Sales Engine

JUNE 20, 2017

MARKETING AUTOMATION AND LEAD MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS have allowed for a near-scientific breakdown of the sales funnel. Leads in each stage of the buying process meet very specific criteria and behave in certain predictable ways. Technological tools allow marketers to score leads and move them through the buying journey with the help of nurturing content.

Lead Ranking 120

Lead Ranking Marketing Qualified Leads Sales Qualified Leads Top of Funnel 120

Sales Engine

AUGUST 2, 2017

Most marketing and sales leaders in the business-to-business world know that nurturing leads is important. The reason: it’s essential to maintain a digital connection with buyers who want to learn about a business pain, product, or service—but who are not yet interested in talking to a sales person. Buyers today often use the Internet to research products and vendors long before they’re prepared to make a purchase.

Lead Ranking 168

Lead Ranking Case Studies Case Study Marketing Qualified Leads 168

Sales Engine

JULY 13, 2016

Ah, the sales funnel. As a marketer, you’re no doubt familiar with this ubiquitous image: contacts fall into the top and by some kind of magic become leads, then qualified leads, then sales-ready leads, and eventually, (you hope) closed sales. The problem with this image is that unlike its counterpart in the physical world, the sales funnel does not have the force of gravity to maintain the momentum of its contents.

Top of Funnel 120

Top of Funnel Conversion Marketing Automation Services Sales Qualified Leads 120

Sales Engine

JULY 14, 2016

Content has clearly crossed a tipping point, as evidenced by how much crap shows up in my inbox and social media feeds. When I look at my inbox, I occasionally get good offers from companies I’ve never heard of whether it be an article of video white paper or infographic, but then if I go look at my junk folder, that Google separates for me, it’s filled with hundreds of unsolicited emails.

Lead Ranking 120

Lead Ranking Lead Scoring Content Sales Qualified Leads 120

Sales Engine

JULY 20, 2016

Despite a vibrant U.S. economy and an ever-expanding arsenal of technologies to help both salespeople and marketers reach more prospects, many companies continue to struggle to grow sales. Why? And what can you do about it? Control Over the Sales Process Has Shifted The sales game has changed, and many companies have failed to adapt. Simply put, salespeople no longer control the sales process from start to finish.

Paid Search Agency 120

Paid Search Agency Trade Show Content Urgency Marketing 120

Sales Engine

JULY 21, 2016

Where most B2B companies are investing in content marketing , less than a quarter are satisfied with their return. Many factors contribute to this dissatisfaction, but the primary reason that I’ve run across in discussions with companies is that they’ve approached the situation backwards. It’s like they’re trying to build a house by digging a hole and immediately buying the windows and the wall treatments before meeting with an architect.

Lead Generation 120

Lead Generation Top of Funnel Generation Ad Building 120

Sales Engine

AUGUST 4, 2016

It used to be that darkening the skies with sales reps, albeit expensive, was the best way to grow a B2B company—more feet on the street equaled more opportunities. But in a world where prospects hide behind caller ID and email, it’s the organization who has the most valuable content for prospects shopping online for solutions that wins. That’s actually good news for small and midsize companies who could never afford to compete with the huge sales teams of market leaders, but the key to making c

Top of Funnel 120

Top of Funnel Lead Generation Sales Qualified Leads Lead Ranking 120

Sales Engine

AUGUST 22, 2016

How First Rate Uses Thought Leadership Content to Grow the Business Having the same brand since their start in 1991, First Rate knew they had to make some major changes if they were going to compete effectively and grow in today’s digital era. Given their mission to help wealth management firms grow and thrive as stewards of their client’s investments, First Rate needed an innovative approach that would help empower investors and advisors to simplify and better understand their financial world.

Demand Generation Agencies 120

Demand Generation Agencies Demand Generation Demand Generation 120

Sales Engine

OCTOBER 1, 2016

Your Sales team will come into the office tomorrow morning and begin the Q4 push. Some reps will be scratching back from a tough summer trying to hit quota while the over-achievers reach for club and accelerators. If you're like most companies, the pressure to hit Q4 numbers is so high that it's hard to even think about 2017 yet. But when should the Marketing department's 2017 quota start?

