The pandemic year has businesses focusing on reaching the right prospects with the right message through the right medium. This Focus Report takes a closer look at companies’ digital marketing transformation. Learn why experts we spoke with say it’s more than just buying digital tools, it’s rethinking the way you’re working. The report includes: Forrester’s survey on what marketing technology companies are investing in Marketing’s expanding role in the sales process Why TikTok is a viable channel for B2B marketing Selling directly without ruining channel partner relationships Breathing new life into virtual events Download this Focus Report to learn more.

The world is emerging from COVID lockdowns, but employees continue to operate differently than they ever used to. Managers are challenged with improving their team’s performance and maintaining a positive workplace culture while most continue to work remotely. Our new report on managing for improved workplace performance addresses issues that are critical to managers of sales and non-sales teams alike. We look at: The future of incentive travel, a key component of many sales managers’ motivation efforts How the pandemic year changed employee recognition Why 2021 requires a new type of sales management Our cover story features insights on motivation and making work matter from Michael Patrick F. Smith, a playwright and musician who worked for a year in the oil fields of North Dakota to test himself and exorcise some demons from his past. Smith has written a book about his experience, and it’s surprising how many of the lessons that he took away from his year toiling as an oil field "swamper" are applicable to managers who work in a completely different environment.

The shift to less face-to-face interaction with customers and prospects isn’t a 2020 development. Buyers have increasingly embraced completing their own research for years. A Sales Benchmark Index survey from 2017 reported that in nearly 75% of sales situations, customers prefer not to meet in person. Though many field sales reps are already accustomed to using web meetings or phone calls to navigate some of the sales process, what is new for a large percentage of sellers is 100% reliability on virtual interaction to sell. And there are some industries that still rely on printed catalogs and handshakes to close deals — "knuckle and hand kinds of businesses" as one source we spoke with calls them. What does it mean for B2B sales managers as they strategize for 2021? Is it necessary to train sales reps on new skills? What components of an existing sales process transfer well to virtual interactions? What should sales kickoffs look like?   Download this Focus Report to learn more.