b2b marketing consultants

B2B Sales & Marketing: you talk to people you sound like

Sales training traditionally encourages B2B sales people to “call high” - in fact, it’s hard to keep track of all the articles and publications focused on selling to the C-level (a simple Google search reveals over 100 million hits). “Thought leadership” is no less fashionable amongst the B2B marketing community (over 200 million hits). But if you want to engage at the right level, and stay there as opposed to being bumped down the decision-making stack, you need to bear one simple principle in mind at all times: you’ll end up talking to the person you sound READ MORE ›

By Bob Apollo|Sales, Strategy, Tactics|

Why the Cost of Inaction is so important in B2B Sales

Return on Investment (ROI) projections are often regarded as a critical element of B2B sales proposals, particular for high-value considered purchases. There’s no arguing that they have a role to play - but your sales people would be very unwise to rely on them. In fact, I’ve become convinced that over-reliance on ROI calculations is one of a number of key factors that are driving the high level of “decisions to do nothing after all” that so bedevil many long and complex sales cycles. Are you keen to find out why? 1. Most prospects distrust vendor-supplied ROI projections Most prospects have READ MORE ›

By Bob Apollo|Strategy, Tactics|

Leverage templates for identity, consistency & efficiency

By Charlotte Mackenzie At align.me, we communicate with many different businesses all around the world and, like everyone else, we like to look professional when we do it. It goes without saying that all written communication should contain well-written content that represents your company well. But how it looks visually is just as important, and often neglected. Essentially, every communication piece should instantly notify the recipient of who you are via a clear and consistent corporate identity. What’s the best way to establish and then maintain that corporate identity? By leveraging templates. Customised templates are an READ MORE ›

By Charlotte Mackenzie|Strategy, Tactics|

align.me CEO & Founder, Hugh Macfarlane’s featured keynote at DemandCon now available

Hugh Macfarlane’s featured keynote at DemandCon in May 2011 now available as an interactive video. July 8, 2011, Melbourne, VIC, AU – Hugh Macfarlane, Founder and CEO of align.me and author of The Leaky Funnel, was a featured keynote at DemandCon in May 2011. He then joined Funnel Coach, Charles Besondy, to run a full day Funnel Plan training workshop with the foremost thinkers in B2B demand generation. His keynote was centred on a topic that has made it to AMA’s Top 10 list of primary focus areas two years in a row – Sales and Marketing READ MORE ›

By Hugh Macfarlane|Strategy, Tactics, Velocity|

How to do your network for success in B2B marketing?

Hugh Macfarlane, Founder & CEO of align.me, writes... How do you make a conference on b2b marketing and sales pay big dividends? ’Networking opportunities’ are one of the major reasons cited for attendance at conferences, conventions and seminars. B2B marketing companies know that most people never take full advantage of these networking opportunities by actually achieving meaningful connections with the other people in the audience – as amazing as those other people may be. So how exactly do you network for success in b2b marketing? At DemandCon in San Francisco this May, Thom Singer will serve as your READ MORE ›

By Hugh Macfarlane|Strategy, Tactics, Velocity|