5 Management Blunders
A Brief Manifesto Calling for The Return of Inspirational Leadership, Delineation of Duties and Systematic Marketing Support for Your Sales Team.
After all, it’s Your Top-Line!
Beware:
The Hunter-Gatherer
The primitive culture of Sales Reps “eating what they kill” prevents the creation of systems to sustain growth.
Stuck Deals in the Pipeline!
Stuck deals are red flags for where Marketing should be used to help Sales Reps move deals forward.
Sales Reps: Jack of All Trades, Master of None?
Even if Sales Reps CAN do it all, should they? Net effect: A busier, but less efficient Sales Team.
About the Author
John Fox is the author of Marketing Playbook—The Definitive Guide to B2B Marketing for Small Business.
Endorsed by Seth Godin, Guy Kawasaki, Al Ries and Doug Hall, the Playbook—now a training resource site for B2B Marketers—draws upon John’s 30-year career as a street-smart business developer and provides detailed instructions for implementing more than 100 sales-driven marketing strategies for small businesses.
John is also president of Venture Marketing, a management consulting firm that produces top-line revenue growth for its clients through systematic marketing programs.
He holds a BS Engineering-Computer Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and an MBA from Keller Graduate School of Management. He and his wife, Ruth, live in Naperville, Illinois with their five entrepreneurially-minded children.
Marci Reynolds
John,
I really enjoyed this e-book. The content was original, presented in a very compelling way and your advice can be easily implemented in any sales or marketing organization.
Blunder 1.. Allowing Reps to Make Decisions on Marketing Spend- really resonated with me. I have seen this happen in several different organizations and investments were made in the wrong areas…Your advice is right on target.
Great job overall!
John F. Hunt
This is a must read for any sales manager or business owner who has a staff of sales people that need to be more productive. These blunders are real and are very common in the marketplace. Fix these and you’ll be miles ahead of your competition.
John F. Hunt
Marketing Strategist and Author of
“The Do-It-Yourself Marketing Handbook”
Kent Huffman
Nice work, John! All five “blunder points” in your e-book are spot on. I know, as I’ve experienced each of them several times in my 30 years as a marketer. Looking forward to your next e-book!
Jonathan Kranz
I love your new ebook! It’s rich with meaty, substantive ideas…addresses real-life pains…and makes precise suggestions for improvement. The writing is snappy and packed with supporting statistics. The design, clean and clever. A winner!
Tonya Signa
John:
You hit the nail on the head with the insights you share in your ebook.
One problem associated with today’s complex sale is that sales professionals are often pulled in too many different directions. Expecting them to “do it all” is a sure recipe for failure.
It’s a waste of their time (not to mention the company’s money) to be finding and qualifying prospects on their own or re-creating marketing material.
They should be laser-focused on consulting with prospects, guiding them through the complex decision-making process, and ultimately developing opportunities with those companies most likely to become customers.
I posted my thoughts about your ebook on my blog as well.
Thanks John!
johnfox
Tonya, really appreciate your kind words on your blog post.
Your introductory video is very good, btw. Wish more of my clients used tools like this…great way to add a human element to any website, and especially for (oftentimes) dull, boring B2B industrial products. Nice job!
fox.
Michael
Great book! Very insightful recommendations – you brought attention to areas which seem to be straightforward but are often overlooked. I know first hand!
Will be referring this one to friends for sure.
-Michael
Sales Commission Software