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Last night three chancellors stood in front of a nation and tried to sell themselves and their politics. They didn't do very well. In fact, they pretty much ticked off every possible sales no no, which must have delighted their respective party leaders. One spent much of his time explaining why his product hadn't worked for 13 years, but would do in the future. One chose to gloat about his product non-stop and the other chose to not really mention his product at all, just slate the other two's product. No one addressed the underlying need, no one really listened to what the customer really wanted and no one did anything but answer their own self obsessed questions with scripted one liners that didn't mean a whole lot to anyone. Politicians spend most of their lives trying to sell. Their policies, their views, (their second homes now too probably). Could someone explain then, how they are possibly so damn bad at it? If I'd just been sat in a room listening to those 3 pitches I'd be thinking to myself 'maybe we can go without.'
Something that seems to be evolving within our development, is the need to surface different varieties of news at different stages of the sales cycle. Depending on how far down the sales funnel you are, some news takes on more relevance and some takes on much less.For example, at very early stage all you're looking for is away in. If you specialise in marketing for example you're looking for a piece of news that says 'company X holding pitch for campaign' or 'company X ditches marketing agency.' Very straight forward, very specific. However, further down the line, when it comes to the crunch, you want more than that. What might not have been high priority before suddenly takes centre stage. Say their marketing manager has been caught up in a scandal and faces the chop, that could really mess things up from a sales point of view. Say the CEO has decided to reduce budgets across departments, looking to minimize spending in marketing, you need to know (although, probably don't want to...). It's vital to keep on top of goings on with potential customers. If you don't know exactly what's happening, how can you tailor what you're selling accordingly? The simple answer is, you can't.
The Times Online have taken the plunge then, and announced they are to charge for online content come June. It must be said, the timing of the announcement doesn't seem ideal, just two days after Alistair Darling shared the fact that everything else was going to cost tons more as well (if you're a cider drinking Times reader you must be considering a long drive off a short pier right now) but there we go, what's said is said. Will it work? Well, the problem with jumping first is that everyone can hang back and see how you get on, meaning that people can still get a free service from other providers. For a real chance of success, the newspapers could have all held hands and leapt together but as it is, the onlookers will be preparing their plan B's and C's whilst the Times takes all the impact. The emphasis is very much on them now. Of course, £2 a week doesn't seem much to access content but it's still more expensive than £0 a week. They will have to ensure that what they're offering is superior to those around them exploiting every technology available to them including driving mobile use using all the tools that are rapidly flooding the industry. Everybody's watching, and unfortunately for the Times, those jumping later are likely to learn lessons from this ground breaking decision.
One of the biggest concerns people have about using the semantic web (or to put it in Layman's terms, automated computer software) as a sales intelligence tool is the lack of human intervention they feel is involved. But rest assured, at least at Artesian anyway, we don't win a contract then leave the computer running, switch the office lights off and head to the nearest small Island for cocktails and pool parties. The software we use is a tool yes, a very efficient one at that, but the idea isn't to make it easy for us, it's to make it easy for the customer. We're very aware that we still need to keep one step ahead and we're also very aware that customers will want to tweak results and search different areas of interest from time to time. Using machines to do the dirty work doesn't mean these changes and improvements can't be implemented. In fact, what it means is, if you do want to track something different, rather than manually searching 1,000 sources to see if you can find anything interesting on the subject, the software will do it for you. There is a misconception that once the solution is integrated there is no turning back and no moving forward. Take it from a man who spends all day, everyday constantly refining, researching and improving search techniques, there really is.
If you're sat in the Facebook boardroom today looking on at this graph my guess is you're also smoking a cigar with your feet on the desk smiling very contently. Let's bear in mind here, that the graph above charts the progress within ONE year.Facebook is now the most visited website in the US so it's no wonder people are questioning it's desires to enter the search market. Facebook have been fairly coy on their objectives in this field, largely using the social networking tag as a shield to cover up from competitors glaring eyes. But with figures like the ones above, you'd have to be crazy to not think about dominating more than one market. If Bing thought catching up with Google was going to be tough, they may have a threat coming up sharply on the inside rail that threatens to be even more of a challenge.
