Smashmouth B2B Blog: Sales & Marketing Demand Gen

3 Great B2B Demand Gen Articles from Last Week

It's amazing that there's so much great content out there surrounding demand generation and B2B sales and marketing! Here are a few that stand out to the Smashmouth crowd from last week:

Are Your Inside Sales Reps Good Detectives? A guest post on AG Salesworks' Sales Prospecting Perspectives blog provided an interesting comparison to inside sales reps and detectives.  The author likens his approach to that of  Columbo and collects as much detail from his prospects as he can.

"I find that people are willing to share one more thing with me in order to get me off the phone.  This one thing may turn into a longer conversation that could bring out more pains and needs from the prospect and in time, turning this ‘not interested’ person into an opportunity for our clients."

Whatever You Do, Don't Do This During a Sales Meeting. Jill Konrath, sales strategist and author of SNAP Selling, has an article on ScLoHo's Collective Wisdom blog about limiting the amount of time you speak during a sales call and keeping quiet during that most critical meeting -- replacing your competitor!

"Top sellers realize that replacing an incumbent is a slow, deliberate process. They understand it takes time to demonstrate value and develop strong relationships. Knowing this, they put together a one-step-at-a-time account-entry strategy that advances the sales process much faster than if they tried to do everything in a single call."

7 Fluff-Free Reasons Your Online Content Isn't Spreading. David Siteman Garland, author and entrepreneur from The Rise to the Top website, wrote a guest post over at inbound marketing evangelist HubSpot's blog.  Garland shares some great thoughts as to why your content may not be as aflame as you'd like it to be.

"Normally there isn’t just one answer and it isn’t black-and-white. Some things directly matter and others go a little bit deeper with more abstract, yet equally important ideas like trust and authority. But, everything adds up."

Like I said, there's a lot of great information out there; what would you have added from the week?

Photo Credit:  steve.wilde via Flickr

Sales 2.0 Tips: Discussing Outbound Marketing Stats (Video)

Last month was the Sales 2.0 Conference in Boston (my comments here).  I connected with friends and colleagues with similar desires to increase sales and marketing production with no holds barred.  

I had the opportunity in Boston to present on the topic of Increasing Productivity Without Increasing Headcount and then participating on a panel discussion on the topic. (video below)

Since my attendance at the first Sales 2.0 Conference, I had discussed with Gerhard that the topics of sales and marketing in a 2.0 world just can't be discussed separately.   So the highlight of my day was when he closed the session by announcing that the next "Sales 2.0 Conference" will be known as the "Sales and Marketing 2.0 Conference". 

Thanks to ConnectAndSell for inviting me to speak.
Video of my presentation:

B2B Demand Gen Week in Review July 12..16

There were some great B2B Demand Gen articles posted this week, and here are the handful that stood out for the Smashmouth crowd:

Old Spice: The Man Your Content Could Smell Like - The big news this week was the Old Spice Man answering people's questions and Twitter updates with personalized responses. The originality of this type of content marketing is refreshing.

"Not too long ago Old Spice was a brand that was largely forgotten or something that was worn by your father. This weekend, watching the latest commercial (embedded below), my boyfriend asked me if he should switch over to Old Spice. The momentum Old Spice is creating goes beyond just 'silly Web videos'. They’re using remarkable content to capture brand awareness, eyes, and in the end, sales."

To read more about this, check out SEO/Blogging/Twitter guru Lisa Barone of internet marketing company Outspoken Media.

Create Your Own Content Category - Joe Pulizzi, marketing strategist over at Junta42, has a great article on his site about owning your own "keywords."

"If you are talking about the same concepts and content as your competitors, what value are you adding to the conversation? Are you truly providing anything that will differentiate you from your competitors, over the thousands of other messages out there your customers are possibly engaging with?"

For Those About to Rock...Show Up First - Paul Castain, sales trainer and sales blogger at Paul Castain's Sales Playbook, wrote a great article that shares 13 tips on how effective sales people can "show up" and get found, all while weaving Slash and George Lopez into the mix.

