels not seen in decades. And that, along with several other global factors, is helping to drive global oil prices down. As of Oct. 10, the price for West Texas Intermediate crude has fallen more than 20 per cent  from its June high to less than US$86 a barrel.

To put this surge in oil production into perspective, I’ve created this ongoing post—part oil boom tracker, part history lesson. Each month that U.S. oil output reaches a new high*, I’ll add to this page with a new oil history chart showing what was going on in the world the last time monthly production was at that level.

Here are a few to start things off, marking the three most recent months when production broke records. The latest milestone came in May, according to figures from the U.S. Energy Information Administration , when production exceeded the level it was at in January 1987.

*Note: Only production highs that break new records will be included. For instance, production in July, the most recent month for which figures are available, was higher than May, but not by enough to set a new record.

The post This month in (U.S. oil production) history appeared first on Macleans.ca.

For the average baby boomer life was rather simple: go to college, get a job, get promoted, put a down payment on the house and start a family. This picture is not necessarily shared by younger generations. For ‘millennials’, widely understood to be those born from the 1980s to the 2000s, adulthood is rather different. Among the primary victims of the 2008 financial crisis, young people find it increasingly difficult to launch their careers and become economically active despite their qualifications. In Europe, the youth unemployment rate hit 23.1% at the end of 2013, and in countries like Spain 57% of the population below 30 is currently unable to find a job. However, if given a platform, young people have proven to be remarkably successful in using their creativity and innovation to develop interesting business models and social initiatives.

It’s not that young people are not as educated as the previous generation. In fact, millennials clearly value the importance of higher education and a large majority hold a university degree. Moreover, many of them have benefited from exchange programs such as Erasmus and the Internet to become true global citizens. These attributes combined with the economic recession lead many to consider relocation in search of new opportunities.

Millennials are a generation that tends to be more socially engaged, getting involved in multiple projects. In the US alone, 87% of millennials donated their time or money to a non-profit organization this year. For young people, especially in OECD countries, getting a paycheck is no longer enough, their work has to be meaningful and deliver positive change to society. Many of them are looking to have a global impact, and they start NGO’s, social businesses and development programs from an early age. Others become entrepreneurs and even millionaires, usually through information technology. 

Changing the Old Boy’s Club

Despite the numerous success stories and innovative projects initiated by young people, many millennials are still struggling to make it in today’s economy. Policy makers often get together to discuss possible strategies to assuage high youth unemployment rates but little has thus far proved to be successful. While countless international summits take place every year, the participants of these forums are predominately from the older generations. Younger participants, when included, represent a handful of representatives, making it difficult to share their views and experiences with those who hold the reins of power. A generation that has lived through harsh economic crisis from college graduation barely has any opportunities to contribute in designing the policies shaping the world they live in. 

How do we involve the youth in the discussion? As a participant of the World Public Forum “Dialogue of Civilizations” (WPFDP), Julia Kinash noticed that she was one of the few young participants in the forum. A PhD student in Conflict Studies, Kinash was eager to create more spaces available for youth dialogue and action at the international level. Like many of her contemporaries, Kinash did not sit around and wait for someone to create the platform she wanted but approached the director of the Rhodes Forum, Vladimir Yakunin, and pitched the idea of creating a Rhodes Youth Forum. The Board of the WPFDP liked the idea and gave her the support to create and manage the event.

The Rhodes Youth Forum (RYF) has been a successful platform for the younger generation of social activists to meet and exchange ideas. Its fifth edition took place from the 25^th to the 29^th of September and focused on how young people can have a positive impact on society through individual projects and mutual cooperation. The RYF creates a platform for young people to participate in discussions regarding the future they envision and how to achieve it. Moreover, through a joint discussion with the WPF participants, they are able to bridge the generational gap by presenting their ideas and projects, many of which get sponsored and funded.

