Adam Needles, SIlverpop presentation from the OMS Roadshow events in Portland and Seattle - discussing a new mindset that B2B marketers need to embrace. B2B marketers need focus on engaging in dialog with prospects, focusing on nurturing leads with content and conversation until they become sales-ready leads.
Decade as a B2B marketerResearch + write about marketing technologyPropelling Brands blog + book [link/pic??]Recently joined SilverpopMarketing advocatePlatform evangelist
We have to be accountable to the bottom line We have to be accountable to Sales Customers Consultative sale Significant exchange of information Relationships matter============FROM Digital Body LanguageThe sales professional“… [T]he consultative sales process is where the sales professional thrives by engaging prospects in trusted conversations and guiding the buyer’s thinking on relevant aspects of the buying decision.”ProcessBuyer educationIntake/empathy with the buyer’s pain points and challengesSales person begins to convince that the pain points and challenges are understood and solvableTools: collateral, studies, research, case studies, white papers, events, etc.Buyer then begins to evaluate solutionsSalesperson pivots from consultant to advisor to sellerSales person “… provides the buyer with the right information and the right messages in the right format at the right time.”
We have to be accountable to the bottom line We have to be accountable to Sales Customers Consultative sale Significant exchange of information Relationships matter============FROM Digital Body LanguageThe sales professional“… [T]he consultative sales process is where the sales professional thrives by engaging prospects in trusted conversations and guiding the buyer’s thinking on relevant aspects of the buying decision.”ProcessBuyer educationIntake/empathy with the buyer’s pain points and challengesSales person begins to convince that the pain points and challenges are understood and solvableTools: collateral, studies, research, case studies, white papers, events, etc.Buyer then begins to evaluate solutionsSalesperson pivots from consultant to advisor to sellerSales person “… provides the buyer with the right information and the right messages in the right format at the right time.”
Old challenge: Be at the right tradeshows Allregs is an information provider for mortgage industry professionals. It is the official online provider of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac underwriting guidelines. In 2006, they attended approx 25 tradeshows which was their major source of lead generation. Since they implemented Engage B2B, they now attend 10 per year. They were putting names from the tradeshow events into their database and then oversaturating their list because there was no way to segment their list. Today, Allregs uses Engage B2B as a lead gen/cross sell tool. Before it was a “shot in the dark” and now it is much more improved. Before: No automation platform; not embracing a lead management mindsetAfter: Better integration; automation platform; lead management mindsetKey capabilities utilized: Nurturing Surveys Engaging w/ prospects and customers based on where they click Using Microsoft Dynamics CRM
What is B2B is not even clearHow to reach B2B customers is constantly evolvingMarketing paradigm is forever re-aligned
What is B2B is not even clearHow to reach B2B customers is constantly evolvingMarketing paradigm is forever re-aligned
What is B2B is not even clearHow to reach B2B customers is constantly evolvingMarketing paradigm is forever re-aligned
70% of leads aren’t waiting on you; you’re waiting on them.
We have to be accountable to the bottom line We have to be accountable to Sales Customers Consultative sale Significant exchange of information Relationships matter============FROM Digital Body LanguageThe sales professional“… [T]he consultative sales process is where the sales professional thrives by engaging prospects in trusted conversations and guiding the buyer’s thinking on relevant aspects of the buying decision.”ProcessBuyer educationIntake/empathy with the buyer’s pain points and challengesSales person begins to convince that the pain points and challenges are understood and solvableTools: collateral, studies, research, case studies, white papers, events, etc.Buyer then begins to evaluate solutionsSalesperson pivots from consultant to advisor to sellerSales person “… provides the buyer with the right information and the right messages in the right format at the right time.”
Role of marketing is changing – moving more down-stream
Poll - Budgets increase - Budgets decrease
Dialogue must be - Legitimate - Concerned
Dialogue must be - Legitimate - Concerned
Finding solutions: Customer/prospect-led marketingWorkforce Software’s software offering for time management and payroll is appealing to such a wide range of customer roles and types of companies that it became important to have leads self-qualify themselves. The client likes to use the term “mass qualification.” To accomplish this “mass qualification,” Workforce Software uses Engage B2B’s survey functionality to ask several qualifying questions at sign-up – you need to create an account on Workforce Software’s site before you can access any content. Iinitial survey questions ask about type of system currently being used, timeframe for purchase, # of employees, and title. Workforce built a scoring model based on the survey responses, including subsequent surveys. Higher leads scores are determined by amount and quality of prospect participation. In the end, incoming leads are providing valuable, self-reported information that is ultimately turning into more sale opportunities. Impossible to qualify merely based on title – payroll and employee interaction spans many different roles at different-sized corporations Previously telesales and others trying to make decisions about sales readiness based on gut or high-level demographic informationWorkForce Software requires all its prospects to sign up for a WorkForce account in order to download premium content or participate in its marketing programs, such as a Webinar. “Workforce Software offers premium content as part of our marketing programs. We believed that people seeking to consume our premium content through our marketing programs would be willing to provide us information in exchange,” said Charles Kim, direct mail manager for Workforce Software. Using Salesforce.comUsing the Engage B2B Survey module, WorkForce Software asks prospects several qualifying questions at sign-up, such as type of system currently being used and size of organization, as well as follow up questions over time as additional premium content (e.g. white papers) is requested, thereby collecting important qualification information about its leads. The fields and information are readily available to the sales team via Salesforce.com. The marketing team then developed a lead-scoring method within Engage B2B based on prospect responses to the survey questions. Leads with higher scores are routed to sales via Salesforce.com, while those with lower scores are put into an automated lead-nurturing program in which additional survey information is collected. Higher lead scores are determined by amount and quality of prospect participation. For example, a frequent website visitor that also downloaded an “ROI Kit” might pass the threshold from “cold” to “warm” lead.