Sales Driven Marketing Hub

Sales projections are among the most common challenges for sales people and their managers. Why? What causes these forecasts to be so far off the mark? There are a few reasons. Some of which include:

• Over optimism: People think it’s about about being positive.
• Sales people need to buy some time and keep their managers off their backs, so they tell their managers what they want to hear.
• The team and the manager collectively lack an understanding of the business and their sales cycle.
• The deadliest culprit of all: Carrying over prospects who push month after month and keeping them on your projections report.

Imagine you just received an urgent message from the directors at your company. They have to make an immediate decision that will set the direction of the company for the next five years. The decision will be based primarily on the sales forecast for which you own responsibility.

The meeting is in one hour, and they need you to present an accurate sales forecast.

If this were to happen to you, would you be able to deliver an accurate forecast? If you’re not sure, consider these seven things that can help you foster accurate sales forecasting.

Whose sales pitch are you buying? Inbound marketers will tell you cold calling is dead. Hardcore sales leaders believe the exact opposite. Although inbound marketers have the louder voice, it doesn't mean they're right. Great organizations expertly weave both inbound marketing and outbound sales tactics into their go-to-market strategy.

Sales and marketing strategies must adapt to what customers and market forces demand. Build your plan around scalable systems and processes that keep you nimble, agile, and relevant.

When data mining first appeared on the scene, it was used by highly skilled scientists to determine trends and predict potential problems.

It didn't take long for businesses to realize that a comprehensive look at their data could help them create better sales and marketing plans to win more new business.

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?

How you talk about a customer’s problem makes all the difference. The best salespeople understand how to leverage value based selling tools to provide business reasons for a customer's need to buy. The next time you want to justify your solution and build business case, try one of these three advanced selling techniques.

What can leadership do when the team is suffering from "Shiny Objects Syndrome"? It isn't that the last 10 ideas weren't any good, it's more about lack of planning, strategy, and execution. Taking time to think through your plan sets the stage for success, builds credibility, and creates buy-in with your team.

Here's a list of seven questions that will help you activate alignment between marketing, sales, and sales operations... 

Companies that set out to change the game, do 10 things better than everyone else…

1. They build a marketing and lead generation strategy that changes conversations from, “I’ve never heard of you,” to “I’m a part of your online community. I see you guys everywhere on social, and I was doing a search for companies who can help us with A, B, and C… and I found you on the front page of Google.”

How can you maintain top performance every single day? Dr. Alan Watkins describes the difference between feelings and emotions… and how control under pressure impacts your ability to consistently perform at your best...

What is all the buzz about sales enablement? ...and what is sales enablement anyway? Check out this infographic by our friends at Demand Metric and you tell me... is your company "sales enabled"?