Category Archives: Sales Operations Strategies
Summit 2013 Highlights: Apply Productivity Analysis to Improve B-to-B Sales Results
- 9th May 2013
- Robin Whiting
Time is the most valuable resource a sales rep has: “A salesperson has, typically, 50 hours in the week in which to work. It’s the job of both marketing and sales to ensure that those 50 hours are spent as productively as possible,” said Jim Ninivaggi, service director of Sales Enablement Strategies at SiriusDecisions, who spoke at Summit 2013 this morning. B-to-b organizations often struggle to keep reps focused on higher-yield activities that lead to closing deals and bringing in revenue. This was borne out by the results of an instant poll of the Summit 2013 audience: Only 1 percent of participants polled felt very confident that their reps are fully productive vs. 41 percent who are very confident that their reps are not fully productive.
Continue Reading....Four Proven Ways to Reach at Least 90 Percent Sales Quota Attainment
- 1st March 2013
- Alden Cushman
How can you improve the performance of your b-to-b sales organization? Set higher quotas? Provide higher commissions or accelerators? Increase training? Hire more sales specialists or, perhaps, administrators? Which levers should you push and why? In the past, we have written about the clear relationship between pipeline-to-quota ratios and pipeline conversion ratios and pipeline velocity (3x-or-less pipelines have better conversion rates, while 4x-or-more pipelines have faster velocity, but that does not make up for the worse conversion rates). Analysis of our sales benchmark data reveals four interesting commonalities between b-to-b organizations that reported at least 90 percent annual quota attainment for their sales force.
Continue Reading....Measuring the Success of Sales Assets
- 13th February 2013
- Edge Coble
During a recent visit to a travel agency, I was surprised by how little the agent knew about the destination I was considering. Let’s just say there are many TV ads for this kid-friendly vacation spot, but when I asked specific questions, the basic response was, “It is a really popular destination.” This was of little use in my decision process. I was expecting more insight – popular activities, comments from other vacationers, whether our travel dates coincide with the busy season. Instead, I am back at square one with too many choices and a fast-approaching vacation deadline. Reps often have this problem with their asset management tool. Listing what is hot or popular does have some benefits, but sales reps want content suggestions for their specific opportunities and sales stages. Needing to search for content on the system adds another administrative function to their already busy day.
Continue Reading....Sailing Through a Post-Deployment Process
- 31st January 2013
- Mark Levinson
A post-deployment process is not the same as good execution; it is the process of reviewing each part of the project once execution has begun. Unfortunately, most of us have a new special project or initiative always lined up (and probably overdue), so we move on, forgetting the importance of managing the post-deployment process.
Continue Reading....Five New Year’s Resolutions for Sales Operations
- 10th December 2012
- Mark Levinson
If there is one thing I can guarantee, it is that the holiday season – also the planning season for many sales organizations – will go by faster then we expect. I am not telling you this as a scare tactic, but to advise you to take some time to prepare for what the new year might bring. For many sales operations leaders, this means new year’s resolutions to continue driving sales productivity, make improvements to areas that did not perform well over the last 12 months and develop new processes to help sales reps work more efficiently. Easier said than done. My advice is to commit to the following five resolutions.
Continue Reading....′Tis the Season for Sales Planning: Five Elements That Must Be Checked Off Your List
- 14th November 2012
- Mark Levinson
I know that for many, the sales planning season does not conjure up thoughts of joy and happiness. However, it is that time of year when sales leaders and sales operations must focus on how to ensure success in the coming fiscal year. For help, sales organizations should take a lesson from the jolly old guy in the red suit: Make a list and check it twice. Here are five critical elements that need to be on the planning list to make sure that the sales organization kicks off the new year aligned.
Continue Reading....Rising Roles in Sales Operations
- 31st October 2012
- Mark Levinson
The sales operations function has existed for years within b-to-b sales organizations. I have seen it transform many times, and I see more transformation down the road. The good news: This transformation is for the better. From its humble beginnings focusing on tactical tasks like data analysis and reporting, sales operations has grown to become a critical and strategic role. The next evolution will bring a more specialized sales operations team that can adapt to support growing sales organizations or large, global sales teams.
Continue Reading....Dreamforce 2012: Was It all Just a Dream?
- 10th October 2012
- Mark Levinson
Now that I am back at my day job, I’ve had a chance to reflect on my week at Dreamforce 2012. To set the scene – 90,000 people registered, 40,000+ attended and 350+ vendors were on site. There were nine keynote presentations, hundreds of breakout sessions and a two-hour opening session – whew! Oh, yeah, I almost forgot about the Red Hot Chili Peppers concert in front of City Hall in downtown San Francisco. With all of that, did anyone learn anything new? The party atmosphere is exciting and certainly attracts people from all around the world, but the real value is in the opportunity to learn and network within the Salesforce.com (SFDC) community. With that focus in mind, I split my time at Dreamforce among the keynotes, breakout sessions and the expo (no, not just for the free stuff). Here's what I learned.
Continue Reading....Two Areas for Improving Efficiency in Marketing and Sales Operations
- 21st September 2012
- Craig Moore
Sales operations and marketing operations tend to work separately, each focusing on their own priorities. It is not unusual to find missed opportunities to share insight, information and experience that could result in improved sales productivity (which is everyone’s objective) Here are two areas where marketing and sales operations professionals can improve performance.
