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2016 was a busy year for the sales industry. The M&A market hit a fever pitch and new technologies made salespeople more efficient and effective at their job. As we head into the New Year, I want to share my predictions for 2017; from the evolving expectations of the sales function, to the critical role of intelligent selling and how to empower the sales workforce of tomorrow.
 Why You Need to Know: In 2017, personalized and genuine interactions will be the only acceptable interactions between salespeople and customers. It will be crucial for companies to arm their service and sales teams to work cross functionally and intelligently. |
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It is the inevitable truth of business that, in every market, some firms will go bankrupt or depart the market. Recently, Avaya stepped in as one of the latest such bankruptcies, filing a slate of Chapter 11 petitions, though doing so with an eye toward the future.
Why You Need to Know: Bankruptcy doesn't mean what many think it does. In the right hands, it can deliver a valuable new start and a means to carry on in ways few expected. For Avaya, it will likely be a welcome help and a way to get itself back to its previous successes. |
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The cloud is clearly all the rage these days; serving as an ambassador to a new era of computing, communications and technology as a whole, it is a key piece in the digital transformation puzzle. From the data center to the conference room, the effects of this evolution are felt across industry, and an arena leveraging this burgeoning technology is communications – more specifically, video conferencing – and the future is now.
Why You Need to Know: This week, cloud video conferencing service Zoom announced a $100 million round D funding coming from Sequoia. |
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Customer service has traditionally been a dirty word (words?) both within businesses and outside of them. That's started to change somewhat in recent years as more organizations begin to understand that customer service can in fact be a differentiator and customer hook, rather than just a cost center.
Why You Need to Know: Despite all we're hearing about the value of the customer experience in attracting, retaining, and upselling prospects and customers, just 14 percent of those recently surveyed by Salesforce rate their performance vs. the competition and overall related to service as excellent. |
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Who can forget the traumatic experience Kim Kardashian went through a few months back when she was robbed at gunpoint in her Paris hotel? There's nothing more terrifying than having your home and family threatened. So, understandably, Kim took some time off from social media after the event to spend time with her family and focus on the things that matter most.
Why You Need to Know: For someone without Kim's status, this hiatus wouldn't have been such a big deal. However, Kim makes a good chunk of her money from influencer marketing, and some of us were beginning to wonder if the Kim K brand was going to suffer due to her social media absence. |
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