Engage Selling

JUNE 2, 2018

Smart companies today measure their lead acquisition cost, their marketing costs and their sales cost. But what about the overall cost to serve your customer? That often gets overlooked. And yet that’s precisely where you can see both the risk … Read More »

Smart Company 54

Smart Company Leads Customer Marketing Qualified Lead 54

Partners in Excellence

APRIL 13, 2018

I just got my first “SMART Company Brief” from DecisionLink. It provides an in depth analysis of the company, including things like: Fast facts on them and their performance. At least until now. It’s an awesome document–I get these for our major accounts.

Smart Company 70

Smart Company Analysis Face-to-face Competition 70

Sales and Marketing Management

SEPTEMBER 6, 2019

Smart companies saw the possibilities of cyber customer service from the beginning, and jumped right on that bandwagon. For the first time in decades, email and live chat support made it possible to quickly and easily communicate with a real person instead of a computerized menu or canned response.

Social Media 184

Social Media Outsourcing Services Customer Service Media 184

Score More Sales

APRIL 11, 2014

Smart companies in nearly every industry are building out strong inside sales teams now. The Leadership Summit is a wonderful time to meet up with others passionate about the sales profession, and in particular, the niche of inside sales.

Inside Sales 209

Inside Sales Webinar Metrics Social Selling Conference 209

The Pipeline

NOVEMBER 14, 2013

While everyone is trying to economize, smart companies and worthy partners understand that a weakened supplier is not good for anyone in the long run. Without profits, R&D, innovation and other value elements will suffer and by extension so will the buyer’s business.

Vendor 299

Vendor Margin Smart Company Buyer 299

SBI Growth

DECEMBER 13, 2013

Smart companies use delivery tools like: Pod casts. Traditional Sales VPs like events. “I I want to look everyone in the face” is what we hear. This might be effective at the time of the session. But it is not effective the next day back in the field. 3 minute Videos. Interactive webinars. Testing and quizzes.

Training 302

Training Face-to-face Webinar Metrics Forecasting 302

Zoominfo

OCTOBER 4, 2019

As Ann Handley has so rightly said , smart companies lead conversations, not just join them. Embracing a B2P mindset means taking creative risks, providing the best possible experience for your customers, and creating a brand that’s unique to the others in your field.

B2C 182

B2C B2B Marketing Lead Rank 182

Pipeliner

MAY 13, 2020

Smart companies pay attention to building a positive company culture and then assess candidates both on their hard skills as well as their personality fit when making hiring decisions.

Hiring 98

Hiring Trends Ideal Customer Profile Retention 98

The Pipeline

DECEMBER 31, 2015

Instead of finding a positive solution to honor the common goal of growing the company, the two teams debate who is right. Smart companies today realize the problems of communication breakdown between sales and marketing teams. It’s unproductive…but it doesn’t have to work this way. It’s costing them money.

Sales Qualified Lead 120

Sales Qualified Lead Marketing Small Business Small Business 120

Cincom Smart Selling

MAY 8, 2024

Smart companies research target audiences thoroughly in order to tailor messaging: Develop specific persona profiles exploring both demographics and psychographics of ideal customers Identify optimal communication channels—email, web, mobile, etc.

Ideal Customer Profile 62

Ideal Customer Profile Top of Funnel Customer Scale 62

Pipeliner

JULY 8, 2020

Smart companies are offering mental health services to their employees. They should always have sanitizer on them, maintain a safe distance with people they go to meet and wear a mask and gloves to protect themselves and others. In addition to looking after their physical health, it also helps to care for their emotional wellbeing.

Skype 96

Skype Decision Maker Analysis Smart Company 96

Sell Integrity

NOVEMBER 23, 2020

Today’s customers expect more from the companies they do business with, and if they don’t feel valued, they have more options than ever to find what they’re looking for elsewhere. As McKinsey recently pointed out: History clearly shows the value of investing in customer experience during a downturn.

Strategy 117

Strategy Customer Loyalty Coaching 117

Cincom Smart Selling

JANUARY 27, 2015

Smart companies don’t have software initiatives; they have business initiatives that drive software purchases. In a four-year period, this company consolidated more than 40 systems into less than seven. Smart companies consider their front-office processes strategically. How smart are you?

