2017

article thumbnail

Chairs are Dead—and Other B2B Marketing Hogwash

Pointclear

In 2015, I wrote this blog for Sales & Marketing Magazine: Dead is Dead (in Sales & Marketing). It seemed like, suddenly, a lot of things were dying: cold calling was dead; telephone prospecting was dead; outbound marketing was dead … many said that even marketing was dead. Maybe I was just sensitive. I mean, I grew up at a time when Paul McCartney was supposedly dead (he, thankfully, lives on).

B2B 156
article thumbnail

10 of the Best Ads from November: Elves, Llamas, and a Business Cat

Hubspot

If you think November is too early to be dreaming of sugarplum fairies and hanging the stockings with care, then consider this your official warning: this post is heavy on the holiday cheer. To everyone else, hello. November brought us a delightful crop of festive ads, including the much-anticipated annual Christmas spot from UK retailer John Lewis -- which dependably goes viral every year.

Retail 154
Insiders

Sign Up for our Newsletter

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Trending Sources

article thumbnail

Why Discounting Your Price is a Bad Idea

The Sales Hunter

The customer is not refusing your price because it’s too high. They’re refusing it because the value is too low. The real reason you had to cut your price is because you failed to match the value you offer to the outcome the customer was desiring. I just bought a new suitcase and I paid […].

Price 111
article thumbnail

Best of 2017: Top 10 Blog Articles of the Year

SBI

What a year it’s been. The Sales Tech space has grown dramatically as evidenced by the publication of our 2017 Sales Tech Landscape with 500 solutions. The buzz words for the year were predictive analytics, AI, ABM, ABS, and Coaching. Here are some of Smart Selling Tools stats for 2017: Published over 100 articles on our blog. Hosted 17 of our own webinars and participated in about a dozen others.

article thumbnail

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.

article thumbnail

11 Analytics Experts Share Their Favorite New Features of GA and GTM

ConversionXL

Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager are tools that most marketers use on a daily basis. New stuff is added to both of them all the time. What’s something new and useful that was added in 2017 the top experts love? In no particular order. #1: Krista Seiden, Google. My favorite GTM release of the year is hands down the two new triggers released in October 2017: Scroll Tracking & Element Visibility.

GTM 133
article thumbnail

6 Things Good Lead Generation Vendors Do Right (That You May Be Doing Wrong)

Pointclear

There’s plenty of mediocrity in lead generation—both in-house and outsourced. However, there are a lot of things good insourced operations and lead generation companies do well. While lead generation (or teleprospecting) is not rocket science, there are a lot of moving parts in a well-run lead generation machine. Failure to execute and coordinate all of the moving parts leads to poor results.

More Trending

article thumbnail

36 Apps Every Sales Rep Needs on Their Phone in 2018

Hubspot

The Best Mobile Sales Apps for Salespeople. Slack. LinkedIn. Twitter. 30/30. Profit Story. HubSpot Sales. vTie. CamCard. Keynote. Close the Sale. Mobile CRM app. Doc Scan. Dropbox. eSignature app. Evernote. Dragon. Wunderlist. QuickVoice. Mind Tools. Skill-Pill. Feedly. Pocket. SmartUp. Pulse Auto Dealer. DealApp Vantage. AutoPoint Driver Connect. NADA MarketValues.

article thumbnail

5 VR Marketing Examples That You'll Want to Steal for 2018

Hubspot

The holidays are coming, and I'm feeling cheerful. So, I'll do you a solid: I won't lecture you on the importance of incorporating virtual reality into your 2018 marketing strategy. But, in the spirit of giving, I will share the following fun facts: By 2020, the economic impact of virtual and augmented reality is predicted to reach $29.5 billion. By the end of 2017, the combined total of VR software and hardware from Sony, Oculus, HTC, and others is predicted to reach 5.1 million units.

article thumbnail

23 Motivational Songs to Get You Pumped in 2017

Hubspot

Prospecting for sales leads. not the most fun thing in the world. There’s no question that it’s incredibly important, but researching dozens of companies every day in the hopes of finding a few good fits isn’t the most titillating task. So we’re here to help. We’ve compiled the ultimate pump-up playlist to keep you sharp and focused while you pan for gold.

article thumbnail

13 Email Examples That Totally Nailed Personalization

Hubspot

If you're anything like most people, you can probably rattle off 100 different things you'd rather do than dig through your inbox. It starts to feel like a chore, because what's in there isn't very interesting. In fact, only 21% of consumers reported that they've received a memorable promotional email in the past two months, according to a study by Litmus.

