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?????? ?????????? ???? ???????????????????????????? ?????????? ?????????????????????? Almost all performance gains come from individualized skills development plans. Don’t believe me?? Have you ever tried to follow a random workout plan on YouTube? Or tried to fix your golf swing by following the advice someone else got? I have… How’s that typically worked out? Not great right? Teams perform best when they’re aligned around a shared playbook, but individuals need their own plans as well. Getting the right balance of team structure and individualized development plans unlocks potential and drives sales performance. ????????’?? ?? ?????????? ?????? ???????? ???????????????? ???? ???????????????? ?????? ???????????????????? ?? ?????????? ???????????????? ???????????????? ?????? ???????????????????? ?????????? ??????????: ?????. ?????????? ?????? ???????????????????? ???????? ?? ?????????? ???????????????? ???????????????? A well-designed playbook clarifies what good looks like across core sales skills and processes. From first meeting agendas to advanced value discovery, the playbook serves as a north star, ensuring consistency while fostering alignment. But it’s not just about tactics—it’s about creating a shared language for managers and reps to define priorities and pinpoint opportunities for growth. ?? ??. ?????? ?????? ???????????????? ???? ???????????? ???????????????????????????? ???????????? ?????????? Every rep is different, and a playbook is just the starting point. By assessing each rep against the core skills matrix, managers can identify areas for improvement and craft coaching plans tailored to their unique needs. For example, one rep may excel at discovery but struggle with personalized follow-ups. Another may need help crafting close plans that address buying committee priorities. Individualized skills plans, or ISPs,? help the manager and the rep focus on the right skill at the right time. ?? ??. ???????????????????? ???????????????????????????? ???????????????? Research shows that the best skill development happens through consistent, spaced practice. To use the golf analogy again, I have swung a golf club thousands of times, but if I haven't done it in a couple of weeks, the likelihood of slicing one into the trees off the first tee is pretty high. Whether it’s a 1:1 feedback session, peer-led role plays, or deal desk reviews, every coaching interaction should tie back to an individualized plan. The goal? Create a cadence of 3+ hours per rep, per month. Revisit and refresh plans quarterly to track progress, sustain momentum and stay sharp with all of your tools. ?????? ????????????: a sales team where everyone knows the playbook—and can adapt it to their strengths. By blending the structure of a shared framework with the flexibility of individualized skills development plans, teams not only close more deals but also grow together. #SalesCoaching #SkillDevelopment #SalesPlaybook #Leadership

???????? ???????????? ????????:????????????????? ?????? ????????-?????????????? ???? ???????? ??????????’?? ?????????????? All too often, marketing leaders focus on generating MQLs through sophisticated intent scoring, but ask yourself, are you measuring the right things? Candice Mueller, a marketing leader at ABC Fitness, Aforza, Salesforce, and Oracle, argues that MQLs often miss the goal, which should focus on buyer conversations and identifying your 'hand raisers.' “With complex sales, intent scoring has value, but with a targeted audience, focus on what matters—invite buyers to speak with an expert.” This approach shifts interactions from basic marketing qualified lead generation (MQL)?to buyer-centric conversations. “You want to engage in a digital conversation with your buyers and capture their goals, before transitioning them to sales.” Offering a “Talk to an Expert” CTA on a tailored landing page engages a more conversational tone than “Book a Demo’ and better qualifies the buyer’s intention to learn more. Success with this approach requires close sales-marketing alignment and adherence to three core principles. ?? 1. Use Leading Questions and Diagnostics An effective hand-raiser strategy focuses on in-market buyers in active consideration mode, alleviating inbound requests by casual browsers or even existing customers for product updates. It starts with leading questions—or “gap questions”—highlighting specific buyer pain points and unmet needs. Thoughtfully placed questions on landing pages, emails, and early-funnel content can spark urgency and curiosity, prompting active buyers to explore solutions with a live expert. The focus on leading questions can extend into sales discovery content that allows buyers to start seeing themselves in your product or service. The key is continuity between your digital and sales efforts. ?? 2. Focus on Progression, Not Scoring Traditional lead scoring can obscure the larger goal of buyer progression.? It often highlights buyer activity but not meaningful, in-market engagement. Focusing first not on point-based scoring but on those progressing to value-driven conversations.? The goal is to get buyers to take steps toward a “Talk with an Expert.”? Prospects who aren’t ready to convert can be scored and receive nurturing drip sequences with tailored content that may pique their interest and prompt them to engage without being overwhelming. ?? 3. Create Hallmark Moments Your lead or intent scoring model is most useful in combination with hallmark events and content Quarterly webinars, eBook launches, and in-person events that can target and move those buyers that have engaged but not converted. Each of these “conversion events” is a community-building opportunity. They provide great opportunities for marketing to sync with their sales teams to use guided questions and content assets to raise the engagement of buyers in real-time.