“Give man a fish and you feed him for a day, teach man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” Examples like the creation of the RYF show that, if given the space and support, millennials have the ability to take a leading role in combating societal problems. Their global exposure allows them to engage in open multicultural dialogue, boosting social entrepreneurship. The older generation of policy makers must facilitate the dialogue and participation of the youth in policy making. Their innovation and engagement might just be the answer to the current crisis.

With millions of websites on the internet, you might feel as though you’re stuck in an endless battle to increase your traffic and brand awareness. Your blog can be a powerful tool in your web marketing arsenal, but only if it is optimized properly.

Improving your search engine visibility might not be difficult in the technical sense, but it will take planning, research, and patience.

Add Visual Components

Your blog posts might be insightful, but your audience will likely click away if all they see is a wall of text. Adding a visual aspect to your posts will break up the text and can potentially increase your total views by 94 percent.

Even if your business isn’t particularly image heavy, you can still find creative ways to add relevant images. Do you have a post that has a lot of facts and figures? Instead of writing everything out, create an infographic or – at the very least – post some charts and diagrams. Not only will it catch readers’ eyes, it will also quickly convey information. You can even make your images SEO-friendly by adding your keywords in the alt attribute of your images.

Guest Blog

Guest blogging is a great way to earn links and references back to your site. If you are guest blogging for other sites, make sure that their target audience is the same as yours. For best results, research the most shared posts on the site and dissect why exactly the post succeeded. Take note of everything from tone to paragraph length.

You can also allow guest bloggers to publish on your site, which gives you free content and social media promotion. When approaching a guest blogger, make sure that their niche aligns closely with your own to maximize the opportunity for both parties.

Be Social

Don’t have a social media presence? Now is the time to start.

Social media is a great way to interact with your audience and provide them with unique information. Don’t link solely to your own articles, as social media is a great way to let your personality shine through. Post status updates that give your audience a glimpse behind the scenes of the company and share helpful links that might interest your readers. Most importantly, interact with them. Any questions or comments should be addressed immediately.

Social media isn’t the only way you can reach your audience, however. A tried and true approach is to comment on other blogs that relate to your own field. Write thoughtful comments that add some kind of value to the conversation and don’t link-drop or spam. This is a sure-fire way to turn away potential visitors.

You can apply the same philosophy when posting to social sharing communities like Reddit. It will take some time to build a following, but if your posts are helpful and informative, it can earn you a lot of traffic. You can also draw inspiration from these sources. Observe what performs well and gains recognition, then tailor your content to meet these trends.

Add Links

If you have some posts collecting dust, consider linking to them in your recent articles. If one of your older topics can add further insight into a new post, work in a link naturally. Not only is this tactic useful for your reader – you don’t have to derail the blog post to explain a related concept – but it also drives traffic to archived posts.

External linking is, perhaps, even more valuable. When you link to outside sources, the authors will generally receive alerts for incoming referrers to see who is talking about them. This often opens up a direct line to earning links, social mentions, and new opportunities. Depending on the site, your referral may also appear in the comments section of the article you referenced, so you could catch the attention of potential visitors as well.

Go Mobile

More than 50 percent of US phone users own a smartphone. Without a mobile-friendly blog, you’ll be losing out on a huge audience. Not only does your blog need to fit on a smaller screen, it also needs to load quickly. If you are using a CMS platform like WordPress, you can find themes that suit mobile devices. The positive side of going mobile is that your site will load quickly for desktop users, as well.

What’s In A Blog?

Of course, no amount of images and optimization will keep readers interested if your blog content doesn’t provide them with any useful information. Approach your posts as you would a potential customer or client. Ask yourself what they want and how you can offer this to them in your own unique way. Find avenues to make your posts stand out from the millions of other similar articles available. Perhaps this is by offering a more in-depth analysis, or capitalizing on your unique voice. Whatever it is, leverage that feature.

At the end of the day, a blog has the potential to do a lot for a company. Treat it as the workhorse that it is and maximize as much potential as you can. The more visibility it gets, the more your company will benefit.

