B2B Reads: Change Exhaustion, Effective White Papers, and Impact Statements

In addition to our Sunday App of the Week feature, we also summarize some of our favorite B2B sales & marketing posts from around the web each week. We’ll miss a ton of great stuff, so if you found something you think is worth sharing please add it to the comments below.

How to Talk to Your Audience: The right message to the right people at the right time
In this blog post, Emily Snyder underscores the importance of the buyer journey in sales. She describes it as “the complete process a buyer will go through, starting with an initial awareness of your brand, to the evaluation of your products and services, to finally deciding to make a purchase with you”. Then, Snyder offers a more detailed breakdown of the journey and how to capitalize on each step.

How To Write an Exceptional White Paper for Your B2B Brand
In this article, Sarah Parker offers the 7 key steps in creating a successful white paper for B2B marketing. She notes that a white paper “must match your marketing challenges, be structured to generate leads, address your target audience, define the scope, present evidence, offer a conclusion, and contain an effective call to action. Then it needs a proven argument and a logical structure to hold together”.

Do This, Not That For Better Team Email Communication
In her blog, Karin Hurt writes this entry on the do’s and don’ts of effective email communication. Her tips include creating a subject line protocol, being concise, using the option to call more, CC’ing to “share not escalate”, and slowing down to read what you have written.

How people development makes a company more competitive
In this blog post, Dave Coffaro explains the concept of people development, and how crucial this practice can be to a company’s competitiveness. Coffaro explains this evolution of HR: “Differentiating an organization as a people development exemplar enhances its ability to attract the best available employees and demonstrates a core commitment to continually earn and sustain organizational relevance.”

Navigating Growth During the Economic Sugar Crash
In this article, Pete Hayes offers a practical guide for those unsure how to navigate their business’ growth in the “economic sugar crash”. He cautions: “In today’s chaotic economy, we are more likely to react to news headlines and stock market trends than market insight. We might completely abandon a core strategy, or delay critical execution tactics, based on the sick feeling in our guts.” Hayes digs into data published by ITR Economics to offer insights into the best path forward for business growth leaders.

How to find (and keep) new business in the face of a recession
Mike Kapetanovic in this piece provides pointed advice towards the best practices for agencies looking to “keep a hold of clients.” While outlooks may appear grim, Kapetanovic tells readers: “the truth is that advertising isn’t going anywhere. Even if a recession is looming, there are plenty of companies that want to and need to spend money on marketing to drive growth.”

What The Best Leaders Are Doing About Change Exhaustion
In this blog post, Lolly Daskal relays some of the best characteristics for leaders to have in times of high change exhaustion among their teams. Her main tips include showing empathy, communicating constantly, managing expectations, fostering resilience, and leading from within.

What Are Your Decision-Making Strengths and Blind Spots?
In this article for the Harvard Business Review, Cheryl Strauss Einhorn seeks to give readers insight into their own decision-making strengths and blind spots. She writes: “Many of us approach decision making from the same perspective over and over. We use the same tools and habits every time, even if the decisions are vastly different. But following the same strategy for every problem limits your abilities. As for a solution, she offers that identifying your relevant “mental mistakes or cognitive biases” is crucial in improving your decision-making.

Beyond purpose statements
In this post, Adam Bryant argues that purpose statements with “fuzzy claims to greater ambition are starting to feel like just another corporate fad. It’s time to replace them with impact statements”. Bryant offers that companies (and CEOs) must now begin to shift from “lofty language that is vague and hard to pin down” to “concrete statements about the impact their companies are having on society.”

How leaders can bring people together after messing up
In this blog post, John Baldoni provides seven important traits and behaviors that leaders can exemplify after making a mistake. Baldoni urges that leaders “have to acknowledge a wrong decision and its consequences.”