???????????????? ???????? ?????? ?????? ???? ?????? ???????????? Everyone owns the top of the funnel. It’s an old expression that needs a new definition for a buyer journey that has become 70% digital and self-directed. Let’s take a look at recent research from Salesloft and the Bridge Group to see how this new buyer journey is impacting marketing and sales roles. One overwhelming conclusion is that marketing teams are spending way too much time chasing buyers who have not demonstrated interest in their product. SalesLoft’s review of several research studies suggests Customer Acquisition Costs (CAC) have doubled in the last 5 years, now taking 4+ years to breakeven. This is creating a need for a focus on in-market buyers with demonstrated intent.? Within this need for a focus on in-market buyers, three observations stand out. ? AE Self-Generated Opportunities:? For Account Executives (AEs) nothing has really changed in terms of top-of-funnel ownership.? The Bridge Group’s SaaS AE Report shows that AEs are generating 25-30% of their own leads. ? This focus on owning a quarter of their early pipeline is equally true across all deal sizes, from under-average contract value (ACV) of $5K to over $100K.? What is new for AEs is the focus on intent.?Buyers were rarely interested in having their patterns interrupted, and are even less tolerant now.?They want to hear how your product or service can help with their specific initiatives and goals. According to a report from LinkedIn, salespeople who conduct deep research on their prospects are 2x more likely to hit their goals. The expectation for personalization in outreach is now ubiquitous. ? SDR vs. Marketing:? One significant shift is variability in the use of SDRs, particularly for companies with an ACV under $25K ACV. The high costs associated with SDRs -- often over $100K in costs per SDR for salary, incentive comp, and benefits — have led to increased marketing involvement.? Rather than using expensive human labor, marketing workflows focused on automating content and drip sequences to nudge buyers towards agreeing to a demo or other sales interaction. ? Focus on In-Market Buyers:? Finally, the explosion in Customer Acquisition Costs (CAC), which have more than doubled over the past five years. This necessitates a tactical shift to focus on prospects with real intent. Marketing teams need to be increasingly selective and aiming for precision is crucial to prevent further spikes in CAC and extend profitability. Some marketing teams are investing in intent platforms, like 6Sense, Rollworks, and Bombara, but that is not cheap.? As important is going beyond lead scoring to focus on intent scoring by measuring bursts of engagement with your website, content, and events. In conclusion, buyers have become more discerning and respond when they are ready.? This requires marketing and sales teams to rethink their processes and roles for opportunity creation.?

?????????? ?????????????????? ?????? ????????-???????????????????? ?????????? ?????????? Sales playbooks are the most basic building block for any high-performing sales organization. That’s the view of Phil Charland.? He’s learned the critical role of sales playbooks in more than a decade as a CRO and VP Sales leader at companies including SchoolStatus, Ascend Learning, Renaissance Learning and Edmentum.? Phil gives four reasons shared playbooks are essential to sales success. ?? 1. Playbooks Capture Team Best Practices Sales playbooks are similar to the game plans used by athletic teams.? Just as a sports team wouldn’t step onto the field without a strategy, sales teams need a playbook to guide their efforts. Playbooks capture the best practices, activities, and behaviors that have proven effective for acquiring new customers and expanding relationships with existing ones. Importantly, playbooks are not static. As markets and customer needs change, playbooks are the easiest way to regularly incorporate new insights and strategies across a whole team .? ?? 2. Building Consistency Across the Team A critical benefit of sales playbooks is their ability to create consistency.? Playbooks are not scripts, every team member will find their own style and voice in running the plays. When everyone is following the same structure and guidelines, it becomes easier to drive top performance.? Playbooks provide clear expectations and guidelines for each sales role. Without playbooks, individual salespeople are left to figure things out on their own, leading to inconsistency in execution and performance. ?? 3. Skills Development and Reinforcement Sales training is the beginning, not the end for sales skills development.? Sales teams that build skills continuously through practice, coaching, and refinement see 15% to 20% average improvement with their middle of the pack performers. Playbooks enable front-line sales to continuous skills development by more easily identifying skill gaps and areas for improvement at both the individual and team levels. While each salesperson often has unique areas to develop, there are often common skill deficiencies that impact the entire team. 4. Accelerating Ramp Time for New Hires Playbooks play a pivotal role in reducing ramp time for new hires. As sales organizations scale and bring in new team members, onboarding can be a lengthy process without clear direction. A structured playbook serves as a roadmap for new hires, outlining exactly what is expected and how to deliver results. This clarity significantly shortens the learning curve, allowing new team members to become productive about 40% faster on average. As a result, the entire team benefits from improved performance and faster integration of new talent. Sales playbooks are the foundation for success.?They drive consistency, promote continuous skills development, and speed up onboarding, They are living tools that keep teams competitive.?

