Blog Feed: Ken Krogue | Inside Sales Entrepreneur | Inside Sales Training

The ‘Core’ Model of Generating Real Content

Published on 2012-08-02 19:09:55

I have been mulling over the firestorm of response I have received from my Forbes ‘The Death of SEO: The Rise of Social, PR, and Real Content’ article that went up at noon on the 20th of July. Copy writers and marketers agreed with me and cheered. SEO ‘gurus’ made me tighten... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

My Final Comment on my “Death of SEO” column on Forbes

Published on 2012-07-24 23:35:03

If you want to catch yourself up on this lively series of comments go to my 7/20/2012 article that trended to #1 on Forbes: The Death of SEO: The Rise of Social, PR, and Real Content Submitted on 2012/07/25 at 12:25 am | In reply to Kristine Schachinger.

My Recent Forbes Article – 3 Google Tools to Help Start a Business

Published on 2012-06-23 18:19:42

In my recent column (it actually rose to #9 Most Popular) on Forbes.com I showcased three Google tools any entrepreneur can use to short cut traditional (archaic) SWOT analysis and endless market research and consultant advice when starting a business. In case you missed it, here they are:... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Download Our New eBook – 31 Inside Sales ‘Must Haves’

Published on 2012-06-14 23:01:19

Whether you’re a rookie or a veteran of the inside sales industry, we all can use some tips to help drive sales. The first step to making sure you maximize all the success you can from your inside sales team is to follow a set of proven, best practices. Find a mentor in the form [...] [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

The Krogue’s 10th Annual Rootbeer Taste Test

Published on 2012-06-08 22:36:44

What does an 10th Annual Rootbeer Taste Test have to do with Inside Sales? Nothing. Except maybe tradition. And testing. This years annual taste test included $47 worth of the following rootbeer brands from Kohlers (in no order): Stewarts IBC Jones Shasta A&W Henry Weinhardts Sprechter Virgils... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Kens Rules: The Business Card Rule

Published on 2012-05-10 17:02:31

The very first business I started years ago was while I was working for a company called Knowledge Unlimited that I eventually bought from the owner. This was back in the early ’90′s when the laptop computer was just becoming popular and everybody who was anybody was jumping on board,... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

10 Essentials to Using Social Media to Drive Influence, Leads, & Sales

Published on 2012-05-05 23:59:25

This article is a bit longer, but lot’s of killer ideas here that will get you started to closing business in social media. WARNING: If you don’t do it right, you can waste all your time. Wow! At the first of this year I wrote an article called 31 LinkedIn Tips – How to Use [...] [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Prediction #2: Localization Will Change Search Forever

Published on 2012-04-30 22:51:55

A few weeks ago I posted a very controversial prediction. Actually it wasn’t me that made the prediction, Adam Torkildson did. But I agree with him. Here is his second prediction. Localized search is changing the way we search… forever. Think about it. Google is invested in the Android... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Frontier Airlines Missed Great Marketing Opportunity

Published on 2012-04-25 23:44:30

I just flew a Frontier Airlines passenger jet out of Provo, Utah to Dallas for the AA-ISP Leadership Summit 2012. It was great. No drive. No lines. Lower prices. A nice greeter at the door. I flew from Provo to Denver to Dallas, then came back the same way three days later. I saved an [...] [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Inside Sales Tips: 6 Worn Out Cold Call Openings that Don’t Work

Published on 2012-03-31 23:58:52

These are classic telemarketing lines. And if you remember, Inside Sales is professional sales done remotely, not telemarketing. Telemarketing is scripted, one call close, and mostly B2c. Inside Sales requires a strategic call outline, but not made up of the worn out old cold call lines that ooze... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Good to Great by Jim Collins – Ken’s Notes summary

Published on 2012-03-31 03:00:42

Good Is the Enemy of Great. This is a Ken’s Notes summary of the book “Good to Great” by Jim Collins, It is a compelling 10 year research study to find companies who were good for at least fifteen years, then something happened to make them great. Phase 1: The Search 1)       Fifteen-year... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Prediction #1: SEO Will be Dead in 2 Years

Published on 2012-03-24 12:18:09

I had lunch the other day with Adam Torkildson, arguably the top SEO consultant in Utah and one of the best in the country (we have tested his results extensively.) He said something to me that blew me away. “Google is in the process of making the SEO industry obsolete, SEO will be dead in... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Have You Seen This? The Most Ballingest Car (ad) Ever!

