Category Sales

Use AI to turn your calls into a competitive advantage

By in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, Sales Tag , ,

by CallRail  for Search Engine Land It might be surprising to learn that artificial intelligence (AI) has existed for over 70 years, but it’s only recently that the technology has become so advanced—and so widely available, in nearly everyone’s pocket. AI is especially promising for marketers as it allows them to do many tasks faster and more strategically than ever before. There are dozens of use cases for how marketers use AI—everything from competitive research and content generation to campaign optimization and marketing automation. Critically, this new generation of AI includes explosive advancements in the realm of speech recognition and conversation…

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How to catch a salmon in a river of shit

By in Sales, Work

by Joe Gowdridge for Velocity "Is the humble email dead?” was the question I put to our content performance director, Neil, last week. “Of course it bloody isn’t, ya idiot,” he said, looking at me with genuine reproach. “The trouble isn’t email, it’s the river of shit emails are floating in.” “How so, Neil?” I asked. “Ok, I’ll tell you what,” he said, settling in.  I waited as he crossed his arms and nudged his glasses up his face with a finger. “Do you like fishing?” I explained that I didn’t.  “Well, I do,” he said, casting another reproachful glare…

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Can a Single Question Unlock Behavioral Change on Your Sales Team?

By in Sales, Self Improvement

BY GEORGE BRONTÉN for Membrain I’ve been reading Sharon-Drew Morgen’s latest book, HOW? Generating new neural pathways for learning, behavior change, and decision making, and I’m fascinated by her contention that the right questions can unlock behavioral change that can otherwise be unattainable. In sales, we focus a lot on changing the behaviors that inhibit sales effectiveness. We talk about coaching and supporting the right behaviors on our teams. Yet even when we get all of that “right,” salespeople have a habit of “rubber banding” back to old behaviors, or simply avoiding correct ones, even when they know what to do, how to do it, and…

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How to build a killer sales pitch

By in Sales, Self Improvement

by APRIL DUNFORD for Lenny's Newsletter I suck at selling. I bet you do too. But that’s no excuse. We saw in last week’s post how important founder-led sales is in the early days of a startup, and as we’ll see in next week’s post, it only gets more important as you grow. Thus, I’m always on the lookout for actionable advice on how to get better at sales. When I heard that April Dunford (frequent collaborator, and author of the amazing bestseller Obviously Awesome) was working on a new book about sales, I knew it would be outstanding (it is). I convinced her to write…

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The B2B Buying Process Visualized

By in Sales Tag , ,

by Jim Everhart for MarketingProfs Marketers, by now, are well-versed in the customer journey. And for good reason: being aware of the twists and turns a customer takes on the way to a sale is incredibly instructive—not to mention sobering, even humbling. Awareness of the customer journey is a constant reminder that all those prospects out there aren't waiting with bated breath for your next great announcement. Every message, social media post, product release, email, and ad is fighting for your audience's attention. But knowing the other side of the story, the buying process, is equally important for good content marketing. But wait—Isn't…

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How to measure what marketing activities are actually driving revenue

By in Marketing, Revenue Tag

by MKT1 Newsletter I can nearly guarantee your early or growth-stage B2B startup doesn’t have the right marketing analytics in place to determine what’s actually working across go-to-market. Startups either don’t know how to set up the right basic tracking and data collectioncor they over-engineer something way too complex for their stage. Both scenarios result in not having the right marketing data to operate efficiently. With the complexities of go-to-market motions, funnel mapping, and tooling, I understand why this is the case—but it’s definitely something you need to fix! Every marketer should know if the activities they are focusing on are…

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4 Differences Between Sales Coaching and Feedback

By in Sales Tag ,

by Tristen Taylor for HubSpot In the past, sales managers often saw sales coaching as a means of correcting negative behaviors by providing real-time performance feedback. This approach was characterized by comments like, “I think you're doing a great job, but...” Unfortunately, this feedback often doesn't result in significant behavior change from the sales representative. Instead, it left them with the lingering thought that their manager perceived them as a poor performer. Free Download: Sales Plan Template The problem lies in treating feedback and coaching as interchangeable, because they certainly aren‘t. In this post, we’ll define what makes these two concepts so different, and…

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The Best 10 CRM Software for Small Business

By in Business Management, Sales Tag

by Mandy Bray for HubSpot As a small business owner, you toggle between marketing, sales, operations, and customer service daily — and sometimes within the same hour. To serve your customers without dropping the ball, you need a tool to help you track and manage all of your relationships. What you need is customer relationship management (CRM) software. If you think a CRM is an expensive tool only for large businesses, think again. A CRM solution can save you time, keep your team organized, and boost sales and customer retention, no matter your size. Learn more about why HubSpot's CRM platform has…

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7 Mundane Sales Tasks You Can Skip with AI [& How to Do It]

By in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, Sales Tag

by Mandy Bray for HubSpot McKinsey Institute reports that one-fifth of sales functions could be automated with artificial intelligence (AI). Before you close this tab to panic-update your resume, wait till you hear which fifth: writing cold emails, entering call notes in your CRM, and scheduling calls. If these tasks make you groan inside (or out loud), you aren’t alone. Sales pros spend hours a day on manual and administrative tasks. These functions are important for your company to operate, but they aren’t the most important or enjoyable parts of your job. Luckily, AI is paving the way to reduce or even eliminate…

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Ecommerce marketing next year: 5 ways to set up for success

By in Marketing, Sales Tag

by Becky Simms  for Search Engine Land Q4 is almost here, along with the holiday shopping season. Rather than focus on ecommerce holiday SEO strategies and campaigns – which you should (hopefully) already have nailed down – now is a good time to start thinking ahead to next year. 1. Learn from last year Start by reviewing last year’s campaign wrap-ups to identify any missing data or insights. One big change from last year is that you’re likely now fully using Google Analytics 4. This requires rethinking or reevaluating your reporting. Revisit your past reports. Can you report on all the data you have before?…

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