article thumbnail

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

article thumbnail

The Ultimate Guide to Writing LinkedIn InMails That Get Results (With Examples)

Hubspot

What if you tripled your typical email response rate? People are three times likelier to reply to a LinkedIn InMail message than a traditional email -- so if you’re going to reach out, an InMail might be the way to go. What Is LinkedIn InMail? You can only send LinkedIn messages to your first-degree connections. To contact someone who’s not in your network, you’ll need to send an InMail.

article thumbnail

Brand Strategy 101: 7 Essentials for Strong Company Branding

Hubspot

Let's say you've come to the difficult realization that quite frankly your brand -- if you can even call it that -- is all over the place. Or perhaps worse, you have a defined brand, but you're noticing that it just doesn't seem to mesh with who you really are and what you really do. Don't panic. Before you get all hung up on what shade of green to use for your logo or what tone you're going to use when engaging with people on Twitter, you need to step back and take a look at the big picture.

Represent 101
article thumbnail

7 Habits of Highly Effective People [Book Summary]

Hubspot

7 Habits of Highly Effective People Summary: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey is a self-improvement book. It is written on Covey's belief that the way we see the world is entirely based on our own perceptions. In order to change a given situation, we must change ourselves, and in order to change ourselves, we must be able to change our perceptions.

Teamwork 101
article thumbnail

8 Popular Sales Methodologies Summarized

Hubspot

Best sales methodologies. SPIN Selling. N.E.A.T. Selling. Conceptual Selling. SNAP Selling. The Challenger Sale. The Sandler System. CustomerCentric Selling. MEDDIC. Salespeople are very aware of their quotas and the need to reach them. However, they're not always clear on the steps they should take. That's where sales methodologies come in. Top Sales Methodologies to Consider.

Sales 101
article thumbnail

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

article thumbnail

5 Effective Sales Prospecting Techniques You Should Be Using

Hubspot

Though many salespeople despise prospecting, it’s an important part of sales. Unfortunately, the majority of reps use ineffective and outdated sales prospecting techniques, instead of the effective practices that could actually lead to a higher volume of better qualified leads (and make them more partial to prospecting). Just like every other aspect of the sales process, you need to put in the effort and focus required.

Technique 101
article thumbnail

How to Work with Influencers: The Ultimate Guide

Hubspot

How much digital content do you consume on a daily basis? It’s tough to put a number on that, isn’t it? Here’s an even tougher question: How much of that content do you genuinely trust -- especially when it comes to an investment in a product or a service? According to Twitter , if you really only trust your friends and family for this information, you’re part of the majority.

Trust 101
article thumbnail

5 Less Annoying Alternatives to "Please Find Attached"

Hubspot

Between ebooks, case studies, data sheets, proposals, and contracts, you probably send email attachments on a daily -- if not hourly -- basis. And that means you might be using the common phrase “Please find attached.” Other variations include “Attached please find,” Please kindly find the attached file,” Please find the attached file for your reference,” “Enclosed please find,” and the ultra-wordy, “Please find attached herewith.”.

Contract 101
article thumbnail

32 Free Online Marketing Classes to Master Your Marketing Skills

Hubspot

I don't know about you, but I miss going to school. I miss taking notes, studying, and most of all, learning a ton of new skills. That's not to say I don't learn a lot on the job here at HubSpot -- because I absolutely do. But sometimes, there's nothing quite like listening to a lecture, taking notes, and doing homework. Given the frequency at which new technologies and software are developed, it can be overwhelming to try to keep up your knowledge by only reading blog posts and ebooks.

B2B 101
article thumbnail

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.

article thumbnail

How to Repost on Instagram: 4 Easy Ways to Reshare Content

Hubspot

Where most social media feeds are almost distractingly busy -- full of photos, videos, and text updates from friends and brands you follow -- Instagram is different because you can only look at one post at a time. And while this simple, clean interface makes to easy to focus on the beautiful photography and interesting videos on Instagram, it also leaves something to be desired: the ability to easily repost other users' content.

101
101
article thumbnail

The Ultimate Social Media Holiday Calendar for 2017 [Resource]

Hubspot

Whether it's International Cat Day, Pizza Day, or Talk Like a Pirate Day, it seems like almost every day, the internet is celebrating a holiday. Whenever I log onto Twitter, I quickly scan what's trending on the left-hand side of the screen. Have you ever had this experience -- when you see an obscure holiday or observance day trending, and you think to yourself "Yup, I'm celebrating that"?