I love sales tips, genuinely, I can think of little better than spending an afternoon listening to endless advice about the best way to seal a day. Brush your hair to the right, smile at least fifteen times in a pitch and tie your laces in a double knot to show true commitment. Although all of this is probably very good advice I'm not sure if it will truly help in winning a customer.If someone has a leaking tap they probably won't care if you call on Wednesday, compliment their shirt or pat the dog. They probably just want you to fix the tap. So the plumbers job is not to sit on the front porch politely waiting for a pipe to burst, their job is to make sure that when there is a problem, they are the one picked to do the job.Having a job to do, a problem to fix is half the battle. By all means tie your laces in a double knot (it's just common sense really) but ultimately I'd focus on having something to sell that's actually going to suit the prospective buyer. If a plumber bought round a mop to fix a pipe, my guess is they probably wouldn't be allowed to fix it.
On my never ending travels through blog destinations I saw an article today highlighting no fewer than 14 ways to help use Google effectively. Just to repeat that 14 ways to help. If you're in sales, you will be all too aware of the value in researching but there comes a stage when you stop being a salesperson and enter the world of professional research.The problem is, there is so much that you need to know and the even bigger problem is that what you need to know keeps on bloody changing! To sit down at your desk on a sunny morning, equipped with your 14 useful hints for using Google, will probably see you reappear from your screen as darkness sets in and wonder to yourself 'where did everybody go?'It is simply not plausible to track what you want to track using a search engine. Even if you get the results you're looking for the process takes too long for a sales timetable to consider. So whilst I take nothing away from the 14 tips to aid your Google hunt, my tip would be, exploit the technology available, cut the manual strain and focus on what really matters, converting leads.
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Be ready to pounce on an opportunity
CRM spend on the increase
It was interesting to see the take of Peter Ostrow, Research director at the Aberdeen Group, on his own report today which was included in the Aberdeen Group's press release. Referring to the results of the study 'Sales Intelligence: Preparing for Smarter Selling' which I've been featuring a lot on here Ostrow said:“By providing sales representatives with this necessary ammunition, companies can positively affect these team members’ ability to effectively map their own products or services to their prospects’ business challenges with a customized message or offer. The selection of sales intelligence solutions, and their integration within the daily lifecycle of selling, play a crucial role in the ability to turn these strategies into profit. By empowering their sellers with better information about their prospect companies, markets and individuals, companies are able to maximize their chances of hitting quota, and at the same time create efficiencies within the sales operations environment.”Just thought I'd share his views so you didn't have to listen to me ramble on for a change. Remember you can see the whole report for free by downloading it on the right hand side of this post.
I do try and keep my football addiction away from this blog where possible but like many today I can't help but be struck down by the news that David Beckham is now set to miss the World Cup this summer due to injury. Now you may be thinking 'what has David Beckham possibly got to do a blog that focuses on sales leads and search?' and believe me, I've had to fight long and hard to find a correlation stable enough to let me write about the subject.But the reason why I mention it today is because the incident pretty much sums up the unpredictability of life. Here is a man who was destined to play for his country one last time. He'd fought all the odds, done absolutely everything right and fate seemed to dictate that David Beckham would make it for one last swan song, one last glorious goodbye. The nation expected it, as did the rest of the world. But one stumble on the turf has completely shattered this entire outlook. And more to the point, out of nowhere it has opened the door for somebody else to step in.And I guess that's what my point really. In business terms, just like football it is simply impossible to guess what will happen from day to day. What may seem an impossible cause one day will suddenly become extremely achievable the next. What's bad news for some, could be great news for others. The message here is things can change very quickly and you need to be waiting and ready to pounce when they do. If you're not tracking your market carefully enough, then you'll miss your opportunity, and as Beckham found out yesterday, margins for error can be very small.