Continue Reading....Should the Invitation for the Mobile Technology Party Say: BYOD?
- 23rd August 2012
- Mark Levinson
According to IT research, the laptop may soon go the way of the desktop computer – thanks to the pervasive use of mobile devices. Mobile technology is quickly becoming commonplace in b-to-b companies, especially for sales reps. With the introduction of any new technology, companies are faced with developing policy and procedures to govern its use. For mobile technology, the hot topic being debated is whether a company should adopt a “bring your own device” (BYOD) policy. More and more organizations are favoring BYOD for mobile devices, as there’s the potential for cost savings if the company does not have to purchase, maintain or support them. Seems like an easy decision, right? Not so fast.
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Our Analysts
-
Three Problems With Product Roadmaps
A product roadmap is an important strategic framework that provides direction and guidance to internal and external stakeholders. It provides a plan for how the product's vision will be realized and reflects strategic priorities including specific market segments and customer needs. However, while there’s general agreement that preparing a roadmap is important, the reality is that often roadmaps are not as effective in practice. The problems generally fall into one of three categories.
- 21st November 2012
- 8006 views
-
Five Myths About Account-Based Marketing
It must be something in the spring air, but lately SiriusDecisions clients are coming to us with lots and lots of questions about account-based marketing (ABM). ABM is a broad category, including everything from one-to-one marketing to named accounts to customer marketing.
- 1st May 2012
- 7848 views
-
Six 2013 Predictions for Marketing Automation
In my last post, I discussed how the marketing automation platform (MAP) space has evolved during the last 12 months. This week, I present six ways SiriusDecisions predicts the MAP market will evolve during the next 12 months. I have broken these into three broad categories – marketplace dynamics, MAP technology and customer usage.
- 9th October 2012
- 7487 views
-
Respect Your Competition
Product managers and marketers are naturally competitive. They want their products to win in the marketplace, and they want to beat the competition. This trait is important to the success of a product manager or product marketer. However, it's important to balance support and bias toward your product with the realities of the marketplace. There's a difference between being a champion for your product and being blind to the market, customer needs and perceptions.
- 22nd May 2013
- Jeff Lash
-
Prepare Your Reps for Improvisation
I recently watched one of my all-time favorite comedies, the 1984 classic This Is Spinal Tap, a “rockumentary” following the fictitious band Spinal Tap as it tours the U.S. desperately looking to regain its lost popularity. Rob Reiner starred and directed a cast that included Harry Shearer, Christopher Guest and Michael McKean, all famous for their comic improvisation. Most of the movie was ad-libbed; the actors were given rough outlines instead of scripts to memorize for their scenes and simply worked off each other. The talent and skill of this ensemble resulted in one very funny movie. The job of sales enablement, to a degree, is to prepare reps for improvisation. I’m not talking about showing up on sales calls and making things up off their top off their heads – but the ability to spontaneously adapt and react to whatever happens on a call and with a buyer.
- 21st May 2013
- Jim Ninivaggi
-
Maybe You Already Have Enough Data for Analytics: Part II: More Insight With Touch Analysis
In my last post, I described marketing touch analysis and how to use this information to “do more of what works, and less of what doesn’t.” Today, I add more variety to the approach and explain how to gain better insight into the effectiveness of your marketing tactics. I promise to keep the rocket science out of this discussion to help you better understand what this stuff is and how it can help you with your work. There are pragmatic ways you can take advantage of these techniques without a staff of scientists.
- 20th May 2013
- Craig Moore
-
Five Myths About Account-Based Marketing
It must be something in the spring air, but lately SiriusDecisions clients are coming to us with lots and lots of questions about account-based marketing (ABM). ABM is a broad category, including everything from one-to-one marketing to named accounts to customer marketing.
- 1st May 2012
- 13 comments
-
Don’t Do Personas for Personas’ Sake
Formed by combining demographic attributes with preferences, personas embody a type of buyer. A frequent misconception I see as an analyst is when companies presume they should do personas simply ...
- 11th May 2012
- 8 comments
-
Making the Case for Teleprospecting
At SiriusDecisions Summit 2012, we revealed our updated demand waterfall, and in the process clarified the important role the teleprospecting function plays in demand creation. Many organizations, however, are just beginning to make the case for incorporating a teleprospecting team (internal or outsourced) into their demand creation efforts.
- 15th June 2012
- 8 comments
-
Three Problems With Product Roadmaps
A product roadmap is an important strategic framework that provides direction and guidance to internal and external stakeholders. It provides a plan for how the product's vision will be realized and reflects strategic priorities including specific market segments and customer needs. However, while there’s general agreement that preparing a roadmap is important, the reality is that often roadmaps are not as effective in practice. The problems generally fall into one of three categories.
- 21st November 2012
- 8006 views
-
Five Myths About Account-Based Marketing
It must be something in the spring air, but lately SiriusDecisions clients are coming to us with lots and lots of questions about account-based marketing (ABM). ABM is a broad category, including everything from one-to-one marketing to named accounts to customer marketing.
- 1st May 2012
- 7848 views
-
Six 2013 Predictions for Marketing Automation
In my last post, I discussed how the marketing automation platform (MAP) space has evolved during the last 12 months. This week, I present six ways SiriusDecisions predicts the MAP market will evolve during the next 12 months. I have broken these into three broad categories – marketplace dynamics, MAP technology and customer usage.
