TV Ad Buy and Airing Intel Now in Winmo

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Winmo has teamed up with real-time TV ad measurement leader iSpot.tv to give users of its sales intelligence platform a valuable tool for winning ad revenue. The new integration, available to customers of Winmo’s top-tier subscription plans, brings a selection of TV ad metrics from iSpot.tv into the Winmo platform, breaking down broadcast media budgets alongside the decision-makers who spend them. Likewise, Winmo integrated its sales intelligence into the dashboard of iSpot.tv, allowing iSpot customers to get contact information when utilizing its advertising analytics platform.

The Technology

iSpot.tv’s proprietary TV ad measurement technologies provide disruptive brands and TV networks with a comprehensive view of advertising activity across linear, time shifted, OTT and on-demand TV environments. The company measures impressions, attention to creatives and connects ad exposures to business outcomes. While the company is largely known as the leading measurement platform for brands and networks, the Winmo integration builds on the data’s inherent value to sellers as well.

“Our goal is to provide publishers, networks and agencies breakthrough transparency into TV ad intelligence as a part of a complete picture of an advertiser,” said Dave Currie, CEO of Winmo’s parent company, List Partners LLC. “This brings key ad metrics from iSpot.tv into Winmo’s advertiser profiles, as well as enhanced lead-targeting that empowers our customers to win and retain more ad business.”

The Integration

Initially present on over 1,600 advertiser profiles in Winmo, the iSpot.tv ad metrics integration allows users to jump directly from a brand’s contacts and agency relationships to its TV creative, airings, top networks and top TV shows, offering a 360-degree view of how budgets are being spent.

Enhanced Search: Media by Network Filter

In addition to viewing the TV ad metrics directly on advertiser profiles, Winmo is beta testing search functionality that narrows down advertisers by network, based on a window of airing data from iSpot.tv.

Users can leverage the new Media by Network search filter to hone in on brands whose ads have appeared on specific media properties, making the integration a valuable tool for identifying targets spending with competing networks.

Search TV Networks

The result is a seamless experience where ad sellers can find leads, qualify opportunities, and then, using the proprietary business intelligence Winmo is known for, identify the exact brand and agency buyers making purchase decisions to close more deals.

About Winmo

Winmo’s advertiser and agency database tracks decision-makers who control $100 billion in marketing spend each year, allowing sellers to build lists, open doors, and close deals faster than ever before. In addition to up-to-date contact details, Winmo’s award-winning sales intelligence platform boasts trigger-based opportunity alerts, integrated ad spend and buying behavior – all designed to help sellers reach the right contacts on the right accounts at the right time. For more information or to request a free trial, visit winmo.com.

About iSpot.tv

iSpot is a TV advertising measurement company that brings transparency, digital-like precision, and control to disruptive brands. The real-time platform empowers marketers with a complete view of advertising impressions, engagement, attention conversion across all forms of TV, and connects those analytics to business outcomes. To learn more, visit www.ispot.tv.

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Sponsorship Expert: How to Close Your Sponsorship Deal With Data

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Not all data is created, says Winmo partner and sponsorship expert Larry Weil. Instead, he’s sharing how to close a sponsorship deal with data points that are actually meaningful to prospects, and what insights to leave OUT of your pitch deck.

You have done your homework and have used insights to identify a prospect that is likely to value your property. You have figured out your value proposition. You have captured their interest and got the call or the meeting. You have invested hours in creating an appealing presentation. You have told your story, captured their imagination. You can feel it, they are interested. It wasn’t easy to get here, but you are now way down the sales funnel.

The next step is the going to be analytics. Your prospect will ask for the data to measure the potential performance of your proposal. You send them your web, social, demographics and attendance. A few days go by. Things start to slow down. Calls aren’t getting returned. Everything grinds to a halt. What went wrong?

Big brands are sophisticated about data. They have likely invested millions and millions of dollars in collecting, analyzing and reporting the information they need to make decisions. If you want them to take your sponsorship proposal seriously, you must be able to speak the language of data and provide them with insights that validate choosing your property for partnership.

If you are a Winmo user as I am, you are already used the platform to identify the prospect, understand how they spend their marketing dollars, identify triggers, budgets, even how to appeal to individual decision makers.

Why do you do this? Because it helps you make much better decisions about who is a good prospect and who is not. But are you giving your prospect a similar quality of data that allows them to make the right decisions about working with you? My experience is that in many cases the answer is no.

So how do we fix that? Let’s start by identifying what kind of data is and is not going to help you close deals.

The Sponsorship Data That Doesn’t Matter

When I am onboarding clients one of the first things we ask about is what kind of data they have. Usually, they respond with:

  1. Event data: Attendance, traffic, run of show
  2. Social data: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter
  3. Website data: Views, clicks, time on site
  4. Demographics: Age, Gender, Income

I try to help my clients understand that these measurements mostly don’t get to the root of what is most valuable to brands. It won’t present your property as having more than a rudimentary level of data. I’m not suggesting you throw these insights aways; I’m suggesting that it won’t close any deals. Here is why:

  1. Event data like attendance is often exaggerated and hard to verify
  2. Social data value is about engagement and alignment in volumes that move the needle for the prospect. It is as much about the quality of the content and alignment with the prospect’s desired audience as it is about the number of followers
  3. Website data: The value of views and clicks without the context of who is viewing and clicking is almost nothing.
  4. Demographics: If you are still talking about demographics I suggest a reboot. Here is what I mean: Demographics may tell you that your audience contains a large segment of women 18 to 35 years old. But your prospect is going to want to know if these women working professionals or stay at home moms, what are their interests, what are their values, do they shop online? Basic demographics don’t tell you anything about their lifestyle, values, attitudes, and preferences, which is what determines why and how they buy.

