B2B Marketing and Sales Archives

Account Based Marketing vs Inbound Marketing

Recent focus on #ABM – Account Based Marketing – has spurred a lot of conversation about how ABM differs from Inbound Marketing. Our view is that these descriptive labels essentially are all attacking the same challenge of driving sustainable revenue growth. ABM is more focused on engaging, converting and expanding an account – a typical B2B sales and marketing challenge. Inbound Marketing is a more generic process of lead generation and lead conversion though an attraction principle – using content and permission marketing to attract leads (people) to your brand or website for nurture and sales conversion.

We focus on the concept of Revenue Architecture – a customized approach to align your business model with your revenue generation model and to unify the sales and marketing process.

Here are some ways that account based marketing and inbound marketing are different.

March 30, 2016/0 Comments/by John Stone

10 Attributes of Services and Solution Selling

Account-Based Marketing, B2B Marketing and Sales, Revenue Growth, Sales Enablement, Sales Excellence

There is a spectrum of selling from “brains for hire” to “commodity product”. “Brains for hire” requires the “seller-doer” model where the selling professional has both subject matter expertise and services delivery expertise. A typical example of this is the consulting partner at a management consulting firm. Solution selling is in the middle of this spectrum and requires consultative selling, yet not necessarily a “seller-doer” model. In this post, we explore 10 attributes of services and solution selling.

February 26, 2016/0 Comments/by John Stone

Do you have a Revenue Growth Plan, A Revenue Architecture?

B2B Marketing and Sales, Revenue Architecture, Revenue Growth, Revenue Marketing, Revenue Programs, Revenue Strategy

A Revenue Architecture is a process for accelerating revenue growth.

Rev-en-ue noun: the return or yield from any kind of property, patent, service, etc.; income. Ar-chi-tec-ture noun: the process and product of planning, design and construction. “Revenue Architecture” is the process and product of planning, designing and constructing the capabilities for sustainable revenue performance. A Revenue Architecture helps businesses of any size align marketing and sales and engage the market to generate demand and convert sales.

There are three dimensions of a Revenue Architecture:

Strategy: Defining the innovative strategies and prioritized initiatives that will help you differentiate in the market.
Systems: The integrated platform of brand, channels, people, process and technology forming your revenue engine.
Programs: Creative and predictive marketing and sales campaigns that engage audience, drive demand and convert sales.

A world class Revenue Architecture is defined by leading practices across 30 dimensions. We developed a diagnostic tool called Revenue Grader to help business owners and revenue leaders sell-assess their capabilities and prioritize focus.

February 9, 2016/0 Comments/by John Stone

Plan Your Account Based Marketing Strategy

Account-Based Marketing, B2B Marketing and Sales, Content Marketing, Inbound Marketing, Revenue Growth, Revenue Strategy, Sales Enablement

The promise of Account Based Marketing (ABM) is to increase sales success by coordinating marketing and sales efforts for target accounts. The ABM concept is a departure from mass marketing that casts wide nets with generic messages. Instead, with ABM, marketing tailors messages to each targeted prospect account, making marketing activities more efficient to help sales close more business. More tailored experiences mean relevant information for each account and a greater likelihood that potential buyers find the information they’re looking for, speed through the initial stages of the buying cycle, and become ready to be contacted,nurtured, and converted.

February 3, 2016/0 Comments/by nhill

Account Based Marketing and the Closed Loop Marketing Architecture

Account-Based Marketing, B2B Marketing and Sales, Closed-loop Marketing, Content Marketing, CRM, Inbound Marketing, Marketing Automation, Newsletter, Revenue Architecture, Revenue Growth, Revenue Marketing, Revenue Systems, Technology & Websites

The focus on Account Based Marketing and it’s requirements has ignited a range of discussions and specialized B2B and ABM technologies and processes. For companies that are selling to accounts, the strategies associated with ABM are well understood, yet the technologies are still evolving. At first blush, you might think that a closed-loop marketing architecture doesn’t apply to B2B and account-based marketing. Closed Loop Marketing is data and insight-driven. It clearly works for B2C and high-volume campaigns. Yet, how does CLM apply to a highly relationship-centric account-based marketing focus?

Actually, closed-loop marketing is a core foundation for effective Account Based Marketing / ABM.

