In a February 2016 report, 83% of B2B marketers said they were focusing on lead quality over lead quantity[i]

So, what is considered a high-quality lead, and why are B2B marketers turning their attention to quality over quantity? Well firstly, a high-quality lead is one which meets all of the BANT criteria (Budget, Authority, Need Time), and adheres to the sales team’s lead conditions. But most importantly, a quality lead is one which is easily converted to a customer and spends money with the organisation. The reason B2B marketers are more focused on this outcome rather than generating multiple leads is because, you can’t pay bills with engagement.

Topics: B2B Lead Generation, B2B marketing, B2B Sales

During the early stages of inbound marketing and marketing automation implementation in the business-to-business space, sales were left somewhat ‘out in the cold’. Marketing were gathering huge amounts of information and very little of it was being passed over to the sales team with the lead’s contact details. There was then another shift whereby marketing were providing every piece of information on each lead to the sales team – ultimately overwhelming them.

Topics: B2B Sales, B2B Sales and Marketing, B2B Salespeople

The world of B2B sales is changing… rapidly. Where salespeople were once the go-to contacts for information and advice during the buying process, content and personal research are now taking their place. As buyers educate themselves and manoeuvre through the first 70% of the sales cycle, B2B salespeople are side-lined and left feeling underutilised.

Topics: B2B Sales, B2B Sales and Marketing, b2b salesperson

Have the changes in buyer behaviour and the introduction of inbound marketing put B2B salespeople out of a job? Not quite. Granted they may not have the same approach to their role as before, but with simple changes they can now perform better than ever…

Topics: B2B Sales, B2B Salespeople, b2b sales future

Given that the sales and marketing teams within a business are the sole generators of new business and income, the title of this post might surprise you. But it’s true, the sales and marketing teams in your company may be costing you money due to wasted time, effort, and resources.

Topics: B2B marketing, B2B Sales, B2B Sales and Marketing

If you’re a resident of the UK and own a TV, then you’ve no doubt seen or heard about the current series of I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! – it’s apparently impossible to avoid it. The premise of the show is that celebrities (using the term loosely) are sent to the jungle and forced to do ridiculous tasks in order to win the votes from the public.

Topics: B2B Sales, B2B Social Media, B2B Social Selling, B2B LinkedIn Marketing

It’s no secret that over the past few years the B2B buying cycle has changed. As decision-makers carry out more and more of their own research before speaking directly to an organisation, the role of B2B sales has changed dramatically. This development has made such an impact, that many B2B salespeople have begun to fear for their jobs and are feeling surplus to requirements. But this shouldn’t be the case. The fact is, although the buyer journey has changed, B2B salespeople still have a part to play in it – just in a slightly different way.

Topics: B2B Lead Generation, B2B Leads, B2B Sales

There are a number of prosperous businesses around that have grown from start-ups to profitable companies by relying simply on word of mouth and customer referrals. For these businesses, proactive lead generation and new client acquisition has not yet been necessary and focus has instead been on meeting demand and fulfilling customers’ requirements to retain their repeat business. At some point though, this situation is likely to change. Referrals may slow down, demand decreases and suddenly you have the time, the desire or maybe even the urgent need to start actively growing your B2B sales.

It’s at this point you need a well-planned lead generation strategy, but where to start?

Topics: B2B Lead Generation, B2B Sales

As we all know, B2B marketing content is the best vehicle to show thought leadership, build trust and ultimately inform prospects and leads. But what if the decision-makers and buyers are only actually middle-men between your organisation and the end-users? Before this gets too complicated, let’s simplify it. For example, a company makes hot water tanks for domestic properties. However, they supply their products to installers and plumbers (who then fit these tanks into people’s homes). A traditional marketing approach would dictate that the water tank company should be marketing their products to the installers and plumbers in the hope of securing them as repeat customers. But is this the only marketing solution? Certainly not.

Topics: B2B Lead Generation, B2B Leads, B2B marketing, B2B Sales

Topics: B2B Lead Generation, B2B Leads, B2B Sales, B2B Sales and Marketing

If you’ve ever played a game of cards then you’ll know the player with the strongest hand is the one with the best combination of cards. Therefore, each one is of equal importance.

Topics: B2B, B2B Sales, B2B Outbound Sales, Outbound Sales

When it comes to B2B sales, outbound prospecting plays a vital part, despite the ever-growing importance of inbound marketing. To generate the best results though, sales teams must employ the use of multiple channels, just like the winner of Top Trumps is the player with the strongest deck of cards. So, have you got a winning B2B sales hand?

Topics: B2B Lead Generation, B2B Leads, B2B Sales, B2B Sales Channels, B2B Outbound Sales

Compass, a business analytics firm, has produced a report on SaaS - the trendy, high-growth industry Gartner predicts will shine until at least the end of the decade. Therefore, one would assume, that with a good idea, this is the industry to be in if you want to grow a successful business.

Topics: B2B Sales, Growing a SaaS business, business growth, SaaS business growth, B2B growth

In management, if your plate isn’t full then it’s probably overflowing. There never seem to be enough hours in the day to achieve everything on your to-do list and every time there is an opportunity for a break, something inevitably pops up or a deadline moves.

Topics: B2B Lead Generation, B2B Sales, Lead Generation, time management, B2B sales lead generation

As the professional social network, LinkedIn is the go-to move for B2B salespeople looking to venture into the world of social selling to generate sales and revenue. With 64% of LinkedIn members using the site to develop relationships and grow their business, salespeople need to know how to separate the wheat from the chaff and uncover the highest quality social selling opportunities.

Topics: B2B Sales, B2B Social Media, B2B Social, B2B Selling, B2B LinkedIn, B2B Social Selling, B2B Salespeople, B2B LinkedIn Marketing