Close Your Sponsorship Deal With Data That Matters

To get to the information that will get the deal closed, try thinking about this the way to prospect would. They need some data that proves what you say and makes your property a match and worth the investment. Here some key data points that will help close the deal:

  1. Audience Alignment: Provide human insights. What are the values, goals, and lifestyle of your audience that confirm that they are who your brand prospect wants and will pay you to access? How do you know this?
  2. Level of Engagement: Go beyond clicks and likes. How long is your audience engaged? What engages them? How do they participate? What are they saying and doing? What content or activities do they engage with and why?
  3. Volume, Frequency, and Scale: Once you have convinced the prospect that the audience is aligned and engaged, provide data that demonstrates that it is in a meaningful volume. A thousand new prospects a year isn’t going to be worth the time to a big brand.
  4. Cost per, vs. other alternatives: Your competition for this business may not be others in your same business segment. If you are an event, you need to know that your cost per new customer for your prospect compares favorably with other channels. If your CPM is $200 and your prospect can get the same quality of leads from a TV or Digital campaign for a CPM of $15 you are sunk.

If you can use data to show that your attendees or audience is the one the prospect values, that they are engaged in a meaningful way, that you have a large number and that you can provide them at a competitive cost. You will close the deal.

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Why Referrals Are a Bad Business Development Strategy

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Out of curiosity, what’s your agency’s business development strategy? If you said, “I don’t know,” “We don’t have one,” or “Referrals,” then this blog is for you.

We hear it all the time: “Our agency doesn’t need to prospect for new business, because we’re already swamped with Super Big and Lucrative Client.” But ask yourself, what happens if Super Lucrative Client takes their business elsewhere? What was once a rosy picture turns bleak, and fast.

Should worse come to worse and you do lose an important client, it’s vital that your agency has a strategy underway to find and finesse new relationships. Moreover, we at Winmo firmly believe that the natural influx of working relationships shouldn’t dictate the rise and fall of your small agency empire. To help you consider your agency’s business development strategy, we’re sharing some vital contextual info about agency business development and detailing why referrals are no longer a viable business strategy. Plus, we’ve got some top tips on how to jumpstart your agency’s business development quickly and effectively.

Reality Check: The State of Agency Business Development

We’re not really ones for fear-mongering, but we believe that it’s fair to say that changes in the agency and media landscape are some cause for concern in terms of business development. Here’s what’s up:

  1. Agencies are underestimating what marketers really want: According to Hubspot and the 2017 RWS/US report, less than half of agencies anticipated an increase in marketing budget, while almost 70% of marketers expected to spend more money. This could reflect tentative optimism on the part of agencies, but it also represents opportunity — agencies that don’t expect more spend might not push for more business. The takeaway: Proactive agencies have more chance to be rewarded in a high-spend market, so be sure to have a finger firmly on the pulse of your marketing department targets.
  2. Agencies are spending less on people, marketing, and sales: As brands and marketers shift towards project-based work (more on that in a second), more agencies are looking to scale back business operations. We see this all the time at Winmo; agencies drop line items and cut costs to shore up profits. The only problem: getting rid of or scaling back your business development and marketing teams in the hopes of becoming a more profitable company is a logical fallacy. To grow a business and financially unchain an agency from the whims of a few big clients requires investment in key people and tools.
  3. Project-based work is on the rise: Your agency may already be feeling the pinch of the project-based contract. The days of the AOR are on the decline as marketers continue to look for fluidity with creative partners. Last year, RWS/US reported that 35% of agencies had ~60% of project work, up a massive 15% from the previous year. Today, projects are more than a quick payday for agencies; more and more, this parsed out work will be the seeds of a lasting and lucrative relationship with a client. When considering a project, think beyond the current moment and consider, “Is there a possibility for future work with this client?” A forward-thinking approach will be vital in developing robust relationships over time.
  4. Say hello to the in-house agency: According to Hubspot, “Nearly 80% of agencies predict their clients will move some marketing services in-house in 2017 — that’s a 23% increase over 2016’s prediction.” While it’s likely that the work that’s moving in-house will be smaller projects, it’s important to be conscious of that trend.

The agency as an institution isn’t going anywhere; the incredible work produced by agencies of all sizes represents far too much value to disappear overnight. But the landscape is changing! It’s important that your agency move, and more importantly grow, with it.

What NOT To Do: Why You Shouldn’t Rely on Referrals Alone

So, full disclosure: we’re a sales intelligence company, so we have a stake in the idea that referrals are a bad growth strategy.

But, actually, referrals ARE a bad growth strategy!why referrals are bad business development strategy

In 2007, 94% of agencies chose “referrals” as one of their three primary sources of new business for the firm. In 2011, that number dipped to 71%. This year’s RWS/US report revealed that referrals are at an all-time low, with only 64% reporting the channel as a top-three source of business.

We all know that the Don-Draper-drinking-at-the-office days of the agency world are out of date. Just as antiquated, though, is the idea that business should come to you. The fact is, proactivity is rewarded, and projects or accounts are earned. “Grow” is an active verb, not a passive noun.

