After a year of high-stakes goals, endless content demands, ever-changing algorithms, and faster buying cycles, I would not be surprised if some of us are getting through January but still feeling a little burned out.
So today’s Selling Signals is all about fighting fatigue with smart, practical resets — from cutting the bloat out of your RFP process to building a content strategy that protects your team’s energy. |
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How are you feeling about your current workload? |
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Why RFPs Are Breaking in the 14-Day B2B Sales Cycle Since late last year, many reports have cited LinkedIn data showing that 45% of B2B buying cycles have compressed to roughly 14 days, up from 38% in the same period.
So, that’s not necessarily new. What’s gaining attention is the growing mismatch between narrow windows and slow, document-heavy request-for-proposal (RFP) processes. RFPs are “breaking,” in that buyers are bypassing or abandoning formal RFP workflows rather than waiting.
This gap is forcing sellers to rethink when and how they engage. Rather than treating RFPs as the default entry point, teams might consider speed prequalification, make pricing and demos easier to access, streamline templated responses, and lean on automation and playbooks to meet accelerated buying demands.
5 Fundamental Strategies to Fight Content Marketing Burnout If you’re counting yourself among the creators and marketers facing widespread content-marketing burnout, let these five reset strategies pull you out of your slump, preserve creativity, and restore impact. |
- Adopt a “scope ladder” to protect cadence and reduce perfectionism.
- Build a lightweight content hub of reusable templates and components.
- Prioritize answer engine optimization (AEO) over volume so fewer, modular assets earn AI citations.
- Carve out strategic “white space” or protected deep-work and recovery blocks.
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Double down on first-party data and micro-conversions to make fewer assets far more relevant to engaged accounts.
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Reinforce your team’s foundations for success with practical tactics to shift teams from volume-first churn to sustainable systems, supportive AI, and measurable account influence.
Introducing TikTok Next 2026: Our Trend Forecast for Marketers for the Year Ahead
The sixth annual forecast report packages this year’s signals into three pillars: Reali-TEA, Curiosity Detours, and Emotional ROI. And it’s arguing that audiences are shifting from passive scrolling to an active “discovery” mindset that rewards authentic, timely brand participation.
Essentially, brands should humanize their presence (real stories, flexible creative, community-minded moments), lean on creators and real-time cultural listening to spot “micro-moments,” and use TikTok’s first-party tools to track sentiment and surface opportunities.
It also highlights how search on TikTok is fueling unexpected audience journeys, with 2 in 3 TikTok searchers saying they use the platform to discover more than their original query. As a result, brands like Duracell are making unexpected connections with niche community-led audiences.
Finally, the forecast stresses the value of emotional ROI, wherein users turn to TikTok to validate their buying decisions. The report calls for marketers to combine human insight with smarter AI and richer data to create relevant, responsive creative that ties discovery to conversion. |
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[1-HOUR VIRTUAL EVENT] AI Tech in the Enterprise: Key Market Trends & What It Means for Marketing Your AI Products “Join Corey Noles, Managing Editor and AI Researcher at The Neuron AI Daily, and Tyler Lessard, CMO at TechnologyAdvice, for an exclusive look at the top trends that are shaping AI technology adoption right now and what it means for your marketing strategy.
This session is ideal for marketers at B2B software vendors in lead generation, paid media, product marketing, content marketing, or ABM-related roles.”
Why attend? For one, everyone and their grandmother seems to be promoting AI products or capabilities these days. So, this is a great way to see what others are doing well. Plus, I know Corey, and I can personally vouch not only for how smart he is about AI but also for how engaging he is to listen to. Grab your spot and find out for yourself!
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What kind of vacation are you dreaming about this year? |
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Skylar has spent more than a decade creating sales and marketing content that works. She's held key content and leadership roles at TechnologyAdvice, Equifax, and Intuit — turning complex ideas into strategies and stories that drive growth. |
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Selling Signals is a TechnologyAdvice business © 2026 TechnologyAdvice, LLC. All rights reserved. TechnologyAdvice, 3343 Perimeter Hill Dr., Suite 215, Nashville, TN 37211, USA. |
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