Sales Development Reps (SDRs) and Lead Development Reps (SDRs) are not new. But they are a hot topic right now, especially in the SaaS and Cloud marketing circles I frequent. With all the buzz, I’m surprised how few people truly understand proper strategy and structure for these roles. Quite often, these teams underperform because the up-front thinking has not been done. In this two part series, I present a checklist for doing it right. I’ve worked with and set up several SDR and LDR teams … [Read more...]
Problem First, Not Product First: How to Hook Your Buyers Problem-Solving Content
Sometimes you hear something and think, "I heard that five years ago. Ten years ago. How is that still a problem?" Now, I’m not talking about global warming or peace in the Middle East. No, I’m in marketing world here, and specifically, talking about the old saw “sell solutions, not products.” Marketers have been told to focus on solutions countless times. So why are marketers are still focusing on product? We marketers are human, after all, and the problem with adages like this is that … [Read more...]
Content First, Not Campaign First: Four Steps to Make Sure You Don’t Fall into the Empty Campaign Trap
I was speaking to a colleague recently who expressed a common lament. She had launched a beautiful looking marketing campaign three months prior, and it wasn't working. Nobody was clicking. It looked great. It was running in the right places, and she couldn't understand what was happening. I had seen this before, so, channeling Click and Clack from Car Talk , I asked her one more question to confirm what I suspected her problem was. "How did you come up with the campaign?" I asked. Here it … [Read more...]
Organic Traffic Isn’t Free: How to Dispel this Common Misconception
I was in a meeting recently with a web design agency. We were discussing a new site, and how we would be generating leads, when he made the following comment, “Of course, you want to get lots of that free organic traffic.” I thought to myself, I'm not going to hire this guy. He has no idea what he's talking about. Why did I think that? Because SEO is not a one time, set-it-and-forget-it operation. Growing organic traffic takes a lot of work. Lots of staff and agency time. That costs money. It … [Read more...]
Five New Year’s Resolutions for Marketing Teams
Good heads of marketing are always looking for ways to make their team perform better. But, with no shortage of things to do, layering on more – more planning, more training, more anything – can make any CMO feel a little guilty. What to do? One solution is to seize on resolution season. Create a quick-win New Year’s resolution for your team. By making it small and completing in January, your team can enter the year a little bit smarter and more energized. Here are five easy resolution ideas … [Read more...]
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