It’s that time. As you prepare for 2015 you need to be thinking about how to maximize revenue from your existing customers. I’m sure you know acquire business from an existing customer is six times more profitable than pursuing new customers. But, did you also know that you are seven times more likely to win business from an existing customer that you are when you are trying to capture that new logo? I have written about this extensively in my book Account Planning in Salesforce, but to get you started, here are 12 things you should think about as you look to how your existing customers can contribute to your 2015 revenue goals (with a focus on Salesforce users).

12 Steps to Account Planning in 2015

1. Research

If you are hoping to maximize revenue from your large accounts, it is really all about research, research, and research. You need to slow down your natural inclination to focus solely on pursuing deals now. Account planning is a long-term play. If you do your homework on the account, and apply the experience you have gained from working with other customers, you should be able to bring insight to the customer. If you don’t do the research, then you won’t have the knowledge, and then you can’t bring insight – and that is a missed opportunity.

2. Customer Focused

Remember that the impact on a customer of a poor buying decision is usually greater than the impact on a sales person of a lost deal. Your role is to create value for the customer, not just to communicate information about your company or your solutions. Before you position your value, a prerequisite is having a deep sense of what the customer values. When you have done your research, you can begin to feel comfortable in the customer’s shoes, and begin the walk together toward Mutual Value.

3. Integrate

A single Account is a subset of your overall market, and a composite representation of all of the individual real and potential prospective opportunities within that Account. You must recognize it as an integrated component of the market ecosystem. You also need to integrate data, knowledge and information to achieve velocity. The data already exists in Salesforce – so your Account Plan must be integrated with CRM. Your Account Team has the knowledge and everyone needs a common platform to work together, and the customer has the information, so you need to integrate that into your plan.

4. Targeted

Focus is the parallel thread that runs alongside Mutual Value as a key aspect to Account Planning. It is in fact the catalyst for Mutual Value, driving you to uncover areas that benefit you and the customer. You will need to select which divisions or Business Units in an account are in your ‘sweet spot,’ that area where you can uniquely and competitively deliver true value, and then make some hard choices as you target the opportunities on which to focus – those that deliver Mutual Value – while at the same time choosing not to apply resources to less attractive opportunities.

5. Map People and Influence

As we know companies don’t buy – people buy, and the same is true of business issues, they are always owned by people and it is important understand the political landscape in the organization.

6. Aligned to Business Strategy

You’d be forgiven for thinking that being a customer is easier than being a sales person. All the customer’s got to do is pick a supplier, right? But when the customer makes that buying decision, we now know that the risk shifts from the supplier to the customer, and the impact on the customer of a poor buying decision is usually greater than the impact on the salesperson of a lost sale. Your job is to align your account planning efforts with the customer’s Goals, Pressures, Initiatives, and Obstacles.

 7. Trust

Trust is the foundation on which you create, develop, pursue, and win business that delivers mutual value for you and your customer. Is fundamental to business, and built one truth a time, promising what you can deliver, and delivering on what you promise.

8. White Space

Your objective is to maximize your penetration in the account in a way that maximizes Mutual Value. Once you understand the people and the problems and have developed a trusted relationship with your customer you can identify areas of opportunity – the white space in the account – where your solutions can add value to the customer. This is a key way to develop new opportunities. In our case we use the Opportunity Map in Dealmaker to visually represent this.

9. Collaborative and Social

At its core, Account Planning is a team sport; one where you can collaborate with team and the customer. We recommend attaching a Chatter group in Salesforce to each account plan so that the team that is working the account plan can also use Chatter to make sure they are all kept up to speed on all changes as they happen. Also, by having a collaborative application integrated with Salesforce all information is available to everyone at the same time so that there is no loss of productivity.

10. Regular Cadence

Account Planning should not be an annual event. It is not about reporting what you know; it is about discovering what you don’t know, and then acting to uncover the missing information to inform your subsequent activity. Account Planning must live and breathe as part of how you run your business. It needs to become part of your culture, and should be integrated into your overall business cadence.

