Journalist Geoffrey James tackles the debate about sales and marketing alignment, and who owns the client:

“The war between Sales and Marketing is both legendary and debilitating. And yet it’s probably fair to say that the future of your company lies in your ability to make the two work better together.

With that in mind, here are the nine most common complaints Sales has about Marketing, along with my advice to resolve the problem.

1. Marketing Acts Superior

Many marketers have business degrees, so they think they’re better than sales reps who don’t. However, business degrees are of limited use in sales situations—because very few business schools offer courses in sales, let alone majors or degrees.

Since what’s taught in b-school is (frankly) a mix of accounting and biz-blab, the superior air of the MBA’d is neither appropriate nor helpful.

The Fix: Make certain that every marketer you hire has at least six months of experience selling something.”

Continue reading Geoffrey James’ article at Inc.com now.

The Internet and other technology breakthroughs have fundamentally changed the way we do business. New technology is created at warp speed, and customers expect immediate decisions. This cycle of ever-increasing speed and sophistication not only creates an intensely competitive marketplace, but places further demands on our companies to act and react quickly. (Think about it: How often do you check, recheck, check again, and respond to email on your smart phone? Too often—yes, me, too.)

Ironically, whether a business is ultrahigh tech or low tech, the most important business decisions a customer makes are still based on personal relationships. There is significant research about why customers make buying decisions. Bottom line: it’s because they like and trust the salesperson and his organization. (Relationships matter, and trust is the foundation—don’t undermine yours. Read, “Trust: Get It Right the First Time”.)

First Impressions Matter

There’s a saying among salespeople that customers buy with emotion and justify with fact. If our customers don’t like us or don’t feel comfortable with us, they won’t buy from us. You can wow your clients with technology know-how now and try to win them over later, once they find out you’re honest and reliable. But the reality is, you need people to start liking you within the first few seconds of your relationship. That’s really all you have to get off on the right foot. And fancy gizmos won’t make that happen. But a trusted referral and a personal connection will. (Referrals matter. Watch the video, “Here’s Why Salespeople Should Never Cold Call”.)

Relationships Matter

Think about it—would you prefer to do business with:

• Someone you’ve met only via a cold call, or
• Someone you’ve met through a friend or colleague with whom you have an established, respected relationship?

It’s a no-brainer. Relationships power our lives, both personal and business.

Real-Life Results Matter

The most energizing and exciting part of sales work is the relationships with our customers—the interaction. Salespeople like learning about a customer’s situation and matching their solutions to the needs of their customer. (Read, “How to Seal the Deal with Real-Life Results”.) In an era dominated by ever-expanding technology, the creative, strategic part of our business is back. Yes, it requires brainpower. But isn’t that what we love about what we do? Indeed.

You Make Sales Matter

You (and the amazing, on-target referrals you request and receive) make the difference in your sales success. (Here’s a No More Cold Calling Top Tip, “How to Ask for a Referral”.)

What Matters to You? Comment Here.

What’s your greatest sales or business-development challenge? Comment here, and I’ll personally respond to each post. Join me in changing the sales world. Join the conversation.

Just released: Joanne Black’s No More Cold Calling OnDemand: referral sales training specially designed for your self-study success.

What You Get: No More Cold Calling OnDemand

• Eight 30-minute webinar modules—listen, watch, and learn

• Handouts for each session—worksheets for you to complete

• A Companion Guide with slides and text to follow along

• Emails with referral activities and reminders

• Email access with any referral questions—forever

Why wait? Referral-sales success is just a click away. Click here to learn more and grab your referral-selling training on demand. 

What’s one new client worth to you? Demand better from your sales future: Get  No More Cold Calling OnDemand^TM. 

What a great headline, and it isn’t mine. It pulled me in. I had to find out if referral generation was integral to fewer, yet heartier leads. It wasn’t, but this excerpt is still worth sharing.

The post was written by Alison Savery for Hubspot. (By the way, if you don’t already subscribe to Hubspot blogs, it’s time.)

