Sales Archives

Marketers, Are Trade Shows Extinct Yet?

This post is certain to generate some controversy about a long-standing, big investment marketing tactic that I believe is increasingly irrelevant. At the worst, if you read this and at least think about scrutinizing your investment in this marketing approach, I've done my job. The thoughts were prompted by a recent article in BtoB magazine entitled: "Exhibition industry sees growth slowing." What a shocker. And while the economy is identified as the primary culprit for this slowdown, I submit that this tactic is a carryover from another era when people gathered information and insights about prospective suppliers or service providers in a very different way, and when lead generation was more about trolling and interrupting than pinpointing.

By Art Petty|2016-10-22T17:12:25-05:00May 6th, 2008|Marketing|4 Comments

Product Manager does not Mean Product Emperor (and other helpful suggestions for success as a Product Manager)

t's long been my opinion that the Product Manager has one of the tougher jobs in an organization (see my post: In Support of the Product Manager as MVP). This position is one of those "all of the responsibility with none of the power" roles that grind up and spit out mere mortals with alarming frequency. There are a number of common mistakes that I've observed both new and experienced Product Managers make, that if understood and avoided, might increase the survival and success rate of this endangered species. In no particular order, these common mistakes and hopefully, helpful hints, include:

By Art Petty|2016-10-22T17:12:26-05:00April 24th, 2008|Product Management|0 Comments

More Thoughtful Career Advice to Ignore on Your Path to Becoming a Sales Leader

From the same organization that brought you this enlightened sales manager and his timeless advice on how to prosper: "The only way that you will succeed on my team is if you are married to the job," and "The reason that I am not in any family vacation pictures is because I'm on the phone. If I'm in the picture, you can be sure I have a blackberry stuck to my ear," is back with: "The problem with you is that you care too much about people." I love this organization. There are very few other places where a simple phone call offers me a priceless quote on really bad ideas from lousy leaders.

By Art Petty|2016-10-22T17:12:27-05:00April 4th, 2008|Leadership|1 Comment

Sales and Marketing Managers: Use the Lead Refinery Approach to Improve Results

I talk with a lot of marketing and sales managers and have spent most of my life working in these environments. In spite of the dramatic advancements in software tools available, I still find gaping holes in the way many sales and marketing organizations manage and account for the flow of leads into the sales pipeline. Although there are undoubtedly some technology constraints, I suspect that the primary issue is one of process more than anything else. Employed properly, changes in the output of the lead refinery foreshadow expansion or contraction of volume in the sales pipeline. Here are some thought-starters:

By Art Petty|2008-03-08T10:27:50-06:00March 8th, 2008|Marketing|0 Comments

Why Sales Managers Shouldn’t Hate Performance Reviews

I don't know too many Sales Managers that relish the opportunity to conduct performance reviews with their Reps. In fact, come to think about it, I don't know too many Sales Managers that actually conduct performance reviews with their Reps. Unless you count the token compliance that a few accommodate through a "half-hearted, fill out the form to get HR off my back" approach that some Managers confess to employing. That's too bad, because all parties involved are missing out on valuable conversations that can contribute to the growth of the business, the strengthening of the sales bench and the development of sales superstars.

By Art Petty|2016-10-22T17:12:28-05:00February 11th, 2008|Uncategorized|1 Comment

The Indomitable Spirit of the True Product Manager

Product Managers are often improperly saddled with blame for everything that’s wrong in the organization and a fair amount of what’s wrong in the world. Poor quality, revenue shortfalls, lack of leads, poor visibility, competitive encroachment, poor support, schedule delays and process deficiencies are just a few of the items that I’ve known Product Managers to be tagged with in the course of carrying out their jobs. Pretty much everything but responsibility for the Lindbergh kidnapping, and I’m sure someone tried to pin that one on an unwitting Product Manager at some point in time.

By Art Petty|2016-10-22T17:12:29-05:00February 4th, 2008|Product Management|2 Comments

Improving the Product Management and Sales Relationship

The relationship between the Product Manager (or PM team) and the Sales force is one that is filled with great potential for all parties and also prone to frequent misuse or abuse. Frankly, it is a complicated relationship that should be governed by some shared rules of engagement and some good commonsense about when to throw the rules out in support of getting the job done.

By Art Petty|2016-10-22T17:12:31-05:00January 21st, 2008|Leadership, Product Management|0 Comments

Marketing versus Sales and Corporate Tribalism

With apologies for doing a poor imitation of Jerry Seinfeld, "What is it about Sales and Marketing professionals that they just can't seem to get along?" These two functions have battled for years and I fault the leaders of both functions as well as senior management for failing to create the conditions required for collaboration and success.

By Art Petty|2016-10-22T17:12:32-05:00January 3rd, 2008|Leadership, Marketing|1 Comment

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