11. Measurable

How do you know if you account plan is working? In the first instance you need to be able to measure that the plan is complete, and we recommend automating this measure. Secondly, you need to be able to create a scorecard that will help you to assess whether the objectives you set for the plan – the target revenue, the pipeline goal, the penetration of the strategically importance Business Units in the account, etc. – are all on track. Without measurement it is hard to know if you are making progress.

12. Action Oriented

While the plan in itself can be hugely valuable – it all comes to like when you define Objectives, Strategies and Actions that define the tactics that you need to execute everyday to make progress. Planning is important, but it is the execution of the tasks and actions everyday that determines the level of progress you make.

I hope you found this helpful. Let me know if you think I missed anything.

Startups, which used to take around $8 million and six months of work to launch, increasingly demand only tens of thousands of dollars and a few weeks of time to get off the ground.

Technology has made it easier to establish startups, and with increased entrepreneurial options come attractive opportunities for job seekers looking to abandon the traditional corporate modelWhile passion and dedication should drive employees to excel at their positions and add value to their companies, salary is clearly a great motivator — but the approach to compensation is often quite different at a startup versus at a more established company. Read more...

If you have been in any sales organization for any length of time the topic of questioning certainly has arisen. The old adage, ask the right questions and the answers will lead you to the sale, still rings true even in today’s digital, content driven world.

My father used to tell me, and maybe this is because he spent his entire professional life in education, that the only stupid question is the one that goes unasked. At the time I thought I understood the logic behind this quaint colloquialism, but after many years of sales presentations, prospect meetings, proposal writing and all the endless interactions with potential customers, the real value of this statement I now fully acknowledge.

I cannot think of how many more deals I could have closed or at least kept alive by asking more and better questions. The whole concept of the wildly popular sales methodology of SPIN Selling is predicated on questioning.

As I look back over the years at the companies I have worked for and currently consult, I seem to find 3 universal questions that all prospectors and sales people should be asking during any interaction with a prospect. Whether it is during an initial call to qualify or later in the cycle in a face to face meeting. These questions will help to get your prospects to open up and in most cases divulge information they may not have initially thought to provide.

1. How Has Your Experience Been So Far? One of the biggest objections sales people hear is “I have a supplier (vendor, guy, etc..) and am very happy”. By asking this question buyers tend to pause and will initially say; “Everything is great.” Then as they think back they may think of times when their bill was incorrect, or the order was late, or the sales guy or gal promised them one thing but never delivered. Cognitive reflection is a very powerful tool.

2. What Made You Choose That Provider (Vendor, Product, etc)? Much like in the scenario above, when the prospect states they have a vendor or solution in place, this question can help to give you insight into their buying process and what they look for in a vendor/partner. Information is power.

3. What Is Your Preferred Method Of Contact? This may seem like quite an innocuous and obvious question, but when dealing with a high level c-suite decision-maker, odds are your first several contacts maybe with their assistant or gate keeper. Calling someone that never checks voice-mails is a fruitless task. Emailing someone that only checks their email once a week, is equally wasteful. Don’t just find out when to follow up, but what is the best method.

There are probably dozens and dozens of other questions to ask prospects, these are just the three that I have found to be almost universal in application. Feel free to add yours in the comment section.

Good Luck and Good Selling!

From a content marketing standpoint, industry-relevant trade show events can be a golden, eye-opening opportunity. Where else can you hear the literal voices of your target market, see the faces of your buyers, or connect with prospects directly in-person? As an introvert, you might assume that even the world is not enough to get me into a packed convention hall (and if not for my own nerdy coping mechanism, you’d be right), but as events have consistently sparked some of my most effective content ideas, I can never really say never again. My trick, (inspired by a slight idolization of James Bond) is to imagine that I’m a kind of content marketing secret agent, and each event is like a mission to gather intelligence and establish connections. Through this method – as nerdy as it may be – you can actually find a view to a killer combination of content marketing tactics that you or your own content agents can use in infiltrating relevant events.

