Category Sales

We need better swag!

By in Sales Tag , , , , , ,

by LIZ CHRISTO for Dear Stage 2 A rant on SWAG: Stuff We All Get. AKA alternatives to the branded water bottle DEAR STAGE 2: I’ve been tasked with ordering new swag for our company and I want to mix it up beyond the usual t-shirts and pens. What’s the best piece of swag/collateral you have ever given or received? Any creative ideas? ~We need better swag DEAR WE NEED BETTER SWAG: I totally agree — we do need better swag! Too often the branded swag I receive just doesn’t connect and I end up donating or tossing it. What a…

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Why this, why now, why me

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

by MARTY KASSALEN for Marty Kassalen's Substack The urgent need for B2B sales reps and leaders to adopt generative AI The Problem I don’t suspect anyone reading this lives under a rock. B2B sales is evolving and getting harder. Thanks for breaking the news, Marty. But just how bad is it getting, really? Bravado reported that 22% of sales reps hit their Q4 quota. Breaking that down: Essentially 1/5 reps were successful A minority of VPs / Directors were successful What this means: growth targets missed, higher CAC, anxious CEO, anxious BoD, frustrated reps, higher attrition, wasted recruiting & onboarding spend. Bottom…

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Long sales cycles, the #1 enemy of SEO attribution

By in Sales Tag , , , ,

by Kevin Indig for kevin-indig.com Attribution models are the most common way to quantify the returns on marketing investments, but not every company can use them successfully. Long sales cycles (+90 days) are the biggest enemy of attribution models, often to the detriment of channels like SEO that play an important role in early touches. Companies with long sales cycles often either sell B2B enterprise software (SaaS), high-priced products (e-commerce) or long-term commitments (consumer). The function of Marketing is to drive customers (if they can complete the buyer journey without talking to a person) or leads who connect with a…

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What does an awesome pricing page look like?

By in Marketing, Revenue, Sales Tag , , , , ,

by ELENA VERNA for Elena's Growth Scoop Pricing pages are crucial in converting visitors/free users to paid customers. Important attributes of every pricing page: Showcases monetization model Easily understood Instills trust Assists consideration Has clear navigation The goal of the pricing page is to provide all the needed information to a potential customer to make a decision and then make it easy for them to take the next step. Pricing page performance Best-in-class in-app pricing pages with self-serve options convert ~15-20% of pricing visitors to the checkout page. Checkout pages usually convert 50% to paid customers. Best-in-class pricing page design…

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Cost of Acquisition (CAC) trap.

By in Business Management, Finance, Sales Tag , , , , , , ,

by ELENA VERNA for Elena's Growth Scoop Cost of Acquisition (CAC) trap. And why you should optimize payback period instead. ELENA VERNA MAY 12, 2023 32 3 Share So many acquisition-focused teams tirelessly chase after reducing Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) or making it just one-third of the Customer's Lifetime Value (LTV). Yet, they often find themselves disappointed with lackluster results. Because in this "money doesn't grow on trees" economy, where every dollar counts, the real hero is the velocity of the payback period. ROI is back, baby. Where can CAC-reducing goals go wrong? Many acquisition teams are mandated to lower the…

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The Importance of Being Human in Your B2B Content: Liz Murphy on Marketing Smarts

By in Sales Tag , ,

by George B. Thomas for Marketing Profs The best thing about humanizing your content, says content strategist Liz Murphy, is that there's no learning curve: You don't have to learn how to be human. PLAY NOW Listen to it later: Download the MP3 "Good news, if you're listening to this podcast, unless you are our prevalent Skynet AI overlords, you are already a human being," jokes Liz in Episode 544 of Marketing Smarts. "Congratulations, you did it, you have your human card, you're already there!" However, most of us overcorrect, to the point of stiff formality and tired catchphrases. "We go…

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Full steam ahead: What can we learn from Generation Z to create distribution’s brightest future?

By in Operations, Revenue, Sales Tag , , , ,

by Mark Dancer on Innovating B2B Generation Z, the first generation born into a world powered by the Internet, is coming of age, entering the workforce, pursuing advanced education, and pushing for change. Generation Z is the future of everything. In this edition, I share insights about Gen Z gleaned by listening to Roberta Katz, a cultural anthropologist, lawyer, and senior research scholar on the Stanford Pathfinders podcast. As a Baby Boomer, I feel obligated to listen to Gen Z’s members, learn from them, and at the same time, offer my network and knowledge to help them find answers, resources, and connections. I’m…

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Usage-based pricing isn’t always best

By in Revenue, Sales Tag , , , ,

by Chris Reuter Usage-based pricing Usage-based pricing has been the darling of SaaS founders since Twilio, Stripe, and Snowflake broke through in the 2010s by generating monumental wealth for them and value for their customers. Ever since, investors and operators alike have tried to shoehorn consumption pricing into their products. However, there are some pretty hard and fast rules where it can be used effectively. 🪧 PSA: I’ll use the term usage or consumption pricing interchangeably from here on out, deal with it. First, the setting I’m not sure you’ve heard, but I’m from Maine. Coupling this with my experiences at a little company called IBM…

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The Anatomy of a Solid Sales Demo

By in Sales Tag

by How To Grow, on Substack “Show me your recorded sales demos, and I’ll tell you everything that’s wrong about your business.” - Confucius I keep getting questions about sales demos, so this week I’m going to open the vault and share a bit more. Components of an effective demo A demo is where *everything* about your business comes together: Your product Your messaging Your positioning Your packaging Your “offer” Your competitive strategy etc. etc. etc. Last week, I wrote about why your demos underperform when you ONLY focus on them as a “product” or a “sales” thing. This week,…

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