We’ve all heard the edict, “Ready, aim, fire.” Unfortunately, many marketers follow a different directive—“Fire, ready, aim.” They have it backwards. They jump into executing marketing tactics and campaigns before they understand their target, then they try to adjust and optimize after the fact.

A strong sales process helps the prospect along their journey but also acts as a roadmap to consistently close deals. Each action in the sales process should lead to greater connections and business growth. In order to gain revenue for your business, the key is to know how one element influences your entire sales process.

When you invest in a new effort like inbound marketing at your company, or you enter into a partnership with a marketing agency, everyone expects to get results. No one does marketing for marketing’s sake. We want to:

• Establish our brand
• Build an audience
• Convert leads
• Grow a pipeline
• Accelerate deals through the funnel
• And, ultimately, grow revenue

Unfortunately, that doesn’t always happen. Instead of experiencing the euphoria that comes with achieving goals, you suffer the frustration of unfulfilled potential.   

79% of the United States population has a social media profile. "Our industry doesn't use social media" is no longer an excuse. If 79% of the population is on social media connecting with others, do you want your business to be there?

Simply being present and intentionally representing your brand, on a platform in which 79% of the population lives, is beneficial. A strategic social media marketing strategy can also play a major role in the success of your inbound marketing strategy.

Did you know that businesses that document their strategies receive a 538% greater chance of succeeding in their efforts? No, that wasn't a typo. When everyone in your organization understands how they should be performing, where their weaknesses and strengths are, and why the business is proceeding the way it is, it becomes easier for everyone to work as a cohesive team and to reach business goals—no matter what department you're in.

Marketing mavens, take note. Video is here to stay. Not only is it here to stay, but it’s here to enhance and improve your marketing strategy. But this isn’t anything you don’t know… yet.  

Marketing statistics on video only continue to support the argument of video’s impact on marketing and sales performance, but are you taking advantage of the full capabilities and forms that video offers?

As recent as 10 years ago, marketers wouldn’t have used the terms ‘inbound’ and ‘outbound’ to differentiate marketing strategies and tactics. Marketing all fell under one umbrella, and the idea of separating the two was really just in its infancy in many ways.

Because of the vastness of the internet and its ability to connect people to any kind of information they want at any given moment, it has become important to understand not only the differences between these traditional, outbound methods of advertising and promotion, and the newer—largely digital—inbound strategies, but also how these two types of marketing can work together.

We’ve all had those times where we see someone with a dated hairstyle (the jerry curl or the mullet) and we think “Woah! Hello, 1970’s.” It’s a dated, tired trend that should have been retired a long time ago. Well, this isn’t limited to just hair.

Marketers all across the world have some tired trends they just can’t quite seem to let go. Here is a list of the top cheesy marketing trends, our reactions when we see them, and how to avoid them.

At LeadG2 and The Center for Sales Strategy, our tech stack not only serves to support our sales and marketing efforts, but it also enables our consultants and content teams to super-serve our clients and provide top-notch service and deliver quality results and help them achieve success. Are you utilizing tech to support your marketing, sales, or service efforts at your company? 

We asked our team what marketing and sales technology they use most frequently, and here's the top 10 tools from what was submitted. Yes, there's actually more!

One of the biggest resources that marketing teams have is access to their sales team. That's right! The sales team is a key resource for successful marketing campaigns. 

So, how is the sales team a resources for marketing? Here's how marketing and sales teams should collaborate throughout the marketing campaign process to drive better sales results.

I hear a lot of people in marketing and business development that tell me that they "blog." But I want to know what they are doing with their blog... are they getting results from their blog or just wasting time to say they "blog" with no proof of success? Do they even know? Or... do they even want to know?