Sales Driven Marketing Hub

Leads convert faster when your salespeople engage with prospects who are already predisposed to your company's products and services. But, most of us are used to working for sales organizations where target accounts are assigned to us based on a set of search criteria. For example, the sales manager will go into a database like Hoover's or InfoUSA and filter a list based on industry, zip code, company size, revenue, etc. They dump the list into your CRM and you're off to the races...right?

Want to become a sales and marketing rockstar?!!! Start by catching up on the best Sales and Marketing posts, and Infographics we've recently published...

Sales and Marketing teams are looking for ways to speed up the sales process and shorten sales cycles. From lead generation to closing the sale, Andy Paul’s new book AMP UP YOUR SALES provides powerful sales acceleration strategies that move customers to make fast, favorable decisions. I got the chance to interview Andy this week and asked him to share his tips and ideas for accelerating sales...

Buyers love working with salespeople that capture our attention. Last week I met with Max Wirth, a salesperson at SalesLoft. He opened our call with a fantastic question, "Why would an inbound firm like xoombi be looking at an outbound solution?" With a big smile on my face I said, "Because we believe in both." Companies who don't do outbound... lose.

That same week I met with a small business owner who is struggling to figure out how to grow his sales enablement software business. Unlike the salesperson I mentioned above, this CEO and I have known each other for quite some time. We have a connection because he is a bonafide expert in outbound sales. The problem is, nobody knows who he (or his company) is.

If you work in sales - and more importantly, if your CEO worked in sales before you - you've probably shared a conversation or two about inbound marketing and inbound sales strategy. While your CEO has a great understanding of brand marketing, prospecting, uncovering needs, and closing techniques, I bet (s)he gives you a funny look when you start talking about inbound marketing, inbound sales, and social selling. It's not necessarily a lack of understanding in what you're saying. It's more about, "I'm still waiting to see results."

Earlier this year, the sales industry was abuzz with the 2014 Sales Acceleration Technology Market Size Study from InsideSales.com. The study painted a promising picture for the sales acceleration arena. Currently, $12.8 billion is spent on sales acceleration, and by 2017, those numbers are expected to jump to $30 billion. Just as teams jumped on CRM and marketing automation tools, they're doing the same with sales acceleration technology. But why?

Want your clients to trust you? Build competence.

We have heard sales managers and coaches say, "It’s up to you. If you want it, you have to go out there and make it happen!" We have the power to control our own destiny. That is what most sales people love about selling. Most of the time we associate "making it happen" with activity, but what about accumen? Building competence is a key process that includes multiple layers. It involves knowing your industry, the product, and your prospects.

Last week, I asked our readers to share opinions about Quality vs. Volume. Here's a view of the the results...

I am in the minority on this one. Here are the reasons why:

When Marketing and Sales work together to dial up the formula for success, my guess is most of us have been in the Quality vs. Volume conversation. In an age of inbound marketing, social media, and big data, are we looking at this issue the right way?

Can Sales and Marketing develop an "unoffendable" attitude? Sales and marketing people have to be thick-skinned. "There's no crying in baseball," and there's no crying in sales. I recently told a few people that I have been working on developing an unoffendable attitude. Needless to say, the most common response I'm getting is a funny look.

I'm pretty good at reading people, but in this case, I'm not quite sure what the funny look means...