Sales Engine

SEPTEMBER 25, 2015

The differences are being caused by significant changes in the way a customer finds solutions to their problems, and most companies haven’t changed their internal sales and marketing processes to deal with them. For sure, this process this is not linear, and there’s no way you could have predicted it.

Top of Funnel 120

Top of Funnel Lead Ranking Thought Leadership Demand Generation Agencies 120

Sales Engine

JUNE 2, 2016

Mistake #1 Treating content marketing like an event, and not a process As an example, let’s assume that you’re a human resource software vendor. This is where content marketing becomes a process and not an event. Here are two common mistakes that companies make when they get into the new world of content marketing.

Top of Funnel 120

Top of Funnel Marketing & Strategy Paper Content 120

Sales Engine

OCTOBER 2, 2015

In fact, there’s not even a series of projects that can be assigned to marketing that’s going to work predictably because not every prospect is going to follow a predetermined, automated sales process—it’s a continuous process that requires shifting on the fly by providing more content to the prospect when they need it.

B2B Sales 120

B2B Sales Paper Fulfillment B2B Marketing 120

Sales Engine

AUGUST 22, 2016

“Thought leadership is important to our brand, but developing relationships with prospects it’s really what it’s all about, and because we now have a content library that maps to their buying path, we’re able to hit them monthly with a new asset that assists them through the process at their own speed,” said Traxler.

Demand Generation Agencies 120

Demand Generation Agencies Demand Generation Demand Generation 120

Sales Engine

AUGUST 22, 2016

“Thought leadership is important to our brand, but developing relationships with prospects it’s really what it’s all about, and because we now have a content library that maps to their buying path, we’re able to hit them monthly with a new asset that assists them through the process at their own speed,” said Traxler.

Demand Generation Agencies 120

Demand Generation Agencies Demand Generation Demand Generation 120

Sales Engine

JULY 13, 2016

Marketing automation software allows you to map out exactly who your potential buyers are and what their purchasing process looks like. By feeding them content tailored to where they are in that process, you can nurture them through it to the next step. When a potential customer downloads webinar X, you know he is interested in X.

Top of Funnel 120

Top of Funnel Conversion Marketing Automation Services Sales Qualified Leads 120

Sales Engine

JULY 13, 2016

Marketing automation software allows you to map out exactly who your potential buyers are and what their purchasing process looks like. By feeding them content tailored to where they are in that process, you can nurture them through it to the next step. When a potential customer downloads webinar X, you know he is interested in X.

Top of Funnel 120

Top of Funnel Conversion Marketing Automation Services Sales Qualified Leads 120

Sales Engine

JUNE 28, 2016

Next, agree on a process. But with open communication and process agreement, it can be a great example of working successfully toward a common goal. For a start, you can agree on key performance indicators (KPIs). What is a marketing-qualified lead (MQL)? What is a sales-accepted lead (SAL)? What is a sales-qualified lead (SQL)?

Marketing Qualified Leads 136

Marketing Qualified Leads Lead Ranking Sales Qualified Leads MQL 136

Sales Engine

APRIL 21, 2016

Wood admits that it’s a continuous project to improve the ways that their sales team uses their content, but initially have done a great job in two areas: Wood is involved with sales training where everyone gets an education on how to use content in the sales process and how to easily search and find the articles they need for any given situation.

Content 159

Content Internet Marketing Training Education 159

Sales Engine

AUGUST 2, 2017

The Fallacy of the Linear Buying Process Most marketing and sales leaders in the business-to-business world know that customers now direct the buying process. Previously, sales representatives controlled what prospects could learn, when, and from whom.

Lead Ranking 168

Lead Ranking Case Studies Case Study Marketing Qualified Leads 168

Sales Engine

AUGUST 20, 2015

When we’re providing information in a business environment such as spreadsheets, a series of bullet points in a presentation or a list of facts, the two parts of our brain that are activated are for language processing, but that’s about it. Alternatively, something fascinating happens when we listen to a story.

Storytelling 120

Storytelling Work Management Acquisitions Marketing Management 120

Sales Engine

JUNE 20, 2016

The Fallacy of the Linear Buying Process Until the mid 2000’s, sales representatives controlled what prospects could learn, when, and from whom. But as most marketing and sales leaders in modern B2B companies know (or have figured out really fast), customers have taken a lot more ownership over their own buying process.

