Sales Journey

salesjourney

Startups of The Year: Meet the Business Industry

Startups del año: conozca la industria empresarial

Urteko Startups: Ezagutu negozioaren industria

Vuoden startupit: Tapaa yritysteollisuus

今年のスタートアップ: ビジネス業界を知る

Жылдың стартаптары: Бизнес индустриясымен танысыңыз

Жылдын стартаптары: Бизнес индустриясы менен таанышыңыз

Wata qallariykuna: Industria Empresarial nisqawan riqsinakuy

Startup-urile anului: Faceți cunoștință cu industria de afaceri

Стартапы года: встречайте бизнес-индустрию

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Startylyň başlangyçlary: Işewürlik pudagy bilen tanyşyň

Mga Startup ng Taon: Kilalanin ang Industriya ng Negosyo

Carpenters who have the right tools and know how to use them effectively will succeed, but having a hammer, nails, saw, and other equipment is not enough to guarantee success. the same thing goes with sales reps. Communication skills, tools, and industry knowledge are nothing unless combined to be used effectively in the right place and time. in this article, we will discuss sales enablement software and how to choose one for B2B companies with insights from: Director at and sales resources/ tools expert , James Donaldson Sales Reader Founder & CEO at David McClean SDR Systems Group Plus eight sales enablement software to consider for B2B companies. What is sales enablement? “Solutions, processes, and tools that help to create a more efficient sales team, aim to save time, track activity, and engage with prospects and potential customers effectively,” said James. Put simply, the main goal of a sales enablement strategy is revenue. Sales reps are on the frontline when it comes to revenue targets. That said, setting up the process that leads to revenue growth is a must for them. The process involves; defining measurable revenue goals, developing training, tracking progress, adapting, learning, and utilizing technology to make better use of data. By doing this you enable your sales reps to do their best and sell. The question is; How to set up this process and drive efficiency from the sales team? According to reps say that the biggest challenge for them is the lack of time and resources to perform their job. Considering the length of B2B transactions, this means that a large amount of sales reps aren’t doing what they have been hired to do, which is selling. Gitnux, 65% of sales That’s why having sales enablement software as a single source of truth that sales reps can leverage to best interact with prospects could be the answer to the “How” question. What are the common pain points of B2B sales reps The common pain points and shared with me were: James David Lack of activity Time-consuming processes personalization and data optimization Lack of alignment between marketing and product team Training and onboarding Those are just a few, but common. Putting the effort to face those pain points manually is a losing step to take. Data from Forrester shows that companies that align people, processes, and technology across their sales and marketing teams, achieve more revenue growth and up to more profitability. 36% 28% Those stats don’t come from thin air. Facing pain points and solving problems are the main drivers for such numbers. The data from Forrester show the real essence of sales enablement and that aligning People, processes, and technology is a winning strategy. Now let’s see: What is actually sales enablement software? Sales enablement software centralizes the use of tools, technologies, and resources designed to empower sales teams and improve their effectiveness throughout the sales cycle. Sales enablement software also helps sales reps access the right information, content, and support at the right time, enabling them to engage with prospects more efficiently and close deals more effectively. The use cases of sales enablement software are wide which also makes choosing the right one a pain point for sales managers. The main goal of this article is to discuss this pain point and to give a piece of advice on how to choose the right one, so before we answer this question, let’s take a look at the types of sales enablement software. What are the types of sales enablement software? The fact that many SaaS products are nearly the same these days, doesn’t mean that all of them have the same features or value. It’s your lucky day if you come across a company that is known to deliver on its promise and has unique messaging, If not, then it’s your job to take a look at the market and understand the types and wide usage of the product. Here are the types of sales enablement software/platform/tools: Organizes and distributes sales-related content. Sales Content Management Software: Provides coaching and training to improve sales skills. Sales Coaching Software: Monitors and optimizes sales team performance. Sales Performance Management Software: Provides insights on potential leads and prospects. Sales Intelligence Software: Offers insights into prospect interests and intentions. Intent Data Providers: Tracks engagement with sales emails. Sales Email Tracking Tools: Forecasts sales trends using data analysis. Predictive Sales Analytics Tools: Aligns sales, marketing, and support operations for revenue optimization. Revenue Operations Platforms: How to choose the right sales enablement software? Now we’ve listed the types of sales enablement platforms you probably wondering how to choose the right one that best integrates with your systems and serves your objectives “You need to understand the other tools already in place and the efficiency of the team. You often could remove certain activities and unnecessary work from the team, to give them more prospecting and sales-focused time. Things will improve if the right data, tracking, and training are in place. If those elements are in place, and the team is truly multi-channel then bringing sales enablement software begins to make sense.” Says James Donaldson. also adds: It would be best to look at your software stack and its limitations. If you have any gaps, you must fix those gaps by adding new software. This can mean that you don’t have a solution in place or your solution is not robust enough. David McClean The right software for you, is the one that fills the gap in your sales process and centralizes data sources, and integrates with your systems. You need to see where things go wrong in your sales cycle, what are the questions that make sales reps remain silent during sales calls, and what makes the prospect churn while they are almost converted. The takeaway: The thing is, a lot of questions could be brought to the table regarding your sales performance. It could be anything look inside and analyze your sales calls. Eight sales enablement software to consider in 2023 1. — Best for product related-documentation and sales content Highspot Enterprises can deliver sales enablement utilizing the Highspot platform, which uses AI-powered search, contextual training, application support, and guided selling. Highspot's Sales Content Management makes sure that any resource or solution sales reps might need is readily available thanks to its sophisticated filtering tools. Based on the details of the lead record, sales representatives have access to content and email templates. Highspot also provides knowledgeable recommendations for product-related materials that sellers may share with prospects, such as product overview decks, case studies, and more. With the help of the Chrome extension from Highspot, sales representatives may also access this information in Gmail when emailing prospects, saving them from having to transfer between their inbox and the location of the documentation. Key features: : lets marketing and sales teams understand how the content is performing across the sales cycle and optimize it accordingly. Advanced analytics : AI-powered recommendations, predictive content, and analytics Content personalization : Sales plays that deliver step-by-step guidance so sales reps can get up-to-speed