Today’s buyers are more empowered and wield more autonomy than ever. They engage with companies on their own terms, conducting extensive research across various channels long before they want to engage with sales teams.

That’s why lead nurturing remains such a key element of a good B2B go-to-market. 

Lead nurturing is the process of building a relationship with prospects that are not yet sales-ready, by conducting an informative dialog, regardless of the lead’s budget, authority, or timing. 

It just makes sense. In my experience, only 2% of the people who register for an event or download an ebook are ready at that moment to talk to a sales rep. So why wouldn’t you find a way to keep in touch with the others to help them recognize the business challenges you solve — so you’re top of mind and they’ll want to engage with you when they are ready?

That said, a key question has come up in the last few years: who should nurture prospects, marketing or sales development representatives (SDRs)? Historically, marketing automation platforms took the lead, but with the rise of sales engagement solutions, SDRs have started to play a pivotal role. So, which approach is more effective? Ultimately, as you’ll see, I think a hybrid approach works best. 

The 411 of Lead Nurturing: A Mini-Primer

Lead nurturing is about building and reinforcing relationships with potential buyers at every stage of the buying journey. A successful lead nurturing program focuses on understanding the needs of prospects and providing them with the information they require to build trust, increase brand awareness, and maintain a connection until they’re ready to make a purchase.

In my time at Marketo I found that I could generate 50% more qualified sales leads at 33% lower cost by nurturing my not-yet-ready-to-buy prospects.

A good lead nurturing program will send the prospect some useful information once every week or two. Ideally, the information should be personalized to their interests, based on where they are in the journey, their persona, and the other content they’ve interacted with. The content will often come over email, but companies also use social, display ads, direct mail, voicemail, or other channels. And perhaps most importantly, the content should be useful and not promotional; educational and not salesy.  One approach to consider is the 4-1-1 methodology: out of every six messages, four should be 100% educational and helpful (or at least entertaining), one can be about your business but not too salesly (perhaps a customer review), and one can be a hard ask, such as a demo offer. 

OK, so now onto the core question: should lead nurturing come from marketing or SDRs?

Historical Perspective: Marketing Automation’s Dominance

Marketing automation platforms (MAPs) enabled businesses to implement lead nurturing at scale for the first time. MAPs enabled teams to develop flexible, adaptive engagement streams that would automatically send emails and other interactions to various buyer segments, moving the prospects between nurture streams based on their behaviors.  

The key advantages of marketing automation are:

• Unlimited Scale: Automation can handle a vast number of leads simultaneously, ensuring no one falls through the cracks.
• Central Control: There’s a consistent message and quality in communications, ensuring brand conformity.
• Enhanced Analytics: Automated systems provide detailed metrics on email performance, enabling continuous optimization.
• Volume Management: Automation can effectively manage the overall volume of marketing emails, ensuring leads aren’t overwhelmed.

The Rise of SDRs in Lead Nurturing

SDRs are essential for efficient pipeline generation. They can ensure fast lead follow-up and take on prospecting tasks more cost-effectively than expensive account executives.

In the traditional model, marketing and SDRs work in a linear fashion, like a relay race: marketing generates and nurtures the prospect until they are sales ready, at which point, the lead gets passed to SDRs like a baton.

But recent trends have broken down that linear model. Top SDRs have always understood that buyers may not be ready today but will eventually be in-market. These SDRs focus on creating positive experiences rather than always pushing for a meeting. The rise of account-based experience (ABX) led to closer alignment between the teams at every stage of the buying journey. And the rise of sales engagement solutions like Outreach, Salesloft, and Groove have empowered SDRs to take a more active role in nurturing.

The unique advantages of SDRs owning nurturing include:

• Human Touch: There’s an authenticity to human interaction. People are more likely to engage with a message if it genuinely comes from another person.
• Flexibility: SDRs can strike a balance between manual channels (customized emails, phone calls, social media) and automated channels (drip sequences). Striking the right balance is crucial to ensure effective communication without overwhelming the SDR or losing the human touch.
• Active Listening: They can adjust their approach based on replies and other real-time feedback from prospects.
• Customized Communication: Humans can more easily tailor the content and timing of each message for each prospect, adding a personal touch to the typically automated task of nurturing.

Hybrid Nurturing

While both marketing automation and SDRs have their strengths, ultimately a hybrid approach offers the best of both worlds. SDRs focus on personalization and human touch, while marketing automation handles orchestration, scalability, and analytics.

One of the challenges with hybrid lead nurturing is that without proper coordination, a prospect might receive emails from both teams, leading to confusion and a potential loss of trust. It’s crucial to have clear communication and defined roles to ensure that the prospect’s journey is smooth and consistent. 

A few strategies we use at Demandbase to make this work:

• We adjust ownership based on the ICP fit and account and prospect journey stage. If a lead is not a qualified buyer, then they’ll only ever get the automated nurturing. (You might ask, why nurture them at all? The data is never perfect and since automated nurturing is virtually no cost, it’s a good idea to keep in touch.) If the person and company are a good fit for us, then ownership is assigned based on the journey stage. Prospects in an early stage such as Awareness or Engagement are nurtured through our Marketo marketing automation platform. But when they reach a Marketing Qualified stage (MQL or MQA), the automated nurturing stops, and the SDR takes over.
• We sometimes make automated emails more informal and appear as if they’re coming directly from the SDR. This approach can give some semblance of the human touch while easing the SDR’s workload, allowing them to focus on leads that are more likely to convert.
• We give each SDR deep account intelligence — including intent data, info about the technologies in use, campaign response, social posts, connections, and more — so they can understand everything about the account and person, and use it for deep personalization.
• We have a robust set of SDR “Recycle” reasons. These let the SDR specify exactly why a prospect needs more nurturing, and allows the automation to adjust the content they receive accordingly.
• Finally, we use Demandbase Orchestration to both move prospects into different automated nurture streams, as well as to launch Outreach sequences automatically based on prospect behaviors. In this sense, it truly is an orchestra conductor, ensuring that the different pieces work together in harmony. 

The Future of Lead Nurturing with AI

Looking ahead, will AI make this question obsolete? Will all prospects be nurtured by automated sequences uber-personalized by machines, giving us the best of both worlds? There are a lot of companies exploring this idea, so it will be exciting to see how it plays out. 

Conclusion

Lead nurturing has seen a shift from a solely automated process to a more balanced approach, integrating the human touch provided by SDRs. The hybrid approach adopted by companies like Demandbase can combine automation with personalization, ensuring that prospects receive relevant and genuine interactions throughout their journey. The future promises further advancements with the integration of AI, potentially offering the best of both worlds — automation’s scalability and deep personalization. Balancing these elements is key to maintaining meaningful connections with prospects and being top of mind when they are ready to make purchasing decisions.

The post Should SDRs or Marketing Own Lead Nurturing? appeared first on Demandbase.

As a long-time Sales Development leader, I know too well the difficulties of opening up sales opportunities in tough economic climates. As the VP of GTM Strategy at Demandbase, I have narrowed the absolute must-know elements for every SDR down to three tips that I’ve seen be effective time and again in combating the headwinds that 2023 has thrown at us. Be warned; this isn’t for the impatient. It’s time to embrace smarter prospecting and the slow play. 

De-risk purchases

When we talk about embracing the slow play, I’m sure all of you have felt the squeeze. Marketing budgets are getting cut, MQLs are harder to come by. As a prospector, this means you have to do a lot of the work at the top of the funnel more effectively. Because people are not spending as much as they have in years past (they might have budget for just one purchase this year), you need to make sure that they see and understand the value, and that they have every piece of information they need to make the right decision. A great place to start is by finding people who have already used your product or service, know the value first-hand, and feel that purchasing your solution will help them achieve their goals rather than adding risk.

Ultimately, they need to know that by purchasing your solution, they’re not putting their job at risk. You’re helping them be a game-changer at their company and supporting them through tough times. Don’t focus as much on what you need to sell. Focus on how you can help them solve a key business problem and again, make them the star.

Embrace the slow play with smarter prospecting

How does smarter prospecting work? It all starts by understanding buying signals.  Leverage predictive scores, focus on your ICP (or if you have a target account list, start there), and be maniacally focused on engaging with those accounts. 

A part of embracing the slow play is realizing that not everything is going to turn into an opportunity right away and that is perfectly fine. If they are buying in the current climate, they might be able to buy one new technology this year. So you need to get yourself ready and in position for when they are ready to buy –– not forcing them into your sales cycle when you want to sell. 

To embrace the slow play here, make sure that you’re dripping with value and you’re not just trying to reach out asking people for a meeting every day. So what should you do instead? Share how you’ve helped other customers. Show how you’ve helped people in their role to be more effective and build that relationship over time. Connect the dots between what they care about or the problem they are trying to solve and the value you can bring. Once those people you have cultivated a relationship with have a project or an initiative or their budget opens up, they’re going to remember how you can help them be more successful in their business, and they’ll remember you weren’t like the other pushy people just trying to sell them something. Really focus on embracing that slow play. 

Engage at a higher level

When budgets are either “gone” or very highly scrutinized, the only way to combat this is to engage at the executive level.

Think about it this way:

1. You need to engage from below the line (manager levels and day-to-day users of your product and service), which is usually the starting point for most conversations. 
2. And then with the intel you gather, you can engage from above the line (directors, VP’s, C-Levels). In a lot of cases, you need to go as far as to be directly engaging with CFOs who hold the purse strings.

When you’re engaging below the line, these are the people that are doing the research and are actively trying to understand what are the key parts of the project that will help them accomplish their goals. Understanding what their day to day challenges are, how they might be leveraging a competitive solution, what they like about it, what they don’t like about it, any problems that they’re having in the business that they’re looking to solve for –– all of this information is gold.

And once you capture this information, you can take it up a level to the executives. When you reach them you’ll be able to show you’ve done all the background research, you understand their business, and you understand their pains. This is how you engage at the C-level. By showing them you understand the problems of their business and what they’re trying to accomplish, and exactly how you will help them do it.

The power of three

By leveraging these three strategies of de-risking purchases, embracing the slow play with smarter prospecting, and getting engaged at the executive level –– this is what it takes in 2023 to create opportunities that can close.

The post Top 3 Things SDRs Need To Know In 2023 appeared first on Demandbase.

Demandbase was recently named a 2023 Gartner® Peer Insights Customers’ Choice for Account-Based Marketing Platforms and I couldn’t be prouder. Why me? Well, as the Head of Customer Experience at Demandbase, glowing reviews from customers are about as good as it gets. And this recognition was based on verified reviews from end users of Demandbase One who took the time to give their opinions. A whopping 96% scored the platform with four or five stars and 90% said they would recommend it to others. Want to know why? You can catch the full report here.

Now you’re probably thinking the key to getting great product reviews like these is to have a great product. And you’re not wrong. That’s a given. But that alone will not garner the kind of reviews we all dream about. At least not in B2B, where our solutions are multi-faceted and more powerful than buying a hairdryer or pair of shoes.

In B2B, the secret to great product reviews is ensuring your customers achieve and recognize success. Here’s how we do it at Demandbase, and it’s gold!

We’re a partner, not a vendor

I know everyone says that, but without being boastful, I can honestly say we live it at Demandbase. We hear from our customers all the time that they consider us a “true partner” in their success…like an extension of their team.

Here’s just one example from a recent Gartner® Peer Insights 5-star review, “…[Demandbase’s] customer success team truly is dedicated to our company’s success and has grown with us in so many ways. We use our partnership with Demandbase as the model all future partnerships should be built on.”

Our focus on partnering with our customers is 100% intentional, because we understand that running a successful ABM program — or creating and launching ad campaigns that build lift and engagement, or using sales intelligence and data to drive revenue to the bottom line — is about so much more than having the right tool. It’s about having the right strategy, best practices, buy-in from leadership, a definition of success and identified KPIs, and alignment across teams, as well as a great platform to orchestrate it all. Without all these components in place, the program is doomed for lackluster results or worse, failure. 

That’s why we come alongside our customers, share our expertise, and ensure they have the training and resources they need to get the most out of Demandbase One. These things don’t come about by simply plugging in and flipping a switch. 

Walking the talk

This year our Customer Service and Success teams won the International Business “Stevie” Award for Best Customer Service Department of the Year, and our Technical Support team won the American Business “Stevie” for Best Tech Support Strategy and Implementation! I’m busting my buttons. They’re the ones delivering on being a true partner. 

So how’d they do it? Here are some keys to their success, and ultimately our customers’:

• First, we consolidated multiple customer-facing teams into one Customer Experience organization — that’s my baby! 
• Created “statements of value” for each customer to proactively communicate ROI to stakeholders. 
• Redefined our customer journey to include specific milestones and clear hand-offs to remove friction from the customer experience and help them recognize value at regular intervals. 
• Implemented ChurnZero, going from five tools to one, improving efficiency and visibility into key metrics and allowing us to better actively guide customers.
• Implemented a Digital Touch nurture program, which tripled the percentage of accounts certified within the first 30 days and dropped the average time to gain certification from 140 days to 22. 
• Expanded customer training through Demandbase Academy, Customer Office Hours, and instructor-led training, and implemented cross-platform training for internal teams. 
• Offered Managed Services to fill customers’ resource gaps — includes ROI reporting, platform management, strategy, and workshop sessions. 
• Launched a strategic webinar series to inspire customers on various advanced use cases to inspire them on what is possible for the future of their programs.
• Built out journeys, enablement, and nurture programs by persona to ensure we are actively guiding many customers forward based on the needs of their specific role. 

