Hugh Macfarlane, Author at align.me

How to ask for an appointment in an email cold call

I loved this blog so much I wanted to share it with you. Thanks to Jill Konrath for letting us share her insights. When I got the message below from Daniel McLellan, I had to share it with you. The way he "closes" his emails is much better than what I recommended in my new Ultimate Guide to Email Prospecting. Why is it better? The person on the other end feels like they're talking to a human being, not a salesperson. It reduces their defensive responses and opens them to actually talking with you - just like READ MORE ›

By Hugh Macfarlane|Strategy|

Funnel Management is a momentum game

I'm working with an exciting professional services company that has earned an amazing reputation and a degree of success. The CEO - one of the smartest people you'll ever meet - wants to change that. There is no point having a brilliant brand if it's not translating into the revenue they deserve. So we're helping them to gain the momentum their service deserves. In our preliminary discussions, it occurred to me that they had a willing market, a worthy offering, and that this wasn't translating into the revenue they deserve because there was a focus on the strategy READ MORE ›

By Hugh Macfarlane|Strategy|

Buyers’ Journey and reasonable attribution

I was recently asked about use of the term the Buyers' Journey'. I first coined the term in 2003 and it has since been popularised. I'm happy for this, but do get a little miffed when others claim it as their own. Please, therefore, forgive the following rant. I've also posted this in FunnelWiki so others can comment / evolve the dialogue if they wish. I took no registered trademarks, but the term is copyrighted and trade marked under common law. I am happy for anyone to use the term, but I also believe that accurate attribution READ MORE ›

By Hugh Macfarlane|Strategy, Tactics|

How to select tactics that move buyers

We often accuse salespeople of pitching too early: "I'm ready to sell - I hope you're ready to buy". But it's much the same with Marketing. We make offers designed for buyers who are ready to choose between options, but many buyers aren't there yet. But unless your tactics move buyers through their journey, you are likely to fail. Your tactics need to: Identify buyers who meet your target profile Position your brand on their list and get their attention Get these buyers to accept that they have the problem you solve best Have them accept your READ MORE ›

By Hugh Macfarlane|Tactics|

How to allocate limited budget

There is never enough money and never enough resources in a business. Whether you work in a multinational corporation with billions of dollars to splash around, or a micro business with only a few staff, budgeting is always tough. How do you allocate this limited budget to greatest effect? It pays to remember the process for forming a business strategy. Work out where to play (which markets are you targeting, which are you ignoring, and how much money will you allocate to each market?). Decide how to play (set the correct strategy for each product market, taking READ MORE ›

By Hugh Macfarlane|Tactics|

We don’t need marketing – all our work is through tenders

Have you ever heard that? I certainly have. I have also heard CEO's and Sales leaders say the exact reverse: "We need marketing because every time we go to tender, it seems like the RFQ was written by our competitor". It probably was! 'Back in the day' this would have been done by a good sales person with great relationships, a consultative style, and a persuasive argument. Today, it is done by marketing. Good thought leadership marketing engages with the buyers to help them work out what they need and why. 'What' is all about shaping their READ MORE ›

By Hugh Macfarlane|Tactics|

The progression to RPM – small steps or giant leaps?

Here's a mixed-media challenge. I'm going to pose a question, about someone else's work, and invite you to comment via Twitter. Marketo released a great new infographic today - well done guys - and it articulates a progression for B2B marketing companies through four stages of maturity (they kindly left off the first stage - 'no marketing'): Traditional Marketing Demand Generation Integrated Pipeline Revenue Performance Management (RPM) The data behind this well-resolved infographic suggests that for a slightly higher spend (13% of revenue versus an average of 11%), the results are significant. You get better achievement against READ MORE ›

By Hugh Macfarlane|Tactics|

How to really upset your buyers

We live in a world where customer service and satisfaction is everything. Marketers build programs to reward regular customers and to make them feel special, and invest in satisfaction surveys to measure their success. So why are we saying you should upset your customers? We all know that our salespeople are constantly looking for ways to delight their customers Both the sales department and the marketing experts guard the happiness of the buyer jealously, promoting only positive and uplifting messages. They say: Good news travels fast It takes 100 happy customers to overcome the effect of one READ MORE ›

By Hugh Macfarlane|Sales|

Unforgiving funnel

Many contacts have already forwarded Seth Goddin's recent blog entitled 'the unforgiving arithmetic of the funnel'. It's worth a read. Some supported his point, some argued it was simplistic, others were 'outraged' Seth is positioning on my turf. Settle down! Seth is a legend, contributes heaps, and is far from muscling in on my turf. In fact he is much-published on the subject of funnel. No-one owns an idea, and I certainly don't claim to 'own' funnel. For sure I claim to have some deep insights, but I'm not alone there either. My view: Firstly, I wish READ MORE ›

By Hugh Macfarlane|Velocity|

How to profit from buyers’ problems

Businesses pay money to have their problems solved. Sometimes they will pay a lot, and sometimes they won't. As a consequence, some problems are more 'attractive' than others to sales-oriented businesses that are offering solutions. As a seller, you may be the only game in town when it comes to solving some problems, and in a big pack for others. The challenge is to identify a buyer problem, or problems, that match your strong suits. Better still, find out what problems you can solve better than your competitors. Make a long list of all the problems READ MORE ›

By Hugh Macfarlane|Strategy|

About Hugh Macfarlane