Signals from the Field

The New Year is a time for both reflection and planning. If the past is any indication of the future, we can expect some big things in 2014.

In today’s business environment there are ever-increasing ways to connect with your buyers. Who do you know that hasn’t complained about too many emails? Have you heard enough yet about how social media will transform business? And who doesn’t have (or at least want) a smartphone? With so much information about how to market and sell, we must ask ourselves “what’s the best way to connect with my particular buyers?” This article provides a summary of consumers’ expectations and a method for matching what your buyers want and how to deliver it.

I've heard several instances where someone will say they've gotten compliments on their website. I'm not surprised. After all when someone asks you "what do you think about my website?", it's rare the person will say, "actually, I think it sucks". What people are often making positive comments about are the aesthetics, the colors, the design - but seldom are they making a comment about how effective the website is at achieving the firm's objectives and/or online conversions. Websites are developed every day - some are great, some are pretty and others are awful. The most important question to ask about your website is, "how effective is it for the user?" That's where user testing comes in, and this post provides some guidance on making sure your website really works for you.

The following post originally appeared in WorkIt Richmond, an online resource for small business owners in central Virginia.

In the B2B selling world, the higher the price the longer the sales cycle. Higher priced solutions typically require more research and more people involved in the decision. Elite B2B salespeople are adept at nurturing leads through the long sales cycle. This article describes 3 ways to nurture a qualified lead from initial contact through closing the deal.

Do you still have a landline? How about a cable TV subscription? 10 years ago, these may have been strange questions; however, in 2013, not as much. A recent survey done by eMarketer showed only 60% of US internet users have a cable TV subscription, while 23% of users have kicked their cable subscription to the curb altogether.