quickly Content delivery Pricing: No info provided, contact for a custom quote. G2 reviews and rating 2. Best for centralized sales management Seismic — Seismic provides a central location with solutions for global version control and approval where all sales resources, data, and content can be managed. For any buyer engagement, having access to pertinent information and customized content helps to ensure optimal sales efficiency. While sales enablement technologies assist in locating pertinent material, creating such content is a significant portion of the task. Your marketing team may develop engaging material to influence the consumer in your direction with the use of instructional design software and content curation tools. Key features: Seismic curates content like the latest news, competitive intel, product updates, and more to equip your sales team with the knowledge and information they need to engage buyers effectively. The predictive content recommendation feature suggests relevant content during the right stage of the selling process Pricing: No info provided, contact for a custom quote. G2 reviews and rating 3. — best for sales content management Showpad A content management sales enablement platform called Showpad aids sales representatives in finding pertinent content at the appropriate time. Even though marketers think they're producing a lot of content, 65% of sales representatives claim they can't find information to send to prospects when they contact a buyer. Sales reps can receive recommendations for pertinent content using systems like Showpad that are based on machine learning and marketing principles. Key features: Intelligent search and additional filtering allow sellers to quickly find the content they need to drive any deal forward. Showpad integrates with a host of applications like Gmail, Outlook, Salesforce, MS Dynamics, and Marketo, cloud storage like Box, Dropbox, and Drive, and social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp. Pricing: No info provided, contact for a custom quote. G2 reviews and rating 4. : best for coaching and training Mindtickle A sales preparedness tool called Mindtickle assists businesses in raising revenue by enhancing knowledge, comprehending optimum sales habits, and adjusting to change. Use Mindtickle to develop your Ideal Rep ProfileTM, quickly create learning programs, assess how knowledge is applied in sales meetings, and enhance the entire sales process. Mindticle is the number 1# on G2 when it comes to ease of use. Mindtickle is taking the lead day by day in the field of empowering sales reps. Key features: Pricing: No info provided, contact for a custom quote. G2 reviews and rating 5. Best for sales automation Outreach: With an efficient pipeline that streamlines your process, the sales engagement platform Outreach improves communication between your sales teams. With fully functional voice and email and clever automation, this solution aims to increase the number of meetings and increase participation. Sales representatives can learn when to call and respond to prospects using Outreach's Analytics and Reporting tools. Your sales playbook is effectively automated by this system, including follow-ups, scheduling, and outbound and inbound sales. Key features: Sequences that help sales agents determine when and how every customer interaction should happen Always-on assistant that extracts key customer information and auto-updates records AI-powered machine learning that discovers key customer insights to facilitate more informed sales decisions The ‘Outreach Everywhere’ Chrome extension lets sellers keep track of prospects from other platforms they contact them from, like Gmail and Salesforce Pricing: No info provided, contact for a custom quote. G2 reviews and rating 6. : Best AI-powered tool for Sales ops Guru Use Guru's knowledge management technology to save sales representatives from wasting time looking up information. This technology compiles important data and arranges it into a lone source of truth. Giving your sales team access to knowledge whenever they need it can help them close more deals, improve client communication, and shorten the sales cycle. For instance, an agent can find information without leaving their inbox if they need to give a testimonial by email. By giving sales representatives access to the responses to prospects' inquiries right away, this technique also gets rid of "let me get back to you on that" delays. Key features: Browser extension lets you access your knowledge base anywhere online and provides automated knowledge triggers with suggested information based on the content. Slack integration prevents data loss by allowing users to capture knowledge immediately, categorize it, and assign an expert to manage it without leaving the Slack app. Automated verification alerts prompt experts to update and verify the information. Pricing: Free options are available, $5/month/user for the Starter plan, $10/month/user for the Builder plan, and $20/month/user for the Expert plan. G2 reviews and rating 7. : Best for document/ presentation sharing and controlling Dropbox DocSend By monitoring interactions with their sales deck, DocSend makes sure that sales representatives spend their time on engaged prospects. In addition to revealing who actually viewed your deck, DocSend may offer insightful page-by-page analytics that reveal the areas on which your prospect spent the most time. By consolidating all sales-related papers in one location and making them all accessible to sales representatives and clients via a single link, this technology also removes misunderstanding. Key features: Forward tracking shows you who else is reviewing documents and influencing your deal. Update function that allows you to modify documents even after you share them so everyone is always viewing the latest version, Analytics that can be leveraged to create sales decks with a higher open/read rate. https://youtu.be/p4hzxkyn5os?embedable=true : Pricing $10/month/user for Personal plan, $45/month/user for Standard plan, $150/month/users for Advanced plan, contact for Enterprise quote. G2 reviews and rating 8. : Best searching and access capability for sales reps GTM buddy The difference between top-performing sales representatives and those who fall short of quota is typically rather large. By giving sales representatives the knowledge they need to close deals more successfully, GTM Buddy seeks to narrow this informational gap in sales performance. Based on the context of the opportunity and the sales conversation, salespeople can access the most pertinent information with GTM Buddy. Through a number of platforms, like their inbox, calendar, CRM, Slack, or LinkedIn, reps can access this data. Sales representatives may quickly respond to concerns, be well-prepared for important calls, and forge closer connections with clients by using GTM Buddy. Key features: Build customer trust and close more deals by sharing the right information at the right time. Just-in-time enablement: Find the most compelling information for your next sales call, including product knowledge, customer references, and competitive insights, right in your calendar. Better call prep: Receive real-time notifications when prospects interact with content and determine the most effective collateral at each stage of the buyer’s journey. Buyer engagement: Pricing: No info provided, contact for a custom quote. G2 reviews and rating The bottom line Every one of those products delivers its value based on the pain points of several segments in the market. so which segment of the market does your company take a place? Knowing this will help hunt your life-saving software. It’s not an easy decision that could be taken in a few days, so take your time and reach out to sales reps, and ask for presentations, personalized content, and quotas. Do your own research and ask their customers If you managed to find the perfect fit, remember to check for its integration capabilities and ease of use.