On the tech support side, we:

• Built internal tooling to speed investigation times and reduce time-to-resolution.
• Designed repeatable processes to scale these efforts quickly.
• Expanded support teams across geographies and time zones.
• Added more key performance indicators to include CSAT, time-to-resolution, aged case reduction, periodic update SLAs, and more. 
• Improved job satisfaction and augmented team members’ skills and opportunities. 
• Implemented a more robust product/engineering feedback loop. 
• Cross trained to ensure customers were able to address most of their questions or concerns through one individual versus having to move between resources for different platform questions.

With all these things in place, we’re consistently earning customer satisfaction scores of 98% or better. That’s the secret to garnering great product reviews. 

So if you’re trying to drive stronger reviews for your product, these are some of the best practices you can take to the bank. 

And if you’re less than thrilled with the service you get from your go-to-market (GTM) “vendor” — and I use that word intentionally — our door is wide open. We’d love to become an extension of your team. Just contact us or learn more about how we can partner in your success. 

Gartner, Voice of the Customer for Account-Based Marketing Platforms, Published 28 June 2023, By Peer Contributors

GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Peer Insights is registered trademark of Gartner, Inc. and GARTNER PEER INSIGHTS CUSTOMERS’ CHOICE badge is a trademark and service mark, of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally and are used herein with permission. All rights reserved.

Gartner Peer Insights content consists of the opinions of individual end users based on their own experiences with the vendors listed on the platform, should not be construed as statements of fact, nor do they represent the views of Gartner or its affiliates. Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in this content nor makes any warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this content, about its accuracy or completeness, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

The post The Secret to Great Product Reviews. (Hint: It’s Not What You Think.) appeared first on Demandbase.

I admit it! I played with Barbie as a child, and the messages of female empowerment were utterly lost on my 8-year-old brain. The beautiful clothes, fancy townhouses, and spectacular cars drew me in. I mean, what little girl wouldn’t want unlimited wardrobe options, fun friends, a cute boyfriend, and a life one could only dream of? And dream, I did. I dreamt of flying around the world, meeting new people and seeing new things, negotiating business deals, and making my own decisions. 

Female Leadership

Fast forward four decades, and I’m doing all of those things. Last week, I spent several days in San Francisco with my Demandbase teammates, tackling tough business challenges and plotting the future of our Professional Services Organization at “Customer Experience Summer Camp.” For the first time in my career, I witnessed four levels of female leadership and individual contributors in a high-tech SAAS organization- something else I couldn’t have imagined as a girl playing with Barbie. At Demandbase, we create opportunities for everyone in the organization, regardless of race, creed, religion, or gender. While we aren’t perfect, we’ve made a lot of progress. According to Zippia “40 Telling Women in Technology Statistics [2023 ]: Computer Science Gender Ratio”, women hold 44% of STEM-related bachelor’s degrees as of 2022. Yet, women hold 28% of computing and mathematical jobs in the US as of 2022. The numbers are even more dismal when you look at leadership roles, with fewer than 20% of vice president positions in the tech industry, only 19% of senior vice presidents, and 15% of CEOs being held by women. Based on these stats, Demandbase is significantly ahead of our industry.

What Women Bring to the Workplace

According to a Center for Creative Leadership study, companies and organizations with more female employees “have more meaningful work and job satisfaction, better organization and dedication, and lower rates of burnout.” During our company meeting, organized and executed by a mostly female team, plenty of fun and creativity was built into the agenda, giving everyone time to connect, think differently, and push our organization forward. We played games, solved problems, and connected on a deeper level through intentional networking times and shared meals. There were even fun stickers each camper earned for their achievements. The Summer Camp atmosphere kept the mood light and challenged everyone to get out of their boxes and work together toward common goals.

Demandbase Value-Added Services Team at Summer Camp last week channeling our inner Barbie!

Female Role Models

I’ve had plenty of male role models and mentors throughout my career, and I’m so grateful for them. However, this is my first time having female role models who lift one another up and create an environment for all to grow. Strong female role models have three core benefits, according to an article by Forbes. Female role models expand what is possible, inspire women to be more ambitious and aim higher, and demonstrate the behaviors and mindsets necessary to rise in an organization. The successful women at Demandbase are unpretentious, hardworking, level-headed, and, most importantly, problem-solvers. Having these women in positions of influence in our organization can only serve to break down barriers, position other women for influence roles, impact policies involving work-life balance and child/elder care, and broader topics such as pay equity – for all people in the workplace, especially those who are under-represented today.

Making Barbie Proud

The women at Demandbase would make Barbie proud. We’re a new breed of professionals who have found the ability to manage our personal and professional lives while impacting the strength and trajectory of our organization. From Human Resources to marketing, customer success, sales, product development, professional services, and beyond, the women at Demandbase are showing that childhood dreams are not only possible but they are a reality. And let’s not forget the men with whom we work, you’re “Dee-best.”

Some additional resources: Women in Revenue, Girls Who Code, Future Business Leaders of America, Demandbase Careers

The post Why Demandbase’s Customer Experience is Barbie-Approved appeared first on Demandbase.

In today’s rapidly shifting business landscape, the art and science of enterprise sales is evolving at an unprecedented pace. As SVP of Enterprise Sales at Demandbase, I’ve witnessed firsthand the transformation of sales strategies, approaches, and tools over the years. However, amidst the flux, certain principles and insights stand out as paramount for success, particularly in the enterprise segment. Whether you’re a seasoned sales veteran or a newcomer looking to make your mark, understanding these crucial elements is table stakes. Dive in as I unveil the top five things every enterprise sales professional absolutely needs to know and put to use.

• Exceptional discovery. Do you understand the top three C-Level goals of your account or prospect? Do you know the trends in their industry at the moment, who their customers are and what their competition is doing? For enterprise companies, it’s all publicly available. Taking a first call without doing this type of pre-call planning is a call you have just wasted.
  
  Be genuinely curious about them and confident enough to ask them thoughtful, open-ended questions about their highest level initiatives. Odds are you aren’t speaking to the CEO when calling an enterprise, but someone (or a whole Buying Group) who has marching orders to support and be in service of those CEO objectives. And going even further, that someone doesn’t always know how they are going to get there. Make the connections for them, articulate and help them visualize how your “thing” supports those initiatives, and attach your value prop to that talk track throughout the cycle, constantly reinforcing how you will get them there. To do this well and get authentic buy-in takes work. If you stop reading here, that is okay because this one has never failed me. It’s the most mission critical aspect of effective selling, and gives you the edge in an often very competitive market. 
• Constant momentum in long enterprise sales cycles. Move the needle every day. Every. Single. Day. Endeavor to be in contact, meet a new stakeholder, share thought leadership content, do a status call, broker a partner connection, foster executive relationships, plan on-sites, etc. for all your deals in cycle. Do whatever it takes to inch that deal forward daily.
  
  My tactic as a sales rep was one I un-creatively referred to as the “post-it note.” The bulletin board on my wall had a collection of post-it notes each with the name of my deal that quarter and my job was to put a checkmark on that note on a daily basis, which meant that I touched them somehow that day.

  Every morning I would glance at my sticky notes and it helped me prioritize while giving me assurance I was all over a deal. As a sales leader, the last thing I want to hear about a substantive deal for that quarter is a rep telling me “last call with them was two weeks ago.” At the enterprise level, it’s imperative you’re using every tool in the bag to keep the momentum.

• Pressure-test your deals constantly. There are so many competing priorities in enterprise accounts, stakeholder politics, market changes, and savvy competitor maneuvers, that it’s a necessity to maniacally ensure your project is still tracking amidst all potential threats. Leverage your peers and sales leaders to have them unearth where you might be weak. Conduct war rooms and run DNA sessions to de-risk the risks. Knowledge is power and overcoming objections can only happen when we know what we are up against.

• Evaluate every subsidiary under the parent/sister company. A unique aspect of selling to the enterprise account is that you are likely going to have multiple lines of business and potentially hundreds of subsidiaries. What separates your ‘huge earning’ years from the ‘pay-the-bills earning’ years is how you navigate large enterprises.
  
  I have seen this work many different ways. Sometimes it’s a ground swell from enough interested subsidiaries asking their corporate parent to pull together an ELA (Enterprise License Agreement). This is an ideal scenario as you are now you are the de facto standard vendor of choice and given carte blanche to move from division to division with the best opening sentence in the world:  

“We are an approved vendor.” 

[That or some variation that includes being the companies’ preferred solution, having existing terms, completed clearance/vetting by security and privacy, or having gone through onboarding by procurement already.]

It feels like the gates to heaven are open. Everyone exhales at how easy it will be to do business with you and will tell their friends in other business units. I have also seen this work from the corporate parent having the initiative to establish common systems across their organization and set up an ELA to push down and out to all the children/sister companies. It’s also imperative to seek out a Center of Excellence. The most efficient technique, however, is a combo of top-down and bottom-up simultaneously. Your approach should be situational. Yes, the cycles will be longer on the front end, but the outcome is exponentially increased revenue.

This is what differentiates enterprise from the mid-market/small business sector, and we need to plan how to penetrate these often massive accounts with the end goal in mind.

When done correctly, upsells will come more frequently, more warm doors are opened for you, all the while you are fortifying retention rates as your solution is installed across many areas of their business. Ripping you out is a huge undertaking, so your future retention-minded selves will thank you for spending the time upfront driving that ELA. 

• No stone left unturned. Although the title of this blog talks about five tips, this last point is a three-in-one package that encompasses a few final but equally important reminders that will come in handy in the world of enterprise sales: 
  1. There’s no getting around demonstrating ROI, but keep it simple. Something as real-time and raw as the ‘back-of-the-napkin’ can work.
  2. Qualify deals out early. Time is your most precious commodity. Don’t spin cycles where there is no real interest at the moment.
  3. Executive alignment is mission critical, and if you aren’t up-leveling inside of your accounts, trust me, others are.

These five(ish) tips have all been paramount to my success rates in the enterprise segment, and I have no doubt that any salesperson who implements them and keeps them top-of mind throughout their approaches will ultimately add wins to their record. 

P.S./Bonus tip: never talk SKUs or product names! Stick to their pain-points.

The post Top 5 Things Enterprise Sales Needs To Know appeared first on Demandbase.

I’ll get right to the point. If you’re using ad tech from a provider other than Demandbase, chances are you’re using a platform that doesn’t speak B2B as its native language. Other “B2B advertising” providers rely on third-party ad tech that was originally built for B2C and they’ve retrofitted it for B2B. That’s not the case at Demandbase. We built our ad tech from the ground up specifically for the unique challenges of B2B. 

B2B, B2C, or Retrofitted B2C: What’s the difference and why does that matter? 

(In a hurry? Check out this 1-minute video clip.)

I’ll warn you, I’m going to get in the weeds, but I think you’ll appreciate the details.

Let’s start by examining the differences between B2B and B2C buying journeys. In B2C, you usually have a large market, mostly made up of individual buyers making simple buying decisions that are low cost and don’t involve multiple decision-makers. B2B is the opposite. Most purchases are complex. They take time and involve a whole committee of people, each with a different role in the buying process. 

In the B2C scenario, you do one of two things, either mass branding to a large population of people who fit a certain profile or retargeting to people who’ve shown interest in your product. Think boots. If you recently checked out boots at an online retail site, the B2C advertiser will serve you an ad for those very same boots, hoping to entice you to buy now for the low price of $59.99. Done. Easy decision.

In B2B, most of the time there’s no budget for mass branding. After all chances are pretty good there are a lot more individuals interested in boots than in your B2B solution. And retargeting does not result in conversions. Why? Because B2B buying decisions take longer. Relying solely on either of these strategies will result in a massive waste of budget. B2B digital marketers only want to target people at accounts that are a good fit for their company and likely to make a purchase. 

The problem is that B2C ad tech has no concept of an account or buying group. They choose their targets based on demographic data such as age, gender, ethnicity, level of education, income, and so forth. Not only is this irrelevant in B2B, but the “facts” they gather are often wrong. 

This also means that B2C platforms can’t measure results that matter in B2B. You can track individual impressions and clicks, but there’s no way of knowing if your ads are generating engagement, pipeline, bookings, or revenue from your targeted accounts.

Enter Retrofitted B2C

To address these problems (and to compete with Demandbase), other B2B advertising solutions adapt B2C ad platforms to provide some account characteristics. What they do is upload IP addresses and cookie IDs to their partner platform to serve ads exclusively to a specific group of accounts. That might sound great, but the underlying technology can’t optimize bidding to accounts, so all sorts of problems arise, like individual accounts sucking up all the campaign budget and the inability to prioritize bidding at the account level. What’s more, some companies have an incredibly large pool of IPs and cookie IDs that represent mostly people outside of the buying groups, which leads to targeting people within the account who don’t care about the product being advertised. In other words, wasteful spending.

Perhaps the most significant flaw with retrofitted B2C ad tech is that it can’t tap into the holy grail of B2B targeting data that uses real-time B2B intent signals to prioritize the IPs and cookie IDs to use within each account. Without this, IP-based targeting is all you get. 

I’ll admit, the retrofit is better than nothing. But there’s still too much wasted spend, and there’s a better way.