"People like Slash understand that they need to be seen. They also understand that you can’t be seen if you don’t show up."

There were a lot of great blog articles this week surrounding B2B sales and marketing - which one got you thinking? What did we miss?

*Photo Credit: suttonhoo via Flickr

B2B Lead Generation Can Take The Heat Of Summer

I started penning this piece about summer last week when AG Salesworks published a great article touching on some of the tactical issues of lead gen in the summer.  It got me thinking that there must be some research to support a fact Green Leads is confident about: rather than slowing during the summer, lead generation activities actually heat up. 

For the most part, it's popular opinion that it’s harder to sell during the summer.  It makes some sense, right?  We tend to think of this as a lazy season, one filled with family barbecues, homemade iced tea and hours spent lounging in a hammock. 

Sounds good?  Fewer people working, right?

That’s not necessarily the case.  According to Gretchen Weber, a freelance writer for workforce.com, people are taking less time off.  Regardless of the amount of time off we’re given, or earn, Americans are using less of it.  We may think that because summer is so low-key it’s a good time for us to regroup from the rush of Q1 and to gear up for a big year-end.  Not so, my friends.  The implication for those of us in the B2B lead generation business is crystal clear:  DO NOT SLOW DOWN.  

Here are three reasons why you should not slow down your demand generation efforts this (or any) summer:

1. People are more likely in the office - Just as the article from Weber pointed out, people are using less and less of their time off.  Use that knowledge to engage in your demand gen efforts with great enthusiasm.  Because we’re utilizing less of our vacation time, there is a greater likelihood that we’re going to catch people at their desks, whether we’re emailing them or calling them.  Don’t assume that they’re not there; you know what your middle school teacher taught you about “assuming,” right?  If our prospects are in the office more, so we should be. 
2. Schedules are less hectic - Though the summer typically offers no relief from the heat, it does tend to free up people’s schedules.  For us, this means that people are more likely to be responsive to appointment setting.  That brief break from a busy schedule affords us the opportunity to schedule a time to talk with decision makers and influencers.  If we’re really using fewer vacation days, it stands to reason that we’re not all too comfortable with an “open” calendar.  Use that to your advantage and get yourself time in front of your top prospects.
3. Five years of data proving otherwise - When all else fails to convert the non-believers, pull out data.  At Green Leads, we’ve got five years' worth of data that proves to us that the summer months, specifically July and August, are better than September for setting appointments for our clients.  Yet every year, clients want to slow down for the summer and turn back on in September.  It's counterintuitive, but the summer is prime time.  Lead gen is about pipeline too, and working hard during the summer sets up the fall for success as well.

What do you think?  Is summer a time for relaxing or maximizing your Demand Gen efforts?

Photo Credit:  *Micky via Flickr

Content Marketing: Accuracy, First Impressions and Demand Gen

Guest post by Paul Simon, Sharper Content, @paulcontentman

We all form instant impressions when meeting someone new. Guess what? The same thing happens when we read something from someone we don't know - and the proliferation of social media puts an awful of "new" people in front of us.

As Michael Damphousse says, "Good content creates value. Value creates trust. And, yes, trust creates leads."

On the Internet, it's all about content, whether you have a product to sell, service to offer or leads to pursue. The best content is clear, concise and compelling, creating a bond and a relationship with the reader. Can poor writing, misspellings and grammatical errors interfere? You betcha.

A few days ago someone in a sales group on LinkedIn posed this question: "Love reading and participating in this group, but I could not help noticing all the blatant spelling errors in our posts. Do you think it reflects negatively on our attention to detail and professionalism not to re-read our posts before we hit the send button? "

Intriguing responses followed, some dismissing an occasional error in a group comment as inconsequential and others characterizing them as a general lack of professionalism. Here are a few of my favorite comments:

"Numerous mistakes indicate a lack of attention to detail. If I am thinking of hiring someone to take care of my business, I want someone who is brilliant in their field AND cares about the details..."

"If one person, someone who is important to you, forms a negative image of you because of something you've written, doesn't it make sense to be more mindful? I would hate to think that I was shut out of an opportunity because I failed to take a few extra minutes to ensure that my spelling and grammar were up to snuff."

