Strategic Account Management Association

SEPTEMBER 11, 2020

In strategic account management, companies have to address the never-ending question of how to differentiate themselves and gain market share. I’m talking about customer experience management (CXM), which I would argue may be the single most important investment a company can make in today’s cut-throat business climate.

CXM 520

CXM Account Management Customer Experience Management 520

Strategic Account Management Association

OCTOBER 14, 2021

While the CRM is designed to enable the work of the sales and account management team by recording pertinent information about the customer, I think of it mainly as a bridge to the account planning tool, where the best SAMs live and breathe. To be successful, you need your sales team to be onboard. Explain the “why.”

Account Planning 520

Account Planning CRM Account Management Decision-making 520

Strategic Account Management Association

APRIL 5, 2021

They make great paperweights, but if asked about specific details, most of us might offer an uneasy grin, knowing that we have companions-in-arms, equally guilty of shirking that responsibility to read altogether. According to Forrester Research, 85 percent of CXOs do not find value in their interactions with sales reps.1

Manufacturing 520

Manufacturing Account Management Decision-making Meetings 520

Strategic Account Management Association

OCTOBER 26, 2021

We too often confuse strategic account sponsorship with corporate project sponsorship, where sponsorship is a way to escalate issues or decision-making when in need. We also needed to make sure senior leaders are aware of these responsibilities to optimize their speed and impact.

Account Management 520

Account Management Co-Creation Leadership Procurement 520

Strategic Account Management Association

JULY 13, 2021

A Center of Excellence (COE) Executive “buy-in and be in” Account-based marketing. By COE, we mean a centralized group of SAM experts and people who “get it” and who should be leveraged as the catalyst for instilling the mindset, processes and skill sets for distinctive go-to-market and customer-centric engagement models.

Account Management 591

Account Management Innovation Co-Creation Organization 591

Holden Advisors

NOVEMBER 3, 2021

Collaborates with marketing to develop internal and external value messages. Works side-by-side with sales to sell value and overcome procurement. To avoid leakage, the pricing division should act as a cross-functional, strategic team who: Has a deep understanding about the product offering. Think about it.

Procurement 369

Procurement Finance Construction Government 369

Mike Kunkle

OCTOBER 8, 2023

This strategic approach goes beyond conventional departmental boundaries, breaks down silos, and encompasses product, marketing, demand generation, sales enablement, and the encompassing realm of customer experience (whether it goes by customer support, customer success, customer service, or a combination of these).

Customer Experience 304

Customer Experience Profitability Decision-making Marketing 304

Nutshell

APRIL 26, 2023

What is a CRM system in marketing? But with the right Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solution, you can optimize your marketing to suit the unique needs of every customer, just like you might in a small independent business. What is a CRM system in marketing? What are some CRM marketing examples? What is CRM?

Marketing 171

Marketing CRM e-Learning Software 171

Red Star Kim

DECEMBER 18, 2023

The workshop covered strategic thinking, business strategy and marketing and business development (MBD) strategy. From the animated discussions I selected a few topics of focus – Be more strategic: Top-down or bottom-up, marketing and sales integration and property marketing. Top-down or Bottom-Up Strategy?

Marketing 130

Marketing Strategic Thinking Stakeholders Artificial Intelligence 130

Upland

OCTOBER 17, 2023

Its many evolutions and the powerful AI of today make it an irresistible tool to many. And now, savvy sales leaders are using generative AI , too. All you need is the right sales enablement AI tool. Ready to dive into sales enablement AI? What is sales enablement AI? Many writers use AI to spark ideas.

Artificial Intelligence 195

Artificial Intelligence Sales Decision-making CRM 195

Mike Kunkle

FEBRUARY 5, 2023

“As in other studies we’ve done, this year’s enablement study found that sales process and sales methodology adoption rates above 75% resulted in above-average gains for revenue plan attainment, quota attainment, and win rates, with a big boost at adoption rates greater than 90%.” increase in revenue plan attainment 17.1%

B2B 231

B2B Sales Decision-making Negotiation 231

Upland

JANUARY 29, 2024

Let’s face it, B2B sales can’t happen without good leads. Winning sales teams know strong leads must be converted into successful sales transactions. If sales productivity isn’t achieved effectively—through high lead conversion rates, efficient sales cycles and low sales costs—overhead goes up, and revenue goes down.

