Matthews on Marketing

Matthews on Marketing

Take Control of Your Pipeline With Demand Forecast Calls

By

CMOs can get themselves into a pickle when pipeline generation falls short. By the time they realize they are below the target, it may be too late to recover. I’ve borrowed a practice from my sales brethren to help me avoid this problem. Most B2B marketers are familiar with sales forecast calls. These meetings are typically held weekly by sales leaders. Sales reps review their deals and expected outcomes. Sales leadership inspects the deals by asking questions about timing, competition, access … [Read more...]

Six Keys to Winning at Analyst Relations

By

A favorable showing in an industry analyst report can result in millions in new sales. Being a laggard can mean you won’t even get invited to pitch your product. So, how can you make sure your company’s product moves to the top? The two most influential analyst reports for B2B tech buyers are the Gartner Magic Quadrant, aka "the MQ," and the Forrester Wave. I’ve been briefing analysts from these two analyst firms for many years now. By way of credentials, my teams and I have moved three … [Read more...]

Network Tech Branding: The Cool Stories Behind the Ethernet, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi Names

By

“Hey, what’s the 802.11 password?” I’m guessing you’ve never heard anyone ask that. But someone asking you for the Wi-Fi password? Every family vacation you have taken in the last five or so years? I was on a ski trip recently and was wondering how we ended up with phones that connect to my Audi via something called Bluetooth, an iPad that streams Netflix in the condo using Wi-Fi, and somewhere a router connected to the granddaddy of packet pushers, a thing called Ethernet. Three memorable but … [Read more...]

Building a Reason to Care

By

You told me the what, but not the so-what.  You have probably heard this before. It’s often delivered as an admonishment to a salesperson or marketer by a customer or prospect. Maybe someone has said it to you. If we’ve all heard it, why are we not delivering a reason to care more often? Because it’s hard. As marketers, we all know better than just stating the what, but getting to the so-what takes a lot of work. Sometimes it just takes time for a market to emerge or for customers to fall in … [Read more...]

B2B Marketer Fails, Part 3 – Website Conversion Optimization 

By

You have spoken to your buyer in terms that they find compelling. You have written helpful and authoritative content that has won their trust. Now you look to set the hook with an offer. Your email or Google ad sends them to a landing page. But has it been optimized? This oversight is a common fail.  What’s a pity is that optimizing landing pages and websites is so easy. What’s a crime in ignoring optimization is that it’s so effective. Small changes in color, copy or imagery can have … [Read more...]