Event Intel Is Not For Your Eyes Only:

For all the benefits of in-person events, the most obvious drawback is that time is limited – when the event is over, so is the associated intrigue. When content directly recounts or rehashes the event, that content likewise comes with a short shelf life. However, by using an event to gather intel on your industry – investigating the pain points behind the presentations you see, pinpointing patterns in the interests of the people you talk to, identifying the conversation topics that excite people over drinks – you can uncover the secret blueprints to your buyers. As content marketing research shows, aligning content to specific stages and pain points within the buyer’s journey yields 73% higher conversion rates, on average, compared to those not doing so. Using events today to fuel aligned content tomorrow is a valuable strategy- especially since tomorrow never dies…

Listen To How Buyers Live, And Let Die Any Assumptions:

Beyond the practical professional conversations, events often unlock the day to day challenges common to your target audiences as well. For the Human Capital Management (HCM) industry, for example, people often assume the policy-oriented professional life of HR professionals carries over into their personal demeanor. A single conversation at an HCM event, however, would quickly disprove such an assumption, and in fact, successful HCM blogs like HR Bartender actually focus their content on the kinds of topics you’d only uncover in natural face-to-face conversations. In other words, a big part of the value in events is the ability to immerse yourself in the lives of your target audience in order to achieve genuine empathy and understanding within your content.

Create Content Connections In Case The Sky Falls:

Aberdeen research shows that 92% of content marketers manage content creation entirely, or almost entirely in house, but what happens when your in-house bandwidth gets full? Who do you turn to for help? Events offer a unique opportunity to expand your network of peers, influencers and advocates who may be able to collaborate with or contribute to your own content efforts. From establishing third party validated insights, to submitting guest posts to fill your content calendar, building new professional relationships at events can translate to securing strong content marketing allies.

Naturally, these are just a few of the advantages in enriching your content marketing with in-person events, but do you have any additional insights or experiences on connecting events with content? Feel free to share your own eventful stories, secrets, tips or tricks in the comments below – after all, you only live twice…

If you follow my blog, you know I tend to share topics related to marketing, B2B lead generation and social media; however, all of the best strategies and tactics will not make any difference if our teams fail to implement. Today’s environment has so many more distractions that it’s no wonder why from the C-Suite down to our interns, we feel busy, busy, busy – 24-7. When I read through this infographic from WeekDone.com, I wanted to share it with you because it is a good reminder that we need to continuously focus on improving the productivity and effectiveness of ourselves and our team to succeed in today’s and tomorrow’s economy.

To start off, in an average lifespan, did you know that we spend:

• 3.66 years eating
• 2 years watching commercials (does skipping commercials on YouTube count? =)
• 4.3 years driving
• 25 years sleeping
• 9.1 years watching TV
• 10.3 years working
• NOTE: it would be interesting to add up the hours we spend online – any guesses?

During business hours, according to this infographic, the big picture is bleak:

• the average person is interrupted every 3 minutes AND it takes 23 minutes to get back on task!
• we spend 28% of our time dealing with unnecessary interruptions
• we waste 2-3 hours each day

What is causing this unproductive pattern?

• 1 in 4 people complain they spend more time in meetings talking about work than actually doing it (NOTE: Does this sound familiar to you?)
• 47% feel office politics take away from their productivity and is one of the top 10 stressors
• 40% say they would get more done if co-workers would quit stopping by to chat
• office workers check their e-mails 30-40 times an hour
• 47% of respondents admitted they spend time online procrastinating
• 64% of employees visit non-work related websites daily
• Multitasking leads to a 40% drop in productivity, increased stress and a 10% drop in IQ

The full infographic is below. By the way, if you are finding office distractions are holding back your demand generation and sales, give The ALEA Group a call – we can accelerate your demand generation while you are busy attending all of those meetings about the next big meeting.

