Posts Tagged ‘sales cycle’
Friday, December 31st, 2010
Recently, I lost my crystal ball. So, I won’t be adding to the posts about predictions for the new year. Instead, I took a look backward to see whether previous year end posts still apply. I think they do.
Learn from the past, capitalize on success
At the end of 2008, in Shorten the sales cycle next year: Year end marketing planning, I advocated taking stock of what worked and what didn’t—so that you can capitalize on your successes and avoid repeating what turned out to be mistakes. In particular, I suggested focusing on buyers’ perceptions in four areas: the desirability of the solutions, the reputation of the vendor, the effectiveness of the communications, and the responsiveness of the individuals leading the sales or business development effort.
Tags: buyer personas, buyers' perceptions, buying process, customer development, customer insights, customer research, demand generation, lead gen, market planning, online communities, sales cycle, sales enablement, web analytics
Posted in Internet marketing, market intelligence, Marketing communications programs, Marketing strategy, social media, social media marketing, Uncategorized, value propositions | No Comments »
Tuesday, May 11th, 2010
Lots going on in Boston this month. Just got back from an information-rich panel discussion offered by the Massachusetts Technology Council entitled: Tricks of the Trade – Building Revenue Momentum in SaaS. Here are my notes.
Program description
Unlike traditional software business models which are based on one-time license sales and lump-sum cash payments, the SaaS model is predicated upon building annuity-type revenue and cash streams. Over the long-term this business model is highly attractive, but especially for early-stage companies ramping SaaS revenues poses a unique set of challenges. MassTLC has gathered a panel of accomplished SaaS operating executives to share their insights on getting the initial revenue ‘flywheel’ turning and building sustainable SaaS enterprises.
This is a preview of
SaaS: Building the revenue momentum you need to achieve profitability
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Read the full post (777 words, 2 images, estimated 3:06 mins reading time)
Tags: best practices, customer support strategy, early-stage, lessons learned, lifetime value of a customer, market insights, market positioning, profitability, revenue, SaaS, SaaS revenues, sales cycle, sales pipeline, target market, value proposition
Posted in How to, Marketing strategy, SaaS | No Comments »
Monday, May 3rd, 2010
A lot of what we read and hear about social media focuses on how businesses can use it to market to consumers (B2C). Yet, as a business-to-business marketing consultant, I’m far more interested in its B2B applications.
This is perhaps the main reason I was looking forward to Paul Gillin’s breakfast seminar at the Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council last week. The other reason is that Paul has an uncanny ability to connect the dots in ways that add new meaning to any topic that he addresses.
B2B Marketing differs from B2C marketing
Tags: B2B marketers, B2B marketing, business-to-business marketing consultant, Facebook Like, Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council, Paul Gillin, sales cycle, social influence, social media, social media tactics, value
Posted in social media, social media marketing | 1 Comment »
Monday, February 16th, 2009
Sports teams watch video replays to learn from experience and see how they can improve upon their game. In so doing, they examine what worked—for them and the competition—at various points in the game. They also study their performance under various playing conditions.
More than win or lose–it’s how you play the game
The goal is not so much as to see what cost the game, but to note specific behaviors that contributed to the win or loss—at crucial points in the competition. Only that way, can they reduce future vulnerabilities and replicate success.
Tags: buying process, close deals, close more deals, complex solutions, loss, professional services, replicate success, revenues, sales cycle, win, wins and losses
Posted in Marketing strategy | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, October 7th, 2008
Let me ask you a question. Are you missing out on business opportunities because prospective clients either don’t know about all of your services—or don’t fully recognize the value that you could deliver to their businesses?
Would these companies be more likely to buy if they knew how others have benefited from your services? If so, maybe it’s time to tell them.
Better yet, let your current clients do the talking. But, make it easy for them to share their experiences with a wide audience—rather than just telling those they know who are in similar circumstances.
