Avitage

OCTOBER 30, 2013

Content vendors often prefer it this way. This post addresses related, but different, content outsourcing and in-sourcing project best practices. Outsourcing Content Creation I have seen many companies struggle setting up outsourced content creation projects due to inadequate preparation and documentation.

Content 120

Content Vendors Optimization Practices 120

Avitage

MARCH 29, 2016

Digital era buyers want to conduct research to prepare for conversations with vendor reps. For sales people, tracking prospect content consumption indicates interest, intent and timing. Content is needed to get into more customer conversations.

B2B Sales 120

B2B Sales Marketing & Strategy B2B Content 120

Avitage

JANUARY 19, 2016

The objective is to actually create value for customers, and differentiation for vendors, through conversations that deliver insights and useful ideas. This sales requires educating and gaining consensus from 4 to 14 buying team members, 5.4 is a considered average. At this level it’s ALL about sales conversations.

B2B Sales 120

B2B Sales Design Conversion B2B 120

Avitage

MARCH 19, 2015

Traditional content is primarily a way to deliver vendor messages. Strategic — Principles The conventional approach to content delegates content responsibility to each business function. They define, budget for, and create the content they require to meet their business obligations. This approach has created a process […].

Content 120

Content Vendors Custom Publishing ROI 120

Avitage

JUNE 10, 2014

This new reality has shifted content creation from relatively simple, periodic and low volume content focused on vendor/product features and benefits; to customer-centric,relevant, useful and educational content.

Enterprise Management 120

Enterprise Management Marketing Management Marketing & Strategy Content 120

Avitage

MARCH 26, 2014

For example, your approach as well as resource and vendor selection might depend greatly on whether you want to create a blog or whitepaper, PowerPoint or video. This is a big change from the traditional approach to content creation. Typically, format, as in “what do you want to create?” ” is an early consideration.

Conversion 120

Conversion Content Vendors Custom Publishing 120

Avitage

MARCH 21, 2013

This is based upon the customer’s understanding of their problem, vendor products and solutions available to solve their problem, and their ability to make effective buying and deployment decisions. My colleague Rob Scanlon developed a simple “Three Level Selling Model” that I’ve found useful.

Lead Ranking 120

Lead Ranking Vendors B2B Sales Buy 120

Avitage

MARCH 6, 2013

Has our point of view given buyers enough insights and ideas to allow us to make the short list of vendors for consideration? Will buyers get insights into what is really important to understand about their choices?

Marketing Management 120

Marketing Management Content Marketing Content Vendors 120

Avitage

MARCH 21, 2013

This is based upon the customer’s understanding of their problem, vendor products and solutions available to solve their problem, and their ability to make effective buying and deployment decisions. My colleague Rob Scanlon developed a simple “Three Level Selling Model” that I’ve found useful.

Lead Ranking 120

Lead Ranking B2B Sales Vendors Buy 120

Avitage

MARCH 6, 2013

Has our point of view given buyers enough insights and ideas to allow us to make the short list of vendors for consideration? Will buyers get insights into what is really important to understand about their choices?

Content Marketing 120

Content Marketing Urgency Marketing Content Marketing & Strategy 120

Avitage

AUGUST 1, 2012

This thinking is the first cousin to the “we’re different” thinking that every vendor encounters when they try to bring proven solutions to new prospects. This post is for my current and future clients who think they won’t deal with social media because their customers don’t “use” it.

Social Media 120

Social Media Media RSS Aggregators 120

Avitage

JULY 31, 2012

Marketing (marcom, product marketing, field marketing), multiple vendors or contractors, training, field sales and pre-sales, executives — almost everyone creates slides. Where are slides created in your company? How well are they shared? How easily can you find the slide(s) you need. Everyone manages PowerPoint. Most manage it poorly.

Marketing Management 120

Marketing Management Training Vendors B2B Sales 120

Avitage

JUNE 13, 2012

With this shift from vendor to buyer orientation comes great pressure on traditional content production methods and costs. Content marketing is fundamentally about creating buyer relevant, education oriented content, that supports the buying team as they progress through a buying journey. They are foundational to this endeavor.

Video Marketing 120

Video Marketing Content Marketing Best Practices Content 120

Avitage

MARCH 26, 2012

You have shifted content focus from vendor and product collateral, to customer educational content. For marketers who have embraced the publishing mindset in support of inbound and content marketing strategies, execution has emerged as the new barrier to success. You understand the need to think like a publisher.

Lead Ranking 120

Lead Ranking Barriers Content Custom Publishing 120

Avitage

APRIL 9, 2012

We all feel the perception from buyers that, to them, all vendors and their products look pretty much the same (undifferentiated value). Most of us are well aware the world of B2B buying has gone through fundamental shifts in the last five to ten years. Why hasn’t the way we sell fundamentally changed as well?

Demand 120

Demand B2B Sales Sales Cycle PR 120

Avitage

MARCH 20, 2012

For most people I speak with, they have a good, level one understanding: They can “become the media” and leverage the internet to “publish” content Acting like a journalist, they embrace blogging to varying degrees of discipline and success They know content must be more about buyers and their “problem to solution journey”, (..)

Marketing Management 120

Marketing Management Content Storytelling Vendors 120

Avitage

MARCH 7, 2012

Her trademarked process focuses on the internal issues the customer must resolve to make a buying decision with ANY vendor. In addition to “prepare to fight the status quo” I would recommend reading Sharon Drew Morgen’s writing on Buying Facilitation(TM).

Custom Publishing 120

Custom Publishing Vendors Tips Efficiency 120

Avitage

MARCH 7, 2012

” The “come from” for lead qualification (and certainly appointment setting) is primarily a vendor perspective — when will you be ready to talk with a. .” But I’ve found that clear language distinctions are critical in setting the right mindset and expectations for any operations role.

Lead Nurturing 120

Lead Nurturing Sales Qualified Leads Telemarketing Lead Qualification 120

Avitage

OCTOBER 15, 2012

In fact, often, discovery of a key idea or vendor may be made by someone not even on a vendor’s “people map.” Ardath also points out that this is for a single buyer role. In complex sales, there are often well over 4 “personas” who are active in the buying process.

Buy 120

Buy Process B2B Content 120

Avitage

OCTOBER 15, 2012

In fact, often, discovery of a key idea or vendor may be made by someone not even on a vendor’s “people map.” Ardath also points out that this is for a single buyer role. In complex sales, there are often well over 4 “personas” who are active in the buying process.

Buy 120

Buy Process B2B Content 120