2017 is well, essentially, here. But before we say goodbye to 2016, we thought it would be fun to share the five most popular posts this year from The Demand Creator Blog. When we analyzed the data, we learned that more than two-thirds of our 25 most viewed posts of 2016 were actually published in previous years. That's proof of the power of blogging. Creating content for your blog on a consistent, regular basis is challenging but the rewards are huge. Blog posts never stop working for you!
Four months ago I shared an initial review of HubSpot’s new CRM system by remarking that I’ve never heard a sales rep or executive comment, “I love our CRM!” Well, I can no longer say that as several people have commented to me how much they love the CRM; and I’m one of those people.
While the CRM still has some meaningful improvements that are needed (for example it still has no real reporting capability), it is living up to the promise that was made when it was announced.
25 Motivational Quotes for B2B Sales & Marketing Professionals
“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.”–Confucius 
St. Patrick’s Day is a day of fun and celebration for many. Often it’s just the type of distraction we need, as we see the first quarter coming to a close. Add to that the crazy weather we’ve been experiencing and you may just find yourself yearning for a bit of inspiration and motivation to reenergize yourself now that we’re heading into the end of yet another month.
I’ve always found quotes to be a great pick-me-up when I’m lacking motivation, and in that spirit I offer you 25 motivational quotes for sales and marketing:
While there is a lot of conversation about strategy and tactics, growing a business is more about math and managing by the numbers than anything else. If you’re tracking the right things and communicating the numbers then growth becomes a much simpler task.
However, if you’re not tracking the right numbers, it is impossible to have the right strategy. Consider the results of a recent study that found:
A common question I get from prospects is whether outbound sales efforts really work today. They talk about the noise in the market, the number of calls they get and how overloaded their email boxes already are.
My response is, “Crappy outbound doesn’t work anymore, but well-designed efforts work as well or better than they ever have.” A recent outbound effort where I was the recipient provides me a great opportunity to show why outbound efforts fail, and more importantly what you can do about it.Three weeks ago I received the following email (I’m eliminating all identifying information):
It happens to all of us. We feel like we’ve done a good job. We did our investigation, asked good questions, put together a strong proposal and delivered a solid presentation.
We left feeling great as everyone that we talked with sounded excited and there was a powerful vibe at the end. The only thing left was the formal decision to move ahead (and, of course, signing the contract or purchase order).
Then...nothing. Phone calls aren’t returned. Emails go by unnoticed. At most, we get cryptic responses indicating that no decision has been made yet, but everything is still under consideration. I call this a Zombie opportunity. It appears to still be walking, but there’s no life.