??????????????????’?? ?????????????????????????????? ??????????????????:? ?????????????????? ?????? ?????????? ?????????????? ???????? ???????????????????? ???????????????? Personalization has become more than just a trend—it's a necessity. Companies that contextualize for individual buyers earn not just customer loyalty but also a significant competitive edge. Contextualizing for each buyer means delivery of impactful proof points, multiple layers of nested content as well as interactive guidance. Chameleon, a company that offers product guidance with tours, videos, and buying aids, guides, and delights your users throughout their journey, applies the same principles to its buyer journey. ?They use three key practices to support contextual guidance. ??. ?? ???????????????? ???????????????? ???????? ?????????????????? ?????????? ???????????? Chameleon’s homepage is a visual feast, combining bold animations and vibrant colors. It immediately catches attention while offering meaningful content—customer testimonials that include numerical outcomes.? The outcomes include things like a 4% increase in retention and 3x a NPS score.? This blend of visual strength and specific measurable results builds a brand promise, showing potential customers that Chameleon delivers real, tangible outcomes. ??. ??????????-?????????????? ?????????????? ?????? ?????????? ?????????? ???? ?????? ???????????? Chamaleon has personalized pages aligned to users' goals.? Each goal page is strategically crafted to guide users through the buyer’s journey, with personalized content for every stage: ?? TOFU: Quick testimonial snippets offer initial social proof. ?? MOFU: Downloadable resources like toolkits and diagnostics engage users and deepen their consideration. ?? BOFU: Comprehensive case studies (highlighting problems, solutions, and measurable outcomes) and eBooks encourage conversion. This funnel-aligned structure makes the decision-making process smooth and well-informed, ensuring every visitor finds content relevant to their needs. ??. ?????????????????????? ?????????? ?????? ????????-???????? ???????????????? Chameleon’s personalization extends beyond static content. Their site offers hands-on demos and interactive guides, enabling users to instantly explore product features and solve queries. This dynamic approach builds confidence, reducing reliance on support teams while speeding up onboarding and feature adoption. Chameleon’s focus on dynamic, engaging content and seamless guidance ensures users feel empowered, understood, and guided throughout their journey—ultimately making it easier for them to achieve their goals. In summary, you can build customer trust and loyalty by speaking individually to the business outcomes they care about, offering content for their stage of the buying journey, and making your buying guides hands-on and interactive.

