Selling 2.0

Reach your full sales potential

Research on the next generation of "iPad" ready digital magazines
"The Case for Advertising in Interactive Digital Magazines" 
Sponsored by VIVmag and and Nxtbook Media 

Digital magazines are not takes seriously as advertising vehicle within the online media buying community. This project was developed to overcome that resistance by zooming in on just a handful of successful interactive digital magazines and focus. The results have captured the imagination of the media buying community. The study has been reviewed in Media Life, Folio Magazine, Dishy Mix and others. In addition, the study has motivated many publishers to try new digital magazine ventures and is in the process of helping the BPA develop a new audit for digital magazines.
Download HERE
Research on selling through a recession
"What is Your Recession Sales Strategy?"

Published by "The Customer Collective" 
sponsored by Oracle Corporation Build traffic for the website as well as register high end sales leads for Oracle Corporation Activities. Instead of just creating yet another "best practices" white paper by gathering current thinking, this white paper was based on a research study that uncovered facts about how businesses were strategically reacting to the recession. The study uncovered a number of opportunities and pitfalls that had previously not been discussed by creating a fundamentally new piece of content the white paper broke all records for numbers of downloads. Soon after its release it became the #1 downloaded financial management white paper on ZDNets's world wide network of websites for several weeks. Findings from the study were reported on most major business publication websites including Forbes, BusinessWeek, Entreprenuer, Inc., Fast Company, Sales and Marketing Management, Internet Week, Information Age, Sales Management 2.0, and Smart Biz.
In April the Customer Collective was approached by Kraft Foods asking for permission to use the study for the sales training of their sales directors in 64 countries.
In early March of this year this white paper again rose to be the top loaded white paper world wide and has remained there for the past 4 weeks.

This is an example of how content marketing can be driven creating a fundamentally unique piece of content that examines a common problem from a fundamnetally different point of view. While it is easy to manage a content management program where you shift and aggregate content around, the bigger challenge is to come up with a unique piece of content that no one else has. If that can be achieved the content itself becomes newsworthy and attracts a tremendous amount of attention and activity. Developing content through the use of surveys is a terrific way to achieve this end.
Click HERE

Research on social media in the apartment community market
"At the Tipping Point: Social Media in the Multi-Family Industry"
  published by NCI,
  sponsored by ApartmentFinder.com

NCI launched a major initiative in the real estate industry making a bid to become the social media project managers for hundreds of apartment complexes throughout the country. I helped this process by researching both apartment complex managers and apartment complex residents. By comparing the two parties we were able to better udnerstand how to move this news program into the market. Findings from the market research were rolled into a white paper that you can download. News of this highly innovative program from NCI was carried on the BusinessWeek website where the study was referred to.
Click HERE

Research on social media trends 
"The Coming Change in Social Media Business Applications"
published by "Social Media Today"

sponsored by Neustar,

Challenge. While social media has a lot of buzz, many are finding it challenging to make money at it. Social Media Today is the leading B2B website for social media business applicatIons. The publisher was challenged to sell more sponsorships and wanted a way to approach businesses in a way that could explain the business case for social media.
Result. NeuStar was so excited about the results they launched a major online ad campaign that included advertising placed in LinkedIn, Facebook, and the Lucive media and Federated media networks as well as ads on the Smart Brief, IT Tool Box, and LifeHacker.com websites. The study was the first to identify the trend where social media is being morphed from a tool of public relations and marketing into a core strategy developer in its own right. The study has been translated into Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese and replicated locally for comparison in South Africa.
Click HERE

Research
All our programs and books are research based. Here are results from completed studies:   

Research on persuasive presentations
  published by McGraw Hill,
  from the book "Presentations That Change Minds," click HERE.

Research on selling difficult customers 
  published by Amacom Books,
  from the book "Tough Calls," click HERE.

Research on motivating customers to buy
  published by Berkley Books, 
  from the book "Selling 2.0," click HERE.

