Think of personas—customer archetypes—as "stand-ins" representing the needs, goals, and personal characteristics of various groups of your customers. They are invaluable for giving salespeople insight into the behaviors, expectations, and motivations of users and buyers in the buying process. more

There are many challenges in leading a winning sales team, but research has identified 3 key challenges that sales managers most commonly face. How are you currently approaching these situations? Are you getting the results you are looking for? more

Want to make sure your message doesn't get through? That your campaign disappears without a trace? That your communication program suffers a quick, painful death? Then be sure to try one of these attention-stoppers. more

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Once again, it is that time of year... when marketing departments are busily preparing next year's budget. As we all know, chances are you won't be able to get everything you're asking for. But, believe it or not, this may actually be a good thing. more

Salespeople often overlook one of the most effective and quick ways to both establish themselves as experts in their field and generate a pipeline of quality prospects. more

This week, how do you train product salespeople to sell services? Here are three steps. more

Do you have the killer instinct? A small percentage of Web content really makes a difference. It makes the sale, delivers the service, and builds the brand. This is the killer Web content. It probably represents less than 10% of content published on the Web, because—let's face it—most content just gets ... more

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All too often, Web pages, even homepages, provide readers with a variety of choices, but don't really provide a clear way forward. This is particularly true when a site has multiple products or services to sell. If visitors read your homepage and become interested in something you are selling or ... more

Pay-per-click advertising is the biggest lead-generation breakthrough to come about in a long time. For small and midsize companies, in particular—and thanks to its ability to narrowly target prospects, tightly manage spending, and precisely measure results—PPC is one of the most efficient lead generation tools ever developed. It does, however, have ... more

Most people who ask "What do you do?" aren't signing up for the lecture, so don't give it to them. more

Marketing departments perform many tasks throughout the year: hiring good talent, keeping quality employees, choosing the right communications strategy, improving ROI, and generating higher quality leads for Sales. But with increasing competition and diminishing budgets, achieving these goals is becoming increasingly difficult. Fortunately, there is a crucial step that marketing departments ... more

Overall, big brands typically screw up search in two big ways, and Nike is no different... . more

You can do Hollywood tie-ins right. It just takes nerves of steel, the ability to say no to a lot of very charming people, and a ton of planning. But you will live to fight another day if you follow this prescription... . more

If you're able to just snap your fingers and make work appear on command, more power to you. If not, and you ever find yourself having to do some sales, what follows are some musings from a business development department about preparation, organization, getting and staying in touch, and keeping ... more

B2B events are incredibly efficient. Your clients and prospects gather there... in growing numbers. Plus, events like these blend face-to-face selling and broadcast-style marketing, giving you a shot at the best of both worlds. Provided you're smart. And, provided you can overcome the professionals' legendary reluctance to be, well, social. What ... more

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We all know about ADD—Attention Deficit Disorder. The larger problem, in terms of getting response to our communications, is TDD—Time Deficit Disorder. more

Simplicity is probably the most important underlying factor when it comes to the performance of any Web page... whether your homepage, an interior page, a sales page, or a landing page. Here are six ways to keep your pages simple and increase conversions. more

Connecting to the female consumer is not easy, because there is no single magical way to target women. They are a diverse group, and in many ways it is harder to reach them than their male counterparts. As a follow up to part one of this article, here are specific ideas ... more

This week: Many businesses have succeeded in selling products online in the form of e-books, e-reports and other downloadable content. Of course, it's not as simple as posting the product on your Web site and hoping buyers will come. The challenge comes in getting potential customers to your site in ... more

Do members of your company's executive team—along with your peers throughout the organization—see the connection between marketing and the cash flowing into your company's coffers? If not, they probably view you as merely a tactical tool (brochure writer, a trade-show participant, Web site "put-it-upper"), not a true strategic partner. And ... more

B2B marketers who are recognizing the limitations of today's email-marketing and Web-analytics applications for generating qualified sales leads are switching to lead-generation solutions to ensure a continuous stream of qualified leads. Keep these five points in mind to ensure that you make a purchase that meets the needs of your ... more

For many sales professionals, prospecting or qualifying is the least favorite aspect of their job. Often, in the rush to dig into a new account and make a new sale, only a cursory attempt is made at qualifying, and the salesperson ends up spending time with the wrong people. In this ... more