Published on 2012-03-21 23:44:17

Every so often you see something you just have to share with people. I saw this article tonight by Graydon Jones on KSL.com and includes the most fresh marketing copy I’ve seen in a long time from a guy named Doug who just wants to sell his car, and uses an approach to writing that [...] [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Inside Sales Best Practices: Gathering Direct Dial Phone Numbers

Published on 2012-03-17 14:41:02

I invited Steve Richard, my good friend from Vorsight, to share one of his secrets in this guest blog article… Great Stuff! – Ken Direct lines: the often overlooked element of sales prospecting Ken Krogue challenged me to reveal one of my secrets in his recent blog article entitled,... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Lead Response Management Bar is Still Very Low, Huge Results Still Available for Web Marketers

Published on 2012-03-06 15:10:39

After four years and nearly 100,000 companies accessing our original research done with Dr. James Oldroyd recently featured again in Inc. Magazine, we are amazed that more companies aren’t taking advantage of the incredible lift in results available by responding immediately and persistently... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Inside Sales Best Practices: 7 Ways in Increase Contact Ratios

Published on 2012-02-23 11:00:26

Notice I did not say 7 Ways to Increase Contact Rates! What is the difference between a Ratio and a Rate? Socrates said “the beginning of wisdom is the definition of terms.” A Rate is contacts divided by time, like contacts per hour, or contacts per day. It results in a metric, or number, like [...]

Inside Sales Best Practices: 7 Ways in Increase Contact Ratios

Published on 2012-02-23 11:00:26

Notice I did not say 7 Ways to Increase Contact Rates! What is the difference between a Ratio and a Rate? Socrates said “the beginning of wisdom is the definition of terms.” A Rate is contacts divided by time, like contacts per hour, or contacts per day. It results in a metric, or... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Josh James shares 36 Startup Rules; and the Stage with our Own Dave Elkington

Published on 2012-02-21 22:53:31

Today I had lunch at the MountainWest Capital Networks Entrepreneur of the Year Award Luncheon watched Josh James, Founder & CEO of Domo, and former founder and CEO of Omniture give the keynote address and receive the annual award for Entrepreneur of the Year. Much deserved. Anyone selling their company for well over 1 billion [...]

Josh James shares 36 Startup Rules; and the Stage with our Own Dave Elkington

Published on 2012-02-21 22:53:31

Today I had lunch at the MountainWest Capital Networks Entrepreneur of the Year Award Luncheon watched Josh James, Founder & CEO of Domo, and former founder and CEO of Omniture give the keynote address and receive the annual award for Entrepreneur of the Year. Much deserved. Anyone selling... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Inside Sales Best Practices: How Many Inside Sales Reps Do You Need?

Published on 2012-02-17 10:44:42

Q: How do you determine how many reps you need to be able to handle inbound leads most effectively? A: There is a really cool algorithm that sophisticated inbound call center professionals know who calculate service levels. It is called Erlang C. Let’s say you want to staff enough reps to make sure that 80% [...]

Inside Sales Best Practices: How Many Inside Sales Reps Do You Need?

Published on 2012-02-17 10:44:42

Q: How do you determine how many reps you need to be able to handle inbound leads most effectively? A: There is a really cool algorithm that sophisticated inbound call center professionals know who calculate service levels. It is called Erlang C. Let’s say you want to staff enough reps to... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Inside Sales Tips: Should Inside Sales Reps be Held to Schedules?

Published on 2012-02-16 23:42:12

Should inside sales reps be allowed to pick their own schedules and come in to work as they wish as long as they get the job done? Isn’t autonomy and flexible schedules one of the things that all sales reps want to have? These questions get asked a lot. Our own reps ask them. Our [...]

Inside Sales Tips: Should Inside Sales Reps be Held to Schedules?

Published on 2012-02-16 23:42:12

Should inside sales reps be allowed to pick their own schedules and come in to work as they wish as long as they get the job done? Isn’t autonomy and flexible schedules one of the things that all sales reps want to have? These questions get asked a lot. Our own reps ask them. Our [...]Share... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

31 LinkedIn Tips – How to Use LinkedIn Best Practices for B2B Prospecting

Published on 2012-01-20 18:03:40

(This blog is longer than most, but one of my favorite ever – Read on! – Ken) LinkedIn is the greatest source of business to business (B2B) sales intelligence and research data for the average sales professional ever invented. This kind of tool has never existed before. LinkedIn let’s you connect with people and see [...]

31 LinkedIn Tips – How to Use LinkedIn Best Practices for B2B Prospecting

Published on 2012-01-20 18:03:40

(This blog is longer than most, but one of my favorite ever – Read on! – Ken) LinkedIn is the greatest source of business to business (B2B) sales intelligence and research data for the average sales professional ever invented. This kind of tool has never existed before. LinkedIn... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Inside Sales Tips: Help Your Reps Buy a House

Published on 2011-12-12 18:31:22

There are tips and tricks in the inside sales industry that can be classified as science. There are others that are definitely classed as art. Some books on sales are science, “The Challenger Sale” by Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson, others are fine art “Snap Selling” by Jill Konrath (both of these I’m writing summaries [...]