Planning 120

Planning Sales Cycle Sales Qualified Leads Paid Search Agency 120

Sales Engine

DECEMBER 6, 2016

Most B2B companies are realizing that, to hit their growth goals, they need to shift the focus of their marketing from branding and awareness to lead generation. So they task marketing leadership with building a demand generation engine and run into myriad problems. In our experience, here are the top 5 mistakes B2B companies make when trying to build their demand generation engine: #1 Starting with marketing automation Without question, marketing automation tools such as Hubspot, Marketo, Pardo

Demand Generation Agencies 168

Demand Generation Agencies Demand Generation Paid Search Agency Demand 168

Sales Engine

JANUARY 11, 2017

As a marketing leader, have you been tasked with building a demand generation program designed to funnel leads to salespeople? For most B2B companies with a complex, relationship based selling process, a demand generation program that provides actionable sales intelligence is one of the best options at their disposal. Last year, Sales Engine was able to generate 66 percent of our total sales pipeline through a closed-loop demand generation program, and we’re getting similar results for our clien

Demand Generation Agencies 136

Demand Generation Agencies Demand Generation Budget Programs Demand 136

Sales Engine

FEBRUARY 6, 2017

When the flow of wins coming out of your sales department begins to slow down, the natural thing to do is to reexamine your sales strategy—and even your sales personnel. But before you dive into more sales training, more sales hiring, or new sales leadership, stop and consider whether you're taking the right approach. It's likely that your sales department isn't the root of your demand generation problem at all.

Lead Generation 120

Lead Generation Sales Qualified Leads Generation Demand Generation Agencies 120

Sales Engine

MARCH 13, 2017

Once upon a time, branding was an indispensable part of a company’s success in B2B sales. Marketing budgets spent on bold logos, memorable slogans, pricey sponsorships and colorful presentation were all devised for a simple overarching purpose: to get Sales in the door. A company with strong branding could distinguish itself from competitors in the mind of a buyer long before the sales pitch.

Branding 120

Branding Brand Identity Budget Programs Marketing Automation Services 120

Sales Engine

OCTOBER 1, 2016

Your Sales team will come into the office tomorrow morning and begin the Q4 push. Some reps will be scratching back from a tough summer trying to hit quota while the over-achievers reach for club and accelerators. If you're like most companies, the pressure to hit Q4 numbers is so high that it's hard to even think about 2017 yet. But when should the Marketing department's 2017 quota start?

Planning 179

Planning Sales Cycle Sales Qualified Leads Paid Search Agency 179

Sales Engine

AUGUST 22, 2016

We are all looking for a competitive advantage, and if you’re fortunate enough to be selling a completely unique product from a well-known firm to a needy market, you probably don’t have to be very good at marketing to be successful. But B2B companies have found success in content marketing , and they’re upping the ante. The competition for your prospect’s attention is only going to get worse, but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t get in the game—you just need to find your competitive advanta

Top of Funnel 120

Top of Funnel Lead Ranking Marketing Qualified Leads Digital Marketing Funnels 120

Sales Engine

AUGUST 23, 2016

For decades, the B2B marketer has been a manager of projects. They develop white papers, email campaigns, go to trade shows, and —well, you know, execute on lots of projects. Project-based marketing always has a beginning, middle, and an end. For example, if you’re attending a trade show, you start with: Booking the space, ordering your swag, designing the booth, booking hotels, etc.

Top of Funnel 120

Top of Funnel Process B2B Thought Leadership Work Management 120

Sales Engine

AUGUST 22, 2016

Most B2B companies have stuck a toe in the content marketing water by shifting some of their resources to generate white papers, thought-leadership articles, infographics, and video— primarily for use in the marketing automation systems that they’ve purchased. At this first stage of content development, it’s usually not too difficult to assemble your company thought-leaders in a conference room and come up with 10 to 20 topics that align with the high probability pains of your prospects and then

B2B Thought Leadership 120

B2B Thought Leadership Thought Leadership Content Blogger 120

Sales Engine

JULY 29, 2016

You’ve seen the Internet decimate industries such as record labels, newspapers, and cable TV—and in case you haven’t noticed, it’s crushing the B2B sales rep’s ability to get in front of qualified prospects. (If you still have your head in the sand about this, it’s time to face reality.) Sales reps need leads, and it’s marketing’s job to get at least some of them—a majority would be nice.

