I have a client who has been hit very directly by the current economy; while he has maintained a positive outlook, he like everyone is looking for that slight edge that will help them drive revenue now and maintain his base for the future. While hasn’t always been easy for Tom over the last few months he continues to marshal on looking at the up side of things. But in April he became really disillusioned when he found out that his printer, who had been handling his flyers and other commercial printing, stopped send his business to Tom, and was now buying from one of my client’s competitors. Being a man of action, Tom was hell-bent on making sure that he had an equal relationship with everyone, and he quickly switched his printing business to another printer. In fact he began looking at his vendor list and examining which are in a position to do business with him, and of those which are doing business with him, and which are not. Those that were not are slowly being replaced. What’s interesting is that he is not telling any of them why they he is switching away, no fanfare no hoopla, just a quiet migration. As he switches he is letting his new ... read more >>
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We like to think that because we offer a great product and service, and are priced fairly, that we will meet our client’s criteria to be a solution provider. But in truth, we never, ever know what their subjective, unconscious, criteria are (and nor do they until much later on in the buying decision process). Buying Facilitation helps buyers recognize these criteria, and gives sellers the tools to maneuver buyers through all of the hidden dynamics that go on within their workplace that sellers cannot be privvy to. But sometimes, just sometimes, there are a few, um, glitches. This video was sent to me by my friend Gil Friend who is a leader in green business and sustainability (and a long time visionary who has been holding the space for almost as many years as I have… and thank goodness for people like him or the world wouldn’t be changing) (http://blogs.natlogic.com/friend/). And, sadly, it’s a hoot. It certainly plainly describes when our customers have their own agenda, and we have no clue how to go beyond our proscribed approach to selling our product. Let’s always remember that buyers have very different buying patterns than our selling patterns. Enjoy. ... read more >>
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Tony Karrer (Browse My Stuff) and Tom Pick (WebMarketCentral) have created and launched the B2B Marketing Zone as a filter to aggregate content for us in one spot. Similar to the idea of The Customer Collective for sales and marketing professionals and My Venture Pad aimed at SMBs and Junta42 for content marketing, this site focuses on a niche. I'm excited to be one of their launch bloggers along with the terrific expertise provided by Brian Carroll, Paul Dunay, Newt Barrett and Jon Miller. I love that it also includes some new perspectives such as Cece Salmon Miller (PR Meets Marketing), Jay Lipe (Smart Marketing).There are a couple of unique features of the B2B Marketing Zone that I think you'll find useful.Navigation: On the left you see navigation around Concepts, Tools, Types and Companies such as Forrester. This makes using the site much easier than only having a list of bloggers or a blank search field. They've recognized that it's not about us (the bloggers) as it is about getting you the information you want, faster.Participation: Rather than being a site that only focuses on well-known bloggers, the B2B Marketing Zone is asking for input, content suggestions and blog .. ... read more >>
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I was honored to be included in the “Conversations with Early Innovators” section of Oracle Corporation’s Innovation Showcase, which is now being featured on its website along with a 100-day countdown to Oracle OpenWorld. As the founder of Oracle’s inside sales group, I stressed the innovation of Oracle’s business practices while others interviewed focused on the company’s technology innovations. There’s a fun story about Ted Codd - the father of relational database - in there, too. Here’s the interview in its entirety: Anneke Seley was the twelfth Oracle employee and the designer of the company’s revolutionary phone sales operation that is now called OracleDirect. She helped to organize Oracle’s first user conferences, which were the predecessor events to Oracle OpenWorld. Currently, she is the CEO and founder of Phone Works, a sales strategy and implementation consultancy that specializes in helping companies incorporate phone and Web selling into their sales models. Seley is also the coauthor of a new book, Sales 2.0: Improve Business Results Using Innovative Sales Practices and Technology (John Wiley & Sons, 2008). Q:What was innovative ... read more >>