Lead Ranking 174

Lead Ranking Marketing Qualified Leads Lead Nurturing Lead Scoring 174

Sales Engine

APRIL 14, 2016

I actually apply the same process to B2B as in B2C, which is that sometimes creativity is about finding a true solution to a problem and thinking outside the box. Think differently about what you’re selling Persuading clients to think differently about what they’re really selling is the cornerstone to Quinn’s creative process.

B2B 168

B2B Blogger Content Public Relations 168

Sales Engine

AUGUST 10, 2016

It’s about telling stories, creating curiosity, solving problems and adding value—just like any good story that you want to read in your favorite magazine. Our job as content strategists is to identify what those high-probability pain points are so that we can develop content that they will be interested in consuming.

B2B Thought Leadership 120

B2B Thought Leadership Thought Leadership Content B2B Sales 120

Sales Engine

JUNE 7, 2016

What is their buying process? You should have resources at the ready to help them at each stage of this process. Know who your audience is. Know their demographics, job titles, business goals, and the major obstacles they face. Know what your audience knows, and what they don’t know. Part of being that voice is having a voice.

Top of Funnel 120

Top of Funnel Content Demand Generation Agencies Barriers 120

Sales Engine

JUNE 13, 2016

Resources must be allocated to build the processes, teams, and strategies that will be the foundation of the content department. The sales process was not developed overnight; content won’t be either. Business leaders must be convinced of the importance of content. So what should a content team look like?

Allocation 120

Allocation Content Demand Generation Agencies Work Management 120

Sales Engine

JANUARY 18, 2016

We focused next on evaluating the sales pursuit process deeply—and identified the sales metrics that would be needed in order for them to turn this situation around. Unless they made changes to their MQL pursuit process, and the SQL-to-close rates, they would never get anything out oftheir demand generation investment.

Top of Funnel 120

Top of Funnel Lead Ranking Marketing Qualified Leads Cost per Lead 120

Sales Engine

MAY 24, 2016

Nurturing content aimed at the needs of specific buyers during specific stages of the buying process is how marketing enables the prospect side of the sales conversation. The handoff between digital engagement with content and human engagement with a sales rep should be seamless. Buyers are looking for solutions—they want to be influenced.

Conversion 136

Conversion Forrester Lead Ranking Lead Scoring 136

Sales Engine

MAY 22, 2016

Purchasing is simply not able to add as much value to the decision making process. It is imperative to objectively exit sales cycles that you can’t win (or don’t really want), get ahead of the RFP process, and allocate pre-sale resources wisely.

Allocation 136

Allocation RFP Consulting Paid Search Agency 136

Sales Engine

DECEMBER 21, 2015

It’s a continuous process of finding, engaging, and building an audience that you can then monetize with calls to action that convert that audience into leads for your sales team. all playing discrete functions in the process. So How Much Does All This Cost? Start with a content strategist. The reality is, nearly all of it.

Budget Programs 120

Budget Programs Work Management Marketing Management Allocation 120

Sales Engine

NOVEMBER 30, 2015

It’s about telling stories, creating curiosity, solving problems and adding value—just like any good story that you want to read in your favorite magazine. Our job as content strategists is to identify what those high-probability pain points are so that we can develop content that they will be interested in consuming.

B2B Thought Leadership 120

B2B Thought Leadership Thought Leadership Content B2B Sales 120

Sales Engine

MARCH 28, 2016

From your viewpoint, where are companies getting stuck with this process? The most important strategy of any content marketing program is a really smart search engine optimization process. When we started this process, we had identified over 100 categories. Ideally that’s what we’re all trying to get to. We are now very focused.

Marketing & Strategy 120

Marketing & Strategy A/B testing Broadcasting Content 120

Sales Engine

SEPTEMBER 1, 2015

Sales can’t control this whole process anymore. Content marketing done correctly will fundamentally affect the revenue process of the entire company. They won’t attract top performing salespeople to your organization. They won’t help you track where your prospects entered into the sales cycle and became customers.

Content Marketing 120

Content Marketing Cold Calling Lead Ranking Marketing Qualified Leads 120

Sales Engine

JUNE 14, 2018

This model does, however, assume that you’ve also shifted resources into demand generation on the front end. Ultimately, switching to this model should dramatically decrease the overall cost of customer acquisition over time.

Top of Funnel 120

Top of Funnel Lead Ranking Paid Search Agency Content Marketing 120

Sales Engine

MAY 11, 2016

It’s no small task when you consider all of the technology and process changes in both sales and marketing that need to occur. How do you build explosive growth with content marketing? You’ve got to develop content that leads to conversations, employ marketing automation, and track lead intelligence in a CRM.

