The Pipeline

SEPTEMBER 18, 2018

No need to go to the gutter right away, there is a lot to be said for words in sales before we have to go blue. As long as companies fill their sales people’s heads with more “Product Knowledge” than business skills, the challenge will persist. Vendors overemphasize selection criteria that aren’t important to buyers.

Vendor 255

Vendor Discount Insurance Insurance 255

Highspot

MAY 18, 2025

Key takeaways ABM and sales enablement help teams focus on the right accounts and equip reps with the tools to convert prospects into customers. Tools like AI sales coaching, just-in-time learning, and dynamic playbooks help reps respond to buyer needs at every journey stage. What is sales enablement?

Account Based Marketing 52

Account Based Marketing Top of Funnel Ideal Customer Profile Sales Enablement 52

The Pipeline

FEBRUARY 4, 2020

Last week I saw a piece on LinkedIn, that questioned the accuracy of predictions about the future of B2B sales and selling made in the past decade. The piece pointed to a prediction by Forrester around 2015 about the size and nature of B2B sales in 2020. Is sales is making the most of their newfound time and resources?”

Revenue 370

Revenue Top of Funnel Sales Qualified Lead Lead Rank 370

The Pipeline

SEPTEMBER 25, 2017

In most instances or conversation this misuse (or abuse) of the two may not matter or have tangible consequences, but in sales, well, they do. Buyer may be uncertain about a number of things related to their purchase, which impacts the level of risk they perceive. These are not bad, but are usually product or vendor centric.

Vendor 272

Vendor Buyer Travel Objections 272

Zoominfo

MARCH 12, 2025

Sales leaders need to make sure that every interaction counts and that means understanding which accounts are the best fit, when to reach out, and how to solve customer challenges. 70% reduction in data inaccuracy , saving time and effort for reps 1,100+ hours saved from manual data enrichment, allowing sales reps to focus on closing deals.

Pipeline 130

Pipeline Ideal Customer Profile Marketing Sales Qualified Lead 130

Zoominfo

MARCH 21, 2025

Sales is no longer about dialing faster or pitching harder. Today, it all comes down to using smarter sales coaching techniques. Using AI sales tools can help teams level up by analyzing real sales conversations, identifying what works and what doesnt. Sales teams need every advantage they can get.

Sales Coaching 130

Sales Coaching Software Software Coaching 130

DiscoverOrg Sales

AUGUST 7, 2018

But they’re not asking for help from your sales team. The average B2B buyer is 67% of the way through the buyer journey before they ever engage with a salesperson ( SiriusDecisions ). So, how do you intercept buyers in the early part of their journey? Unfortunately, sales does not reward second or third place.

Intent Data 313

Intent Data Intent Data Lead Rank 313

Zoominfo

NOVEMBER 14, 2024

Recognition as a Leader: What it Means The Gartner Magic Quadrant offers a snapshot of the ABM provider landscape, evaluating vendors based on their Completeness of Vision and Ability to Execute. Customer Insights That Drive Innovation ZoomInfo didn’t enter the ABM market to be just another vendor.

Account Based Marketing 147

Account Based Marketing Intent Data Vendor Intent Signal 147

No More Cold Calling

APRIL 15, 2021

Every sales leader says their #1 prospecting challenge is getting leads in the pipe. Considering half of the deals that are forecasted to close don’t, and customer retention has decreased as seller attrition increases, sales teams are facing yet another frustrating year if something doesn’t change. The same is true for our buyers.

Lead Gen 397

Lead Gen Sales Qualified Lead Marketing Qualified Lead Leads 397

Partners in Excellence

FEBRUARY 10, 2021

I believe shifting our vocabularies from Buyer/Seller to Buying/Selling is much more than wordsmithing. The problem with the terms Buyers/Sellers is we focus on certain roles or people of our and our customer’s organizations. Total time spent with sales people from all the vendors they are considering is 17%!

Buyer 155

Buyer Channels Vendor Strategy 155

No More Cold Calling

MAY 25, 2023

How do B2B buyers tell one internet security company from another? One marketing platform or sales enablement app? There’s nothing unique and certainly no reason for B2B buyers to spend time hearing their pitches. But that’s not happening in most sales organizations. None of us stands out to B2B buyers.