Meet Demandbase Piper

Earlier this month, we rolled out the red carpet for the Demandbase Piper B2B DSP — the new name for our proprietary B2B ad tech. The technology has been around, honed, and perfected since 2012, but we decided it was time to give it a name as distinctive as its capabilities. 

Piper stands for Pipeline + Revenue and it was built from the ground up to tackle the unique challenges of B2B, with a native account object and the ability to use real-time B2B intent signals to optimize targeting and bidding.

It only serves ads to people associated with a target account, and prioritizes impressions to the buying group members in an active buying cycle. How does it do that?

Suppose you were able to narrow your targeting to an individual with the right title at an ICP account and they’re showing interest in your product (something other ad tech is not able to do, by the way), you might think you’d hit the jackpot. But not necessarily so. That still doesn’t mean the company as a whole is in a buying cycle. You need to be able to analyze behavior across the entire buying group to determine if the company is actively considering a purchase. Demandbase is able to do just that through our Demandbase One platform. It considers predictive models, engagement minutes, intent, anonymous web activity, and more to decide who to advertise to, and feeds those audiences directly into the Piper DSP. 

In short, Piper, combined with Demandbase One, is able to identify ICP accounts and their buying groups and track intent and other engagement behaviors across the groups. These are the two absolute essentials for B2B advertising. Anything less will result in wasting your ad dollars on the wrong targets.

In addition, with Piper and Demandbase One, you can:    

• Track each buying group member throughout their journey, so you can target them individually and customize your messages for their role and stage in the buying process.
• Measure business goals, not vanity metrics, so you can see how impressions and clicks contribute to pipeline, deals, and revenue — at the account and individual level.
• Pace your campaigns and balance impressions across your target accounts and buying group members, so you don’t accidentally spend your whole budget on a few large accounts.
• Advertise only on whitelisted, context-appropriate sites. You’ll never see a Demandbase ad on a celebrity rag or radical political site. That can’t be said of other “B2B” advertisers.
• Automatically optimize bidding to achieve results that drive revenue, such as account lift, engagement, and account reach.

That’s everything you’d want and expect from an advertising solution that’s fluent in B2B. Can that be said of your ad tech? If not, contact us and we’ll gladly introduce you to Demandbase Piper. 

In case you’re wondering, DSP stands for demand side platform. It’s the inside term for a software platform that facilitates ad bidding and targeting across multiple ad exchanges. In other words, “ad tech.”  

The post Is Your Ad Tech Fluent in B2B? appeared first on Demandbase.

This blog was written by Bob Samuels, Co-founder at TechConnectr  to showcase a recent webinar featuring Demandbase CMO Jon Miller

In the ever-evolving landscape of marketing, staying ahead of the curve is not just an advantage; it’s a necessity. Enter the groundbreaking webinar that is set to revolutionize your approach to marketing: “AI-Powered ABM and ABX: Revolutionizing Marketing Optimization and Automation.” 

This webinar poised to be a game-changer, bringing together thought leaders, industry veterans, and marketing enthusiasts to explore the cutting-edge fusion of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Account-Based Marketing (ABM). 

The FIRE Acronym: Fanning the Flames of Targeting Success 

One of the most anticipated highlights of the webinar is the insight shared by the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of Demandbase, Jon Miller. With a wealth of experience and a keen eye for innovation, Jon’s words carry weight in the marketing realm. 

“I always like the FIRE acronym for targeting — F-Fit, I-Intent, R-Relationship, E-Engagement,” says Miller, encapsulating a strategy that promises to ignite your targeting approach and take it to new heights. 

F – Fit: Igniting the Spark with Perfect Fit 

In today’s hyper-competitive market, the importance of identifying the right targets cannot be overstated. Jon’s ‘fit’ aspect of the FIRE acronym stresses the significance of identifying accounts that align seamlessly with your product or service.

Imagine a marketing approach where every effort is focused on those most likely to convert into valuable leads. This is the ‘fit’ philosophy in action, and the webinar will delve deeper into the AI-powered techniques that make it a reality. 

I – Intent: Fanning the Flames of Interest 

Predicting customer intent is often likened to uncovering hidden treasure. ‘intent’ acknowledges this essential aspect of marketing.

The webinar will showcase how to decipher and leverage customer intent to tailor your marketing efforts through advanced AI algorithms and data analytics. By understanding what your prospects are actively seeking, you can deliver the right message at the right time, drastically improving your chances of capturing their interest. 

R – Relationship: Nurturing the Flame of Connection 

Building lasting relationships with your target audience is the cornerstone of effective marketing. The ‘relationship’ element of FIRE spotlights the significance of cultivating genuine connections.

In the webinar, experts (including Jon) illuminate how AI can be harnessed to deepen customer relationships, personalize interactions, and create a sense of loyalty that transcends the transactional.

E – Engagement: Firing up Active Participation 

Engagement isn’t just a buzzword; it’s a dynamic force that drives meaningful interactions. In FIRE, ‘engagement’ focuses on actively involving your audience in a way that resonates and inspires action.

Our webinar unveils AI-driven strategies you can use to captivate your prospects: from personalized content recommendations to interactive campaigns that foster genuine engagement. 

Embracing the AI-Powered Future of B2B Marketing 

The AI-powered ABM/ABX marketing webinar was a game-changer for everyone who attended.

Knowledge is power, and the insights shared at the event will continue to empower marketing leaders to confidently embrace the AI-powered future. Armed with real-world examples, success stories, and safeguards, businesses can now use AI to transform their B2B marketing strategy, and move forward with confidence.  

Because in a world where marketing landscapes are constantly altering, adopting innovation isn’t an option — it’s a requirement. Now offered on-demand, the “AI-Powered ABM and ABX: Revolutionising Marketing Optimisation and Automation“ webinar is your ticket to discovering how AI can level-up your marketing efforts. 

Take advantage of this opportunity to learn from ABM pioneers and IT marketing experts with hands-on experience integrating AI into their businesses.

Join us in the future for an interesting and enlightening webinar that promises to revolutionize the way you think about B2B marketing. We hope to see you there!

The post How AI Can Supercharge Your Account-Based Marketing Strategy appeared first on Demandbase.

This year has been incredibly challenging for salespeople in many companies across industries. But because we know that “when the going gets tough, the tough get going,” those who persevered, thought outside the box, and focused on doing right by their customers, are still celebrating wins and closed deals. And many of those salespeople who maneuvered the recent headwinds are amazing women in sales.   

To celebrate this, we created a list of women who are making an impact in the sales field. Not only are they knocking it out of the park when it comes to their specific roles, but they’re also finding success in giving back to other women within our field and working to make sales as a whole better.

And so, for the second year in a row, we’re proud to share that we’ve partnered up with Women in Sales to highlight 100 Powerful Women in Sales. 

You can find the 2022 list here (1-50 / 51-100).

We didn’t want the list to be restricted based on title, so you’ll see folks from the SDR level, all the way to the C-Suite!

Before jumping into how we developed our list, Alexine Mudawar, CEO at Women in Sales, and I wanted to share our perspective on the importance and impact that these women make and why these specific women were selected:

Whether you are seeking inspiration for your own team or are simply curious about who these women are, taking cues from these thought leaders can provide you with valuable insights into how to remain ahead of the curve during times of rapid change.

List methodology

When developing this list of 100 Powerful Women in Sales, it’s not simply who has the most followers. While reach, specifically on LinkedIn, is important, a variety of other criteria go into such a ranking, including:

• Sharing contextual updates: Whether it’s publishing unique on-topic content or it’s reposting content with additional context, the content needs to be beneficial to their audience. Simply reposting company content isn’t enough.
• Engagement with sales-focused content: If you’re turning to someone for inspiration, they should be actively engaged with the broader community. Interacting with content –– both passively and actively ––  with likes, and thoughtful comments is imperative.
• Audience resonance: When these women publish content, are their audiences actively engaging with it? Is it resonating? How about when they comment on other people’s content? Their content –– whether on their profile or when they engage with others’ content –– should resonate with these audiences.
• Diversity: We are careful to ensure that we have a diverse representation of those individuals whom we highlight. This isn’t limited to those that we name to the list; it’s also important to ensure that they’re involved in conversations with a diverse group of people.

Many lists rely entirely on Twitter (err, X) but, in the B2B world, most people (especially sales individuals) focus their time on LinkedIn. While X allows access to their firehose and therefore a lot of tools utilize that data to determine influence, this list was manually researched and analyzed by both our team and Women in Sales, one profile at a time.

Without delay, and in alphabetical order, here are the 100 powerful women in sales that you need to be following and learning from:

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Alana Bentley

Account Specialist – Vaccine Business Unit, GSK

Why you should follow Alana:

With over seven years of experience in strategic sales, Alana has a wide range of sales expertise including sales productivity, pipeline strategy, sales coaching, account management, business development, customer acquisition and retention, and product solution sales. She approaches sales with a unique focus on improving the process as a whole, constantly looking for ways to innovate lead generation and boost revenue. With a talent for streamlining workflows, she has carved out a niche for herself in the world of sales. Her insights and strategies, visible through her online presence, serve as a valuable resource for anyone in the sales field. Alana is also co-president and board member at the National Sales Network (Chicago Chapter). 

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Alexa Regimand

Vice President, InstroTek, Inc.

Why you should follow Alexa:

Alexa has a long history in sales going from being a BDR at GroupOn, where she consistently exceeded quarterly/monthly targets and was named Rookie of the Quarter (Q3, 2016), to becoming a Sales Trainer with them where she trained over 100 new BDRs across all verticals, boasting an 87% graduation rate. This earned her the Trainer of the Month accolade in August of 2017. This training experience led Alexa to Fooda to become their first (and only!) sales trainer, where she built out the full onboarding and education training programs. Those experiences led Alexa to Compass Group before moving to become VP at InstroTek.

Alexa can often be seen cheering on her colleagues who have been recently promoted as well as encouraging people to apply for open positions at InstroTek.

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Alex B.

Senior Account Executive, QuotaPath

Why you should follow Alex:

Alex, currently a dynamic Senior Account Executive at QuotaPath, is revolutionizing the way sales, operations, and finance teams track their commissions. Her significant contributions in guiding clients to automate commission calculations have enhanced QuotaPath’s reputation as a premier tool in the industry. Alex’s professional journey is marked by a steadfast commitment to exceed expectations, illustrated by her repeated overachievement of quotas at Cision. Her positivity, focus, and innate ability to build strong relationships have made a profound impact on her team and clients. During a challenging transition to remote work, Alex demonstrated extraordinary leadership, managing her team adeptly. Her unrivaled blend of sales expertise, leadership skills, and deep understanding of her customers’ needs uniquely position her as a transformative figure in the sales landscape.

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Alina Vandenberghe

Co-Founder & Co-CEO, Chili Piper

Why you should follow Alina:

Alina paints a vibrant picture of workplace dynamics, highlighting empathy as the silent hero in conflict resolution. She stirs rich, enlightening discussions on the art of skill mapping across various marketing domains, underscoring the importance of well-charted career paths. Drawing from her journey as a female entrepreneur, her content dives deep into lessons learned, often touching on the pulse of crucial HR aspects.

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Alizee Michaud

Head of Sales Development, Inscribe

Why you should follow Alizee:

Alizee’s role as Head of Sales Development perfectly suits her as she has gone from being a BDR at Karat to multiple roles at Chili Piper where she grew into being a Sr. SDR Manager prior to leaving for Inscribe. Nicolas Vandenberghe, co-Founder and co-CEO at Chili Piper, praises Alizee, having this to say about her: “She immediately improved the performance of her team and kept the results coming. Alizee combines strong sales acumen and natural leadership.”

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Alley Forbes

Sales Manager, Vidyard

Why you should follow Alley:

Alley is a remarkable individual who has transitioned from an elite athlete to a top-tier sales professional, blending the qualities of a “saleslete” with a customer-centric approach. With a natural inclination for leadership, she consistently strives to improve herself, aiming to be 1% better every single day.

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Alli MacManus

Manager, Sales Development and Enablement, Demandbase

Why you should follow Alli:

Alli is a dynamic force in tech sales, moving from being a top-performing seller to a role in enablement and strategy. She’s keen on empowering the next generation of tech’s best sellers and is passionate about community, remote work, DE&I, and account-based approaches. Alli’s not just about sales, she also loves a good glass of wine and is always up for some globe-trotting.

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Amarli Monderoy

Lead Generation Specialist, Trans World Compliance

Why you should follow Amarli:

Amarli is a seasoned strategist, showcasing a talent for spotting solutions before problems even surface. Having successfully transitioned from Construction to SaaS Sales, her journey enriches her insights. From safeguarding digital identities at HackNotice to boosting revenue growth at Chili Piper, her experience is diverse and valuable. On a personal level, Amarli’s resilient spirit and love for travel shine through. She’s an ardent reader, with Sun Tzu’s ‘The Art of War’ ranking high on her list.

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Amber Kidd

Sales Talent Operations Specialist, RE:WORK TRAINING 

Why you should follow Amber:

Amber is a dynamic figure, sharing her innovative sales strategies and insights based on a career that’s spanned diverse industries. After taking a brief hiatus to focus on motherhood, she dove back into the professional sphere emerging as a compelling voice for women wishing to navigate a similar path. She consistently shares insightful content, covering everything from sales techniques to real-life challenges and triumphs. 