Webinar Metrics 149

Webinar Metrics Sales Qualified Leads Demand Generation Agencies Marketing Automation Services 149

Sales Engine

FEBRUARY 5, 2016

In fact, the strongest close rates occurred when marketing accompanied the sales pursuit process. In short, content marketing efforts were responsible for generating a total of 1,658 leads and over 50% of their total revenue for the year.

Lead Ranking 120

Lead Ranking Marketing Qualified Leads MQL Top of Funnel 120

Sales Engine

FEBRUARY 5, 2016

In fact, the strongest close rates occurred when marketing accompanied the sales pursuit process. In short, content marketing efforts were responsible for generating a total of 1,658 leads and over 50% of their total revenue for the year.

Lead Ranking 120

Lead Ranking Marketing Qualified Leads MQL Top of Funnel 120

Sales Engine

JULY 7, 2016

This model does, however, assume that you’ve also shifted resources into demand generation on the front end. Ultimately, switching to this model should dramatically decrease the overall cost of customer acquisition over time.

Top of Funnel 120

Top of Funnel Lead Ranking Paid Search Agency Content Marketing 120

Sales Engine

AUGUST 25, 2015

Creating compelling content must have subject matter expertise that’s aligned to the high-probability pains of the personas that you’re marketing to—as well as to whatever stage of the buying process that they happen to be in at that moment. A junior person can’t get it done.

Video Marketing 120

Video Marketing Marketing Management Copywriting PR 120

Sales Engine

AUGUST 24, 2015

Content is how you take back control of the sales process. Content plays a critical role in the new world of demand generation, and it goes way beyond branding and thought leadership. Yes, it helps you build credibility. Yes, it helps establish you as a thought leader. Content is the new currency.

Demand Generation Agencies 120

Demand Generation Agencies RFP Thought Leadership Paid Search Agency 120

Sales Engine

JANUARY 7, 2016

And most certainly when a prospect has agreed to take a meeting, the normal sales process takes over—so go share your coffee with your marketing team. Tell them that you need leads and what they should be talking about to get your prospect’s attention.

Top of Funnel 120

Top of Funnel Features B2B Thought Leadership Digital Marketing Funnels 120

Sales Engine

NOVEMBER 9, 2015

Check out these additional articles: How to Gain a Competitive Edge Through Your Content Content Marketing Requires the Mindset of a Publisher Feeding Sales is a Process, Not a Project. Need help getting marketing to sign up for revenue?

Sales Qualified Leads 120

Sales Qualified Leads High Quality Lead Conversion Paid Search Agency 120

Sales Engine

FEBRUARY 25, 2016

Buyers are going to diagnose their own pain, map out their own process, and create their own road map to solve their problems—and no matter how many emails you send them, they’re not going to do anything until you hit a nerve. You can completely build your own experience from the moment you step inside—there’s no set path to follow.

Acquisitions 149

Acquisitions Webinar Metrics Marketing & Strategy Marketing Automation Services 149

Sales Engine

JANUARY 25, 2016

Here’s the punch-line that I hope you take away from this for part of our discussion: Content marketing for lead generation is not an event, it’s a process. It’s a continuous process of finding, engaging, and building an audience that you can later monetize. In short, you need to become a media company.

Enterprise Management 120

Enterprise Management Marketing Management Marketing Automation Services Sales Qualified Leads 120

Sales Engine

FEBRUARY 25, 2016

Buyers are going to diagnose their own pain, map out their own process, and create their own road map to solve their problems—and no matter how many emails you send them, they’re not going to do anything until you hit a nerve. You can completely build your own experience from the moment you step inside—there’s no set path to follow.

Acquisitions 120

Acquisitions Webinar Metrics Marketing & Strategy Marketing Automation Services 120

Sales Engine

JULY 29, 2016

What roles do they play in the buying process? "The real challenge is to develop a deeper understanding of how buyers think, what they need, and what we need to say to get them to choose us. Who are they? What is important to them individually and collectively as a buying committee? What are their pain points, challenges, and buying triggers?"

Buyer Personas 120

Buyer Personas Sales Qualified Leads Top of Funnel Leads 120

Sales Engine

JANUARY 5, 2016

What roles do they play in the buying process? "The real challenge is to develop a deeper understanding of how buyers think, what they need, and what we need to say to get them to choose us. Who are they? What is important to them individually and collectively as a buying committee? What are their pain points, challenges, and buying triggers?"

Buyer Personas 120

Buyer Personas Sales Qualified Leads Top of Funnel Leads 120