Tony Zambito

MAY 7, 2021

Marketing and Sales Leaders Can Increase Their Value Through In-House Buyer Insights and Buyer Persona Development Capabilities. Creating a roller coaster ride with twists and turns that can be stomach-churning for marketing and sales organizations. 2 – Foster Marketing and Sales Alignment. Because buyers will have moved on.

Buyer Personas 220

Buyer Personas Allocation Paid Search Agency Advertising Agencies 220

Tony Zambito

APRIL 30, 2021

Marketing and Sales Leaders Must Build Core Competency of Understanding Buyer Persona Goals. We have heard the terms “organizational DNA” or “company DNA” often in attempts to articulate what an organization’s culture may be like. Sometimes, culture and DNA are used interchangeably. 2 – Develop Goal-Directed Buyer Personas.

Buyer Personas 176

Buyer Personas B2B Sales Organic Leads Profiling 176

Tony Zambito

DECEMBER 9, 2020

Built Into Company DNA. After a revision, an ambitious marketing and sales plan was put into place to upgrade existing customers. And to improve sales to new buyers. Ask marketing and sales colleagues to clarify assumption sounding statements. Engage in active internal listening and critical thinking.

Marketing Analytics Tools 318

Marketing Analytics Tools Validation Planning Intent 318

Tony Zambito

JANUARY 11, 2021

Here are 5 intangible buying behaviors, uncovered through qualitative buyer research interviews at the end of 2020, companies should monitor: Spending Squeeze. The increase in recent uncertainty will cause B2B companies to squeeze tighter on budgets. This will decrease the tolerance for hyperbole in a firm’s marketing and sales effort.

Trends 209

Trends B2B Sales B2B Marketing Spending 209

Tony Zambito

FEBRUARY 21, 2022

Stop at a reception desk of a typical multi-story B2B corporation headquarters, you are likely to be told that the marketing department is on floor 7, sales is on floor 2, operations on floor 3, and executive offices are on floor 5. They get marketing’s version, another from sales, and operation’s version.

Marketing & Strategy 210

Marketing & Strategy B2B Sales Gartner Touchpoints 210

Tony Zambito

DECEMBER 12, 2010

.  As B2B businesses seek to achieve post-recession revenue growth, they also must confront the issue of how to rethink long standing conventional practices in sales they know must change to meet this challenge head on.    Sales management has become defined primarily by implementing and enforcing methodology and processes. 

B2B Sales 100

B2B Sales Buyer Personas Multi-Channel B2B 100

Tony Zambito

DECEMBER 5, 2010

  Sales departments in B2B organizations are facing their most severe test in decades as the post-recession impact continues to reverberate throughout the economy.  Several trends that point to transformation are: Trend 1: A shift from sales relationship to sales experience.

Trends 100

Trends Buyer Personas AIDA Buyer's Journey 100

Tony Zambito

APRIL 28, 2021

Plans for complete digital sales transformation are accelerated. Since the pandemic began in March of 2020, we have seen the scales tipped heavily towards how to re-orient sales towards virtual selling and to create more interactive content. What Marketing And Sales Leaders Can Do. If only you were “motivated” more.

Buyer Personas 208

Buyer Personas Planning Interactive Marketing Network Marketing 208

Tony Zambito

MAY 19, 2021

Marketing and Sales Leaders Can Leverage Buyer Insights To Create Rewarding Digital Buying Experiences For Buyers. For instance, many companies are still wedded to old funnel thinking first presented by Elmo Lewis over a century ago! Not that this type of outcome was ever in question. To name a few.

Differentiation 244

Differentiation Top of Funnel Buy Buyer Personas 244

Tony Zambito

MAY 31, 2017

In the 1980’s and 1990’s, ABS, the acronym for Account-Based Sales, was all the rage then. Yet, we cannot lose sight of the importance of sales in account-based strategies. For example, if an organization adopted Miller Heiman, sales began their efforts with filling out as much of the “blue sheets” as possible. Common Thread.

Account Based Marketing 211

Account Based Marketing ABM Digital Transformation Paid Search Agency 211

Tony Zambito

JANUARY 26, 2022

Becoming like dogma with multiple stories from years past turning into mythical company lore. In startups and emerging companies, the original founders’ conceived idea can become like King Arthur’s sword, Excalibur. They poured plenty in marketing and sales to make it happen and to get an edge over UPS.

Buyer Personas 221

Buyer Personas Business Startups Validation 221

Tony Zambito

MARCH 12, 2017

B2B companies are faced with the most transformative era in business history. More so than in consumer oriented markets, B2B markets had a degree of predictability that companies often relied on. I have seen entire sales and marketing strategy plans that amount to one thing only – get into the C-Suite.

