If you flip through the Bible to Matthew 13, you'll find the parable of a farmer who sowed seed. Unfortunately for him, his agricultural methods were indiscriminate. His seed fell on good soil but also in harsher locales where it couldn't take hold and grow. A generalized marketing strategy is similar. Your pitch may reach some good prospects but also find many who consign it to a spam or circular file.

Your company provides an array of quality goods to manufacturers, yet your sales are slipping. Your company prides itself on the services you offer to manufacturers, yet sales remain stagnant. Why? Competitors.



You know that you have competitors. Successfully running your company is at the forefront of your mind, but somewhere in the back, you know that competitors exist. You may even think that you have a pretty good idea of which companies comprise your main competitors.



It's time to bring those thoughts to the forefront and perform a competitor analysis.

Value propositions bombard buyers daily. Whether that proposition takes the form of Walmart's 'Roll Back Pricing' or another store's BOGO (buy one, get one) offers, your potential manufacturing client are saturated with value propositions in their daily lives. For your business value proposition to stand out, you must invest the time in creating a product that will knock your socks off upon impact.

How often do you hit the trashcan icon before reading an email? Do you decline a call if you don't recognize the caller ID? How can you find a way around similar reactions in your prospects? One approach that's regaining popularity in 2023 is direct mail.

LinkedIn Groups are virtual meeting rooms (or forums) where people with similar interests can host and hold discussions around subjects they want to share or learn more about. Engaging in groups allows you to display your expertise around a subject and start to grow relationships with like-minded people.

Value based selling forces companies that market their products to other companies (B2B sales) to reevaluate their business model. Instead of focusing on the number of new clients per year, the goal is to realign and emphasize providing lifelong value to the customer.

After all the challenges 2022 posed to industrial sales and marketing, you may be eagerly wishing for a stronger year ahead. So let's look at what sales trends 2023 will bring and see what you can do to make that wish a reality.

As U.S. manufacturers scrambled to adjust to abundant challenges in 2022, from high prices to supply chain constraints and labor shortages, our most popular stories on IndustrySelect this year reflected the efforts of sales, marketing professionals to stay ahead of new developments and shifting needs, improve communications with their valuable manufacturing clients, and discover new opportunities.

Perhaps you've always enjoyed attending (in-person) networking events: You get to hang out somewhere pleasant, meet new people and maybe bump into some people you already know.



Many in the manufacturing industry have done MOST of their networking at trade shows and only see themselves networking in this capacity, but the reality is that most trade shows have been cancelled or moved online for the best part of two years and we must be prepared, in case it happens again!

Traditionally, businesses use data from three parties, first, second and third. But a fourth collection method, called zero-party data, is rapidly gaining traction as a preferred channel for marketers. So what's the difference between all of these different data types and which is the most effective and accurate? In this article, we will discuss all four forms of data-party types so that you can make the best choice for your company.

Every day the news deluges you with more scandals about social media. Determining what media to use and how to use them can be a nightmare. Fortunately, you have an option that doesn't involve a daily bombardment of noise and angst. When selling to other businesses, you can readily reach out to current customers and prospects through B2B email marketing.

Every small and mid-sized business cares about one thing: a consistent flow of sales. Every time you close a new customer, your company drives revenue, the means to your company's growth and expansion. After each close, management askes itself, "How do we get our next customer?"

The mention of a looming recession evokes groans from sales and marketing reps everywhere. Still, you may find success at selling in a downturn isn't as elusive as it sounds. Read on to understand the economic climate for manufacturers at present and discover some expert tips and growing opportunities for selling in a downturn.

In celebration of Manufacturing Month, I shared my goal setting and planning process as part of MNI University.



Are you a goal oriented or a result driven person? Do you find that you need a set direction to go towards or look for validation along the way to prove that you are on the right track?



You may have found yourself in positions where your goals are not defined or there are no KPIs or colleagues to compare your efforts or results to.

As the past two years or so has taught us, building an international network is essential for business as we know it today. Whether your goal is to take your business international or not, there is still something to be gained by making contacts in your industry in different countries. Read on to discover how you can make the most of networking in the second of this four-part series from networking expert Ingor van Rooi.

Twenty years ago, leaders looking to increase the success of their sales and marketing teams focused on improving efficiency. Today, the key to success is productivity. This article will discuss how managers can build a productivity mindset and inspire their teams to be more productive so your company can reap the benefits through higher profits and longevity.