Really, it’s simple math: the more chances you have to win business, the more likely you are to win business. Referrals are great (when they happen), and we’re not suggesting that you abandon the networking ship altogether. Instead, we’re arguing for the maximalist strategy; increase your development channels, actively prospect potential clients, and create a robust business pipeline to see your agency flourish.

The Solution: 4 Business Development Tips

If you’re looking to expand your business development capacities and aren’t sure where to start, consider these four tips:

  1. Invest in the right tools: What’s a painter without a brush? It’s critical to arm your business development team with the right tools to find and contact your prospects. Better yet, invest in WinmoEdge (the crystal ball of agency shifts, with a 74% accuracy record) and discover what the power of predictive sales intelligence can do for your business.
  2. Be persistent: But polite! Follow up is basic, but as Don Rheem (an employee engagement expert) shared with us, common sense is not necessarily common practice. While you never want to come across as pushy, it’s important to continue reaching out, even if you hear nothing back. We have some great resources for prospecting email subject lines and templates, and we recommend you take advantage!
  3. Stay on-message: Another interesting takeaway from the RWS/US survey revealed that marketers feel agencies talk too much about themselves, and not enough about the brand or business. Always remember to keep your client and their business central to your prospecting and pitches. Your value-add is important, but your knowledge and expertise about a potential client will set your agency apart.
  4. If you’re lost, ask for help: If you’re at a loss for where to begin with business development and are ready to invest some resources into developing a robust pipeline, consider outsourcing your business development needs. Catapult New Business will work for your business like any in-house employee, using industry expertise and the right tools to reach your next Super Big and Lucrative Client.

Ready to jumpstart your business development strategy today? Request a Winmo trial and flood your pipeline with valuable prospects.

 

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Sales Email Templates: 7 Emails Worth Sending

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Sales email templates: the ultimate hack.

Salespeople know that email is vital to an effective prospecting strategy. If you feel like it’s time to change up your email outreach — whether that’s because it’s no longer delivering the returns you’ve come to expect, or because you were never really certain where to start in the first place — you’ve come to the right place. As a sales organization ourselves, we at Winmo have access to some of the most tried-and-true sales emails. We assembled a crack team of salespeople and asked our team: what works for you?

Below, you’ll find seven emails (plus subject lines!) that our team relies upon when reaching out to prospects. Stripped of the Winmo-specific language, these mad-libs-style templates are ready-made for your sales success. Download the templates and get to emailing!

P.S. Find a template the really works for you? Let us know in the comments below!

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adtech to watch in 2018

AdTech You Need to Know About: AdThink 2018

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In the ever-changing world of technology, it can be challenging to keep up with the latest AdTech and MarTech developments. Enter: AdThink, a collaborative event with the Winmo, Redbooks (recently acquired by Winmo), and the Ad Club of New York highlighting up-and-coming technologies that you need to know about.

Earlier this month, AdThink’s August event featured three exciting technology companies, Arkadium, BoardActive, and StatSocial. To share the wealth, we’ve dropped in some highlights from each presentation, as well as more details about each product.

Take a closer look at the AdTech featured below!

AdTech Made To Enhance Content: Meet InHabit by Arkadium

Arkadium provides interactive website content, including data visualizations, games, quizzes, and polls, to digital publishers like Sports Illustrated, USA Today, Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times. Launched in 2001, the company has a hand in content and game development across a variety of channels, providing everything from Microsoft software’s Solitaire game to data visualizations on Sports Illustrated’s website.

Arkadium’s newest product, InHabit, takes the company’s mission of providing engaging content to the next level by utilizing artificial intelligence to populate ƒactives™, defined by the company as, “Arkadium’s interactive data visualization that amplifies human editorial with artificial intelligence, boosting user interaction and session duration.” The company’s code is placed on a page, where it automatically reads the content and processes the main idea of the article. Using that AI, a “ƒactive” about the main idea is places on the page with relevant data. For a better understanding of the product, check out Arkadium VP of Product Robert Caliolo’s fantastic Tom Brady example in the video above.

According to InHabit’s mission, the company has designed “sports ƒactives™” to break their own news by highlighting the most salient data, as predetermined by a human sports editor. “If a watercooler-worthy statistic comes out of last night’s game, and it’s contextually relevant, it’ll be included in a ƒactive™ and embedded in an article automatically,” says the company.

Best of all, these graphics demonstrably increase user retention (by 37%), engagement (by 39%), and session duration (by 100%). While InHabit is only rolled out to sports editorial platforms right now, the company sees potential across subjects. In his AdThink Q&A session, Caliolo said, “We think InHabit is much larger than sports. We think it’s relevant for any data-heavy industry. Finance, real estate, weather, politics, entertainment — we think all of these are really interesting.”

Learn more about InHabit and Arkadium, and check out the video above to learn more about the product and parent company.

When AdTech Gets Personal: Meet BoardActive

Meet BoardActive, a visual signage software that connects advertisers to consumers via their mobile devices. The company’s software, iAdvertising, places targeted ads and special offers on consumers’ smartphones when they drive, walk, or ride past any “BoardActivated” media — like a billboard, bus advertisement, etc. BoardActive aims to create synergy across platforms when consumers encounter advertising; whether or not a consumer is aware, the company is, in essence, engineering messaging serendipity.