- 9th October 2012
- 7487 views
-
Respect Your Competition
Product managers and marketers are naturally competitive. They want their products to win in the marketplace, and they want to beat the competition. This trait is important to the success of a product manager or product marketer. However, it's important to balance support and bias toward your product with the realities of the marketplace. There's a difference between being a champion for your product and being blind to the market, customer needs and perceptions.
- 22nd May 2013
- Jeff Lash
-
Prepare Your Reps for Improvisation
I recently watched one of my all-time favorite comedies, the 1984 classic This Is Spinal Tap, a “rockumentary” following the fictitious band Spinal Tap as it tours the U.S. desperately looking to regain its lost popularity. Rob Reiner starred and directed a cast that included Harry Shearer, Christopher Guest and Michael McKean, all famous for their comic improvisation. Most of the movie was ad-libbed; the actors were given rough outlines instead of scripts to memorize for their scenes and simply worked off each other. The talent and skill of this ensemble resulted in one very funny movie. The job of sales enablement, to a degree, is to prepare reps for improvisation. I’m not talking about showing up on sales calls and making things up off their top off their heads – but the ability to spontaneously adapt and react to whatever happens on a call and with a buyer.
- 21st May 2013
- Jim Ninivaggi
-
Maybe You Already Have Enough Data for Analytics: Part II: More Insight With Touch Analysis
In my last post, I described marketing touch analysis and how to use this information to “do more of what works, and less of what doesn’t.” Today, I add more variety to the approach and explain how to gain better insight into the effectiveness of your marketing tactics. I promise to keep the rocket science out of this discussion to help you better understand what this stuff is and how it can help you with your work. There are pragmatic ways you can take advantage of these techniques without a staff of scientists.
- 20th May 2013
- Craig Moore
-
Five Myths About Account-Based Marketing
It must be something in the spring air, but lately SiriusDecisions clients are coming to us with lots and lots of questions about account-based marketing (ABM). ABM is a broad category, including everything from one-to-one marketing to named accounts to customer marketing.
- 1st May 2012
- 13 comments
-
Don’t Do Personas for Personas’ Sake
Formed by combining demographic attributes with preferences, personas embody a type of buyer. A frequent misconception I see as an analyst is when companies presume they should do personas simply ...
- 11th May 2012
- 8 comments
-
Making the Case for Teleprospecting
At SiriusDecisions Summit 2012, we revealed our updated demand waterfall, and in the process clarified the important role the teleprospecting function plays in demand creation. Many organizations, however, are just beginning to make the case for incorporating a teleprospecting team (internal or outsourced) into their demand creation efforts.
- 15th June 2012
- 8 comments
-
Three Problems With Product Roadmaps
A product roadmap is an important strategic framework that provides direction and guidance to internal and external stakeholders. It provides a plan for how the product's vision will be realized and reflects strategic priorities including specific market segments and customer needs. However, while there’s general agreement that preparing a roadmap is important, the reality is that often roadmaps are not as effective in practice. The problems generally fall into one of three categories.
- 21st November 2012
- 8006 views
-
Five Myths About Account-Based Marketing
It must be something in the spring air, but lately SiriusDecisions clients are coming to us with lots and lots of questions about account-based marketing (ABM). ABM is a broad category, including everything from one-to-one marketing to named accounts to customer marketing.
- 1st May 2012
- 7848 views
-
Six 2013 Predictions for Marketing Automation
In my last post, I discussed how the marketing automation platform (MAP) space has evolved during the last 12 months. This week, I present six ways SiriusDecisions predicts the MAP market will evolve during the next 12 months. I have broken these into three broad categories – marketplace dynamics, MAP technology and customer usage.
- 9th October 2012
- 7487 views
-
Respect Your Competition
Product managers and marketers are naturally competitive. They want their products to win in the marketplace, and they want to beat the competition. This trait is important to the success of a product manager or product marketer. However, it's important to balance support and bias toward your product with the realities of the marketplace. There's a difference between being a champion for your product and being blind to the market, customer needs and perceptions.
- 22nd May 2013
- Jeff Lash
-
Prepare Your Reps for Improvisation
I recently watched one of my all-time favorite comedies, the 1984 classic This Is Spinal Tap, a “rockumentary” following the fictitious band Spinal Tap as it tours the U.S. desperately looking to regain its lost popularity. Rob Reiner starred and directed a cast that included Harry Shearer, Christopher Guest and Michael McKean, all famous for their comic improvisation. Most of the movie was ad-libbed; the actors were given rough outlines instead of scripts to memorize for their scenes and simply worked off each other. The talent and skill of this ensemble resulted in one very funny movie. The job of sales enablement, to a degree, is to prepare reps for improvisation. I’m not talking about showing up on sales calls and making things up off their top off their heads – but the ability to spontaneously adapt and react to whatever happens on a call and with a buyer.
- 21st May 2013
- Jim Ninivaggi
-
Maybe You Already Have Enough Data for Analytics: Part II: More Insight With Touch Analysis
In my last post, I described marketing touch analysis and how to use this information to “do more of what works, and less of what doesn’t.” Today, I add more variety to the approach and explain how to gain better insight into the effectiveness of your marketing tactics. I promise to keep the rocket science out of this discussion to help you better understand what this stuff is and how it can help you with your work. There are pragmatic ways you can take advantage of these techniques without a staff of scientists.