As someone who makes a living writing and editing other people's copy, I've often wondered about the same thing when I see a lot of errors. I've made my share of typos in rushing out an email here and there, but it does seem that a business communication rife with errors really gets you off on the wrong foot.

Can you afford to take a chance? Are your content marketing efforts going to impact demand gen? You owe it to yourself to pay attention.

Sales 2.0 Strategies: Demand Gen Lessons From the iPhone

Not sure I'm going to pick up the new iPhone just yet. I'm hearing about issues with the antenna, but I'm sure I'll have to make a decision when one of my daughters drops her phone into the pool this summer and I need to sacrifice my current iPhone as a replacement. It's been a tried-and-true pattern the past 3 summers.

The iPhone 4 brings Apple customers a nicely improved design and several new features: the ability to make video phone calls, to record (and edit!) HD videos and true multi-tasking, just to name a few. What this means to me (and you) is its connection to Sales 2.0.

It's all about the evolution and use of technology -- I feel as if Apple values prospects and customers and wants to bring them value.  The nature of technology is that it has to evolve, and the technology we have today is astounding. The cool part is that it's only getting better!

Sales 2.0 is all about evolution as well.  It's about changing the way sales and marketing do our jobs and adapting.  Sales 2.0 means that we have to evolve.

Here are three ways we can keep that evolution going:

• Improve our prospect's interactions with us - These interactions make or break the sales process. Got a poorly designed website? You and I both know that if you do, your prospects aren't coming back. Got a content-rich, informative website? Chances are they'll keep coming back even after they purchase. Is your marketing value embedded within the content prospects see as valuable? Does the sales team have the tools and information it takes to make prospects feel they are gaining value and in control of the buying cycle? Prospects want what prospects want, not always what we want.
• Better qualify MQL's - We've evolved how we bring value to prospects; now we've got to do a better job at qualifying them as MQL's (marketing qualified leads). Evolve the Quality vs. Quantity. Apple doesn't market the new iPhone to kids and teens in hopes that they will be prospects walking in to talk to an Apple Genius. They market to adult users who can afford the premium phone/service. Salespeople want the same kind of leads. Whether you do this through appointment setting, teleprospecting or lead scoring, make your sales reps want to thank you for every lead.
  
• Accelerate word of mouth marketing (WOM) - How many of you bought iPhones because someone let you hold it?  Testimonials and referrals (word-of-mouth marketing) is one of the best -- if not the greatest -- source of new prospects for most companies.  Is this Sales 2.0?  Optimizing it and helping sales and marketing teams take advantage of it certainly is. Create tools, buzz and reasons for customers to bring you prospects.

Have you bought an iPhone 4? What do you think of the changes?

(Side note: what do you use it for as it pertains to sales and marketing?  Me ... I've loaded Salesforce, LinkedIn and even a link to my presentations should I meet a prospect on the road.)

5 Thoughts About Sales 2.0 Conference Opening Remarks

This morning's Sales 2.0 Conference lead off speaker was Polly Sumner of Salesforce.com.  Although she spoke about Tools, her real message wasn't about tools as much as it was about use, and ways of working.

It Gerhard Gschwandtner, the conference host,captures it with a question to Polly, "so it's about a mindset?" 

• Explore tools with an eye for how your team will adapt to it.  How they will use it. How it will change the way they work
• Challenge yourself to identify where efficiencies can be gained. Can you gain time?  Knowledge? Trigger events?
• Don't get caught up in the hype.  Look through demos and presentations, does the tool change the way you will get your job done?
• The best Sales 2.0 apps are adopted without being forced on users. Quote from a beta tester of Salesforce Chatter two weeks ago at CloudForce Boston "We just turned on Chatter, a week later we had 700 active users."
• "Failure is OK," says Polly. Don't be afraid to take risks, it's risks that can introduce change into your organization.

