I’m back from presenting at the Cisco Partner Velocity Conference in Barcelona; the experience was every bit as meaningful and memorable as I thought it would be. You see, I turned 40 there and brought my family along to celebrate. It was a great experience for all of us. Barcelona is a beautiful city. It was thought-provoking to observe a different culture, one where making money appears to rank an easy second to family and friends. especially noticed this when we went out to dinner (at 10pm which is quite typical in Spain). It was a scene that was replayed throughout our trip. MORE >>

If you didn’t get a chance to attend MarketingSherpa's B2B Summit in San Francisco a last week, you missed an excellent opportunity to gain knowledge you could have used right away for better results. had a great time. For me, what was most valuable was learning and connecting with fellow attendees and hearing about how they’re driving results for their companies. m looking forward to gaining even more insight at the B2B Marketing Summit in Boston, October 25-26. If you haven’t signed up for the B2B Summit, I encourage check it out, since they’re offering a special rate saving you $400. MORE >>

If you’re a follower of marketing and sales blogs beyond just this one, you’ve probably noticed all kinds of blogs and tweets sprouting up today around The Blog Tree , just released by Eloqua and JESS3. And I think the attention is well deserved. Every blogger has some kind of blog roll, but without guessing from the names or clicking through each and every one listed, it’s challenging to know what you can learn from them and what value they provide. Until The Blog Tree. At a glance, you can see the scope of the best content in the marketing and sales blogosphere and how it all works together. MORE >>

Everyone’s getting squeezed for ROI. This is nothing new but the pressure is even higher for marketers who are looking at proving their revenue contribution. We've all heard the stories about the accolade-winning marketing campaigns that didn't move the sales needle. CEOs want far more than just awards and pretty brochures. They want proven results. They’re demanding marketers demonstrate – beyond a shadow of a doubt – that they’re driving revenue. But should they? That’s the essential question of Dave Green’s whitepaper, Measuring Lead Generation Effectiveness: a Case for a New Approach. MORE >>

B2B marketers have been hit hard in recent years and have faced enormous challenges. One of the greatest challenges marketers continue to face is converting leads to pipeline revenue which could actually be the result of a bigger problem — marketers not generating high-quality leads in the first place. This week, MarketingSherpa launched their 2011 B2B Marketing Benchmark Survey and they’re looking for B2B Marketers to provide their data and insights via this short survey. Take MarketingSherpa's 2011 B2B Marketing Benchmark Survey here MORE >>