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Amy Slater

Vice President, GSI, Global Sales, Genesys 

Why you should follow Amy:

Amy’s content is unique in providing a valuable perspective from “the other side of sales.” She uncovers essential truths salespeople need to know about their customers, emphasizing the importance of genuine human connection in business interactions. She’s a mentor at heart, keen on guiding professionals on the nuances of sales methodology and customer engagement. 

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Amy Volas

Founder & CEO, Avenue Talent Partners

Why you should follow Amy:

Amy Volas is a sales powerhouse with over 20 years of experience in startup and enterprise sales, backed by an impressive track record of over $100MM in closed revenue. Her LinkedIn posts offer a treasure trove of sales insights and strategies, providing a unique perspective on the sales profession. With a relentless focus on leaving things better than she found them, Amy’s passion for sales, customer success, and startups shines through in her engaging and informative content.

Check out her career coaching initiative “Better Together“. It aims to offer valuable guidance and insights to help individuals achieve their professional goals.

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Angela (Scanlan) Salazar

Vice President, Program & Partnerships, #GirlsClub 

Why you should follow Angela:

Boasting 18 years of leadership experience across training, quality assurance, marketing, and sales operations, Angela has refined her coaching and leadership development skills domestically and abroad. She has created and customized successful leadership development courses and is passionate about nurturing potential future leaders.

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Anita Nielsen

President – Owner, LDK Advisory Services

Why you should follow Anita:

Anita Nielsen stands out in the B2B sales arena with her rich, 20-year-long experience and her unique approach to value creation. Working as a sales performance consultant, author, trainer, and coach, Anita masterfully employs psychology principles to steer sales leaders and their teams toward securing successful deals. She’s a big believer in boosting women’s presence in B2B sales, constantly pushing for more inclusivity in the industry. She perfectly embodies a human-centric approach to sales in her book (which is an Amazon #1 Best-Seller).

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Anne Pao

Founder & CEO, Ignite Consulting

Why you should follow Anne:

Anne is a go-to-market and revenue operations specialist with over 20 years of experience steering growth for tech and healthcare companies. Having been a key player in over 500 SaaS deals, her expertise in understanding customer value and coordinating buying teams is transformative for those navigating the sales landscape. On a personal note, the three core values that Anne promotes are fairness, inclusion, and authenticity.

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Ashley Coghill

Account Executive, Lavender

Why you should follow Ashley:

Ashley stands out as a sales powerhouse in her industry. She firmly believes that the trifecta of creativity, empathy, and a hunger for learning are indispensable traits for a successful sales professional. She persistently advocates for her peers and amplifies the voices of women, with a special focus on mothers. Away from the whirlwind of her work, Ashley finds joy in the thrill of roller derby, cherishing quiet moments with her family, petting dogs, and losing herself in the world of books.

Make sure not to miss her insightful podcast for more of her expert takes and innovative approaches to sales.

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Ashley Zagst

Account Executive, Apollo.io

Why you should follow Ashley:

Ashley thrives amidst the creative flux of the sales industry. With each interaction and conversation, she garners new insights that enable her to guide revenue leaders toward their ambitious growth objectives. Fearless in confronting hard-hitting questions, she brings a valued sense of clarity, transparency, and empathy to the table. 

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Ashton Williams

Director, Strategic Programs (Enablement), Slack

Why you should follow Ashton:

Ashton stands out as a passionate and energetic professional who thrives in people-focused leadership. She believes in collaboration, open communication, empowering her team, and enablement. Her approach to leadership, combined with her commitment to continuous learning and creativity, fosters growth and excellence.

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Ayanna Kerrison

Investor, Precursor Ventures

Why you should follow Ayanna:

Ayanna is a seasoned operations and finance professional, boasting over five years of experience in the fast-paced world of investment banking. With roles as diverse as COO in the IT department to handle a financial sponsors group, her broad expertise has given her a keen understanding of the financial industry. All of this together with a solid educational background make her a highly valued professional in the finance and operations sector.

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Becc Holland

CEO & Founder, Flip the Script

Why you should follow Becc:

Becc Holland’s deep understanding of the tech and sales world consistently shines through in her insightful LinkedIn posts. With a sharp analytical mind, she dives into complex sales concepts and offers unique perspectives that challenge the status quo. She emphasizes the importance of understanding buyers and diagnosing their problems accurately. Becc strongly believes that a sales professional’s expertise lies in providing genuine solutions that benefit the buyer.

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Carol Martindale

Senior Director, Revenue Operations and Partnerships, Dealfront

Why you should follow Carol:

Carol Martindale excels in orchestrating revenue operations and partnerships, consistently fostering collaboration and teamwork. Driven by her passion for philanthropy, she’s dedicated to empowering people to succeed. She’s also an author, world traveler, poker player, and scotch enthusiast. 

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Carrie Bosworth

SVP of Sales, Checkr, Inc. 

Why you should follow Carrie:

Carrie Bosworth is a seasoned sales leader who brings her extensive experience, innovative approach, and inventive strategies to the table, turning any roadblocks into opportunities for growth. She’s all about nurturing her team, encouraging constant learning and progression, and is passionate about inspiring the next wave of sales trailblazers.

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Cassi Roper

Chief Revenue Officer, Redgate Software

Why you should follow Cassi:

Cassi is a seasoned and hands-on sales leader, known for her expertise in hiring, training, and developing sales professionals. She’s all about creating a winning team spirit and a sales culture that keeps customers at its heart. Fueled by her systematic approach and emphasis on quality account management, Cassi continually raises the bar in the sales industry.

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Catie Ivey

VP of Enterprise Sales, Pendo.io

Why you should follow Catie:

Catie is on a three-pronged mission: to raise the bar in B2B sales, to inspire and nurture the upcoming generation of sales leaders, and to push for more women at the pinnacle of leadership. She’s passionate about cultivating a sales culture where reps can unlock their full potential and become indispensable business partners. She believes that the journey to such a landscape begins with empowering our sellers and sales leaders to be the best they can be.

To soak up more of her wisdom, swing by her website.

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Chaniqua (Nikki) Ivey

Sr. Strategic Account Broker, OppGen

Why you should follow Chaniqua:

Chaniqua is a seasoned sales professional with over a decade of experience in the field. Throughout her career, she’s often found herself as the only Black woman on the team, facing challenges of representation and belonging. Initially hesitant to challenge the status quo, Chaniqua’s confidence grew as her accomplishments and influence expanded. Empowered by her belief in attracting, supporting, and retaining diverse talent, she began publishing content and building communities to foster change. Now, she’s on a mission to create an inclusive, diverse, and respectful future, inviting others to join her on this transformative journey.

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Chantel George

Founder & CEO, Sistas In Sales

Why you should follow Chantel:

Chantel George is more than just a seasoned sales pro. She’s a trailblazer, passionately committed to empowering women of color in the sales industry. While fostering diversity, Chantel is also known for her extraordinary sales acumen, delivering strategic solutions in the AdTech, MarTech, and SaaS sectors. Through her ability to deeply understand client needs, she’s continually raising the bar in the world of sales.

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Charlotte Lloyd

Sales Director, Investment Monitor

Why you should follow Charlotte:

Charlotte’s forte lies in equipping businesses with effective cold outreach strategies that align perfectly with their brand ethos. She goes beyond the traditional confines of sales methodologies, teaching professionals how to leverage content to capture attention and win clients. Always keeping up with the digital pulse, she’s known for sharing tactical advice that helps to bridge the gap between online interactions and fruitful business relationships. Swing by her newsletter or tune into her podcast for your daily dose of sales wisdom.

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Cherilynn Castleman

Managing Partner, CGI Executive Coaching

Why you should follow Cherilynn:

Cherilynn’s passion lies in empowering women of color in the sales industry. She also aids companies in revamping their sales recruitment and retention strategies, leading to shorter sales cycles, higher conversion rates, and a more diverse and confident sales force. As a cherry on top, she’s also penned a book outlining crucial post-pandemic sales strategies and has a website for a deeper dive into her world of insights and strategies.

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Christina Brady

SVP of Sales, Spekit 

Why you should follow Christina:

Christina brings a unique blend of sales leadership and SaaS expertise to the table, enriched by her creative flair as a former artist. She’s made her mark in the sales industry with an approach that marries ingenuity with tactical acumen. On LinkedIn, she frequently shares insightful commentary on sales strategies and leadership principles, always with an eye on the shifting landscape of the sales industry. Additionally, she channels her experience and insights into public speaking and executive coaching, driving growth in SaaS organizations across the US. Christina also lends her expertise as a host to a podcast called “Taking The Lead”.

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Christine Rogers

President & COO, Aspireship

Why you should follow Christine:

Christine is a veteran sales leader with a knack for assembling, training, and managing powerhouse sales teams. She is known for her passionate leadership style that focuses on maximizing team performance and driving results by harnessing individual talents for collective success. With expertise spanning leadership development, training, sales process, and customer experience, Christine’s insights are a treasure trove for those seeking to excel in the sales domain.

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Cindy Lien Truong

Co-Founder, Society of Saleswomen

Why you should follow Cindy:

From peddling Scratch n’ Sniff stickers as a kid to now leading high-performing sales teams, Cindy has made quite a journey in the sales world. Specializing in SaaS technology and cloud-based business solutions, she’s established her expertise by consistently exceeding revenue goals and embracing the notion that ‘one size does not fit all’ in sales. Cindy brings a unique blend of integrity, culture, and communication to her teams, marking her as a distinct figure in the sales sphere.

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Cynthia Barnes

Founder and CEO, National Association of Women Sales Professionals (NAWSP)

Why you should follow Cynthia:

Cynthia is passionately committed to driving change and establishing equity for women in sales. Her life’s mission is to bolster companies in attracting, developing, and retaining the top 1% of women sales professionals. She staunchly believes that when women flourish, so do workplaces and teams. Known for her visionary approach, Cynthia leverages her sales expertise and unique insights to influence the sales landscape positively. Delve further into Cynthia’s impactful work and become a part of her mission by navigating through her website.

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Cynthia Handal

Head of Global Sales, Simera

Why you should follow Cynthia:

With an unwavering passion for cultivating future sales leaders, Cynthia champions an innovative, empowerment-focused approach to sales management that helps sales reps meet and exceed their goals. She’s deeply committed to fostering accessibility in sales, creating opportunities for aspiring BDRs and SDRs to break into the tech industry. She also connects with her audience by consistently delivering engaging sales content. By leveraging her extensive experience and innovative strategies, she continues to elevate sales performance and success within her team and the broader organization. 

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Daisy Chung

Sales Director, Orum

Why you should follow Daisy:

Daisy is fervently committed to advancing others’ sales careers, leveraging her YouTube channel to share insights, best practices, and the exhilaration inherent in the sales journey. She provides a diverse range of sales-focused content, bridging the gap between theory and application, and empowering her audience to outperform in their sales roles.

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Dana Feldman

Head of Strategic Sales, Gong

Why you should follow Dana:

Dana thrives on guiding customers to understand the transformative power of innovative technology for their business operations. As an accomplished leader, she relishes in overseeing high-performing teams and pushing them to exceed client expectations. She also has a fervent commitment to the advancement and success of women in the workplace.

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Dini Mehta

Ex-CRO, Lattice

Why you should follow Dini:

Dini is enthusiastic about 1) creating diverse, high-performing teams; 2) authentic leadership; 3) Sustainable scaling of GTM engines. Dini has a strong background in creating and scaling start-ups in situations of rapid growth in marketing, sales, operations, enablement, sales development, solutions consulting, account management, customer success, business development, and partnerships. experience with PLG, inbound traffic, and outgoing traffic.

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Dorothy Huynh

Sales Development Representative, Demandbase

Why you should follow Dorothy:

Dorothy offers a unique blend of insights on sales, marketing, and effective communication strategies. Her posts often delve into the nuances of marketing operations, emphasizing the importance of active listening and tailored messaging. Whether it’s sharing learnings about account-based marketing or tips for crafting concise, relevant content for different audiences, Dorothy’s feed is full of knowledge.

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Erica Franklin

Director of Sales, Sistas In Sales

Why you should follow Erica:

Erica is a passionate go-getter with diverse perspectives, Erica enjoys helping customers and communities find solutions. She is a fervent DE&I advocate helping to build the fastest growing global community of women of color in sales. With 15+ years of experience, Erica has successfully crossed sales and customer satisfaction goals, driven revenue, and maintained exceptional customer engagement. Erica’s passion for philanthropy and storytelling brings joy to her work. When Erica is not helping companies and organizations “grow better,” Erica enjoys spending time traveling the world, learning about other cultures, listening to music, and dancing to her favorite tunes.

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Erin Moore

Director of Sales, Centerspan

Why you should follow Erin:

Erin is a sales leader with over ten years of experience including successfully managing sales teams for companies like Marquam and Centerspan. She has developed a female-focused sales mindset and is passionate about training women to sell honestly and personably.

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Gabrielle Reyson

Open to Work, Former SDR, UserGems

Why you should follow Gabrielle:

Gabrielle helps individuals and companies achieve their goals by fostering a work ethic within daily habits. The book “Three Feet From Gold” highlights the importance of digging for gold in various industries, resulting in versatility, flexibility, and personality. Success in each field requires developing and finding the “gold within.” Gabrielle believes there is gold in individual and company goals and she has vowed to dig as long as it takes to help reach the gold.

