You may have recently heard the buzzwords "buyer intent data." It's a term that did not exist just a couple years ago but is now being touted by major data compilers. Intent data is any data that helps sales, marketing, and business development professionals make contact with prospects that are most likely to buy from you at any given moment. Intent data is also data that helps you work more efficiently (and smarter) by getting to the right decision makers with the ultimate authority to buy from you.

The typical buying journey has changed over the past few years. B2B prospects and decision-makers increasingly belong to the millennial generation. They prefer doing research on their own before speaking with a salesperson. Self-directed research on the internet accounts for 27% of the B2B buying journey, while offline research represents 18%. So, it should come as no surprise that you'll often encounter B2B prospects who say they need to do more research.



Are prospects being genuine with this objection? Let's look at the real reasons behind this phrase and how you can respond without alienating your B2B prospects.

Arizona is a powerful manufacturing state, home to major names in the electronics and aerospace industries. The state�s educated workforce, abundance of capital, and favorable regulatory environment has helped foster a massive electronics manufacturing hub, with Intel recently announcing a massive $20 billion expansion of its Chandler plant in order to meet soaring demand for semiconductors.



Today, we�re exploring some of the key facts and trends in Arizona manufacturing and taking a look at the largest manufacturing companies in the state.

New data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics finds the U.S. manufacturing sector bounced back from April's job losses, adding 23,000 jobs in May. Meanwhile, a separate Labor report finds that job openings in the U.S. manufacturing sector has hit an all-time record of 700,000 jobs.

Following top-notch manufacturer blogs is among the best ways to get a feel for the industry you're doing business with and to make new connections. Countless manufacturers are telling their stories every day and engaging with their content can help you build relationships with prospects and become part of a vibrant manufacturing community. Here are some manufacturing blogs across various industries that stand out.

Demand for U.S. manufactured goods continues to rise, with manufacturing activity in its eleventh straight month of expansion and more industrial buyers looking for supplies closer to home.



In May, several major new manufacturing openings and expansions were announced, with new investments spread out across multiple industries, from biotech and advanced electronics to food processing and automotive supply. Today, we're rounding up the month's most exciting announcements.

Do you still receive emails beginning with, "Dear so-and-so?" While this sales tactic used to be the height of customization for years, it completely misses the mark for a personalized sales pitch today.



Now, everyone craves an individualized approach across all platforms. Especially thanks to the recent pandemic year, everyone is looking for personalization in order to get the most effective and relevant solutions for their company in the most cost-effective way. They aren't looking to settle for solutions that kind of meet their needs or those that only address one of their problems.

Being successful in industrial B2B sales means being efficient. But you cannot be efficient if you're wasting effort on the wrong strategies. Key performance indicators, or KPIs, are how the most successful companies keep track of what works in their teams and what doesn't. Let's take a look at some of the most important B2B sales KPIs you should be tracking.

New data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics finds that after adding jobs consistently since February of this year, U.S. manufacturers shed 18,000 jobs in April. This is the first time since January that the sector lost jobs. Meanwhile, employment in the U.S. economy overall increased by a relatively paltry 266,000 jobs, compared to the 916,000 jobs gained in March.



The loss in manufacturing jobs comes as a surprise, given that job openings in manufacturing have hovered above the 500,000 mark for several months in a row now. Additionally, manufacturing activity across the U.S. has been surging, with new orders and production continuing to expand rapidly as the sector recovers from the pandemic. Many manufacturers, in fact, have referred to the manufacturing labor shortage as among their top challenges.



So why job losses and not job gains in manufacturing?

The partnership between freight brokers and shippers is a constant dance. A dependable shipper may become less reliable if conditions within the manufacturing company prevent it from keeping a regular shipping schedule.



Even if you already have a portfolio of excellent shippers, you may want to increase your options by exploring new opportunities. Following are some questions that will help you determine whether a manufacturer is a good fit for your current portfolio.

By now, we are all familiar with the myriad of ways the pandemic has impacted our individual lives. Whether that impact means mask-wearing, vaccination, working remotely or helping our children with their online schooling, the pandemic has transformed our lives. Equally impactful is the way in which the pandemic has transformed B2B sales and how businesses can adapt. That impact can be summed up in one word: digital. Is your B2B company ready for this transformation?

Demand for U.S. manufactured goods continues to accelerate, with manufacturing activity hitting a 38-year high, new orders surging, and more industrial buyers looking for supplies closer to home.



As a result, new manufacturing companies and expansions are announced every month and April was no exception. This month, a number of new industrial companies made headlines, reflecting significant investments in biotech, COVID response, advanced electronics, food manufacturing and more.



Spanning nine states and representing billions in investment, these are the new and expanded manufacturing plants announced in April.

Did you know that Thomas Edison didn't invent the light bulb - one of the first electric items? Scientists worked on the simple light bulb for many years before Edison was even born. He did not invent the light bulb. He just perfected it by creating an incandescent bulb. U.S. electrical equipment and supplies manufacturers have been thinking outside the box since Thomas Edison's time. Like the common light bulb, they have seen many changes to meet industrial, governmental and public demands over the years.