From our experience with Sales 2.0 tools at Green Leads, we had an immediate impact by making an extremely risky decision 18 months ago.  Instead of hiring new people and adding headcount to our appointment setting team, we took a major risk by implementing ConnectAndSell.  It allowed us to double the weekly production of our best people for about half the cost of a new hire. We didn't push it, we let our team adopt it at their own pace. It organically became a part of their daily routine.

What risks have you taken related to Sales 2.0?  Has it changed the way you work?

Inbound Lead Generation: Improving Your B2B Sales and Marketing Blogs

You want to talk about improvements? You know what needed improvement? The Boston Celtics, that's who. If you're a fan of basketball, or maybe even a fan of rivalries, maybe you, like me, watched the Boston Celtics crumble last Thursday night (June 17th). Two storied franchises, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics, both vying for the NBA Championship in a Game 7 match. Winner takes all, losers go home with their heads hanging low. For Celtics fan, it was a great game - up until the 3rd quarter. Spoiler alerts here, folks: The Celtics blew it. The Lakers tied the game and then went up and never looked back. It was a bad night for the Bean's Green, and their play in the 4th quarter certainly needed improvement -- minute by minute improvement -- constant improvement.

What about your B2B sales and marketing blog, though? I read 20-40 of them a day, do they need improvement? Are you on the verge of "blowing it" and driving prospects to competitors, or losing your industry leader status? Chances are, it could use some constant tweaking (I'm speaking to myself, too). Here are three ways, as we head into the second half of 2010, that you can improve your B2B sales and marketing blog:

1. Revisit your blog's goals - When you first started writing your blog, you had a goal in mind. Maybe it was to establish your organization as a thought leader, maybe it was to bring awareness of your services or solutions, and more than likely, it was to create interest in your prospect audience. Somewhere along the line, maybe you've moved from one of those goals to another. That's not a bad thing, but maybe you've confused your audience. Go back and revisit what you intended to do when you first started. If that goal is still a worthwhile pursuit, resolve yourself to stick with it. If not, make the changes necessary to make your blog into what you want it to be.  In my case, I had two goals, and I'm sticking to them: establish a leadership role in the b2b demand gen space (demand gen blog tag here), and to promote without being too self serving, the appointment setting and outbound marketing services offered by Green Leads.  Not to mention SEO and Lead Generation.
   
   
2. Write from a place of passion - This one really should go without saying. If you've lost passion for writing about your services or solutions, it's time to pass the torch onto someone else who may have some. That doesn't mean you can't pick it back up later when your batteries are recharged, but if you're not excited about what your writing about, neither will your audience be excited to read it. If you've got a "corporate" type blog, look for someone else who may have an interest in writing and encourage them to share their talents. And keep the passion regular -- be it once per week, or twice a day, maintain your article publishing consistency.
   
   
3. Don't be afraid to stir the pot - While I don't necessarily subscribe to the belief that nice guys finish last, I do believe that nice guys are free to disagree with whomever they want, and then blog about it. The following two controversy articles were two of my highest traffic articles to date:
   
       Web Leads: Pounce, Pause, Nurture or Wait
       Lead Generation Tips: Take a 3 Hour Lunch
   
   What I'm getting at here is that you shouldn't be afraid to use your blog to disagree with ideas or create controversial ones. It's a great way to get some good dialogue going with your audience. Remember, there's a good way to go about airing controversy, and there's a wrong way. We're all adults and professionals, so let's act like it.  Don't hurt your brand.
   

What are some of the ways you go about improving your blog?

*Photo Credit: The Game Is On via Flickr

ActiveConversion Product Review: Demand Gen Intelligence

ActiveConversion is a web based solution that allows organizations to identify visitors to their website, to automatically qualify and nurture leads, to get notified when leads become "hot," and to track ROI of marketing campaigns. They are partners with Google, Jigsaw, VerticalResponse, and Salesforce.com.

Upon opening up the solution, you can view your ActiveConversion dashboard. You're able to see your active leads, broken down by active companies, active prospects, and qualified leads. The information is easy to read and easy to understand, and a click of the mouse allows you to dive deeper into the graphically represented reports. The dashboard gives you visibility into seeing which of your leads is actually showing genuine interest. That's great, but as I'm thinking about it, how exactly does this work? How does it determine whether or not one of my prospects is showing "genuine interest?  They do this by scoring visitors to your website on three different categories:

• How they reached your site
• What they viewed, and
  
• How long they visited.

