👷 Scale smarter, not harder
Self-improving systems, B2B trends, and avoiding common outreach mistakes
When you’re starting a new venture, growth can feel a bit abstract.
This week, we’re going to break down some strategies that make scaling more concrete, straightforward, and accessible as we prepare to enter a new year.
Today’s agenda:
🏗️ Destined to scale
📞 Ditch the cold calls
🚘 Decision drivers in 2024
💼 Briefly: AI reporting, hobbies, & FTC’s new rule
⏱️ Up & coming: Incoming PPC trends for 2025
⚙️ Building smart, sustainable systems
Chris Savage, CEO and cofounder of video marketing platform Wistia, attributes his company’s rapid growth to the early implementation of effective systems.
In an article for Entrepreneur, he writes that especially for startups, putting in the work early will result in a massive payoff.
📈 Chris’s tips for success:
Build “self-improving” systems: Establish who owns what, and consistently create time to reflect on what processes can be improved (with the help of data)
Embrace failure: Chris believes failure is a sign that things are going right—understand that to fail means you are taking risks, and use it to gauge how well your systems hold up to setbacks
Leverage AI: Use it for repetitive tasks and to streamline everything from summarizing meetings to analyzing data (which ultimately will help you scale quicker)
❌ Avoid quick fixes and shortcuts, and aim for stable, smart systems.
🧣 Cold outreach for a new era
Cold outreach isn’t what it used to be—and sticking to old-school tactics could cost you valuable opportunities.
Elevate your sales game with my 5-step, modern approach to mastering B2B cold outreach:
▶️ Get started:
Activate your LinkedIn account
Get a Sales Navigator account
Convert your Sales Navigator data to a spreadsheet
Use alternative domains for email outreach
Build and run two campaigns
❌ Avoid mass-emailing cold lists without a personal touch. Daily activity, authenticity, and consistency are the keys to success for cold outreach in 2024-25.
💡 Subscribe to my YouTube channel for more!
💰 Driving forces behind B2B purchases
What helped B2B buyers make a decision in 2024?
A new survey of 3,528 global B2B buyers found that 52% of respondents made purchase decisions based on “personal drivers” vs. professional drivers, which is up from 35% in 2021.
Personal drivers: Feeling safe signing a contract with a vendor, the vendor aligns with their personal values/ethics, the vendor teaches them a new skill
Professional drivers: Competitive pricing, products/services that work, variety
🦺 Of the top 10 ranked “decision drivers,” feeling safe signing a contract was No. 1, followed by:
The company is known to be a good employer
They are active thought leaders in their sector
They comply with regulations, law, industry standards, etc.
They take care of their suppliers, business partners, and communities
The shift toward prioritizing trust mirrors the larger trend in marketing/sales for B2C as well.
Briefly
🦋 Social platform Bluesky gains half a million followers in a single day after X (formerly Twitter) changes what it means to block someone
💻 In the market for a new Mac? Here’s what we know so far about the next generation
🤖 Learn how marketers are using AI reporting to do more with less—including predictive analytics, real-time insights, personalization, and more
🏃 Have a hobby? Get one—research says they make you better at your job
☑️ The FTC’s new rule says it has to be as easy to cancel a subscription as it was to sign up—here’s what that means
Up & Coming
Similarly to SEO, PPC has had a tough year thanks to the rapid integration of AI tools, privacy regulation shifts, and uncertainty around third-party cookies.
Check out Search Engine Journal’s PPC Trends 2025 ebook for a heads up on the future of paid media, including trends in new advertising networks, omni-channel strategies, and evolving tracking methods.