8 Sales Enablement Software for B2B Companies + How to Choose the Right One w/ Expert Insights

Ah, the marketing funnel. It’s the thing that marketers can’t stop talking about, and customers need help understanding what it is and why they should care. In this blog, I’ll share the , different types, and how to retain customers. key elements to creating a funnel marketing Let’s shed some light on this very important topic! What Is A Marketing Funnel? At its core, the marketing funnel is a . It is an organised way to identify and target potential customers, nurture them with content and resources, and then convert them into paying customers. process of converting prospects into customers Marketing funnels are used in many different industries and come in many shapes or sizes depending on the needs of your business. The marketing funnel concept is a marketing strategy marketers use to attract as many leads as possible and then gradually to the eventual conversion point. nurture prospective customers through suitable schemes How To Create a Marketing Funnel Crafting a Marketing Funnel doesn’t have to be difficult. Make it easy by following these six simple steps: 1. Uncover Your Target Market . What are their preferences, needs, and desires? When you understand the specifics of your customers will assist in tailoring the remaining parts of your marketing funnel. Knowing what motivates them helps you identify areas for improvement and drive new sales opportunities. Understand the profile of your target audience 2. Generate Content Content serves as the backbone of your Marketing Funnel and can be deployed to captivate future customers with your product or service. Make sure it’s fresh, engaging, and informative! 3. Generate Leads Using lead magnets, such as an enticing free trial, discounted product or webinar can help you attract the perfect target audience and capture important leads. Make sure your offer is worthwhile for those who are interested! 4. Unleash your Marketing Funnel Spread the word about your lead magnets and content on social media, via email campaigns and other digital marketing platforms. Plus, you can employ classic methods such as print advertising or even rely upon traditional word-of-mouth. 5. Strengthen connections Lead nurturing is an integral element of the Marketing Funnel. Strategically deploy automated messages and other forms of outreach to foster relationships with prospective clients, keep them informed about your product or service, and create lasting impressions. 6. Transform leads into clients After following the steps outlined above, it’s time to transform your prospects into customers. This can be achieved through tailored emails, follow-up calls, customised offers and more. While funnels are designed to illustrate a customer’s journey throughout their purchase, they often need to account for the meandering paths customers take when making decisions. After all, who can say that their purchasing process was linear? Start by identifying and analysing your customers’ stages before investing in your product/service. By doing this, you can tailor content and opportunities better so that each customer has a unique journey towards conversion! Benefits of Creating a Marketing Funnel Creating a marketing funnel can provide . Firstly, it helps to identify and target potential customers that are the most likely to convert. Secondly, it provides an organised process for nurturing prospects through their buying journey. several benefits for businesses Finally, it allows marketers to track the effectiveness of their campaigns across each stage of the funnel. It also and trust with potential customers by providing them with the information they need to make an informed decision. Marketing funnels are a great way to ensure that your prospects have all of the information they need before making a purchase, thus increasing . helps to build credibility conversion rates Types of Marketing Funnels Funnel marketing has the capacity to tailor its goals and target specific audiences. For example, digital marketing funnels are built for online activities – no offline strategies included! Content channelling further amplifies this experience by allowing users to interact with content intuitively tailored to them. The Sales Funnel . Some people opt out, some lose interest, and some choose another method of purchase. Commercially, funnels derive from the probability of sales and opportunity gradually decreasing at each step Entrepreneurs, marketing organisations and marketing departments within larger companies should have a funnel. The AIDA Funnel has been around for a long time, as early as the 1890s, when it was seen as a revolutionary and proactive marketing formula for attracting customers. AIDA By harnessing the power of to recall the sales funnel stages and create tailored content for each stage, you can achieve the same objectives as using the traditional sales funnel framework. AIDA When a customer begins the sales journey, they will go through steps similar to what follows. AIDA Example Awareness Our target audience people like Charlie. He’s educated, middle class, brand loyal and has loved cars all his life. He’s now at a point where he can buy the car of his dreams.  And whilst reading the Sunday papers one summer’s day, he comes across a review about a new Porsche. The article is full of praise for the german powerhorse, with its handling, power and road presence. Interest With a spark of – he starts researching Google for more information. The following morning, he calls his local Porsche dealer and arrange a test drive. interest Desire On his visit to the dealer, the beauty of the car takes him aback. The salesman plays his part dutifully, expressing the wonders of the fine automobile. Sensing our gent’s interest and to learn more, he hands the keys to the prospective customer and says, “Why don’t you take this beauty for a spin?” desire Action After the test drive, our prospective customer decides it’s just what he has been looking for. He takes action and places an order. Digital Funnels Similar to the classic model of , a digital funnel used online can be constructed similarly. However, with the age of technology, there are more automated systems and tools to help the seller and the buyer on their journey. This sort of funnel process is usually termed as a . AIDA Conversion Funnel So, taking our model, let’s look at the steps involved with a digital funnel. AIDA Digital Funnel Design Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/eric-delcroix/21438701322 Optimising The Funnel To improve your marketing funnel’s success and increase the number of potential leads at each stage of the process, . The easiest way to start thinking about your sales funnel optimisation is by breaking it down into . it’s important to optimise your funnel the major measures – , and Upper Middle Lower • The function of . the upper funnel is to attract new visitors • The is responsible for . middle funnel turning new visitors into qualified leads • The is where the macro . lower funnel conversions, or purchases, happen Each part of the conversion funnel should be approached differently; therefore, different marketing methods are employed. TOP OF FUNNEL (TOF) The traffic you’re sending to your online store will largely . Focusing on driving quality traffic is the first step to optimising the upper funnel and there are various methods you can test: determine the effectiveness of your conversion route • Optimising your for paid search and display ads keywords • Correct targeting of your social media ads (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn) • Creating unique, keyword-optimised content (blog posts, eBooks, guides, infographics, videos, etc.) MIDDLE OF The FUNNEL (MOF) Potential customers enter this middle funnel once they engage the brand meaningfully. This part of the marketing funnel is all about building trust with your prospects and demonstrating the benefits of your products. Now that you have your potential customer’s interest, it’s time to , demonstrating your product’s or service’s quality. build trust and loyalty Engaging your audience with the following helps build that trust: • Testimonials • Product Reviews • Case Studies • Automated Marketing Campaigns • Engaging Content (the comparison between two separate campaigns/ads) to track key metrics. Running continuous A/B Tests will provide you with essential feedback BOTTOM OF FUNNEL (BOF) As leads drip down into the last stage, you need to start pulling them into new conversion funnels. The more customer data you have, the more personalised and targeted experiences you can craft to keep them interested and wanting more. Once a lead has converted, pull it back into the nurturing phase and continue building rapport through targeted offers and email campaigns. Social Media Funnels A social media sales funnel guides your followers, taking them from the moment they first learn about your product on social media to becoming dedicated customers. It’s an effective tool that encourages repeat purchases and builds brand loyalty. The social media sales funnel consists of : four distinct stages Awareness/discovery Intent Conversion Loyalty To effectively leverage conversions and nurture customer loyalty, it’s essential that you create content tailored to each stage of the buyer journey. When you craft a well-thought-out social media marketing scheme and provide content of value, users will be more likely to engage with it by liking, commenting on, or sharing your posts. By interacting with a brand hashtag campaign or viewing your ads, potential customers will be able to identify and connect with you easily. This opens the door of opportunity for your business as you can focus on those who are genuinely interested in what you have to offer – giving them a chance to become lifelong customers. With a typical social media funnel, as seen above, we are only seeing half the journey for customers. Much like a traditional funnel, it stops at the point of sale. But, in the modern age, that is . only half the journey The template of has not become defunct – it just needs to evolve! AIDA Bow Tie Funnels We have already looked at the first stage of the funnel through the model; let’s now look at the , known as the . AIDA retention side through the marketing funnel Bow Tie Funnel With the bow tie marketing funnel, businesses can and loyal to their brand. Not only does this approach foster customer trust, but it also creates an army of devoted followers who will become vocal advocates for the company. ensure customers remain engaged This method focuses on building strong relationships over a long period of time so that customers are immersed in your brand’s world. You will reap the rewards of your hard work from a prior stage in this advocacy phase. . Fostering customer satisfaction ensures that they remain loyal to you Take pride in what you do, and showcase how effortless it is for customers to interact with your business, knowing that this is just another proactive step in the marketing mix to raise awareness about your product/service – and your reputation. The Evangelists By cultivating strong relationships with existing customers, you maximise the possibility of customers returning and recommending your business to their peers. A typical example would be musicians who use Marshall amplifiers. The reputation of this brand is huge. Used by performers globally, these stalwarts play a significant part in brand awareness for the company. Creating customer journeys is achievable through loyalty and referral programs. These helpful schemes motivate consumers to repeat purchases while spreading positive word-of-mouth about your business. However, it’s important to note that not all companies can benefit from such initiatives; offering post-purchase are also . excellent aftercare services and customer support essential components in building lasting relationships with clients Adopter The first level is recognising the customer who has just purchased. This is a brand new purchaser, so it’s important to make them feel confident and encourage them to remain loyal on their way to becoming a . Brand Ambassador The simplest way is to offer a bonus reward, a discount off the next purchase or perhaps an invitation to a VIP area that’s related to the product. Think creatively and consider how you would want to be rewarded in a similar manner. At this stage, use the purchase as a springboard to gather further customer information through email or a follow up call. Apply this information across the entire funnel. The Loyalist The following stage of retention in the funnel is the . Loyalist This generally refers to one of the following: A customer who upgraded their purchase at checkout Repeat Customers The difference between an and a is that the former may have made an impulse purchase, while the latter instinctively chose to buy from you. Adopter Loyalist To convert an Adopter to a Loyalist, ensure that your message (marketing) connects with the . Offer incentives to buy related products or offers for a repeat purchase. Consider how you can recommend incentives such as offering tier pricing to maintain their path along the funnel. Loyalist The Advocate The is a satisfied customer who has bought from you and likes the product or service you offer. Advocate This is the customer who will start using their social influence through online platforms such as reviews, testimonials, social media or word of mouth to recommend potential customers to your products or services actively. To keep them on side and engaged, entice them with incentives. These could be: Membership of a VIP club with personal referrals Access to new products in exchange for reviews This sort of . It’s extremely , and most importantly, it’s coming from a neutral and trusted source. advocacy is worth its weight in gold cost-effective Ideally, you want advocates of your brand to encourage other customers to become advocates, so use further incentives. Make Advocates Feel Special Reply to their tweets, share their positive posts on Facebook, and answer them with a personalised response if they connect through email. The quickest way to lose an is to make them feel like one of the masses. Treasure them! Advocate The Brand Ambassador These are the company’s friends! They are (think or ) – they tell their friends and colleagues how happy they are and are passionate about their relationship with you. emotionally connected to your brand Apple Jeep Enhancing the customer experience for . Loyal customers that help market your brand is a social-proof strategy that should be wholly embraced, as it will provide a budget-crunching and formidable ROI. this group is a key tactic to use in your marketing funnel stages For small businesses, the personal touch such as a handwritten message will let them know how special they are to you. Acknowledgements to offer include: Free overnight shipping Gifts for Birthdays and/or Christmas The Art of Retention Customer lifetime retention is nothing new – it’s been around for a long time. However, there are many examples of companies throughout history who, for one reason or another, decided that, after a while, they would change their systems or the way they recognised key customers. They essentially took them for granted. Part of this problem arose because companies tend to budget for something other than advocates or brand ambassadors. They assume that because their customers are on board, they will be, for a while, asking themselves why they should waste time and money keeping happy customers happy. Financial institutions, utility companies, insurance brokers and the automotive industry would benefit more if they put more energy into customer retention. On average, you can fail a loyal customer a couple of times. After that, they will start falling off the radar and consider switching to a competitor. And guess what? They will make a point of telling everyone they know! Conclusion Overall, marketing funnels can be a powerful tool for businesses to convert prospects into customers. They provide an organised process for targeting and nurturing potential customers while providing the resources they need to make an informed purchase decision. If you want to increase your conversion rate, creating a marketing funnel is worth considering! https://piershgardener.com/category/how-to-guides/?embedable=true

