If you follow my blog, you know that B2B Marketing is not just my profession, but my passion. Here are some of my more popular blog posts on B2B Marketing that you might enjoy.
Best,
Christopher Ryan
B2B Sales Process: What are the typical steps in the B2B sales process? I explain terms such as raw inquiry, suspect, qualified lead and more.
Where To Find Sales Leads: The need for fresh sales leads is a recurring challenge. This post starts with direct marketing methods.
Where To Find B2B Sales Leads: This post focuses on nine more lead sources from two important categories – online media and pull marketing.
Brand Promise Examples: Your brand is the place your company occupies in a prospect’s or customer’s mind when he or she thinks about you. Let’s look at some good, and not so good brand promise examples.
B2B Marketing Pitfalls: All of us face challenges in our marketing and sales strategies that are potential pitfalls. I have learned through long experience that avoiding the bad things can be just as important as doing the right things.
- How to Beat Larger Competitors at B2B Marketing and Sales February 23, 2015 6:27 pmLet’s face it – there is only one leader in every business category: Apple in smartphones, Wal-Mart in retail, Cargill in food processing, Microsoft in computer software and Wells Fargo in banking. This is equally true in smaller market segments. More often than not, you are not going to be the biggest company in your space and will have to ...Christopher Ryan
- In B2B Marketing, Everything Counts February 9, 2015 5:43 pmWhen my sons were in high school, I used to tell them that everything they did during their high school career counted. Not just their grades, but also their participation in sports and extracurricular activities would be seen and evaluated by future employers and especially college admissions people. Their performance in every class could mean the difference between being accepted ...Christopher Ryan
- How to be a Great B2B Marketing Coach January 27, 2015 9:14 pmIn honor of Super Bowl week, I thought I would explore just what it takes to be a great B2B marketing coach. Hopefully you won’t have to deal with issues like injuries and deflated footballs. But regardless if you are solely responsible for your B2B marketing efforts, or manage one or more people, you need to accept the responsibility for ...Christopher Ryan
- The Economic Value of Your Company Brand January 21, 2015 10:25 pmI was a guest speaker for The Center for Business Modeling at a video/podcast on a subject near and dear to my heart: the economic value of a brand. Following is a summary of what I said on the podcast. When people talk about a company brand, it is often expressed as sort of an abstract concept – we feel good ...Christopher Ryan
- Lower the Cost and Boost the Productivity of B2B Sales January 15, 2015 6:19 pmLast month, David Brock, president of Partners in Excellence, published an excellent article titled A Frightening Look At the Cost Of a Sales Person. Brock recounted some statistics that should disturb senior sales executives, as well as their CEOs and CFOs. For example: The average tenure of a salesperson from the time they start a job to the time they ...Christopher Ryan
- B2B Sales and Marketing Trends for 2015 January 6, 2015 3:00 pmAt the beginning of each year, my team and I publish a report on significant trends in B2B sales and marketing. This report is based on our experience with our B2B clients as well as relevant industry research. The purpose or the report is to provide information that is timely and actionable. You can read the full report here. Trend ...Christopher Ryan
- Focus on Productive B2B Marketing and Sales Activities December 30, 2014 5:13 pmLike many of you, I am in the middle of the process of strategizing how to best achieve my 2015 objectives, which include optimizing results for my family, business, friendships, activities, and so forth. And when I look back on 2014, I think I did a decent job of improving results in each of these areas. However, if there is ...Christopher Ryan
- B2B Marketing Leaders: 3 Things that Can Hurt You (And Your Company) in 2015 December 17, 2014 5:39 pmThe transition to a new year can be a perilous time for B2B marketing organizations. Sales managers, finance people and CEOs are gathered in rooms or on conference calls having tough conversations about priorities and funding for the new year. The output of these meetings can wreak havoc on the unsuspecting marketing department, especially when these types of statements are ...Christopher Ryan
- Customer Service is a Critical Marketing Attribute December 3, 2014 8:55 amThis blog post might have been titled “A Tale of Two Gondolas” because the subject matter comes directly from a recent experience in Venice, Italy. My wife and I were there on a trip and another family member in our group suggested a gondola ride based on her recent experience. She raved about her gondola operator and how he not ...Christopher Ryan
- 8 Reasons Why We Fail to Make the B2B Sale November 25, 2014 7:16 pmI mostly write about B2B marketing issues, but am often asked by my clients to consult on issues related to sales performance. One of my key mantras is that you must have your B2B marketing and sales plans and processes fully aligned. It is not unusual to find a circumstance where both the marketing and sales departments are fully optimized ...Christopher Ryan