Buyer Personas 251

Buyer Personas B2B Digital Transformation B2B Sales 251

Tony Zambito

JANUARY 13, 2022

For instance, we saw sales knowledge and effectiveness ramp up shortened by months. However, when utilized correctly as intended, they have done wonders not only for companies but ultimately for buyers. You will be contributing to a better world for companies and buyers. The results and outcomes were equally revealing.

Buyer Personas 195

Buyer Personas Customer Surveys Advertising Agencies Paid Search Agency 195

Tony Zambito

DECEMBER 19, 2010

  My recent post entitled Seven Buyer and Sales Trends to Watch in 2011 is one of those instances for me personally.    By the time they get to sales folks, whether it is in person or on the phone, they already are armed with enough information to help make a decision.  Image via Wikipedia. What do I mean? 

Top of Funnel 100

Top of Funnel Trends Conversion Buyer Personas 100

Tony Zambito

OCTOBER 12, 2020

If B2B companies are not thinking about this, planning for this, and doing something about this – they will bound to be in big trouble. Before the turn of the new millennium in 2000, it was downright unthinkable in B2B that the model of sales representative and buyer interaction would ever change. Fast forward to where we are today.

Buyer Personas 310

Buyer Personas B2B Amazon Fulfillment 310

Tony Zambito

JANUARY 21, 2021

Prior to the pandemic, many companies were dealing with a good problem. B2B marketing and sales will need to help bring sharp focus about the future to buyers. Operationally, B2B companies will need to understand the aspirational future goals of organizations and show how they can enable future accomplishments.

B2B Sales 221

B2B Sales Trust Marketing B2B Marketing Paid Search Agency 221

Tony Zambito

NOVEMBER 15, 2010

.  This past election made me think about parallels to the ongoing debate that surrounds sales and marketing alignment.    As if the state of sales and marketing has an imaginary aisle like the House on Capitol Hill.    Sale’s role has been primarily one of PUSH. 

Buyer Personas 100

Buyer Personas Paid Search Agency Buying Cycle Lead Ranking 100

Tony Zambito

JANUARY 11, 2022

As a former head of strategy and sales, I knew that the old way of sales and product management/marketing thinking was not working. I knew it then some twenty years ago with the first-ever buyer insights research and buyer persona development engagement with the Reed Elsevier portfolio of companies.

Buyer Personas 262

Buyer Personas Cross-Selling Act-On Research 262

Tony Zambito

MARCH 23, 2011

The good old days, for some sales and marketing people, were the days huddling up for the big presentation.    Everyone working on their portion of the sales pitch to be sure they are in tune and in the right key – just like an American Idol contest.  Image by TheeErin via Flickr.

Peer-to-peer 100

Peer-to-peer Network Marketing Buy Education 100

Tony Zambito

SEPTEMBER 14, 2009

This September 10th, I attended the Sales 2.0  The conference focused on the changing environment of sales and paid particular attention to issues related to understanding buyers.  One message was clear at the Sales 2.0 conference - companies who do not adapt will most certainly not survive.

Buyer Personas 100

Buyer Personas Conference Segmentation Planning 100

Tony Zambito

APRIL 26, 2021

A recent McKinsey study suggests that two-thirds of buyers will prefer to keep self-serve interactions or a form of hybrid with a sales representative post-pandemic. Buyers are in a much more ensconced seat to simply ignore SDRs and Sales Representative outreach. We’re spending more time just trying to wave the flag and get noticed.”.

Buyer Personas 153

Buyer Personas Outreach Buy Studies 153

Tony Zambito

NOVEMBER 18, 2020

Stories help buyers connect with the value that companies can bring to their situations. Buyer insights can help B2B companies to know how they can help buyers to navigate their own internal journeys. B2B leaders should seek insights on how to create value and loyalty through community-building. Such connections produce loyalty.

Loyalty 195

Loyalty Lead Scoring Lead Ranking B2B Sales 195

Tony Zambito

NOVEMBER 29, 2020

What we need companies to do is to not make it so hard to fill in the gaps on what we need and how to solve.” – Kim, Senior Director of Finance. Marketing and sales adopting journey mapping that originated out of Deming’s Total Quality Movement (TQM) and Customer Experience. . Content marketing arose in response.

Internet Marketing 207

Internet Marketing Fulfillment Interactive Marketing Customer Surveys 207

Tony Zambito

JANUARY 21, 2022

Many businesses today, in their marketing and sales operations, have an insatiable thirst for data and intelligence about their buyers and customers. For companies today, whether B2C or B2B, acting upon human-centered insights about their buyers and customers is truly a matter of survival. .

Marketing AI 204

Marketing AI Buyer Personas Marketing & Strategy Act-On 204

Tony Zambito

MARCH 6, 2017

B2B companies may have to come to grips with the fact they are living in their own digital information bubble. Where intelligence, mistaken for insights, is rooted in outdated sales and product marketing precepts of buying teams, buying criteria, ill-defined success factors, etc. This also occurs on the level of the buy decision.