?????????? ???????????? ?????? ?????????????????? ????-???????????? ???????????????? Growth at all costs demand generation is now dead. It’s being replaced by intent generation that optimizes spend on in-market buyers with demonstrated intent. Heavy demand generation investments have killed profitability for many B2B companies, with Salesloft’s data showing Customer Acquisition Costs (CAC) doubling in the last 5 years. This post is the second in a series on the transition from intent-based demand generation.? The first post focused on a well-crafted ICP. This post focuses on measuring in-market behavior. In most industries, only 10% of buyers are actively in-market at any given time. You want to educate all buyers but concentrate marketing investments on in-market buyers There are three critical steps to effectively measure in-market activity. Step 1: Establish a Central Data Hub A central data hub is the foundation for tracking and integrating data across multiple touchpoints. A solid data strategy ensures everyone—marketing, sales, and leadership—is working from the same source of truth. This starts with your CRM, such as Salesforce or HubSpot, collecting website and content engagement data as well as sales interactions from emails, meetings, and events. Over time, companies should integrate other platforms, including marketing automation, ABM tools, 3rd party intent platforms like 6Sense, Rollworks, Bombora, and enrichment services like Apollo, ZoomInfo, and Clearbit, creating a 360-degree view. Step 2: Measure Frequency and Breadth, It Matters Most Once the data hub is in place, the focus is on tracking intent data from both third-party and first-party sources to predict where demand is growing. Third-party data including keyword searches, competitive research, and engagement with industry publications.? First-party data is unique to your company and provides deeper insight into buyer intent by tracking website visits, downloads, event participation, trials, etc. Third-party comes at a cost from an intent platform. First-party data is unique and ‘free' once your content and data strategy is set up.? In either case, you are looking for concentrated bursts of activity with multiple types of engagement from multiple contacts at an account over days or weeks. Step 3: Focus on Champions and Sponsors? Not all buyer intent holds the same weight. Most early signals will come from end users or technical evaluators. These individuals are focused on product features and how the solution fits into daily workflows. You want to see intent data from champions and executive sponsors,? typically directors or VPs who might move your purchase forward because of the way your product or service impacts revenue, efficiency, or team performance. ? To succeed with intent-based demand generation, companies need a central hub to measure engagement, a strategy to score bursts of intent activity, and a focus on champions and sponsors over end users.

?????????????? ?????????????? ???? ?????????? ?????????????????? ?????? ?????????? Marketing and sales alignment is a key revenue growth driver. It only works with agreed-upon metrics and measurement. That’s that view of Grant Johnson, and he should know.? Grant is a six-time CMO responsible for generating over $20 billion in pipeline, and has been a CMO mentor and coach to 20 marketing leaders He is also the creator of Marketing Performance Index (MPI), a simple but robust tool for aligning revenue growth strategies across go-to-market (GTM) teams. Grant thinks about unifying marketing to sales measurement in the following four steps: ?? 1) One Team: Transitioning from MQLs vs. SQLs to Unified Metrics Traditional GTM frameworks have often relegated marketing and sales to distinct silos, each fixated on individual goals and metrics. The era of isolated MQLs and SQLs is over. Today, pipeline attribution is key, says Grant, “this means that marketing and sales collaborate as a cohesive unit.” This collaborative approach not only enhances teamwork but also eradicates blame-shifting, aligning both functions toward common objectives. ?? 2) Alignment: The Waterfall Model and Data-Driven Objectives Grant says to look at “one to two years of performance data on pipeline and conversion rates to build a ‘waterfall model’ that connects the number of leads to the number of opportunities to the number of closed deals needed to achieve revenue targets.” This waterfall model is likely to vary by segment -- the model for enterprise clients might not translate to SMBs or mid-market buyers. As a company “ventures into new verticals, agility is imperative to create a waterfall model.” ?? 3) Intent: Identifying and Nurturing High-Quality Leads In our rapidly evolving marketplace, timely response to in-market buyers should be a key focus of efforts to convert leads to sales conversations.? Selecting the right ICPs with active input from the sales team ensures effective targeting, but top teams get a step further to focus on measuring engagement that suggests purchasing readiness.?? Higher quality leads are those that have bursts of engagement activity with multiple individuals in a target ICP engaging with content, events, or webpages.? The ultimate intent comes from a commitment to demos, or interactive workshops, but tracking bursts of distributed activity are proxy intent measures that can suggest which buyers are tracking toward these goals. ?? 4) Cadence: A Forward-Looking Strategy to Win Together Marketing and sales teams need to find the right rhythm of learning and iterating together.?“A quarterly business review (QBR) focuses heavily on past performance,” says Grant. He advocates for a proactive approach through bi-weekly meetings with a four-part structure - Wins, Challenges, Outcomes Tests, as well as Plans and Looking Forward.? In summary, aligning marketing and sales is more than a buzzword; it is the cornerstone of scalable success.