Education 101
article thumbnail

Social Media Copywriting: How to Compose Text for 5 Different Channels

Hubspot

Most of us know that social media is an essential part of a brand’s marketing strategy. After all, 92% of marketers say that social media is important to their business. And yet, managing it continues to be a source of frustration for many. That’s understandable -- there are many moving parts to a successful social media strategy. There’s knowing the right frequency with which to post.

article thumbnail

The Beginner's Guide to Small Business Marketing Online

Hubspot

According to Forbes , 80-90% of consumers research purchases online before buying. Whether you're in the process of launching a new business or already have one, having an strong online presence for your brand is extremely important. Small business owners looking for a way to track ROI and brand awareness need digital marketing. Not only is digital marketing a must-have for promoting your products or services, but optimizing your online assets is also critical to your business' overall success.

article thumbnail

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.

article thumbnail

YouTube Ads for Beginners: How to Launch & Optimize a YouTube Video Advertising Campaign

Hubspot

You've spent months perfecting the script, storyboarding, finding the right talent, shooting, and editing. The end result? A blockbuster brand or product video. With all that time invested, you can't stop at just embedding the video on a homepage or sharing it on social media and hoping someone watches. While great content is bound to be found, it's also important to be proactive about gaining the attention of and educating prospects and those unfamiliar with your brand.

Campaign 101
article thumbnail

The Beginner's Guide to Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)

Hubspot

Today, most marketing teams are structured to drive traffic towards websites, which then converts into leads for the sales team to close. Once this process starts to deliver results, marketers then seek to generate even more traffic, and hopefully even more success. An oversimplification, but that’s the standard marketing playbook. Few marketing teams focus on getting more from existing traffic.

article thumbnail

HubSpot’s Marketing Team Worked Remotely for One Week. Here’s What We Learned.

Hubspot

Think about the last time you were on a conference call with someone in a different location. Did you run into any communication challenges -- technical, or otherwise? Did you find yourself trying to speak up but failing to get a word in? If there were multiple people on that call, did you find that everyone was able to participate? Remote meetings are becoming increasingly commonplace.

Meeting 101
article thumbnail

20 Stunning Examples of Brand Style Guides

Hubspot

When it comes to building a memorable brand, it's all about consistency. When you're shopping for your favorite cereal or coffee at the grocery store, you want to be able to spot it from a mile away. The best brands stick in our brains because their presence is defined by the repetition of the same logo, fonts, colors, and images. Once we see them enough, they become instantly recognizable, bringing us a clear sense of reliability and security.

article thumbnail

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.

article thumbnail

How to Make an iPhone Video: A Step-by-Step Guide

Hubspot

You might know that video is important, that your audience wants to see it, and you might even want to make it a part of your strategy. But you're still asking the big question: "How?". If you aren't producing video content because you don't think you have the ability, time, or resources to do it, we have some good news: Your answer to the video content question could be sitting in your pants pocket.

Start-ups 101
article thumbnail

How to Write a Case Study: The Ultimate Guide & Template

Hubspot

Earning the trust of prospective customers can be a struggle. Before you can even begin to expect to earn their business, you need to demonstrate your ability to deliver on what your product or service promises. Sure, you could say that you're great at X, or that you're way ahead of the competition when it comes to Y. But at the end of the day, what you really need to win new business is cold, hard proof.

Service 101
article thumbnail

The Essential Artificial Intelligence Glossary for Marketers

Hubspot

Thank goodness for live chat. If you’re anything like me, you look back at the days of corded phones and 1-800 numbers with anything but fondness. But as you’re chatting with a customer service agent on Facebook Messenger to see if you can change the shipping address on your recent order, sometimes it’s tempting to ask, am I really talking to a human?

article thumbnail

6 Predictions for the Convergence of IoT and Digital Marketing

Hubspot

We're on the cusp of a tectonic shift in digital marketing. The boom in IoT ( Internet of Things ) technology will soon allow us to analyze, predict, and respond to consumer behavior in almost every market possible. That sounds amazing. but what's the Internet of Things ? The Internet of Things is the connection of everyday products like cars, alarm clocks, and lights to computing devices via the internet.

article thumbnail

The Next Level of Sales Enablement: Sales Content Management

Speaker: Deniz Olcay, Senior Director of Product Marketing, and Jake Miller, Senior Product Marketing Manager

Modern Sales Content Management (SCM) platforms have become table stakes in the world of sales enablement. Sellers need one-stop access where all of their sales content is stored, organized, deployed, and measured. Today’s modern SCM platforms achieve just that. However, these various platforms also have key differences. In this value-packed webinar, Deniz Olcay and Jake Miller will unravel and debunk the top three SCM myths and explain how to get the most from your SCM solution.