The Ultimate Guide to Marketing Funnels and Conversion

La guía definitiva sobre embudos de marketing y conversión

Le guide ultime des entonnoirs marketing et de la conversion

मार्केटिंग फ़नल और रूपांतरण के लिए अंतिम गाइड

マーケティング ファネルとコンバージョンの究極のガイド

O Guia Definitivo para Funis de Marketing e Conversão

Hướng dẫn Cơ bản về Kênh Tiếp thị và Chuyển đổi

营销渠道和转化的终极指南

Companies are constantly searching for the right sales strategies that can work to elevate their brands. During the search, they mostly consider inbound and outbound sales or opt for the hybrid of the two. However, when choosing the right sales strategy that works for your business, it is essential to understand that 92% of customer interactions occur through phones. When you talk of inbound vas outbound sales, remember that inbound sales have an exceptional reputation which has proved them to be cost-effective in attracting new customers and scaling the way forward. On the other side, outbound sales are known to have a personal touch, which enhances trust and closes sales deals. This article discusses and what works well in certain circumstances. Let’s walk together for more actionable insights! inbound vs. outbound sales Inbound Vs. Outbound Sales The major difference between inbound sales and outbound sales is who facilitates the sale. In an inbound sales circumstance, the customer begins the sales process themselves by contacting the company customer care for more information about certain products and services. In an outbound sale, the company starts the sales process through the sales representative. The sales rep contacts customers directly, explain the products and services they are offering and persuades them to make a purchasing decision. Generally, everything trickles down to whether the immediate point of contact was the customer looking for the company or the company looking for the customer. Even though this may appear to be a minor difference, it presents an enormous impact at the end of the day. Also, it draws a clear picture of how the company and the customer interact before closing a deal. It is valuable to note that inbound customers are more engaged and are always more aware of your brand and what you are offering. On the flip side, outbound customers are usually less engaged since they do not have more knowledge about your brand and are less informed about your products and services. This means that you have to take some of your time and explain to outbound customers more about your brand to make them understand who you are and what you are offering before closing a deal. Is Inbound or Outbound the Right Choice? Many companies across the industries feel pressured to choose between inbound and outbound sales strategies. However, neither of the two is a better choice. A good sales strategy combines the two methodologies since they are powerful strategies in their ways. Besides, a company may decide to focus on one strategy more than the other depending on the nature of the industry, the average sales size, customer awareness, and the type of the company. Regardless of your choice, note that both inbound sales and outbound sales are awesome successful growth channels that can transform a business to the next level. Besides, there are no specific rules and guidelines set to identify the amount of focus that a company needs to invest in inbound and outbound sales. There are various factors and practices that you need to consider to adopt the strategy that can work for you. The surprising news is that there are companies that attained significant success after breaking the norms. When to Use Inbound Sales Strategy You can opt to use an inbound sales strategy if: You do not have money to invest in a powerful sales team You have a comprehensive audience in search of your services online You can create highly engaging content that attracts customers The outbound sales strategy does not work for your market audience You close a sales deal within the shortest time possible When to Use Outbound Sales Strategy Outbound sales strategy works well if: You are capable of solving a problem with both new and alternative solutions The audience does not mind receiving cold calls You have a clear and specific target audience You have enterprise clients and are selling expensive products and services You have a comprehensive sales cycle for your products You do not have any problem paying your sales rep generous commissions What are Inbound Sales? This refers to a sales technique where the company persuades interested customers and converts them into qualified leads to purchase products or services. Note that the inbound sales strategy focuses on the customer’s desires while the sales representatives adjust their modes of operation to help meet the buyers' journey. When using an inbound sales strategy, the sales representative works as a trusted mentor, offering guidance across the entire sales process. Every inbound sale you record is different since every customer and their purchase product are extremely different. Every interested customer always has different levels of interest with varying questions. A powerful inbound sales strategy identifies what the customer journey looks like. This enables the sales representatives to provide effective support that enables customers to close sales deals. Stages of Inbound Sales 1. Locate Potential Customers The organization begins with identifying the ideal customers and evaluates the challenges they face during the sales journey. At the end of the day, the company comes up with a concise strategy such as informative content or tools that summarize the entire process, making it easier for customers to navigate. This places the company on a better side of grabbing the customer's attention and attracts them to acquire solutions from the respective company. 2.      Connect with Leads Every company needs to identify the best way possible to connect with its potential customers. This is made possible by creating content that matches their market audience and posts across different channels depending on the nature of the customers. Consider posting the content on the channels where customers are most likely to do searches. 3.      Explore Deeper Once you have managed to create an engagement between your brand and customers, the sales representatives aid the customers in exploring solutions in a more detailed manner. At this point, the sales representative serves as a mentor or guide in building a robust relationship that aids in identifying the customer's challenges. After analyzing the customer challenges, it becomes easier to find a lasting solution and build an exceptional reputation in the industry. 4.      Advice Solution After analyzing all the customer needs, you now have to offer a solution based on the products and services you are offering. You need to persuade the customer to purchase your products or services to solve their problems. This is when the sales representative needs to suggest the call to action to close a deal. What are Outbound Sales? Outbound sales refer to a sales strategy where organizations launch sales pitches or messages to customers unaware of your brand to create attention and engagement and later convert them into leads. This sales strategy mainly includes cold emailing, social selling, and email marketing. Since many customers have diverted to the use of online platforms, this strategy generates better results since it’s easier to access potential clients through direct messages. Note that outbound sales work tactfully without seeming intrusive and remain valuable in the long run. Stages of Outbound Sales Strategy 1.      Identify Potential Customers The outbound sales strategy begins by prospecting for potential customers across your market audience. This is done by building a detailed list of potential clients who they want to conduct. The sales representative uses a list of people with similar characteristics, such as demographics. Another rich source of customers is through aid networks that allow sales reps that generate a list depending on the location and interest. Also, you can acquire email finder tools that help you find valid email addresses for individuals within the company. 2.      Generation of Leads After you have created a list of potential customers, you now have to begin the process of contacting them. You have to choose the best mode of contact through phone calls, emails, or advertisements. You can decide to send your sales team to visit prospect clients in person at their place of work. The ultimate goal of this step is to create any form of formal engagement or get a response back from the clients. Once the prospect comes from being unaware of being responsive, you will have attained the first milestone. 3.      Contact and Qualify Leads When the sales representative gets the attention of potential clients, the immediate step is to identify if the customer can benefit from what the company is selling. However, you need some form of honesty to identify whether the customer is purchasing the products in their best interest. Qualifying a foundation is said to be the foundation for generating sales shortly. 4.      Present Your Solution When the sales representative has qualified the leads, it is now time to show off the solution tour customer problems. You need to present your product and services by either planning for a demo or a meeting with the client. Also, you need to make the customer understand how they can benefit from the products and services you are selling. Bottom Line Inbound and outbound sales mainly work towards achieving the same . However, it is essential to understand that the two methodologies work well depending on the nature of the business and the target market audience. goal in business

