' fill='%230E4F97'%3E%3Cg id='Group-5' transform='translate(370.000000, 11.000000)'%3E%3Cg id='avatar' transform='translate(6.000000, 4.000000)'%3E%3Ccircle id='Oval' cx='8' cy='4' r='4'%3E%3C/circle%3E%3Cpath d='M7.12864205,10 L8.87135795,10 C11.558649,10 14.0087196,11.5384024 15.1762205,13.958831 L16,15.6666667 L16,15.6666667 L15.3374858,17.5134983 C15.228016,17.8186575 14.9774027,18.051811 14.6651459,18.1389975 L8,20 L8,20 L1.33485405,18.1389975 C1.02259733,18.051811 0.771984007,17.8186575 0.662514216,17.5134983 L0,15.6666667 L0,15.6666667 L0.823779545,13.958831 C1.99128041,11.5384024 4.44135104,10 7.12864205,10 Z' id='Rectangle'%3E%3C/path%3E%3C/g%3E%3C/g%3E%3C/g%3E%3C/g%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Beat the B2B Marketing Summertime Blues and Hit the August Jackpot!
August is the toughest month in business. If you have a “pure summer quarter” of June – July – August and you’re in the midst of the summertime blues, here are some tips that will help you turn the hot season into the hottest season of the year.
Focus on Your Almost Qualified Leads
Dive into Marketo and Salesforce. Head straight for your Almost Qualified Leads (AQLs). Print out the list and start studying. You’ll end up with two lists. The first are the AQLs that you can qualify on technicalities – they’re just missing a filled out form field, or something minor. Qualify them and pass them onto sales.
The second are the Almost Qualified Leads that are “one click away” from qualification. Create a campaign especially for them. Do what it takes to get that final action out of them and push them to the finish line.
Prepare Your September Campaigns
Stop watching Barry Manilow videos on YouTube and start preparing your September campaigns. Finished early? Head for October and November. Get ready for the fall season during your August down time.
Meet with your marketing and sales teams and prepare them. What’s in the pipeline of your product team? Spend the rare days when people aren’t on vacation communicating with your marketing and sales food chain.
Catch Up on Tech
We marketing pro’s have a well earned reputation for being weak on technology. This is a huge issue that we have to beat. Spend those quiet August afternoons catching up on technology. Enough with the marketing and sales articles – read about the underlying technology that your company is based on.
Take it to the next step. Experiment with your Android, Windows or iOS tablet. Buy a cheap Chromebook or one of the new – and cool – $200 Windows laptops and become a summer tech wiz. Even if it’s not connected to your day job, you just can’t quantify how a deep understanding of all things tech will help you win at work. You may not have time to do this when September hits. Don’t wait.
August ain’t easy for B2B, but if you play your cards right, you can turn the summertime blues into a huge jackpot!