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Gina Stracuzzi

Women in Sales Leadership Forum Co-Founder and Program Director, Institute for Excellence in Sales

Why you should follow Gina:

Gina has worked with women-owned or led businesses in the United States and Europe for more than 25 years as a business development and sales strategist. Her primary passion has always been empowering women to recognise and capitalize on their inherent strengths in order to excel in their jobs and businesses. She is one of the co-founders of the IES Women in Sales Leadership (WISL) Centre, which includes the WISL Forum, a game-changing initiative aimed at ensuring that more women are elevated into sales leadership, the IES Premier Women in Sales Employer (PWISE) Certification for exceptional businesses for women in sales, the annual WISL Elevation Conference, and a number of internal professional development options. 

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Grace Presnick

Sr. Enterprise Accountant Executive, Outreach

Why you should follow Grace:

Grace is an inspiring sales leader at Outreach, serving in the dual roles of Senior Enterprise Account Executive and Co-Chair of the Women in Sales (WINS) Employee Resource Group. Her stellar sales acumen is complemented by her dedication to driving gender equity in the sales industry. Through her leadership in the WINS group, she has advocated for the empowerment and progression of women in sales, fostering an inclusive environment and paving the way for future generations of female sales professionals. Her impact extends beyond her quota-exceeding performance in sales roles at Dell EMC and Nasuni, illustrating a professional who seamlessly blends success in sales with advocacy for diversity and inclusion. Grace’s unique blend of professional success and commitment to empowering women in sales positions her as a transformational leader in her field.

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Guerlyne Guercy

Executive Communications Manager – People & Communities, Cisco

Why you should follow Guerlyne:

Guerlyne is a communications strategist that focuses on developing comprehensive messaging, maximizing operational effectiveness, and offering encouragement. Guerlyne advocates for grief and loss, offering guidance to navigate life’s perceived losses. She hopes to impart resilience and hope to others, as she experienced personal and professional growth. Guerlyne highly recommends these sessions for women seeking to understand their “blind spots” preventing career advancement.

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Hannah Ajikawo

CEO & Founder, Skaled Consulting

Why you should follow Hannah:

Hannah partners with sales leaders and CEOs to create customer engagement processes that drive value throughout the funnel and increase revenue opportunities. With 15 years of sales experience and 21,000 hours of consulting, Hannah has developed frameworks to increase ACV and win rates in under 4 months. The process involves establishing a universal buyer journey, building coherent value-based interactions, enabling daily execution through training and materials, and refining discovery processes. Results include sales reps hitting targets, customer success teams expanding accounts, reducing SDR ramp time, and increasing average contract value.

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Heidi Solomon-Orlick 

Senior Vice President – Business Development, Arise Virtual Solutions Inc.

Why you should follow Heidi:

Heidi is an award-winning Senior Vice President with over 30 years of global BPO sales and leadership experience. With over $1.5 billion in revenue, she has created 1,000 jobs globally. Heidi is a unique sales professional with a focus on trust, curiosity, authenticity, relationship building, team collaboration, thought leadership, innovation, active listening, and problem-solving. 

She is also the founder and CEO of GirlzWhoSell, an organization aiming to close the gender gap in B2B sales and build the largest pipeline of diverse female sales talent. Heidi is a DE&I champion, change agent, entrepreneur, author, and mentor. She has won Gold Stevie awards, was ranked in Top 50 Women Magazine, and was a Red Ladder Unstoppable Women in 2020. Heidi is a contributing author of “Upward: Leadership Lessons for Women on the Rise.” 

As a venture capital investor, she invests in women, LBTQIA+ and black-owned businesses. She is committed to supporting women and girls, promoting racial justice, workplace, and intersectional gender equity. She is an active aging advocate and aims to make a difference and leave a better world for future generations.

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Hilary Headlee

EVP, Sales + Customer Success, Center of Excellence, Insight Partners

Why you should follow Hilary:

With 20+ years of go-to-market experience in B2B and B2C SaaS companies, Hilary offers rich insights into product, marketing, sales, finance, and IT collaborations. She has a track record of success, including leading teams to successful IPOs and M&A outcomes. Her strength in connecting “those who build the product” to “those who sell the product” makes her a unique asset. By following Hilary, you gain access to her global perspective and a wealth of experience from SMB to enterprise stages, ensuring an enriching experience in understanding GTM strategies and customer success.

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Holly Allen

Business Development Representative, Deel

Why you should follow Holly:

Holly works with small to medium-sized businesses that are looking to expand or hire globally. Holly’s passion is rooted in all things social selling, particularly on LinkedIn, which is why she co-hosts a LinkedIn Social Selling Masterclass. Holly helps salespeople with LinkedIn tips and tricks, prospecting via video and voice notes, as well as how to make LinkedIn a profitable selling platform. Holly’s passion is helping SDRs build a personal brand and generate inbound leads through LinkedIn.

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Ileana Hernandez 

Enterprise Account Executive, Epidemic Sound

Why you should follow Ileana:

Over the past 4 years, Ileana has developed her sales methodology in technology (in IaaS and SaaS). At Epidemic Sound she collaborates with brands to soundtrack their audio-visual productions on TV, Online, at events, In-store, etc.

She leads the growth strategy in LATAM where she launched Spanish-blog posts by Latin curators, translated documents for LATAM customers, and successfully brought in some of the largest broadcasters such as Televisa, Univision, El Financiero, Sonoro Media Podcasts, and more.

Illena has consistently exceeded annual quotas and is experienced in bilingual selling for both the US and LATAM markets. She has successfully landed new accounts including Dentsu Creative, USA Basketball, Phoenix Suns, Spyder, PGA Tour, MrBeast, and several other well known brands.

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Jaleh Rezaei 

CEO & Co-founder, Mutiny

Why you should follow Jaleh:

After spanning roles at VMware, Gusto, Social Capital LP, and various advisory roles, in 2018, Jaleh co-founded Mutiny. After facing conversion challenges while she led marketing at Gusto, where they successfully drove top-of-funnel growth but had difficulties converting into revenue, she co-founded Mutiny which focuses on converting pageviews into pipeline and revenue with no-code website personalization. 

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Jen Allen-Knuth

Community Growth, Lavender

Why you should follow Jen:

Jen is the Head of Community Growth at Lavender, a co-founder of Social Social, a thriving community assisting individuals with LinkedIn content strategies, and a sought-after keynote speaker at sales conferences. With a background as an account executive and Chief Evangelist at Challenger, Jen hosted the Challenger Sale series, closed millions of dollars in closed-revenue as well as sales-qualified pipeline. Passionate about empowering women in the revenue sector, she emphasizes the importance of authenticity and innovation in overcoming customer risk aversion. Her dedication to driving effective communication and addressing challenges in complex B2B purchases makes her a valuable asset to B2B sales teams.

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Jill Bruno

Manager, Sales Development, RocketReach.co 

Why you should follow Jill:

Jill embodies the spirit of “Don’t wish for it; work for it,” fearlessly immersing herself in the sales process and seeking growth-driven solutions without shying away from challenges. With over a decade of sales experience, she played a pivotal role in establishing RocketReach’s inbound and outbound infrastructure, fueling the company’s impressive recent growth. Jill is also a Founding Member of Tenbound Plus, an exclusive invitation-only community that fosters mastery of the Inbound Methodology, professional skill-building, and networking opportunities for B2B SaaS GTM executives, managers, SDRs, and entrepreneurs. 

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Julia Carter 

Account Executive, Marpipe

Why you should follow Julia:

Julia takes charge of the entire sales cycle, overseeing both cold outbound efforts and inbound lead management, without the assistance of SDRs. Thriving in the startup environment, Julia finds value in being part of a small team that fosters efficient collaboration. Despite maintaining a standard ~1 million-dollar quota, her deal sizes span from Enterprise to Mid Market. Julia’s dedication to helping marketers and her exceptional sales achievements solidify her as a valuable asset in her field.

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Julie Martin

Regional Director, Strategic Accounts | Hybrid, Airtable

Why you should follow Julie:

Julie joined Airtable in June 2016 as the Regional Director, Strategic Accounts | Hybrid. In her role, she leads a team responsible for acquiring and managing Airtable’s key strategic segment, consisting of more than 5,000+ FTEs. Notably, Julie has successfully landed significant companies within this segment, including Amex, Costco, Adidas, Vanguard, T-Mobile, Unilever, Cisco, GMF, Bank of America, Target, Verizon, JPMC, Coca-Cola, S&P, Cox, and many others. Prior to her current position, Julie served as the head of the East Coast Media and Entertainment vertical in Twitter’s US Advertising business.

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Kandace Banks

Senior Enterprise Business Development, SetSail

Why you should follow Kandace

In her role as Senior Enterprise Business Development, Kandace supports colleagues with the creation of campaigns, structures feedback across several areas, digs into data to provide SDRs with guidance, and streamlines that data to leadership. Prior to this role, Kandace was in business development where she was named as a top performer for exceeding quota and won the company’s highest award, as nominated by leadership.

Dedicated to improving the way moms transfer their skills over to sales, she complied a simplistic BDR onboarding guide with key coaching tips for anyone new in the space.

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Katherine Caldwell

Founder, Katch Consulting LLC 

Why you should follow Katherine 

Katherine is both a seasoned SDR and video prospector. In her SDR days, she spent most of her time video prospecting to sales executives. In 2021, she took a bet on herself –– leaving her full-time job –– and now she coaches sales teams using a video prospecting program framework that she utilized successfully.

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Kelly Marberry 

Sales Leader – Account Executives LinkedIn Sales Solutions, LinkedIn

Why you should follow Kelly

Kelly has worked in sales, account management, and management for over 18 years, and she is a passionate and motivated sales leader at LinkedIn. Kelly’s goal is to assist mid-market sales organizations in utilizing LinkedIn data to create strategic connections and provide planning and strategy teams with relevant information. Kelly added a variety of viewpoints and experiences to the team because she has worked with different partners, clients, and sectors over the course of my career. In her role as the sales leader for account executives at LinkedIn Sales Solutions, Kelly oversees a team that partners with mid-market sales organizations across North America. 

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Kennedy Nicholson

SDR Inbound, Qualtrics

Why you should follow Kennedy

In addition to her role as an SDR at Qualtrics, Kennedy is also a Sales Development Coach at CourseCareers where she enjoys helping people make the transition into new sales careers, similar to her experience. Kennedy is an active member of top sales communities such as RevGenius and Sales Hacker. She recently shared her story about breaking into tech in this interview.

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Kristin Moore

Regional Sales Manager – Northeast, DoorDash

Why you should follow Kristin

Kristin’s sales career spans multiple companies where she consistently exceeded quota and contributed to millions of dollars in gross bookings. She has led teams that include 2nd and 3rd line management such as 70 SDRs. Kristin now serves as the Regional Sales Manager for the Northeast at DoorDash. She is a powerhouse sales leader with a focus on DE&I.

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Krysten Conner

Sales Strategist, UserGems

Why you should follow Krysten

Krysten, who never expected to end up in sales, returned to her family’s global insurance agency after three years of teaching middle school history. After leading multiple departments, she realized her passion was teaching, helping people, and changing the world. After selling the agency, she re-focused on sales and worked with various clients, across a variety of industries including entertainment, construction, retail, property management, consulting, healthcare, financial services, waste management, manufacturing, and software. Krysten helped sales and marketing leaders accomplish their goals, leading to clients being selected as CEOs, directors gaining visibility, and teams tackling global health threats. Despite an unexpected career change, she continues to share her wisdom, teaching and coaching early-stage AEs and helping individuals and organizations improve their sales and impact.

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Lauren Bailey

Founder and President, Factor 8

Why you should follow Lauren

Lauren focuses on building solutions that help BDRs and AEs hit quota sooner so they stay in sales and leadership programs that help folks move from being reps towards being managers. Lauren believes in building happy teams, powerful online experiences, learning cultures, engaging workshops, and solutions to help people fall in love with sales and look forward to coming to work. Lauren is most proud when she gets notes from past students who share their success stories or texts from #GirlsClubbers who have found and helped each other somehow. Lauren has trained and spoken in over 30 countries.

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Laurie Page

VP of Sales Strategy | Partner, The Bridge Group, Inc.

Why you should follow Laurie

Laurie is a Senior Sales Executive at The Bridge Group, focusing on inside sales. She joined in 2000 to expand The Bridge Group’s capabilities and serve their clients. Laurie has developed strategic initiatives and tactical implementation plans, ensuring high-quality solutions. Laurie partners with the team to utilize their experience in sales process methodology, measurement and metric development, project management, and recruiting to build high-performing teams. 

Laurie has received recognition for her expertise including being named a Top 25 Most Influential in Inside Sales by the American Association of Inside Sales Professionals (2011, 2013, and 2014), one of the Top 20 Women to Watch in Sales Lead Management (2011) by SLMA, and she topped the  Consulting Provider of the Year rankings by the American Association of Inside Sales Professionals two years in a row (2013 and 2014).