Gordon has done research for the following companies:

Manufactures:
Sony Electronics,  The Wiremold Company, Nikon, Maxell,  MCI, Axcera, Comarc, Telecast Fiber, Ai, Gould Shawmut, Dielectric  Communications, Miller Fund Head, MYAT, Ikegami, For-A Corp, ITS

Hi-Tech:
Oracle, Avid Technologies, NeuStar, Drastic Technologies, Digital Graphix,

Social Media companies:
Social Media Today, The Customer Collective,The Energy Collective,

Digital media:
Digital Signage Update 

Magazines: 
Selling Power, Presentations, Technologies for Worship, Expo, Broadcast Engineering, millimeter Magazine, Point of Purchase, CEE News

Pharmaceutical:
DePuy Spine- a division of Johnson&Johnson

Associations:
American Business Media, National Association of Publishers Representatives
The following articles have been noted about Tough Calls:

Business Marketing
Costco Connection
Fortune
Sales and Marketing Management
Sales Force (UK)
 
Additional Articles:

Visa International's intranet
Feb 2002: Josh's "Selling Through a Slump" article Visa International's intranet

salesBusiness (Germany)
"So werden Sie zum 'Kundenmotivierer'" 11/'01 Pg. 1 2 3

Business 2.0
05/01/01; Josh's Picture on pg. 47

SalesForce Magazine (UK)
Interview 05/01; Pg 1 2

CRM Manager
Link to the article

XTV World
Link to the article

"Fast Company Now"
Lists ways to persuade from the book

"Sales Reps Advisor"
Cover story and 4 page article "How Persuasive are Your Presentations?"

"Realtor" Magazine
Read the review

Chronicles of a MBA wannabe
"inspired by the book"

"News So Like The Satan" (UK)
Republicans and Democrats persuade differently

Press coverage from "Tough Calls"

Broadcast Coverage:

  • The FORTUNE Business Report

  • CNN: “Who’s in Charge” 

  • CNBC: “Minding Your Business” 

  • NPR: on PRI’s “Marketplace” 

  • Wall Street Journal Television “Money Works” 

  • Business News Network radio 

  • KFNN Financial News radio

  • Global Voice (Canada) “The World Report” 

Book Clubs & Audio Programs 

  • Selected by Audio-Tech Business Book Summaries as one of the best and most interesting business books of 1997, audio summary created for their subscribers 

  • Selected by The Newbridge Book Club Executive Program as an offering, Winter 1997

  • Selected by Sound View Executive Book Summaries for their “Executive Help” offering, January 1997

  • Selected by the Folio: Library Book Club, and featured with a full page promotion that mailed over the cover of the May 1, 1997 issue of Folio: magazine

  •  Selected by Sales & Marketing Management magazine (UK) for an in- publication offering to their readers, March 1998

  • Selected for audio interview Selling Power Live! Volume 1 Number 4 

Featured on the cover of the following publications: 

  • Cover story: Simon & Schuster’s “Professional Selling” 5-25-97

  • Cover story: “The Competitive Advantage” 5-97 

  • Cover story: “Sell!ng Magazine“ 4-97 

  • Cover story: “The Selling Advantage” 4-97 

  • Cover story: “The Competitive Advantage” 3-97 

  • Cover story: “The Selling Advantage” 3-97 

  • Cover story: Resource Strategies Institute’s “Managing Sales & Marketing” 2-97 

  • Cover story: “Sell!ng Magazine” 2-97 

  • Cover story: “The Competitive Advantage 10-97   

Other notable coverage: 

  • USA Today

  • Fortune

  • Business Week

  • Success

  • Crain’s New York Business

  • Selling Power

  • “Money” magazine’s “Your Company”

  • The Costco Connection

  • Electrical Marketing

  • Pharmaceutical Representative

  • The Sales Rep’s Advisor

  • Business Marketing

  • Golf Pro Operations

  • Life Insurance Selling

  • Work Wise,” Mildred Culp’s syndicated newspaper column

  • Brooklyn’s Progress

  • Darnell’s Sales & Marketing Executive Report UK

  • The Mail on Sunday (UK)

  • Sales Force” magazine (UK)

  • Sales & Marketing Management (UK) 

  • Business News (Canada) 

  • Biz Magazine (Canada) 

  • Strategems” (Canada)