Did you know that we published more than 150 posts to this blog in 2015? Wow. That's a lot and made it difficult for our team members to choose their favorites. After much consideration, here are the posts we selected.
Matt Polashuk - Why I am Speaking About Sales Development at the Inbound 2015 Conference
Matt, one of our Inbound Marketing Stragists, has been with Imagine for almost two years and spends his days working with our clients to implement successful inbound progams. His top pick for 2015 is Why I am Speaking About Sales Development at the Inbound 2015 Conference. Here's why:
I chose this post for a couple reasons. The first is I still remember the anticipation leading up to my first time experiencing the conference this year and already can't wait till next November. The second reason is because as an inbound marketer who got his start in sales and has worked on both sides of the all-bound model here at Imagine, I understand the importance sales development plays in the inbound marketing process. This post also reinforces how unique Imagine is by focusing on the entire funnel rather than just bits and pieces.
Ellen Salzler - STOP: Don't Buy that Marketing Technology Until You Read These 4 Tips
Ellen is also an Inbound Marketing Strategist. She joined Imagine in November and is already making an impact with our clients. When asked what her favorite post of 2015 was, here's what she said:
My favorite blog post is STOP: Don’t Buy that Marketing Technology Until You Read These 4 Tips.
I know it was just recently published, but it reminded me of a few things. Sometimes the newest shiny object isn’t as fancy as the old rusted one. I still prefer to write with pen and paper instead of using an app to keep track of things. I prefer working with and communicating with humans over implementing new communication technologies. It’s easy to want to spend money and get caught up on something new. In reality, sometimes you don’t necessarily need it. That’s where the fine line can get a little blurry. Every now and then, we find something that really works and truly makes a difference within the workplace. That’s when technology is really exciting. I just recently started using a MacBook and it’s one of the smartest decisions I’ve made. I just recently started working at Imagine and it’s been an amazing experience. As long as the new shiny object helps and as long as technology makes sense, go for it.
Maria Votlucka - Sorry Virginia, There is no Inbound Selling
Maria is a Senior Inbound Marketing Strategist and also joined Imagine in November. She has significant experience managing inbound marketing programs and like Ellen, is already making a big impact with our clients. Here's her favorite post of 2015.
I chose Sorry Virginia, There is no Inbound Selling as my favorite post. I like this post because it calls attention to the facade around “Inbound Sales.” This new term is in reality, a branding initiative to complement “Inbound Marketing” and incorrectly makes people think that there’s a magic wand that will help them win more customers without “Outbound Sales.” The truth is they need to execute “Outbound Sales” effectively. This is nothing new. The definition of “Inbound Sales” is virtually identical to what an “Outbound Sales” program should look like. It also points out that while “Inbound Marketing” can certainly educate leads, more often than not, leads need a “push” to make a decision that content just can’t deliver.
Stacy Bouchard - The Third Discipline: Bridging B2B Sales and Marketing
Stacy is Imagine's Marketing Manager. She joined us in February and works closely with on Doug all things marketing-related at Imagine. Her favorite post of 2015 is The Third Discipline: Bridging B2B Sales and Marketing.
This is my favorite post because it clearly defines a problem that has existed throughout my career and explains what's been missing. When I first discovered inbound marketing, I firmly believed it was the lead generation solution I had been looking for and in many ways, it is. However, most inbound leads aren't ready to buy and understanding how to move them along their buyer's journey by adding outbound tactics is critical to revenue generation. I love this post because it describes the "chasm" that exists and explains how sales development creates the bridge.
David Fletcher - The 9 Metrics You Must be Tracking to Scale B2B Sales Growth
As President of Imagine, Fletch is responsible for making sure our clients programs are being executed properly and are achieving the established goals. It's no wonder he chose a post about metrics.
My favorite of post of 2015 is our post about the KPIs and metrics that need to be tracked in order to scale sales growth. Too many small-mid size businesses put too much emphasis on the pipeline report. This post shows there is better data available that will help increase your revenues.
Doug Davidoff - The 5 Questions Every Sales Manager Should Ask Their Salespeople
Doug is the founder and CEO of Imagine and the main contributor to The Demand Creator Blog. He said selecting his favorite post was like trying to choose a favorite child. In the end, he chose The 5 Questions Every Sales Manager Should Ask Their Salespeople.
I've always been a fan of great questions. While I certainly love great answers, I've learned that if people are asking the right questions, getting really good answers is actually quite simple. One of the challenges that exists in the sales process is trying to get to the closest picture of reality so that you can make the right decisions and allocate your resources effectively. The questions I share in this post have always worked well to help me and the teams I've overseen produce consistently positive results. The response to the post indicates that it was well on point.