The mechanism with which BoardActive is able to push these offers to geotargeted consumers is called AdDrop™. When consumers enter a geofenced area around an advertiser’s message, consumers are pushed an AdDrop message with offers to their mobile device. These messages and offers are completely customizable for each advertiser, including dates and times of messages, offers and promotions, information, immersive media, and more. While a consumer might not actively engage with your initial ad, AdDrop messaging can’t be avoided — meaning more reach, and more influence over buying behavior.

A boon for advertisers: these push notifications pop up regardless of whether or not a consumer is using your app currently, and push to the home screen, even when a phone is locked. Should a consumer miss the notification, a badge will appear on the advertiser’s app.

Unique to BoardActive’s value statement is its ease for advertisers on the platform. Once the iAdvertising STK is embedded onto an advertiser’s site, the company can immediately begin pushing AdDrops to users — no additional software of functionality required.

Learn more about BoardActive’s unique offering from CMO Jeff Gropper in the video above, and check out their website for more on the platform’s technology, tracking, and results.

AdTech X Audience: Meet StatSocial

StatSocial breaks down social following into granular, actionable insights. Want to know about the @Nordstrom following’s buying behavior? StatSocial can help you out. Interested in learning about the people mentioning @HBO in social posts? StatSocial is your tool. The use cases go on, and on, and on.

adthink img 3But that’s not all! StatSocial can also help target a particular segment across social channels. An example: If you want to target 25 to 34-year-old males who make over $50,000 a year, live in NYC, and watch Game of Thrones, StatSocial can find and target those individuals on social. The platform can also give you detailed data and insights about this group, like what other shows they watch, who they follow on social, their favorite brands and celebrities, and more.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the StatSocial platform is its ability to go deep — real deep. According to the company, the platform’s “multi-layer taxonomy indexes 370 interests, 1,100 tv shows, 8,200 consumer brands and 22,000 celebrities” to find exactly what you’re looking for in an audience profile across 40,000 distinct segments. And with data from 60+ social and blogging platforms scanned, StatSocial take “thorough” to the next level.

StatSocial Matt Hussey broke down a recent use case for our AdThink and really highlighted how the platform helps brands and advertisers learn about followings, both of owned channels and those of competitors. Check out the video above, and learn more about StatSocial on their website.

P.S. Feeling compelled by the StatSocial product? Request a Winmo trial and get familiar with our StatSocial integration.

Why Prospecting Is Important: Eight Tips For Reaching the Decision Maker

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Updated: June 6, 2019

You might be thinking, “Why is prospecting important for sales?” First, it’s important to answer the question: what is prospecting? Prospecting, the first step in the sales cycle, is the process of identifying and connecting with potential customers. The goal of prospecting is to build a sales pipeline, wherein a salesperson consistently connects with a potential customer to develop a rapport with the intention of eventually, closing a sale.

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You may be thinking, is prospecting really essential to your company and team success? Maybe you’ve got your eyes set on a few big-name partners to buy a majority of your available inventory and don’t think that traditional prospecting is really applicable for your business. Perhaps you don’t know or care why prospecting is important, because you’ve got a lot going on. Lean teams and big expectations are a dime-a-dozen in the sponsorship world, and we’re willing to bet that you’re pretty busy.

Prospecting isn’t optional if you want to be successful in the sales world.

Why prospecting is important

Unfortunately, sales are rarely easy to close; similarly, identifying potential customers and connecting in a meaningful and NOT-predatorily sales-y way is actually really challenging!  Luckily, we at Winmo are here to provide some insights and tips to ease the prospecting pain and help you reach all of your wildest sponsorship sales goals and beyond.

Prospecting is important because it creates more opportunity. Think of this way: it takes time to convert a prospect to a sale and can be particularly tricky in a sponsorship context. To maximize your assets and sell to your goal (and beyond), you need to start building a sales pipeline for potential partners early and build upon it often.

Still skeptical as to how and why prospecting is important? Because ball don’t lie (and data doesn’t, either):

  • According to Hubspot, customers or brand partners want to hear from sales and partnership representatives early, particularly when they’re looking for opportunities to improve their business (71%) or trying to solve a problem (62%).
  • Eight in 10 decision-makers preferred email communication, so make sure your subject line game is on-point and that your copy is tailored to potential partners. Sales can require more buy-in than something like, say, a Winmo free trial. Hurdle the buy-in issue with personalized outreach!
  • When asked why customers were willing to have a conversation, 64% said available budget! That means that timing is critical to your success. If you’re a Winmo user, we recommend using the filtering tools in search to discern what brands are planning right now, in Q3 (a little free info: it’s 2,234 brands), and design your prospecting funnel around planning periods so that you can strike while the iron is heating up.
  • Buyers and potential customers want to know who they’re talking to before they actually dive into a deeper conversation. Over 80% of surveyed buyers said that they check a salesperson’s LinkedIn page before replying to an outreach email, so optimize that profile! Check out Hubspot’s LinkedIn recommendations here.

Now that we’ve covered the prospecting basics, let’s dive into eight tips for sales prospecting.

Eight tips for reaching decision makers

1)  Define your audience.

The process of prospecting can be overwhelming — Winmo has over 32,000 brand contacts! By defining the characteristics of your ideal partners, you can utilize search functionality to build a list that suits your needs, and narrow the field to something more manageable. Not using Winmo? The same advice applies. (Though we also recommend requesting your free trial to get a feel for what you’re missing.)