These scores are easy to configure and allow you to determine when a prospect is ready for a call, and when they're not.

ActiveConversion can help simplify lead management and lead routing process. The sales team can also reap the benefit from the following:

• Identification of anonymous visitors to your website by mapping known IP addresses. Contacts of the prospect company can be instantly researched in Jigsaw.
• Push leads and session visit data to the sales team through regularly scheduled emails. This can also include lead score.
• Returning visitors can have lead scores improved and salesforce activities scheduled upon further visits.
  

When I visit your site, do you know if I'm a lead?

More Smashmouth Demand Gen Product Reviews.

Jive Talkin for B2B Marketing & Sales Demand Gen Experts

Today at Enterprise 2.0 in Boston, Jive Software is rolling out a new agenda for social business that is worth a close look.

 We all wake up on Mondays to a mountain of data, feeds, and emails.  It's great to know that our best buddies "like" your latest blog article and left a comment that they miss you while they are surfing or mountain biking through your facebook fan page, or that the company we are following on LinkedIn just hired a VP of Demand Gen (nice lead for me), and that Chris Brogan just launched ManOnTheGo.com, which a colleague in sales recommends by retweeting a link from @chrisbrogan. That said, you still have hundreds of Google Reader articles to scan, a few new sales enablement presentations to review before publishing them to Slideshare, and two meetings to approve in the Appointment Setting queue...

I can go on, but you get the picture.  In the enterprise, we are flooded with internal and external data -- nuggets of information that we find valuable or our colleagues find valuable and that we need to know in order to do a stellar job.  Roll all these feeds, files, emails, tweets, micro-blogs, discussions, and public buzz into a cockpit-like environment and you have Jive What Matters, an enterprise class portal into this sea of social information that keeps us operating in real time.

My domain expertise is B2B Marketing and Sales, especially Demand Gen.  Here are some use case scenarios I see for the b2b executive:

• Competition - Aggregate feeds from multiple buzz sources. Follow keywords and specific phrases that can point you to competitive intelligence.
• Opportunities - Work sales opportunities in a team mode. Follow everything about that opportunity.  "Like" the feeds from the key account manager, feed in key words from the opportunity such as company name or project name, follow the status and feed updates from key decision makers in the social sphere.
• Sales Enablement - Monitor sales and marketing asset libraries.  Know when files change, are upgraded, or need collaboration.  Create/follow discussions focused on use case scenarios or sales tips.
• Reporting - Create feeds from certain reports that trigger when large opportunites change status, or when a company KPI changes.
• Follow Colleagues - That applications engineer from Calgary that you met last year with all the great opinions on how to demo software, follow that guy -- he's a wealth of knowledge.  
• Data - Most data sources (Jigsaw, LinkedIn, etc.) allow you to create RSS feeds on specific searches. Set some up for your best prospect titles, when a new record is created with "demand gen" or "marketing operations", and funnel that feed to your data analyst for addition to your nurturing/lead queue.
• Industry Leaders - Stay abreast of the emerging thoughts and trends in the industry.  Subscribe to the best in Lead Nurturing, Lead Generation, and B2B Marketing.
• Your Team - What better way to follow the activity of your team and key contributors.  Follow their feeds and know what they are up to, or what makes them tick.  Do the same for the execs above you.
• Buzz - Follow industry trends, keywords of interest.  Take advantage of Jives Chatter Filter [play on words?] and Jive Genius.  The two help filter and recommend only the best and relevant data for your needs.
• Social Graph - Visually see how your prospects are connected in the social network. Stunning representations.  Make that first call a warm call by knowing who they know.
• What Matters - The Chatter Filter and Jive Genius look like promising tools that can reduce the amount of non-relevant noise coming in.

What other B2B Marketing and Sales Demand Gen use case thoughts can you find?   I'm off to their launch event in Boston for some great Jive Talkin.