What's the Difference between Inbound Vs. Outbound Sales?

On the , I was fortunate enough to share an enlightening conversation with the delightful Kara Goldin. She’s the creative mastermind behind naturally flavored water company, Hint. Success Story podcast last month Kara began her beverage sales journey with a mission: to create and sell drinks that would serve as a refreshing alternative to the more sugary soft drinks available on the market. Little did she know that her big ideas would yield incredible success later on down the line. With barely any industry experience, I wanted to know – how did she manage to reach her level of success? The answers she gave were insightful and full of wisdom; so much so that today’s article will be dedicated to covering her thoughts in more detail. If you are a person with a passion, but no industry experience to speak of and no major entrepreneurial successes under your belt, you’ve reached your destination. Let’s dive in! Kara Goldin’s golden ticket Named among Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs and Forbes’ 40 Women to Watch Over 40, Kara was nothing short of inspiring to speak with. Her creative vision behind naturally flavored water was a stroke of true entrepreneurial genius. Kara’s success story: quick overview If you missed the full podcast, here’s a brief summary of Kara’s journey with Hint Water. is the founder and CEO of Hint Inc., a San Francisco-based company that makes flavored water. Goldin has no formal business training, but she's been successful with Hint because she turned her passion for healthy living into a successful project. Kara Goldin When Goldin was pregnant with her first child, she was determined to find a . She started making her own flavored water at home, and soon became obsessed with the idea of starting her own business. healthy alternative to sugary drinks Goldin took her and turned it into a successful project by starting Hint Inc. She bootstrapped the company in the early years, and it has since grown into a multimillion-dollar business. passion for healthy living What really stuck out to me in this episode was the total lack of industry experience Kara had when she began her journey with Hint. She had never been involved in the sale of drinks and beverages before starting the company. Instead, what drove her was a pure, energetic passion for finding alternatives to sugar-based drinks. This prompted me to question – is industry experience truly necessary when starting out on a new business endeavor? Common sense would point to yes; Kara’s story indicates otherwise. I dug deeper into the idea of the ‘inexperienced entrepreneur’ to see whether experience was a necessary component of business success. Experience: do you need it? The actions we take in our day-to-day lives are essentially a manifestation of everything we’ve experienced as people. We respond to events happening around us by drawing upon our past. From this, we develop skills, values, and beliefs that shape how we think, feel, and behave. By this logic, it makes sense that can put us at an advantage when it comes to being successful. This can be seen through the simple example of learning a new instrument; those who have never played an instrument before find it difficult to read sheet music and make music that sounds good. having experience in certain areas of life However, for those who have been playing an instrument for years, the process is much easier because they have developed skills, values, and beliefs related to making music. In the entrepreneur's world, having prior experience in the field you're planning on starting a business in is often seen as a key ingredient for success – but it isn't the only way forward. Entrepreneurs that built their vision from scratch Interestingly, a simple Google search reveals an endless source of anecdotal evidence to back the idea that experience isn’t a must in the entrepreneurial space. (co-founder of Patron Spirits, net worth $3.1B) jumping between courier and truck driving jobs. He had zero experience in the haircare industry before co-founding John Paul Mitchell Systems and began with a loan of just $700. John Paul DeJoria started his working life (Walmart founder, once considered the wealthiest man in the U.S.) had hardly any experience or assets to his name before and developing the Walmart vision. Sam Walton opening his first store (founder of Chanel, worth an estimated $7.1B) was a seamstress with no formal fashion training before starting her own line. She famously said, “Elegance is not the prerogative of those who have just escaped from school. It starts with the simple things: good taste, good judgment, and a sense of proportion.” Coco Chanel (talk show host and entrepreneur, net worth $3B) had no TV experience when she created and launched her now-iconic talk show. Oprah Winfrey Add Kara