December, 2020

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Identifying and Hiring Top Sales Talent

Anthony Cole Training

Finding and hiring great sales talent is difficult. There are many characteristics you must ensure a candidate has in order to be successful with your organization. However, there are a few key attributes you need to look for during the interview process to increase you likelihood of hiring success.

Sales 290
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2020: The Great Teacher

Force Management

Through podcasts, conversations and LinkedIn activity, you’ve probably heard me call 2020 the “great teacher.”. No matter who you are or where you are in this world, we all have learned something about ourselves this year. I like to compare the 2020 business landscape to boats in the harbor. The water level lowered and ALL of our boats went down at the same time, but not all of our boats rose at the same time.

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Critical to B2B sales success - stakeholder assessments

Membrain

One of the most common reasons why apparently promising B2B sales opportunities get derailed - often at a late stage in our sales cycle - is that we have failed to identify all the key stakeholders or to understand how to get them all to support our approach.

B2B 169
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We Don’t Create Value By Discounting It!

Partners in Excellence

I was doing a deal review. We were in the final stages of closing a big deal. The team had worked really hard. It’s the end of the month/quarter/year. They not only wanted the deal, but they needed the deal. Then it happened. The customer says, “We are almost there, but we’ve hit a roadblock…… ” I won’t go into the details, but the customer presented a fascinating discussion.

Price 164
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How to Improve Email Deliverability and Optimize Each Send

Learn how to optimize email deliverability and drive greater email ROI. What lands your email in the customer’s inbox? Understanding those factors, otherwise known as email deliverability, is critical to getting the most return on your campaign investments. But the “rules” around which factors land you in the spam folder aren’t always easy to keep up with.

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The Should-How Fallacy (Or Why “Correct” Isn’t “Useful”)

ConversionXL

Get a chicken. Cook it until it’s perfectly done. Reduce the jus to a nice pan sauce. Then finish it with some butter until it has the right balance of flavors. Enjoy. This is a useless recipe, but it’s not wrong. It assumes, however, that accurate advice on what you should do is as valuable as advice on how to do it—the “Should-How Fallacy.” But being right doesn’t create value; empowering others to succeed does.

Niche 161
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How a Mug of Dunkin Donuts Can Help You More Effectively Sell Value

Understanding the Sales Force

I won't suggest that a cup of coffee will make you more alert and more effective. It's much more helpful than that. This is another Bob story. Bob was on a sales call and the prospect told him that they were looking for the lowest price. I hope you hate it when that happens. It's a bad thing because while Bob was supposed to be selling value, a price-based conversation is transactional yet he's supposed to be taking a consultative approach to support the value he provides.

Sell 141

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Top 10 Topics That Resonated With Sales Leaders in 2020

Force Management

2020 was a year unlike any other. Many of us are still working through unexpected and unique challenges. The Force Management content team worked to publish content that was relevant and helpful to a sales community that was navigating unprecedented times. Taking a look back, we put together a list of the content that resonated most with our network of revenue leaders.

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What is a sales pipeline and why should you care?

Membrain

Almost every sales professional uses the phrase “sales pipeline” at least several times a week. But if you ask a room full of professionals to define “sales pipeline,” you’re likely to get a roomful of different answers.

Pipeline 167
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It Really Is Only About Me!

Partners in Excellence

Every day, three times a day, I go through my inbox—both email and social channels. Every day, particularly in the social channels like LinkedIn, I am inundated with invitations or requests much like the following: I would like to see if there is a possibility for you to join a free demo to show my and incredible service to help B2B marketing departments with data driven marketing campaigns.

Technique 160
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Turns Out, 85% of the World Likes “Contact Me”. Even Though You Don’t.

SaaStr

I know you are probably like me. You go to a web service. What do you do? Free trial. Sign Up Now. The very, very last thing I am going to click is “Contact Me.” The last thing I want, as a web-centric small customer/user, is some sales rep selling me on some product I just want to try for 20 minutes and see if it works for me. You and I are like that.

Contact 145
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Brick & Mortar Retail Relevance: How to Stay Ahead of the Curve

Speaker: Jay Black, Senior Account Executive

Let's set the record straight: in-store retail isn't dead - it's evolving! Faced with the digital age and the demands of omnichannel shopping, some retailers are thriving while others are struggling to adapt. Join Jay Black in this exclusive session as he explores the strategies that set successful stores apart, including: Crafting unique and unforgettable in-store experiences 🛍️ Mastering the art of retail demands 🛒 Navigating inventory challenges in today's climate 📦 an

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2020 in Retrospective

Heinz Marketing

By Payal Parikh , Director of Client Engagement at Heinz Marketing. This year has brought a lot of challenges across the globe due to the spreading virus. Many businesses have had to shut down, and a lot more folks have lost their jobs. My heart reaches out to families who are not able to make ends meet due to lockdowns in various places around the world.

Territory 140
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Gap Selling Training Certification is Here!

