February, 2024

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SAMA’s Annual Conference: The Ultimate ROI

Strategic Account Management Association

To navigate today’s ever-changing marketplace, modern SAM practitioners need to lead with agility and view strategic account management as a business imperative — themes we are excited to explore at the SAMA 2024 Annual Conference in Miami, FL, at the legendary Fontainebleau Miami Beach hotel, May 21 - 23. The post SAMA’s Annual Conference: The Ultimate ROI appeared first on Strategic Account Management Association.

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The Importance of Change Management in Account Planning

Upland

Sales leaders often find that commitment to change is the single most important ingredient in a successful account planning practice. A lthough change can be scary, difficult and potentially costly if not managed correctly, it is ultimately the key to achieving higher win rates, championing large buying groups, and growing revenue. The current world of sales is not for the faint of heart, and certainly not one for those who don’t like change.

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Internal Alignment — The Key to Professional Services Partnership Success

Vantage Partners

No professional service firm partnership works without getting buy-in and mindshare from the partners or account executives who manage client relationships.

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Building Successful Sales Teams w. Eric van Antwerpen

Account Manager Tips

Explore Eric van Antwerpen's unique approach to redefining success in sales teams.

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State of AI in Sales & Marketing 2025

AI adoption is reshaping sales and marketing. But is it delivering real results? We surveyed 1,000+ GTM professionals to find out. The data is clear: AI users report 47% higher productivity and an average of 12 hours saved per week. But leaders say mainstream AI tools still fall short on accuracy and business impact. Download the full report today to see how AI is being used — and where go-to-market professionals think there are gaps and opportunities.

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Zendesk completes acquisition of Klaus

Zendesk

Zendesk today announced it completed its acquisition of Klaus, the industry leading AI-powered quality management platform. The acquisition of Klaus is the latest addition to the company’s existing WEM solutions which includes Tymeshift, a modern workforce management tool built exclusively for Zendesk. “Workforce engagement management is key to not only meeting, but exceeding customer expectations.

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Latest Podcasts: Building Culture As a Leader

Force Management

Whether you're leading an early-stage startup or an established organization, one of the most important things a leader can do is to cultivate a culture of accountability, curiosity and excellence. This month, our guests on the Revenue Builders podcast offered some insightful perspectives on building a successful sales culture. These leaders have spearheaded culture transformations and spurred massive growth at some of the most influential sales organizations of our time.

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Why is it Becoming Harder to Convert Prospect? With Trey Morris

The Center for Sales Strategy

In this episode, we’re continuing our season-long deep dive into the latest Media Sales Report from The Center for Sales Strategy. Today, Trey Morris, VP/ Senior Consultant here at CSS, is joining Matt to help answer the question, “Why is it getting harder to convert prospects and renew clients?

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How Good Talent Can Realize Returns from Customer Success

SBI Growth

Knowing who to hire and what sort of traits to foster across an organization’s talent can go a long way in creating value for customers and seeing the business returns of customer success.

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What is Socratic questioning? (Questioning skills)

Red Star Kim

Long before I learned of the value of Socratic questioning in coaching and counselling, I remember an editor asking me to use Socratic questioning in some writing. Socratic questioning is a way to drive logical argument. It’s helpful in conversations, critical thinking and negotiation. So what is Socratic questioning? (Questioning skills). This article on Socratic questioning follows an earlier and longer post on questioning skills Why are questions so important?

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Put Some Snot In Your Potatoes

Software Sales Guru

Put Some Snot In Your Potatoes I’ve said before that sales negotiations are a game, and one of the most common plays a buyer has is the flinch: you state the price and they almost fall out of their chair. A client once told me she had just been to negotiating training for buyers and showed me eight pages of material dedicated to the flinch. Read more The post Put Some Snot In Your Potatoes appeared first on Software Sales Gurus.

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AI Strategies for Sales Managers: How to Cut Down on Tedious Admin Work

What if you could help your sellers stop wasting 72% of their day on non-selling activities and focus on bringing in revenue? Incorporating AI in your enablement workflows can help you cut down on busy work, get projects done faster, and let your team (and you!) focus on making a bigger impact. We put together this guide to show you how to use AI to cut time and costs for projects, including collateral creation, development of training videos, and automating tedious processes.

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Selling Beyond the Sales Team: How a Cross-Functional Approach Improves Execution

Force Management

In today's highly competitive market, it's no longer enough for a sales organization to differentiate itself solely based on its offering. The most successful companies today are those that create differentiation in their initial sales process and the customer’s journey. That level of execution requires that leaders enable every customer-facing team and role to be fluent in a unified sales message, strategy, and execution.