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Leslie Venetz

Founder, Sales Team Builder LLC 

Why you should follow Leslie

Leslie is a corporate sales trainer and sales-led GTM consultant. She specializes in transforming team engagement with prospects. With 15 years of experience in C-suite enterprise selling, Leslie has successfully led sales teams to overachievement and revenue growth. Leslie’s strategic vision and early-stage startup skills have led to rapid growth, and she has a stellar track record of nurturing teams across various industries, resulting in tangible results and increased customer satisfaction. Beyond her ongoing content on LinkedIn, you can find her on TikTok where she shares sales tips and hilarious sales-related content with her 32k followers.

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Liat Bycel

Founding Partner, 20SALES

Why you should follow Liat

Prior to becoming a Founding Partner at 20SALES, Liat was the VP of Sales at Airtable where she helped to establish the first customer engagement organization which also included building the leadership team and setting up the structure for several teams at Airtable including sales, customer success, support, and others. 

Liat has held various sales leadership roles throughout her career at companies such as Assist, Twitter, Revolution Prep, and more. At Twitter she was the first manager ever hired for their sales organization, growing the sales team from three sellers to 50+ in the first year.

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Lilah Jones

Head of ISVs & Marketplace Sales – NorthAm, Google

Why you should follow Lilah

Lilah is a results-driven executive with exceptional communication and relationship-building skills. She is a strategic thinker with excellent business acumen and deep expertise in the cloud and technology industries. Lila has a proven ability to achieve strong revenue growth.

Lilah is a versatile professional excelling as a keynote speaker, adjunct professor at Suffolk University’s Sawyer Business School, and guest lecturer at Northwestern University’s Medill School.

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Linda Dao Ohr

Global Head of Strategy & Enablement, Kin + Carta

Why you should follow Linda

Linda leads cross-functional teams to ensure client satisfaction, create efficiencies, and attract new talent. With over 1,700 specialized technologists, strategists, and creatives across four continents, she accelerates organizational growth at the global level. Before joining Kin + Carta, Linda held leadership roles in operations, sales, marketing, and client relations. She invests her experience in her endeavors and mentors women in their careers or raising families. You can find her often highlighting and giving kudos publicly on LinkedIn to team members.

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Lisa (Siqueira) McClure

Regional Vice President – Commerce, Salesforce

Why you should follow Lisa

Lisa is an experienced Sales leader with 10+ years of proven success in building and transforming high-performing teams of AEs, BDRs, and SEs. Adept at attracting, hiring, and developing top talent while fostering strong partnerships and strategically growing businesses through process optimization. Skilled in M&A and start-up environments, with a passion for driving growth through technology implementation. Lisa is a dedicated advocate for Women in Technology and is committed to empowering startups. Lisa enjoys collaborating with non-profit organizations to help streamline processes and enhance brand awareness.

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Liz Sachs

Strategic Account Executive, Airtable

Why you should follow Liz:

Liz is a driven and tenacious professional who has worked hard to carve out her successful career. With a natural affinity for sales and a genuine passion for offering support and solutions, Liz brings a consultative approach to every deal she handles. Her diverse background has equipped her with a unique perspective, making her a trusted consultant. Beyond her professional endeavors, Liz’s love for running, learning to surf, and being a (novice) gardener adds an element of inspiration and adventure to her life. By following Liz, you’ll gain valuable insights into sales, a zest for personal growth, and glimpses of her exciting pursuits outside the workplace.

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Lori Richardson

B2B Sales / Revenue Growth Strategist, Score More Sales 

Why you should follow Lori

Lori has dedicated herself to B2B sales, starting at the bottom and progressing to sales leadership. Lori has been trained by top technology companies, including Apple, IBM, and other large technology companies and founded a sales strategy firm to help sales teams succeed.

Lori speaks about tactical ways to grow revenue, helps companies with sales transformation through data and best practices, and teaches HR and sales leaders how to hire top sales talent. Lori’s team provides data-driven recommendations, coaching, and virtual training, resulting in shortened sales cycles and increased revenue. Lori is passionate about more women in B2B sales and leadership.

She is the host of the award-winning podcast “Conversations with Women in Sales.” Lori is also a sales coach at Harvard Business School and an advisor to several organizations.

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Maria Bross

Director of Performance Consulting, Revenue.io

Why you should follow Maria

Maria went from being told that she wasn’t cut out for sales to receiving multiple awards including earning a spot on two President’s Club lists, being recognized as the Rep of the Quarter, and being named by LinkedIn as a Top 100 Sales Star. She now leads an SDR team in her role as Director of Performance Consulting. You can often find Maria being interviewed on podcasts such as The Pavilion Podcast, Unstoppable, The SaaS Sales Performance Podcast, and Millennial Sales.

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Marie Brunet

VP of Sales, Uniphore

Why you should follow Marie

Marie is a visionary leader with over two decades of experience in sales organizations. She drives growth and revenue through strategic leadership and innovative product development. Marie is at the forefront of technology, focusing on SaaS, virtual reality, and AI. She is skilled in mentoring teams across revenue-generating functions, including Direct Sales, Customer Success, Sales Engineering, SDR/BDRs, and Business Development.

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Mary Shea

Co-Chief Executive Officer, Mediafly

Why you should follow Mary

Mary is the co-CEO of Mediafly, where she focuses on leading the company’s growth and innovation. Before Mary’s current role, she served as Outreach’s Global Innovation Evangelist, focusing on thought-provoking research related to sales technology, the future of buying and selling, and the importance of diversity in B2B sales organizations. Before this, she was a principal analyst at Forrester, an adjunct professor at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business, and various global technology companies. Mary has been recognized as an industry thought leader, keynote speaker, podcast host, author, and advisor to top B2B brands, with her work regularly featured in prominent academic and commercial publications.

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Melissa Gaglione

Account Executive, Deel

Why you should follow Melissa:

Melissa is a versatile professional with a background spanning elementary school teaching, on-air news reporting, and her current role as an AE in SaaS Sales. She embraces meditation and yoga, applying these practices to her work life to help others reduce stress and cultivate happiness. Melissa’s sales approach involves thoughtful, research-driven outreach, utilizing video to highlight prospects’ challenges. Leveraging her teaching and news reporting skills, Melissa creates a captivating and informative sales process that empowers prospects to achieve their goals. Her passion for helping others is evident as she warmly invites connections to share resources and foster a supportive, collaborative environment.

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Meshell R Baker

DEI Certified Sales Confidence Igniter | Keynote Speaker, Meshell Baker Enterprises, LLC

Why you should follow Meshell:

With Meshell’s programs and coaching, you’ll learn how to put people first, resulting in profits that follow. Her success story as a salesperson without prior background knowledge speaks volumes about her method’s effectiveness. After experiencing life’s ups and downs, Meshell found her calling in empowering women in business to succeed with confidence. As a keynote speaker, sales trainer, and coach, she ignites the power of confidence in every individual she works with. Don’t miss the opportunity to experience the transformative influence of Meshell’s guidance on your journey to success.

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Michelle Orellana

Business Development Executive, QAD

Why you should follow Michelle:

Michelle is a passionate advocate for uplifting her community, especially Latinas in tech, where representation remains scarce at 2%. She cheers on the 2% and aims to build a supportive community on LinkedIn. Her other goals include learning from content creators and sharing her unique perspective. With a bachelor’s degree in communication, Michelle seeks to bridge language barriers through effective communication in both her professional and personal life. When not connecting and learning from content creators, she enjoys painting, journaling her thoughts, watching UFC with her husband, exploring fun activities in Boston, and building new friendships. 

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Miram Ebrahim

Brand Sales Leader | GTM Team, Yelp

Why you should follow Miram:

Miram is an innovative leader with a wealth of experience driving successful digital sales partnerships and marketing strategies to achieve company revenue goals. A strategic seller and coach, Miram has a proven track record of orchestrating large-scale budgets, closing deals with C-Level executives, and positioning digital marketing solutions uniquely. Miram’s expertise and commitment make her an invaluable asset in the dynamic world of digital sales and marketing.

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Nikki Schanzer

Senior Leadership Development Sales Performance Consultant, LinkedIn

Why you should follow Nikki:

Nikki brings a dynamic blend of sales experience and leadership development to the table. Comfortable with fast-paced change and focused on strategic relationship building, her approach brings effective enablement programs to organizations. As an ACC-accredited coach through ICF, she’s an advocate of the coaching mindset in team leadership. Currently shaping a coaching culture at LinkedIn as a Leadership Development Sales Performance Consultant, Nikki’s insights are valuable to anyone looking to build robust teams and excellent leadership.

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Qiana Nelson

Sales Director, Small Business Academy and Residency, CDW

Why you should follow Qiana:

Qiana is a seasoned coach, speaker, and leader dedicated to transforming lives. Whether you seek growth in your personal life or career, she has the expertise to help you reach your full potential. As a Certified Life Coach with 20 years of experience in Corporate America, Qiana equips individuals with the knowledge, skills, and tools needed to maximize their capabilities. Her approach offers structured support and thoughtful collaboration, making her an inspirational guide on your journey. Above all, Qiana’s passion lies in coaching people to unlock their full potential. Partner with her to embark on a transformative path towards success and fulfillment.

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Rachel Mae

Chief Evangelist and General Manager of Training Certification/Licensing, A Sales Growth Company

Why you should follow Rachel:

Rachel is a visionary on a mission to revolutionize sales training. Fueled by the belief that traditional sales training is outdated, she is creating an elite army of the world’s best Sales Trainers and Consultants. With a passion for problem-centric selling, Rachel aims to equip salespeople with the diagnostic skills they need to bring real value to their buyers. Breaking away from the norm, she challenges the status quo by seeking trainers with practical sales experience and a modern approach. Through her innovative ideas and unwavering determination, Rachel is reshaping the landscape of sales training for the better.

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Rachel Shi

Strategic Account Executive, metadata.io

Why you should follow Rachel:

Rachel is a seasoned professional with over seven years of experience in enterprise B2B sales, spanning all sizes from startups to Fortune 500 companies. As a GTM coach and consultant, she empowers founders at early-stage startups for success. Rachel’s passion for elevating sales excellence led her to create courses for AEs, providing them a competitive edge in the sales process. Currently, she’s building yourdreamjob.carrd.co, offering valuable resources to aspiring professionals. 

Outside of her career pursuits, Rachel expresses her creativity by drawing intriguing content at rachelshi.substack.com. A true advocate of excellence in all endeavors, Rachel’s diverse talents and commitment shine through in every aspect of her work.

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Rakhi Voria

Vice President of Global Sales Development, Procore Technologies

Why you should follow Rakhi:

Rakhi is the Vice President of Global Sales Development at Procore Technologies, driving the sales development function to digitize the construction industry. With leadership roles at IBM and Microsoft, she’s transformed sales models and built successful teams, achieving significant business impact. 

Rakhi’s dedication extends to advancing women in sales and millennials in business, sharing insights through speaking engagements and Forbes publications. Armed with an M.Sc. from the University of Oxford and business certifications from renowned institutions, she embraces challenges that foster growth, both personally and professionally. In her leisure time, Rakhi enjoys traveling, writing, and exploring NYC’s restaurant scene. Her remarkable journey and passion for creating positive change make her a standout leader in the tech industry.

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Ranjitha Raghunathan

Enterprise Accounts Sales Manager, Devices and Services, Google

Why you should follow Ranjitha:

Ranjitha is dedicated to assisting businesses in their journey to success with software tools. She finds great joy in the sales process and values building strong relationships with her customers. Ranjitha has an impressive track record of consistently exceeding quotas by employing the Challenger Sales methodology and Consultative selling approach with both new and existing customers. Her passion for learning is boundless, and her infectious positivity shines through in all she does. With an entrepreneurial spirit, she firmly believes that customers play a pivotal role in shaping the destiny of a business. For Ranjitha, the pillars of importance are product excellence, unwavering passion, fostering meaningful connections with people, and having a well-defined process.

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Reva Pellerin

Enterprise Account Manager, Vidyard

Why you should follow Reva:

Reva is a proud member of the Vidyard team dedicated to helping people leverage the power of video in their professional lives. With over a decade of experience in the B2B world, including 8 years at Vidyard, she has been instrumental in guiding teams beyond YouTube, adopting video platforms for enhanced customer experiences and engaging buyer interactions. Reva’s passion for humanizing interactions through video has become more relevant than ever in today’s changing world. When not working, she cherishes moments with her family, including her husband, daughter, and dog in Guelph. You might find her staying fit at Orange Theory, pursuing knitting projects, fermenting, or enjoying a mix of terrible and great TV shows.

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Rhasheeda Hughes

Manager of Sales Development, PowerReviews

Why you should follow Rhasheeda:

Rhasheeda is a Manager of Sales Development with over 10 years of experience in Senior Business Development and Sales Manager roles. She excels in building top-performing sales teams and processes, driving robust revenue growth. Rhasheeda is known for her consultative sales strategies, data-driven approach, and empathetic leadership, fostering inclusive cultures and high-performing teams.

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Risa Khamsi

Senior Sales Development Representative, Placer.ai

Why you should follow Risa:

Risa is a multicultural individual with a passion for tech and a heart for helping others. With a diverse background and expertise in SaaS, SDR/sales consulting, and B2B LinkedIn content creation, she’s a valuable resource for rescuing stray animals and professional assistance. Reach out to Risa for guidance in your journey or if you need top-notch content creation.