Inside Sales Tips: Help Your Reps Buy a House

Published on 2011-12-12 18:31:22

There are tips and tricks in the inside sales industry that can be classified as science. There are others that are definitely classed as art. Some books on sales are science, “The Challenger Sale” by Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson, others are fine art “Snap Selling” by... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Would a Day of Thanksgiving be Declared Today?

Published on 2011-11-24 21:54:23

I have heard that the original thanksgiving meal began with the Native Americans and Pilgrims just after the Mayflower landed but it was one of my three favorite presidents Abraham Lincoln, on October 3rd, 1863, that proclaimed Thanksgiving a national holiday. He was well into the civil war when he declared: “The year that is [...]

Would a Day of Thanksgiving be Declared Today?

Published on 2011-11-24 21:54:23

I have heard that the original thanksgiving meal began with the Native Americans and Pilgrims just after the Mayflower landed but it was one of my three favorite presidents Abraham Lincoln, on October 3rd, 1863, that proclaimed Thanksgiving a national holiday. He was well into the civil war when he... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Forbes Gives 10 Things You Need to Know about Google+

Published on 2011-11-23 17:25:31

This article by Chris Brogan of Forbes is VERY thought provoking. And though he targets it to Chief Marketing Officers, I thing the inside sales space better look closely. He knows you are thinking, “The LAST thing I need is to figure out yet another social network” and he has spent over 250 hours in Google+ and has [...]

Forbes Gives 10 Things You Need to Know about Google+

Published on 2011-11-23 17:25:31

This article by Chris Brogan of Forbes is VERY thought provoking. And though he targets it to Chief Marketing Officers, I thing the inside sales space better look closely. He knows you are thinking, “The LAST thing I need is to figure out yet another social network” and he has spent... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

The Golden Rule – One Rule We All Agree On

Published on 2011-10-23 20:51:04

One of the very best rules and patterns to live by and sell by is the Golden Rule. The only rule that I’ve found to be better is the Platinum Rule (go to the end of this article.) “What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others.” - Confucius 551-479 BC “We [...]

The Golden Rule – One Rule We All Agree On

Published on 2011-10-23 20:51:04

One of the very best rules and patterns to live by and sell by is the Golden Rule. The only rule that I’ve found to be better is the Platinum Rule (go to the end of this article.) “What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others.” - Confucius 551-479 BC “We... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Inside Sales Tips: Sort Tire Kickers from Buying Signals

Published on 2011-10-10 23:01:12

About three years ago we were analyzing the leads that come from our website trying to find out if some were better than others. Everything we do at InsideSales.com is based on metrics. Instead of just hiring marketers, we hire math majors and economics majors in our marketing department because it is all about studying [...]

Inside Sales Tips: Sort Tire Kickers from Buying Signals

Published on 2011-10-10 23:01:12

About three years ago we were analyzing the leads that come from our website trying to find out if some were better than others. Everything we do at InsideSales.com is based on metrics. Instead of just hiring marketers, we hire math majors and economics majors in our marketing department because it... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Inside Sales Tips: Post Reps Results, and Results Go Up!

Published on 2011-10-06 04:28:54

One of the most powerful things I have ever learned in managing salespeople is the power of posting results visibly. When I do that results go up 20% almost overnight. I don’t care what it is; dials, appointments set, demonstrations, closes. Now of course, depending on length of sales cycles, it takes time for more [...]

Harvard Business Review says Sales is No Longer About Relationships

Published on 2011-10-03 22:36:01

A very interesting article by Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson, both of the Sales Executive Council, show recent research that selling is not just about relationships, but rather about teaching customers, tailoring sales messages to the customer, and taking control of the sale. I have been following the Harvard Business Review (HBR) since the time [...]

