Category: Sales
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Are you on the MAP? (Marketing Affiliate Program)
I’m grateful that many of you have enjoyed my books and publications over the years, from Marketing White Belt to the most recent Marketing Blue Belt. Today, I want to unveil a new way for you to be a greater part of these books: join the Marketing Affiliate Program! What’s in it for you? By…
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Do what you say to say what you do
If you can’t do it, you shouldn’t sell it. This is a challenge that an incredible number of organizations face in their sales and marketing processes. Marketers go out and make wild promises about capabilities that don’t exist in the product. Sales professionals convince people to sign on the dotted line for something that won’t…
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2014 Summer Reading List (w/accessories!)
For many folks, summer is now in full swing. Pools are open, grills are dusted off, and we start scouring our refrigerators for fresh fruit to blend. Start off your summer right with this list of books and other goods. Here’s to a relaxing, educational, and fun summer. Full disclosure, in case it wasn’t obvious,…
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Are you losing business from a poor alternate sale?
It’s nice to sell things on your website. As someone who’s set up dozens of websites over the years that have sold things, I’m certainly not averse to a good sale and all of the mechanics that go into that sale. However, one of the most important concepts to understand is that you always have…
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How to sell from LinkedIn network emails
If you have any role in sales or marketing, chances are you’re always on the lookout for new opportunities to develop customers. One of the easiest ways to do so is to look for transitions, when roles change out. When someone takes a new job or leaves a job, there’s an impact on an organization.…
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When pricing is public, when pricing shouldn’t be public
Ellen Butler asked: “Do you post your project, hourly, or starting rates on your website?” The answer depends on what pricing model you’re using. If what you’re selling is a commodity, then pricing can be public. Most people who are in service-based businesses are selling hours of their time, which they treat as a commodity,…
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What Warcraft teaches us about selling convenience
One of the easiest paths to profit in World of Warcraft is to have a mage visit the various cities in the game and pick up stock items from various vendors and resell them at obscenely high prices. For example, here’s my mage visiting the engineering company in the game to buy some blueprints from…
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Be proud to sell something worthwhile
Here’s an unusual quirk I’ve noticed that’s especially strong in the marketing and PR worlds: people don’t like to sell, and they definitely don’t like to think of themselves as sales professionals – even if a majority of their time is spent doing that. We have awkward titles like Business Development Executive or New Business…
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The hardest selling lesson of all
In my new role as VP of Marketing Technology at SHIFT Communications, I find myself once again heavily engaged in a profession I thought was a distant part of my past: selling. Selling was something I last did (full-time) as a technical recruiter, way back in 2000-2001. My company put me through the Tom Hopkins…
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Why say no to sales?
I was walking around the floor of the Book Expo today (co-located with Blogworld, where I am speaking) and ran across a vendor showcasing their wares. They had some amazing crafted cases – bags, iPad slipcovers, notebooks, etc. on display. When I asked the woman running the booth if I could buy one of the…