It is a generally accepted notion that listening is vital to having positive and healthy interpersonal relationships. Listening is an essential skill for leaders in business, politics, sports, and in many different aspects of culture and society. As a country, we have had many leaders rise to the occasion upon their ability to listen and …
What CMOs Need To Know About Listening To The Customer Read More »
We cannot wait to offer solutions. We have the thirty-second elevator pitch, content marketing, presentations, lead generation, demand generation, sales training, and sales enablement. All designed to be proficient at offering solutions. Some companies can reach a fervent pitch with their marketing and sales in seeking to tell people or companies they have the solution. …
The Importance of Understanding Context Before Jumping To Solutions Read More »
To get the most out of anything worthwhile takes persistence, perseverance, hard work, intuitiveness, and grit. It is advice we offer to our friends, family, and children. Often in helpful conversations with marketing and sales leaders, I usually am posed the question of how to get the most out of buyer personas. A common theme …
D.I.V.E. Deeper: Getting The Most Out Of Your Buyer Personas Read More »
“We need to know who our buyers are.” I hear this often today. From Chief Executive Officers, Chief Marketing Officers, Chief Operating Officers, and Chief Sales Officers, the confounding question of – Who are our buyers? – is asked repeatedly. Even in mature established B2B businesses, this question is often asked. In fact, more mature …
When she blurted it out, it was so on the mark, I just sat there in silence for a few seconds. We have all had those moments. Those moments when we think – “why haven’t I thought of that before?” I was engaged in a helpful conversation with an Inc. 500 head of sales in …
Does Your Buyer Persona Look Like A Sales Call Plan? Read More »
CEO’s and their C-Suite teams are mired in quantitative data analysis. Trying to make sense out of dollars and cents. Uncertainty reigns on how to shape future company strategic direction. Frustration exists with research consisting of surveys and data analytics only providing a snapshot of customer and market realities. Recent customer profiling efforts only telling …
How The C-Suite Can Discover Rich Buyer Insights Through Buyer Stories Read More »
It began, as history can best record, as a proverb of the Native American Cherokee tribe. Which said, “do not judge a man until you have walked a mile in his shoes.” This proverb had been rephrased, reshaped, and reworded many times as a way to communicate. What matters though, is the truth of this …
Walk A Mile In Your Buyer’s Shoes With B2B Buyer Ethnography Read More »
When the financial crisis hit in 2008, a certain word went missing in business. And, another word became all too powerful. The word, invest, and the inertia behind it lost traction in B2B business. Rocked by the financial crisis, many plans were shelved. Collecting dust. The word, cut, became dominant in business vocabulary. A few …
Why B2B Should Invest In Branding (And What Happens When You Do Not) Read More »
Every few years, in the sales world, new methodologies come out. Chief Sales Officers and sales leaders struggle with balancing the hype with worthwhile adoption. In the past two years, the latest of these is The Challenger Sale based on survey-oriented research conducted by the Corporate Executive Board. The survey conducted and given to sales …
Right around the corner, the laborious and angst filled process of planning for 2014 begins. 2014 will be different. While economic growth will remain sluggish (according to the Congressional Budget Office), businesses are starting to release the chains put around growth spending. A lot has changed since the meltdown of 2008. In these short five …
Is Your 2014 Sales Strategy Already Doomed By Lack of Information? Read More »
