en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/739038 Comments by chadlevitt http://newsaleseconomy.com/top-eight-marketing-and-sales-strategies-is-this-a-joke#IDComment109635043 The source was cited in a link when I originally posted -- no where in the post did it detail the requirement to use the authors full by line. But, as per your request I gladly added. BTW on the web, the link does more for spreading your content than a byline. I posted the article to highlight how generic and dated the advice is. I call it how I see it. Thanks for reading! Sat, 13 Nov 2010 21:47:01 +0000 http://newsaleseconomy.com/top-eight-marketing-and-sales-strategies-is-this-a-joke#IDComment109635043 http://newsaleseconomy.com/9-reasons-why-50-of-sales-reps-are-missing-quota#IDComment92845046 Yes, Chris one aspect of this doozie of a question falls onto how good the product or service is. But in most markets, the differentiation between products is minimal, and most are good enough to get the job done just fine. Even in the companies that have a wiz bang product or service there are reps that are not making the number... why? This questions fascinates me.... Keep the comments flowing... I will crowdsource all the answers to this question in an upcoming post! Fri, 13 Aug 2010 20:42:00 +0000 http://newsaleseconomy.com/9-reasons-why-50-of-sales-reps-are-missing-quota#IDComment92845046 http://newsaleseconomy.com/advancing-the-sale-use-content-to-get-in-the-door-and-persuade#IDComment90240202 @Josh: I'm glad you had some nice takeaways from the post. The sales reps that go the extra mile by providing more value that is simple to understand will be very successful. If your company does not have a blog try compiling blog articles and one-pagers that you could use in your sales process. Then get on your management to have sales and marketing align. Keep reading! Mon, 2 Aug 2010 02:24:47 +0000 http://newsaleseconomy.com/advancing-the-sale-use-content-to-get-in-the-door-and-persuade#IDComment90240202 http://newsaleseconomy.com/should-sales-reps-be-allowed-to-blog-ibm-says-yes#IDComment74983736 Amen, Steve! It also helps when sales reps are constantly speaking to prospects that have been engaging with your brand over time. IBM has realized this and they are capitalizing on the shift in buyer behavior and expectations. Wed, 12 May 2010 01:06:54 +0000 http://newsaleseconomy.com/should-sales-reps-be-allowed-to-blog-ibm-says-yes#IDComment74983736 http://newsaleseconomy.com/should-sales-reps-be-allowed-to-blog-ibm-says-yes#IDComment74983440 Keep in mind sales reps can use a blog as a way to crack into their target accounts through keeping top of mind with, consistent, and relevant content. A really powerful blog for a sales rep does not need to rank in search engines. It can be used as a business development tool to get more opportunities going in addition to your normal outbound activity. Wed, 12 May 2010 01:03:55 +0000 http://newsaleseconomy.com/should-sales-reps-be-allowed-to-blog-ibm-says-yes#IDComment74983440 http://newsaleseconomy.com/should-sales-reps-be-allowed-to-blog-ibm-says-yes#IDComment72575999 Excellent points. Also, keep in mind that if you are a farmer rep you can apply specific strategies to meet the needs of your accounts, the same goes for if you are a hunter rep. Blogs for sales reps may be less about SEO and more about creating relationships in accounts with super helpful and valuable content. Again, different strategies for different goals. The fact is that blogs garner attention. Wed, 5 May 2010 01:28:32 +0000 http://newsaleseconomy.com/should-sales-reps-be-allowed-to-blog-ibm-says-yes#IDComment72575999 http://newsaleseconomy.com/should-sales-reps-be-allowed-to-blog-ibm-says-yes#IDComment72574573 I'm definitely with you on this one Todd. While creating and maintaining a blog will not be something every sales rep does -- the really smart ones will take advantage of the shift in the way prospects engage, do research and buy. The magic is found in providing new and creative ways to provide value, create interest and open doors to more opportunities. Blogs can be used as a very handy key. Wed, 5 May 2010 01:22:27 +0000 http://newsaleseconomy.com/should-sales-reps-be-allowed-to-blog-ibm-says-yes#IDComment72574573 http://newsaleseconomy.com/never-cold-call-again-enough-with-the-hype#IDComment71379035 Art, come on man! You're trying to tell me