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9/22/2021
1
© Ruth P. Stevens 2021
© Ruth P. Stevens 2021
9/22/2021
2
© Ruth P. Stevens 2021
© Ruth P. Stevens 2021
9/22/2021
3
© Ruth P. Stevens 2021
Topics we will cover today
• Why GTM enablement is an essential function
in B2B marketing
• The ever-changing B2B buying process
• The nature of the buying group
• 3 key strategies for post-lead marketing
• Personalized contact strategies
• Key metrics for declaring success
• Caveat: Buy-in from senior leadership
© Ruth P. Stevens 2021
Acquiring new leads has long been
Job One for B2B marketers
Salesforce.com, The State of B2B Marketing
9/22/2021
4
© Ruth P. Stevens 2021
But the job of B2B marketing is actually bigger than leads
7
© Ruth P. Stevens 2021
The “hand off to sales” role of marketing is passe
8
9/22/2021
5
© Ruth P. Stevens 2021
Meantime, B2B buying is changing
https://www.demandgenreport.com/resources/reports/2020-b2b-buyer-behavior-studypurchase-plans-
still-progressing-despite-disruption-but-with-increased-expectations-for-relevance-personalization/
© Ruth P. Stevens 2021
Understanding the buying group
Only 7% of industrial purchases are made by one person alone
10
Source: Understanding the Industrial Buy Cycle, GlobalSpec.
Percent of
decision made
by respondents
9/22/2021
6
© Ruth P. Stevens 2021
11
Marketing needs access to the entire buying group
• Specifiers
• Influencers
• Users
• Decision makers
• Gatekeepers
• Purchasing agents
Job roles involved
Finance VP
IT manager
CEO
Engineer
Plant manager
Purchasing agent
Also known as:
Buying Center
Buying Committee
Decision-making Unit
Buying Circle
The roles
© Ruth P. Stevens 2021
The buying group is mostly below C-level
12
https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/consumer-insights/the-changing-face-b2b-marketing/
9/22/2021
7
© Ruth P. Stevens 2021
Buying groups continue to expand
13
DGR: The B2B
Buyers Survey
Report
© Ruth P. Stevens 2021
Buy cycles getting longer and longer
14
DGR: The B2B Buyers Survey Report
Only 9% of purchase
cycles are shorter than
prior year.
9/22/2021
8
© Ruth P. Stevens 2021
So, sales cycles are longer, too. More touches needed
15
© Ruth P. Stevens 2021
How Microsoft estimates its touch cycle
16
Source: Microsoft
9/22/2021
9
© Ruth P. Stevens 2021
POST-LEAD STRATEGIES FOR
MARKETERS
1. Lead nurturing
2. Lead-to-sales conversion
3. Account management
17
© Ruth P. Stevens 2021
Strategies for marketers
at 3 points in the customer relationship
1. Lead nurturing: Ongoing communications until the prospect is ready to buy.
2. Lead-to-sales conversion:
– Research buying group members and roles.
– Analyze the buying group to adapt messaging to their agendas.
– Provide sales team with content, events, case studies to help close the deal.
3. Account management:
– Ongoing communications to users and influencers.
– Cross-sell and upsell communications.
– Opportunity identification in other business units and geographies.
– Referral requests. 18
9/22/2021
10
© Ruth P. Stevens 2021
1. LEAD NURTURING
Ongoing communications until the prospect is ready to buy.
19
© Ruth P. Stevens 2021
20
Nurture inquiries that are unqualified
• 45% of all business inquiries result in a sale—eventually. Don’t let your
competitor get the business.
• Institute a nurturing process.
– A series of communications to build awareness and trust, and maintain contact till
the prospect is ready to see a salesperson.
• Some nurturing tactics:
– Email newsletters.
– Outbound telephone.
– Event invitations.
– New product announcement.
9/22/2021
11
© Ruth P. Stevens 2021
Checklist of nurturing tactics
• Email newsletter
• Outbound telephone call
• Event invitation (seminar, trade show,
webinar)
• New product announcement
• Press release
• Online video
• Tweets
• Blogging
• Catalog mailing
• Survey or market research questionnaire
• Podcast
• White paper
• Case study
• Reprint
• Personal communication (holiday or
birthday card)
• Letter from the CFO or other senior
executives
• Letter from various departments
(customer service or relevant area, such
as IT or engineering)
© Ruth P. Stevens 2021
Nurturing flow: Example
Day from
inquiry
Message Medium
1 Thank you for your inquiry Phone
7 Research report relevant to request at
inquiry
Email
30 Case study of success from company in
inquirer’s industry
Email
45 Seminar invitation Phone
60 Customer testimonial and personalized
letter
Mail
75 Link to article from trade journal Email
90 Personal note from sales engineer to
schedule online demo
Email
105 White paper and personal cover letter Mail
125 Invitation to breakfast seminar at trade
show
Email
9/22/2021
12
© Ruth P. Stevens 2021
2. LEAD-TO-SALES CONVERSION
Research buying-group members and roles.