Goldin to the list, and you’ve got a stellar lineup of entrepreneurial successes with one thing in common: they started from scratch, with little-to-no experience in their respective fields. The recipe for success when experience is lacking We know that prior industry experience isn’t integral to success – so what is? I asked Kara to pinpoint the factors to which she attributes her incredible triumph, and her answers shed new light on what it means to be an entrepreneur. Here’s what she said: 1. Be ready to be humble Humility is touted as a desirable trait in one's personal life, but as it turns out, being humble fits into the entrepreneurial scene as well. To be humble is to realize that , and that you're not above learning from anyone – no matter their experience level. you don't have all the answers When starting a business with little-to-no industry experience, it's easy to feel like you're at a disadvantage. However, embracing your inexperience can be one of your biggest strengths. It means that you're more likely to be open to new ideas and suggestions, which can only help you as you navigate your way to success. 2. Be able to ask questions As Kara so eloquently put it: “people really struggle with wanting to look smart.” And it’s true: many people turn to their outward appearance and actions in order to feel a sense of security. Unfortunately, this often means turning down in case it causes the person to appear inexperienced or vulnerable. opportunities to ask questions Ego is one of the when it comes to progression and success. It leads to an intense fear of making mistakes, and an aversion to asking questions or appearing to be inferior in knowledge. greatest stumbling blocks When you can overcome those ego blocks and begin to ask meaningful questions, however, research shows that . questioning is linked to being a highly successful person 3. Be energized by your passion Before Hint Water, Kara’s expertise was never in the food and beverage industry; in fact, she was being hired by the likes of Google and Yahoo for work within the eCommerce sector. “I saw this huge, huge mountain in front of me that I had to learn about – but I was so energized by stumbling upon this world that I knew nothing about,” Kara explained. It wasn’t prior knowledge or experience that motivated Kara to take her first steps; it was the passion she had for the industry she was about to enter into, and the excitement she felt at dipping her feet into something entirely new. Experience isn’t crucial for success, and passion isn’t either – but being passionate about your endeavor : comes with advantages When disaster strikes, your passion and energy can be used as a support and source of motivation to keep going. Passion encourages you to be persistent and relentless in your endeavors by tapping into your emotional drive. While excitement is finite, passion tends to come from a as a person; it isn’t likely to fizzle out. deeper part of who you are 4. Be the vulnerable entrepreneur In her positions within the tech industry, Kara took on the role of teacher and mentor to those less experienced than herself. Once she entered the food and beverage scene, however, the tables had to turn – and Kara decided to embrace the role of wide-eyed student. She wasted no time in making field observations, strolling the aisles of Wholefoods and buying tickets to conventions in the beverage industry. In many instances, Kara was disregarded as a ‘waste of time’, but she lapped up the opportunity to set her bar low and make progress behind the scenes. When you choose to be vulnerable as an entrepreneur, : a number of things begin to fall into place You’ll learn through observation and introspection rather than attempting to dominate the industry You’ll grow through overcoming minor mishaps along the way instead of avoiding risk altogether You’ll develop empathy and understanding that allows you to gain perspective from everyone you interact with (e.g. at conferences, in meetings, through connections) These were Kara’s main four points on attaining success without industry experience – nothing short of inspiring. Moving forward: how can you take the entrepreneurial leap? Through this episode of the Success Story podcast, my hope is that Kara's story of success without experience can encourage you to take your own leap into a business endeavor. Perhaps you're feeling held back by a lack of experience in your chosen field. Or, maybe you're hesitant to take the plunge into full-time entrepreneurship for fear of failing. Whatever your hesitation, know that it's possible to be successful with no experience – you just need to be humble, ask questions, channel your passions, and embrace vulnerability. If you’re interested in hearing more about Kara's own incredible success story, you can check out the full podcast episode . here Also published here

