B2B Rainmaker

The B2B Rainmaker blog once again emphasises that a good slide-based sales presentation should be over and done with in ten slides, and no more. This fits in with Guy Kawasaki’s classic 10/20/30 Rule of PowerPoint which I’ve referred to before. But as 10 slides to a better sales presentation says, “If you need more than 10 slides to convey your value and benefits, something is wrong. Limit yourself to 10 slides and challenge yourself to get to the main points faster. You don’t have the luxury of time with… Read MoreThe power of getting to the point »

B2B Rainmaker covers a subject I’ve been banging on about for years in Why most press releases suck and are a waste of time. As an industrial trade magazine editor for nearly 15 years, I probably read (or at least glanced at) anything from 50,000 to 100,000 press releases, and as editor of Engineeringtalk from 2000 to 2007, I either edited or supervised the publishing of another 50,000. I think it’s safe to say I’ve seen just about everything. And it’s true: most press releases are rubbish, including those from… Read MoreWho are your press releases written for? »

White Papers are great. Because they were taken up most enthusiastically in the nineties by IT companies whose mission seemed to be to make even the simplest concepts bafflingly complex, many people (including me) were put off them almost forever. However, the concept has been reclaimed now by people with something to sell, and I believe they should be a part of the marketing armoury of every business. Essentially, a white paper is a good explanatory document aimed at helping readers make decisions. If you want to establish yourself as… Read MoreDeliver first, ask questions later? »

Here’s a good post. It’s something all magazine editors would agree with, and (if you could get them to put their finger on it) customers probably would too. In your marketing communication, have you included a reason why the recipient should care? In The most common mistake I find in customer communications on the B2B Rainmaker blog, the whole problem is summarised in a couple of paragraphs. “Your features and functionality aren’t benefits”, it says, “they’re merely proof a benefit can exist”.