Today’s Special – Spring, Surveys and Sales

It’s finally Spring! We don’t know about you, but here at The Sales Cafe, we are mighty excited and a bit relieved to hear the birds singing again. Not sure what to do with the moss from all the rain, but that comes with the territory.

There will be no moss growing when the new, improved Sales Cafe launches. We are behind the scenes getting the place ready to open. In the meantime, we thought we’d get the specials out for today — a mishmash of sales information including a Webinar, a survey of information and a survey to t to get your week in gear:

1. 10-minute Guide to Annual Reports Webinar. Here’s a show that we don’t want to miss. One of the most valuable tools in a salesperson’s box is the Annual Report. It always includes an income statement and critical information on trends, performance, objectives and goals for the coming year – all information a savvy salesperson can use to gain insight into budget allocation and decision-making priorities of key prospects and customers.

2. OneAccord SMB Business Survey Results. Things are looking up, according to consultant group, OneAccord. Fifty-five percent of the SMB leaders they surveyed are optimistic about their business strategy in 2011; 79% expect higher revenue growth.

3. Take the CSO Insights Survey. Take out your (virtual) No. 2 pencils! Finally, here’s a chance to participate in one of the industry’s most valued research:  the CSO Insights’ 2011 Sales Management Optimization survey. As a “Thank You” for your time, the folks there will send you a copy of a 100+ page study analysis when it is published in April.

Today’s Specials – Tuesday, November 2, 2010

We have been celebrating here at The Sales Cafe! The San Francisco Giants finally won a World Series (only works 11/2/2010) and Bruce Springsteen released a new video. We are happy, proud, and a little tired, honestly, from all the shenanigans that have been going on. First Halloween and now all this. How will we make it through the week? Here are a few things on the list of specials to keep us engaged.

1. Blekko. Terrible name notwithstanding, we think this new search engine is fun. Cool charts about things most of our patrons have no clue (including us), but we are eager to learn. Remember, Google wasn’t really a word when it started. Now it’s a proper noun and a verb. Will we be saying “I blekkoed him” someday soon?

2. 5 Things for SMB owners to do every day. When we get muddled (like from the excitement of today), it’s nice to have a set list of to do’s to fall back on. This list reminds us entrepreneur types that every step forward is a step in the right way.

3. The New B2B Marketing Manifesto. We straddle the line between sales and marketing here at The Sales Cafe, and it’s often a fine line. According to those wiseguys over at Marketo, marketing folks rule the world! (Nearly. No pressure, though. We liked it when sales took all the heat for not keeping the pipeline filled.) While you visit this link, click through to download the ebook they are discussing. It’s an excellent read.

4. Who belongs on a selling team? We found this link extremely helpful in setting up our sales team for the next big sale. The folks at Developing Your B2B Sales Skills defined a sales coordinator, but it’s our job to clarify the roles for the rest of the team.

Finally, just in case you’re like us and think it’s never too early to prepare for anything, sign up for the Holiday Cookie of the Day emails. These look good enough to eat!

Now, please go get your vote on.