Advanced Digital Sales in the Middle of the Funnel

Bob Afsari, CEO of Campaign Creators, a Platinum HubSpot Partner, started his career with "a love for business development and a love for sales." Disillusioned after companies he worked for consistently failed to deliver the products he sold, Bob decided to start his own company so he could control the whole process.

Bob presented his story, "Shattered by Embezzlement: How We Rebuilt Our Agency to Become Happier, Healthier, and More Profitable," at HubSpot's Inbound 2018.

In this interview, Bob provides a brief overview of his presentation, describing how a trusted employee diverted $330,000 in payroll taxes to her personal account over a period of 5 years, how the theft was not discovered until his accountant called the IRS, and the actions Bob had to take to save his company and avoid personal financial ruin. He provides precautions to prevent such embezzlement—a hard lesson learned.

To save his company, Bob developed a laser focus on his company's mission, slashed its services, learned to say "no" to clients who weren't the right fit, and made a huge number of changes that had only before been "under consideration." His strategy, born of fear and desperation, worked.

Bob notes that the wealth of information on the internet, the credit crisis of 2008, and "the millennials" have transformed the way that consumers make purchases—they no longer want to be "sold."

Today, Campaign Creators helps companies craft and frame consumer communications in a way that is personal, relevant, meaningful, and, respectful of how 21st century consumers want to receive marketing communications. It implements sophisticated lead nurturing strategies, digitizes sales processes, and turns the typically-outbound middle-of-the-funnel (consideration stage) sales cycle and sales journey into an automated, custom, curated educational process. Middle-of-the-funnel marketing automation workflows and the wealth of information provided to potential clients empowers them to autonomously determine their fit with a company and its products.

Bob can be reached at his company's website: https://www.campaigncreators.com/ or on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/bafsari/