Helping Old Sales Dogs Learn New Hybrid Sales Model Tricks

By David Mills
on March 28, 2022

As the world has changed, the hybrid sales model has emerged- how can salespeople master it?

Salespeople are the guardians of industry and customer insight - and that insight and focus is invaluable. But don't just picture those nearing retirement who are seasoned sales veterans. Salespeople age more quickly in their trade and often get their wisdom faster than other employees.

It comes from the push and pull of sales interactions, the pressure of quotas, and crafting winning deals, so it creates "old dogs" at a pretty young age. An experienced, veteran salesperson can be any age - we're really talking about people that learned to sell before the digital space took over. 

Sales Enablement and the Hybrid Sales Model

By David Mills
on February 25, 2022

How sales enablement can support hybrid sales.

In 2021, almost one-third of outside salespeople transitioned to inside sales - permanently. But as the pandemic restrictions ease, a new kind of sales is emerging. It's the hybrid sales model in which sales teams use the best of virtual and in-person skills to become more efficient and meet new customer expectations of speed and convenience.

The missing ingredient? Sales enablement fueled by Sales and Marketing Alignment - a big part of which is driven by shifting priorities in the marketing focus.

The Hidden Costs of Sales and Marketing Alignment Systems

By David Mills
on February 24, 2022

Get the benefits of sales and marketing alignment without surprise costs

Alignment is a critical part of building revenue, that's why sales and marketing leaders, along with CFOs and RevOps teams, include an alignment system in their plan. While the benefits are appealing (reports of 30% revenue growth are pretty common following an effective alignment), they simply have to outweigh the costs, so you've got to nail them both down.

The bigger question should focus on whether the effort is really worth the cost.

The Questions Tell the Sales Alignment Story

By David Mills
on February 07, 2022

The questions your website answers shows the status of your sales and marketing alignment

Your prospects have questions that either move them forward toward a "yes", or hold them back. Some of those questions are posed directly to sales, but others lie under the surface or are only shared inside the buying committee. The way you address those questions tells the whole story about the status of your marketing and sales alignment - are you still living in a world of isolated silos or is the team working together for growth?

Symptoms of Poor Marketing and Sales Alignment

By David Mills
on February 07, 2022

How do you know if poor marketing and sales alignment is the root of slower sales, weaker revenues, and missed growth goals?

It's easy to place blame on sales or marketing teams when things don't go as planned. But more often than not, it's not a personality or performance problem- it's the lack of alignment.

The marketing failure that only sales alignment can correct

By David Mills
on February 07, 2022

A disconnect with sales leads to marketing failures

Marketing and advertising have changed. Ads are blocked, Google is removing third-party cookies, and iOS is restricting email. But those aren't the biggest challenges faced by marketing, because they need something that only the sales team can provide: a real understanding of customer problems.

Are Marketing and Sales the Odd Couple in Your Business?

By David Mills
on February 07, 2022

Lip service marketing and sales alignment can lead to reduced growth

They do make strange companions. One is seasoned by thousands of customer conversations, while the other is focused on the latest digital communication tools. Alignment pairs the marketer who is just now mastering the details of the product or service, and the salesperson who knows every way to slice the product and solve a long list of customer challenges. The idea that they need to be aligned in the same workplace when they have different goals, different levels of experience, a language unique to each group, and even distinct pipelines can raise some eyebrows or lead to lip-service alignment.

Convert the Growth Manager Honeymoon into Momentum for Growth

By David Mills
on January 25, 2022

The honeymoon period is an important initial period for new growth managers, marketing directors, chief marketing officers, RevOps leaders, and nonprofit executive directors, along with all the others who step into a new role to lead growth for their organizations. It’s an important first phase of work, because team members are more forgiving, expect that you’ll need to be brought up to speed, and no milestones have yet come due. It’s a time in which you can understand the context and the challenges that you now own.

Find a Growth Pathway in 2022 - From SaaS to the Revolutionary War

By David Mills
on January 19, 2022

Achieving a growth pathway takes momentum that can overcome the odds. 

Like hungry soldiers at Valley Forge, they are all tugging on our attention -more than 8,000 different marketing software systems, plus a small army of one-person bands that decided one day to keep working from home and use some of that software. Is that the army that you need?

The Authentic Growth Leader

By David Mills
on January 14, 2022

The rapid pace of change since 2020 has thrust many leaders into the role of growth leader for their organization.  For some it is recovery, and for others it is a response to big new opportunities. Growth leaders can be found in almost every industry and with a variety of job titles. Some have a growth title like "growth manager, while others are working in RevOps. Most don't have a special title at all because they've added the growth leader job to their existing position. Whether they are an owner, a partner, a C-suite leader, or a department head, a growth leader's job has a single central characteristic: their desk is where the buck stops for company growth.