- 20th May 2013
- Craig Moore
-
Five Myths About Account-Based Marketing
It must be something in the spring air, but lately SiriusDecisions clients are coming to us with lots and lots of questions about account-based marketing (ABM). ABM is a broad category, including everything from one-to-one marketing to named accounts to customer marketing.
- 1st May 2012
- 13 comments
-
Don’t Do Personas for Personas’ Sake
Formed by combining demographic attributes with preferences, personas embody a type of buyer. A frequent misconception I see as an analyst is when companies presume they should do personas simply ...
- 11th May 2012
- 8 comments
-
Making the Case for Teleprospecting
At SiriusDecisions Summit 2012, we revealed our updated demand waterfall, and in the process clarified the important role the teleprospecting function plays in demand creation. Many organizations, however, are just beginning to make the case for incorporating a teleprospecting team (internal or outsourced) into their demand creation efforts.
- 15th June 2012
- 8 comments
-
Three Problems With Product Roadmaps
A product roadmap is an important strategic framework that provides direction and guidance to internal and external stakeholders. It provides a plan for how the product's vision will be realized and reflects strategic priorities including specific market segments and customer needs. However, while there’s general agreement that preparing a roadmap is important, the reality is that often roadmaps are not as effective in practice. The problems generally fall into one of three categories.
- 21st November 2012
- 8006 views
-
Five Myths About Account-Based Marketing
It must be something in the spring air, but lately SiriusDecisions clients are coming to us with lots and lots of questions about account-based marketing (ABM). ABM is a broad category, including everything from one-to-one marketing to named accounts to customer marketing.
- 1st May 2012
- 7848 views
-
Six 2013 Predictions for Marketing Automation
In my last post, I discussed how the marketing automation platform (MAP) space has evolved during the last 12 months. This week, I present six ways SiriusDecisions predicts the MAP market will evolve during the next 12 months. I have broken these into three broad categories – marketplace dynamics, MAP technology and customer usage.
- 9th October 2012
- 7487 views
-
Respect Your Competition
Product managers and marketers are naturally competitive. They want their products to win in the marketplace, and they want to beat the competition. This trait is important to the success of a product manager or product marketer. However, it's important to balance support and bias toward your product with the realities of the marketplace. There's a difference between being a champion for your product and being blind to the market, customer needs and perceptions.
- 22nd May 2013
- Jeff Lash
-
Prepare Your Reps for Improvisation
I recently watched one of my all-time favorite comedies, the 1984 classic This Is Spinal Tap, a “rockumentary” following the fictitious band Spinal Tap as it tours the U.S. desperately looking to regain its lost popularity. Rob Reiner starred and directed a cast that included Harry Shearer, Christopher Guest and Michael McKean, all famous for their comic improvisation. Most of the movie was ad-libbed; the actors were given rough outlines instead of scripts to memorize for their scenes and simply worked off each other. The talent and skill of this ensemble resulted in one very funny movie. The job of sales enablement, to a degree, is to prepare reps for improvisation. I’m not talking about showing up on sales calls and making things up off their top off their heads – but the ability to spontaneously adapt and react to whatever happens on a call and with a buyer.
- 21st May 2013
- Jim Ninivaggi
-
Maybe You Already Have Enough Data for Analytics: Part II: More Insight With Touch Analysis
In my last post, I described marketing touch analysis and how to use this information to “do more of what works, and less of what doesn’t.” Today, I add more variety to the approach and explain how to gain better insight into the effectiveness of your marketing tactics. I promise to keep the rocket science out of this discussion to help you better understand what this stuff is and how it can help you with your work. There are pragmatic ways you can take advantage of these techniques without a staff of scientists.
- 20th May 2013
- Craig Moore
-
Five Myths About Account-Based Marketing
It must be something in the spring air, but lately SiriusDecisions clients are coming to us with lots and lots of questions about account-based marketing (ABM). ABM is a broad category, including everything from one-to-one marketing to named accounts to customer marketing.
- 1st May 2012
- 13 comments
-
Don’t Do Personas for Personas’ Sake
Formed by combining demographic attributes with preferences, personas embody a type of buyer. A frequent misconception I see as an analyst is when companies presume they should do personas simply ...
- 11th May 2012
- 8 comments
-
Making the Case for Teleprospecting
At SiriusDecisions Summit 2012, we revealed our updated demand waterfall, and in the process clarified the important role the teleprospecting function plays in demand creation. Many organizations, however, are just beginning to make the case for incorporating a teleprospecting team (internal or outsourced) into their demand creation efforts.
- 15th June 2012
- 8 comments
-
Three Problems With Product Roadmaps
A product roadmap is an important strategic framework that provides direction and guidance to internal and external stakeholders. It provides a plan for how the product's vision will be realized and reflects strategic priorities including specific market segments and customer needs. However, while there’s general agreement that preparing a roadmap is important, the reality is that often roadmaps are not as effective in practice. The problems generally fall into one of three categories.
- 21st November 2012
- 8006 views
-
Five Myths About Account-Based Marketing
It must be something in the spring air, but lately SiriusDecisions clients are coming to us with lots and lots of questions about account-based marketing (ABM). ABM is a broad category, including everything from one-to-one marketing to named accounts to customer marketing.