A Sales Guy

It’s here!! We’ve just launched the Gap Selling Certification program and I couldn’t be any more excited. Now anyone with the Gap Selling acumen and charisma can build their own Gap Selling Training Business. As readers of this blog and of Gap Selling, you know how powerful the Gap Selling methodology is. The industry has been ripe for a progressive, forward-thinking selling methodology for years.

Sell 126
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New Infographic: 4 Ways to Take the Lead in Virtual Selling

RAIN Group

As we near the end of the year, we’re left wondering what the world will look like in the next stages of pandemic recovery. One thing that’s for certain? Virtual selling is here to stay. In fact, 89% of B2B decision makers say they’re likely to sustain the new sales model beyond the next year, according to McKinsey & Company. If you want to succeed in 2021, you must master this new medium of sales.

Sell 135
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Your Customers Aren’t Buying Your Product, So Why Do You Keep Selling It?

Membrain

I’ve been sitting in a lot of deal reviews recently. The clients are in varied businesses, ranging from software technologies, medical devices, capital equipment, electronic components, financial services, and so forth.

Product 156
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How to Stay Competitive in the Evolving State of Martech

Marketing technology is essential for B2B marketers to stay competitive in a rapidly changing digital landscape — and with 53% of marketers experiencing legacy technology issues and limitations, they’re researching innovations to expand and refine their technology stacks. To help practitioners keep up with the rapidly evolving martech landscape, this special report will discuss: How practitioners are integrating technologies and systems to encourage information-sharing between departments and pr

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Making A Difference, Pursuing Your Passions

Partners in Excellence

As we come to the end of 2020, I want to reflect a moment. Yes, I know we are all supposed to write about New Year’s Resolutions—99% of which will be abandoned before the end of January. But given this year, I want to focus on something else. When I started this blog, about 13 years ago, I chose to call it “Making A Difference.” My hope has been to make a difference in the lives of people reading these posts.

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If You Don’t Think You Need a VP of Product, VP of Marketing, Etc. — Then You Haven’t Worked With a Great One

SaaStr

I hear again and again from SaaS founders growing to $5m, $10m ARR or even more that they don’t need a certain VP — with the exception of a VP of Sales. That they can get away without no one in the role, or a just a junior person in marketing, in product, in success, in biz dev, etc. Basically, in SaaS, everyone “gets” that they need a VP of Sales.

Product 144
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What Is Inbound Marketing and Why Is It Important?

Heinz Marketing

By Stephanie Carrillo , Senior Marketing Consultant at Heinz Marketing. The inbound methodology is creating and distributing content utilizing marketing channels like organic search, social media, blogging, lead nurturing, and live chat, to name a few. Inbound marketing focuses on providing content to the buying committee responsible for making a purchase decision for your services or product.

Campaign 137
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Sales Team Building Games – 5 x That Are Effective

The 5% Institute

Sales team building games can be a great way to break up your usual sales team meetings , because it allows your Sales Professionals to enhance their personal development in a lighter way. Team meetings can sometimes feel a bit stale and repetitive. Although this is completely normal, it’s still very important to have regular sessions with your team, as it keeps communication healthy, and creates an opportunity to up skill their training and abilities.

Gaming 134
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1st, 2nd, and 3rd Party Intent Data: Which Is Right for You?

How do 1st, 2nd, and 3rd party intent data compare? 1st, 2nd, and 3rd party data each have specific advantages and disadvantages. It comes down to four factors: accuracy, cost, control and quantity. This infographic explains the pros and cons of each and helps you understand which one is best for meeting your business objectives. Intent data can be a great way to fill your pipeline and close more deals.

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Ready for 2021? First, Ask Yourself These Questions

SalesProInsider

It’s that time of year – thinking about next year! You’ll hear or be asked: “ It’s time to set goals!” or “ What are your goals for next year?” and that is important of course. But too often the goals for next year are set without important information to identify realistic and achievable goals, the information gleaned by pausing to review THIS year!

Clients 127
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Hedgehog Your Sales Organization

Membrain

Years ago, while I was working for a company in the sales trenches, a fellow salesperson was always struggling to make his number. He would fight and claw to get approval on small opportunities that were not really in our sweet spot.

Sales 153
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How to create a virtual SKO your team will LOVE

Gong.io

Your annual sales kickoff (SKO) is ALMOST HERE. . (Groans from the planning committee. Excitement from sales reps!) . SKOs have long held significant value for sales organizations. They’re a superb way to boost morale; build a sense of community, networking, and culture; celebrate big wins; and recognize individuals. They get everyone on board and fired up with new goals, products, and services. .

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How to Handle, and Share, Bad News

SaaStr

The past 7 years I’ve had a chance to observe a lot of SaaS founders, as an investor, as an advisor and more … and the vast majority I’ve worked with have in the end just killed it. Gone on to bigger and better things. Three have become unicorns. A few have sold at solid valuations. Many are just getting going. But … it’s never all roses.

