Ayaz Nanji says, “Some 85% of B2B companies say their sales team’s ability to articulate product/service value is one of the most critical factors in closing deals, according to a recent report from Corporate Visions. The report was based on data from a survey of more than 500 B2B marketers and salespeople from around the world who were polled about their sales messaging strategies and training. Additional key findings from the study: 41% of companies ask their salespeople to role-play practice product/service value messaging in front of others. 49% of respondents say managers are... [...]

Andy Hoar says, “Forrester forecasts that 1 million US B2B salespeople will lose their jobs to self-service eCommerce by the year 2020. B2B buyers now favor do-it-yourself online options for researching and buying products and services, and they are demanding that B2B sellers fully enable those digital paths to purchase. Yet too many of today’s B2B companies still insist that B2B buyers interact with sales reps in order to complete a purchase. For a minority of customers who are buying complex and expensive products and services, talking to a sales rep can be a value-added experience.... [...]

Ayaz Nanji says, “B2B buyers say thorough contact information is the content element that best establishes credibility on a vendor website, according to a recent report from KoMarketing and Huff Industrial Marketing. The report was based on data from an October and November 2014 survey of 262 professionals who are responsible for, or influence, B2B purchase decisions; 94% of respondents are based in the United States. In addition to contact details, survey respondents say, About/team bio information and traditional marketing collateral, such as research reports, case studies, and whitepapers,... [...]

Peter O’Neill says, “Welcome to our new B2B Marketing role pages. Our research and advisory work will focus on the sharp end of B2B marketing (see below). By that I mean all the work that marketers do to generate and accelerate revenue for their company. You’ll find our reports useful if you do demand generation, lead-to-revenue management, field marketing, content marketing as it is related to buyer engagement, and, of course, all aspects of sales and channel enablement. B2B companies must rapidly adjust their go-to-market strategies, as they face disintermediation from the B2B... [...]

Rachel Balik says, “Every week, we get an automated email from one of display ad vendors with this subject line, “Rachel, you could get more clicks by increasing your budget.” Well, you don’t say! What bothers me about this email is that they’re not promising me better performance or a more optimized campaign. This is basically the equivalent of saying, “Rachel, you could get a second coffee by paying for a second coffee!” To extend that metaphor into my display ad campaigns, I don’t want a second coffee. I want a higher quality coffee, maybe one with an espresso shot in it.... [...]

Peter O’Neill says, “Today, I continue my introduction to the new analysts (from April 1st) in our group providing research and advisory for B2B Marketing professionals, including sales enablement. In addition to Laura Ramos, whom I introduced last week, we are also being joined by experienced Forrester analysts Kim Celestre and Lori Wizdo. So, as an introduction to Kim’s work, let me point you to a recent report: Executive Q&A: How Online Communities Help You Achieve A Social Depth Objective, which is currently on the Marketing Leadership pages on this website. This report... [...]

Emily Collins says, “After almost every loyalty-related speech I give, I get some variation of the following question: “How does this apply to B2B?” Sure, customer loyalty programs are most frequently associated with consumer-facing rewards schemes, but earning customer loyalty is very important for B2B companies too. After all, loyal and satisfied B2B customers provide testimonials, case studies, and referrals that result in a fuller and more qualified pipeline of new business. It can be easy for B2B marketers to dismiss consumer loyalty models as inapplicable to their complex... [...]

Selena Blue says, “How do you improve an already effective marketing program? Online testing lets marketers optimize their current efforts through small changes or radical redesigns. The key is to design tests that provide customer insights, not just metric lifts. As part of the Email Summit 2015 Live Test, VolunteerMatch used a three-part series of experiments to learn how to better engage its B2B audience for its SaaS product. Learn how it increased clickthrough in emails and on a landing page while still gaining invaluable insights about the needs of its potential customers”. Online Testing:... [...]

Peter O’Neill says, “In last week’s post, I mentioned the upcoming transition of the Sales Enablement role to a much more strategic B2B Marketing role. In April, overnight, you will have immediate access to over a hundred reports about B2B marketing written by experienced Forrester analysts Laura Ramos, Lori Wizdo, and Kim Celestre. This is in addition to the reports you know already from our existing sales enablement research. That body of research will continue as planned within the new role; there is no let-off in our momentum on sales enablement coverage. But this research will... [...]

Peter O’Neill says, “Wow! It may have taken place eight days ago, but I am still exhausted — and also exhilarated. In all modesty, we held a great Sales Enablement Forum in Scottsdale, Arizona last week. Nearly 350 attendees enjoyed presentations from 34 different speakers, including many industry practitioners, as well the opportunity to meet 21 sponsoring companies. As I promised you a few months ago, the agenda was equally strong around B2B marketing topics. For those of you who did not make it, here is a short recap on the Sales Enablement landing page of what we covered in... [...]