- 1st May 2012
- 7848 views
-
Six 2013 Predictions for Marketing Automation
In my last post, I discussed how the marketing automation platform (MAP) space has evolved during the last 12 months. This week, I present six ways SiriusDecisions predicts the MAP market will evolve during the next 12 months. I have broken these into three broad categories – marketplace dynamics, MAP technology and customer usage.
- 9th October 2012
- 7487 views
-
Respect Your Competition
Product managers and marketers are naturally competitive. They want their products to win in the marketplace, and they want to beat the competition. This trait is important to the success of a product manager or product marketer. However, it's important to balance support and bias toward your product with the realities of the marketplace. There's a difference between being a champion for your product and being blind to the market, customer needs and perceptions.
- 22nd May 2013
- Jeff Lash
-
Prepare Your Reps for Improvisation
I recently watched one of my all-time favorite comedies, the 1984 classic This Is Spinal Tap, a “rockumentary” following the fictitious band Spinal Tap as it tours the U.S. desperately looking to regain its lost popularity. Rob Reiner starred and directed a cast that included Harry Shearer, Christopher Guest and Michael McKean, all famous for their comic improvisation. Most of the movie was ad-libbed; the actors were given rough outlines instead of scripts to memorize for their scenes and simply worked off each other. The talent and skill of this ensemble resulted in one very funny movie. The job of sales enablement, to a degree, is to prepare reps for improvisation. I’m not talking about showing up on sales calls and making things up off their top off their heads – but the ability to spontaneously adapt and react to whatever happens on a call and with a buyer.
- 21st May 2013
- Jim Ninivaggi
-
Maybe You Already Have Enough Data for Analytics: Part II: More Insight With Touch Analysis
In my last post, I described marketing touch analysis and how to use this information to “do more of what works, and less of what doesn’t.” Today, I add more variety to the approach and explain how to gain better insight into the effectiveness of your marketing tactics. I promise to keep the rocket science out of this discussion to help you better understand what this stuff is and how it can help you with your work. There are pragmatic ways you can take advantage of these techniques without a staff of scientists.
- 20th May 2013
- Craig Moore
-
Five Myths About Account-Based Marketing
It must be something in the spring air, but lately SiriusDecisions clients are coming to us with lots and lots of questions about account-based marketing (ABM). ABM is a broad category, including everything from one-to-one marketing to named accounts to customer marketing.
- 1st May 2012
- 13 comments
-
Don’t Do Personas for Personas’ Sake
Formed by combining demographic attributes with preferences, personas embody a type of buyer. A frequent misconception I see as an analyst is when companies presume they should do personas simply ...
- 11th May 2012
- 8 comments
-
Making the Case for Teleprospecting
At SiriusDecisions Summit 2012, we revealed our updated demand waterfall, and in the process clarified the important role the teleprospecting function plays in demand creation. Many organizations, however, are just beginning to make the case for incorporating a teleprospecting team (internal or outsourced) into their demand creation efforts.
- 15th June 2012
- 8 comments
-
Three Problems With Product Roadmaps
A product roadmap is an important strategic framework that provides direction and guidance to internal and external stakeholders. It provides a plan for how the product's vision will be realized and reflects strategic priorities including specific market segments and customer needs. However, while there’s general agreement that preparing a roadmap is important, the reality is that often roadmaps are not as effective in practice. The problems generally fall into one of three categories.
- 21st November 2012
- 8006 views
-
Five Myths About Account-Based Marketing
It must be something in the spring air, but lately SiriusDecisions clients are coming to us with lots and lots of questions about account-based marketing (ABM). ABM is a broad category, including everything from one-to-one marketing to named accounts to customer marketing.
- 1st May 2012
- 7848 views
-
Six 2013 Predictions for Marketing Automation
In my last post, I discussed how the marketing automation platform (MAP) space has evolved during the last 12 months. This week, I present six ways SiriusDecisions predicts the MAP market will evolve during the next 12 months. I have broken these into three broad categories – marketplace dynamics, MAP technology and customer usage.
- 9th October 2012
- 7487 views
-
Respect Your Competition
Product managers and marketers are naturally competitive. They want their products to win in the marketplace, and they want to beat the competition. This trait is important to the success of a product manager or product marketer. However, it's important to balance support and bias toward your product with the realities of the marketplace. There's a difference between being a champion for your product and being blind to the market, customer needs and perceptions.
- 22nd May 2013
- Jeff Lash
-
Prepare Your Reps for Improvisation
I recently watched one of my all-time favorite comedies, the 1984 classic This Is Spinal Tap, a “rockumentary” following the fictitious band Spinal Tap as it tours the U.S. desperately looking to regain its lost popularity. Rob Reiner starred and directed a cast that included Harry Shearer, Christopher Guest and Michael McKean, all famous for their comic improvisation. Most of the movie was ad-libbed; the actors were given rough outlines instead of scripts to memorize for their scenes and simply worked off each other. The talent and skill of this ensemble resulted in one very funny movie. The job of sales enablement, to a degree, is to prepare reps for improvisation. I’m not talking about showing up on sales calls and making things up off their top off their heads – but the ability to spontaneously adapt and react to whatever happens on a call and with a buyer.