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Why We Say Um and How to Stop [Infographic]

Account Manager Tips

How to stop saying um and other filler words? Especially after a lifetime of using them. Here's some advice on how to banish um for good.

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Negotiating: Use Your Power for Good, Not Evil

The Center for Sales Strategy

Negotiation is an art, often perceived with a mix of hesitation and intrigue. It's a dance that occurs in various aspects of life, from buying a car to brokering major business deals. Especially in sales, negotiation is not just a skill; it's a necessity. But the essence of effective negotiation lies in the approach: it's about collaboration, not confrontation.

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Leaders: Here’s How to Drive Seller Productivity in 2024

SBI Growth

Sellers today have an unenviable job: buyers are increasingly conservative, and deals are taking longer to close. A survey from SBI in Q3 2023 shows that commercial leaders are feeling the effects, with a staggering 69% of CEOs seeing lower seller productivity. For sales leaders seeking to escalate growth projections in 2024, it’s time to rethink how sales enablement should be done.

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2024, The Year of the Customer

2023's struggles fueled a shift: companies are ditching wasteful strategies in favor of data and AI-powered growth. Enter 2024, the year GTC takes center stage. Discover 5 ways a customer-centric approach unlocks new revenue and delivers lasting success.

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Why are questions so important? (Questioning skills)

Red Star Kim

Most people appreciate the importance of questioning skills in selling, training, coaching, counselling (especially Cognitive Based Therapy – CBT) and commercial conversations. In this post I explore different types of questions and how they can be used in various business scenarios. Why are questions so important? (Questioning skills). The importance of questions Children learn by asking questions.

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Heartfelt Connections: The Power of Relationships in Business Success

Nimble Business Success

This Valentine’s Day, let’s celebrate a different yet essential aspect of our professional lives: networking! Successful businesses thrive on networks of relationships that are built over time, which are crucial for sparking new opportunities, forming partnerships, and driving growth. We’ve connected with industry experts who have shared their insights and personal takes on how effective […] The post Heartfelt Connections: The Power of Relationships in Business Success ap

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21 Signs Your Buyer Is a Poor Fit [Sales Process Checklist], According to HubSpot's Former Sales Director

Hubspot Sales

Welcome to "The Pipeline" — a weekly column from HubSpot, featuring actionable advice and insight from real sales leaders. “Buyer beware.” We’ve all heard that expression before, and unfortunately, it’s because buyer-seller relationships haven’t traditionally been great. Old-school salespeople often used aggressive and selfish tactics to win business and then disappeared like Sasquatch in the Canadian mountains, so savvy buyers knew they had to do due diligence to make sure they weren’t being sc

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Losing Clients Hurts: What To Say To A Client Who Is Leaving

Account Manager Tips

Losing clients hurts. All that hard work down the drain. Not to mention the impact to the bottom line. So when a client tells you they want to leave, you must do what you can to prevent them from packing their bags.

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1st, 2nd, and 3rd Party Intent Data: Which Is Right for You?

How do 1st, 2nd, and 3rd party intent data compare? 1st, 2nd, and 3rd party data each have specific advantages and disadvantages. It comes down to four factors: accuracy, cost, control and quantity. This infographic explains the pros and cons of each and helps you understand which one is best for meeting your business objectives. Intent data can be a great way to fill your pipeline and close more deals.

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How to Win Over New Employees in Their First 30 Days

The Center for Sales Strategy

Your next hire is important! Right? It’s probably one of the top reasons managers tell me their job is hard. Finding talented people is difficult, and once you find them, hiring them and getting them onboarded is time-consuming and stressful. You have a lot to do, but investing time and energy in a few important onboarding disciplines can give you and your new hire a better chance for success.

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Assess Your Revenue Growth Model to Improve Executive Alignment

SBI Growth

“Executive alignment is critical to growth and value creation. Nearly 75% of companies with high commercial momentum have go-to-market (GTM) leadership teams that are highly aligned.” This may sound like common sense to many executive leaders, but some companies can still have a hard time making this happen when their leaders don’t know where to start.

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Coaching and Consulting – People and Problem-Solving skills

Red Star Kim

MBD executives, advisors, managers, client services executives and BDMs from law firms, economics and management consultancies joined a PM Forum workshop on “Coaching and Consulting Skills for Marketing and Business Development”. We explored the changing role of marketing and business development (MBD) professionals and the growing need for coaching and consulting skills.

