ANNUITAS

JULY 21, 2022

Spoiler alert: The ‘classic’ B2B go-to-market organization and approach is fundamentally broken and out-of-date; moreover, trying to course correct by working on ‘sales and marketing alignment’ is inadequate and unattainable. 1 – Orient Around End-to-End Customer Lifecycle – Pre- and Post-Sale.

Ideal Customer Profiles 130

Ideal Customer Profiles B2B Sales Work Management Marketing Management 130

ANNUITAS

FEBRUARY 18, 2014

As we walked through the Demand Process approach we needed to take, one attendee from our client made mention of past attempts to “do things differently” and the resulting failure. Here are some of the most common obstacles that exist in organizations today that prevent organizations from improving Demand Process.

Process 100

Process B2B Thought Leadership Thought Leadership Demand Generation 100

ANNUITAS

JULY 20, 2021

For most companies, the challenge of regularly delivering enough leads and opportunities to hit growth targets has historically meant building a strategy around producing high volume, low quality marketing and sales campaigns. But those campaigns are neither scalable nor efficient. In essence, success depends on guessing correctly.

Top of Funnel 147

Top of Funnel Campaigns Enterprise Management Work Management 147

ANNUITAS

NOVEMBER 2, 2021

Ninety-six percent (96%) of B2B sales teams have fully or partially shifted to remote selling since April of 2021. Many organizations have expanded their inside sales teams, either through hiring or transitioning field sellers, to accommodate this shift. How is a sales-ready lead defined? It makes sense.

Top of Funnel 130

Top of Funnel Lead Ranking Marketing Qualified Leads Sales Qualified Leads 130

ANNUITAS

APRIL 11, 2011

I recently had the opportunity to attend the Sales 2.0 The conference was full of great content and information on the state and the future of B2B Sales. It also allowed me the opportunity to mingle with many great B2B sales people, which is a departure from my norm of usually interacting with B2B Marketers. the sales person).

Top of Funnel 100

Top of Funnel B2B Sales Buy Process 100

ANNUITAS

MAY 13, 2020

Both ask the same, fundamental question when analyzing demand marketing budgets: What real sales ‘lift’ am I getting from this spend? Demand Marketing should be held to a clear, high standard of incremental – i.e., ‘net’ – contribution to sales. If there is net sales lift, then demand marketing is causal. Incrementality.

Demand 147

Demand CMS Development Marketing Attribution Budget Programs 147

ANNUITAS

APRIL 29, 2014

Take a look at five ways to make a change in your Demand Process to drive better results: 1. Gather your team together (marketing and sales) and get ready for some analysis and discussion. Appoint a project manager to lead the process. Evaluate the current processes. Quit giving ALL leads to sales. How to do that?

Process 100

Process Lead Scoring Lead Ranking Work Management 100

ANNUITAS

MARCH 10, 2016

I am a huge proponent of utilizing innovative technologies to streamline business processes and I am fascinated by the history of technology. Although marketing automation is now almost fully embraced by marketers, sales organizations are still not completely accepting of the technology benefits, nor are they trusting of marketing’s motives.

Marketing Automation Services 100

Marketing Automation Services Demand Generation Eloqua Paid Search Agency 100

ANNUITAS

JULY 15, 2014

It’s as as inevitable as death and taxes…marketing and sales misalignment. In fact, it’s not uncommon for marketing personnel to have never even met one of their sales representatives, much less had a conversation regarding common goals and beliefs. Content is ineffective. Leads” are rejected.

Lead Qualification 100

Lead Qualification Sales Qualified Leads Marketing Budget Marketing & Strategy 100

ANNUITAS

DECEMBER 15, 2015

In our mission to build demand generation that delivers real results, here are a couple to keep you up at night: B2B companies’ inability to align sales and marketing teams has cost them upwards of 10% or more of revenue per year , according to IDC. Confused and frustrated sales teams? Poor customer experience with no continuity?

Demand Generation 100

Demand Generation Demand Generation Cost per Lead 100

ANNUITAS

OCTOBER 25, 2016

From time to time on the ANNUITAS blog we have the opportunity to sit down with those in the B2B Marketing and Sales industry and get their take on the market and trends that are happening in the space. We recently were able to sit down with Tanner Mezel of DSG Consulting and get his insights into the world of B2B Marketing and Sales.

Consulting 153

Consulting B2B Sales Demand Generation Work Management 153

ANNUITAS

MARCH 18, 2014

All of the usual suspects were in the room – head of marketing, head of sales, marketing automation power users, demand generation leads, content marketer … but also present were the head of their CRM install and the lead project manager of their website and web analytics team — both IT roles in this particular company.

Process 100

Process Planning Marketing Automation Services Demand Generation 100

ANNUITAS

FEBRUARY 7, 2023

Does indecision have you committing a repeated string of ‘ random acts of sales and marketing ,’ or are you taking advantage of this moment to bring cohesion, orchestration and repeatability to your sales and marketing mix across your customer journey? Said differently: Are you sticking your head in the sand, or are you innovating?

