Adara Associates - Don't get me started on...

Social Networking

nospam@example.com (admin) — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 17:36:02 +0000

With 4 million business users of Linked-In only the real Luddites can say that social networking sites and tools;"aren't of any value to my business yet" Most of the social network agenda-setting in B2B companies so far has been by marketing folk although it's the sales people who typically have (and need) the real relationships. That can lead to a disconnect, a different and dissonant tone of voice between the conversational and the broadcast There are still far too many salespeople who use "Networking" as a justification for time spent talking to mates in bars.
What's going on?
What should be going on?

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Improving the sales process

nospam@example.com (admin) — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 07:22:00 +0000

For most management teams, a steady improvement in sales productivity is a necessity and a culture of “no surprises” from sales is fundamental. Many boards assume that implementing a CRM will deliver the goods but (depending on your source) between 50% and 90% of CRM projects fail. We hear Sales management say that “things are just fine” but they spend far too much time changing their forecasts and juggling deals to make them fit the business plan.

What are the basics for getting this right?

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Contact nurturing

nospam@example.com (admin) — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 06:21:00 +0000

Marketing: "We've done so much for you, delivered so many leads, why haven't you done anything with them? "
Sales: "All those leads are just tyre kickers, if I'm going to reach my target I've got to speak to buyers."
Marketing: "We've spoken to them, they're just the right sort of people for us and they're asking for more information"
Sales: "Well, they aren't going to buy anything yet so I can’t waste any time on them, they're not leads as far as I'm concerned"

How often have you heard this conversation or one like it?

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Sales training

nospam@example.com (admin) — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 07:18:00 +0000

Let's be clear, your sales staff do not walk on water (whatever they may believe) and it absolutely is possible to teach old dogs new tricks.
Sales training on a regular basis can sharpen the mind, develop new thinking about approaches and deliver helpful techniques; it can strengthen teams and improve communications. On the other hand you, like many sales managers, probably feel that you can't afford to take the team out of the field for a week, that you want permanent change not a brief burst of energy and some acronyms.
You need practical stuff not complex methods that go straight in the bin along with the shiny flash cards with the pretty diagrams showing how prospects should behave.

So...

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Lead generation

nospam@example.com (admin) — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 07:17:00 +0000

"I've given up on telemarketing; it's a waste of money"

"I need leads to make my target but I just don't get enough"

"What are marketing doing, they run these events for themselves not prospects?"

Nobody has too many leads; everyone finds it difficult to get enough of the right quality, why do some do it so much better than others?…

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Writing for the web

nospam@example.com (admin) — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 14:04:00 +0000

When you’re creating web material to appeal to businesses that you’d like to do business with there are some very easy mistakes to make. It’s easy to fall into the “Teenage Syndrome” trap, i.e. “It’s all about me,me,me”

No, it’s all about “what’s in it for them”

”We started the company five years ago!” so what!

“We’re offering a 5% discount” – that’s interesting!

Don’t start a heading or a sentence with your company name. Start with the need of your target.

Remember: “It’s not about me. It’s about my reader, my customer.”

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Web design

nospam@example.com (admin) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 06:33:00 +0100

Let’s be clear, you are a business doing business with businesses, you need a website, you need to project a web presence. I put it to you that you don’t need to impress, enthuse, intrigue or entice. You do need to make sure that you don’t put people off you. Very few people make a buy decision based on a website, many make a “do not buy” decision, and you’ll never know about it.

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Positioning

nospam@example.com (admin) — Thu, 03 May 2007 06:37:00 +0100

How often have you…

experienced the frustration of a company you’re interested in who’ve a website so full of information you can’t find out the basics, who they are and what they do?
been given ‘off the shelf’ marketing collateral that bears no relationship to the real business issues you’ve just discussed, as soon as they’re out of sight it’s straight in the bin?
seen sales people having to work so much harder than they need to because their company doesn’t have any well thought through value propositions?

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