Even with the understanding that this pandemic crisis is temporary, and that we will get through this, uncertainty looms. There’s so much unknown, it’s dizzying.
And yet, while some of the world seemed to be unraveling in the recent weeks, other plates shifted under our feet.
Suddenly, risk serves as a catalyst.
While we all work through learning how to sell during the new world environment, it’s still vital to keep your eye on developing quality leads for your sales executives. Change and pressure have a way of forcing companies to lower expectations on deliverables.
Remember, even though you may refine lead definitions over time, sales will still reject leads if they aren’t “sales ready.” No matter the situation we’re in now, it’s important to keep demanding quality from your lead generation teams.
We all know that the definition of a “qualified lead” varies from business to business and even changes as your business evolves. I think back to a situation I was in with a large software company, where I managed their lead management organization.
If you happen to be married to a financial risk analyst, who moonlights as a historian, you have to turn an eye toward history in order to gain any perspective on what’s happening today.
Here are a few of those tidbits, culled from a Forbes article from last year.
Yes, last year.
How many boring corporate emails and newsletters have your received in recent days, telling you how much brand X or company Y cares about their customers and employees during this pandemic we’re all coping with?
Can’t they do better than this?
Over our eight years in business, many White Space advisers have suggested I focus on a single vertical in my work. While we do have a concentration in certain industries—healthcare, for example—I’ve resisted this approach for one reason: It’s not right for growth businesses.
Why do we attend industry conferences? To see and be seen, to be part of the industry camaraderie, and if we’re being honest, to take advantage of a few days in sunny Florida.
If you’re lucky, you walk away with a few nuggets of information that you could apply to your everyday business and a fistful of potential clients. But, in order to get there, you have to do the work.
One of my favorite podcasts is How Do We Fix It?, hosted by Richard Davies and Jim Miegs. It reeks of nuance, alternate views, reason, and charm.
I recently listened to an episode with Alison Schrager, who has looked at how risk is managed across circumstances and environments. Some of her conclusions from her book, An Economist Walks Into a Brothel: And Other Unexpected Places to Learn About Risk, really moved me.
In an article written by Kevin Chesters, owner and partner at Harbour, an independent communications collective in London, he notes that marketing strategy is often an in-house function because of budget, time constraints, or convenience.
Well, who doesn’t want to save money, time, or hassle?
One primary concern of nonprofit organizations is budget. There’s not always a lot of money to dedicate to comprehensive marketing campaigns. But, these organizations are uniquely positioned to benefit from email marketing thanks to its comparatively low cost.
We recently onboarded a new client who doesn’t have a CMO. They have tons of experience supporting their brand with the digital channels and PR. They’re in the design industry, so they’re fueled by creativity and innovation. They understand the value of metrics in proving the ROI of their marketing.
But, they came to us because they realized they needed something they called “high-level strategy” in order to use their marketing budget more intelligently.
Seriously, when I heard that I thought I’d died and gone to heaven.
