Many agree that inbound marketing and marketing automation work best when time is not an issue. This activity not only helps the prospect clarify challenges and solutions—it also establishes the company as a trusted thought leader in a way that ideally leads the prospect to view the company as a preferred vendor as the buying process evolves. For me, risk management has always been about assessing business exposure and taking proactive steps to improve a situation rather than remaining reactive when there is downside potential. SQLs and closed deals) at risk. MORE >>

At best, sales are often blindly attributed to content as part of a mass media branding success using fuzzy math. The ugly truth is, for many of us, engaging customers creates profitless prosperity—impressive marketing statistics that don’t ultimately, directly help generate leads and sales. “Marketers often come from two distinct backgrounds,” says best-selling author and IBM distinguished engineer Mike Moran. Today’s best social sellers do not believe for a minute that exposure to engaging content will result in a sale. It does. MORE >>

And why do you think you'll suddenly pop up on their shortlist if you haven't been there, being helpful, all along? think the best strategy is to consider how best your company can prepare to meet increasing demands for content. Using 3 rd party content helps to promote that third party. I recently had the opportunity to interview Ardath Albee about the importance of lead nurturing and I think you’ll be interested to read some of the valuable feedback she provided. Yet B2B marketers seem to be more focused on lead generation than the rest of the process. MORE >>

Do our marketing managers have the guts and the insight to buy the best tools, make sure they are used, suck the data out of the systems, and quietly generate more qualified leads and sell more than their competitors who don’t have these tools? little leadership also helps. James Obermayer, Executive Director and CEO of the Sales Lead Management Association and President of Sales Leakage Consulting is a regular guest blogger with ViewPoint. Software programs that explain the most data, verified by the most evidence, are better than those that do not. Is it really that simple? MORE >>

As an editor and marketer, I spend a lot of time thinking about the “how to”—in other words, how to translate the best and more interesting marketing ideas into truly actionable steps for organizations looking to grow their business. That bit about being “honestly empathetic” above is the key: Put yourself in the shoes of your customers and consider what you can do to best suit their needs. Be that expert who can help them with their problems by offering solutions. Wiley, 2011). Follwer her on Twitter @marketingprofs. Why is that? ”). MORE >>