Climb the Trust Ladder to Increase Results in Prospecting

Published on 2011-06-23 15:56:13

Here is a strategy to find the highest level of rapport or trust you can use to increase your results on a prospecting call. Using the Trust Ladder allows you to use your first few seconds so people are open to letting your conversation continue to w

The (Increasingly) Not-so-Secret Reasons You Need a Better Lead Generation Team

Published on 2011-06-20 13:40:04

The message of Monday’s blog this week is short and sweet: If you’re a B2B sales organization, it’s more important than ever to have a dedicated lead generation and qualification team. The Bridge Group’s Matt Bertuzzi showed r

Random Musings on the Real “Competitive Advantage” of Customer Service

Published on 2011-06-10 12:56:42

In some ways, this article by Josh Bernoff at Forrester is nothing we haven’t already heard: “In the Web/Sales/Marketing/Customer 2.0 world, the buyer has all the power.” But I was interested by his particular take because it pits &

3 Takeaways from a Road Trip to Zappos

Published on 2011-06-06 10:06:44

For the past 3 or 4 years, “Zappos” and “incredible customer service” have been essentially synonymous. Bring up the the little ‘ole online shoe retailer that Amazon bought for a cool $1.2 billion, and invariably someone

High Performance Sales: The First 5%, the Last 5%, and Everything In Between

Published on 2011-05-26 15:14:25

It’s a tough pill for new and inexperienced sales reps to swallow, but it’s absolutely true: it’s just as easy to lose a deal on the last five percent of the journey as it is on the first five. High performance sales reps know you c

Inside Sales Word Associations by Trish Bertuzzi

Published on 2011-05-19 13:47:05

Here is a fun new video that Trish Bertuzzi from The Bridge Group just put together where she interviews a half dozen people and asks to associate the first word that comes to mind when she mentions a word: Check it out, quite eye opening! or click t

The Official Inside Sales Song

Published on 2011-05-18 14:56:04

Those of you who attended the AA-ISP Leadership Summit 2011 in Minneapolis, MN got to hear the first rendition of “It’s a Great Day to be in Inside Sales” performed by yours truly, Ken Krogue. I was going to say “sung by”

The Official Inside Sales Song

Published on 2011-05-18 14:56:04

Those of you who attended the AA-ISP Leadership Summit 2011 in Minneapolis, MN got the here the first rendition of “It’s a Great Day to be in Inside Sales” performed by yours truly, Ken Krogue. I was going to say “sung by̶

Vendors Don’t Decide What’s “Good Enough”

Published on 2011-05-11 16:12:44

A couple of weeks ago, we showed a client an early beta mockup of a custom development project we were doing for them. It was a big project, and it was taking quite a bit development resources (read: time) to complete. The client’s feedback was

Your Sales Quota Doesn’t Choose Your Prospects

Published on 2011-05-04 13:23:01

Is this your sales pipeline? Bumped into an incredibly thought-provoking blog by former programmer and VC investor Jason Cohen over on his blog, A Smart Bear. His point is simple: If you’re an “early phase” startup, when it comes to

Closing a Chapter of 9/11 — A Thoughtful Marketing Perspective

Published on 2011-05-02 12:55:28

Occasionally we all get a reminder that what we do in business, at its core, takes a back seat to things that are far more important. Brief moments, sometimes historic to the world, sometimes only to us within the realm of our own lives and struggles

Closing the Chapter of 9/11 — A Perspective

Published on 2011-05-02 12:55:28

Occasionally we all get a reminder that what we do in business, at its core, takes a back seat to things that are far more important. Brief moments, sometimes historic to the world, sometimes only to us within the realm of our own lives and struggles

A Sales Management Tip “Two-for” Tuesday

Published on 2011-04-26 12:41:05

Two quick hits on some stuff I found interesting: I. Craig Rosenberg is generally a pretty smart and insightful guy. As the self-proclaimed “Funnelholic” and Focus.com VP of Products and Services, his extensive background in B2B sales and

Sales Management Tip – The 90 Day “First Impression” for Sales Hires

Published on 2011-04-14 12:53:39

It’s one of the oldest clichés in recorded history: “Never discount the power of a first impression.” But when it comes to sales hiring, just how long does a real “first impression” last? The Bridge Group states that th

A Chance to Give Something Back – The CWCIC

Published on 2011-04-07 12:29:29

A few months back, I mentioned that we had started on the process of doing a project for a local Utah non-profit, the Center for Women and Children in Crisis (see their Web site here). And last week, we put the “rubber to the road” and ac

Sales Tip: Combatting Price Cutting and the Real Value of a Sale

Published on 2011-04-04 16:48:05

What’s the real value of what you sell? Of your expertise? The reality is, it doesn’t actually matter what the “real value” is. What matters is, what’s the absolute, bottom-line, no-questions-asked lowest possible price

“Enchantment” and How to Build Business Performance

Published on 2011-03-30 16:18:12

Bumped into an interesting video interview, posted on The Brand Builder Blog about a new book buy Guy Kawasaki called Enchantment. Anyone who’s spent any time in Social Media has probably at least heard of Guy through his voluminous Twitter acc

The Meaning of “Result Y”

