We hear about data analytics and data-driven decision-making in just about every industry from health care to education to manufacturing. In the world of B2B marketing and sales, companies turn to data to create buyer profiles and personas, promote new products and services, and target the best prospects. Data, and the ability to analyze and leverage it, is one of the most valuable resources companies have.
Think you want to do a market research survey? You’re pretty sure that your product is what the market needs, but you really don’t know. So, it’s time for a plan to find out
If you're a manufacturer, you know that going from blueprint to delivery requires a very customized, repeatable process. Yours probably includes highly-skilled team members, technology, procedures and more. And that's how sales and marketing should work as well. There's a special sales/marketing combination that works best for each manufacturer - it isn't one size fits all. You may have the most success with trade shows, or email or phone calls - it's most likely however that you need the right blend of all of the above (and more). And like many manufacturers, you may not yet know what that special blend is.
To address the sales and marketing challenges manufacturers face, Acadia collaborated with 22 other HubSpot partners on the just-released ebook, Constructing a Winning Blueprint for 2017. It's geared toward helping you, the manufacturer, overcome your biggest marketing and sales challenges, including finding what works best for you. The section below focuses on analyzing and tracking marketing efforts. Not quite there yet? Download the full ebook for help getting started. Chapters include:
Now, back to analyzing and tracking...
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If you have ever heard 'There's gold in them there hills' then you should be pretty excited about the title of this blog. Believe it or not, we regularly uncover gold on behalf of our clients. Ironically, they have been sitting on this gold without even knowing it. Our clients come from the manufacturing and industrial space and are typically small businesses in need of business development help. When we begin an engagement, normally lead generation based, we always start with the same question. Where is the clients gold?
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I’ve recently been listening to a podcast series by Dave Austin. Dave is a mental performance coach who stresses the importance of narrowing down thoughts and getting “in the zone”– visualizing success, and being so focused that nothing in the world can stop you from getting the job done.
All of this talk of visualization began to translate into reality as I sat in a meeting two weeks ago. In this meeting, we discussed a spreadsheet with data related to sales opportunities and the quote process. As I looked at all of the tabs and summary sheets, littered with several rows and columns of data, I asked, “What is it that you’re tracking and why?”
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Don't we all want the entire pie for ourselves? Of course that comes with ramifications, mostly around the waistline. In business, we all want a little more of the available pie. Who among us has all the pie (or market) that you want for your business? If you're saying "Me!," then you most likely have a lifestyle business. In short:
A lifestyle business is one that has been set up or has become a business that allows the owner(s) the ability to maintain a certain level of lifestyle they are comfortable with and have been accustomed to. There really is no desire to grow beyond that level of business.
I'm not saying there's anything wrong with a lifestyle business, but what if you do want to grow and get more of that pie? If we imagine the markets we serve as a whole pie, very few of us have the market share represented in the picture. More often than not, what we do have would barely be considered a full serving of dessert. The real dilemma is, how much pie is actually available in your market space?
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As we progressed down the first 3 steps of this journey of demand generation, we discussed the importance of striking the right balance for your specific business development needs, managing data and systems and ultimately creation of compelling content. In other words there is no prescription for demand generation. It is about processes, systems and execution. Sound's a lot like manufacturing, doesn't it? Being and electrical engineer myself, this concept appeals to me. No one should be telling you that a new website and inbound program is all you need. On the flip side, outbound calling or outbound marketing efforts may not be the only solution. Careful evaluation of your historical efforts, balanced with how the market is changing and how people look for you, is the mindset you should take, especially as you evaluate your next steps. It is highly recommended to solicit input from colleagues and professionals in the industry to help you understand what strategies and tactics are available.
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In my previous blog, I discussed the first easy step to demand generation - the thought process behind finding the appropriate balance in your efforts. By fully understanding your business, your clients and which channels you're deploying to generate demand, you can begin to execute a roadmap to success.
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Data migration. Moving your data from one system to another. Sometimes it's just something we have to do. It's never fun, but there are ways to make it go smoothly, and ensure you don't lose anything in the process. We've worked with clients throughout their data migration processes and learned a few things. Let's walk through the steps.
Read MoreIt’s that time of year and we are all making lists:
However, with all the lists we have, no one has lists longer and more detailed than Santa. I recently sat with him and asked him a few frank questions about how he manages his lists. You can read the transcript from our chat below...
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