Inbound 17 - 3 Sessions We're Most Looking Forward To - Josh C.

The annual Inbound conference is awesome for a variety of reasons. It covers marketing, sales, leadership, culture, growth, and more. There's a ton of great inspiration. The networking opportunities are endless. And the parties...well, let's just say they're a jolly good time. ;)

I'll tell you from experience (this will be my 5th Inbound) that because there are so many breakout sessions, deciding which ones to attend can be difficult. We're going to help out by giving you a heads up as to the ones we're most looking forward to attending.

As someone heavily involved in sales and excited about the inbound sales movement, the sessions I'm most looking forward to fall in that category. Without further ado, here they are (in alphabetical order):

B2B Buyers Say They'll Meet with You and Buy from You IF You'll Make This Shift

Speaker: Deb Calvert - President of People First Productivity Solutions

Time: Thursday, Sep 28, 1:00 PM - 1:45 PM

In full disclosure...I do know Deb and she's one of the best human beings you will ever talk to!

What I love about the session is that it's based on research of what B2B buyers actually want from their sales people. Historically it seems as though sales people (especially stubborn ones) already think they know what their prospects want and refuse to stray from that path. However, the research shows that there are 30 specific behaviors that help to not only improve sales, but also customer loyalty. What's great for someone like myself that leans more towards inbound sales is that these 30 behaviors aren't the traditional sales behaviors we might think of, but instead leadership behaviors.

Whether you're someone that has been in more of a legacy sales role and trying to make a shift or an avid inbound sales person, this is a session you won't want to miss!

If you have a chance to catch Deb around the conference and have even a short conversation with her, you'll quickly realize why I said she's one of the best humans out there!

Here's the session description:

Research with B2B buyers reveals 30 specific behaviors that translate into more sales and customer loyalty. But they aren't traditional selling behaviors. Nope. Buyers respond more favorably to leadership behaviors. You and your sellers can make simple behavioral shifts to woo buyers and advance more sales. Find out about the ground-breaking research and learn what the 30 behaviors are that B2B buyers are practically begging you to demonstrate more frequently.

How to Transition Your Sales Organization to #InboundSales

Speaker: Dan Tyre - Director, HubSpot

Time: Tuesday, Sep 26, 11:45 AM - 12:30 PM

Dan is a great speaker and a ball of energy (that might be an understatement). More importantly, he truly believes in his message!

I'm looking forward to this session more to help our clients than our own team. We've already fully embraced the inbound sales philosophy and really didn't have much experience with legacy sales in which we need to be convinced to change our habits.

However, most of our clients are in the B2B space and their sales teams are comprised of people that are natives to legacy sales and inbound sales is a new approach. These sales teams aren't necessarily fighting back against the inbound sales approach...they get it. But, to go from traditional sales to this new approach is a big change and as we all know, change is hard.

My goal with this session is to gather as much information as I can so that I can pass on that knowledge to sales teams that are looking to make that shift and who better to provide that advice than Dan Tyre. Looking forward to this one!

Here's the session description:

Inbound Marketing is a philosophy that embodies helping rather than pushing. While inbound marketers have embraced the philosophy and methodology, some sales teams have been reticent to embrace the change. Learn valuable tips and techniques to introduce the concepts, explain the value, encourage cooperation, and win the hearts, minds, and quota of your sales team or your customers' sales teams.

The Science of Improving Sales Results

Speaker: David Hoffeld - CEO & Chief Sales Trainer from Hoffeld Group

Time: Wednesday, Sep 27, 10:30 AM - 11:15 AM

I've never seen David speak before and don't really know anything about him, but the session caught my attention.

First, who doesn't want to improve sales results? Second, science.

If there's a science behind something, I want to have at the very least a general understanding of it. It's not that I love science itself...because I don't -- but what I do love is data and facts. If I can have a better understanding of the science (hopefully based on data and facts) behind how people make a buying decision, that's powerful information!

Am I appealing to the right emotions? Using the correct verbiage? Using the right voice tone? There's so much that comes into play when making a buying decision, so being in a sales role I want to be aware of all of these aspects and incorporate them into my process.

Here's the session description:

What makes one salesperson outperform another? Because of the explosion of scientific research into how our brains create buying decisions and the specific factors that enable heightened levels of sales performance, we know the answer to this important question. In this thought-provoking, content-rich session, David Hoffeld will share how to align how you sell with how the brain forms choices and the specific qualities that have been scientifically proven to improve sales success.

Bonus

Rand Fishkin - Session Day, Time & Title TBA

I know what you might be thinking...how can you possibly add this to your list if you don't even know what he's going to talk about. Easy...it's Rand!

Being someone that started in this industry with SEO, I probably nerd out more for an SEO celebrity than most, but his message is always important so it should appeal to a wider audience. Most likely the session will be SEO in nature and even if you can't take the information back and implement it yourself, it will give you a topic to talk about with your marketing & SEO teams.

I'll update this post once I get more information on his session, but when I heard the announcement I knew he had to be in my edition of 3 Sessions I'm Most Looking Forward to at Inbound 17...even though it's my 4th.

Side Note

I'm a people person (LinkedIn). I'll be at inbound and if you'll be there as well, I'd love to meet you, even if it's just to say hello or share a high five. If you see me walking around, please feel free to stop me for a chat!

If you have questions about the conference and are curious if you should attend, I'd be happy to share some insight with you. Use the button below and schedule some time on my calendar...let's talk!