“Money don’t grow on trees,” says the song lyric. That means there is plenty of work for us marketing and sales types! It’s Q4 so we can’t slow down. Have a listen to this as we push forward.

Here is what the experts are saying, and some takeaways from the past week:

HubSpot Data – Sales Activity Levels in September

I like to look at the HubSpot data every few weeks, and I noticed some more positive trends through the end of September:

  • Total Deals Created and Deals Closed continued their upward trend in September over summer numbers
  • Sales Emails continue to be above pre-COVID levels, while response rates are below
  • Sales Calls continue to trend above, as do active conversation interactions

This is why it’s so important to monitor your channel results. It’s easy, even tempting, to push everything over to digital and wait, but this HubSpot data suggests a role for the human touch. We continue to find that a mix of digital and human interactions yields the best B2B sales results. What are you finding?

2021 Budgeting – Seriously?

Ain’t no rest for the wicked! You’re trying to finish Q4 with strong sales and you have to create the marketing budget for 2021, all during global chaos. Sleep is overrated!

The Canadian Marketing Association’s research reveals a gap between CMO and CFO measures of ROI. The clash of perspectives is evident:

  • 2/3 of CFOs (65%) adjust their marketing budgets to protect cash flow
  • Only 27% of marketers consider cash flow when making budget adjustments!

The research goes on to say that marketers tend to focus on expense control and brand value when determining marketing budget. So how do you get your budget approved with that kind of disconnect between CFO and CMO?

There seems to be an opportunity to find common ground – the role of research and insight while also stressing marketing performance metrics, tracking and engagement. What do you do to get your budget approved?

Musicians Get Weird with Merch

Necessity is the mother of invention. And with the shut-down of live music, musicians have seen a significant income stream dry-up. Since there “ain’t nothing in this world for free,” they’ve had to get busy to come up with some creative ideas.

Just some of the fun and weird band-branded swag now available includes: jigsaw puzzles, tea, scented candles, deodorant, and (my favourite) chocolate milk… from Alice Cooper!

Have you been thinking about new income streams at your company? Or are you considering updates to your offerings to better respond to current market demands? I bet sending Alice Cooper chocolate milk to your prospects will get their attention! It’s Q4 and you can’t hold back – go get ’em!

As always, don’t hesitate to call me to brainstorm or ask how I can help.

Looking forward,
Rick

Rick Endrulat | President | Virtual Causeway | 519.866.1600 x622

P.S. “What Do B2B Marketers Do Now?” is an ongoing weekly email. Want to be the first to receive these weekly insights? Sign up now to join the mailing list!