2)  Tailor your email subject line to your prospect.

If we’ve said it once, we’ve said it 21 ways. You won’t get anywhere with an email that decision makers don’t care to open. Optimize, personalize, and reach out with confidence.

3)  Strike while the iron is heating up.

Not when the iron is already hot. The timelines people in like aren’t just punctual, they’re early. Rip a page out of that book, and consider, “If you’re on time, you’re late,” your new sales mantra, because, in this business, timing is everything. Rather than waiting for agency reviews to be announced or RFPs to be sent out, target clients who are preparing to dump current partners with WinmoEdge’s predictive sales intelligence. With a 74% accuracy rate, WinmoEdge will help you prospect clients that are in the search mindset.

4)  Make prospecting a habit.

Prospecting is like exercise: the more you do it, the easier it gets. Getting in touch with a prospect is like winning the lottery, so it’s vital that you up your chances by reaching out regularly. We recommend blocking out a couple hours each day to update lists, craft emails, and follow up with potential prospects. You read that right: every day.

5) Find a commonality.

In sponsorship sales, there’s a unique opportunity to personalize your pitch to your non-profit, event, etc. Use that personalization to your advantage by finding a commonality with your prospects. It’s a known fact that people are hardwired to like people who seem similar, so use this to your advantage; we recommend using social media, LinkedIn, and professional bios to get a sense of who you’re emailing. Or, if you’re a Winmo member, use the custom Crystal Knows information to personalize your outreach efforts.

6)  Track your rejections.

While we don’t generally recommend focusing on the negative, in prospecting, we recommend keeping track of the contacts that say no, and their reasons for doing so. This process will help you refine your pitch to common concerns, and will ultimately get you that much closer to your “yes.”

7)  Utilize Influencers. 

One of the biggest mistakes salespeople make is only reaching out to top-level executives. While Vice President and C-Suite executives typically have the final say, they are also the ones whose inboxes are most inundated. The influencer is an important person to impress because they are the ones who would greatly benefit from finding the right tool or service to take their work to the next level. After capturing the influencer’s attention, they can then create a proposal for their boss and the ultimate decision-maker.

8)  Understand company size.

Depending how large or small a company is, different titles may have different responsibilities. For example, a smaller business has fewer gatekeepers, meaning you will want to approach the CEO or a member of the C-Suite. For larger businesses, the best contact may be slightly lower on the totem pole. Ultimately, the size of the company determines the types of titles to approach, and also suggests certain challenges the company may be able to overcome through using your product.

What are the benefits of prospecting?

  • More customers: The average salesperson loses about 15 to 20 percent of their customer base each year due to gradual attrition. Without prospecting, there are no leads to fill these gaps. In the game of sales, it’s important to have more customers waiting in the case of a lost sale.
  • Increased revenue: As you are well aware, more customers leads to more revenue. It’s crucial to consistently have a forward-thinking mindset and opportunities filling your pipeline.
  • Qualification: Prospecting presents a salesperson with the opportunity to understand whether a customer is qualified for their service or product. Qualifying potential prospects will create a more efficient selling system and ultimately improve your sales process as a whole.
  • Data Gathering: While prospecting may not always lead to an immediate sale, it is a source of data and a chance to conduct market research. Prospecting can answer questions such as why people buy your product, what they think of your approach, what their goals are, and assist salespeople in determining the best way to sell their product.

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If you liked this blog post, check out:

  1. Sales Prospecting: How to Write Better Cold Call Emails
  2. 8 Takeaways From The Wolf of Wall Street
  3. Time Saving Tips for B2B Sales Prospecting

 

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List Partners Named to the Inc. 5000 List for the Sixth Year

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When something good happens once, you might think it’s a fluke. When it happens twice, it might be a coincidence.

But six times? That’s a pattern of continued success.

Typically, we like to use our blog to highlight our client successes and strategies. But today, we’re thrilled to share a little success of our own! List Partners (Winmo’s parent company) has been named No. 3,525 on the 2018 Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing privately-held companies in the U.S.

As we mentioned, this isn’t our first rodeo. Last year, our fifth list appearance, we ranked No. 3,149. We also made the cut in 2016, 2011, 2010, and 2009. Over the years, the Inc. 5000 list has included companies such as Microsoft, Timberland, Vizio, Intuit, Chobani, Oracle, and Zappos.com — talk about good company!

For the uninitiated, the Inc. 5000 is an annual list of the fastest growing private companies. Presented by Inc. Magazine, the list tracks companies based on the previous three years of revenue growth. To qualify for the list, companies must be U.S.-based, privately held, and independent, not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies. Revenue in the first year of tracking must have been at least $100,000, while revenue in the most recent year of tracking must be at least $2 million.

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For some perspective, consider this: in 2016 (the most recent data available), the U.S. had 7,757,807 employers (privately-held companies that actually employ people), and 27,626,360 firms (total privately-held companies, including incorporated entities that don’t actually employ people, but likely serve as an investment vehicle). That’s a lot of corporate jargon, but when you break it down with a little simple division, it means that List Partners is in the top 0.045% of the fastest-growing businesses in the U.S.

We’re proud of this accomplishment, but we’re also acutely aware of how we’d be nothing without you, our valued clients. We’ve had a HUGE 2018 thus far (hello, Redbooks, Access Confidential, and AAR Partners acquisitions, new integrations with Crystal Knows, Hookit, and more!), but we’re not looking to slow down anytime soon.