Scale 48

Scale Smart Company CRM Microsoft 48

Cience

DECEMBER 1, 2020

Your customers are one of your company’s most important assets. Although new sales are important, smart companies also focus on retention. Smart companies work proactively to make their customers feel seen and heard. That’s clear from the amount of time and money businesses spend to acquire new clients.

Retention 96

Retention Webinar Metrics CRM Ideal Customer Profile 96

Women Sales Pros

JUNE 7, 2019

In a time when it is increasingly difficult to have a truly unique product and to sustain it at a truly competitive price, the greatest advantage a company can have is its people. Buyers choose sellers that add value, and smart companies are responding accordingly.

Lead Scoring 103

Lead Scoring Lead Rank Buyer Smart Company 103

Zoominfo

OCTOBER 4, 2019

As Ann Handley has so rightly said , smart companies lead conversations, not just join them. Embracing a B2P mindset means taking creative risks, providing the best possible experience for your customers, and creating a brand that’s unique to the others in your field.

B2C 100

B2C B2B Marketing Lead Rank 100

SalesLoft

FEBRUARY 13, 2017

And smart companies are realizing that that success can also be seen in other parts of the company, particularly sales. Marketing organizations have been seeing great success from account-based programs for years.

Account 52

Account Scale Account Based Marketing Hotels 52

Sales and Marketing Management

JUNE 1, 2018

Optimove’s Amit Bivas, who pinned marketers’ success to their ability to tell stories, says storytelling was at the core of how companies went to market for decades until the recent emergence of data and customer intelligence began to overwhelm us.

Marketing 226

Marketing Telemarketing Scale Education 226

Pipeliner

MAY 31, 2020

Add the loss of momentum, corporate knowledge, and customer relationships to make attrition rates something that smart companies pay a lot of attention to. By paying below industry standards, you set yourself up for all the pratfalls that accompany high attrition, and that is for the ones that take your offer, to begin with.

Salary 80

Salary Compensation Lead Rank Lead Scoring 80

LeadFuze

JULY 25, 2021

Smart companies have realized that customer loyalty is the most powerful sales and marketing tool that they have. ” – Bill Price. Now, let’s get into the nuts and bolts. Time to Lay More Pipe (Strategically) for your New Product Launch Marketing Plan.

Lead Rank 124

Lead Rank Lead Scoring Top of Funnel Churn 124

Sales Training Connection

AUGUST 22, 2012

Schrage was exploring how smart companies increasingly recognize that their own futures depend on how ingeniously they invest in the future capabilities of their customers. Recently we had that experience when reading an article by Michael Schrage of MIT , a research fellow at the Sloan Center for Digital Business.

Engineering 102

Engineering Smart Company Training Benefit 102

Eyeful Presentations

OCTOBER 27, 2020

Just as Apple recognised that key moments like “Think Different” are too important to leave to chance and that working with the experts is the right thing to do, smart companies are beginning to recognise that their presentations deserve the same respect. Invaluable….

Advertising 36

Advertising Advertising Company Smart Company 36

Crunchbase

NOVEMBER 17, 2022

However, smart companies know the value of each. The difference between outbound and inbound sales likely already has you settled on the inbound strategy because it’s less intrusive and allows you to find a balance between raising awareness and pushiness.

Inbound 52

Inbound Outbound Ideal Customer Profile Strategy 52

Pointclear

FEBRUARY 2, 2011

Smart companies will increasingly be "brand butlers," focusing on how they can help their customers or prospects to make the most of their daily lives (versus the old model of selling them a lifestyle). Be a voice of trusted reason in your industry, about whatever problem it is that your service or product solves.

Trends 180

Trends B2B Social Media Marketing 180

Mindtickle

JULY 2, 2016

Tweet This: Smart companies have realized that customer loyalty is the most powerful sales and marketing tool that they have. Tweet This: Just one phenomenal customer experience can make a world of difference when it comes to word-of-mouth promotion. Karl Wirth , Founder & CEO at Evergage. Bill Price , Founder of Driva Solutions.