that there is a difference between a smart call and a warm call? Feel free to hash that one out for me. They are the same thing, just with different spins. No matter what you name a phone call to a prospect, it is a cold call, unless you are calling an inbound lead. You're trying to tell me, that when you ask, "are you sick and tired of rejection?", that your book is not proposing it can reduce the amount of rejection inherent in sales. If not, the marketing copy sure reads that way. Again, I respect the work you do, but I stand firm that the marketing copy for the book is old, out dated, and an attempt to prey on the basic human emotion of fear. Thu, 29 Apr 2010 22:23:43 +0000 http://newsaleseconomy.com/never-cold-call-again-enough-with-the-hype#IDComment71379035 http://newsaleseconomy.com/11-sales-tips-for-cold-calling-and-prospecting#IDComment56087732 @Trish: I like to feature different posts with varying viewpoints because it gets discussion going -- much like on this post. To your point, it is always best to know as much about your prospects or buyers as possible. The more info you have the better the opening conversation will be if you use it wisely. This easily ties into Sales 2.0. There are many companies that actively use lead generation specialists that qualify leads and fill the top of the sales funnel. They cold call -- a lot. For some organizations this reduces their cost of sale because they are not paying their high cost sales reps with non-sales activities, it is incorporated into their sales process, and it works. Other organizations choose to outsource this to companies like Vorsight or a sales productivity vendor ConnectandSell. Different viewpoints and different strategies. Thanks for your comment.! Wed, 10 Feb 2010 00:09:44 +0000 http://newsaleseconomy.com/11-sales-tips-for-cold-calling-and-prospecting#IDComment56087732 http://kylelacy.com/empower-your-employees-to-win-with-social-media/#IDComment56023947 @Kyle: When I speak and write about enabling employees to be voices of the company brand many peoples head's explode. I call these old school, big media, more dollars than brains, the corporate dinosaurs because they will soon be extinct. If they only understood the science behind viral marketing, the cascade effect and big seed theory in social media they would encourage every employee to jump on Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, etc. Thoughts out there? Tue, 9 Feb 2010 14:48:48 +0000 http://kylelacy.com/empower-your-employees-to-win-with-social-media/#IDComment56023947 http://newsaleseconomy.com/creating-content-vs-corporate-control-freaks-why-the-battle#IDComment56014550 @Trish: I'm all for quality control and guidelines, but organizations should be careful of not over regulating. I've found simple guidelines to be best in the world we live in. Trish and I will be announcing a webinar shortly that will dive into more of these discussions around content creation, quality control, personal branding and b2b social media in sales all from a generational perspective. It's going to be interesting and not to mention fun! We will announce the details soon. Tue, 9 Feb 2010 13:22:50 +0000 http://newsaleseconomy.com/creating-content-vs-corporate-control-freaks-why-the-battle#IDComment56014550 http://newsaleseconomy.com/11-sales-tips-for-cold-calling-and-prospecting#IDComment55930526 @Michael: I'm sure Steve will chime in with his thoughts too, but here is my take on your question. The 11 tips are the result of answering the questions presented by Steve. Take question #4 for example -- do you know the best times to call your prospects? For most industries the times are between 7:30 am and 9:30 am and 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm. Track your calls, connects, meetings, and opportunities to understand your best times. When you answer these questions you will see an increase in your conversions to meetings because you will be practicing strategies that have been proven to work. Sales tips they are indeed! There are many ways to make your call relevant to your prospects and more of a warm call then cold call. Linkedin is one of the best social media tools to use and a simple Google search can dig up conversation gold. InsidveView is a really cool Sales 2.0 company that delivers actionable info and sales alerts right in your CRM -- pretty cool stuff and worth checking out. I also