Effective Use of Marketing to Win More B2B Sales w/ Joe Apfelbaum [Episode 611]

Joe Apfelbaum, CEO of Ajax Union, business strategist, keynote speaker, coach, and author, joins me on this episode.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Joe says the single biggest challenge facing sales reps today is having a solid list of customers to pursue. Get Marketing to qualify leads so reps see the right leads.
• Joe has worked with over 11,000 companies. Many were failing by sending salespeople to work unqualified leads, instead of identifying ideal leads for salespeople to sell.
• Joe distinguishes between Marketing Qualified Leads and Sales Qualified Leads. A name, a number, and an email address do not make a Sales Qualified Lead. Send salespeople after prospects who are qualified to buy.
• There is a debate about who has responsibility for qualifying leads. Cold calling is a marketing tool. It is not Why give it to a salesperson? What is the most efficient use of a salesperson’s time?
• Joe gives a case study of an Adwords campaign giving salespeople too many leads to qualify. Their sales went down. Joe got them to use a process to qualify the leads. Then, with qualified leads, their sales doubled.
• Joe does a rap that nobody forgets. He always does something new for an elevator pitch. Find something unique. Joe has guests on his podcast to find good leads.
• Ajax started with Alan Friedman, Joe, and X (the customer). Ajax helps B2B companies generate new leads using the internet and nurture leads by marketing automation in Account-Based Marketing.
• Ajax developed B2Bx technology to show you who’s coming to your website, what they do on it, and what they googled or clicked on to call you.
• Ajax uses a new digital methodology for ABM. Combining ABM within social media allows you to target the right people at the right time. Send the right top-of-funnel messages to the right top-of-funnel prospects.
• Don’t make presumptions in ABM that you wouldn’t make in a face-to-face engagement. Look at your social messaging. It may not match your targets.
• Get in front of people. Use technology as a tool to get you closer to people, not further away.
• B2Bx is available as part of the consulting services of Ajax and is now also available as a separate offering. Joe contrasts competing software tools with B2Bx. Part of the service Ajax offers is education and coaching.