Published on 2011-03-21 17:09:57

We forget sometimes just what exactly it is all this technology in business is supposed to be doing for us. The point of it all is that ultimately we want to replace the aspect of human intuition….or do we? On the surface you’d think that

“Aligning the Alignment” – 4 Ways of Increasing Sales (and Connecting Them to Marketing)

Published on 2011-03-08 17:22:00

Somewhere between 2008 and today, the phrase “Aligning Sales and Marketing” went from hot topic to overused buzzword. The last year especially it’s been discussed ad nauseum: online, in print, during webinars, trade shows, executive

Inside Sales Tip: For Lead Routing, Skill-based Trumps Regional and Ad-Hoc

Published on 2011-02-16 12:04:39

Saw that lead metrics guru Trish Bertuzzi posted an answer to question on Quora talking about the most appropriate way to do sales lead routing. And I thought I’d quickly chime in. In the actual Quora question, the person asks, “What̵

Ken’s 90 Day AA-ISP Weight Loss Countdown

Published on 2011-02-10 21:57:16

I’ve decided to lose 20 pounds in time for the American Association of Inside Sales Professionals Leadership Summit on May 10th-11th in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I decided to do this while at the AA-ISP conference in San Francisco, and I noticed

Inside Sales versus Outside Sales

Published on 2011-02-08 12:03:33

(This is my response to an article written by David P. Wallace of The Wallace Management Group) David, I like the table approach you have used to try and illustrate the situations by which you decide to use inside sales versus outside sales. I wanted

Never Too Late to Go Viral

Published on 2011-02-03 23:35:16

Everything looked the same as other times I had gone, but Wow, the food had changed! I had been there several times over the years, but today things were VERY different. The food was decent before, but now it was out of this world.

Sales Tip: Confidence vs. Intellectual Laziness

Published on 2011-01-26 12:48:25

A couple of years ago we hired what we thought was going to be a stellar sales rep. He appeared to be smart, well-spoken, and had the individual charisma that we thought was going to make him a star. So when the numbers came back after six months, I

A Gatling Gun Needs Lots of Ammunition – Our Favorite List Providers

Published on 2011-01-21 18:13:38

Seven years ago we set out to build the ultimate cold-calling technology. If sales is a numbers game, then the logic is that a PowerDialer can help reps go from making 35-40 calls a day to 200 or even 300. That’s great if you have enough leads

“The Best Laid Plans” – An Apology for Screwing Up Yesterday

Published on 2011-01-07 14:12:54

The power of automation, as most of us have discovered, is a two-edged sword. When set up properly, automation is leverage for the work you already do, multiplying results. When set up incorrectly, it multiplies your mistakes in the same way and occa

Power for Hosted Dialers and Predictive 2.0 – Premise-based Dialers a Dying Breed

Published on 2011-01-07 11:05:09

Found a link today to a pretty interesting research report from Frost and Sullivan detailing the decline of premise-based (hardware) dialer technologies in the year 2009. The space suffered negative revenue growth (down 5.6%), and the summary indicat

B2B Technology Sales Tip – What’s Your 2nd (or 3rd) “Pitch?”

Published on 2011-01-03 16:03:54

You and your company have done everything right up to this point. The marketing team created a compelling, targeted set of material that caught the attention of a potential buyer. They found your Web site and grabbed some information—a couple o

Looking Backwards and Forwards From 2011: Predictive Sales Intelligence Will Redefine CRM and the Sales Process

Published on 2010-12-29 17:07:29

One of the problems we all have with technology is that we soon forget that what is now commonplace was once rare or non-existent. New technologies penetrate the market so rapidly that total market transformations can occur in the space of under thre

Lead Management Tip: Brand Awareness Doesn’t = Buying

Published on 2010-12-21 12:35:29

Saw a link to a Harvard Business Review article this morning on Twitter (thanks @abneedles) that had something interesting to say about the “sales funnel.” “A global consumer electronics company embarked on a CDJ [Consumer Decision

Monday Quick Hit: For Marketing Sherpa’s Ann Holland, the Drum Beats On

Published on 2010-12-20 11:40:40

When Ann Holland from MarketingSherpa asked Dave Elkington and I to present InsideSales.com’s research findings with MIT and Kellogg back in 2007, I’ll admit we were excited for a chance to “show off” a little bit what we thou

Demand Generation, Tactics and Strategy, and Business Intelligence

Published on 2010-12-10 18:21:48

Tuesday evening at Dreamforce, I got into an interesting Twitter conversation with Left Brain Marketing’s Adam Needles (@abneedles on Twitter) discussing marketing’s relationship with sales. In Adam’s mind, he felt that the presente