Latest Columns

  1. Sell Like a Dog

    Whoever coined the term “work like a dog” must not have owned a dog, at least not one of our modern-era pets who have earned family-member status. As our love for our four-legged companions has grown, so too has our desire to understand them through formal training, books, and podcasts. Despite all this expert advice, I believe our pets’ ability to understand us far outpaces our ability to understand them. How do they do it and what can we learn from them about sales?

  2. Accelerate Business Growth With Sales And Marketing Interoperability

    When trying to discover why our business is not growing as much, or as quickly, as we like, it is common to initially blame uncertain economic conditions or other factors outside of our control. If we look inward at the things we can control, we may point to low quality leads from marketing or undisciplined sales teams that fail to close. The real problem is not often siloed in either marketing or sales, but in how they work together.

  3. Are Your Marketing Tactics Supporting Your Business Strategy? If You're Not Sure, Try Task And Purpose

    I speak with a lot of B2B marketing professionals who describe their work as trying to manage chaos. Unrealistic deadlines, constantly changing priorities, emergency press releases that never get approved for distribution, and tradeshow collateral that must be created and overnighted are all in a typical day’s work. I’ve been in newsrooms less frenzied.

    Marketing is intended to be the process organizations use to engage target audiences, nurture customer relationships, develop business, and, ultimately, generate revenue. But too many organizations are drowning in tactics that are not linked to their business strategy. To gain clarity, think task and purpose.

  4. Reframing The Relationship Between B2B Sales And Marketing

    Exploring ways to improve the relationship between sales and marketing in B2B businesses is like venturing into the Sahara on foot without water. Rarely do business leaders intentionally set out to change marketing and sales operations, to include organizational structure and processes. We too easily retreat to the risk-free zone of “but that’s the way we’ve always done it.” However, the harsh truth is that this modus operandi is fraught with risk.  

  5. Follow, Understand, And Help Your Buyer: The Modern Paradigm For B2B Marketing And Sales

    Paradigm is one of those big words that is packed with meaning. It is often used to introduce ideas intended to be epic and have a foundational impact on us. B2B marketing and sales is overserved with tactics and failproof processes to deliver better results. What we need is a modern paradigm, a different way to think about B2B marketing, sales, and our buyers. The paradigm is called follow, understand, and help.

  6. There Must Be A Better Way!

    Hayato Nakamura recalls the excitement he experienced when he reported for his first job out of college with a Fortune 500 company. His onboarding consisted of being walked to an office cubicle containing only a desk and a phone. He was handed a printed lead list and instructed to begin smiling and dialing. It wasn't long before his bliss melted away and the grind set it in. There must be a better way, he thought. Good news, there is!

  7. What Does A Helping B2B Relationship Look Like?

    If there was a Mount Rushmore for the world of sales, Zig Ziglar would hold an anchor position. Zig was a prolific author, captivating motivational speaker, salesman, and personal development trainer. He helped millions of people achieve goals that they believed were beyond their reach. He also redefined the relationship between seller and buyer, one characterized by helping!

  8. To Gate Or Not To Gate, That Is The Question

    Think back to the last time your interest was piqued by an article or study with an interesting title. It may have had a compelling introduction that caused you to want to read more. So, you clicked on the “read more” button only to be met by a gate that required you to provide a half dozen pieces of personal contact information. Whether to gate or not gate content is a common question posed by B2B content marketers. It is a great question and worth some thought.

  9. How One Small Marketing Operation Does Big Things By Asking “What If” Questions

    Like many of us, Janette Buechler, Director of Sales and Marketing Communication at Pharmatech Associates, a USP Company, was encouraged to use her imagination during her childhood, but perhaps with a little twist. Janette recalls playing a game with her grandmother called What If. They would propose what if questions to each other to stir their imaginations.

  10. Generating Big Business With Ease

    At the same time the transportation industry was experiencing a record number of bankruptcies, Ease Logistics grew their revenue to more than two-times greater than their projections. How did they do it? According to Alisa Alvich, Marketing Manager at Ease, they delivered and communicated innovative solutions that go beyond their core transportation service, not only to their customers but also their community. She refers to it as new age marketing.