- 21st May 2013
- Jim Ninivaggi
-
Maybe You Already Have Enough Data for Analytics: Part II: More Insight With Touch Analysis
In my last post, I described marketing touch analysis and how to use this information to “do more of what works, and less of what doesn’t.” Today, I add more variety to the approach and explain how to gain better insight into the effectiveness of your marketing tactics. I promise to keep the rocket science out of this discussion to help you better understand what this stuff is and how it can help you with your work. There are pragmatic ways you can take advantage of these techniques without a staff of scientists.
- 20th May 2013
- Craig Moore
-
Five Myths About Account-Based Marketing
It must be something in the spring air, but lately SiriusDecisions clients are coming to us with lots and lots of questions about account-based marketing (ABM). ABM is a broad category, including everything from one-to-one marketing to named accounts to customer marketing.
- 1st May 2012
- 13 comments
-
Don’t Do Personas for Personas’ Sake
Formed by combining demographic attributes with preferences, personas embody a type of buyer. A frequent misconception I see as an analyst is when companies presume they should do personas simply ...
- 11th May 2012
- 8 comments
-
Making the Case for Teleprospecting
At SiriusDecisions Summit 2012, we revealed our updated demand waterfall, and in the process clarified the important role the teleprospecting function plays in demand creation. Many organizations, however, are just beginning to make the case for incorporating a teleprospecting team (internal or outsourced) into their demand creation efforts.
- 15th June 2012
- 8 comments
-
Three Problems With Product Roadmaps
A product roadmap is an important strategic framework that provides direction and guidance to internal and external stakeholders. It provides a plan for how the product's vision will be realized and reflects strategic priorities including specific market segments and customer needs. However, while there’s general agreement that preparing a roadmap is important, the reality is that often roadmaps are not as effective in practice. The problems generally fall into one of three categories.
- 21st November 2012
- 8006 views
-
Five Myths About Account-Based Marketing
It must be something in the spring air, but lately SiriusDecisions clients are coming to us with lots and lots of questions about account-based marketing (ABM). ABM is a broad category, including everything from one-to-one marketing to named accounts to customer marketing.
- 1st May 2012
- 7848 views
-
Six 2013 Predictions for Marketing Automation
In my last post, I discussed how the marketing automation platform (MAP) space has evolved during the last 12 months. This week, I present six ways SiriusDecisions predicts the MAP market will evolve during the next 12 months. I have broken these into three broad categories – marketplace dynamics, MAP technology and customer usage.
- 9th October 2012
- 7487 views
-
Respect Your Competition
Product managers and marketers are naturally competitive. They want their products to win in the marketplace, and they want to beat the competition. This trait is important to the success of a product manager or product marketer. However, it's important to balance support and bias toward your product with the realities of the marketplace. There's a difference between being a champion for your product and being blind to the market, customer needs and perceptions.
- 22nd May 2013
- Jeff Lash
-
Prepare Your Reps for Improvisation
I recently watched one of my all-time favorite comedies, the 1984 classic This Is Spinal Tap, a “rockumentary” following the fictitious band Spinal Tap as it tours the U.S. desperately looking to regain its lost popularity. Rob Reiner starred and directed a cast that included Harry Shearer, Christopher Guest and Michael McKean, all famous for their comic improvisation. Most of the movie was ad-libbed; the actors were given rough outlines instead of scripts to memorize for their scenes and simply worked off each other. The talent and skill of this ensemble resulted in one very funny movie. The job of sales enablement, to a degree, is to prepare reps for improvisation. I’m not talking about showing up on sales calls and making things up off their top off their heads – but the ability to spontaneously adapt and react to whatever happens on a call and with a buyer.
- 21st May 2013
- Jim Ninivaggi
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Maybe You Already Have Enough Data for Analytics: Part II: More Insight With Touch Analysis
In my last post, I described marketing touch analysis and how to use this information to “do more of what works, and less of what doesn’t.” Today, I add more variety to the approach and explain how to gain better insight into the effectiveness of your marketing tactics. I promise to keep the rocket science out of this discussion to help you better understand what this stuff is and how it can help you with your work. There are pragmatic ways you can take advantage of these techniques without a staff of scientists.
- 20th May 2013
- Craig Moore
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Five Myths About Account-Based Marketing
It must be something in the spring air, but lately SiriusDecisions clients are coming to us with lots and lots of questions about account-based marketing (ABM). ABM is a broad category, including everything from one-to-one marketing to named accounts to customer marketing.
- 1st May 2012
- 13 comments
-
Don’t Do Personas for Personas’ Sake
Formed by combining demographic attributes with preferences, personas embody a type of buyer. A frequent misconception I see as an analyst is when companies presume they should do personas simply ...
- 11th May 2012
- 8 comments
-
Making the Case for Teleprospecting
At SiriusDecisions Summit 2012, we revealed our updated demand waterfall, and in the process clarified the important role the teleprospecting function plays in demand creation. Many organizations, however, are just beginning to make the case for incorporating a teleprospecting team (internal or outsourced) into their demand creation efforts.
- 15th June 2012
- 8 comments
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Three Problems With Product Roadmaps
A product roadmap is an important strategic framework that provides direction and guidance to internal and external stakeholders. It provides a plan for how the product's vision will be realized and reflects strategic priorities including specific market segments and customer needs. However, while there’s general agreement that preparing a roadmap is important, the reality is that often roadmaps are not as effective in practice. The problems generally fall into one of three categories.