The Quality of Your Sales Leads Matters

An excerpt: “Fear not! All you need to do is start focusing on the quality of your leads. The types of leads you feed to your sales team is a powerful yet overlooked lever that can help marketers deliver. Think about it: if you can increase the percentage of leads that convert into customers, then you don’t need to generate as many leads to hit your company’s sales goals, right? The key to increasing the percentage of conversions is by feeding your sales team higher quality, more nutritious “wheat bread” leads, rather than low-quality, less nourishing “white bread” leads.” (Read the full Hubspot blog post here.)

My sentiments exactly, but with a different slant. In Chapter seven of my book, “No More Cold Calling™”, I write about the importance of generating only qualified leads. How? Describe exactly the sales prospect you want to meet. Be specific. Be granular. Be like an artist. The more color and lines you include in your picture, the easier it becomes for your Referral Source to introduce you to your Ideal Client.

For more on your Ideal Client, read, “You Get What You Ask For—So Ask!” When it comes to referrals, the more specific you are, the more successful you’ll be.

Quality counts. Without quality leads, you waste your selling time.

Fewer (Qualified) Leads Means More (Not Less) Business

I conclude the chapter: “You’ll find people will no longer be confused about the best leads for you. You will elicit some remarkable suggestions about people you should meet. Your biggest challenge will be following up on all your great leads. You’ll be talking to exactly the people you want to meet and who want to meet you, and you will begin to see that you can actually have fewer leads and get more business.” 

How terrific is that?

What’s Your Best Lead Story?

Comment and share your sales experience here. I personally respond to each post, so join the conversation! Comment here.

In our technology-obsessed world, we regularly hear new words and phrases—ones that someone made up and then created the definition. Words that are overused and mostly unexplained.

Here are a few, just for starters: Gamification, Web 3.0, Sales 2.0, Finger in the Wind, Facipulate, Wallet Share, Weighing the Pig, The Buyer’s Journey, Word-of-Mouse (give me a break…).

Get E-Quainted

I love Southwest Airlines and I love reading Spirit Magazine. Here is the Spirit Lexicon Entry #9,824:

“e-quaintance\e’kwanten (t)s\noun

1. An electronic acquaintance
2. A casual contact one interacts with only through online communication
3. Akin to an interweb friend

Usage: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and other social networking sites have created a wide realm in which to make e-quaintances, who are often corralled to spread information or confided in to glean advice. In business, some seemingly insignificant cyber contacts can translate into real-world job prospects, or even (gasp!) an actual face-to-face meeting.”

(It can be overwhelming. Here’s how to attract sales prospects in a tech-focused world.)

Get Connected, Get Informed

Yes, you meet people online. Yes, buyers are well-informed before they ever talk to you. Yes, people do business without ever speaking. Yes, some buyers tell you they never want to talk to you. (Are they afraid of a sleazy sales pitch?)

Get In Touch

Here’s how the real world really works: It’s great to begin an online conversation and make acquaintances (or “e-quaintances”, in this case). However, unless you’re selling a commodity, nothing beats a personal conversation. Why? You ask great questions and uncover hidden issues. You may learn that what the prospect thought they needed is indeed not the case. If you sell software or financial services, you know exactly what I mean. (Selling is about paying attention throughout the entire sales process. Read, “Selling Is Never About Closing”.)  

E-quaintances only take you so far along the sales journey. Ensure that you and your sales prospect choose the same path. Don’t end the sale before it begins.

Let’s Get Acquainted

What are your greatest connection challenges? What works for you? Comment here and join the conversation.

Tom Searcy, of Hunt Big Sales caught my attention with his 3 sales myths’ post on CBS MoneyWatch. First, I loved the title. Second, I agree with his points of view. Third, I realized that I was subscribing to one of the myths, and I stopped immediately.

Tom brings home the message that it’s not about the number of prospects we have, but about the quality, that most of us leave so-called prospects in our pipeline way too long (we “hope” that nurturing will lead to a sale…), and that many clients are just not worth having (read, “Dump the Junk: It’s Time to Clean House”).

