Hello and welcome to the 119th edition of Fresh Salmon.

It is my pleasure to have you here, and if you would like to read past issues of the newsletter, please click here.

In one of the posts on my LinkedIn feed, I came across this -

“A couple years ago we were selling in a ‘demand-positive’ environment, however, today, we’re selling in a ‘demand-neutral’ and even ‘demand-negative environment.’ Those are COMPLETELY different skills.”

Yes, this is very much true. We’re in a down market!

Undoubtedly, outbound is taking its biggest hit ever.

There is an ongoing decline in outbound response rates.

The majority of executives and decision makers keep their phones silent 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including me.

Cold outreach is being caught or tagged as spam by email spam filters, which are getting smarter.

Furthermore, there is so much noise in our inboxes that people are compelled to read only emails from people they know.

Almost every analyst report points to the same trend: that fewer buyers want to speak with salespeople.

Buyers are increasingly making buying decisions independently of sellers, gathering information on the internet, and then seeking approval from their communities, partners, and friends.

The future of Outbound Sales looks really rocky.

This won’t be easier on Marketing either. 

The paid spends are going to get cut more, and there will always be instructions to do more with less.

This all is going to lead to the blurring of lines between Sales and Marketing departments. 

In this new era, Sales people will do a lot more with their marketing skills to build their pipeline. 

Skilled Sales People will excel at the following: 

1. They will be great at building an audience online - they will be really good in creating content that will resonate with audiences on social media platforms where their ICP hangs out.

2. They will be master relationship builders - they will tap into partnerships and communities to harvest relationships that will create a long tail pipeline for them, and when these folks go into buying mode they will come to them. 

3. They will have spy-like profiling skills - they will leverage artificial intelligence, and engagement data across platforms to understand buying signals and intent.

While outbound outreach will take a backseat, the future sales reps will build their pipeline via some combination of the following channels:

1. Social Media 

2. Partnerships

3. Events

And this is where things get interesting.

In the past, B2B Marketing teams have had ownership of all those three channels, and Sales were reaping the rewards of their efforts. 

These channels will, however, be harnessed independently or at least in addition by future sales teams.

Unlock Success: Put a Media-First Strategy

In not prioritizing a media-first content strategy on social media, many founders are potentially overlooking a significant opportunity. 

Today's digital landscape relies heavily on rich media content to capture attention on social media platforms. 

When you don't use these platforms' organic reach, you're essentially leaving money on the table.

Cold outreach efforts may seem adequate in isolation, but they often fail to penetrate the prevalent noise of the digital world. 

Conversely, a robust social media presence allows you to resonate more loudly and clearly with more people.

Founders should adopt a media-first content strategy for more than just reaching new audiences; 

You need to strategically position your brand in front of your ideal customer profiles (ICPs). 

Enhancing brand awareness can significantly enhance your outbound efforts, resulting in better business results. 

It is imperative to remember that visibility is one of the most important aspects of modern marketing. Adopt now, and focus on media content.

Navigate the New AAA Era of B2B Marketing

We've officially entered the AAA era.

+ Attention

+ Affinity

+ Action

Marking a significant shift from the traditional B2B marketing phases of Awareness, Consideration, and Decision.

In today's digital landscape, the focus is on capturing attention, cultivating brand affinity, and building trust to secure business.

This AAA framework is reshaping how we approach marketing.

But an interesting question arises: what kind of attention is valuable in B2B marketing?

Is it appropriate to post personal content like selfies, or to use humor that's unrelated to your business, just to get noticed?

Maybe or maybe not?

But here is something that will certainly work -

From my perspective, while capturing attention is crucial, it needs to be relevant.

In B2B, the attention you garner should not only connect with your product or solution but should also resonate with the problems you solve.

OR

It should at least reflect the industry or category you're targeting.

This is the kind of attention that truly matters.

And you can't go wrong with it. Just saying :)

Interesting Thing That I Read This Week

Tweet That I Noticed This Week

What Do You Think?

This concludes this edition of Fresh Salmon.

I would like to hear what you thought of today's newsletter.

Also, let’s connect on Twitter, LinkedIn, or TikTok.

Cheers,

Vivek

PS. Do what is good for your soul ❤️