When it comes to conducting business, nothing is more important than relationships and there's only one way to build them: by making contacts and networking. Harvard Business Review recently posted an article that encourages people to learn to love networking because it is a necessity in today's world! Read on to discover how you can make the most of networking in part one of this four-part series from networking expert Ingor van Rooi.

Lead generation is critical for the long-term success of any business. The sales team is the one-on-one approach to getting the word out about your business and what your company can do to help their business become better. But when the sales rep develops the opportunity, and begins to work in the sales cycle, what happens to lead generation? Are appointments continuously being set for a robust sales funnel?

How many times does your first contact result in a closed sale? Unless you were born under an incredibly lucky star, not many. So let's discover why a single call won't complete the transaction and investigate some B2B follow-up strategies.

Email has become a go-to channel for B2B marketers, supporting goals like nurturing leads, staying in touch with existing clients, and helping prospects move along the different stages of their buying journey.



Taking a strategic approach to delivering the right information to support buying activities will help you get more out of this channel. Here's why you need email segmentation for a successful email marketing campaign.

It's no secret that customer retention tends to cost a lot less than new customer acquisition. However, not every organization has a strong customer retention strategy in place.



From boosting revenues to unlocking loyalty, a business-to-business (B2B) customer retention program can support company-wide goals and become a cornerstone for customer success.

While you might be expert at sales openers, ending the call on the right foot is just as important. The last thing you want is an awkward end to your call. In order to stand the best chance with your prospects , you want to make sure the entirety of your call is perfect, and that includes ending the call on the right foot. So how do you end your pitch with your prospect solidly in your funnel? Or, better still, how do you finish with a closed sale? Let's explore both objectives. Here are some techniques for how to end a sales call while keeping your prospects on the hook.

If you don't know where you're going, it's difficult to get there. Setting goals for yourself or your B2B sales team will tighten your focus. Carefully calculated goalsetting will also clarify your strategy and increase your efficiency. It is widely known that sales representatives' motivation rises more in response to specific goals than by simply aspiring toward superior achievement. That crucial data leads to the vital question, "How do you set sales goals, and which goals should you set?"

B2B prospects make thousands of small decisions every day. Will they follow a link to read an article or open the email they just received? You can sway these decisions by crafting powerful headlines. Whether you're grabbing the recipient's attention, making a promise or telling them why they should engage with your content, B2B email subject lines that resonate with your audience can help you get more out of your email campaigns.



How do B2B email subject lines support the success of your email campaigns?

What could be more frustrating than a sudden dismissal when you've barely begun your pitch? To communicate your product's value, you need to keep your prospects on the line. To accomplish that purpose, you require an opener that will spark customers' interest and keep them engaged. This article explores the best sales openers and describes how you can employ them.

You can send emails to half the world, but you're wasting your time if they do not engage. What can you do if your emails don't generate the conversions you need? First, you can ensure recipients actually look at what you send. Using visuals in email marketing campaigns provides the hook you need to grab readers' attention and communicate your message. Here are four reasons why using visuals works, the types of visuals you can use and how to use them effectively.

You've spent days honing your subject line to catch the eyes of your customers. You've agonized over every word and every link to keep the message brief and on point for each of your market segments. You've included an irresistible offer. Finally, you pull the trigger and hit send. Hundreds of emails fly out to your eager clients!



Then you wait, and wait ... and wait. Several days pass with very few bites. Why? Did your subject line trigger spam filters even though you were so careful? Or could be a simple as the email address you're using? If you're using a free email service provider, such as AOL or Yahoo, your beautifully designed campaign might just be in email purgatory. Find out why your email ends up in the spam folder, how you can reflect professionalism with your email address and how to do it in an inexpensive way.

As a B2B salesperson you are often confronting resistance, especially in today's challenging and ever-changing industrial B2B environment. But objection does not always mean rejection. In fact, in every sales objection there is an opportunity. Being prepared for some of the most common objections in sales is key to keeping the conversation going and moving towards a long-term partnership.

Oh, no. Here it comes again, the response you've been dreading: a request for more information. You've sent out multiple emails and numerous thick and expensive envelopes with boundless details concerning your product. Still, your prospects remain prospects, not closed sales. So, what do you do when prospects say, "Just send me more information?" Don't give up the pitch! Your first order of business is to keep them on the phone.

If you're not using the build-in list creation feature in your customer relationship management (CRM) platform, you're missing out. Creating lists allows you to manage your contacts and ensure that no prospects fall through the cracks. The result is often a more personalized experience. Read on for some helpful tips on working lists in a CRM platform to build a better sales process.