Next up: more incredible integrations, more award-winning sales intelligence, and more incredible client service. Basically, more good stuff!

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Best Subject Lines For Sales That You Need to Start Using Today

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The best subject lines for sales: a David Blaine illusion, or real, actionable copy?

More and more, the standard sales email subject lines read as derivative, ineffectual, or overtly salesy, while more nuanced, gentle call-outs go unnoticed, unclicked, or outright ignored. We hear you! To help kick your sales email strategy into high gear, we’ve aggregated 21 of the best subject lines for sales that you need to start using today. Like, right now.

But Does The Email Subject Line Matter?

Yes. Plain and simple, email subject lines are incredibly important. According to Convince & Convert, 35% of email recipients open messages based on the subject alone, meaning that a compelling subject can be the difference maker for new contacts and prospects when sending emails!

Another important stat to keep in mind: 21% of email recipients will report email as Spam, even if he/she knows the email isn’t. If your email reads as impersonal, formulaic, or inaccurate from the jump, you have a much greater chance of going straight to Spam in the future, so be mindful!  

Four Principles of the Best Subject Lines for Sales

We’ve dropped 21 killer examples of the best subject lines for sales below, but it’s important to understand the elements of an actionable, impactful email subject line for future reference!

If you’re anything like us, you’re probably cranking out emails all day, every day. These are four of the most important tips to keep in mind when drafting the best subject lines for sales emails:

iphone vs android email subject characters

  • Keep it short: Most people read email on mobile — an estimated 54%, according to the Litmus 2017 State of Email Report. That means that email subject lines should be tailored for mobile viewing!
  • Play to Emotions: Even the most hardened of business decision makers make impulse decisions based on emotional responses, an important principle to keep in mind when crafting email subject lines. If your subject line elicits an emotional response — think flattery, intrigue, excitement, even anger —  recipients are exponentially more likely to open your email. (Let’s avoid needless manipulation though, OK?)
  • Be Specific: Detailed subject lines, like detailed writing, produce better results. When writing email subject lines, use specific numbers, facts, figures, and language to grab attention.
  • Get Personal: Dale Carnegie, author of the iconic “How to Win Friends and Influence People,” once wrote that, “A person’s name is to him or her the sweetest and most important sound in any language.” Personalization, like a first name, a location, reference to a mutual friend, or significant date, is an easy way to engender yourself to potential prospects quickly. Plus, it demonstrates your willingness to speak directly to a prospect (and work a little harder for the sale).

Pro Tip: Ensure your personalization is tailored to a prospect by using Winmo’s Crystal Knows integration. With accurate insights into contact’s personality, communication style, and even emoji recommendations, Crystal Knows will arm you with the valuable information you need to create killer subject lines and email content for every prospect.

dale carnegie quote

 

21 of the Best Subject Lines for Sales to Start Using Today

  1. [Mutual Connection] recommended I reach out. 
    • Never underestimate the power of the referral. If you share a connection, shout them out in your subject line to create a compelling reason to open your email.
  2. Kiki, do you love me?
    • If you’re emailing prospects that might have some familiarity with current trends (think younger), why not switch it up? Drake’s ubiquitous cultural moment, the “In My Feelings” challenge, is one way to break up your prospect’s inbox. Free idea: include a gif for maximum Drake-ness.drake in my feelings gif
  3. Question about [prospect goal]. 
    • Leave ‘em wanting more by indicating that you have a question without actually sharing your inquiry.
  4. Congrats on [recent prospect accomplishment]! 
    • From new roles to work anniversaries and everything in between, congratulations and flattery are an easy way to personalize and play to emotions. Scan those LinkedIn updates!
  5. Just saw your note on [industry blog] 
    • Are you connecting with a prospect after coming across a comment or inquiry on an industry blog or message board? Share that information in your subject line.
  6. Did you enjoy [industry event]? 
    • Rather than exploiting a tenuous connection, reach out to a prospect by following up about a recent industry event that you both attended.
  7. Hey
    • This probably seems crazy — it’s just one word. But! If you’re reaching out to an individual prospect, the one-word email might feel more personal and less salesy. “Hey” is the kind of subject you might send to a friend, an excellent tone to strike when making a personal email connection.
  8. Who’s in charge of [function] at [company]? 
    • Posing a question in your subject line asking for the prospect’s help paves the way for a conversation. Position yourself as a student of someone else’s business rather than the expert of your own.
  9. Might be off base here…  
    • Nothing wrong with a good hedge. This subject line will make your recipient wonder, are they actually off base? 
  10. Six ideas for [pain point] 
    • All hail the listicle. People love numbered lists (see: all of Buzzfeed), so take advantage by listing out some solutions for your prospects. Try to avoid common numbers like three or five to make your subject line pop.
  11. Hoping you can help. 
    • Empower your prospect by asking him/her for help.
  12. This is how [prospect competition] does $XXXXX in a year. 
    • Don’t be afraid to entice prospects with inside information about their competition. External motivation can be compelling!
  13. Hoping to help. 
    • The inverse of the above, offering to help is still a valuable tool in your email subject line arsenal.
  14. [Name], what would you do with an extra $XXXX?
    • As we’ve discussed, messages with personalization are more likely to be opened. Coupled with a monetary incentive, your offering personal value-add for your email recipient.
  15. Are you making these mistakes? 
    • Validate your prospect’s strategies and tactics by offering mistakes to compare back to, and provide solutions to any potential issues.
  16. A new marketing strategy for [prospect company]. 
    • Don’t be afraid to lay out your email’s value-add right up top!
  17. [Name], do you have 5 minutes?
    • Sometimes, direct is best. If your email is asking for a meeting or call, lead with that ask. Warning: this only works if your email is well-researched, doesn’t feel like spam, and is genuine. Avoid creating ill will by only using this tactic when you’re ready to link up.
  18. Permission to close your account?
    • Point-blank questions solicit answers, particularly when it comes to prospect account needs.
  19. Warning: Puppies Ahead 
    • An email full of pictures of puppies is everyone’s dream, right? That’s not just us?
  20. Can we guess your biggest frustration with X? 
    • The “quiz question” or guessing game leaves email recipients wondering, and gives you the opportunity to demonstrate your understanding of prospect problems. A win-win!
  21. This will make you jump for joy! 
    • Positive, emotional, and engaging: what an email subject should be.