Customer 52

Customer Loyalty Microsoft Smart Company 52

Mindtickle

JULY 2, 2016

Tweet This: Smart companies have realized that customer loyalty is the most powerful sales and marketing tool that they have. Tweet This: Just one phenomenal customer experience can make a world of difference when it comes to word-of-mouth promotion. Karl Wirth , Founder & CEO at Evergage. Bill Price , Founder of Driva Solutions.

Customer 52

Customer Loyalty Microsoft Smart Company 52

Lessonly

AUGUST 14, 2020

Life goes on, and will go on, and online training tools are going to be one way that smart companies help their teams stay competitive. If there’s anything we’ve learned so far in this true, shining gem of a year that is 2020, it’s that there is quite a bit of uncertainty in our world.

Software 49

Software Software Google Training 49

Braveheart Sales

SEPTEMBER 23, 2021

Of course, smart companies play the arbitrage game: When costs are rising, pass along the price increases as quickly as you can while you try to delay accepting the cost increases from your suppliers as long as possible. However, if your higher cost inputs are commodities, freight, energy, etc.,

Margin 40

Margin Insurance Insurance Energy 40

The Brooks Group

APRIL 1, 2016

Jeffrey Pfeffer and Robert Sutton, professors of organizational behavior at Stanford, explore this performance paradox in The Knowing-Doing Gap: How Smart Companies Turn Knowledge into Action.

Closing 63

Closing Smart Company Exercises Intent 63

Sales Hacker

AUGUST 28, 2018

So what should smart sales teams do to take advantage of these findings? This should encourage smart companies to offer omnichannel engagement opportunities that allow customers to connect with any number of knowledgeable company resources.

Buyer 79

Buyer B2B B2C Survey 79

Hubspot Sales

MAY 10, 2018

If you're in a company where they won't promote you, it is probably because of you -- you are not doing something required of you that will result in a promotion. Smart companies always want to keep good people. If they aren't promoting you, then the next company won't promote you either. Why is this bad advice?

Hiring 106

Hiring Hubspot Inbound Promotion 106

Hubspot Sales

DECEMBER 16, 2020

The pandemic has caused massive dislocation that has resulted in some truly historic opportunities for smart companies, especially in distressed sectors like real estate.”. For those in similar sectors, Phil encourages companies to identify and communicate those opportunities and begin acting on them.

Real Estate 140

Real Estate Face-to-face Forecasting Hubspot 140

SBI

JUNE 10, 2015

Brian: Smart companies invest a lot of money in their CRM systems, which are great for storing data. Smarter companies look for ways to integrate with that data to better leverage their investment. This will let our clients connect their training, CRM data, sales performance, and sales execution in one seamless dashboard.

Up-Sell 50

Up-Sell Decision Maker Revenue Closing 50

Sales Hacker

JUNE 20, 2022

Smart companies know that such top talent is extremely valuable in a recession and they will do their best to poach them from you. Remember: Recessions should not be an excuse to cut away at your talent. It should be a chance to strengthen your team and create immense loyalty in them.

Lead Rank 89

Lead Rank Lead Scoring Leads Marketing Qualified Lead 89

The Brooks Group

AUGUST 10, 2012

If you don't get any opportunity to speak with a representative from the prospective client, there's a pretty good chance that this really is a fishing expedition on the part of the company. They simply don't know what they want at this point and are looking for ideas from smart companies to help them shape their thinking.

How To 40

How To Proposal Decision Maker Webinar Metrics 40

The Brooks Group

APRIL 23, 2014

Smart companies are looking for great salespeople even when they feel they don’t need more salespeople. Recruitment – Regardless of industry, recruiting top sales performers is the very cornerstone of any sales management process. Sales managers need to be recruiting constantly. Heard of ABC (Always Be Closing?).

Hiring 40

Hiring Sales Management Smart Company Construction 40

The Brooks Group

OCTOBER 18, 2010

Smart companies know that salespeople offer a valuable voice to questions like how to improve tactical marketing, ways to enhance customer service, and even what new products to develop. The sales department must bring collateral value to the enterprise. The sales department should enrich the entire team.

Collateral 40

Collateral Enterprise Enterprise Smart Company 40