Emma Brudner says, “Not every lead is a good fit for a product or service — no matter how strongly a salesperson believes they are (or wants them to be). Buyers don’t buy just because they have a serious need, a looming deadline, or money to burn. They buy because of a combination of all of these factors, and more.Get HubSpot CRM (it’s free). During the qualification call, salespeople can’t simply focus on establishing a fit on one of these criteria. They have to establish a fit on all the relevant factors. While the specific sales qualification questions a rep asks... [...]

Ginny Soskey says, “Putting together an A+ landing page can be tricky.There are so many elements that a top-notch landing page needs, and making those elements the “best” they can be often depends on what your landing page goals are. Take form length, for example. It’s just one of the many components you need to optimize, but best practices will tell you that both short and long forms perform well — it all depends on whether you want to generate a lot of (potentially) lower quality form submissions, or a smaller number of higher quality submissions. New Call-to-actionSo... [...]

Alex Jones says, “The cultural landscape of the modern world is constantly changing. Internet celebrities are created in as little as six seconds. Viral videos can be viewed in every continent across the world in a matter of hours. There’s a lot going on.As a result, there are also a lot of opportunities for brands to join the conversation — that is, if they can keep up. With things moving at such a fast pace, trends can disappear before we even have time to craft a meaningful message in response to them.But what technology takes away in terms of time to prepare, it makes up... [...]

John Sherer says, “Read the last few emails you’ve sent to people you’re trying to connect with. Did you say the same thing every time? Is 40% of of what you wrote jargon? Do you sound like a robot?I answered “yes” to most of those questions not too long ago. But then I tried something that I’d like to recommend here.Forget those emails for a moment. Instead, read any of the past three emails you’ve wrote to friends.Did you say the same thing every time? Is 40% of it jargon? Did it sound robotic?NOPE.I spent years trying to sound like a professional,... [...]

Alex Jones says, “The cultural landscape of the modern world is constantly changing. Internet celebrities are created in as little as six seconds. Viral videos can be viewed in every continent across the world in a matter of hours. There’s a lot going on.As a result, there are also a lot of opportunities for brands to join the conversation — that is, if they can keep up. With things moving at such a fast pace, trends can disappear before we even have time to craft a meaningful message in response to them.But what technology takes away in terms of time to prepare, it makes up... [...]

Lindsay Kolowich says, “With over 400 million active users, brands are quickly recognizing the need to have a presence on Instagram.But, as with any social network, the brands that are getting the most out of Instagram are the ones who are smart about what they post, when they post, how often they post, and whom they’re targeting.But how do they know what’s “smart”?That’s where the data comes in. There’s a whole lot of research out there about Instagram — everything from the demographics of its users and how often brands are posting, to how caption... [...]

Aja Frost says, “I’ve been a member of the five-sentence club for about a year now. Anyone can become a member, but staying in? Well, that’s much harder. To remain eligible, you can’t send an email longer than five sentences.As you can imagine, being in the club requires a lot of work. But it’s worth it: The first month I joined, my response rate tripled. Plus, my recipients’ average response time plunged by an entire day.I like how straightforward the five-sentence rule is, but you can reap the same benefits simply by writing less. These three strategies will turn you into a... [...]

Lindsay Kolowich says, “With over 400 million active users, brands are quickly recognizing the need to have a presence on Instagram.But, as with any social network, the brands that are getting the most out of Instagram are the ones who are smart about what they post, when they post, how often they post, and whom they’re targeting.But how do they know what’s “smart”?That’s where the data comes in. There’s a whole lot of research out there about Instagram — everything from the demographics of its users and how often brands are posting, to how caption... [...]

Courtney Feairheller says, “A common mistake companies make in marketing efforts is positioning their company or product as the hero of the story. You may want to don the cape, drive the Batmobile, and kick the villain’s butt (and who could blame you?), but most brands overlook the interests of customers when they focus on themselves.The harsh reality is that your customers don’t care about your company or products – they only care about how you’ll meet their needs. If you want your customers to buy your products or services, your marketing should revolve around your customer... [...]

Pete Caputa says, “Connecting with prospects is harder now than ever before. In today’s technology-driven world, fewer and fewer prospects answer their phone and even less respond to voicemails. Not even 1% of phone calls are returned!Although I’ve resisted telling my salespeople for years that the phone is less important than email when it comes to prospecting, it’s hard to ignore the stats anymore. Today, effective email writing skills are more essential than mastering the unscheduled call. (There, I said it.)Unfortunately, most sales emails don’t get a response either. In... [...]