Taken from Sales Intelligence: Preparing for Smarter SellingCRM is proving itself to be an absolute must have in the current market as the above graph shows (I told you I'd try to leave percentages alone. I've moved onto graphs instead). When you consider that the best-in-class companies are achieving quota by a 26% better average than laggards it is clear to see that reducing CRM budget is not an option companies should consider in a bid to cut costs. It has sometimes been assumed that CRM solutions are a 'nice to have' opposed to a 'must have' but that argument no longer stands up. Rather than it being a bonus to know about your customer it really is an absolute necessity as budgets tighten and businesses seek a far more personal experience. There's been a lot of talk about mobile spend increasing, Internet spend increasing, social networking spend increasing, and I can't help but feel that CRM has been largely overlooked in terms of a progressing trend. The solution is there, and the best-in-class are proving that it works.
It's fantastic to finally have this Aberdeen report, it really is. Spending much of my time fighting the cause for the use of sales intelligence solutions it's great to have some numbers to back up my corner. Of course, I don't want to become one of these people who spends his life talking in percentages but a 26% difference in sales quota success is extremely valuable, especially in these tough economic times. (if you don't know quite what I'm referring to check out this news item)What I find more staggering about the figure though, which is not really covered in the report, is that this vast improvement actually comes from making things 100 times easier. It's not like implementing a sales intelligence solution means having to put in more hours to achieve a better goal. Our automated system, for example, quite literally takes away all of the leg work. Everything comes to the right people without them even having to lift a finger.So, really the figure of a 26% improvement for the best-in-class should also note that that 26% improvement comes by doing things a heck of a lot easier! It's no surprise then, that the report concluded sales cycles for those using such solutions are reducing 5% year-on-year whereas the laggards are seeing a 7% rise. What was I saying about speaking in percentages? Oh yeah, 90% of the time, I'll try harder not too.
I'm a man of my word and as promised towards the end of last week, The report 'Sales Intelligence: Preparing for Smarter Selling' is now available to download for FREE by using the following link. It's a really great in-depth look at why companies need automated sales intelligence and I believe it really reflects the values and benefits of what Artesian can bring to the table. This week, I'll be blogging opinion and reaction to the report but in the meantime read the ins and outs at your leisure and get back to me with responses and opinions.
Don't want to be going into too much detail on a Friday afternoon but next week will see the Artesian blog focusing on a report conducted by the Aberdeen Group and sponsored by Artesian Solutions titled: Sales Intelligence: Preparing for Smarter Selling.The report focuses on how the use of aggregated business directories and supporting technologies are helping to alleviate the pressure to acquire new and profitable customers, without increasing the cost of identifying and selling to these prospects. There's some really interesting stuff to examine in further detail and you'll be able to download the entire research piece directly from the blog. Any other bloggers wishing to collaborate on this or get extra info on the eye opening bit of research please just get in touch.
Something that hasn't escaped our notice here at the Artesian hub, is the need for different news at different times during a sales cycle. Potential customers simply can not be placed into one big pen and treated the same. As some creep down the sales funnel ahead of others the importance of relevant news expands. For example, looking for a lead means exactly that. You're looking for something to justify your call, nothing else matters. But if you're on the very brink of closing a deal you want to know everything about that company from management changes to the canteen menu in order to foresee and respond to any potential barriers. With search, it is very hard to section these stages into groups without simply increasing the number of work hours needed to keep track of the diversifying news. Which is why we're working on a far simpler solution which allows customers to track companies through different stages of the process very easily. To steal the wise words of that famous philosopher Tesco, every little helps.
That's right, today marks the 200th post in Artesian blog history. If you've read all 200 I commend you. 150, pretty good going. Anywhere below 100 and I say to you, where the hell have you been?! You've got some catching up to do. Get reading... Go on, I'll wait.....What better way to celebrate than to see the news this morning that online news is now vastly more popular than print. It is now the third most popular news source in the US, closely behind national and local TV stations. The Pew Research center, who conducted the survey said "News awareness is becoming an anytime, anywhere, any device activity for those who want to stay informed". Couldn't agree with you more!Print is very old hack as far as I'm concerned. It's shelf life is limited, it's structure is dated and anyone who drives a happy thought powered Prius will tell you it's shockingly bad for the environment. So here's to the future. Online news, anytime, anywhere, and at the moments that really matter.