- 21st November 2012
- 8006 views
-
Five Myths About Account-Based Marketing
It must be something in the spring air, but lately SiriusDecisions clients are coming to us with lots and lots of questions about account-based marketing (ABM). ABM is a broad category, including everything from one-to-one marketing to named accounts to customer marketing.
- 1st May 2012
- 7848 views
-
Six 2013 Predictions for Marketing Automation
In my last post, I discussed how the marketing automation platform (MAP) space has evolved during the last 12 months. This week, I present six ways SiriusDecisions predicts the MAP market will evolve during the next 12 months. I have broken these into three broad categories – marketplace dynamics, MAP technology and customer usage.
- 9th October 2012
- 7487 views
-
Respect Your Competition
Product managers and marketers are naturally competitive. They want their products to win in the marketplace, and they want to beat the competition. This trait is important to the success of a product manager or product marketer. However, it's important to balance support and bias toward your product with the realities of the marketplace. There's a difference between being a champion for your product and being blind to the market, customer needs and perceptions.
- 22nd May 2013
- Jeff Lash
-
Prepare Your Reps for Improvisation
I recently watched one of my all-time favorite comedies, the 1984 classic This Is Spinal Tap, a “rockumentary” following the fictitious band Spinal Tap as it tours the U.S. desperately looking to regain its lost popularity. Rob Reiner starred and directed a cast that included Harry Shearer, Christopher Guest and Michael McKean, all famous for their comic improvisation. Most of the movie was ad-libbed; the actors were given rough outlines instead of scripts to memorize for their scenes and simply worked off each other. The talent and skill of this ensemble resulted in one very funny movie. The job of sales enablement, to a degree, is to prepare reps for improvisation. I’m not talking about showing up on sales calls and making things up off their top off their heads – but the ability to spontaneously adapt and react to whatever happens on a call and with a buyer.
- 21st May 2013
- Jim Ninivaggi
-
Maybe You Already Have Enough Data for Analytics: Part II: More Insight With Touch Analysis
In my last post, I described marketing touch analysis and how to use this information to “do more of what works, and less of what doesn’t.” Today, I add more variety to the approach and explain how to gain better insight into the effectiveness of your marketing tactics. I promise to keep the rocket science out of this discussion to help you better understand what this stuff is and how it can help you with your work. There are pragmatic ways you can take advantage of these techniques without a staff of scientists.
- 20th May 2013
- Craig Moore
-
Five Myths About Account-Based Marketing
It must be something in the spring air, but lately SiriusDecisions clients are coming to us with lots and lots of questions about account-based marketing (ABM). ABM is a broad category, including everything from one-to-one marketing to named accounts to customer marketing.
- 1st May 2012
- 13 comments
-
Don’t Do Personas for Personas’ Sake
Formed by combining demographic attributes with preferences, personas embody a type of buyer. A frequent misconception I see as an analyst is when companies presume they should do personas simply ...
- 11th May 2012
- 8 comments
-
Making the Case for Teleprospecting
At SiriusDecisions Summit 2012, we revealed our updated demand waterfall, and in the process clarified the important role the teleprospecting function plays in demand creation. Many organizations, however, are just beginning to make the case for incorporating a teleprospecting team (internal or outsourced) into their demand creation efforts.
- 15th June 2012
- 8 comments
-
Three Problems With Product Roadmaps
A product roadmap is an important strategic framework that provides direction and guidance to internal and external stakeholders. It provides a plan for how the product's vision will be realized and reflects strategic priorities including specific market segments and customer needs. However, while there’s general agreement that preparing a roadmap is important, the reality is that often roadmaps are not as effective in practice. The problems generally fall into one of three categories.
- 21st November 2012
- 8006 views
-
Five Myths About Account-Based Marketing
It must be something in the spring air, but lately SiriusDecisions clients are coming to us with lots and lots of questions about account-based marketing (ABM). ABM is a broad category, including everything from one-to-one marketing to named accounts to customer marketing.
- 1st May 2012
- 7848 views
-
Six 2013 Predictions for Marketing Automation
In my last post, I discussed how the marketing automation platform (MAP) space has evolved during the last 12 months. This week, I present six ways SiriusDecisions predicts the MAP market will evolve during the next 12 months. I have broken these into three broad categories – marketplace dynamics, MAP technology and customer usage.
- 9th October 2012
- 7487 views
-
Respect Your Competition
Product managers and marketers are naturally competitive. They want their products to win in the marketplace, and they want to beat the competition. This trait is important to the success of a product manager or product marketer. However, it's important to balance support and bias toward your product with the realities of the marketplace. There's a difference between being a champion for your product and being blind to the market, customer needs and perceptions.
- 22nd May 2013
- Jeff Lash
-
Prepare Your Reps for Improvisation
I recently watched one of my all-time favorite comedies, the 1984 classic This Is Spinal Tap, a “rockumentary” following the fictitious band Spinal Tap as it tours the U.S. desperately looking to regain its lost popularity. Rob Reiner starred and directed a cast that included Harry Shearer, Christopher Guest and Michael McKean, all famous for their comic improvisation. Most of the movie was ad-libbed; the actors were given rough outlines instead of scripts to memorize for their scenes and simply worked off each other. The talent and skill of this ensemble resulted in one very funny movie. The job of sales enablement, to a degree, is to prepare reps for improvisation. I’m not talking about showing up on sales calls and making things up off their top off their heads – but the ability to spontaneously adapt and react to whatever happens on a call and with a buyer.