Sales enablement is when marketing resources are used to directly support sales. As the name suggests, it's the process of using marketing strategy and content to further the goal of closing a sale. Let's see how this process works on the inside.

Pumps are critical to fluid motion and control. Commercial pumps are mainly focused on two sectors: oil and gas and water management systems. However, pump and pumping equipment manufacturers of all types are needed in virtually every industry and for an overwhelming majority of machines.

Finding clients with freight to haul can be a challenging and complicated process. Freight brokers, trucking companies and logistics service providers are all subject to the same issues.



Let's take a closer look at some of these challenges and solutions that can help your business overcome freight related challenges.

Social selling is the act of engaging directly with potential customers through any number of social media platforms, including (but not limited to) Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter. There are many advantages to social selling, and anyone who does not use this method is losing business.



However, there are several things that you want to avoid. Discover some common dos and don'ts to ensure you use this method to its fullest extent.

The COVID-19 Pandemic has radically changed the way America works, with 44% of U.S. employees working from home (compared to 17% before the Pandemic). So how do professionals view the prospect of returning to the office? This article will explore some key statistics gathered from around the web that illuminate the work-from-home experience and how professionals are feeling about a potential return to the office.

New data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics finds that the U.S. manufacturers added twice the number of jobs last month than reported in February, as new orders and production soared. But which industries within the manufacturing world gained jobs? Let's take a look at the numbers.

The last thing you want to do on a sales call is sound like everybody else. But you also don't want to put your foot in your mouth and lose business as a result.



There is a way to find the perfect balance of unique but competent. Below are a few examples of what to avoid saying on a sales call and what you can say as an alternative.

The U.S. has historically housed a robust industrial machine manufacturing industry, and that hasn't changed heading in 2021. While the Asia-Pacific region holds around 48% of the current industrial machine manufacturing market, the U.S. boasts another 20%, marking it as a standout - even when butted up against superpowers such as China. Currently the sector is valued at $223.6 billion in 2021 and its market growth size in 2021 is pegged at 10.4% over 2020. This article will take a look at the largest industrial machinery manufacturers in the U.S.

In a hopeful sign for the U.S. manufacturing sector in March, we saw a number of new manufacturing plants and expansions announced in March, reflecting high demand for pharmaceuticals, packaging, food and beverage and electronic products.



Spanning ten states and representing billions in investment and thousands of new jobs, these are the new manufacturing operations announced this busy month.

Thanks to AI, machine learning and chatbots, successful companies are learning how to leverage live chat as a sales tool. Unsuccessful companies install out-of-the-box solutions that are the computerized versions of calling a company and, after an endless series of menu choices, listening to elevator music for an hour.



On the contrary, the main advantage of live chat is that it provides an instant response to your customers' questions. Your customers may not always be able to contact you during regular business hours. Live chat provides them the opportunity to get their basic questions answered and a time frame as to when you can address more complex issues.

Last week, the Labor Department released its employment summary, which found U.S. manufacturers added just 20,000 jobs in February. Yet, in its most recent analysis of factory job openings, the BLS reported the U.S. manufacturing sector has reached a near-record number of unfilled positions.

"Cold calling" is an inaccurate name for what is actually very productive and, in many cases, friendly business conversations. Misunderstanding the purpose of cold calling and using outdated strategies can hurt your ability to form relationships with potential clients. Take a look at some ways you can improve your cold call performance to avoid that.

New data released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics finds that the U.S. manufacturing sector bounced back slightly in February, recovering all of the jobs the sector lost in January -- and then some. But which industries within the manufacturing world gained jobs? Let's take a look at the numbers.

As with many things in today's world, automotive stamping companies are facing a shifting environment. Between tariffs, growth opportunities and increasing jobs, this industry is trending towards more positive change than can be said for other sectors. Let's take a closer look at the climate.

How many emails do you receive each day? Of those, how many do you actually read? Be even more brutally honest with yourself. Would you actually read or act on the emails your company sends?



Industry statistics suggest the average open rate is only 15.1%. Of those �opens,� the click-through rate is a mere 2.05%.

The U.S. manufacturing sector continues to show signs of strength in 2021. New orders and output continue to trend up, while more industrial buyers are looking for supplies closer to home.



And in an especially encouraging sign for the U.S. manufacturing sector, we saw a number of new manufacturing plants opening in February 2021. Many of the new enterprises were in response to the pandemic, either producing critical supplies, or responding to new consumer demand.



Others were seen in the transportation equipment, food industry and cannabis. Today, we are going to explore the new manufacturing plants announced this busy month.

The industrial marketplace IndustryNet continues to see heightened domestic sourcing activity, including greater demand for plastic injection molding services, which recorded more than 1,500 searches from industrial buyers interested in plastic injection molding in 2020.