Account Planning 195

Account Planning Sales Decision-making Shareholders 195

Upland

SEPTEMBER 29, 2023

Stakeholder mapping in sales is the process of mapping out key decision makers within the buying group of the account you are looking to do business with. Stakeholder Mapping is Important Because of Buying Groups Selling must be complicated because modern B2B sales are complicated. What are their motivations?

Stakeholders 195

Stakeholders Sales Decision-making Internet 195

Mike Kunkle

AUGUST 8, 2023

In the ever-evolving landscape of business, the role of Chief Revenue Officers (CROs) or senior-most sales leaders (by any title), has never been more critical. These architects of growth are tasked with navigating complex market dynamics, driving revenue streams, and fostering a culture of success. This is a definite growth killer.

Sales 221

Sales Prioritization Innovation Sales Training 221

Sales Gravy

SEPTEMBER 16, 2023

Delivering A Next-Level Customer Experience In this Sales Gravy Podcast, Jeb Blount talks to Clare Dorrian, SugarCRM's CMO, about putting people first, building human connections, and prioritizing the customer experience in a saturated market. In a highly competitive market, differentiation is key.

Customer Experience 112

Customer Experience Marketing Prioritization Sales 112

Mike Kunkle

MAY 30, 2023

The goal of “enablement,” whichever term you use for it (sales, revenue, buyer, buying, performance, other) is ultimately to improve organizational performance. There are also other factors at play, such as product-market fit, strategy, the chosen sales model, organization design, or lack of top-down support, that also influence our work.

Decision-making 311

Decision-making Sales Training Sales Sales Management 311

Upland

NOVEMBER 28, 2021

Get more sales references without launching a traditional reference program. Even when organizations acknowledge their sales reference processes could be better, it can be an overwhelming problem to confront. Why are targeted sales reference important? A pragmatic approach to sales references. Will it require new hires?

Sales 195

Sales B2B Software Software 195

Hubspot Sales

NOVEMBER 28, 2023

Marketing and sales teams rely heavily on one another to drive business. After all, it’s the marketing department that generates leads, and the sales team that converts those leads to paying customers. Sales collaboration dramatically improves results, but bringing it to fruition can be more complex than it sounds.

Marketing 111

Marketing Sales Decision-making Energy and Utilities 111

Strategic Account Management Association

MARCH 2, 2022

But before I delve into what leaders can do to make this happen, I want to share some context for why it’s important. It starts with understanding where people are coming from and what makes them tick. 1: Develop targeted marketing, advertising and community outreach activities as a competitive advantage. Yelp counts.)

Emotional Intelligence 400

Emotional Intelligence Innovation Suppliers Leadership 400

Upland

JUNE 30, 2023

Enterprise sales is going through a rapid evolution. One groundbreaking development on the horizon is the convergence of Natural Language Processing (NLP) AI technology and enterprise sales methodology. Personalized Customer Experiences Modern enterprise sales methodology thrives on data-driven decision-making.

Co-Creation 195

Co-Creation Sales B2B Decision-making 195

Upland

MARCH 13, 2023

Sales forecasting is equal parts art and science, right? The ‘art’ aspect of sales forecasting doesn’t need to be an educated guest. It can be articulated effectively and used to make the most important and business critical decisions. What is a Sales Forecast? Is Sales Forecasting Outdated?

Prioritization 195

Prioritization Account Planning Sales Decision-making 195

Upland

MARCH 23, 2023

Having trouble setting accurate sales forecasts or seeing close dates consistently sandbagged to next quarter? Regardless of the size of your company, the sales leader gathers sellers and runs them through the standard set of questions. Who makes the final decision? What Causes Sandbagging in Sales?

Account Planning 195

Account Planning Sales Decision-making Sales Environment 195

Upland

AUGUST 25, 2023

An influence map is a visual tool that helps you identify and understand the stakeholders who have a say in your project or decision. After all, it takes an entire team to win a deal in today’s complex sales landscape. That activity is called influence mapping. And there will also usually be those who are not supporters at all.”

Stakeholders 195

Stakeholders Decision-making Sales Leadership 195

Account Manager Tips

NOVEMBER 19, 2022

In a survey of senior executive buyers, Forrester Research asked if sales people are frequently prepared for their meetings. Imagine you're at the front of a boardroom about to make a presentation. For instance, compare marketing to human resources. Marketing KPIs Brand awareness. What do you think the answer was?

