Marketing automation continues to evolve, and it is becoming increasingly popular among businesses of all sizes. Marketing automation refers to technological platforms that enable marketers to more effectively deliver content to multiple media channels and automate as many tasks as possible. During 2016, marketing personnel will be more accountable than ever for generating sales results. This level of accountability involves deploying technological platforms that engage with old and new customers to increase lead generation and inbound traffic.

The more we communicate with customers and prospects, the more we sell. The more that people hear from us, the more they buy from us. (The opposite is also true. The less they hear from us, the less they buy.)

I’ve never been much of a follower. As a kid, I was called “unique,” which was a euphemism
for “weird.” My sisters excelled at soccer, basketball, lacrosse and track. My father wanted his daughters to compete — learning life’s tough lessons on the field or court — but I became a cheerleader instead. I think I caused my father’s early-onset baldness. I liked forging my own path. Following the rules and doing what everyone else did was not for me.

I'm currently reading Stu Heinecke's book "How to Get a Meeting with Anyone." Stu is the guest on a sales training program I listen to occasionally. He is a cartoon artist who draws personalized cartoons to secure meetings with business owners and CEOs. It works. Big time. His secure-a-meeting ratio is through the sales ceiling. And his closing ratio is pretty darn impressive, too.

I used to suck at writing. I was expected to be a good writer, given my dad's profession. My dad is an English teacher and writer. (Yes, free editing is a perk. How do you think my writing sounds so darn good?) One would assume that my skills would be at least semi-proficient because I had always been around creative people and writers. Really good writers.

In the print industry, service providers frequently view marketing and sales as a medicine to be taken when something is wrong. (So, your business is down this quarter? Add some salespeople, do a little marketing and you'll feel better in the morning.) Yet the most successful companies recognize that proactive sales and marketing investments are vital to growing and driving business results.

Winning sales processes are not created by happenstance. They are the direct result of a solid commitment by company leadership to develop and support a sales culture that has common goals and practices. The following eight steps offer an easy-to-follow guide to help sales managers change the sales process and improve results.