Whether you’re a startup working through a product launch, or a large enterprise operating a small division, there will probably come a point where find yourself in the catch 22 of business growth: You need more accounts to fund a sales team, but you need more sales from your current team to get there. It’s through these growing pains that efficiency is paramount in your sales process. We’ve been helping companies overcome challenges like this for over 30 years, and we’ve got some tips to share from this experience.

Product Launches with a Bang, not a Trickle

There are a lot of moving pieces to an effective product launch. Whether you're new to it or a veteran of product launch planning, there are a lot of moving pieces and business ramifications. As the launch date approaches, the activity increases, making it easy to overlook something or cut corners. Keeping track of who is responsible for what and when it must be done challenges even the most organized professionals. Many business leaders find it is in their best interest to seek external support to help organize and execute key activities.

Talk of a full-scale trade war between the US and China may sound dramatic, but the latest tariff applied to Chinese goods will have a major impact on the costs of materials coming to the US. The full list of affected goods, available here, includes fresh food and dry goods, consumer goods like hats and handbags, as well as a large list of manufacturing materials such as glass, aluminum, gold, electrical parts, and machinery.

Whether virtual or in person, we’re spending our work lives in meetings that aren’t working. Research shows that 67% of meetings are ‘failures’, and have lost their primary reason–getting things done.

Where have our meetings gone wrong? Over time, the amount of time spent in meetings and number of meetings held has increased significantly. Daily, upwards of 11 million meetings are held in American businesses, averaging a time frame of 31-60 minutes. These longer meetings have led to a 10% increase in the time employees spend in meetings since 2000.

Whether you’re choosing your first CRM or transitioning to a new one, it’s a big decision — one that will lead to even bigger impacts on your team. Training your team to use a CRM efficiently is as important as the data that will be kept in it. If they don’t know how to use it comfortably, the transition into a new CRM tool can be a difficult one.

Sometimes changing your brand demands real change internally. Your customer’s perception is reality, and a true brand can be seen and felt in every part of the organization.

Lessons from Upstate Social Sessions 2017

Last month I attended Upstate Social Sessions, a day-long conference in Rochester, NY focused on social media. The event, now in its third year, included presentations by national and local professionals who have used social media successfully in their fields. A favorite session among attendees was “Don’t @ Me: Navigate Controversy, Conversation and Comments.” 

New product launch is risky, even for established companies with a defined product development and product launch process. In our work with high tech B2B companies, we’ve noticed a few places where companies often stumble.

According to a recent study of new product development, 39% of new product launches failed. Often these failures occur when companies don’t have a clear marketing plan, but there are other reasons, too. Improved internal communications can head off a number of these causes.

Launching a new product or service is a significant undertaking for any business. You have invested considerable time, money, and resources in developing a new offering, honed your message and planned out your marketing activities, and you want those efforts to pay off. Although the ultimate goal is to engage your external audience and fuel sales, it’s also important to get buy-in from your team.

For today’s Beer & Blog, we spoke with Lisa Belodoff, vice president of business development at Rochester Precision Optics. Lisa has worked in sales and marketing throughout the optics and photonics industry, helping to build LightWorks Optics for successful exit, working in fiber infrastructure at CABLExpress and in medical devices at Masimo. She is a driver of change and growth, and we’re honored to collaborate with her.

MTOTW #48: A data-driven approach can improve communication and alignment among members of your team, especially within your marketing and sales teams. A few key metrics and the right tools can help strengthen your lead generation and follow-up processes.