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John McCoy answered this question

yesterday

Should corporate culture be set by general employees, or should it be defined by upper management?

I think ultimately it begins in the C-Suite. corporate culture is defined as what people actually do (behaviors) as opposed to what they say. Senior management must be committed to setting the tone and them listening to make sure it resounds all the way down ... more

Human Resources

Corporate Culture

Management

John McCoy answered this question

yesterday

How do you groom young employees to take up highly responsible leadership roles, especially when they have limited experience?

I think the best approach is good old fashioned apprenticeship. Once the candidate has been vetted and you’ve determined that this is someone you want to develop, I think keeping them close and exposing them to the daily operating and decisioning processes is essential.
Once ... more

John McCoy answered this question

yesterday

What are you doing to prepare for ICD-10?

On the insurance side, we're facing some interesting challenges in this area. As you might imagine, there are many legacy systems that perform mission-critical functions and cannot be reasonably replaced or upgraded in time for this transition.
To address some of these challenges, we're deploying ... more

Information Technology

Jim Ewel answered this question at this roundtable

yesterday

The Rise of Pinterest in B2B [2/15 @ 11 am]

As Pinterest is mostly a picture board, what types on content should B2B companies be sharing on Pinterest?

Lauren, here are some ideas:
1) Pictures of the products you make. GE has a great example of this called Badass Machines http://pinterest.com/generalelectric/badass-machines/
2) Infographics
3) Videos. Pinterest allows you to post videos as well as pictures.
4) New designs or design ideas for products ... more

Marketing

B2B

Social Marketing

Scott Albro answered this question

yesterday

Are your company's sales cycles growing longer or shorter? Why?

Our sales cycles are growing shorter due to a number of very intentional decisions:
1. We try to make the product that we sell more valuable every day. It sounds obvious, but a product that provides more value usually results in faster sales cycles.
2. ... more

Sales

Sales Cycle

Sales Management

Don Perkins asked a question

yesterday

What are the outcomes you target for a first meeting with a qualified lead?

Sales Strategy

Cale Helmer answered this question

yesterday

What are some of the best "cheesy" sales approaches you've seen in use?

What about over-endorsing your own product or puffing up your ego to feign confidence? Better yet, what about commenting on your own post to get the ball rolling? more

Lauren Buchsbaum and 2 other people answered this question

yesterday

Beyond the resume: What qualities (flexibility/accountability) are essential when hiring a new employee?

Execution. There are a ton of people who will take credit for work done by others or who have "owned" or managed projects that they've never contributed to. Making sure someone is results and action-oriented and can actually deliver on what was expected of them ... more

adel boussaken answered this question

yesterday

How can a new company grow with a limited budget?

Even money can be optimized as any other resource, you need to be creative and look on how reduce costs, for example instead of rent on buy offices you can let everyone work from home and meet once a day for coffee and do your ... more

Lauren Harper answered this question

yesterday

Who should I follow on Focus?

Hi Steven,
Who you follow is totally up to you! I would suggest following people that you think contribute valuable information, and then looking at their profiles to see who they are following to get some other good ideas. Make sure that you are following ... more

Lauren Harper asked a question

yesterday

What updates can we expect from Twitter's acquisition of Summify?

Lauren Buchsbaum asked a question

yesterday

Will NYC become the new Silicon Valley?

Patricia Bramhall answered this question at this roundtable

yesterday

The Big BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) Debate [2/2 @ 11 am]

What are some of the security risks associated with BYOD?

Hello Catherine,
BYOD, or Bring Your Own Device is becoming more and more common in the workplace thanks to smartphones and netpads. We work with our clients to develop both policy and security around these technologies. Telling your staff that they are not allowed on ... more

Mike Muhney answered this question at this roundtable

yesterday

20 Years of Selling—A Discussion of Truth [2/3 @ 11 am]

I've been hearing a lot about social selling lately- do you see this becoming a main practice for sales reps?

Hi Bryce. Yes, I do, but with some caution mixed in with a little bit of cynicism still. Mind you, I personally and my company greatly benefit, or can, from social media, so I am not against it by any stretch of the imagination. I ... more

Laurence Ledford and 4 other people answered this question

yesterday

Does Twitter have real business value and should it be allowed in the workplace?

Twitter certainly can have a business value. If you look at companies like Infor who are leveraging the concept of social media networks, they are allowing the consumers to "subscribe" to feeds from within your ERP system based on a watch list that they define. ... more

Michael A Brown and 1 other person answered this question at this roundtable

yesterday

20 Years of Selling—A Discussion of Truth [2/3 @ 11 am]

What are some sales practices that were acceptable 20 years ago but should now be avoided at all costs?

Hi Nicholas! A glaring example: a string of closed-ended qualifying questions, usually driven by the data fields in a contact management or CRM system.
In 1996, I actually saw a 22-question (all closed-ended) call guide/script at a software company! It sounded like an interrogation rather ... more

Mari Anne Vanella answered this question at this roundtable

yesterday

20 Years of Selling—A Discussion of Truth [2/3 @ 11 am]

What skills are essential for success in sales today?

Hi Jay,
1. Get familiar with the research platforms out there, i.e, Data.com, InsideView. Hoovers, Google, LinkedIn, etc. Understand how to find information on your prospects--not just getting contact names but understanding the data you find. Just a few examples, is a large percentage of ... more

Steven Moody asked a question at this roundtable

yesterday

20 Years of Selling—A Discussion of Truth [2/3 @ 11 am]

With so many channels, what is the most effective method to reach B2B prospects today (phone, Focus, Facebook, Twitter, etc.)?

Steven Moody and 3 other people answered this question

yesterday

What is the best and most cost effective way to email businesses without obtaining their permission?

David, check your premises. Do you need to email market to small businesses? Other things that may work just as well:
* writing useful guides for them and publishing on your blog (or itunes or amazon)
* Cold calling 20 prospects and asking them what ... more

Marketing

Email Campaign

Email Marketing

Brad Carpenter answered this question

yesterday

Will 2012 be the year of Security Breach *disclosures*?

Hopefully they will make them more public. Saw this this morning - http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2012/02/02/internet-operator-verisign-admits-i... - this didnt come out till know.
www.datalossdb.org is also an interesting site, which publishes breaches they find out about. more

Laurence Ledford and 3 other people answered this question

yesterday

What is the fastest and easiest way to implement a BI solution for a small client?

Business Intelligence can go in a number of directions. One of the hardest things for businesses, to do, especially small businesses, is to focus on what the objective of the project is. This is imperative for a successful project.
As it relates to a BI ... more

Information Technology

Small Business

Business Analytics

Business Intelligence

Events

Round Two: Getting the Most Out of Google+ For Your Business Feb 7 @ 11 am PT
The Social CMO - Integrating the Efforts & Connecting the Dots Feb 8 @ 11 am PT
How to Sell B2B Products and Services via Paid Search Feb 9 @ 11 am PT
Social Media and Content Marketing For Business Q&A Feb 14 @ 11 am PT
The Rise of Pinterest in B2B Feb 15 @ 11 am PT

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