Lead Ranking 130

Lead Ranking Peer-to-peer Paid Search Agency Terms and Conditions 130

ANNUITAS

MAY 26, 2016

Much is written about how the role of the B2B marketers changed over the years due to the shift in the buying process. And while this is true, and has been mentioned more than several times here on the ANNUITAS blog, I see very little being written or spoken about the role of B2B sales and how their roles have changed.

B2B Sales 113

B2B Sales Demand Generation Agencies B2B Work Management 113

ANNUITAS

SEPTEMBER 2, 2014

Most sales managers or Sales VPs will tell you that in order to meet their quota, they must have a pipeline of X. Whether it is a three X, five X or seven X pipeline, these sales people have a formula that they follow that knows what they need to get them to their stated goal. Let me explain a bit further.

Lead Qualification 100

Lead Qualification Sales Qualified Leads Work Management High Quality Lead 100

ANNUITAS

NOVEMBER 10, 2015

Whether you’re more like Ham or Smalls, chances are you’ve had a conversation with sales that included some miscommunication. Lead management frameworks define how and when leads are qualified, scored, and managed throughout the sales process. This should be documented and become part of any on-boarding process for new hires.

Lead Ranking 100

Lead Ranking Enterprise Management Work Management Lead Scoring 100

ANNUITAS

AUGUST 19, 2014

Take a look at an excerpt from a Leadspace Radio via Sales Lead Management Association with Carlos Hidalgo , CEO and founder of ANNUITAS. First of all, we have to understand that the funnel isn’t a buying process. I never heard a Buyer say, ‘I’m in the sale acceptance stage of my buying process.’

Top of Funnel 100

Top of Funnel Lead Nurturing Lead Scoring Lead Ranking 100

ANNUITAS

APRIL 10, 2023

In short, when companies treat their sales model as a linear journey, they fail to consider their customers’ engagement with the company over a lifetime. A simple four step funnel, though helpful for visualization purposes, is far from the reality of what most B2B sales processes are like. What about what comes after?

Ideal Customer Profiles 130

Ideal Customer Profiles Top of Funnel B2B Thought Leadership Lead Ranking 130

ANNUITAS

SEPTEMBER 7, 2021

There is a massive divide between what buyers want to discuss with sales vs. what sales wants to discuss with buyers. The data shows a clear pattern: sales is struggling to maintain an otherwise personalized buying journey. In other words: sales doesn’t know how to translate online behavior into meaningful conversations.

Conversion 234

Conversion Sales Qualified Leads Ideal Customer Profiles Opinions 234

ANNUITAS

AUGUST 5, 2014

I read an article recently that discussed how content can “help push your prospects through the sales funnel.” However, if organizations are taking the very insular view of “pushing their buyer through the sales funnel” it would explain quite a bit about the lack of effectiveness. Pretty anemic!

Top of Funnel 100

Top of Funnel Forrester Marketing Funnels B2B Sales 100

ANNUITAS

OCTOBER 11, 2023

For more than a decade, ANNUITAS has led a revolution to stop ‘random acts’ of marketing and sales – leveraging our proven ANNUITAS Demand Process methodology to help our clients make the shift to a strategic and scalable go-to-market approach – both pre- and post-sale. But we are framing the wrong problem to solve.

Marketing Analytics Tools 130

Marketing Analytics Tools Enterprise Management Work Management Marketing Management 130

ANNUITAS

SEPTEMBER 7, 2021

There is a massive divide between what buyers want to discuss with sales vs. what sales wants to discuss with buyers. The data shows a clear pattern: sales is struggling to maintain an otherwise personalized buying journey. In other words: sales doesn’t know how to translate online behavior into meaningful conversations.

Sales Qualified Leads 228

Sales Qualified Leads Ideal Customer Profiles Opinions Work Management 228

ANNUITAS

OCTOBER 28, 2010

In this book, I (along with 13 other B2B marketing experts) was asked to contribute my thoughts on how to best approach the Lead Funnel, and provide insights on how it relates to sales pipeline. Once that number is determined (and agreed to by both marketing and sales), the rest of the planning process can continue.

Planning 100

Planning Process Lead Qualification Top of Funnel 100

ANNUITAS

OCTOBER 25, 2016

From time to time on the ANNUITAS blog we have the opportunity to sit down with those in the B2B Marketing and Sales industry and get their take on the market and trends that are happening in the space. We recently were able to sit down with Tanner Mezel of DSG Consulting and get his insights into the world of B2B Marketing and Sales.

Consulting 100

Consulting B2B Sales Demand Generation Work Management 100

ANNUITAS

OCTOBER 25, 2016

From time to time on the ANNUITAS blog we have the opportunity to sit down with those in the B2B Marketing and Sales industry and get their take on the market and trends that are happening in the space. We recently were able to sit down with Tanner Mezel of DSG Consulting and get his insights into the world of B2B Marketing and Sales.