- 21st May 2013
- Jim Ninivaggi
-
Maybe You Already Have Enough Data for Analytics: Part II: More Insight With Touch Analysis
In my last post, I described marketing touch analysis and how to use this information to “do more of what works, and less of what doesn’t.” Today, I add more variety to the approach and explain how to gain better insight into the effectiveness of your marketing tactics. I promise to keep the rocket science out of this discussion to help you better understand what this stuff is and how it can help you with your work. There are pragmatic ways you can take advantage of these techniques without a staff of scientists.
- 20th May 2013
- Craig Moore
-
Five Myths About Account-Based Marketing
It must be something in the spring air, but lately SiriusDecisions clients are coming to us with lots and lots of questions about account-based marketing (ABM). ABM is a broad category, including everything from one-to-one marketing to named accounts to customer marketing.
- 1st May 2012
- 13 comments
-
Don’t Do Personas for Personas’ Sake
Formed by combining demographic attributes with preferences, personas embody a type of buyer. A frequent misconception I see as an analyst is when companies presume they should do personas simply ...
- 11th May 2012
- 8 comments
-
Making the Case for Teleprospecting
At SiriusDecisions Summit 2012, we revealed our updated demand waterfall, and in the process clarified the important role the teleprospecting function plays in demand creation. Many organizations, however, are just beginning to make the case for incorporating a teleprospecting team (internal or outsourced) into their demand creation efforts.
- 15th June 2012
- 8 comments
-
Three Problems With Product Roadmaps
A product roadmap is an important strategic framework that provides direction and guidance to internal and external stakeholders. It provides a plan for how the product's vision will be realized and reflects strategic priorities including specific market segments and customer needs. However, while there’s general agreement that preparing a roadmap is important, the reality is that often roadmaps are not as effective in practice. The problems generally fall into one of three categories.
- 21st November 2012
- 8006 views
-
Five Myths About Account-Based Marketing
It must be something in the spring air, but lately SiriusDecisions clients are coming to us with lots and lots of questions about account-based marketing (ABM). ABM is a broad category, including everything from one-to-one marketing to named accounts to customer marketing.
- 1st May 2012
- 7848 views
-
Six 2013 Predictions for Marketing Automation
In my last post, I discussed how the marketing automation platform (MAP) space has evolved during the last 12 months. This week, I present six ways SiriusDecisions predicts the MAP market will evolve during the next 12 months. I have broken these into three broad categories – marketplace dynamics, MAP technology and customer usage.
- 9th October 2012
- 7487 views
-
Respect Your Competition
Product managers and marketers are naturally competitive. They want their products to win in the marketplace, and they want to beat the competition. This trait is important to the success of a product manager or product marketer. However, it's important to balance support and bias toward your product with the realities of the marketplace. There's a difference between being a champion for your product and being blind to the market, customer needs and perceptions.
- 22nd May 2013
- Jeff Lash
-
Prepare Your Reps for Improvisation
I recently watched one of my all-time favorite comedies, the 1984 classic This Is Spinal Tap, a “rockumentary” following the fictitious band Spinal Tap as it tours the U.S. desperately looking to regain its lost popularity. Rob Reiner starred and directed a cast that included Harry Shearer, Christopher Guest and Michael McKean, all famous for their comic improvisation. Most of the movie was ad-libbed; the actors were given rough outlines instead of scripts to memorize for their scenes and simply worked off each other. The talent and skill of this ensemble resulted in one very funny movie. The job of sales enablement, to a degree, is to prepare reps for improvisation. I’m not talking about showing up on sales calls and making things up off their top off their heads – but the ability to spontaneously adapt and react to whatever happens on a call and with a buyer.
- 21st May 2013
- Jim Ninivaggi
-
Maybe You Already Have Enough Data for Analytics: Part II: More Insight With Touch Analysis
In my last post, I described marketing touch analysis and how to use this information to “do more of what works, and less of what doesn’t.” Today, I add more variety to the approach and explain how to gain better insight into the effectiveness of your marketing tactics. I promise to keep the rocket science out of this discussion to help you better understand what this stuff is and how it can help you with your work. There are pragmatic ways you can take advantage of these techniques without a staff of scientists.
- 20th May 2013
- Craig Moore
-
Five Myths About Account-Based Marketing
It must be something in the spring air, but lately SiriusDecisions clients are coming to us with lots and lots of questions about account-based marketing (ABM). ABM is a broad category, including everything from one-to-one marketing to named accounts to customer marketing.
- 1st May 2012
- 13 comments
-
Don’t Do Personas for Personas’ Sake
Formed by combining demographic attributes with preferences, personas embody a type of buyer. A frequent misconception I see as an analyst is when companies presume they should do personas simply ...
- 11th May 2012
- 8 comments
-
Making the Case for Teleprospecting
At SiriusDecisions Summit 2012, we revealed our updated demand waterfall, and in the process clarified the important role the teleprospecting function plays in demand creation. Many organizations, however, are just beginning to make the case for incorporating a teleprospecting team (internal or outsourced) into their demand creation efforts.
- 15th June 2012
- 8 comments