Bob Apollo
Bob Apollo
Bob Apollo is the CEO of UK-based Inflexion-Point Strategy Partners, the B2B sales performance improvement specialists. Following a varied corporate career, Bob now works with a rapidly expanding client base of B2B-focused growth-phase technology companies, helping them to implement systematic sales processes that drive predictable revenue growth.
What if product marketing saw itself as “problem solving marketing”?
I was reflecting on a thought-provoking blog by Dave Brock, who asked "what would happen if we saw things the way our customers saw...
Sales presentations should be conversations, not broadcasts
How many times have you sat and suffered through a dull b2b presentation, eagerly anticipating the final slide and an end to the relentless...
Why sales should never do win/loss reports…
Win-loss reports can provide remarkably valuable insights into the mind of your prospects and the ways in which they make their buying decisions. But you...
B2B sales: Isn’t it time to help buyers buy?
Successful selling requires a combination of problem solving and change management - simply having the "best" solution won't necessarily get you the order. I first...
B2B sales: how do your prospects approach risk?
Jill Konrath's "Selling to Big Companies" website is a must-read resource for anyone concerned with improving their sales performance. In a recent blog, Jill...
Are Current B2B Marketing Conditions Causing You to Think Differently?
Nick de Cent, editor of Modern Selling recently asked me if I had any feel for how people are thinking about the economic climate...
McKinsey: Shooting holes in the “Sales Funnel”
The latest McKinsey Quarterly carries a great article on the consumer decision journey - and shoots holes in the now outdated "sales funnel" metaphor....
Solution Selling – Where’s the Problem?
Selling undifferentiated products is tough. Margins are declining, competition is increasing, and the buyer has all the power. Wouldn't it be so much nicer...
Is Your CRM System a Sales Prevention System?
Most sales organisations have some sort of CRM system in place. Many have made significant investments in the system. Yet simply implementing CRM –...
Crossing the Chasm, Eagles, Flocks and the 70% Solution
I was reflecting with a client the other day on the current economic climate, and how hard it was to recruit really good sales...
Time to Brush Up Your Trigger-Nometry!
How confident are you that you truly, deeply understand who your best prospects are, what really matters to them, and how and why they...
The 8 Sources of Sales and Marketing Waste – Updated
Thank you to everyone who responded with your feedback to my earlier blog ("The 7 Sources of Sales and Marketing Waste"). It's clear...
The 7 Sources of Sales and Marketing Waste
Systematically identifying and eliminating waste (or "muda") is fundamental to lean thinking. Waste can be defined as anything that adds no value to...
Leaning Towards Perfection
Lean thinking has its roots in the Toyota Manufacturing System - a concept brought to the attention of the world in "The Machine That...
Rebalancing Risk in the B2B Buying Equation
Let's face it - today's B2B buyers are scared. They are concerned about the risks and consequences of making a bad buying decision....
New Year Forecasting Resolutions
The dust has started to settle on 2008, and from what we hear, a number of organisations ended up below their initial Q4 forecasts....
Influencing the Influencers
There's no doubt that trusted advisers and influencers have a vital role to play throughout the B2B buying process, but they are particularly vital...
The Cost of Inaction
It's clear that the current economic climate is causing a great of risk-averse behaviour on the part of B2B prospects. More people are...
Anecdotes: the Antidote to Premature Elaboration in Sales
I imagine we've all seen it, and frequently suffered from it: the sales person who can't wait to tell you about the features, advantages...
Go Beyond Win/Loss Reports and Find Out Why Others Chose “None of the Above”
Vendors who have the discipline to complete win/loss reports usually uncover valuable insights. But concentrating only on wins and losses, and ignoring the...