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Category Archives: Sales and Marketing
3 Fundamentals of a Customer Service Culture
Having a true customer service culture depends on each individual employee. Each employee is focused on solving the customer’s problems Each employee strives to help the customer succeed in their business Each employee supports and helps their fellow employees
Let’s Train Our Sales Managers
The all too common refrain in sales and sales management is: When you promote your star salesperson into a sales management position you lose a good salesperson and gain a lousy sales manager. But why? Why do we have so … Continue reading
Posted in Sales and Marketing, Team / People
Tagged Sales Coaching, Sales Management, Sales Training
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We’ve Gotten the Sale…Now What?
The customer has said yes. He or she will buy our product and service. Now what do we do? 1. Shut Up and Get Out As Michael Bloomberg, the billionaire Mayor of New York City, puts it so well: First, … Continue reading
Determining the ROI of Product Development
This is a guest blog by K. Armen Miamidian, a time-tested CFO for successful mid-market companies. What’s Pumping Your Profits: An Internal Look at the ROI of Product Development? When are expenses not just costs? Why do risky assumptions become … Continue reading
Posted in Business Acumen, Growth and Strategy, Sales and Marketing
Tagged Financial Analysis, Product Development, ROI
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Social Media for the B2B Executive
Social media – Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, blogs, etc. – usually revolves around business to consumer (B2C) efforts. In it, companies are trying to reach many possible customers through their social media effort. For business to business (B2B) companies, the situation … Continue reading
Posted in Communication, Growth and Strategy, Sales and Marketing
Tagged Brand, Marketing, Sales, Sales and Marketing, Social Media
5 Comments
Data Analytics 101
Data Analytics…Big Data…Sabermetrics With the success of the book and movie, Moneyball, a few success stories in the retail world (Amazon and Wal-Mart), and a lot of hype from the consulting and technology industry, data analytics has become a buzzword … Continue reading
Sales and Marketing in a Time and Attention Starved World
In today’s over-saturated world of twenty four hour media, advertisement, and promotion, we are drowning in too much data and too many messages. Our brains are full, and our attention span is depleted. Paradoxically, despite this flood of information, we … Continue reading
Posted in Growth and Strategy, Sales and Marketing
Tagged Attention Starved, Customer Service, Growth, Marketing, Sales, Selling, Time Starved
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High Impact Selling – Timeless Sales Advice
My re-reading of William T. Brooks’ 1988 book, High Impact Selling: Power Strategies for Successful Selling, reminded me that the keys to successful sales have been known for years. They just need to be implemented and followed. Fundamentals of High … Continue reading
Posted in Growth and Strategy, Sales and Marketing
Tagged Customer Service, Sales, Sales Coaching, Sales Success, Sales Training
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Lessons from a Customer
Over the last month, my family and I have moved from Chandler, Arizona to Newport Beach, California. We sold our house in Chandler, moved ourselves and our belongings, and bought a house in Newport Beach. As so many of you … Continue reading
“Do You Want Fries With That?” – An Opportunity for Profitable Growth
McDonald’s employees are trained to ask all customers whether they want fries with their meal. This little question, repeated millions of times a day in thousands of McDonald’s restaurants worldwide, creates millions of dollars of profits for McDonald’s as millions … Continue reading
Grow and Win With New Product (and Service) Development
In today’s slow-growth economy, companies are struggling to find new ways to grow. All too often, current products are mature and current markets are saturated with competition. To escape these brutal facts and find a new avenue for growth, companies … Continue reading
Tuned In – Valuable Insight in Finding That New Avenue for Growth
In Tuned In: Uncover the Extraordinary Opportunities That Lead to Business Breakthroughs, Craig Stull, Phil Myers and David Meerman Scott describe the ‘Tuned In’ methodology that your company can use to find your next avenue for growth. ‘Tuned In’ creates … Continue reading
Posted in Growth and Strategy, Sales and Marketing
Tagged Growth, Market Development, Marketing, Product Development, Strategy
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How to Grow When Markets Don’t – More Relevant than Ever!
Published in late 2004, How to Grow When Markets Don’t by Adrian Slywotzky and Richard Wise (with Karl Weber) is more relevant than ever in today’s slow-growth business climate. The Growth Crisis The economy is maturing and population growth is … Continue reading
To Sell Well, ‘Spin Sell’ – Sales Training for B2B Companies
Selling is all about delivering value to the customer. In B2B (Business-to-Business) sales, this fundamental is too often forgotten. Instead, salespeople: 1. Tell customers how great their (the salesperson’s) company is 2. Tell customers all the features of their great … Continue reading
Posted in Growth and Strategy, Sales and Marketing
Tagged B2B Sales, Sales, Sales Coaching, Sales Training, Spin Selling
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Blue Ocean Strategy
In their book, Blue Ocean Strategy: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make the Competition Irrelevant, W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne outline a strategy process to create a long-term sustainable competitive advantage. While a bit too full of … Continue reading
Posted in Growth and Strategy, Sales and Marketing
Tagged Business Development, Business Strategy, Growth, Marketing
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Made To Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die
In their excellent book, Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die, Chip Heath and Dan Heath discuss the ways to make sure your ideas stick. An idea sticks when it is understood and remembered and has a … Continue reading
Posted in Business Acumen, Sales and Marketing
Tagged Business Leadership, Communication, Made to Stick, Marketing
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Are You in Love With Your Customers?
“If your business leader does not love customers and is not committed to delivering value to them, your venture will fail.” With this quote from Ken Morse, serial entrepreneur & co-founder of 3Com Corporation, I begin my guest blog at … Continue reading
Team With Your Customers
A previous blog discussed the first two ways to turn your current satisfied customers into your biggest allies and best friends. Survey and satisfy these customers. Truly listen to them. The third way to develop customers as allies is to … Continue reading
How to Grow Your Business in Five Steps
Growth is a pre-requisite for business success. In today’s rapidly changing business environment, most companies need to grow just to stay in place. They need to expand market share, seek out related and new market opportunities, and constantly pursue new … Continue reading