Jim Burns
Jim Burns
Jim Burns is founder and CEO of Avitage, which provides content marketing services in support of lead management and sales enablement programs.
Selling to On-Demand Buyers
Most of us are well aware the world of B2B buying has gone through fundamental shifts in the last five to ten years. Why...
Ready or Not, Here’s Your Content Challenge
To capture attention and deliver value, your content must be relevant to your buyers and readers. It might be cliché to say buyers are...
Content Publishing vs. Traditional “Point Production” Process
People regularly ask me to clarify the differences and reasons for adopting a content publishing process rather than the traditional "point production" process....
Content Governance in the Content Marketing Era
Today's content marketing requirements and opportunities are straining traditional corporate thinking, policies and processes. How has your company adapted policies and procedures to accommodate the...
Content Marketing – A Personal Experience
I'm in the Nemacolin Woodlands resort in Uniontown, PA attending a family wedding, and I've been catching up on my reading, reviewing an excellent...
Customer Interviews for Marketing and Selling Content
At our recent SMEI breakfast we had an excellent conversation on customer -- and video -- interviews. As a result, I suspected that most...
What “Job” Do You Want Content to Do?
Marketing professionals who are trying to understand the principle behind content marketing can take a lesson from Clayton Christensen of the Harvard Business School...
Are You Communicating Synchronously in an Asynchronous World?
We live in a world that prefers to receive information asynchronously. But we tend to focus on using live, synchronous delivery methods. This is...
Why Create Content Like a Publisher?
We are told, "think and create like a publisher." (Pulizi, Meerman Scott, Albee) What does this really mean? Why is this necessary? Traditionally, business content...
Lead Nurturing and the Inside Sales / Telesales Role
We are working with several clients to help them improve their lead nurturing program to deliver a higher volume and quality of sales ready...
Content Marketing Principles and Practices
Subtitle: Lip Service or Disciplined, Consistent Execution? A research briefing on Focus Marketing website call Best Practices in Content Marketing presents summary recommendations, a set...
Another Case for Marketing and Sales Collaboration
We have to be careful not to take words too literally. Consider the idea that marketing delivers sales ready leads to sales. By doing this,...
Reflections on Sales Call Preparation Checklist
I'm a big believer in checklists. With the work I do with PrivateSalesCoach, and after reading Checklist Manifesto, we are applying checklists more rigorously...
Additional Thoughts on 10 Rainmaker Principles
As we all plan for a new year and for changes that will make a difference, a good place to start is with core...
Content and Social Media Marketing Predictions for 2011
I've just read this compilation of insights and predictions published by the Content Marketing Institute (CMI). Two strategic insights I found especially helpful: Must have…
New B2B Marketing and Selling Truisms
This is my list of new truisms for B2B marketing and sales. They are the context for most of our services and writing. I...
10 Reasons Virtual Shows Fall Short
I'm a big fan of virtual shows. Right now, the experience falls far short for vendors and participants. Here are 10 reasons I think...
Content Strategy Begins With Purpose
I remember reading about Norman Cousins, who developed a serious illness in the seventies and received a poor recovery prognosis. Convinced of...
Keeping PowerPoint in Perspective
A recent New York Times article -- We Have Met the Enemy and He is PowerPoint -- is the latest in a (seemingly) never-ending...
Focus on the Conversation
Scott Santucci of Forrester's Technology Sales Enablement Group has an important blog post regarding sales conversations. (The Key To Sales Enablement Success Is...