A challenge with Marketing Automation systems, so far, is that they are mostly tactical. But to fulfill the Marketing department's desire to think and act strategically, marketing automation had to do more. Enter B2B marketing's latest three-letter acronym, RPM, for Revenue Performance Management.

Marketing automation systems, like Eloqua and Silverpop, are becoming standard equipment among our clients. This is great for both our clients and for us. For the clients, these systems allow Sales to self-serve, and launch one-off campaigns to their prospects at just the right time in the buying cycle. Read More

I enjoyed speaking on the Focus Roundtable a few weeks ago  on the topic of sales and marketing alignment, along with Dan McDade of PointClear, Tim Sullivan of Sales Performance International, and Karen Hayward of Centerbeam. You can listen to the recording of the event here.

In the corporate marketing departments where I've worked, a bone of contention has been, "What's the Lead Source?" For any given suspect/prospect/lead/opportunity in the funnel, what or who gets credit for bringing it in?

Want to increase your email open rate, white paper download rate, or registrations at your next speaking gig? Create a catchy title by turning the problem you solve on its head.

I need a new laptop. I also know that I won't be happy until I have done exhaustive research to assure myself that I have purchased the perfect machine for me: the right compromise of weight and power, the best video for my needs, the right-sized keyboard, and so on. Read More

Have you ever been solicited by a company that you already do business with? It happens to me all the time. Don’t these companies know that I am already part of their value chain? So, why are they spamming and cold calling me? I feel like I am being taken for granted, and I look for an excuse to “escape” through the bottom of their sales funnel. Don’t let this happen to your customers by neglecting their content.

Your suspects have become prospects, and then qualified prospects. They have landed smack in the middle of your sales funnel. They have even met with your account rep and senior executives. You’re on their short list. Does that mean that your work providing marketing content is done?

Hardly.

Is your buyer standing quietly on the edge of the market, trying not to be noticed? Research shows that most B2B projects start without a budget or purchase authority—when the potential buyer does a web search. This is the Tentative Buyer, and she wants to learn as much as possible about the best solution—without being sold anything.

Does your prospect need a whack on the head? If he is an Unaware Buyer, he doesn’t care about your product, even if he needs it. And he certainly doesn’t care about your webinar or your trade show booth. The challenge with the Unaware Buyer is that he goes out of his way to avoid any sales pitch, because he doesn’t think he needs to buy anything.