Digital Transformation 253

Digital Transformation Buyer Personas Lead Ranking B2B 253

Tony Zambito

APRIL 7, 2008

When I first found myself in sales, like many of you, I was put through "product training" courses by the dozen. Product managers fed sales forces with detailed descriptions of feature after feature. The buyer was always thought of as the "target" and was a "customer" after the sale.

Buying Cycle 100

Buying Cycle Comparison Buyer Personas Marketing Management 100

Tony Zambito

MAY 13, 2008

The issue of sales and marketing alignment has been floating in the corporate hallways for several years now. What I am finding most interesting is that the definitions surrounding the "sales & marketing alignment" conundrum are, to use the proverbial expression, all over the map.

Buyer Personas 100

Buyer Personas Conference Marketing & Strategy Webinar Metrics 100

Tony Zambito

JANUARY 20, 2022

This leadership skill is what will separate companies that can or cannot connect with their buyers and customers. . If leaders in business operations, marketing, and sales do not develop the acumen to interpret buyer insights, they will be left holding up a broken three-legged stool with two legs missing. .

Buyer Personas 147

Buyer Personas Press Advertising Mediums Customer Surveys 147

Tony Zambito

MAY 17, 2021

Marketing and Sales Leaders Must Adapt To A New Era For B2B To Succeed With ABM And ABX. Here is how it sounds from an actual buyer interview with a VP, Marketing for a Global 1,000 company: “One of our big goals for this year is to increase our ABM function. We need to get more content in front of our target accounts.

Account Based Marketing 224

Account Based Marketing ABM Buyer Personas Intent Signal 224

Tony Zambito

JUNE 8, 2020

A quarterly monitoring study of buyer attitudes about buying decisions during and after the COVID-19 Crisis, the COVID-19 Buyer Outlook Insights study will bring timely and essential buyer persona-based decision-making about when and how to resume marketing and sales.

Studies 162

Studies Buyer Personas Paid Search Agency Sample 162

Tony Zambito

MARCH 2, 2022

As of this writing, we are beginning to see some oil companies begin to respond. Additionally, we have seen major tech companies, like Apple, ban the sale of their products to and within Russia. In other words, if customers and shareholders demand ESG accountability, are corporations willing to make the sacrifice it will mean?

Order 147

Order Business Planning Demand 147

Tony Zambito

OCTOBER 27, 2018

If B2B companies are not thinking about this, planning for this, and doing something about this – they will bound to be in big trouble. Before the turn of the new millennium in 2000, it was downright unthinkable in B2B that the model of sales representative and buyer interaction would ever change.

B2B 165

B2B Amazon Buyer Personas Fulfillment 165

Tony Zambito

OCTOBER 23, 2018

It has branched off a few more in the world of marketing and sales: Martech Transformation. Sales Transformation. Much of these have to do with internal processes within marketing and sales. The emphasis is on becoming more digitally efficient with one’s marketing and sales efforts as a means of connecting with customers.

Digital Transformation 184

Digital Transformation Buyer Personas Work Management Marketing Management 184

Tony Zambito

MAY 23, 2017

Creating fragmented and non-cohesive marketing being performed as companies shift their efforts to the newest and latest approaches hyped. While many companies have engaged in one or all three critical areas, the struggle is in creating a cycle that informs. The New Marketing Planning Cycle. Understanding Decisions Is The Focal Point.

B2B Marketing 227

B2B Marketing Planning Buyer Personas B2B 227

Tony Zambito

FEBRUARY 15, 2022

I have seen several SaaS companies and startups get tripped up in this area. They matter plenty when you can get the deep insights that allow you to make better-informed decisions in several areas: Investment in resources Go to market strategy Marketing strategy Sales strategy Product and design strategies. They are earned.

B2B Marketing 147

B2B Marketing B2B Trust Marketing Marketing & Strategy 147

Tony Zambito

SEPTEMBER 6, 2016

If you are a CMO or a marketer and you find yourself having a sudden realization that perhaps you are not quite sure of the differences, you will be in a lot of good company. Oftentimes, companies can lose sight of who exactly are their customers from a segmentation viewpoint. With some qualitative aspects on a minor scale.

Buyer Personas 100

Buyer Personas Ideal Customer Profiles Segmentation Profiling 100

Tony Zambito

DECEMBER 20, 2015

Findings also found that 70% of companies who missed their revenue goals did not conduct qualitative research for their personas. Another highlight for companies exceeding revenue goals is those who also focused on buyer fears and challenges in addition to drivers and motivators. Understanding Buyers And Customers Beyond The Rational.

Buyer Personas 100

Buyer Personas Research Studies Demand Generation Agencies 100