9. Know Who Your Customer Is

For effective marketing, Powell said it’s critical to thoroughly understand the customer's business. He suggested the solution providers in the XChange audience build personas of their current and prospective customers, with details on size, consumption, market, and topics that motivate their purchasing decisions. It’s important that salespeople have a deep understanding of these personas, he said.

You can also develop a persona for the executives who are in charge of purchasing decisions, Powell said, which can determine if salespeople can win best by playing on their competitive nature, family values or some other factor.