Without further ado, here’s Tom’s article:

 “You don’t have to sell everyone and you don’t have to serve everyone. The idea that companies should chase every piece of business out there and that if they don’t they’re leaving money on the table is antiquated. The negative impact of chasing the wrong prospects and serving the wrong customers is HUGE. To change your approach you may have to remove the myths that you may believe. Here are three:

Click here to continue

——-

What’s Bogging You Down?

Which myth is bogging down your sales effectiveness? Scrutinize your sales activities carefully. It’s never too late to delete an unproductive behavior. Comment here.

You can check out more of Tom Searcy’s work at www.huntbigsales.com. Tom is an author, speaker, consultant and foremost expert in large account sales.

You might anticipate my answer to what I think America needs most is referrals. You’d be partly correct. It’s not only what America needs; it’s what the world needs. You know by now that referrals don’t just happen. Referrals must be the focus of our company (adopt a targeted referral strategy) and an integral part of your sales plan. Referrals become your business-development priority. You incorporate referral selling into your sales process and create metrics and accountability to ensure sales results.

I invited Jim Horan, President of the One Page Business Plan Company, to share his unbiased view of the primary sales activity for our success in 2012. His perspective might surprise you.

Guest post by Jim Horan | President, The One Page Business Plan Company

“Fill in the blank: Most of you think the blank should be filled in with JOBS! I think there is a better answer…

I think what America needs now is SALES! When sales increase, companies hire people. When people have jobs, they spend money, buy products and services, pay sales tax, use tax, and a whole host of other consumption-related taxes. They also pay income taxes. America needs more sales… and so do you!

How Will You Generate More Sales in 2012?

Will you choose to be patient and wait for the recovery, hoping you catch the rising economic tide? Be totally opportunistic and take each day as it comes, hoping you are in the right place at the time with the right products at the right price, and that the right people remember who you are and like you?

Wishing & Hoping Don’t Deliver Sales…

I don’t think wishing and hoping are strategies for success. I doubt you do either.

Let’s be honest, the economy hasn’t been your friend the last three years. It may not be your friend this year. If 2011 was a decent-to-good year, it is because you were focused. You paid close attention to your business, worked your plan (written or unwritten), were creative, experimented, and you fully played the game all year long. And it worked! In other years, with this level of focus and discipline, it would have been a banner year.

Focus & Discipline Drive Sales Success

If 2011 was a bust, after complaining about the economy, I suspect you would eventually admit to not being very focused. It was a year in which you could not find your groove, were easily distracted, chased too many bluebirds, spent too much time at pity parties, and just could not get focused. It was easy to be unsuccessful in 2011.

Some recommendations to make 2012 your year:

• Commit to the next level of focus and discipline in 2012. Move to the next level of discipline in your thinking, communication, decision-making, execution, and accountability.
• Commit to improving the skills you know are suppressing your sales. Whether it’s networking, sales planning, follow-through, timeliness, or (fill in the blank)…
• Commit to rethinking your business. Somebody is buying the products and services you are selling. Why aren’t they buying from you?
• Commit to unlimited thinking. Revisit why you have the limiting thoughts you do, and take action to expel them.

Find your voice. Use it to move forward with strength, confidence, focus, and discipline!

America needs sales. The New Year starts now!”

Jim Horan is an author, speaker, publisher and sr. advisor to business executives and high-performance sales organizations. He is also President of The One Page Business Plan Company, located in Berkeley, Calif. His best-selling books, One Page Business Plan solutions and enterprise software are distributed through 500 licensed consulting firms.

“Connect with people, and you have the sale. Connect with the business issue only, and forget it.” I wrote something like that in my book, and it still rings true. However, “connecting” doesn’t mean using slang and words and phrases that annoy your sales prospects and clients.

(Before we head into what you shouldn’t say, here’s something you shouldn’t do: Salespeople should never cold call. You knew that was coming.)

I share with you here, the latest from The Marist Poll and its list of the most annoying words (please, if you haven’t already, drop them from your lexicon):

Whatever, You Know?