Consulting 100

Consulting B2B Sales Demand Generation Work Management 100

ANNUITAS

NOVEMBER 29, 2023

Add to this many CMOs fail to conceive their role in terms of building a sustainable, perpetual Growth Engine for their organization; they fail to see go-to-market as an optimizable process; and while the frequently ‘do’ talk a lot about personas and customer journey, they fail to perceive their critical role in optimizing DX.

CMO 147

CMO Positioning Marketing Analytics Tools Peer-to-peer 147

ANNUITAS

JANUARY 31, 2023

The tremendous moment to jump in and help so many companies fix their underperforming marketing and sales motions. The potential to collaborate around this opportunity and bring successful solutions and best practices to a broader marketplace in the process. We are at a unique moment. Providers (and practitioners!)

Enterprise Management 130

Enterprise Management Paid Search Agency Marketing Analytics Tools Work Management 130

ANNUITAS

DECEMBER 12, 2013

Press Releases Carlos Hidalgo demand process James Obermayer sales lead management association top 50' “I am honored to be named to the SLMA 50 again this year and appreciate the recognition from my peers and colleagues,” stated Hidalgo.

Lead Management 100

Lead Management Sales Leads Peer-to-peer Leads 100

ANNUITAS

MARCH 1, 2023

The financial benefits speak for themselves , but the benefits to process and internal alignment (and employee satisfaction) make naming a CGO a mandate for 2023. As companies look to embody a Converged Growth mindset , a CGO is needed to lead the charge from both a strategic and “day to day” perspective.

Positioning 130

Positioning Marketing Analytics Tools Enterprise Management Customer Satisfaction 130

ANNUITAS

FEBRUARY 13, 2014

A new report called The Reinvention of B2B Marketing , from eConsultancy shows there is still quite a disparity between B2B marketing and sales organizations. Almost half (46%) of buyers still prefer creating a short list of vendors before making the decision to communicate with a sales rep.

Demand Generation 100

Demand Generation Demand Generation Planning 100

ANNUITAS

JANUARY 28, 2016

One of the things I hear most often as we work with clients or when I speak to marketing professionals is, “We cannot change the sales process.” The thinking behind this is that sales has an established process in place and to disrupt that process would be detrimental to the organization and its ability to make it’s number.

Work Management 50

Work Management Ideal Customer Profiles Demand Generation Marketing Management 50

ANNUITAS

MAY 7, 2015

A recent report by Richardson highlighted some of the biggest sales challenges of 2015. The report was based on data survey from 372 sales 75% of which were B2B sales people. The report focused on the challenges sales people face in prospecting, closing deals, and account management. modern buying process.

B2B Sales 100

B2B Sales B2B Marketing Marketing Management B2B 100

ANNUITAS

OCTOBER 31, 2023

Amid an overly-optimistic marketplace outlook for AI, growth leaders — across marketing, sales and customer success — are increasingly turning to AI and/or AI-enhanced technology tools. Our research suggests that a fifth of current sales-team functions could be automated,” claims McKinsey. What are they tackling?

Marketing Analytics Tools 130

Marketing Analytics Tools Ideal Customer Profiles Marketing AI Sales Management 130

ANNUITAS

AUGUST 12, 2020

Over the past two weeks, we have covered the definition of strategic demand marketing and introduced you to the first phase in our process, the insights phase. Through the previously discussed Insights Phase, we gathered information on people, process, content, and technology through a myriad of sources to better understand your buyer.

Top of Funnel 147

Top of Funnel Planning Demand Marketing Plans 147

ANNUITAS

DECEMBER 11, 2023

But whether we are talking about well-thought-out ‘growth marketing’ programs or haphazard ‘inside-out,’ interruptive go-to-market tactics, random acts of marketing and sales are at a breaking point. Our ability to succeed through haphazard marketing and sales acquisition efforts is rapidly coming to an end.

Marketing Analytics Tools 130

Marketing Analytics Tools Paid Search Agency Planning Budget Programs 130

ANNUITAS

JANUARY 30, 2024

However, when we look at these innovations from a Converged Growth go-to-market lens, we see a number of potential applications for B2B use cases that drive enhanced post-sale growth endeavors. The AI-powered tools can help engage buyers, provide product and buying information and streamline post-sale return and support processes.

Marketing Analytics Tools 130

Marketing Analytics Tools Marketing Automation Services Google Tools 130

ANNUITAS

SEPTEMBER 28, 2022

Accenture : “It’s common to see deeper silos from well-established companies that have existed for a long time … more defined boundaries of where marketing activities end, and sales activities begin.”. Inefficient, negative-ROI deployment of marketing, sales and service resources.

Ideal Customer Profiles 130

Ideal Customer Profiles Enterprise Management Marketing Analytics Tools Work Management 130