like Jigsaw for finding direct lines and emails for prospects. Give it a try. Hope this helps. Tue, 9 Feb 2010 00:45:08 +0000 http://newsaleseconomy.com/11-sales-tips-for-cold-calling-and-prospecting#IDComment55930526 http://newsaleseconomy.com/creating-content-vs-corporate-control-freaks-why-the-battle#IDComment55664817 @Trish: Companies and sales reps need to lose the fear factor. Being scared of what sales reps will say or do if they create content that can help them sell is for losing companies stuck in the past. Look at what Nigel was able to do with a simple Powerpoint presentation. If sales reps don't have the DESIRE to increase their business then that is up to them. If they don't want to use content to help them sell they will get out flanked by those that figure it out. The business world is moving towards SMARKETING. If companies want their messages to reach more people they should encourage their sales reps to get the message out in any way they can. Sat, 6 Feb 2010 23:36:07 +0000 http://newsaleseconomy.com/creating-content-vs-corporate-control-freaks-why-the-battle#IDComment55664817 http://newsaleseconomy.com/creating-content-vs-corporate-control-freaks-why-the-battle#IDComment55664224 @Marcus: Right on - this applies to all companies no matter the industry or size. The opportunity is even bigger for small companies because they can compete with the big boys now if they are smart. The balance of power is shifting. Sat, 6 Feb 2010 23:27:58 +0000 http://newsaleseconomy.com/creating-content-vs-corporate-control-freaks-why-the-battle#IDComment55664224 http://newsaleseconomy.com/creating-content-vs-corporate-control-freaks-why-the-battle#IDComment55664110 @Rick: This is a good question and one where the answer is staring you right in the face. The good and bad news is already out there in the socialmediasphere and blogosphere. The conversations are already taking place about your company and you can choose to either participate or not participate. Sticking your head in the sand does not do anything. When you take control, create a content strategy, and participate in the conversations your customers are having you build trust and credibility -- both good things! Sat, 6 Feb 2010 23:25:55 +0000 http://newsaleseconomy.com/creating-content-vs-corporate-control-freaks-why-the-battle#IDComment55664110 http://newsaleseconomy.com/creating-content-vs-corporate-control-freaks-why-the-battle#IDComment55663708 @Nigel: This is awesome and a perfect example of doing something different with content that can lead to sales results. Now with sharing platforms and Slideshare it is even easier to give your content reach. Sales and Marketing are both moving in the right direction, but as you point out it is ultimately up to the sales rep to hit and exceed their number. Marketing does not go to bed thinking about you bringing home a fat commission check. Sat, 6 Feb 2010 23:21:44 +0000 http://newsaleseconomy.com/creating-content-vs-corporate-control-freaks-why-the-battle#IDComment55663708 http://newsaleseconomy.com/the-new-rules-of-b2b-sales#IDComment54390629 @Nelson: Content is great, but it needs to have a home on the web where it can be found and shared. A blog or a website (they can be the same thing these days) is a great place to store your content. Once it is in a central location and organized in a simple way for your buyers you can begin using it as a sales strategy. More on this exciting topic in the upcoming New Rules of B2B Sales blog post series. Fri, 29 Jan 2010 19:24:45 +0000 http://newsaleseconomy.com/the-new-rules-of-b2b-sales#IDComment54390629 http://newsaleseconomy.com/the-sales-2-0-pro-bowl-team#IDComment54251704 @Marc: Thanks and keep spreading the word over at InsideView -- great stuff! Thu, 28 Jan 2010 20:45:14 +0000 http://newsaleseconomy.com/the-sales-2-0-pro-bowl-team#IDComment54251704 http://newsaleseconomy.com/the-sales-2-0-pro-bowl-team#IDComment54251619 If your going to kick the ball around make sure to kick it through the goal posts. You would get 3 points and the AFC badly needs it! Where are you AFC? Thu, 28 Jan 2010 20:44:19 +0000 http://newsaleseconomy.com/the-sales-2-0-pro-bowl-team#IDComment54251619 http://newsaleseconomy.com/the-sales-2-0-pro-bowl-team#IDComment54251466 Hit Doyle -- he's open in the endzoe! Thu, 28 Jan 2010 20:42:48 +0000 http://newsaleseconomy.com/the-sales-2-0-pro-bowl-team#IDComment54251466