etailinsights eCommerce Data and Sales Blog

The average person picks up his phone close to 1,500 times per week. That’s a lot of competition, and a lot of distraction. In fact, studies show that the human attention span is now shorter than that of a goldfish.

How much time do you spend writing email newsletters? How many of those emails actually get read, let alone generate new leads?

91% of people check their inboxes daily, so it’s no surprise that many sales and marketing experts believe email marketing provides the perfect opportunity to reach clients and prospects with content and brand messaging

But what if those emails are getting ignored?

Sales strategies are constantly shifting and changing to respond to customer needs and new technologies. Thanks to the mobile revolution, social media has become a primary method of lead nurturing, and as the new year begins, we have an entirely new set of trends to look out for.

Trade show season is right around the corner!

For some, it's the most exciting time of year, wandering the aisles, visiting their favorite brands and trying out new demos. For others, it can be a nightmare, trying every B2B marketing tactic in the book to get potential leads to visit their booths.

If someone asked you what your brand is, how would you answer?

Building your professional brand is one of the most influential factors contributing to your Social Selling Index (SSI) score on LinkedIn, which is more important than you might think.

It’s a simple question and frankly, it's why we started etailinsights. We have a database of all the online retailers and a subscription that instantly lays them at your fingertips. But not everyone subscribes to our mailing list, and not everyone knows what to do with that information once they have it.

Power User Spotlight: Barbara Rausch, RRD

Barbara's Hack: Find Creative Solutions for a Customer's Problems 

My customers are etailers, and etailers are innovators. They are entrepreneurs and go-getters. Before I started my career in sales many years ago, I was a customer service representative. I was on the other end of that phone, usually fixing something my previous organization had done wrong. As a salesperson now, it’s my job to think ten steps ahead and find creative solutions to my customer’s complex problems. Balancing my customer’s budget, their transit needs, and their customer’s expectations when shipping a package across the planet is a delicate matter – one that can be done with innovative ideas and the right team of people to make it happen. That’s where RRD makes that magic happen for our customers.

etailinsights Power User Interview

Power User Spotlight: Evan S. Babineaux, DHL eCommerce

Evan's Hack:  Visit Online Retailers during Lunch 

If you’re calling on small to medium-sized businesses, lunch is often a good time to catch the owners. Just like salespeople, they work during times when most are taking breaks.

etailinsights Power User Interview

Power User Spotlight: Ally Paul, Monetate

Ally's Hack:  Reach out to prospects in multiple channels. 

In this day and age, social selling is a huge tactic that I think all salespeople should use. In addition, do all the research you can beforehand to make sure you're reaching out to the correct contact at a company. If you're blasting multiple people at a company, not only is that time consuming, but you will most likely get put on a blacklist, and they won't even see emails from your company in the future.

My last piece of advice would be to personalize your messaging. Prospects don't want to hear robotic pitches or see template-like emails all day, especially when they're in an industry that gets these messages from thousands of vendors every day. Do something to stand out.

Also - the phone/cold-calling is NOT dead...

It’s a simple question and frankly, it's why we started etailinsights. We have a database of all the online retailers and a subscription that instantly lays them at your fingertips. But not everyone subscribes to our mailing list, and not everyone knows what to do with that information once they have it.