B2B Marketing Mindset

If you are still going to market essentially the same way you did in 2019 or earlier this year’s theme is “adapt or die”. I’m going to show you five “must do” marketing initiatives for 2024. Since COVID the market has changed dramatically – impacting every industry, every size company – at least those that survived. If you aren’t satisfied with the results of your GTM strategy in this episode I’ll...

Today we are talking about the impact of TLC on marketing and sales – that’s Talent, Leadership and Culture not to be confused with TCB – Taking Care of Business. (That was Elvis). This is a big deal when it comes to hiring marketing and sales leadership. Wade’s company Cendea has a great process to make it work better.

Leads, people, LEADS! Today, we’re discussing the right way to go about business to business lead generation.  First things first: what is a lead?  Traditionally, when we’re talking about “leads” we’re referring to someone who has shown interest in your offering, and taken some type of action towards it.  This definition has sort of fallen out of vogue because “taking action” has become increasing...

Today we are talking about focus groups. What they are, why and how to use them. Stay tuned as we share focus groups gone wrong and much more. What is a Focus Group? Fundamentally, a focus group is a group interview. Get a bunch of people together, show/tell them what you need feedback on, and document their responses. A facilitator guides the interview, asking questions and keeping things on topi...

In this episode of the B2B Marketing Mindset, we discuss marketing technology: what it is, how to use it, and when to use it. Some businesses insist on jumping into the deep end of the proverbial marketing pool. Marketing technology has come a long way, and can be incredibly useful, but if you don’t do your homework, you’re just setting yourself up for failure.

Today we are talking about sweeping changes in the B2B market that affect every company and industry and why companies are almost universally seeing lower close rates, longer sales cycles and prospects that just don’t want to talk to them. There are big changes afoot. We’ll help you understand the dynamic and give you strategies to adapt and overcome.

The old adage “a watched pot never boils” doesn’t apply to marketing;  you need to actively monitor what you’re doing, and adjust your strategy accordingly. It seems obvious typed out, but the frequency with which companies will throw significant amounts of budget at marketing, sit around waiting for something to happen, then say “it’s not working” is startling. Listed below are some of the more t...

Nine Best Practices to Use LinkedIn for Sales Prospecting LinkedIn is a powerful platform for sales prospecting. Here are five effective ways to do it right. Build a Strong Profile: Your LinkedIn profile is your digital business card. Make sure it’s complete, professional, and showcases your expertise. A strong profile will attract potential prospects and build your credibility. Know Your Target A...

This is a sticky subject that upon which I hope I can shed some light. Clients often ask for a guarantee: “If I spend $ can you guarantee I’ll receive $$$?” It seems like a reasonable request. After all, clients look to marketing to help them grow their business and if an agency, firm or consultant is good, they should expect a return on their investment, right? Well, it’s not that simple. Do lawy...

Today we are sharing some crazy stories from our many years in the marketing industry. Bill and I have worked together for three decades and we like to think we’ve seen it all. We’ve made every mistake imaginable and we like to think we’ve grown from the experience. Some of the stories are funny, others embarrassing and still others just bewildering. Join us as we take a journey back through the y...

Today we tackle a sticky subject – problematic sales prospects and how to handle them without losing the sale (unless they are REALLY problematic…) We’ve identified these six types of problematic prospects: Control Freaks – people who absolutely NEED to control the process. It’s their way or the highway. Know-it-alls – they know your offering better than you (or at least think they do) Disrespectf...

One Size Fits All Approach: Beware of marketing firms or professionals who promote a one-size-fits-all approach to marketing. Every business is unique, and successful marketing strategies should be tailored to your specific industry, audience, and goals. If a marketing agency insists on applying the same strategy they use for all clients without considering your individual needs and circumstances,...

What is Thought Leadership? Thought leadership refers to the position of being a recognized and authoritative source of innovative and influential ideas within a particular industry, field, or subject.  A thought leader is someone who is considered an expert and visionary in their area of expertise and who often drives conversations, shapes opinions, and influences the direction of that field. Tho...

Definition of an Intern (In-Turn) is simply defined as an advanced student or recent graduateundergoing supervised practical training. The In-Turn means “it is a two-way street.” Both theemployer and the intern need to benefit. Benefits of an Internship (Top six – you pick your favorite three) 1. Potential Talent Pipeline – Internships can serve as a recruitment strategy, giving youthe chance to e...

I wish I had a nickel for every time I’ve had a client insist that “Price is the most important thing to customers!” According to thousands of research projects, they are simply wrong. When you ask clients what matters most, eventually they’ll mention price, but it’s generally not their #1 priority. Quality and Reliability: This is usually at the top of people’s list. Buyers want products and serv...

Transcript: Welcome to the B2B Marketing Mindset, where every Thursday at 11 o’clock here on LinkedIn, we help small businesses get bigger, and medium sized businesses get bigger. I’m Pete Monfre, and today, my co host, Bill Lowell is on vacation. Word has it, he’s luxuriating in Mukwonago, Wisconsin in a large vat of cheese, so we’ll have to ask him about that next time. You know, there’s a lot o...

Today we’re going to talk about the most boring of all boring subjects – money! Specifically how to tie the marketing budget to the outcome – what we call “Marketing Return on Investment or MROI”. It’s the difference between marketing being a cost center or a profit center. We’ll be talking about different budgeting approaches and some key considerations to find that balance on The B2B Marketing M...

Today Bill Lowell and I are discussing what it means to have a B2B Marketing Mindset and why it’s the foundation of marketing success. Step 1: Get your mind right • Attitude is everything • Data driven • Customer problems are king • Think in the long term • Know what makes you different

UH-OH. We are ruffling some feathers today talking about the dumbest, most vapid, lame brained, AND MOST COMMON boondoggles we see over and over again in our practice. “Dumb ideas are dumb.” ChatGPT

It’s always a good idea to talk to customers, get feedback, etc. but they don’t want to hurt your feelings so they withhold the most important information you need. The painful information. The stuff you need to improve. This is a psychological thing – people generally don’t want to hurt your feelings, so they are less likely to give negative feedback to someone they know. But what if you could un...

This episode explains probably the absolute biggest concept that you must understand to have a growth company. And it’s the most misunderstood concept in marketing and sales. Bill Lowell and I untangle the great ball of yarn that is marketing in this video podcast.

Not this sh!t again. I swear this get’s asked every six months by the industry rags. Has the “Lean Start Up” model of fail fast and iterate made “strategy” obsolete? Bill Lowell and I answer the question once and for all in this weeks video podcast, The B2B Marketing Mindset – every Thursday at 11am.

Today I’m going to share some of the most pathetic sales attempts in history from folks on LinkedIn. Then, I’ll share a much better way. Lazy, untargeted, generic sales pitches DON’T WORK. Here are a few other things that don’t work: 1. Thirst traps – I don’t care what you look like and I can tell when an image has been faked. 2. Your first message is all about you – what YOU want, what YOU sell,...

There are many ways to set sales and/or marketing budgets. Arbitrary – Based on a number out of thin air Historical – Based on what was spent in the past Cash Flow – Budget based on how much money we have right now Data – Based on a deliberate process using Cost of Customer Acquisition and real world estimates. In this episode, I’ll show you the tool my firm uses to figure out a marketing budget t...