Ben Paul
January 9, 2021
BD, Sales and Marketing insights round-ups
The last round-up for the year, the year that was! 2020, it is unlikely that many people will fire up a DeLorean and time travel to that particular year again, however, as with all unique periods in history, it sometimes brings out some of the very best new thinking as markets change and businesses adapt.
The BD, Sales and Marketing insights from the last month of 2020 certainly followed that trend. They really did provide a great deal of new thinking and interesting ideas.
So as we close out the year dominated by COVID and talk of ‘lockdowns’ ‘working remotely’ ‘pivots’ and ‘BD for the new normal’, here’s December 2020’s BD, Sales and Marketing insights round-up.
4 Essential Imperatives of Virtual Sales Success By Mike Schultz, President at RAIN Group
This article explains the basics of the Rain Group’s excellent new book “Virtual Selling”, and as such is a very useful read. From connecting online and finding ways to effectively build rapport in initial sales conversations, Mike Schultz goes on to then give tips on how to hold your buyers’ attention in an online meeting. The third stage focuses on collaboration, which is key in any buying process and even more so in an online environment as doing this creates engagement. If you and the potential purchaser are actively working together it becomes an online meeting and shared experience, rather than your buyer being on the end of a presentation. Finally, this article shares who you can effectively influence in a virtual environment. Before you start your Sales and BD efforts in 2021, read this article.
Differentiation Strategy for the Professional Services Firm By Lee Frederiksen, Hinge
How many clients can really describe the difference between a range of accountancy firms, law firms, engineering consultants or architects? I suspect in many cases they can’t, and thus the only real difference they see is price! However, the smarter firms have manged to differentiate, some by adopting different service or business models, others through innovation or exceptional customer experience (CX) provision. If you’re struggling to differentiate your firm or your own personal brand, then this article provides some invaluable pointers.
Marketers, You Deserve More In 2021 By Dr. Augustine Fou, Marketing Science Consulting Group, Inc.
Many B2B businesses are investing more of their marketing budgets in digital campaigns. However, how many people know that they are getting the correct results for their investment? It can be tricky to know if you truly are getting what you believe you have paid for. Dr. Fou is a leading expert on digital advertising fraud, and in this excellent article for Forbes he has provided some practical advice for you and your marketing teams to follow.
Which of the Nine Muses Guide You? By Marcia Waldman, FullBloom
In an RFP response every member of the bid response team typically takes on a different role and provides different insights. This article looks at that in the context of Greek and Roman Mythology and the nine muses. It provides a great insight into what your strengths are in any bid team.
When every law firm is an innovator, how do you differentiate your innovations? By Jack Rodway, Kysen PR
This is an excellent summary of a roundtable discussion. It highlights some of the traps firm’s fall into when using ‘innovation’ as a go to market strategy. How many innovations that are promoted are really innovations? How many remember to articulate why a firm’s potential clients would benefit from these so-called innovations? The summaries and advice in this article is gold for anyone considering investing in legal innovation, or indeed innovation within other professional services firms.
The top LinkedIn updates for 2020 By Sue Parker, DARE group Australia
More people have flocked to LinkedIn to try and promote their B2B businesses and themselves in our ‘new normal’. LinkedIn, has, in turn, unleashed a torrent of updates and new features. It can be very confusing. Worry not. Sue Parker has succinctly summarised them all for you in this short, punchy and excellent article.
Conclusion
So that’s the wrap for December and 2020, a year that will certainly be remembered. The BD, Sales and Marketing insights in the above articles should help you approach 2021 with some new ideas and new energy. As the New Year commences, it is now time for you to start looking ahead and planning your BD activities for the year.