“According to The Marist Poll, “whatever” remains the most annoying word or phrase in conversation today. 39% of Americans despise the often tossed about term. The uber-filler “like” is deemed the most irritating by 28%. “You know what I mean” is considered the biggest verbal gaffe by 15% of the population. “To tell you the truth” grates the most on 10% while “actually” receives the dubious distinction from 5%. Three percent are unsure.

In October 2009, “whatever” was crowned king with 47%. Other annoying words and phrases included in that survey were: “you know” (25%), “it is what it is” (11%), “anyway” (7%), and “at the end of the day” (2%). Eight percent were unsure.

Younger Americans, those 18 to 29, currently have a different take. 44% of these residents wouldn’t mind if “like” is abolished in everyday conversation. Their older counterparts disagree. Among those 30 to 44, 37% say “whatever” gets on their nerves the most. 46% of Americans 45 to 59 and 40% of those 60 and older agree.” (Here’s the link to the full post on The Marist Poll.)

The words you choose really do matter. Speak well, speak real words, and say what you mean.

What Bugs You?

Um, like, what’s the most annoying, overused business, sales term in your world? Because it’s good to share. Comment here.

The New Year’s Resolution checklist: Every year it’s the same—we make New Year’s resolutions about everything—but mostly about eating better, losing weight, and better managing our finances.

Some of you may even have “build a referral business” in your list of resolutions (hurrah!).

Articles about resolutions are all over the media: newspapers, magazines, online, radio, and TV spots. Email inboxes are crowded with email marketing chock-full of New Year’s resolution products and programs. (I Googled “New Year’s Resolutions” and got 34,600,000 results.)

Isn’t there anything better to talk about? (Perhaps it’s just a slow news month.) There’s a lot of energy put toward resolutions that are typically dumped or forgotten by the end of January.

Resolve to Go Weekly

I don’t make New Year’s resolutions, because I know it’s an exercise in futility.

Here’s what I do instead: I create weekly goals. Each week I decide what I want to accomplish, whom I want to thank, and whom I miss talking to. That’s much more manageable, and I don’t forget.

Resolve to Go With Referrals

Here’s tip to get you started on the right foot: Top Tip #1: How to Ask for a Referral
When you just get a name, you’re making a cold call. Stop. Referrals make your calls HOT!

Thank You & Happy New Year

I’ve received so many lovely holiday greetings, and I sometimes wonder why we wait until December to let others know that we value their business, their friendship, and their contributions.

So, thank you. Thanks for all you do, thanks for weathering another year, thanks for committing to referral selling, and thanks for working as hard as you do to build your business.

Here’s to a great 2012!

Resolutions, Challenges & Sales Success! Comment

What are your greatest sales challenges this year? Comment here and let’s clear the hurdles together.

I know it’s PC to be green. We all want to protect our environment, and a decrease in paper consumption is always a good thing. But I’ll be honest: I do love receiving a paper card in my real-life mailbox.

Life Is High Touch

Thank you for all of your heartfelt holiday messages. Special thanks to those of you who took the time to buy a card, write your message in the card, stamp the card, and mail it.

All of your cards now decorate my fireplace. I love opening the cards, reading the messages, and reflecting upon how I know you—whether we know each other through personal or business friendships. I love catching up on your families, your travels, and your work.

(For the record, I believe in a paper follow-up in sales, too. Read, “The Fortune Is in the Follow-Up”. Trust me, a paper note is rare, noticed, and appreciated now, more than ever.)

My Inbox Is Work

I noticed my behavior as I received email after email with holiday greetings. I thought, “Yikes, it’s year end, I’m swamped, I have plenty of business emails in my inbox that I must read, when am I going to read this one…and the next one…and the next one? Some of you even included videos in your messages. Very clever, but it takes me even more time to look at those.

I know some of you like to read these messages on your smart phones or computer tablets as you run from place to place. I don’t.

My Mailbox Is Personal

I like to sit and read my cards. Yes, sometimes I watch television at the same time, but I only read your cards during commercials. Your messages make me smile, recollect, and realize how fortunate I am to receive your note. And how honored I am that you took the time to buy a card, write a message, stamp the card, and mail it to me.

Thanks for staying in touch the old-fashioned way.