Coca-Cola accomplished something miraculous this past summer. The iconic soda manufacturer made sales rise for its sugary beverages for the first time in a decade, during a period when the American economy is trying to become healthier.

Did Coca-Cola release a new flavor (perhaps called Fruit Coke or Vitamin Coke)? Did they offer crazy discounts? Did they get a celebrity bombshell to endorse the heck of out it in commercials?

Nope. Nope. And that was Pepsi.

What Coca-Cola did was much smaller, much cheaper, and much more impactful. The company personalized Coke bottles. They swapped out their logo on bottle labels in favor of the names of its customers and launched the “Share A Coke” campaign.

I know what you’re thinking, “What?! That’s all? Be right back!” Or you’re wondering, “What does all this have to do with my app?”

Hold your horses you eager app marketer you. We know you’re super motivated to:

But before you hurry off, let’s take a moment to explore the full breadth and depth of this concept of personalization. There’s a lot more to Coca-Cola’s marketing campaign than what meets the eye. And it has big implications for mobile.

Personalization Should Be Based On People’s Actions And Identities

On the surface, it may seem like all Coca-Cola had to do was add names to their bottles, but at the heart of this campaign is Coca-Cola’s deep understanding of one of their most precious consumer groups: teens and millennials.

Coca-Cola’s “Share A Coke” campaign worked so incredibly well because it was based on the socializing behavior and demographic data (the most popular names for this generation) of its target audience. Armed with this holistic view, the beverage behemoth figured out how to personalize their product in a way their customers wanted.

Specifically, Coca-Cola opted for adding names onto their packaging knowing that this ostensive form of personalization is exactly the kind of attention teens and millennials crave.

There is one overarching lesson to glean from this campaign:

Phenomenal personalization only occurs after you understand the connections between the behavior and attributes of your customers.

What Does This Have To Do With Apps?

Let’s bring personalization back home to apps, where it is essential and expected.

The challenge app marketers face is painting a complete picture of their users, because people interact with apps from behind a mobile or computer screen and you usually don’t get a chance to see or meet them.

As a result, our industry has often defaulted to using in-app actions as the only means of understanding their users. But if you only see customers from a behavioral lens, you don’t know enough about them to deliver truly powerful personalization.

Fortunately though, app analytics and marketing software has become sophisticated enough to solve for this. It’s now possible to track your users’ in-app behavior and tie that together with profile data. Profile data is information about who your users are outside your app (like their gender, family status, loyalty card memberships, in-store purchasing behavior, etc.).

Basically, we can emulate Coca-Cola’s level of insight on their consumers and rewrite the lesson we learned above to be more applicable to this space:

Phenomenal personalization is built upon rich user segments that combine in-app behavior with profile data.

The Proof Is In The Numbers

Nothing speaks to the power of personalization better than the data. Here’s the quantitative verdict on consumers’ positive attitude towards more “just for me” marketing.

• Nearly two-thirds of consumers subscribed to mobile marketing indicate that they have made a purchase as a result of receiving a highly relevant mobile message.
• 78% of consumers believe that organizations providing custom content are interested in building good relationships.
• About three-fourths of online consumers expressed frustration at content that does not recognize them and adapt to their interests.

Personalization Is A Two-Sided Coin

Coca-Cola isn’t the only example of a brand that capitalized on the concept of personalization. But it’s one of the most vivid ones. To achieve similarly striking success on mobile, remember that app personalization is a two-sided coin.

First, personalization involves developing a deep understanding of your users that is based on what they do inside your app. Second, personalization also entails creating sophisticated user profiles based on who your users are outside your app. Once you’ve polished up both sides of this coin, you’ll be able to invest it in your app marketing and create personalized push and in-app messaging campaigns that don’t go unnoticed.

So, how do you win more customers with personalization? By understanding them so completely that you know exactly what type of personalization they would find appealing (and not creepy).