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Roopal Shah 

Head (VP) of Global Sales Enablement, Snowflake

Why you should follow Roopal:

Roopal is an expert in enterprise SaaS go-to-market strategies, operations, product marketing, and enablement. She has successfully built and led high-performing teams at all stages, from high-growth pre-IPO startups to Fortune 500 companies, including Benchling, Salesforce, and Guidewire. Her wealth of experience makes her a valuable connection for anyone interested in the ins and outs of SaaS business growth and marketing strategy.

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Rosalyn Santa Elena

Founder and Chief Revenue Operations Officer, The RevOps Collective

Why you should follow Rosalyn:

Rosalyn is an accomplished expert in revenue operations, with a skillset that encompasses everything from funnel creation to customer acquisition and retention. Acknowledged as a key player in RevOps, she imparts her expertise through webinars and her podcast, The Revenue Engine, where she converses with industry leaders from fast-growing companies. Rosalyn holds pivotal positions at the RevOps School, Pavilion’s RevOps Corner, HubSpot’s Revenue Council, among other organizations, reinforcing her significant contributions to the industry.

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Samantha McKenna

Founder, #samsales Consulting

Why you should follow Samantha:

Samantha’s journey in competitive sales began in sixth grade, going door-to-door for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society. Her drive to win was ignited, leading to a career defined by breaking records, creating global sales programs, and putting others first. As the founder of #samsales, she oversees an exceptional all-women team, delivering a wide range of sales training and executive GTM strategies. A sought-after speaker at over 200 events annually, Samantha educates on sales, social selling, and women in tech/sales/leadership. Her infectious humor and dedication make her a force of positive impact in the world.

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Sarah Brazier

Mid-Market Account Executive, Business Finance, Gong

Why you should follow Sarah:

Sarah is a multi-talented individual who wears many hats with ease. As an educator, actor, and people mover, she thrives in fast-paced, competitive environments. Sarah’s dynamic skill set includes being a nationally awarded speaker, and she brings valuable experience in sales, social media marketing, event hosting, and education. With a passion for engaging with diverse audiences and a knack for excelling in various fields, Sarah’s versatility and expertise make her a force to be reckoned with. Get ready to be inspired and motivated by her impressive range of talents and achievements.

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Sara Williams

VP, Mid Market Sales, Demandbase

Why you should follow Sara:

Sara is a sales leader who emphasizes the importance of trust, relationships, and authenticity when building high-performing teams. She successfully scales sales organizations and prioritizes team growth and customer satisfaction. With expertise spanning sales enablement, leadership development, and deal execution, she offers a broad perspective on sales leadership and growth strategies.

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Shari Levitin

CEO, Levitin Group

Why you should follow Shari:

Shari is a bestselling author, business growth expert, sales trainer, and dynamic virtual and Top 50 keynote speaker in sales who captivates audiences with her infectious energy. Her unwavering passion lies in transforming businesses, relationships, and life perspectives, serving as the driving force behind her successful career. With a keen understanding of the impact that improved business performance can have on people’s lives, Shari’s content resonates deeply with audiences, delivered in a funny and creative manner that connects straight to the heart. Prepare to be inspired as Shari empowers you to achieve new heights in both business and personal growth.

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Shawanda Roberts

Global VP of Sales & Marketing Activation, Frost & Sullivan

Why you should follow Shawanda:

Shawanda is the Global Vice President of Sales & Marketing Activation at Frost & Sullivan, where she has served in various sales roles for the past seven years. She is the co-author of the book “Heels to Deals.” Her responsibilities involve leading a team of talented sales professionals who are dedicated to working closely with clients. Their main objective is to identify and implement various growth opportunities for the company. Additionally, Shawanda utilizes her resources to help those in her network with identifying new opportunities.

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Stephanie Valenti

CRO, SmartBug Media

Why you should follow Stephanie:

Stephanie is the Chief Revenue Officer at SmartBug Media. With over 15 years of experience in B2B sales and operations, Stephanie leads the sales, marketing, client services, and delivery departments, fostering alignment, efficiency, and growth across the revenue teams. Her passion lies in scaling teams, building processes, and cultivating a winning culture, demonstrated through executive roles at three record-breaking companies achieving triple-digit growth. Beyond her role at SmartBug Media, Stephanie creates and facilitates executive-level courses at Pavilion, leads a 1,700 member CRO group, and serves as a trusted startup advisor. Advocating for people-first leadership, she mentors the next generation of leaders while indulging in her love for reading during spare moments.

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Surga Thilakan

Co-Founder & CEO, Salesken

Why you should follow Surga:

Surga Thilakan is a dynamic professional with a diverse background in finance, marketing, and entrepreneurship. As the former Head of Marketing at Ujjivan Financial Services, India’s leading microfinance institution, she spearheaded the design and execution of innovative loan products for the urban poor. Surga’s expertise extends to prestigious roles at Goldman Sachs in London, where she managed investments in infrastructure assets across various European countries. She also gained valuable experience at Ernst and Young, advising clients in diverse industries on taxation-related transaction structuring. Currently, Surga is the Co-Founder and CEO of SalesKen, showcasing her entrepreneurial spirit and leadership in the tech sector. With an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, and gold medals in the board, university, and chartered accountancy levels, Surga is a driven professional with a passion for success and innovation.

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Taylor M. González

Selling Sales Manager, SumnerOne

Why you should follow Taylor:

Taylor, a former English teacher turned ‘Copier Queen,’ is a distinguished sales leader at SumnerOne. Known for her innovative strategies and fearless approach to sales, Taylor’s standout achievements in the Wichita, KS public sector exemplify her capabilities. A continuous learner and a passionate professional, she excels in delivering superior customer support. Her colleagues speak highly of her, reflecting on her intrinsic worth as a ‘Day 1’ asset to any organization. Taylor truly embodies a unique blend of dedication, knowledge, and heart in the realm of sales leadership.

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Teila Evans

Sales, Kanda Group

Why you should follow Teila:

Teila is a natural connector with a passion for bringing people together and empowering them to pursue their dreams, Teila’s background in SaaS sales and strategic partnerships has revolved around equity, employee experience, and career development. She thrives on advocacy, community building, and empowerment, engaging in projects focused on developing sales talent, coaching, sales training, public speaking, event programming, and creating impactful partnership programs. Beyond her professional pursuits, Teila finds balance through practicing MMA, particularly Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, while also embracing her newly minted equestrian journey and avid dog training. 

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Tracy Young

Co-Founder, TigerEye

Why you should follow Tracy:

Tracy Young is the co-founder and CEO of TigerEye, a seasoned company leader with a remarkable track record in scaling private enterprise technology firms. Prior to TigerEye, she co-founded and served as CEO of PlanGrid, a construction productivity software leader acquired by Autodesk for $875 million in 2018. Tracy’s visionary leadership guided PlanGrid through unprecedented growth, achieving product-market fit and a staggering $100 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR). Her adeptness in driving teams to execute strategic business initiatives has been instrumental in her success as an entrepreneur and executive.

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Wesleyne Greer

Founder & Chief Transformation Officer, Transformed Sales

Why you should follow Wesleyne:

Wesleyne has a background as a former chemist turned international sales manager. She understands the challenges of being at the top of her game. At Transformed Sales, she combines her love for sales and passion for coaching to empower and transform managers in the STEM fields into confident leaders. Through her management training, Wesleyne equips sales leaders with the skills to have productive conversations, fostering a collaborative environment where everyone feels supported. Her focus is on generating repeatable sales, ensuring that every team member becomes a sales superstar. She also is the host of the “The Transformed Sales” podcast.

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Whitney Sieck

Vice President of Revenue Enablement, Demandbase

Why you should follow Whitney:

Whitney is an accomplished leader in learning and development, and a Certified Professional in Talent Development (CPTD). She excels in sales and revenue enablement, demonstrating a significant knack for leadership development. She’s passionate about training revenue teams in pipeline opportunity and relationship building, with tangible business results to show for it. Additionally, she has her website, Enablement Enthusiast, serving as another platform for her to share her insights and experiences.

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Yaalit Pereira

Account Executive,EMEA, Vidyard

Why you should follow Yaalit:

Yaalit is an extremely driven account executive at Vidyard and the founder of the community “SDRs of Israel.” What sets her apart is her remarkable journey of independence and responsibility at a young age. Even before joining Vidyard, Yaalit had accumulated valuable experience through various roles. From working in small businesses to engaging in sales in small companies, she embraced the challenges while simultaneously raising two children

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Yaneisha Pérez Padilla

Senior Account Executive | LinkedIn Marketing Solutions, LinkedIn

Why you should follow Yaneisha:

Yaneisha is an Account Executive for LinkedIn Marketing Solutions, driven by her belief in the transformative power of technology. She also excels in her role as a Global Allyship Co-Lead, focusing on facilitating economic opportunities for HOLA, a Hispanic/Latinx LinkedIn community, through strategic global programming and collaboration with regional ERG leaders. Yaneisha is an SDG Ambassador and youth advocate, currently focused on empowering Latinas and Black Women to pursue their dreams. Contact her through InMail for opportunities to connect your business and empower others.

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Zoya Segelbacher

Sales Enablement Manager, Gong

Why you should follow Zoya:

Zoya is an expert in training and enabling sales professionals at one of the world’s leading tech companies specializing in sales and revenue intelligence. With her deep knowledge and experience, she equips individuals with the skills and insights needed to excel in sales. Beyond her professional pursuits, Zoya is a self-proclaimed nerd with a passion for working with large data sets, consulting insights, and sales strategy. Following Zoya means gaining valuable expertise in sales enablement while tapping into her enthusiasm for data-driven approaches and strategic sales thinking.

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The post 100 Powerful Women in Sales – 2023 appeared first on Demandbase.

In the fast-paced world of sales and marketing, understanding customer intent is crucial for success. But what exactly is intent data? With countless definitions and interpretations out there, it’s important to clarify its meaning in the context of sales and marketing teams. 

The Growthbusters answered all of these questions and more in one of their recent LinkedIn Live Sessions. In our third installment of the series, our VP of EMEA Paul Gibson was joined by Sr. Sales Engineer Matt Cheeseman to discuss the concept of intent data, its various types, and its significance in today’s business landscape.

What is intent and its role in sales and marketing?

Intent can be a complex concept, but in the context of sales and marketing, it refers to the signals and behaviors exhibited by potential buyers that indicate they are in the market for a company’s products or solutions. According to Matt, intent data is essentially everything that happens outside of a company’s website. This is crucial because a significant portion of the buyer journey (up to 80-90%) occurs before the buyer even contacts a sales or marketing team.

For B2B businesses, intent data comes in two primary forms: data captured through publishers (where companies are identified based on the content they read) and bid stream intent (where intent data providers identify companies based on IP addresses reading certain topics).

The importance of intent for new prospects and existing clients

Intent data is not only valuable for finding new prospects and opportunities; it also plays a crucial role in understanding existing clients. By tracking the intent of existing clients, companies can identify potential upsell or cross-sell opportunities and be aware of when clients might be at risk of churn or researching competitors.

Intent measurement and scoring for effective sales and marketing

The key to using intent data effectively lies in measurement and scoring. Activities should be scored differently based on the company’s go-to-market strategy and industry. For example, open rates or content downloads may not be strong buying signals, but keywords and offsite activity can be strong indicators of intent.

It is essential to have control and transparency over the data and scoring process to ensure that both sales and marketing teams are aligned and that relevant accounts are targeted at the right stage of the buying journey.

The evolving role of intent in sales and marketing

The role of intent in sales and marketing is continually evolving, especially as consumer behavior shifts toward online activities. More companies are moving away from the traditional lead-based approach and embracing intent data to better understand their target audience.

Intent data should not be seen as a mysterious black box but as a transparent and detailed view of potential opportunities and prospects. Companies should put intent data to the test and work with experts to gain a deeper understanding of their target accounts and prospects’ intent.

In conclusion

Intent data is a powerful tool that can significantly impact sales and marketing efforts. As intent data technology continues to advance, businesses that embrace its potential will gain a competitive advantage in the ever-evolving landscape of sales and marketing.

Interested in learning more about intent data? Stream the LinkedIn Live on DBTV!

The post Demystifying Intent: Understanding Its Definition & Significance in Sales appeared first on Demandbase.

Part 2 of a 2-part series on Coming Sea Changes

In part one of this series, I talked about two coming sea changes that I believe will fundamentally alter our world as we know it. The first post focused on “Buying Groups: As big as the shift from leads to accounts.” In today’s post, let’s turn our attention to artificial intelligence (AI), which is emerging as the most transformative technology to hit the world since the internet. 

Let me start by saying what this blog is not going to cover. We’re not going to explore whether AI is good or bad, whether it’s going to take your job or take over the world. I firmly believe that AI has the potential to do much good, to usher in unprecedented innovation and help us find solutions to the biggest, hairiest challenges we face, like finding remedies to “incurable” diseases, and a path forward in our battle with climate change. 

But not all applications of AI will be useful or even real. Just as the early days of the dot-com era saw big winners and epic failures, the AI industry will experience a similar boom and bust driven by a host of visionary and me-too companies. Our job is to sift out the bad ideas and champion the truly transformative applications.

So how do we separate the promise from the hype? We need to ask ourselves these three questions.  

Is it real?

Seemingly overnight everyone is talking about AI. It’s as if we went to bed one night not thinking about AI and woke up the next morning to a world demanding that we use it. In knee-jerk fashion, companies are scrambling to figure out how to add AI to their product mix, while Investors are asking, “What are you doing about AI?”

