Steve Rankel

Simplifier | Storyteller | Speaker

[Steve Rankel @SteveRankel]

“AI: What’s Hype & What’s Not?” This Thursday @ 1pm EST, the AIPMM invited @jasons CEO of Competitive Intelligence Platform Klue, former IBM Watson product leader & mountain man Zachary Hanson and myself to offer an insiders view o…https://t.co/FU8MeGONjQ https://t.co/p6S3MdRU6x

[Steve Rankel @SteveRankel]

I dunno - I’ve been an exec and a buyer, spending millions of dollars on Technology and Services. I keep wondering why no one posts “Have you asked your buyers what content they want that would help them buy your product or service faster?” Instead of “ar…https://t.co/ZOVzWBM7tu

[Steve Rankel @SteveRankel]

Do we need more AI? Or more of this? https://t.co/2pBpFJmwlR

[Steve Rankel @SteveRankel]

Momentum often leads us through twists and turns we didn’t expect — keep moving anyway. https://t.co/WSvcLkKuld

[Steve Rankel @SteveRankel]

Another FANTASTIC post by Josue Valles.

Let’s talk about carousel slide #2: “Plagued by me – too content, critical thinking will be the new currency. Less is better.”

Most of us have heard of the 80/20 rule and Vilfredo Pareto. Pareto’s law was actuall…https://t.co/pLDcfAEwov

[Steve Rankel @SteveRankel]

If you need some encouragement today, read and watch this. We may not understand how MUCH impact our good deeds have until years pass by. Do good anyway. https://t.co/hY1BlajU4m

[Steve Rankel @SteveRankel]

I dunno @searchbrat – while I would agree ChatGPT is a useful middle layer — as a potential research assistant — I have to wonder if some of the ChatGPT use cases being discussed on LinkedIn now are the ‘right answer to the wrong question.’

In over 1000…https://t.co/TNQEuLSaXI

[Steve Rankel @SteveRankel]

This might be "yesterday's news," but I'm humbled and honored to work alongside @ranwardo, @MatGauvin and Ajay Singh on their 15-year old 'instant success story.' https://t.co/esgkvO8Yav

[Steve Rankel @SteveRankel]

Have you ever secret shopped your own products or company?

The
results
might
shock
you.

Though it seems obvious that your products or services should be:

Easy to understand
Easy to explain
Easy to buy

...in over 1,000 buyer interviews, B2B buye…https://t.co/4t11BR1WKg

[Steve Rankel @SteveRankel]

Is your buyer’s journey map helping you?

Probably not.

Why not?

Isn’t the “buyers journey” just a MADE UP version of “sales stages” that Marketing can use to “push” prospects along to become customers? And claim impact on the selling process?

Who inve…https://t.co/64Rtbn2kis

[Steve Rankel @SteveRankel]

Are you part of the noise? Or part of the music?

When
Dizzy
Gillespie
was
older,
he began playing with Symphony Orchestras. (I was fortunate enough to see him before he passed – his cheeks really did puff out like a chipmunk!)

Someone once asked: “D…https://t.co/iwPugwNdpq

[Steve Rankel @SteveRankel]

What is causing all this B2B pain, gone-dark prospects, and lost deals?

Here’s a hint:

When we asked B2B leaders this question: “Do prospects know how to buy your type of product before they speak to your reps?” - 54 of 56 SAID NO. Think of the implicat…https://t.co/40cnrL2taA

[Steve Rankel @SteveRankel]

Why can’t I just interview customers myself? To surface win/loss or buying insights?

Because
they
CAN’T
tell
you
the
truth:
due
to
“THE LAW OF FAMILIARITY.”

Several years ago a client asked me to interview the CEO of a nonprofit as part of the…https://t.co/KAd7GpYB9V

[Steve Rankel @SteveRankel]

If you have leads “stuck” in your pipeline, don’t assume you did something wrong or shoot your reps.

Instead, ask yourself this:

“Do
these
prospects
know
how
to
buy
our
solution
before
they
ever
speak
with
a
sales rep?”

54 of the last 56 pr…https://t.co/ZeqoGHg7Km

[Steve Rankel @SteveRankel]

Most content sells nothing. Why?

In the last decade my teams have conducted over 2,000 interviews with B2B buyers.

Guess how many buyers mentioned content, email drips, ABM or the like as a key influencer in their purchase?

None.

Let that sink in for…https://t.co/kjVHeRRqyB

[Steve Rankel @SteveRankel]

Most content sells nothing. Why?

In the last decade my teams have conducted over 2,000 interviews with B2B buyers.

Guess how many buyers mentioned content, email drips, ABM or the like as a key influence in their purchase?

None.

Let that sink in for a…https://t.co/EGfIKDZ1o2

[Steve Rankel @SteveRankel]

Like many others – possibly you as a reader – I was bullied as a child.

I was overweight and shy (98 pounds in 4th grade, 214 pounds by 9th). That didn’t help.

It messes with your head, and warps how you think others view you.

Now, from an early age I…https://t.co/Ft7cIcgV5a

[Steve Rankel @SteveRankel]

In the spirit of Friday, I’m sharing this video from the Austrian Alps last summer on training your sales reps to speak in the voice or language of your customers…

(And yes, the tire squeal IS a car almost crashing nearby)

Hope it helps you enjoy a bit…https://t.co/YbqmbYtbim

[Steve Rankel @SteveRankel]

What treasures live in the gap between you and your customer?

Is it:

- Indisputable proof of your value that no prospect could ignore?

- New products they wish you’d offer?

-Surprising answers to the question “what should we be doing now?”

-A modifie…https://t.co/PR4pVxhckH

[Steve Rankel @SteveRankel]

My wife has gently suggested I need to find a hobby, since I work so much.

So I began praying and looking around for an old motorcycle or ATV that my oldest daughter and I could wrench on. I tell my younger brother and a few weeks pass.

One day Andrew c…https://t.co/kdPSXMERNF