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Transforming E-Commerce with Data: From Insights to Action for Superior Customer Journeys

Customer Think

In the dynamic world of e-commerce, understanding your customers is key to success. Meeting customer needs is critical in today’s competitive e-commerce landscape. Digital platforms have raised consumer expectations by offering a wide range of products and services. Customer-centricity is more than a trend; it is a strategic approach that sets companies apart.

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How to Leverage Intent Data for Better Outcomes

Speaker: Susan Spencer, Principal of Spencer Communications

Intent signal data can go a long way toward shortening sales cycles and closing more deals. The challenge is deciding which is the best type of intent data to help your company meet its sales and marketing goals. In this webinar, Susan Spencer, fractional CMO and principal of Spencer Communications, will unpack the differences between contact-level and company-level intent signals.

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5 Phrases Top Salespeople Say on Prospecting Calls, According to Day.ai's Co-Founder

Hubspot Sales

Welcome to "The Pipeline" — a weekly column from HubSpot, featuring actionable advice and insight from real sales leaders. A while back, I was at the park, and my phone rang. I rarely get phone calls, and I usually ignore them. This time, something felt different. I decided to pick up. Bad move — it was a salesperson. Him: Hi this is Sean calling from Bulletproof Lead Gen.

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How To Use Trello For Task Management

Account Manager Tips

If you're struggling to say organised and on top of your workload, Trello could be the answer. Here's how to use Trello for task management.

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Beyond the Inbox: Rethinking Email Strategies in Modern Sales

The Center for Sales Strategy

Did you know that the first email was sent way back in 1971? That first “message” was a throwaway in terms of actual content. Engineer Ray Tomlinson, at the time, was exploring different ways for humans and computers to interact and sent himself a test email to see if his new idea worked. Ray had little idea how powerful and enduring the concept of electronic mail would end up becoming.

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7 Focus Areas to Secure a Fast Start to 2024

SBI Growth

The transition into a new calendar year can create a period of adjustment that negatively impacts a company’s productivity and their growth trajectory if not managed well. In 2023, up to 49% of companies were adjusting their growth projections as early as the beginning of March. Q1 underperformance can often set the tone and momentum for the rest of the year if left unchecked.

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The 2023 Supply Chain Crystal Ball: Challenges and Solutions

Speaker: Olivia Montgomery, Associate Principal Supply Chain Analyst

Curious to know how your peers are navigating ongoing disruption? The supply chain management techniques that dominated the last 30 years are no longer supporting consumer behavior or logistics and manufacturing capabilities. So what’s working now? What should your plans for 2023 include? By researching the supply chain challenges and solutions that businesses – especially small and midsize businesses – are currently experiencing, we’ve learned what’s working and what’s not.

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Persuasive writing checklist

Red Star Kim

Delegates from legal, financial service and industry, joined me last week for a full day workshop on persuasive writing. Whilst it is usual to have business development professionals and experienced partners on this session, it was great to welcome a number of trainee solicitors too. During the session we created our own persuasive writing checklist – here are the highlights.

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Three Cold Email Templates that Generate Meetings, Not Spam Complaints

Customer Think

We’ve all had that neighbor. They’re the one you avoid when taking out the trash or collecting the mail because if you don’t, you’re in for it: the dreaded half-hour update on their prize-winning Schnauzer, a deep dive into their latest hobby, or the most recent gossip on their entire extended family.

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How to Harness the Roaring Trend of Animal-Inspired Workouts

Hubspot Sales

We often compare elite athletes with animals: Fast like a cheetah. Strong like an ox. Agile like a hummingbird. To get fitter and healthier, humans are taking inspiration from the animal kingdom. Here are two trends we spotted in this direction, each presenting unique opportunities you can pounce on for wild profits: 1. Humans Want to Move like Animals If you notice people doing exaggerated, animalistic stretches in your gym, rest assured: It’s not the cast of Cats taking over.

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Sell More by Putting Buyers First feat. Carole Mahoney

Sales Gravy

On this episode of the Sales Gravy podcast Jeb Blount and Carole Mahoney, author of the hit new book Buyer First, underscore the importance of putting buyers first and aligning with the buyer's journey. They dive into the power of empathy, the art of listening, and innovative ways of selling that prioritize the buyer's needs and experiences to increase closing ratios.

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The GTM Intelligence Era: ZoomInfo 2025 Customer Impact Report

ZoomInfo customers aren’t just selling — they’re winning. Revenue teams using our Go-To-Market Intelligence platform grew pipeline by 32%, increased deal sizes by 40%, and booked 55% more meetings. Download this report to see what 11,000+ customers say about our Go-To-Market Intelligence platform and how it impacts their bottom line. The data speaks for itself!