Value Proposition 246

Value Proposition Decision-making B2B Meetings 246

Strategic Account Management Association

JUNE 30, 2021

First, there is how SAMs communicate, articulate and exchange their expertise based on their sales and professional experience. So, from the customer’s and service team’s perspective the SAM represents the expertise and can make things happen for those customers. Michael Thomas: There are two ways to look at this.

Digitalization 520

Digitalization Organization Account Management Management 520

Mike Kunkle

AUGUST 30, 2023

In the ever-evolving landscape of business, the Sales Enablement profession has reached a pivotal crossroads. To firmly establish the function as required and themselves as integral players in their companies, enablement experts must be equipped to prove their worth by improving sales results and bolstering profitability.

Leadership 293

Leadership Stakeholders Decision-making Sales Training 293

Account Manager Tips

JUNE 29, 2021

Build relationships with decision-makers and expand your network. Recognize market trends as well as the strengths and weaknesses of competitors. Let's talk about the client lifecycle The sales cycle attracts qualified leads, engages and converts them to clients. Clients use bid decision criteria to decide who wins the contract.

Suppliers 246

Suppliers Shareholders Stakeholders Decision-making 246

Red Star Kim

NOVEMBER 1, 2023

At the recent PM Forum workshop on “Selling processes and sales skills for marketing and business development professionals” we focused on sales and selling challenges in professional services. Selling challenges in professional services: Sales processes and skills. Their fee-earners are often in the same boat.

Key Account Management 130

Key Account Management Account Management Value Proposition Client Relationships 130

SuperOffice

JULY 5, 2022

B2B marketing is simple: Attract new customers and keep existing customers. While the marketing part might sound easy, it’s the buying process that’s complex. And finally, when they’re ready to talk to sales, they contact you. And that’s where modern day B2B marketing begins. Set a marketing goal.

B2B 129

B2B Marketing Acquisition Media 129

Upland

SEPTEMBER 1, 2023

Guided selling is a modern sales approach that combines technology, data analytics, and personalized interactions to assist customers in making well-informed purchasing decisions. It is designed to guide sellers through the sales cycle and increase pipeline visibility, enabling them to close deals faster and with fewer missteps.

Decision-making 195

Decision-making Stakeholders Customer Experience CRM 195

Upland

APRIL 5, 2023

Relationship management has never been more important in sales, and it takes a revenue team to build vital relationships with the people that matter. What is a Revenue Operations Team? This includes, primarily, people in marketing, sales, and customer success teams. Do You Need a Revenue Team? That depends.

Account Planning 195

Account Planning Customer Success B2B Decision-making 195

Red Star Kim

FEBRUARY 8, 2024

At the recent Business Development for Professionals – 2024 Virtual Conference – MBL Seminars I presented a session entitled “Supporting Fee-Earners in Sales Targeting”. Here is a summary of the sales targeting toolbox for professional services firms.

Value Proposition 130

Value Proposition Key Account Management Digitalization Sales 130

Upland

JUNE 14, 2023

What are the top challenges facing chief revenue officers and sales leaders in 2023? Chief revenue officers face an uncertain economic landscape For someone whose job it is to grow revenue, having uncertainty in the market is never a good sign. And how can account planning help? There’s plenty of uncertainty in the economy right now.

Artificial Intelligence 195

Artificial Intelligence Digital Transformation Account Planning Remote Working 195

Hubspot Sales

AUGUST 20, 2024

Imagine having to actually make a buying decision purely by shopping through the toothpaste aisle. How to Avoid Choice Paralysis Helping Customers Overcome Choice Fatigue Companies That Get it Right Make Decisions With Simplicity and Customer Needs in Mind What is Choice Paralysis? It’s overwhelming.

Decision-making 105

Decision-making B2C B2B Software 105

Upland

JANUARY 26, 2023

However, one thing remains consistent – when it comes to complex sales, buyers prefer a human touch. As sellers head into a future that feels uncertain , they can at least rest in this certainty – the human seller is as important as ever in complex, B2B sales. Large B2B sales deals are not done one-on-one.

Account Planning 195

Account Planning B2B Decision-making Acquisition 195

Account Manager Tips

APRIL 26, 2021

How much money does a key account manager make? Earning potential Key account managers earn significantly above the national average of major markets. Money can't buy happiness, but it sure makes misery easier to live with. Find out how much money key account managers REALLY make! Enough for champagne and caviar?

Key Account Management 242

Key Account Management Account Management Management Negotiation 242