This is a preview of
Customer case studies: Let your customers do the talking
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Read the full post (798 words, 1 image, estimated 3:12 mins reading time)
Tags: Client case studies, client satisfaction, client success stories, clients' requirements, customer case studies, marketing tools, newsletter, perception of value, prospective clients, referrals, remove obstacles to the sale, sales collateral, sales cycle, shorten the sales cycle, web traffic
Posted in Marketing communications programs | 4 Comments »
Wednesday, September 24th, 2008
Here’s a response I received last week–after posting a complaint on the offending company’s online feedback form about a misleading product offer.
“Thank you for your e-mail regarding your account. It is always our aim to provide the highest level of customer satisfaction. We are always concerned to learn that any customer is unhappy with the service we provide.
All applications are processed by our Customer Recruitment Department, so you will need to contact them directly [at phone number] with your request.
This is a preview of
Integrated Marketing Campaigns – What happens when they’re not?
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Read the full post (991 words, 1 image, estimated 3:58 mins reading time)
Tags: branding, buyer experience, customer satisfaction, integrated marketing campaigns, marketing messages, marketing research, post-sales strategy, return on marketing investments, sales cycle
Posted in Buying process model | No Comments »
Thursday, August 21st, 2008
So you’ve got the attention of your prospective buyers. The good news is that they now know of the existence of your business. The bad news is that they know far less than you think they know about your company. That’s because most of us are so busy, that we only have the capacity to think about our most pressing concerns.
This is a preview of
Shorten the sales cycle: one marketing message at a time
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Read the full post (790 words, 1 image, estimated 3:10 mins reading time)
Tags: brand, buying process, case study, clinician marketing, drip campaign, email marketing, email newsletter, marketing messages, physician practice marketing, sales cycle
Posted in Buying process model, How to, Marketing communications programs, Marketing strategy | 1 Comment »
Friday, August 8th, 2008
Will prospective buyers turn to you when they’re ready to move forward?
Getting the sale depends on affirmatively answering all three of the following questions:
- Have they heard of your business?
- Do they know that you can address the problem?
- Will they remember you when it comes time to buy?
Brand awareness is not sufficient. Think back to your own experience.
Sure, you’ve lost sales because prospective buyers haven’t heard of your business. But, I’ll bet you’ve also lost business because prospective buyers just didn’t realize that you offered a particular product or service.
This is a preview of
Will prospective buyers turn to you when they’re ready to move forward?
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Read the full post (751 words, 1 image, estimated 3:00 mins reading time)
Tags: capturing attention, marketing messages, marketing research, messaging, raising awareness, sales cycle, target audience, trigger events, value proposition
Posted in Buying process model, How to, Marketing communications programs, Marketing strategy | No Comments »
Monday, August 4th, 2008
This diagram describes the buying process. I contend that before anyone buys anything, they need to go through these nine steps. This is true for any purchase.
The higher the risk, the longer the sales cycle…
For low risk, inexpensive purchases like a candy bar, buyers whip through all nine steps in a matter of seconds. When it comes to major purchases, the buying process often takes months and sometimes years. For example, think back to the time it took your own business to decide to put up—or even redo—your website…
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Making the sale depends on addressing an urgent need
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Read the full post (551 words, 1 image, estimated 2:12 mins reading time)
Tags: buying process, qualified prospects, sales cycle
Posted in Buying process model | No Comments »
Wednesday, July 23rd, 2008
Last week, we discussed the importance of reducing the cost of sales—which I defined as the time it takes to prospect for new clients and close new business. This week, I’d like to discuss how to get started.
Step one is recognizing that for the most part, we can’t convince anyone to buy something from us that they don’t want. When it comes to shortening the sales cycle—as with other forms of behavior change, the thing to remember is that it’s all about attraction and motivation—rather than persuasion and pursuit.
This is a preview of
Shortening the sales cycle starts with getting into buyers’ minds
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Read the full post (320 words, 1 image, estimated 1:17 mins reading time)
Tags: buying behavior, buying process, cost of sales, marketing research, sales cycle
Posted in Buying process model | No Comments »
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