According to Dan McDade, the foundation of any lead generation program is the right offer—one that intelligently addresses a prospect's real problems. "When you fully understand their pain points and needs and can align them with a clear offer and comprehensive benefits, the sales nurturing process will leapfrog ahead," he ... more

There are plenty of internal computer platforms that promise to make employees more efficient: standalone CRMs, heavy-handed intranets and project management software that needs managing all on its own. Then there are social platforms that, on top of everything else, vow to improve morale and boost collaboration! It's easy to ... more

Group deals are gaining popularity among local businesses: 12% of surveyed local merchants say they have offered a group-deal promotion, up 33% (3 percentage points) from the 9% who said so in June 2011, according to the seventh annual MerchantCircle Confidence Index. more

In an article at Sales 2.0, Jill Konrath answers the question all B2B sales people ask themselves when heading out to meet with prospects: "What will make them say, Yes, I want to work with you?" "To be most effective in sales today," Konrath replies, "it's imperative to drop your 'sales' ... more

The Saturday after Thanksgiving has been dubbed Small Business Saturday, a day for customers to shop small—at their favorite local stores—and help fuel the economy. How can you use this shopping day to your advantage? more

Professional services companies that generate a large proportion of business leads via online sources grow faster and more profitably than firms without such lead capabilities, according to a new study by Hinge Marketing, which also found that SEO, blogging, and Web analytics are among the most effective online marketing tools ... more

Facebook recently hosted its annual f8 conference to make announcements about the social network. But the event provided four invaluable tradeshow and event marketing lessons for forward-thinking marketers. more

Today, B2B buyers are busy, busy, busy... doing the work of multiple people. The last thing they have time for is a salesperson who takes a spray-and-pray approach: a generic presentation that's all about the product/service being sold. more

Engaging local target audiences is a strategic focus for many brands: 49% of national marketers surveyed say localized marketing is essential to business growth and profitability, particularly as it relates to demand generation and sell-through of products and services, according to a study by the CMO Council. Moreover, 86% of ... more

One natural tactic (let's admit it) that B2B marketers often turn to when seeking to increase sales is to stuff the pipeline with more leads. But time and again we hear, in response, the following argument: The quality of your leads will beat out quantity every time. As Geoffrey James puts it ... more

As social networking channels gain more and more momentum, there's a good chance you've seen a serious uptick in new inbound leads. "[W]hat happens once you get them?" asks Sammy James at MarketingProfs. "Do your lead-response efforts take advantage of your lead flow? Could your lead-conversion rates use a boost?" ... more

There's more to social networking than just chatting online. Sometimes, you'll want to actively promote your great work live—all while courting new clients and making useful new contacts! Andy Lopata provides tips for launching a successful social business event without breaking the bank or encountering unpleasant surprises along the way. Get ... more

"You guys are a bunch of clowns who just do arts and crafts all day!" Is that what your sales team says about the marketing folks? Ever wonder how you might get those two hearts to beat as one? more

Though 88% of B2B companies say they understand their target audiences at least moderately well, they still struggle to translate that understanding into new business leads via their corporate websites, according to a new study by Demandbase and Focus. more

Though overall global marketing budgets in the tech sector are increasing 3.5% in 2011, they are not keeping pace with annual revenues in the sector, which are expected to grow 6.5% over 2010 levels, according to a report by IDC. more

"Many have pronounced tradeshow marketing dead," writes Bob Hebeisen at MarketingProfs. "But with the right strategy, hard work, and flawless execution, tradeshows can still be a productive part of your marketing plan." To make the most of your lead-generating budget, he suggests a twelve-step process that takes you from pre-show ... more

"Some people would say that nurturing is based on a marketer's goal such as building brand awareness or your company's reputation for thought leadership," writes Ardath Albee at Marketing Interactions. "I say those are integral parts of lead nurturing but that neither is valid as a standalone goal." In other words, ... more

B2B marketers who describe their organizations as "highly effective and efficient" are more likely than other marketers to measure the ROI of their marketing campaigns and report stronger growth than their competitors, according to a study by The Lenskold Group and The Pedowitz Group. more

We all know it: Content rules in today's digital marketplace. Prospects expect to find information about any product or service that strikes their fancy—in a matter of seconds. As a result, the function of the salesperson in this "content-driven environment" has "changed dramatically," John Jatsch writes in an article at ... more

Though word-of-mouth recommendations still have the greatest influence on purchasing decisions among small and medium-sized businesses, online forums and blogs play a huge role in the process, too—and a more influential one than advertisements or consultations with salespeople, according to a new survey from Ivy Worldwide. more

"Every time you try to do web research, it seems like you are immediately bombarded by salespeople looking to close a deal," writes Mark Price at B2Bbloggers. "It does not matter if you are investigating an accounting package, marketing automation, health insurance or just a copier, you get the same ... more

Marketing budgets are on the rise again: 57% of senior-level marketers say they are increasing their overall marketing spend in 2011; among them, most (26%) plan to increase budgets between 1% and 5%, according to the CMO Council's State of Marketing Report. more

There's a good chance your typical B2B customer works in a state of constant overload: too many emails, too many meetings and too much buzzing in her ears. It doesn't matter if your product or service would instantly improve her business and lower her costs—she doesn't have the time or ... more

Marketing automation facilitates real-time, one-to-one conversations with prospects based on their actions. But before you automate, be sure to tackle these four elements to maximize your lead-nurturing efforts. more

"You may be frustrated with unopened emails and low clickthroughs, but be reassured that even if your subscribers don't open your email, its presence in their inbox leads to a tangible impact on brand awareness and sales via online and other channels," writes Dela Quist in a classic issue of ... more