?????????? ???????????????? ???? ?? ???????? ???????????????? ??????????, ?????? ???????? ???????????????????? ????????-?????????? ???????????????? ???????? ???????? ?????? ?????????????????????? ???????? ?????? ???????? ???? ?? ?????????? ???????????? In the past, event-driven, one-off training events have been ‘the thing’. These events can be valuable in building culture, developing relationships, and aligning goals. However, the truth is that the impact of this kind of training on performance has been proven to be negligible. What works is an ongoing, team-based approach to learning that encourages consistent practice, peer feedback, and real-time application. Here’s why team- and peer-based practice works: ? The Power of Collaboration Leveraging both team and peer-based learning is a key to sustainable sales success. Team-based learning allows for shared experience across a larger group. This enables us to gather “stories from the field” that highlight different strategies and problem-solving from multiple perspectives. As our friend Dan Schoepf is fond of saying “None of us is smarter than all of us.” ? Feedback and Practice in Smaller Groups Small group feedback sessions allow for more precision in coaching. In these settings, feedback can be more personalized and specific to the real-world scenarios each team member is navigating. Whether it’s client and prospect call reviews or role plays, smaller groups provide the space for sales reps to hone their craft in a more focused way. ? Stories From the Field in Larger Groups Larger group sessions are fantastic for broader learning. Sharing stories from the field—both wins and losses— teaches sales teams how to adapt to varying situations. These stories give context, helping reps understand what works in the wild and what doesn’t, especially in complex, multi-stakeholder environments. ? Iterative Cycle of Learning Consistently high-performing teams embrace an iterative cycle of playbook development, individual application, peer review, and practice to drive performance. Through this process, each team develops its own approach to peer learning, which means practice doesn’t happen in isolation. Instead, it becomes embedded in real deals, real account work, and real interactions. Here are just a few of the ways we build practice right into daily work: ?? Call video reviews ?? Sales document reviews, like call prep worksheets and follow-up emails ?? Role plays focused on discovery, storytelling, and getting commitments to next steps Self-recording of talk tracks The most significant driver of success isn’t knowledge—it’s the application of knowledge. Consistent practice, combined with feedback from peers and leaders, creates muscle memory. Over time, teams develop a more confident, flexible approach to managing sales conversations, adapting to buyer needs, and navigating complex deals. Ultimately, it’s team-based iterative practice that truly builds high-performing sales teams.

?????????????????? ???? ?? ?????????? ?????????????? ???????????????????? If you're not seeing a return on marketing investments, it might be time to better align your sales and marketing teams. The evolving buyer journey and technology have blurred the lines between sales and marketing, and failure to adjust is often why marketing ROI falls short. Joseph Cahill, a seasoned leader in marketing, proposes five strategies to connect sales and marketing more deeply. ? ???????? ???? ???????? ???????????????????? Lead generation is often contentious. Sales wants high-quality, purchase-ready leads, while marketing focuses on quantity. But who owns revenue? Sales must guide marketing on the ideal customer profile, creating a feedback loop. Marketing’s role is to generate qualified leads, measure engagement, and refine buyer readiness. Both teams must acknowledge their interdependence. ? ?????????????????? ???? ???????????????? ?????? ?????????????? Marketing and sales need to agree on the language and definitions used in the buyer’s journey. Clearly defining what makes a Marketing Qualified Lead (MQL), Sales Qualified Lead (SQL), or Sales Accepted Lead (SAL) avoids confusion. Misalignment can lead to a breakdown in the lead handoff process. ? ?????????????????? ???????? ?????????????? Lead quality should be measured at the point of handoff between marketing and sales. Identifying factors like buyer behavior and company size helps define quality. Agreeing on KPIs for lead quality is crucial, and both teams must track these indicators, focusing on prospects who demonstrate clear interest. ? ?????????????????????? ?????? ???????????????? ?????????? Monitoring engagement is vital to knowing when a lead is ready for sales. Whether it’s web visits, content consumption, or cross-department interactions, consistent engagement signals readiness for further action. Feedback loops between teams ensure continuous learning and adjustment. Content performance and value proposition resonance should be evaluated throughout the sales cycle and post-purchase. ? ???????????????????? ???????????????? For marketing to truly drive revenue, ongoing collaboration between marketing and sales is key. Maintaining open feedback loops, tracking relevant data, and focusing on the customer journey will align these teams better. When executed well, the blurred lines between sales and marketing become an advantage, not an obstacle.

Demand Generation is Dead. Long Live Intent Generation; Plus, Buyer Intent and a Well-Crafted ICP