Chris Koch

APRIL 17, 2009

And in big, important customers, it’s worth integrating that ability into the account planning process. Salespeople have the opportunity to move customers through the buying process faster—and become a part of the planning process for those purchases. We’re calling it Collaborative Account Planning.

Planning 100

Planning Process Work Management Verticals 100

Chris Koch

FEBRUARY 26, 2010

The era of the sales process beginning with a lead is over. We have to come to terms with the fact that there is a stage of the buying process that comes before the buyers we are pursuing are ready to become leads. The trust leads to a more personal relationship and hopefully, a purchase. We call it the epiphany stage.

Social Media 100

Social Media Lead Generation B2B Thought Leadership Generation 100

Chris Koch

DECEMBER 10, 2012

For customers in this realm, I think utility has long meant access to their peers and to expert advice during the purchasing and post-sales processes. I am concerned about the B2B side of things, though, for complex technology solutions in particular.

Peer-to-peer 100

Peer-to-peer B2B Social Media Mobile Marketing 100

Chris Koch

OCTOBER 22, 2010

And that is a huge change in the buying process. ITSMA’s annual survey of IT buyers found that this year, for the first time, a majority of buyers in the US—and 75% when you include other countries—are using social media in the purchasing process—especially the younger ones. No, there’s something bigger going on here.

Lead Management 100

Lead Management Marketing Management Automation Marketing Automation Services 100

Chris Koch

OCTOBER 30, 2009

We found that usage of social media among IT and business buyers of technology rose 50% over last year and finally pushed to majority status—55% said they use social media as part of the technology buying process in 2009 versus just 37% in 2008. What do you think? Tweet This Post.

Social Media 100

Social Media Peer-to-peer Enterprise Management Media 100

Chris Koch

NOVEMBER 6, 2009

Role-based research can help personalize your message to the needs of the specific buyers and influencers involved in the purchasing decision. Of course, knowing the metrics before you start also makes the data gathering process much easier. For example, segmentation could reveal a market that you never knew existed.

B2B Thought Leadership 100

B2B Thought Leadership Thought Leadership Budget Programs Business 100