HubSpot provides a guide to cold calling in real estate, emphasizing its importance as an effective method for customer acquisition. It offers 11 scripts for different scenarios, such as introducing oneself, handling objections, reaching out during work hours, and when a seller has already found a buyer.

Sales and purchasing suggestions for one industry can easily be adapted for others, as these articles about travel, wine and insurance sales show. Learn about the benefits of cross-channel customer journeys in insurance; how upselling, cross-selling and digital content make a difference in travel; and the importance of a deep dive into a buyer's needs and preferences in the wine industry.

Twitter's newly rebranded X Corp. is incentivizing some U.S. and U.K. advertisers with various discounts, including a 50% reduction in rates for new video ads that run for 24 hours atop its list of trending topics through July 31, according to a Wall Street Journal source. Starting Aug. 7, Twitter also plans to disable account verification gold checkmarks for brands that have spent less than $1,000 on ads within the previous 30 days or $6,000 within 180 days.

Hybrid work demands a fresh approach from business leaders, and those who mourn the loss of post-4 p.m. meetings need to redefine productivity, workplace experts say. Policies for hybrid companies should originate from conversations with employees about the best times, places and methods for collaborative or focused work.

A surge in young buyers during the coronavirus pandemic has increased the home-ownership rate, according to a report by the Census Bureau. Between 2019 and 2022, the ownership rate recovered nearly half of the decrease that occurred due to the 2007-10 mortgage foreclosure crisis.

Rents for self-storage facilities dropped a record 10% in the first quarter of 2023 compared to the same period a year ago, according to Green Street, reversing a pandemic-era trajectory as people are now less likely to need space for home offices and gyms. "We're coming off of the best two years of rate and occupancy growth the self-storage sector has ever seen," said David Cramer, CEO of National Storage Affiliates Trust, adding that with "a slowing economy and a muted housing market, demand levels will continue to feel pressure."

Using AI for sales team coaching and role-playing can help sales managers ramp up effectiveness quickly, Demoleap CEO Itay Sinuani writes, noting that other AI features can help managers work more efficiently and effectively. Sinuani notes that customers are beginning research on products and services before ever contacting a salesperson, and using AI-powered sales enablement platforms can free up sales team time to better assess knowledge gaps and needs.

A report from GuidePoint Research and Intelligence Team found 41 threat groups claiming ransomware attacks worldwide in the second quarter, with 14 new groups beginning operations. Ransomware-as-a-service activity is picking up, the report says, and GRIT analyst Drew Schmitt notes, "Reduced barriers to entry afforded by the crimeware-as-a-service and ransomware-as-a-service economies will almost certainly encourage more entrants going forward, and ... smaller or less-resourced organizations will face an increased risk from the greater volume of threats."

More opportunities for rental assistance will be available to Minneapolis Public Schools families facing housing instability as the number of homeless and highly mobile students in the city has climbed. An initiative called Stable Homes Stable Schools serves families by helping them find and pay for housing.

The U.S. economy tapped the brakes in July, with growth stalling to its slowest pace in five months, according to S&P Global data. The U.S. manufacturing-sector index rose from 46.3 to 49 but remained negative, while the services index dropped from 54.4 to 52.4. "July is seeing an unwelcome combination of slower economic growth, weaker job creation, gloomier business confidence and sticky inflation," S&P economist Chris Williamson says. MR