 

 

B2B Leads to Watch in H2: Who to Target in 2018

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So you’re looking for B2B leads to target in H2.

Good news — you’ve come to the right place! As we dive into the second half of 2018 (how did we get here already?!), it’s crucial to make savvy decisions in which CMOs and brands to target. Luckily, we at Winmo have done the lead generation legwork and can report that there are some big names likely up for agency review soon!

In our new eBook, CMOs to Watch: H2, we’ve identified six CMOs appointed in H1 that have yet to launch agency and media relationship reviews. These decision makers are poised to evaluate strategy and shake things up, so be sure to download the eBook and get on the horn before these exciting pieces of new business are scooped up.

Download eBook Now

Some eBook highlights:

  • Three major restaurant chains are poised for agency review. Hello, delicious opportunity!
  • Automotive agency specialists, pay attention! We’ve got some dynamite insights into the vulnerabilities in one big car brand’s agency and media relationships.
  • A fashion startup has a new CMO at the helm and could be ready to make a move — look sharp and get on it.
  • This omnichannel home design icon is up for grabs! Moodboard your sales pitch and get ready to wow the new CMO.
  • Contact information, galore! We’re not just naming names, we’re also hyperlinking to LinkedIn pages, available email information and more. Remember what we said about doing the legwork?!
  • Invaluable relationship information about current agencies and media relationships. Know your competition before you even walk in the room!

CMO predictive sales intelligence

Methodology: How Have We Identified These B2B Leads?

We know what you’re thinking: leads are great, but only if they’re based on genuine interest and need. We agree! That’s why we’ve used our tried-and-true methodology to identify the most significant potential contacts and clients for our loyal Winmo following.

If you’re in this business, you likely already know that a newly appointed CMO is a strong predictor of agency reviews. But maybe you’re also wondering, how have you narrowed the pool down to six CMOs? Fair question! When deciding who to highlight in our CMO eBook, we considered a variety of factors, including:

  • CMO Shifts: As it’s the subject of the CMO eBook, it won’t come as a surprise that CMO changes are a huge indicator of relationships changes. Generally, we see significant AOR changes, spending decisions, and strategy shifts in the first 6-12 months of a new CMO tenure. If a CMO in his/her first year hasn’t made changes yet, they likely will — giving you the chance to get in before the brand is sending out RFPs.
  • AOR Tenure: Agencies of record have a sweet spot — about 2.5 years — where they’re likely very safe. At that 2.5 to 3 year mark, though, vulnerability escalates, meaning opportunity for new agencies to step in and shake things up. We track AOR relationships closely, and use this information to inform our vulnerability scores!
  • Other Executive Changes: CMO appointments are often the smoking gun, but they’re usually not the only indicator of changes afoot. Any major change in a business leader, like a CEO, is likely to mean some kind of agency shakeup — everyone likes to make their mark!
  • Brand News: If you use our WinmoEdge tool, you’re familiar with the predictive sales intelligence we’re delivering on a daily basis. In the case of our CMO eBook, we’re also using it! We watch brand news, spend decisions, PR ups and downs, and more, weighing brand trends into the agency-shift equation.

CMO spotting isn’t a perfect science, but as you can see, we put some rigor behind our suggestions. Plus, this isn’t our first rodeo! Back in January, we put together a similar eBook highlighting H1 opportunities, in February, we shared this list of brands to woo, and the list goes on — not to mention our 78% success rate when predicting agency change.

Sales tips for CMOs

B2B Leads You Can Use: Your Next Steps

Information in hand, it’s time to make some moves. But first, motivation! To go along with our six CMOs, we’re sharing six prospecting tips to kickstart your sales process.

