‘Business Perspectives’ Series from a Web-Based CRM Provider gives Practical Free Advice on Sales and Marketing Best Practice

Reading – UK – 2 July 2009 – Workbooks Online (workbooks.com) is launching a series of free advisories for business leaders in small and mid-size businesses (SMBs) designed to help them drive improvements in sales and marketing execution. The “Business Perspectives” series aims to stimulate thought and offer advice on best practice, covering some of the key operational elements of building and running effective sales and marketing functions.

John Cheney, CEO at Workbooks Online, comments: “For most SMEs, sales and marketing activity consumes the lion’s share of operational cost. Building and running a sales team can rapidly consume cash. Sales people will be among the best paid in your organisation and will make the most calls upon other resources. Tracking and managing their activity can be challenging, especially when they’re field based. Your business needs them, but good ones are hard to come by; even in an economic downturn.

“How many marketing managers are able to determine that Tradeshow A was a better investment than Campaign B, or Online Media C? Is there clarity on what constitutes success – The most leads? The most qualified opportunities? The most business closed?

It stands to reason that if sales and marketing account for the largest part of operational budget, businesses should be keen to optimise the performance of these functions.”

Over the next three months, Workbooks Online will deliver a series of advisories in a variety of formats and covering the following topics:

Sales qualification

  • Implementing manageable and consistent qualification methodology.

  • How to give sales opportunities a MEDICAL.

  • Coaching sales teams for excellence.

Pipeline management and the importance of knowing your own sales cycle

  • The 3 daily key indicators in pipeline management.

  • Avoiding a pipeline gap.

Implementing an appropriate forecasting structure – Maximising marketing investments

  • Marketing against a pipeline plan.

  • Tracking return on marketing investments. 

Selling value to maximise retained margin

  • Alignment with your customer’s business agenda.

  • Understanding and articulating your differentiation.

  • 3 questions that will improve your execution in every deal.

Maximising customer value

  • Engaging meaningfully with your customers – and not just at renewal time.

  • Delivering relevant offers and promotions as part of cross-sell and up-sell campaigns.

  • Managing and best-utilising customer references.