Question

Topic: Customer Behavior

Research: B-b Tools For 2nd & 3rd Level Mgmt

Posted by james.mccabe on 10/31/2007 at 12:41 PM ET 500 Points
I am looking for research and data about what tools support sales and marketing to directors, VPs, and C-Level managers.

While advice and opinions are also welcome, I am primarily seeking objective research and data.

Many thanks!
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RESPONSES

  • Posted by Peter (henna gaijin) on 10/31/2007 at 2:03 PM Member
    C-level (and similar) folks at companies, as the prime decision makers for a company, are heavily targeted by marketers. As such, they have to put in place excellent filters/gatekeepers so they can have time to do their job (and not just respond to people trying to sell to them).

    Not sure there are an automated tools or utilities that would help a company do this. More requires excellent sales skills and creative marketing.
  • Posted on 10/31/2007 at 7:30 PM Member
    B2B directors, VPs and C-Level managers generally need tools for sales operations, research data on the competitive landscape and market outlook to help in business and sales planning. Some tools that would be applicable include tools like sales force automation tools (like Salesforce.com), customer relationship management tools (CRM), knowledge management tools and business research (like eMarketer).
  • Posted by Harry Hallman on 11/1/2007 at 7:08 AM Member
    Go to www.marcomgeek.com. There are links to lots of research and marketing publications and some tools as well.
  • Posted by james.mccabe on 11/1/2007 at 8:48 AM Author
    Thanks for the suggestions so far. To clarify:

    "I am looking for research and data about what tools support sales and marketing to directors, VPs, and C-Level managers."

    -- by this I meant things like collateral types, webinars, etc... it sounded so much clearer in my mind... ;-)
  • Posted on 11/1/2007 at 10:54 AM Member
    Hi

    As per my experience of working with online firm. I would advise you need to get in touch with a Emarketing firm, that would provide you with optin email address and also who could not only provide you with Email address for your criteria but also would help you do a targeted campaign. The best I can suggest you is to contact stevem@optinlists.us who would assist you with the necessary details about how to conduct a email survey or do research using online.
  • Posted on 11/1/2007 at 2:08 PM Accepted
    James - after 15+ years of doing research among b-to-b audiences (many among those in C-level positions), there's no easy answer - it depends heavily on the industry. For instance, in oil & gas companies, word-of-mouth/peers is a favorite. In high-tech, it tends to be more Webinars and electronic case histories. If you're targeting a specific market, you have to ask them how they want you to communicate with them.
  • Posted on 11/2/2007 at 9:39 AM Accepted
    I would suggest looking into the Direct Marketing Association. They have a great deal of resources as to best practices, white papers, etc. in what works in both B2C and B2B markets. It might be a good place for you to start in terms of getting data on tools that are likely to generate success:

    https://www.the-dma.org/index.php

    Good luck!
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