  1. Perfect Timing: Ya know how people say, there’s no such thing as perfect timing? That’s actually not true in the case of prospecting. According to InsideSales.com, the best time to email prospects is between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., while the best time to cold call is between 4:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. Also of note: Thursdays are your best prospecting day, while Tuesdays are the worst. Bottom line: Thursday at 4:15 p.m. seems like the ideal time to call!
  2. Start Strong: This will come as a no surprise, but subject lines are key when reaching out to a prospect via email. You want your subject to be “creative, compelling, and informative without giving too much away,” says Hubspot. We recommend switching it up when reaching out to any of the six CMOs featured in our eBook!
  3. Everyone Loves Previews: And not just at the movies! In this case, we’re talking about email previews. CMOs are busy people, meaning meetings, travel, and lots of time logged on mobile. Why not target that medium with the right email preview? In concert with a dynamic subject, you can pose a question and offer a solution before your prospect has even opened his/her email app. Bottom line: Use this prime real estate to reinforce your value!
  4. Know Your Stuff: It seems unlikely that a decision maker will actually pick up the phone, should you call — but just in case, it’s critical to be prepared. If you’re already a Winmo customer, use the database to get more background information on decision makers, relationships, spend, personality data, and more! If you’re new to Winmo, request a trial to see what it can do for your sales prospecting pipeline — it’s a game changer, and we’re not just saying that.
  5. Only Bring Your A-Game: Should you get the chance to get into the room with one of the decision makers outlined in our eBook, only bring the best communicators. Back in 2017, we asked our agency growth expert, Matt Chollet, “What’s the single most important thing in a new business pitch?” His answer: “I typically fall back on making sure that only your best presenters are in the room. That doesn’t always mean that the agency principals have to be there. I’ve seen some awful speaking principals that are incredibly creative, but they get into a pitch or boardroom and are just not good communicators.” Bottom line: People buy from people they like, so bring the best!
  6. Solve For X: At the end of the day, you’re offering a solution to a new leader. Lead with your value, position yourself as clearly and concisely as possible, and remember that every conversation is an opportunity. You already know that there isn’t a magic sauce when it comes to sales, so don’t force it!

Now that we’ve covered absolutely everything, go get ‘em! Download the eBook, get in the platform and flesh out that background detail, and walk confidently into H2.

Download eBook Now

Build a Better Business With Employee Engagement

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Ever watch a TEDx Talk and think, “Wow. I have to talk to that person, STAT?”

Us, too. In fact, Don Rheem’s How can work save our relationships talk stuck with Winmo leadership so much, CEO Dave Currie brought Don, a former science advisor to Congress and White House correspondent, and his team at E3 Solutions to our hometown of Atlanta, GA. In his words, Dave invited Don to speak to the group because, “at List Partners, we have a high-performance culture that enables our team and our customers to thrive. We continually invest in the best and brightest and have been honored to have Don join us this week to help us set new performance benchmarks and provide our tribe with a detailed platform for ongoing improvement.” On Monday, we did just that! Don walked our team through a day-long workshop on workplace engagement and management best practices, and to drill down into E3’s analysis of Winmo & Co.’s employee engagement survey results.

Take it from us: It. Was. Fascinating.

And on Monday, we did just that! Don walked our team through a day-long workshop on workplace engagement and management best practices, and to drill down into E3’s analysis of Winmo & Co.’s employee engagement survey results.

Take it from us: It. Was. Fascinating.

So much so, that we wanted to share five takeaways from the day:

  • You can’t do it alone:Throughout the workshop, Don emphasized that as human beings, we are hardwired to work and live better in groups. That’s why strong connections within your workplace are so meaningful! According to some of the Gallup research that Don shared with us, employees who have at least one trusted colleague at work are up to SEVEN TIMES more engaged! So whether you’re the only the only person in your workgroup or part of a behemoth team, take comfort in your coworkers.
  • Money isn’t the motivator: One particularly interesting point that Don shared was that while money is great and an essential factor in ensuring that a company is competitive in the marketplace, it is NOT a significant factor in employee engagement. Turns out, it’s things like regular recognition, personal relationships, and a shared vision amongst employees that actually drives higher engagement. Never underestimate the power of, “Thank you!”
  • Engaged employees → measurably better companies: Employee engagement, defined by Don as, “an employee’s willingness to freely give discretionary effort to their employer,” is directly correlated to company success — and that’s a fact! When we asked Don to boil it down for us, he said, “When engagement goes up, so does productivity, profitability, and retention. And some things go down: sick leave, absenteeism, waste, and the accident rate. There are very few organizing business principles that business leaders can focus on that deliver the same pervasive, consistent results that a singular focus on engaged employees provides.” Can’t argue with that!
  • Engaged employees is good for customers, too: What’s good for the company is good for the customer! When employees are highly engaged in their work, customers are happier and more loyal. Think of it like this: the employee that will go above and beyond in their day-to-day work is far more likely to go above and beyond for a customer. In turn, customer satisfaction goes through the roof and companies see greater consistent customer engagement with the brand or product. Don put it best when he said, “A rising tide lifts all boats.”
  • We love what we do — and it shows: We won’t bore you with the details, but can proudly report that the List Partners team (including Winmo, Catapult, and AAR Partners) is highly engaged in our work! That means we love what we do, we freely devote our time and energy to the job, and it shows in our attitudes and engagement results. In Don’s words, “The (List Partners) results were remarkable for a company in their first year (of engagement measurement) because the numbers were so high. It demonstrates a workplace culture where people are engaged at very high levels — much higher than other companies in their first year (of survey results).”

As a company, we take our culture very seriously; it matters that our employees are enthusiastic, fulfilled, and engaged with their work because we know that these factors result in happier, more content people, in and outside of the workplace. Don’s engagement survey results, in concert with things like being named one of Atlanta’s Best & Brightest Places to Work, help us gauge how well we’re building and maintaining the culture we want. So far, so good!  

If you haven’t had a chance to watch Don’s TEDx Talk, do! You can also check out more on the neuroscience behind employee engagement in his new book, Thrive By Design, or by following him on social media.