Buyer Personas 120

Buyer Personas Sales Qualified Leads Top of Funnel Leads 120

Sales Engine

AUGUST 22, 2016

How First Rate Uses Thought Leadership Content to Grow the Business Having the same brand since their start in 1991, First Rate knew they had to make some major changes if they were going to compete effectively and grow in today’s digital era. Given their mission to help wealth management firms grow and thrive as stewards of their client’s investments, First Rate needed an innovative approach that would help empower investors and advisors to simplify and better understand their financial world.

Demand Generation Agencies 120

Demand Generation Agencies Demand Generation Demand Generation 120

Sales Engine

AUGUST 12, 2016

It seems like every disruptive Internet trend leads to predictions of the death of an old trend. Print is dead. Cold calls are dead. SEO is dead. Now with the rise of content marketing , we’re wondering if salespeople will be replaced—or, in other words, will we be able to automate marketing processes to the point where we can lead people all the way through their buying journey, eliminating the need for sales reps?

Top of Funnel 136

Top of Funnel Content Marketing Cold Calling Sales Qualified Leads 136

Sales Engine

AUGUST 15, 2016

Your prospects are shopping online for solutions, with or without you. Whether or not your prospects know they have a problem your company can solve or not is irrelevant--they don't want to talk to sales people. Therefore, sales prospecting with content requires a more complex process than it did even five years ago, largely because the buyer has a lot more control and salespeople are no longer the sole gatekeepers to the information they need.

Lead Nurturing 120

Lead Nurturing Sales Qualified Leads Leads Lead 120

Sales Engine

AUGUST 16, 2016

What does a perfect world B2B sales process look like? For me, that looks like marketing generating enough qualified leads so that most of my time is spent having productive sales conversations. Unfortunately, it rarely looks like that, but that's always the goal when we establish demand generation systems--keeping sales people busy doing what they do best--consulting and closing.

Sales Management 120

Sales Management Top of Funnel Cold Calling Content 120

Sales Engine

AUGUST 17, 2016

The development of ongoing, thought-leadership content has become the necessary element for a marketing program that increases visibility and produces leads, but it’s not enough simply to publish a blog or white paper anymore. Quantity is important in building library and getting found over time, but quality is what makes the difference in terms of an engaged readership.

Thought Leadership 120

Thought Leadership Top of Funnel Ad Building Buyer Personas 120

Sales Engine

AUGUST 10, 2016

A common issue in B2B companies with a complex product or service offering is whether or not they can outsource content production that will resonate with prospects. Producing content in-house isn’t really a viable option because the thought leaders in the organization don’t have the time (or the skills) to write. Outsourcing to a writer hasn’t been a great option either because even though at first it seems like an inexpensive alternative, it becomes cost-prohibitive when you consider all the t

B2B Thought Leadership 120

B2B Thought Leadership Thought Leadership Content B2B Sales 120

Sales Engine

AUGUST 4, 2016

It used to be that darkening the skies with sales reps, albeit expensive, was the best way to grow a B2B company—more feet on the street equaled more opportunities. But in a world where prospects hide behind caller ID and email, it’s the organization who has the most valuable content for prospects shopping online for solutions that wins. That’s actually good news for small and midsize companies who could never afford to compete with the huge sales teams of market leaders, but the key to making c

Top of Funnel 120

Top of Funnel Lead Generation Sales Qualified Leads Lead Ranking 120

Sales Engine

JULY 20, 2016

Despite a vibrant U.S. economy and an ever-expanding arsenal of technologies to help both salespeople and marketers reach more prospects, many companies continue to struggle to grow sales. Why? And what can you do about it? Control Over the Sales Process Has Shifted The sales game has changed, and many companies have failed to adapt. Simply put, salespeople no longer control the sales process from start to finish.

Paid Search Agency 120

Paid Search Agency Trade Show Content Urgency Marketing 120

Sales Engine

JULY 21, 2016

Where most B2B companies are investing in content marketing , less than a quarter are satisfied with their return. Many factors contribute to this dissatisfaction, but the primary reason that I’ve run across in discussions with companies is that they’ve approached the situation backwards. It’s like they’re trying to build a house by digging a hole and immediately buying the windows and the wall treatments before meeting with an architect.

Lead Generation 120

Lead Generation Top of Funnel Generation Ad Building 120

Sales Engine

JULY 14, 2016

Content has clearly crossed a tipping point, as evidenced by how much crap shows up in my inbox and social media feeds. When I look at my inbox, I occasionally get good offers from companies I’ve never heard of whether it be an article of video white paper or infographic, but then if I go look at my junk folder, that Google separates for me, it’s filled with hundreds of unsolicited emails.

