17 competitive analysis metrics you must track, 5 reasons sales teams aren't hitting their goals, and what do you do if you're not a good fit for the They Ask, You Answer approach to digital marketing ...this is THE LATEST!

🔥 Hot off the presses

• Peep these numbers: You need to start tracking these 17 competitive analysis metrics pronto
• End the year strong: Here are the top 5 reasons sales pros and teams are missing their revenue goals
• It's not for everyone: What should you do if you're not a good fit for the revolutionary They Ask, You Answer approach to digital marketing?

⏰ The countdown is ON! Join us for Scaling Up Your Digital Sales and Marketing on July 28, a half-day live virtual event for business leaders looking to take their digital sales and marketing to the next level. Check out the agenda — we just added a BUNCH of new speakers — and then register for free today! 

Guess who's got two thumbs, speaks limited French, and has been hanging at IMPACT HQ today filming a mystery project for THE LATEST with two of her favorite humans...

"This moi."

"Wait, why are Dan and Alex so happy, and why are you so sad, Liz? Is this a cry for help? BLINK TWICE IF THIS IS A CRY FOR HELP!"

Don't worry, I'm fine! But I can't let the cat out of the bag just yet about what we're cooking up for y'all. We're still working on making it *chef's kiss* perfect, so you're going to have to be patient.

If, however, you're dying for a Liz fix right now, might I suggest you checking out my How to Build a Content Strategy in the Digital Age IMPACT+ course?

Yes, I know. I'm shamelessly plugging my own stuff. 

But before you pass judgment, consider these two key facts:

1. You can access this course for free with a free IMPACT+ account. 
2. This is my newsletter. So, tough cookies. I can do what I want! 😜

Ahem. Sorry about that.

See, sometimes my baser, attention-loving, only child instincts take over when I'm tuckered out. Not trying to excuse my behavior, of course, I'm just trying to provide context. 

Oy, now that I've made this sufficiently awkward, here's THE LATEST...

👉 "We want to beat competitors, but what are the most important metrics we should be tracking, and what competitive analysis tools should we be using to track them?" (13-minute read)

• What is the process for running a competitive analysis?
• What's the best way to create a digital marketing strategy in 2020?

👉 "Prospects aren't answering emails and our sales numbers are flatlining — why are our sales tactics failing, and how can we right the ship so we can meet our goals?" (11-minute read)

Here's the thing to keep in mind as you try to boost flagging sales numbers for your company — while some challenges you face may be easily fixed with some small strategic adjustments, not all will. Sometimes, you're going to need to burn everything to the ground and start over. While that may seem hard at first, there have been plenty of other sales teams in your shoes, feeling the same kinds of pressures. So, in this article from yours truly, I lay out the five most common barriers to success sales pros and teams are facing and exactly how you solve each of them... along with a bunch of resources to help you take immediate action.

💬 You asked, we answered

• What is the #1 thing sales gets wrong about marketing?
• What do marketers get wrong about sales?

👉 "The They Ask, You Answer-approach to digital marketing sounds amazing, but what do we do if we're not a great fit currently for that methodology?" (7-minute read)

At IMPACT, we believe the They Ask, You Answer approach to digital marketing is applicable to virtually all company types, sizes, and industries, as it is rooted in the universal, evergreen principle that we are all in the business of building trust with our ideal buyers, no matter what product or service we sell. Still, we know that some business leaders who have heard of They Ask, You Answer or seen Marcus Sheridan speak love the approach in theory, but don't see it as a viable strategy for their specific organization. It's with that in mind that IMPACT Account Executive David Little wrote this article which covers the four different strategies we'd recommend to businesses who don't see They Ask, You Answer is the right fit, but still want to thrive online.

💬 You asked, we answered

• Wait, what the heck is They Ask, You Answer?
• What's the difference between They Ask, You Answer and inbound marketing?

🤔 Have questions about HubSpot?

Join us on Thursday, July 30... 

Be there. It will be, as the kids say, "lit, fam."

🎒 Go back to school with IMPACT+

We've all got a lot of spare time at home now, so put it to good use! Yes, you need a free IMPACT+ account to access these, but you won't regret it:

• Watch for free: How to Turn Your CRM into the Ultimate Sales Machine
• Pro course: Crafting 'The Selling 7' Videos That Convert
• Free course: How to Optimize Your Google My Business Listing
• Discuss: Hey, content managers! Are you using these Chrome extensions?

🌶️ Hot topics in Elite

IMPACT Elite is our exclusive Facebook group for the brightest minds in digital sales and marketing. Here's the discussion that caught my eye:

• Crystal is putting on a virtual event and is looking for a comedian to bring some entertainment! Any suggestions?

🔎 In case you missed it

Here are a few of my favorite articles we've published from the past week that you may have missed:

• How much will it cost to become a world-class digital marketing case study?
• 7 reasons why your ideal buyers hate your website copy
• 10 crazy easy ways to make your blog posts completely unforgettable

👀 Weeklong nonsense

With everything going on in the world, you now get nonsense in every single issue of THE LATEST...

Thank you, Connor. It's a hoot! Get it? Hoot? Ha, I slay myself.

And now I am going to go watch the Nationals vs. the Yankees, because BASEBALL (in a super weird, pandemic way) IS BACK! Kind of! Hooray?