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Rick Schwartz

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Owner, Sales Addiction

129 points

May 21, 2012

Rick Schwartz asked a question

How do you find the balance between between having a solid, defined, detailed marketing plan when you know that some of it will likely by obsolete in a year.

March 20, 2012

Rick Schwartz and 6 other people answered this question

How can a social media tool like Pinterest help marketers?

Any new SM platform always begs the question about how much value it has to a business. The cool thing about any of these vehicles is that the community establishes the value.
There are some good tips in the answers above about specific types of ... more

March 7, 2012

Rick Schwartz is now following Lauren Buchsbaum and 1 other person

Nov. 20, 2011

Rick Schwartz and 20 other people answered this question

How do we improve collaboration between marketing and sales?

There have been a few conversations about this recently on both Focus and on LinkedIn. I'm expressing the same basic thoughts - so if you were on a different thread, you've more than likely heard it.
How to get sales and marketing to work together towards ... more

Demand Generation

Sales and Marketing Alignment

Nov. 11, 2011

Rick Schwartz and 3 other people answered this question at this roundtable

MAI Series: A Sales View of Marketing Automation [11/10 @ 11 am]

What about a "work exchange?" having a handful of marketing and sales folks switch jobs for a period of time?

Thanks Carlos
I apologize if I appear obtuse but I think we're having two separate conversations.
I'm totally with you that getting marketing and sales together is an outstanding idea. It's an idea that I've been hearing (and preaching) for 30+years.
My question is different. It ... more

Lead Management

Marketing Automation

Nov. 8, 2011

Rick Schwartz and 5 other people answered this question

What is the best method for advertising?

The one that will have the highest number of impressions in your target market. There really are too many variables to make a blanket statement about the best method.
Expanding a bit on what Rachel said, the term Social Media has become an umbrella for many ... more

Social Business Week

Nov. 8, 2011

Rick Schwartz and 12 other people answered this question at this roundtable

Successful Tactics in B2B Demand Generation [11/11 @ 11 am]

What are some of the biggest content marketing mistakes marketers are making today?

I think the biggest challenge for many folks is lack of a well-defined process. You can see this when a company's marketing efforts don't have any consistency in message or style.
A solid process helps to insure that when any content is created, there is ... more

Demand Generation

Nov. 8, 2011

Rick Schwartz asked a question

Do you read other answers before responding to a discussion on Focus, LinkedIn, etc

Human Resources

Information Technology

Career Development

Nov. 7, 2011

Rick Schwartz and 46 other people answered this question at this roundtable

Customer 2.0 Is Mad as Hell [11/3 @ 11 am]

Are face-to-face conversations still the most powerful way to connect with a prospect?

Obvious answer - yes. If only life and business were obvious.......
I'm an entertainment nut. Movies, TV, Theater, Music are an integral part of my life and have been since I was a kid.
The most intimate medium is live theater. Theatrical productions are always the best ... more

Nov. 7, 2011

Rick Schwartz asked a question

What will you be doing differently in 2012?

Sales Management

Nov. 7, 2011

Rick Schwartz and 16 other people answered this question

Do you think the ABC (always be closing) approach is dead?

Edward - I totally agree with your premise that without closing sales there is no revenue. Thus having a plan to close business is the essence of a sales person.
I do differ from the statement that a sales person must always be attempting to close. ... more

Always Be Closing

Sales Management

Nov. 3, 2011

Rick Schwartz and 1 other person answered this question at this roundtable

MAI Series: A Sales View of Marketing Automation [11/10 @ 11 am]

How can marketing automation help individual sales reps?

Have to agree with Henry - especially the last sentence.
MA is just a tool that, when implemented, will greatly support and enhance a company's sales efforts if - and only if - the sales mission is not limited to "shock and awe" follow up on ... more

Lead Management

Marketing Automation

Nov. 2, 2011

Rick Schwartz and 12 other people answered this question

Who will win the smartphone wars: Google or Apple?

I've got to agree with Steve Youngblood's comments. There doesn't have be a definitive winner. It's kind of like the American Auto Industry in the 50s and 60s. There were three players - Ford, Chrysler and GM. GM was the biggest but they were all ... more

Information Technology

Nov. 2, 2011

Rick Schwartz and 15 other people answered this question

Do you think businesses need to provide great customer service on Black Friday and Cyber Monday?

Roderick.
Nicely said. I do share your sentiments. That's why I can't really blame the retailers for it. Businesses take their direction from what the market demands.
It's a perpetual download spiral, especially in these tough times. If consumers demanded more than just low price, ... more

Customer Service

Customer Experience

Oct. 2, 2011

Rick Schwartz recommends this answer by Derek Shanahan

Should you DM your Twitter followers with promotional messaging?

No.
Never.
Not ever again for the rest of eternity.
This should never happen and is one of the early uses of Twitter's private messaging system that should have been blocked, destroyed, and reprimanded into oblivion. more

Buyer Engagement

Demand Generation

Direct Marketing

Sept. 18, 2011

Rick Schwartz and 3 other people answered this question

Inside sales training: How long should it take for an inside sales rep to make calls?

Craig - there's really no way to give a definitive answer without knowing the industry and the product line.
I spent a good part of the 90s developing training for inside sales reps. Here are a couple of examples on each end of the spectrum.
1. I ... more

Lead Generation

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