December 8, 2015/0 Comments/by John Stone

Account-Based Marketing Backgrounder

Account-Based Marketing, B2B Marketing and Sales, Closed-loop Marketing, Inbound Marketing, Newsletter, Revenue Architecture, Revenue Growth

Account based marketing (ABM) is a B2B marketing and sales process that begins with a focus on accounts rather than only ‘leads’ or people. Rather than primarily using the conventional method of casting a wide net to reach potential leads, ABM “flips the funnel” and focuses on specific target companies or accounts, the “business”, instead of only the “lead” or person.

November 17, 2015/0 Comments/by John Stone

Align Marketing and Sales to End 2015 Strong

B2B Marketing and Sales, Closed-loop Marketing, Inbound Marketing, Marketing Automation, Revenue Architecture, Revenue Growth, Revenue Marketing, Revenue Programs, Revenue Strategy, Revenue Systems, Sales Excellence

It’s the middle of Q4 and the end of the year is fast-approaching. For many, it is a time to slow down from work and spend time with family. For sales people, it’s can be a frantic time, as many B2B companies must close sales opportunities to achieve revenue goals.

So, what can the marketing team do to help the sales team and ring in the New Year on a positive note? Here are a few tips to align marketing and sales and help ease the December frenzy and drive some upward momentum into the New Year.

November 6, 2015/0 Comments/by nhill

6 Marketing Automation Myths

B2B Marketing and Sales, Closed-loop Marketing, Inbound Marketing, Marketing Automation, Revenue Growth, Revenue Systems

Marketing Automation has been around since the 1990s. Back then, the focus was on automating email marketing— managing the development and delivery of emails to target lists at scheduled times. Over the decades, software developers expanded the capabilities of Marketing Automation to meet the requirements of a variety of marketing functions and users.

Today, Marketing Automation refers to a broad range software technology for marketing and it is an important element of closed loop marketing. Its evolution has raised many questions about what it is, what it does, and whom it benefits.

October 25, 2015/0 Comments/by nhill

Complex Sales Campaign Design with Closed Loop Marketing

B2B Marketing and Sales, Closed-loop Marketing, Content Marketing, Marketing Automation, Revenue Growth, Revenue Programs

Corporations with complex, high-consideration sales are often accused of focusing on the short-term, which is inevitably reflected in their demand generation or campaign strategy. This generally means that marketing and sales are not aligned and operating to some degree as silos. With short-term horizons, the campaign communications focus tends to be on sales driven, tactical programs designed to seek out “hot leads”.

In the highly competitive, complex B2B sales world with longer sales cycles, this is not fully sustainable. There is a typically a sales team or committees of savvy buyers. A short term focus may eke out some leads, but what about the other leads who may with some nurturing turn out to be qualified opportunities — but not yet “sales-ready.” The modern buyer knows your product or service from what is readily available on the web and related sources and will be considering any number of options before making a decision.

Studies show that 50% of leads are qualified but aren’t immediately ready to buy something from you [Source: Gleanster Research]. With lead nurturing however, you can bring those leads through your sales funnel and garner 4-10 times the response rate compared to a regular email blast while doing it [Source: SilverPop/DemandGen Report].

So where do you start?

October 18, 2015/0 Comments/by Therese Byrne

How to Write a Blog Post Quickly

B2B Marketing and Sales, Content Marketing, Inbound Marketing, Investment Management, Revenue Growth, SEO

Many consider writing a blog post a daunting task. The structure needs to be clear and the writing needs to be persuasive.

It does not need to be a daunting task! A blog post can be drafted quickly using a structured persuasive communications approach.

So, how can you write a blog post effectively…..quickly?

The answer is to use Persuasive Communications and Top-Down Thinking!

How?

Begin with a single persuasive message and follow a proven ‘top-down’ structure: S-C-Q-A!

Situation
Complication
Question
Answer (single persuasive message)

+ supporting points or “key lines”

October 6, 2015/0 Comments/by John Stone

Account Based Marketing vs Inbound Marketing

10 Attributes of Services and Solution Selling

Do you have a Revenue Growth Plan, A Revenue Architecture?

Plan Your Account Based Marketing Strategy

Account Based Marketing and the Closed Loop Marketing Architecture

Account-Based Marketing Backgrounder

Align Marketing and Sales to End 2015 Strong

6 Marketing Automation Myths

Complex Sales Campaign Design with Closed Loop Marketing

How to Write a Blog Post Quickly

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