Ah, the never-ending question: What makes a good lead? Well, I hate to say it, but it depends upon your specific situation—what you sell, to whom you sell, how you sell, and at what price. But there are also a few universal characteristics that will help you determine when a lead is truly a  
Archive for the ‘Sales’ Category
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
What Are the Characteristics of a Good Lead?
Continue reading "What Are the Characteristics of a Good Lead?"
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Three Reasons Your Demand Gen Stinks (and What to Do About It)
Marketing departments have become more and more sophisticated regarding demand generation. When I talk to sales organizations, however, they never tell me their marketing departments are doing a great job creating leads for them. When I sit down with the VP of Sales, I hear only concerns and…
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Fighting the Lead Generation Battle with Big Data
Many organizations struggle with sales and marketing alignment. In companies both large and small, Sales and Marketing are commonly at odds.
In a recent survey of more than 1,200 executives, research firm CSO Insights uncovered that lead generation is one of the top challenges dividing sales and …
Monday, February 18, 2013
Three Weapons to Help You Win Sales From Your Competitors
Selling has never been easy, and in a digital era where you don’t even have a chance to meet the customers face to face, selling can turn into a tough war. How can you and your sales team overpower your competitors and fight over valuable customers?
Below are three weapons you must have before …
Friday, February 15, 2013
What Is Marketing’s Unique Area of Expertise?
I was speaking with a friend the other day about a CEO she knows and she said, “He doesn’t believe that marketing is a science or a methodology. He thinks it’s just a ‘gut-feeling’ thing.”
That statement reminded me of a couple things that Adele Revella told me during this week’s episode of Marke…
Friday, February 1, 2013
Who Cares about the Difference Between Sales and Marketing? (No One)
I’ve talked to a lot of guests on Marketing Smarts about the differences between sales and marketing, and how to negotiate the conflicts that can arise between the two functions. Then I spoke with Dan Pink and realized that, aside from people in sales or marketing, no one cares about this…
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
The Folly of Inbound Marketing
First published in 1841, Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds is a history of folly by Scottish journalist Charles Mackay. The book chronicles what Mackay called “National Delusions,” “Peculiar Follies,” and “Philosophical Delusions.” Despite its rather sensational style, the…
Monday, January 7, 2013
Set Yourself on Fire and Eat Doritos Locos Tacos: Marketing Smarts in Review
We covered a lot of ground on Marketing Smarts podcasts in 2012 talking about content marketing, social media, community building, the relationship between sales and marketing, and much, much more. So, to kick off the year, I decided to step back, review some of what our guests shared on the…
Monday, December 17, 2012
What Salespeople Must Consider in a Customer-Centric Market
We’re all consumers. We all like to buy on our own terms, from people or companies we like, in our own time, and at what we perceive to be the greatest value.
So, what about the seller in this equation? What does the new socially connected environment imply for those who hawk their wares in thi…
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Sales Should Report to Marketing
For good or ill, our Marketing Smarts podcast is not really known for stirring up controversy (I’m working on it, though!).
However, we came fairly close to being controversial on July 10 when the Smart Marketers Tour made a stop in Boston. We recorded a podcast episode with Jeff Mayersohn, owne…