Lead Ranking 120

Lead Ranking Lead Scoring Content Sales Qualified Leads 120

Sales Engine

JULY 13, 2016

Ah, the sales funnel. As a marketer, you’re no doubt familiar with this ubiquitous image: contacts fall into the top and by some kind of magic become leads, then qualified leads, then sales-ready leads, and eventually, (you hope) closed sales. The problem with this image is that unlike its counterpart in the physical world, the sales funnel does not have the force of gravity to maintain the momentum of its contents.

Top of Funnel 120

Top of Funnel Conversion Marketing Automation Services Sales Qualified Leads 120

Sales Engine

JULY 7, 2016

In the not-so-distant past, scaling a B2B company meant hiring more sales people that were responsible for all their own business development. They would bang on the phones, knock on doors, go to conferences and networking events and that would be enough to fill their calendars with enough qualified appointments. On paper, the numbers supported it. For example, if you had one sales rep carrying a $1 Million quota, and it cost $200K in salary and commissions for that resource, adding an additiona

Top of Funnel 120

Top of Funnel Lead Ranking Paid Search Agency Content Marketing 120

Sales Engine

JULY 5, 2016

For companies struggling to reach sales goals, doing more of the same (more cold-calls, adding more salespeople) won’t break through growth plateaus. These aggressive approaches to traditional lead-generation tactics are not as effective anymore because buyer behavior has changed, and therefore, breaking through plateaus requires changing your overall customer acquisition strategy.

Work Management 149

Work Management Marketing Automation Services Marketing Management Budget Programs 149

Sales Engine

JUNE 30, 2016

One of the biggest failure points in content marketing is not actually in marketing—It’s the handoff from marketing to sales. That’s because most sales and marketing organizations are not properly aligned. Does this sound familiar? Marketing and sales leaders read the white papers and attend to the webinars about alignment, and so they get in a conference room, establish the same vocabulary and service level agreements.

Sales Qualified Leads 120

Sales Qualified Leads Allocation Marketing Qualified Leads Lead Ranking 120

Sales Engine

JUNE 23, 2016

As content marketers , there are a lot of things that we can and should be measuring—open rates, click through rates, number of visitors (unique and returning), number of users, conversion rates, number of impressions, social media likes and followers, and so on. All of those numbers are important at the campaign level to know how they perform against other campaigns.

Lead Ranking 120

Lead Ranking Marketing Qualified Leads Sales Qualified Leads Top of Funnel 120

Sales Engine

JUNE 28, 2016

Let’s say you’re a local reporter, and you have been sent to a crime scene to interview witnesses and write a story. Like any journalist, you won’t get paid unless you deliver. It’s natural, then, for you to be singularly focused on finding those witnesses—talking to anyone else might seem like a waste of time. The scenario is similar for any quota-driven B2B sales team.

Marketing Qualified Leads 136

Marketing Qualified Leads Lead Ranking Sales Qualified Leads MQL 136

Sales Engine

JUNE 20, 2016

Most marketing and sales leaders in the business-to-business world know that nurturing leads is essential to maintain a digital connection with buyers who want to learn about a business pain, product, or service—but who are not yet interested in talking to a sales person. Buyers today often use the Internet to research products and vendors long before they’re prepared to make a purchase.

Lead Ranking 174

Lead Ranking Marketing Qualified Leads Lead Nurturing Lead Scoring 174

Sales Engine

JUNE 16, 2016

Most marketing organizations today do not have the right resources in place to properly execute a content marketing strategy for lead generation, and if you’ve had less than desirable results, this could be a major reason why. The problem lies in a fundamental mismatch between the skill sets that it took to be a successful marketer 10 years ago, and the ones required to be successful in today’s digital world.

Paid Search Agency 120

Paid Search Agency Trade Show Marketing & Strategy Public Relations 120

Sales Engine

JUNE 13, 2016

If you plan to join your competitors and the leaders of your industry in the move toward content marketing , there is something you should know. If your aim is to produce really good, informative, and nurturing content (and that should be your aim, because what’s the point otherwise?), it’s not going to be cheap. Or easy. You’re not Coca-Cola; no one expects you to hire the world’s best creative minds or to spend billions on marketing.

Allocation 120

Allocation Content Demand Generation Agencies Work Management 120