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China is clearly the world’s largest marketplace and currently the 3rd largest economy from a GDP perspective. In September, I’ll be speaking to nearly 2,000 Chinese business people in Guangzhou and Shanghai. This 9-day trip is being put on by Global True North, a consulting group which works to bring US and Chinese business people together. Five US corporations are being invited to join us on this trip. The companies traveling with us will have the opportunity to dialogue with key Chinese business people. I’d like to invite you to drop me an email (Mark@TheSalesHunter.com) if you’re interested in being part of this huge business opportunity. I’ll be sharing more about this in the weeks to come, however because of the lead-time necessary to secure a Visa, we will need to finalize our travel list very shortly. We will leave Sept. 2 and return to the US on Sept. 13. Link to original posthttp://thesaleshunter.com/blog/ read more >>
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How is it managed? Is it through CRM systems? You can read my blog post discussing this question also here. The 3 C’s of Knowledge For a successful sales campaign, adequate knowledge is needed about: - The customer’s/prospect’s situation
- The competitive landscape
- The supplier’s capabilities
How do CRM Systems Support These Domains? Using the above framework, we can make the following observations. 1. Customer Knowledge One of the primary purposes of CRM systems is to provide data structures allowing tracking every relevant interaction between the companies customer facing people with the customers/prospects, they look after. Thus a body of situational knowledge is created. Consultation of this knowledge is then particularly valuable in the maintenance of a customer relationship. This body of knowledge is however not sufficient when building or expanding a customer relationship. In this case, the following additional elements are needed: - Background information about the prospect
- The current situation the prospect is in
- Trigger events causing sales people to want to build the relationship to ...
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A few weeks ago I posted a piece called Tender This, questioning the value and need for tenders and RFP’s, vs. making a decision based on a different path. Some shared my opinions others had different views, it is funny how the ones that really disagree write me directly rather than posting comments for others to see and respond to. One of the take aways I got out of it is how can you counter act the trend. So if buyers are relying more on RFP’s for whatever reason, governance, stated practice, lack of strength to make a decision without covering your ass, what have you. What can sellers to do to level the playing field? One fellow I spoke to had a practice that he feels doesn’t necessarily derail the process, but gives him a leg up, and he does claim that he had success more than once in having an RFP pulled in favour of exploring his solution exclusively. So my question to you is two fold, first how do you gain an advantage in an RFP situation? Second, do you have a means of changing the game, and getting them to park the RFP/Tender, and look at your offering exclusively? Share your methodologies/techniques/tricks, we’ll share all, and ... read more >>
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 From HappyAbout.info We were sent a review copy of ‘18 Rules of Community Engagement’ by Angela Connor, which contains very useful lessons for all businesses engaging with – or planning to engage with – their customers and potential customers online. Angela Connor has boiled down a huge subject into an 18-step strategy. Think of it as an accessible masterclass by a pragmatist rather than a theoretical lecture or high-minded discussion. Currently Managing Editor of User-Generated Content at WRAL.com, in 2007 Angela launched GOLO.com, the first online community for the top-rated television station in the state which has grown to more than 12,000 members. Angela has a background in journalism that shines through in her written style, making it easy to follow, conversational and crisp. Essentially, unlike some ‘gurus’ and ‘experts’ who perform a commentary, Angela has done the hard slog, learned the hard lessons and continues to grow her community day-to-day. Her thinking is fresh and grounded in reality. Just like we do here at FreshNetworks, Connor returns again and again to the themes of interaction, engagement, conversation. Above all, the importance of getting in the ... read more >>
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Wow. The folks at the social media site, "The Customer Collective" have out done themselves. They gathered three sales trainers (me among them) to share wisdom for FREE. The incomparable Jill Konrath (from "Selling to Big Companies") shows how to... read more >>
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By divya.malik “Oracle Application Integration Architecture allowed us to quickly integrate Oracle CRM On Demand with our quoting system and other business applications, so salespeople spend less time tracking down information and more time selling.”
Teri Lancaster
CRM On Demand Project Manager
Pella Windows Pella Windows, a leader in designing, manufacturing and installing quality windows, recently selected CRM On Demand to integrate with its existing set of applications. Pella has been an old Oracle customer and hence already had an established Oracle applications footprint. Read here for more details on how Pella is trying to give its sales a lift with the integrated CRM On Demand Solution. Link to original post read more >>
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