B2B Reads: Price Wars, Subscriptions, & Visual Content

In addition to our Sunday App of the Week feature, we also summarize some of our favorite B2B sales & marketing posts from around the web each week. We’ll miss a ton of great stuff, so if you found something you think is worth sharing please add it to the comments below.

Five Ways To Prepare For Hybrid Customer Engagement
Through the transition from in-person to remote work, there’s been an interesting mix of companies deciding to choose one avenue over another, however the majority are settling on some type of hybrid model. To help prepare for this some opportunities include gathering consistent customer information across all mediums, separate the customer’s digital experience pre and post sales, building personalized experiences that offer multiple selling channels, strengthening digital education in addition to face-to-face seminars, and upgrading data analytics systems to identify customer intent across omni channels. Thank you, Maria Hatter, for helping us prepare for hybrid customer engagement. 

Different Exactly Like Everyone Else
In order to make sales, it’s important to highlight a distinct differentiation between a company and their offerings in comparison to their competitors. While it may start with the story of how the business started, this element of storytelling helps set companies apart from each other, then salespeople can ask questions accordingly to identify any pain points in their model and continue on for the rest of the sales conversation. Thank you, Anthony Iannarino, for sharing the importance of differentiation in business. 

Dr. Nido Qubein Discusses Identifying The Right College Graduates To Hire
While there are many college graduates ready to enter the workforce, they may not be as prepared as companies wish them to be as much of what they are learning in the classroom isn’t applicable to real-world business. One of the huge disconnects that this creates is a lack of emotional awareness and intelligence in the workplace that cannot be taught but needs to be experienced through activity-based learning. Thank you, Serenity Gibbons, for discussing this widely important and relevant topic. 

Airlines, Restaurant Chains Join the Subscription Bandwagon
Many companies have begun introducing or testing subscription programs, for example, Taco Bell recently announced a program where customers can pay $10 per month and receive one free taco per day. This new implementation is consistent across various industries and it’s helping businesses build customer relationships while driving sales. Thank you, Ann-Marie Alcantara, for sharing this interesting news. 

8 Client Onboarding Tips That Build Trust
It’s always exciting to secure a client, however this is where the partnership only begins. One of the most important aspects of client relations is building trust and this can be done in a myriad of ways. Some tips include expressing gratitude, sharing expectations, being transparent, being responsive, giving them control, addressing concerns promptly, following through on promises, and staying focused on relationships. Thank you, Lauren Gamble, for shining light on the importance of building client trust even after the partnership is secured. 

9 Visual Content Tips and Examples From Creative Brands and Experts
Images are almost or just as important as the verbage used in communicating content because they can help enhance a message or appeal to another audience. Visual content is also incredibly powerful for putting a brand’s vision on display, but it’s crucial to remember to consider the story as well, align the message with a strategy, represent the whole audience, staying on brand, tapping into your emotions, and following the patterns of effective design. Thank you, Jodi Harris, for sharing these tips for creativite brands and content. 

Why 30-Day Challenges Help Your Habits Stick
This article opens with the staggering statistic of how 43% of everyday actions are the result of habits. Building and breaking habits are completely doable regardless of their difficulty level and there are many ways to do this. A 30-Day challenge may be the solution that changes your life as they force people to take a serious look at their goals and act mindfully upon them each day for a month. Stacking habits, prioritizing consistency, keeping your eye on the prize, and tracking your progress are all great places to start as well or add into this challenge. Thank you, Kara Mason, for inspiring us to improve our live by implementing these tips. 

How to Stop Writing Average Emails: 16 Quick Tips
Communication is the key to success in business and having poor email etiquette may be one of the factors that contribute to a company’s downfall. Some tips to avoid this include having a professional email name, clear subject lines, addressing the recipients, customizing your signature, formatting with short paragraphs, responding in a timely manner and during business hours, and ensuring positive energy throughout your emails! Read further for more tips. Thank you, Ron Lieback, for highlighting these simple tips that make a huge difference. 

How to Manage Anger
One of the strongest emotions that we can feel is anger. Managing this begins with understanding the reason behind these intense feelings. To help regulate the anger, two effective strategies include distraction and reframing. This article discusses these coping mechanisms in detail of why they work and how to utilize them in times of anger. Thank you, Adam Grant, for normalizing this common feeling and teaching us how to deal with it. 

How To Win A Price War
One of the most common management problems is dealing with a price war because it’s not only bad for your competitors, but your customers as well. The only real winning strategy in a price war is to transform it into a value war instead. This can be done through following powerful tactics, preventing the price wars to begin with, charging your value proposition, and continuously peaking your products. Thank you, Jonathan Byrnes, for sharing your insights on this complex matter.