Tweet

The business process that no longer works

Guest post by: Jeff Ogden

Article Overview: Companies used to use a very simple and straightforward business model to drive revenue. One small problem - it no longer works.

The business process that no longer works

Life used to be simple. Use this formula to drive revenue for your software company, for instance:

1. Create a great product.
2. Develop some collateral.
3. Hire some salespeople.
4. Pound the phones and emails to uncover leads.
5. Set meetings.
6. Demo the product.
7. Close the deals.
8. Fire the salespeople who didn't make quota.
9. Hire new salespeople.

Repeat.

One small problem with that. It doesn't work anymore. Without buyer personas, content marketing, lead nurturing and scoring,and metrics - you don't have a chance. Here's my advice: Invest in strong marketing leadership. Develop great content. Invest in marketing automation. Design key metrics. Test and refine.

Related Articles
  Writing for Profit and Pleasure
  Turning “Lost” Customers into Great Future Customers
  If It No Longer Works for You Let It Go
  Does Psychotherapy Work?
  How to Go From Good Selling that Worked to Good that No Longer Works Back to Good That Works
  Can You Motivate Your Sales Team?
  Motivation or Sales Process?
  Creating a Vision and a Mission: A Co-Created And Co-Shared Experience
  How to Find Your Book Writing Rhythm
  Using the Right SMB Sales Approach
  Cold Calling is Dead. No it isn't. Cold is dead. Calling is not.
  How One Ordinary Salesperson Could Get Extraordinary Sales Results
  Indirect Contribution
  Give Change A Chance
  How to Find a Writing Process that Works For You
  Where does the passion go?
  Is Your Business Tough Enough to Survive Recession?
  Marketing Morality
  How To Convince Your Boss Telecommuting Is A Good Idea
  What Running a Business is all about

Article Tags: b2b demand generation, b2b lead generation, btob demand generation, btob lead generation, demand gen, demand generation, demand generation companies, demand generation company, find new customers, lead gen, lead generation, lead generation companies, lead generation company, sales lead generation



Related Forum Posts
New Norton Virus Protection features? - A couple of days ago, some of the software on my computer stopped working. I used to be able to use a PDF maker to convert word files to PDF...that no longer works. Here, I used to be able to see all the smilies on the right hand side of the page, when I'm writing a message as I am now...now all I see over there are dots in the center of a square. And when I [i:3hrut9ck]read [/i:3hrut9ck]messages, I no longer see those smiles, either. I never did anything to my computer myself, but I've got Norton Virus Protection and periodically it automatically updates itself ... and I'm wondering is some new update has screwed up my computer. Anyone have any thoughts on this???
Re: What are your February Goals? - No problem David - it's all part of a testing process. I'm excited to hear about what works best for you!
Are you Self Employed or a Business Woman? - Us women are especially vulnerable to thinking we can do EVERYTHING ourselves! I'm not immune to this way of thinking either. (It seems to go with the territory of having XX chromosomes and growing up in our North American culture.) Anyhow, this kind of thinking can actually trip us women up when it comes to business. I've heard it said that a true business is something you create that can eventually run by itself. A business is meant to give us freedom and not tie us down. A business works FOR YOU. If you are the one working FOR YOUR BUSINESS, then I invite you to open up to the possibility of using your entrepreneur skills to recreate a business that works for you. When I was first challenged on this concept, it was a huge AHA moment. I am grateful because I realized I was still a little stuck on working harder instead of working smarter. I've opened up to a whole new world of possibility and now I'm thinking MUCH BIGGER than before. I expect my income will be much bigger as well. In all honesty, I've realized that my coaching business has been a glorified job. I will still do coaching because I love to do it, but now I am in the process of developing multiple streams of income that use my time more efficiently and products that sell even while I'm on holidays. I'm also developing a retail store which will eventually mostly run itself. Then I will move on to my next project. It's liberating to be on the path of creating businesses that work FOR me. This is how I can run multiple companies without wearing out! In fact, I plan on having MORE time for me. So, what are you doing? Are you self employed or running a business?
Re: Funding Question - I have a friend that works at a bank, and he specifically deals with small businesses and individuals. Let me suggest that you make an appointment with one of your financial advisors at your local branch. If they have a commercial advisor, try and schedule an appointment with them. They will actually sit down with you and assist you in the process of acquiring a loan or credit. They will work with you to devise a proposal in conjunction with your business plan, and give you sound advice to your specific situation. They will be the best contacts to work with as you seek startup capital. Good luck!
Re: How To Raise a Future Millionaire - [quote="BuzzAroundBooks":3hs0vbuu]Hi Andy, Interesting article. It's easy to say that all parents should support their children's entrepreneurial ventures, but what happens if it's getting in the way of their education? Not to say that a person needs to go to school to become successful and earn a good living (as proven by many entrepreneurs), but what would you say to your child if he/she was doing so well with his/her small business that he/she no longer wanted to finish school and just drop out?[/quote:3hs0vbuu] I personally feel like Parents should be heavily involved with instructing/educating their children themselves....This will increase the chances that they are successful. And you as a parent will know that the education process never stops even after graduation.


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Intro to Search Engine Optimization

Are You Fulfilled

Build Corporate Credit for Your Small Business

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.