B2B 177

B2B Buyer Referrals Sales Qualified Lead 177

Zoominfo

OCTOBER 28, 2020

Not just in ZoomInfo’s sales and marketing technology bubble, but everywhere. Many vendors claim to provide their intent data in “real time,” but let me let you in on a dirty little secret. It unlocked another dimension in identifying when target buyers were actively in-market for a particular solution.

Intent Data 208

Intent Data Buyer Intent Intent Data 208

Partners in Excellence

JANUARY 11, 2023

But these tools are not just for us in sales, marketing, customer experience? Think of the power available to buyers in leveraging these tools to help them think about their buying process. Think about how this tool might displace the need for sellers trying to sell, enabling more buyers to choose rep free buying experiences.

Buyer 130

Buyer Vendor Face-to-face Buying Cycle 130

No More Cold Calling

DECEMBER 29, 2020

Your referral network is your net worth in sales. How can smart, experienced sales reps let their customer relationships wither? But not all sales teams make those investments. Far too many sales organizations are so focused on bringing in new business that they neglect their current customers.

Referrals 432

Referrals Customer Social Media Revelation 432

Zoominfo

DECEMBER 28, 2020

They’re customers’ verbal buying signals—the cues your sales agent homes in on when talking to a prospect. And they’re online buying signals—the data trail—that prospective buyers leave as they research solutions online. Your marketing and sales teams need both. All of these signals show optimal conditions for a sale.

Lead Rank 309

Lead Rank Intent Data Closing Buyer Intent 309

The Pipeline

SEPTEMBER 18, 2017

No matter how one slices it, sales is a game of change. If you are the incumbent, the best way to avoid a client to change vendors, is to continuously introduce change in how your product helps the client achieve their objectives. At its core, it is about first changing how the buyer/prospect views their reality.

Vendor 250

Vendor Objections Buyer Influencer 250

Sales and Marketing Management

JANUARY 20, 2020

Or worse, could you lose your sales job altogether? You could be vulnerable if you’re not sharpening your sales skills and honing the tactics that will help you succeed in 2020. Forrester analyst Andy Hoar didn’t mince words when he spoke at the 2015 Forrester Sales Enablement Forum. Adapt to the Digital Business Environment.

Sales Goal 312

Sales Goal Meeting Trade Show Ideal Customer Profile 312

No More Cold Calling

JUNE 15, 2017

I have been in B2B sales so long that I’ve probably forgotten more deals than I remember. It was 20 years ago, when I was working as an account-based sales rep , and I lost the biggest deal of my career. We were one of 12 vendors under active consideration. Spent time in Europe where the existing vendor was headquartered.

Account 257

Account Referrals Sales Qualified Lead Vendor 257

No More Cold Calling

APRIL 26, 2021

I wrote that in 2013, back when virtual sales meetings weren’t the only option. We’ve had to make do with virtual sales meetings, and that has affected many B2B sales pros’ ability to access new customers and to make real-world connections. The Problem with Virtual Sales Meetings. But not referral sellers.

Sales Meeting 287

Sales Meeting Meeting Referrals Face-to-face 287

Sales and Marketing Management

FEBRUARY 12, 2020

Marketing and sales have switched to account-based everything, which crystallizes focus on the customer. Revenue teams – Companies will move beyond simply aligning sales and marketing toward revenue teams? super teams that include customer success in the same organization as sales, marketing and operations.

Trends 289

Trends Ideal Customer Profile InsideView Customer 289

Zoominfo

AUGUST 27, 2024

The platform supports the integration of these insights directly into CRM and marketing automation systems, ensuring that marketing efforts are aligned with sales strategies for improved lead conversion rates. With Pocus, sales and marketing teams can confidently build pipeline and consistently close more revenue. With a dataset of 4.2

Ideal Customer Profile 130

Ideal Customer Profile Account Based Marketing Account Lead Rank 130

The Pipeline

MARCH 26, 2019

In every cultural ritual, say like sales, that unfolds over and over, not just for the individuals involved in it day to day, selling and buying, buying and selling, and over again; people tend to see events as they unfold, through their narrow set of filters. Share Tweet Share 2. By Tibor Shanto. The bias they bring drives what they see.