Start-ups 143
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The Battle of the Authoring Tools: A 10-Point Comparison for Picking the Right One

Speaker: Chris Paxton McMillin, President of D3 Training Solutions

There are plenty of great authoring tools for developing eLearning, but the one you select could directly impact your course's outcomes. Depending upon your learners’ needs and your organization’s performance goals, you could be overlooking considerations that impact the both effectiveness of your courses and how long it takes to finish them. From general capabilities to specific workflow structures, some aspects are critical when it comes to learning objectives and deadlines.

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The Nutcracker in 2020 and 3 Critical Year-End Lessons for Salespeople and Their Managers

Understanding the Sales Force

Two Holiday traditions in one. In mid-December each year, my family spends the weekend in Boston and we enjoy the Boston Ballet's production of the Nutcracker. At the same time each year I repost a seasonal favorite, an article I first wrote in 2010 with 3 great sales lessons from the Nutcracker. Please read my original post because it's one of my best analogy articles ever!

Product 126
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B2B Reads: Baby Boomers, Revenue Engines, and Lead Objects

Heinz Marketing

In addition to our Sunday App of the Week feature, we also summarize some of our favorite B2B sales & marketing posts from around the Web each week. We’ll miss a ton of great stuff, so if you found something you think is worth sharing please add it to the comments below. 5 Ways to Nail Your B2B Strategy with ABM. A look at some of the key areas for ABM optimization to improve your B2B strategy.

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The Relevance Of A CRM For Financial Services

Salesmate

Customer experience is the heart of any business. The kind of support you provide to your customers is as important as your services. Hence, every business needs a helping hand that makes sure they provide the best experience to their customers and create a repeatable cycle of customer satisfaction. One handy way of ensuring the best services for any business is using a Customer Relationship Management software that enables timely services as well as personalized experience for their customers.

CRM 128
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How to maximize selling in a virtual environment

Membrain

If there’s one thing the pandemic has taught us, it’s that almost anything can be done remotely if it has to be. But is complex b2b sales an outlier? Can you really do everything in a virtual selling environment that you can in-person? And can you do it well?

Sell 152
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How to Leverage Intent Data for Better Outcomes

Speaker: Susan Spencer, Principal of Spencer Communications

Intent signal data can go a long way toward shortening sales cycles and closing more deals. The challenge is deciding which is the best type of intent data to help your company meet its sales and marketing goals. In this webinar, Susan Spencer, fractional CMO and principal of Spencer Communications, will unpack the differences between contact-level and company-level intent signals.

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Five Steps to Help Your Team Master Virtual Selling

Miller Heiman Group

COVID has greatly affected the buying and selling process. A recent Korn Ferry survey of global sales organizations revealed that virtual selling is here to stay, with fewer than 2% expecting the changes to be temporary. Changes include the addition of more, and likely new, stakeholders entering the buying and selling process. The pandemic has also impacted the length of time it takes to close a deal.

Sell 122
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Outbound Always Works. If You Do It Right. And You Put In The Time.

SaaStr

At @Mailchimp , US customers’ email marketing activity is up 15% since the beginning of the pandemic compared to the same time last year. Email will continue to be an effective way for entrepreneurs to connect with their audience and meet them where they are in 2021 and beyond. [link]. — Ben Chestnut (@benchestnut) November 12, 2020. These days, it can really feel like the Old Bag of Sales Tricks is starting to just not work anymore: With maybe 500x the SaaS vendors of 10 years ago, there

Campaign 142
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Found! The Caliper vs OMG Comparison: Which Sales Candidate Assessment is More Predictive?

Understanding the Sales Force

Understanding the Sales Force by Dave Kurlan Yesterday, I received two assessments for the same candidate: one from Objective Management Group (OMG) and one from Caliper. Not being one to pass up opportunities like this, I conducted the following comparison: First, it's important to know that OMG's assessment is sales specific - built for sales. Caliper's is a personality test adapted for sales.

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5 Key Sales Mindsets for your ABM Transition

Heinz Marketing

By Winfield Salyards , Marketing Coordinator at Heinz Marketing. Sales and Marketing alignment is critical to any ABM transition’s success, and while sales-marketing alignment requires changes in mindset, changes are also needed on an individual level. Here are 5 key sales mindsets needed for sales success during an ABM change. Quality over quantity.

Quota 130
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5 Inspiring B2B Marketing Campaigns to Take Yours to the Next Level

Your next big B2B marketing idea starts here. Get inspired with these five successful B2B marketing campaigns. Ready to generate more leads, interest, and revenue with your B2B marketing? In this comprehensive eBook, you’ll get: In-depth studies of five successful B2B marketing campaigns spanning a wide range of industries Key takeaways and lessons from each story to implement in your own strategy Resources to help your own B2B marketing thrive By submitting this form, you agree to have your con