How to Be a Vulnerable Entrepreneur: Kara Goldin's Success Story

Tech companies can use a wide range of inbound marketing strategies to generate leads and grow their companies - but none has a higher lead conversion rate than email marketing. According to , email marketing converts recipients to leads at a rate of 2.9%. recent research This is very impressive compared to 1.45% for organic search traffic, and social media's 1.22% conversion ratio. Clearly, there's a huge opportunity for growth here. Technology companies with a strong email marketing strategy can use email as a powerful tool to nurture prospects, increase sales, and further relationships. Read on to discover the ultimate email marketing guide for technology products so you can leverage the power of emails to get you the results you want. 1. Define Your Target Audience If you don't know who your ideal audience is, you'll find it hard to build a list of engaged email subscribers. Take the time to define your target audience - either from your existing data or by doing the research from scratch. Keep in mind that your targeted audience might change depending on the type of email campaign you are running. You need a targeted demographic for every marketing effort you make, so think through the specific list or segment your campaign is aimed at before proceeding with the rest of the steps. 2. Trade Your Best Content for Email Addresses Your next step is to audit your assets and choose or develop content that you can then trade for your audience’s emails. If you've been in business for any length of time, you likely already have a massive selection of content assets in your library. You can choose the best content pieces that are most likely to capture your ideal audience’s interest and drive downloads. Alternatively, you can develop new content assets to meet the needs of your email marketing campaign. For instance, say your company offers cloud storage for enterprise businesses. You might explaining how to use your product, post it on your site, and then restrict access to the course until after a website visitor enters their contact information. build an online course Once they've done that, you can then automatically add them to your mailing list. 3. Personalize the Signup Process These days, consumers expect brands to deliver relevant content, products, and services. This goes for EVERY aspect of marketing - including emails. That's why it's more important than ever to focus on personalizing the email sign-up process. It will help you segment your audience from day one. An easy way to do this is by including optional personalization questions on your sign-up form. For instance, if your tech company is focused on some type of localized job search, one of the questions on your opt-in form might be "What industry are you interested in working in?" Depending on the new subscriber’s answer, you can then create a personalized email campaign with content and offers that are relevant to different individuals. Pro Tip: Add questions to your “Welcome” email. You can also add questions to the welcome email that you send out soon after someone signs up for your list. This has the added benefit of assuring your customers that you are committed to personalizing their experience and providing them with the most relevant content and products. You can then use the answers to your questions as a way to segment them into appropriate lists. 4. Send the Right Types of Emails There are many different ways you can use emails in your tech company. For instance, you might send emails to: Welcome your subscribers; Thank them for downloading your content; Share company news; Direct them to a new blog/social media post; Invite them to a webinar, virtual conference, or other events; Or to simply ask how things are going. The types of emails you send will depend on who your customer is, and where they are in the customer sales process. This means you have to properly segment your subscriber list AND personalize the emails you send so they can be more relevant to recipients. The key here is to create a compelling experience with each email you send. Whatever your goal is, you need to focus on getting subscribers to take the desired action 5. Send Emails at Optimal Times Just as there are different emails to send in different situations, there’s a right time to send each email. that there’s an optimal time for sending emails in the tech industry. Studies show But, rather than infer general trends from best practices and big data, it's always a good idea to conduct your own research to find the day, time, and frequency that is ideal for your own audience. Keep in mind that you must plan your emails so their timing is aligned with your subscriber’s place in the sales journey. Regardless of optimal sending times, you shouldn't be sending the same email to someone who just purchased your product and someone else's been using it for months. So make sure that your email progression should take into account where new sign-ups are in comparison to subscribers who have been on your list for weeks, months, or years. 6. Use Automation to Improve Efficiency Marketing automation is crucial for companies in the tech industry to stay on top of, contact, and nurture their leads. You need to choose the right marketing automation tool that will help you improve efficiency and build a predictable and sustainable revenue model. Luckily, there are A LOT of tools and automated systems available today to help you collect leads, build a marketing pipeline, segment contacts, and market to them consistently (and intelligently). Examples of marketing automation tools that can help you accomplish more in less time include Hubspot, Eloqua, and Marketo. Source Reliable marketing automation is something that is particularly important in the technology space. That’s because sales and presales cycles can last weeks or months (sometimes even years). You need a marketing automation tool that will help you in nurturing, qualifying, and passing leads over to sales once they are finally ready. The best tools will also help you gather data on subscriber behavior so you can build stronger email marketing campaigns. 7. Monitor Performance The final step in creating a successful email marketing campaign is to track and monitor your performance so you can find ways to improve your results. Keep track of the important email marketing metrics like: Open Rates Click-through Rates Conversion Rate Unsubscribe Rates Return on Investment (ROI) This will help you identify any strategies that may be holding you back so you can make the necessary changes to increase your success. The best email marketing platforms today come with insight and reporting features that make it easy to understand how the different aspects of your campaign are performing so you can continually optimize your email program. You can compare your metrics to industry benchmarks, like the ones in the example below: Source If you find your campaign falling short, you can then take the necessary steps to improve your results (such as removing non-engaged contacts from your opt-in list). It’s recommended to use environmental scanning to look at your business holistically and understand if the issues are tied only to your email, or the way in which you depict your company publicly. And don’t be afraid to experiment. Trial and error through A/B testing different aspects of your emails will help you find ways to get the best return on your email program. Examples of Highly Engaging Emails from Tech Companies Below are a few examples from some of the top tech companies. Use them as inspiration to help you develop your own highly engaging emails. Example #1: Domain and Web Hosting Services Source Example #2: ECommerce Store Source Example #3: Graphic Design and Web Development Source Tips to Grow Your Email List Tip #1: Send super-personalized video emails that are guaranteed to increase your response rates Source Tip #2: Choose responsive email templates with high deliverability. Most of the leading email tools offer predesigned, professional templates and drag-and-drop tools for customizing them easily. Tip #3: Always include a call to action that drives users back to a specific area of your product or service. For instance, instead of saying "Get started now", offer a more concrete step, particularly if your onboarding is a bit more complex. Conclusion The tips outlined above will help you create an email marketing campaign with an impact. Use them to improve your existing campaigns and inform your future campaigns so you can develop a comprehensive program for nurturing your prospects, building community, and growing your tech business. Have you implemented any of these steps into your tech company’s email marketing strategy? If so, share your experience in the comments below!

Email Marketing For Tech: A Definitive Guide

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