Analyze the buying group to adapt messaging to their agendas.
Provide sales team with content, events, testimonials, and case studies to help close the deal.
23
© Ruth P. Stevens 2021
3 steps to identifying buying group members
1. Gather every contact-level record possible from
internal and external databases. Infer buying
role by title.
2. Work with sales to identify parties involved and
their roles (this is hand work).
3. Fill in the data gaps with hand research, on
LinkedIn, and calling into the account.
Your goal: A complete data record of each member
of the buying group.
24
9/22/2021
13
© Ruth P. Stevens 2021
Determine where buyers are, by stage
Research the language they use when they search for business content.
25
General terms
How to schedule social media posts
Social media dashboard
Specific long-tail terms
Best SEO software management tools 2021
Social media management tools comparison
https://www.martechadvisor.com/articles/content-marketing/how-to-
format-content-marketing-for-the-b2b-conversion-funnel/
© Ruth P. Stevens 2021
Example: Content adjusted for the buying stage
26
https://spearmarketing.com/blog/content-offers/
9/22/2021
14
© Ruth P. Stevens 2021
Adjusting your message by buying role
What’s their agenda?
Specifiers How is this thing better than the
competition?
Influencers Make my job easier.
Users Easy to install, use and fix.
Decision makers Bottom line results.
Gatekeepers Protect the executive from sales people.
Purchasing agents Save money.
© Ruth P. Stevens 2021
28
Creating
“persona”
profile for
each buyer
type
9/22/2021
15
© Ruth P. Stevens 2021
Talking their language
Technical
buyer
Easy to install. No downtime. End-users won’t
complain. I can look like a hero.
“Spend less.”
Line of
Business
buyer
Easy to use. Will save us time and money. Help
me get the job done. I can look smart.
“Sell more.”
© Ruth P. Stevens 2021
Example: Messaging segmentation
Technical buyer
Line of business buyer
Source: The Kern Organization
9/22/2021
16
© Ruth P. Stevens 2021
3. ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT
Ongoing communications to users and influencers (Contact strategy).
Cross-sell and upsell communications.
Opportunity identification in other business units and geographies.
Referral requests.
31
© Ruth P. Stevens 2021
Develop contact strategies by buyer segment
32
Think through how to tailor your contact strategy to each segment,
to penetrate and deepen the customer relationship.
9/22/2021
17
© Ruth P. Stevens 2021
Cross-sell and upsell communications
Message strategies
• Reinforce the purchase decision.
• After-sale support.
• New product announcement.
33
© Ruth P. Stevens 2021
Account penetration strategies
• Consult with account managers on penetration strategy
by account.
– Needs and opportunity.
– Competitor defense strategy.
• Identify opportunity in other business units or
geographies.
• Regular database updates: Job changes, new
employees, data append.
• Stimulate referrals.
34
9/22/2021
18
© Ruth P. Stevens 2021
Ask for referrals at every opportunity
• Let your customers help you with your marketing.
– They will, but ONLY IF YOU ASK THEM.
• Where to ask for referrals.
– On your home page.
– As a P.S. in your emails and direct mail letters.
– On your billing statements.
– Inside your sales collateral.
– In social media posts.
• Copy suggestion.
“Our business grows primarily through referrals from our satisfied
customers. If you are happy with our work, please tell your friends and
colleagues. Thank you!”
© Ruth P. Stevens 2021
Post-lead marketing metrics
• Ultimately, your goal is revenue and account value.
But beware.
• Better marketing contribution metrics:
– Lead-to-sales conversion rate
– Database: number of contacts, percent of record
completeness by data element
– Strategy and execution checklist
– Repeat purchase rate
36
9/22/2021
19
© Ruth P. Stevens 2021
A final word on organization
• Get buy-in from senior management,
and senior sales management.
• Make sure both functions see value in
this role for marketing, and will support
and fund it.
• Without that, marketing is likely to be
ineffective in post-lead GTM marketing.