Fashion 270

Fashion Exercises ACT Vendor 270

Hubspot Sales

MARCH 13, 2025

According to a 2023 survey of over 450 sales leaders, 91% of their teams missed quota that year. And even with revenue up in 2024 , reps are still struggling to meet their sales goals. Getting stuck on YTD sales. Projecting a sales cycle ahead of time gives sellers a better chance of making their numbers.

Revenue 95

Revenue Meeting Top of Funnel Forecasting 95

Zoominfo

APRIL 17, 2025

Even the most driven sales teams require the right resources to effectively target prospects, nurture relationships, and close deals. Theres certainly no shortage of sales tools available to help your team master every step in the modern sales process. These represent the key software platforms for your sales team to evaluate.

Sales Tools 130

Sales Tools Tools B2B Lead Rank 130

Partners in Excellence

OCTOBER 27, 2021

They had to change how they got work done, just as sales did. ” We have always thought of things in terms of a seller interaction directly with a buyer. ” But buyers are solving their buying problem differently from how sellers want to solve that problem. Virtual Selling Is Not The Future Of Sales!

Buyer 142

Buyer Face-to-face Travel Cancellation 142

Selling Essentials RapidLearning Center

MARCH 19, 2025

A study by the Sales Executive Council provides answers. You probably know your differentiators theyre part of every standard sales presentation. Lots of vendors say the same thing, and customers dont always care. Does it help buyers save time and paperwork? Lead to less negotiation among multiple vendors?

Buyer 52

Buyer How To Vendor Video 52

Hubspot Sales

OCTOBER 15, 2024

Sales is, in large part, the art of developing trust in a tight window — making credibility one of the most valuable assets you can have when engaging with prospects. With that said, cultivating and projecting credibility can be extremely tricky in a sales engagement. Deliver tailored insight and strategies.

Prospecting 105

Prospecting Case Study Industry Study 105

Zoominfo

AUGUST 2, 2020

Data is a big investment – and as a buyer, you should never trust a data provider without first understanding where that information comes from. B2B data is enterprise-focused information used to improve sales and marketing campaigns. If a vendor did nothing to maintain the accuracy of their data, they would have very few customers.

B2B 245

B2B Data Vendor Intent Data 245

Zoominfo

SEPTEMBER 30, 2020

Today, we have things like automation, data, and buyer personas to fall back on. People want personalization — in fact, in a recent survey, 97% of professionals said it was important to them that vendor websites have relevant content that spoke directly to their company. And in order to achieve that, you need buyer personas.

Buyer Persona 264

Buyer Persona Ideal Customer Profile Marketing Top of Funnel 264

Sales and Marketing Management

JANUARY 8, 2018

According to the Demand Gen Report’s 7th Annual B2B Buyer’s Survey, 97 percent of B2B buyers believe the timeliness of a vendor’s response to inquiries is an important aspect of the buying process. If timeliness is important to buyers, it should be important to sellers as well. Take Control of Engagement.

Sales Qualified Lead 257

Sales Qualified Lead B2B Marketing Qualified Lead Leads 257

Zoominfo

NOVEMBER 1, 2024

Better Alignment Between Sales and Marketing Account-based strategies foster closer collaboration between sales and marketing teams, ensuring a unified approach to customer acquisition. Here’s what to consider when you’re looking to bring on an ABM advertising vendor. Top 10 Account-Based Marketing Platforms 1.

Account Based Marketing 130

Account Based Marketing Account Software Software 130

Zoominfo

DECEMBER 15, 2020

Which means things shaking up in the B2B world — holiday emails are being blasted, sales deals are being closed, and 2021 recruitment strategies are finishing up. And to get there, you have to ramp up your visibility and engagement with your best sales, marketing, and recruiting teams. Our post, “What is Buyer Intent Data?

B2B 237

B2B Trade Show Intent Data Buyer Intent 237