The most fundamental tenet of professional services marketing is trust. How can you expect potential clients to retain you if they don't trust you? You can't. Until recently, only one path led to trust between you and clients; now, another path is available to you. more

"It's an old adage," writes Amanda Hinkle in an article at MarketingProfs. "Driving increased sales from your current customers is easier than acquiring new customers." And yet, it's an old adage many retailers don't heed: In a recent survey, only 37% said they use cross-sell and up-sell programs to boost ... more

What do you get when you put an analyst, a consultant, a practitioner, and a ringleader on the same panel devoted to demand-gen data? You get smart answers to your most pressing questions. Here's a summary of the smarts that such a panel imparted at the MarketingProfs B2B Forum earlier ... more

People hate push marketing: It interrupts their favorite shows. It clutters their screens. And too often it has nothing to do with their interests. But customers don't mind messaging that's relevant to their needs. These four commandments will keep relevancy central to your messages. more

Whether you like politicians or not, you've got to hand it to them: On either side of the aisle, they know how to connect with others and win hearts and minds. How they do it is how you can do it, too. more

Two-thirds of B2B companies struggle to achieve a truly collaborative process for message development, according to a report from Corporate Visions: 33% of B2B sales and marketing professionals say their message creation process is non-collaborative, politically charged, or nonexistent, and 33% say their message creation process is semi-collaborative. more

You have a very good reason to join your local chamber of commerce: "One study on consumer preferences found that 63% of consumers prefer to shop and do business with chamber members," writes Mike Bowman at MarketingProfs. But the respectability of chamber membership isn't the only perk: It can also generate a steady ... more

The way teleprospectors phrase their questions and emphasize key messaging can be the difference between a fully qualified lead or a dial tone. But don't fall into the common trap of writing a script and trying to get everyone to follow it verbatim. more

A common misconception about lead nurturing in marketing automation systems is that its purpose is to "move prospects through the sales funnel." But it's not—at least not if you want the end result to be a sale... more

Among B2B organizations, the use of integrated marketing automation appears to boost the effectiveness of lead generation efforts across various metrics, such as the quantity of leads generated, the quality of leads passed to sales teams, and the proportion of leads accepted by sales, according to a report by Lenskold ... more

Smartphones and tablets are redefining sales because they offer a compelling blend of usability, utility, and innovation that's unachievable with personal computers. In short, mobile enablement can supercharge your sales. And this infographic outlines how. more

US consumer spending on online deals (daily deals, instant deals, and flash sales) is forecast to reach $3.6 billion in 2012, up 86.9% from the estimated $1.8 billion spent in 2011, according to a report by BIA/Kelsey. However, the forecast signals a maturing market. more

Companies are dispensing with the traditional website, instead integrating popular social networks right into their site and communicating with customers in real time via tweets and Facebook posts. Here's why you might want to follow their lead. more

Armed with smartphones, shoppers are going to brick-and-mortar stores to evaluate products—then, often while still in the store, buying them online to get deals. That's "showrooming." Here's what you can do about it. more

The best B2B marketers are successful because they start with building a brand. In other words, the best B2B marketers think like B2C marketers. And here's just how they think and what they do. more

E-commerce is booming again! Now, online merchants have a lot of choices when selecting shopping carts and hosting platforms. Lexity has put together an infographic after studying the e-commerce landscape. more

What's the key to crafting a B2B landing page that grabs attention—and loads of leads? It needs to be well-written, and offer real value to visitors. It needs to be eye-catching, to grab attention in those first critical seconds. But we all know these basics, right? So which specific elements work ... more

It's an old adage: Driving increased sales from your current customers is easier than acquiring new customers. But when marketing via email, a lot of businesses seem to be missing an opportunity that's right in front of them. more

One of the first things consumers look for when making a purchase is a review of the product or service they're interested in. They look to their peers for input and advice and trust them far more than they do the brand, especially if they've had little or no interaction ... more

Anyone who thinks it's easy to plan, promote, and execute a successful event has never planned, promoted, or executed a successful event. In any case, social media tools can make events easier.  "Whether you need to work with organizers, generate buzz, or share post-party photos, social media should be a primary weapon in your ... more

At a recent industry event, I was often inspired, but also confused... therefore this attempt at Zen, to provide feedback to presenters everywhere about what they do that's excellent—and less than excellent. more

The old adage that "a product sells itself" is nothing more than a sales and marketing myth. Products sell in large part because of the due diligence that is completed before the first sales call is made. That means taking the necessary time to create your "ideal customer" profile and ... more

What was once defined as a tidy "funnel" or a simple "waterfall" is no longer as relevant as it once was. Think, instead, a river fed by many brooks and streams that gracefully come together, only to rush over the edge of the waterfall into the (sometimes) beautiful and tranquil ... more

As we head toward the Labor Day weekend, you should start planning your marketing campaigns for the holidays. If you procrastinate (or worse, forget to plan for the holidays), you'll miss out on reaching your audience during the most wonderful time of the year. more

Thanks, in part, to its pay-for-performance model, affiliate marketing is one of the fastest-growing segments of online commerce. But low-quality affiliates can end up costing, rather than making, money. The best way to make sure an affiliate marketing program delivers sustainable results is to recruit and nurture high-value affiliates. more