37
© Ruth P. Stevens 2021

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Engage, Personalize, and Conquer Your Engagement Channels: Best Practices for Engaging Your Go-To-Market Sales Teams

  • 1. 9/22/2021 1 © Ruth P. Stevens 2021 © Ruth P. Stevens 2021
  • 2. 9/22/2021 2 © Ruth P. Stevens 2021 © Ruth P. Stevens 2021
  • 3. 9/22/2021 3 © Ruth P. Stevens 2021 Topics we will cover today • Why GTM enablement is an essential function in B2B marketing • The ever-changing B2B buying process • The nature of the buying group • 3 key strategies for post-lead marketing • Personalized contact strategies • Key metrics for declaring success • Caveat: Buy-in from senior leadership © Ruth P. Stevens 2021 Acquiring new leads has long been Job One for B2B marketers Salesforce.com, The State of B2B Marketing
  • 4. 9/22/2021 4 © Ruth P. Stevens 2021 But the job of B2B marketing is actually bigger than leads 7 © Ruth P. Stevens 2021 The “hand off to sales” role of marketing is passe 8
  • 5. 9/22/2021 5 © Ruth P. Stevens 2021 Meantime, B2B buying is changing https://www.demandgenreport.com/resources/reports/2020-b2b-buyer-behavior-studypurchase-plans- still-progressing-despite-disruption-but-with-increased-expectations-for-relevance-personalization/ © Ruth P. Stevens 2021 Understanding the buying group Only 7% of industrial purchases are made by one person alone 10 Source: Understanding the Industrial Buy Cycle, GlobalSpec. Percent of decision made by respondents
  • 6. 9/22/2021 6 © Ruth P. Stevens 2021 11 Marketing needs access to the entire buying group • Specifiers • Influencers • Users • Decision makers • Gatekeepers • Purchasing agents Job roles involved Finance VP IT manager CEO Engineer Plant manager Purchasing agent Also known as: Buying Center Buying Committee Decision-making Unit Buying Circle The roles © Ruth P. Stevens 2021 The buying group is mostly below C-level 12 https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/consumer-insights/the-changing-face-b2b-marketing/
  • 7. 9/22/2021 7 © Ruth P. Stevens 2021 Buying groups continue to expand 13 DGR: The B2B Buyers Survey Report © Ruth P. Stevens 2021 Buy cycles getting longer and longer 14 DGR: The B2B Buyers Survey Report Only 9% of purchase cycles are shorter than prior year.
  • 8. 9/22/2021 8 © Ruth P. Stevens 2021 So, sales cycles are longer, too. More touches needed 15 © Ruth P. Stevens 2021 How Microsoft estimates its touch cycle 16 Source: Microsoft
  • 9. 9/22/2021 9 © Ruth P. Stevens 2021 POST-LEAD STRATEGIES FOR MARKETERS 1. Lead nurturing 2. Lead-to-sales conversion 3. Account management 17 © Ruth P. Stevens 2021 Strategies for marketers at 3 points in the customer relationship 1. Lead nurturing: Ongoing communications until the prospect is ready to buy. 2. Lead-to-sales conversion: – Research buying group members and roles. – Analyze the buying group to adapt messaging to their agendas. – Provide sales team with content, events, case studies to help close the deal. 3. Account management: – Ongoing communications to users and influencers. – Cross-sell and upsell communications. – Opportunity identification in other business units and geographies. – Referral requests. 18
  • 10. 9/22/2021 10 © Ruth P. Stevens 2021 1. LEAD NURTURING Ongoing communications until the prospect is ready to buy. 19 © Ruth P. Stevens 2021 20 Nurture inquiries that are unqualified • 45% of all business inquiries result in a sale—eventually. Don’t let your competitor get the business. • Institute a nurturing process. – A series of communications to build awareness and trust, and maintain contact till the prospect is ready to see a salesperson. • Some nurturing tactics: – Email newsletters. – Outbound telephone. – Event invitations. – New product announcement.
  • 11. 9/22/2021 11 © Ruth P. Stevens 2021 Checklist of nurturing tactics • Email newsletter • Outbound telephone call • Event invitation (seminar, trade show, webinar) • New product announcement • Press release • Online video • Tweets • Blogging • Catalog mailing • Survey or market research questionnaire • Podcast • White paper • Case study • Reprint • Personal communication (holiday or birthday card) • Letter from the CFO or other senior executives • Letter from various departments (customer service or relevant area, such as IT or engineering) © Ruth P. Stevens 2021 Nurturing flow: Example Day from inquiry Message Medium 1 Thank you for your inquiry Phone 7 Research report relevant to request at inquiry Email 30 Case study of success from company in inquirer’s industry Email 45 Seminar invitation Phone 60 Customer testimonial and personalized letter Mail 75 Link to article from trade journal Email 90 Personal note from sales engineer to schedule online demo Email 105 White paper and personal cover letter Mail 125 Invitation to breakfast seminar at trade show Email
  • 12. 9/22/2021 12 © Ruth P. Stevens 2021 2. LEAD-TO-SALES CONVERSION Research buying-group members and roles. Analyze the buying group to adapt messaging to their agendas. Provide sales team with content, events, testimonials, and case studies to help close the deal. 23 © Ruth P. Stevens 2021 3 steps to identifying buying group members 1. Gather every contact-level record possible from internal and external databases. Infer buying role by title. 2. Work with sales to identify parties involved and their roles (this is hand work). 3. Fill in the data gaps with hand research, on LinkedIn, and calling into the account. Your goal: A complete data record of each member of the buying group. 24
  • 13. 9/22/2021 13 © Ruth P. Stevens 2021 Determine where buyers are, by stage Research the language they use when they search for business content. 25 General terms How to schedule social media posts Social media dashboard Specific long-tail terms Best SEO software management tools 2021 Social media management tools comparison https://www.martechadvisor.com/articles/content-marketing/how-to- format-content-marketing-for-the-b2b-conversion-funnel/ © Ruth P. Stevens 2021 Example: Content adjusted for the buying stage 26 https://spearmarketing.com/blog/content-offers/
  • 14. 9/22/2021 14 © Ruth P. Stevens 2021 Adjusting your message by buying role What’s their agenda? Specifiers How is this thing better than the competition? Influencers Make my job easier. Users Easy to install, use and fix. Decision makers Bottom line results. Gatekeepers Protect the executive from sales people. Purchasing agents Save money. © Ruth P. Stevens 2021 28 Creating “persona” profile for each buyer type
  • 15. 9/22/2021 15 © Ruth P. Stevens 2021 Talking their language Technical buyer Easy to install. No downtime. End-users won’t complain. I can look like a hero. “Spend less.” Line of Business buyer Easy to use. Will save us time and money. Help me get the job done. I can look smart. “Sell more.” © Ruth P. Stevens 2021 Example: Messaging segmentation Technical buyer Line of business buyer Source: The Kern Organization
  • 16. 9/22/2021 16 © Ruth P. Stevens 2021 3. ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT Ongoing communications to users and influencers (Contact strategy). Cross-sell and upsell communications. Opportunity identification in other business units and geographies. Referral requests. 31 © Ruth P. Stevens 2021 Develop contact strategies by buyer segment 32 Think through how to tailor your contact strategy to each segment, to penetrate and deepen the customer relationship.
  • 17. 9/22/2021 17 © Ruth P. Stevens 2021 Cross-sell and upsell communications Message strategies • Reinforce the purchase decision. • After-sale support. • New product announcement. 33 © Ruth P. Stevens 2021 Account penetration strategies • Consult with account managers on penetration strategy by account. – Needs and opportunity. – Competitor defense strategy. • Identify opportunity in other business units or geographies. • Regular database updates: Job changes, new employees, data append. • Stimulate referrals. 34
  • 18. 9/22/2021 18 © Ruth P. Stevens 2021 Ask for referrals at every opportunity • Let your customers help you with your marketing. – They will, but ONLY IF YOU ASK THEM. • Where to ask for referrals. – On your home page. – As a P.S. in your emails and direct mail letters. – On your billing statements. – Inside your sales collateral. – In social media posts. • Copy suggestion. “Our business grows primarily through referrals from our satisfied customers. If you are happy with our work, please tell your friends and colleagues. Thank you!” © Ruth P. Stevens 2021 Post-lead marketing metrics • Ultimately, your goal is revenue and account value. But beware. • Better marketing contribution metrics: – Lead-to-sales conversion rate – Database: number of contacts, percent of record completeness by data element – Strategy and execution checklist – Repeat purchase rate 36
  • 19. 9/22/2021 19 © Ruth P. Stevens 2021 A final word on organization • Get buy-in from senior management, and senior sales management. • Make sure both functions see value in this role for marketing, and will support and fund it. • Without that, marketing is likely to be ineffective in post-lead GTM marketing. 37 © Ruth P. Stevens 2021