This will result in companies building AI apps just to say they’re doing AI, or worse, simply claiming to use AI for its marketing value. Most of these use cases will lead nowhere.  

If you want to know whether an ‘AI app’ is real, dig behind the marketing claims to see if there’s any differentiation. Is the technology really powered by AI? Was the AI necessary? Did it make the offering better? Or is it marketing fluff or something that will be free in Gmail or Outlook?

If it’s more than an empty claim, then consider whether the AI offering fits into the company’s long-term strategy. If yes, it’s probably real. If not, it’s likely a frivolous one-off tactic that’s doomed to go the way of internet victims, Pets.com and WebVan.com. Remember them? Exactly!

Does it empower humans?

This is the question of utmost importance. Because robots talking to robots will not lead to better businesses or a better world. AI’s value is not in replacing humans, or even having humans “in the loop” to prompt and direct the AI, it’s in empowering humans with new tools to do more and greater things, as every other technology advance has done. People have to be at the center of AI use cases to unleash its greatest potential.

We know that AI excels at processing and analyzing data and it can handle repetitive tasks, freeing up humans to focus on what only they can do best. But here’s the rub. There are, and will be more, AI apps that will save us time — help us write emails, create written and graphic content, wade through massive amounts of data in an instant — and these are all good. Yet the real promise of AI, the promise that gets me fired up, is that AI has the power to help us achieve our goals, dreams, and aspirations more effectively, in ways that wouldn’t have been possible without AI.

Let’s embrace AI to save us time and expose wondrous insights, but then let’s also resolve to use that freed up time and the new insights we gain to solve crushing human challenges and take humanity to new heights. Therein lies the promise of AI. 

Can it be trusted?

I would be remiss if I left this out. If AI is going to transform the world, as I believe it will — or rather, the humans using it will — it’s essential that the AI can be trusted. 

We’re all familiar with the saying, ‘garbage in, garbage out.’ Well it’s doubly true for AI. We cannot blindly trust every output or recommendation presented by an AI app. The output is only as reliable as the data it relies upon. So if you’re relying on AI to accomplish a task, to point you in the right direction, or give you insights to power your vision, make sure you understand and trust the data behind the scenes. 

If it’s a black box that prevents you from seeing the data and logic used by the AI models, beware! 

If you’re building your own AI models and apps, consider whether you trust the quality of your data, and make sure you have enough of the right kinds of data. Deep learning models require enormous volumes and variety of data to train and hone them over time. Check out this post by our CMO Jon Miller to learn more about that. 

If you’re unsure about the quality of your data or need to augment it with more types of data, Demandbase can help. We offer rich, AI-validated B2B company and people data, including firmographics, contact data, intent, technographics, engagement data, and more. Companies use our data every day to inform their go-to-market decisions, to feed their data lakes, and fuel their AI models. We’d be happy to connect with you and talk about your data needs. 

Data quality has always been important to drive sound decisions, and it’s also been notoriously hard to maintain. Partner with a trusted data provider. It’s more critical now than ever.

I’ll close with this. Demandbase has been harnessing the power of AI for years. We use it to score leads and accounts, identify intent and technographic data, manage advertising bids, validate data, and power our predictive models. We’ve recently introduced Buying Group AI, and we’re on a mission to deliver outcome-based advertising and a self-driving go-to-market (GTM) platform. All to make your lives simpler and more productive. None of this would be possible without seizing upon the power of AI. We’ve been poised for this moment, and we couldn’t be more thrilled about the future that lies ahead.

As always, I’m eager to hear your thoughts. Reach out to me at GabeGTM@demandbase.com and share your ideas on how AI will reshape our world.

The post AI: Promise or Hype? appeared first on Demandbase.

If you’ve been paying attention to recent trends in advertising, you’ll have noticed that the growth of Connected TV has been the standout medium associated with some of the shifts we’ve seen in our post-COVID habits.

As our eyeballs have moved from linear (i.e. traditional, live) TV to a more streaming-based consumption pattern, so have the advertiser budgets. Similar to what we saw with mobile in the 2010’s there has been some lag between where the audiences are and speed of budget reallocation, but every indicator shows that viewers, time spent, and budgets are starting to rise in tandem –– which we can see in this recent eMarketer chart.

What does this mean for advertisers?

Some of the biggest hurdles preventing most brands from advertising on traditional TV were cost, targeting and measurement. Spend minimums were out of reach for most businesses; in an increasingly digital world where audience targeting is the norm and ability to measure performance from those specific users is expected, the massive gaps in traditional TV just seemed less and less acceptable. 

Enter CTV and the CPM model familiar to digital media buyers where you pay a predictable and affordable cost per thousand impressions to reach a narrower and much more custom audience. Brands can now advertise just to the content categories they feel match their target buyers with other controls like geo and time-of-day and of course the ability to get more granular than that based on levels of sophistication around data and other inputs. In fact, a study by MNTN showed that two thirds of CTV advertisers had never run a campaign on traditional TV.

The benefits don’t stop there… multiple studies show increased recall on other paid channels like display, social and search post-launch of a CTV campaign, not surprisingly associated with the sight, sound and motion impact of a video ad on a large screen that is highly relevant to the viewer.

What does this mean for B2B advertisers?

The CTV evolution to date has been dominated by the B2C segment, initially focused on brand/awareness with a lot of DTC (direct to consumer) companies leveraging the relative cost-effectiveness and targeting capabilities mentioned above. Some B2B advertisers have smartly repurposed existing video assets used on the web and/or traditional TV to dip their toes into CTV, but it has been limited and so far executed primarily on B2C ad tech.

As with other digital media –– display, native, web video, etc. –– the capabilities and customizations of B2C tech are not built with B2B in mind, so using a programmatic buying platform that understands business buying cycles, buying groups and the concept of account-based advertising is a critical differentiator (see more here on why having a B2B DSP matters).

What does this mean for Demandbase customers?

CTV is largely an IP-driven targeting environment… there are no cookies on a TV, unless you’re still into Sesame Street. This means having a partner with deep data resources and expertise in IP-based account associations is a key differentiator. Demandbase can confidently reach users from your target accounts and as with our display, native and web video delivery, you can trust your message will only be delivered in appropriate environments next to brand-safe content.

Because Demandbase’s B2B DSP, Piper, is seamlessly integrated to our ABX platform, you can also be sure that intent-based account selection and prioritization and how those accounts move in and out of campaigns based on your customizable settings will inform your CTV campaigns in coordination with your other paid media.

Your buyers are watching, we can help you reach them. Time to switch the channel.

The post Demandbase DSP Turns Up the Volume for Connected TV appeared first on Demandbase.

Let’s face it, CMO’s are busy, and getting the right info to them at the right time can be daunting- especially when your CMO is prone to 11th hour requests for data! Get that to me next week, said no CMO EVER! With Demandbase report capabilities, you can set your CMO (and yourself) up for success by defining reporting requirements and intervals upfront. Scheduling reports to auto-send according to a pre-set schedule keeps your CMO informed and keeps your programs on track. And, with Demandbase table visualizers, you can report on any account list graphically in seconds.

In this blog, I will share some of the top reports our clients ask for as well as some tips and tricks to pull some beautiful visualization for those 11th hour requests for data.

First, let’s start with the reports. A few of the reports our customers frequently use include:

1. CMO: High Intent Keywords in the last week:

Why will your CMO care? Intent data is a tremendous source of insight for CMO’s. Intent can support your SEO Strategy as well as your social media and blog topics. As a strategist, I have used Intent Keywords in my L1 and L2 page headlines as well as to drive conversations in social media. I’ve even used it to keep my blog topics fresh and in line with market trends.

The setup: In the reports section, create an “Activity” report. Pull in the Demandbase Keyword Intent Selector. Use “Intent Keyword Set Exists” and “Intent Strength = High”. Since intent is something that changes frequently, we recommend looking at the past 7 days.

2. CMO: Most visited web pages in the last week:

Why will your CMO care? This report will tell your CMO if web traffic is going to your preferred or high value pages. By changing the account list for this report, you can see which groups of accounts are landing on which pages. For example, if I am targeting the Industry Vertical of Healthcare, I will most likely want those accounts going to my healthcare landing page. If I see that accounts organically are going to the product page for Product A, I may want to make a callout on that page to encourage visitors on that page to go to the Healthcare landing page through the carousel or other linkbacks on the page.

The setup: In the reports section, create an “Activity” report. From the right-hand side of the screen, pull in the selector “Visited Web Page”. Set the Web Page to “Exists” and the Activity Date in the Past 7 Days. Click on “Report” and in the bottom left hand corner, click “Edit Columns” to add the columns “Last Visited” and “Web Page Visits (30 Days).”

3. CMO Sales Qualified Opportunities with Marketing Influence:

Why will your CMO care? This report will show your CMO all Sales Qualified Opportunities with the count of marketing activities for that account and marketing engagement minutes for that account. This report can be sent to your CMO on a monthly basis. When meeting with sales leadership, this will give your CMO a good idea of marketing touches on key accounts.

The Set-Up: Create an “Opportunity” report. Use the Selector “Sales Qualified Opportunity Exists” or something similar that reflects your sales process. Look for accounts with “Opportunities with Greater than 1 Engagement Minute” and “Sales Engagement vs. Marketing Engagement” should be set to look at Marketing Engagement only. Select the activity date in the last 12 months. You will want to also ensure that the Salesforce stage is not “Closed Lost” or “Closed Won”. Here’s an example:

BONUS! There are other quick ways to pull reports in Demandbase. For last minute requests or monthly reporting, I like to recommend using our new “Visualize” capabilities in the engagement and site analytics tabs. Our ‘table visualizer’ enables you to create bar and line charts to wow your CMO and provide relevant data to inform decisions. Here are a few:

1. Top 10 Accounts by Engagement:

Why will your CMO care? It’s important to understand your most engaged accounts and be able to share that information with sales leadership. Spikes in activity on a certain day can be traced back to product launches, major events, or other marketing activities.

The set-up: First, select the account list you would like to analyze and review the timeframe in the upper right-hand corner of the screen. Then, go to the Engagement tab. Next, scroll down to the middle of the page where the accounts are listed. Lastly, click on ‘Table Visualizer’ on the right hand side of the screen. (Pro Tip: You may also select Top 10 Accounts by Engagement, Bottom 5 Accounts by Engagement and Bottom 10 Accounts by Engagement.)

2. Top 10 Accounts by Engaged People:

Why will your CMO care?  This chart will show your CMO how your organization is engaging the buying committee within accounts on your account list based on the number of engaged people in the account.  

The set-up:  First, select the account list you would like to analyze.  Then, go to the Engagement tab.  Next, scroll down to the middle of the page where the accounts are listed.  Lastly, click on ‘Table Visualizer’ on the right-hand side of the screen. From the table visualizer, select Top 10, Engaged People, and Bar Chart.  (Pro Tip:  You may also select Top 5, Bottom 5 and Bottom 10 Accounts by Engaged People)

The table:  

3. Top 10 Accounts by Web Visits:

Why will your CMO care? It’s important to understand which accounts from your targeted account lists are visiting your website. This is a key indicator for engagement and interest in your solutions.

The set-up: First, select the account list you would like to analyze. Then, go to the Site Analytics tab. Next, scroll down to the middle of the page where the accounts are listed. Lastly, click on ‘Table Visualizer’ on the right-hand side of the screen. From the Table Visualizer, select Top 10, Web Visits and Bar Chart. (Pro Tip: You may also select Top 5, Bottom 5 and Bottom 10 Accounts by Web Visits)

The table:

Demandbase reports are quick and easy, and they can be customized to suit your ABM Program needs.  Once you create your reports, share them with your teams by creating subscriptions. Reports can be sent on the same day or can be scheduled to recur weekly on a defined day or monthly on a defined day.  All scheduled reports for the same day will arrive in email digest format rather than individual reports, saving you and your team time. 

Oh, and I forgot to mention, any report can be downloaded into a CSV for further analysis. For “table visualizer” reports, I recommend taking screenshots and dropping these into a Google slides or Powerpoint presentation. Lastly, don’t forget your sales personas when creating reports in Demandbase, read our article on the top recommended reports for sales to find out more.

The post Top 3 Demandbase Reports to WOW your CMO appeared first on Demandbase.

Demandbase’s native integration with Outreach is a game-changer for sellers. Let’s discuss why.

Outreach is an incredible tool for tasks like sales execution, task management, and monitoring email sequences. However, to effectively prospect an account or individual, most sellers need to switch between Outreach and other systems, such as their CRM, to get the full picture. This constant toggling between platforms is time-consuming, can lead to missed opportunities, and frankly, it’s a headache. Yet the scenario described is an all too familiar reality for the modern day seller, which is why Demandbase is thrilled to announce a native integration with Outreach. 

This powerful partnership introduces native access to rich account and contact insights directly within your Outreach platform, so you can seamlessly personalize your sales outreach, and revolutionize the way your sales teams connect with prospects.

Streamlining Sales Engagement

Demandbase has long offered an unparalleled set of 1st- and 3rd-party data attributes, along with the ability to assign and run Outreach Sequences directly from Demandbase One. This makes the automation of sales and marketing plays across the customer journey easy, but is one-directional in nature. 

Recognizing the human desire for convenience, Demandbase strives to meet sellers where they already are, which is frequently within Outreach. With our new Outreach integration, sellers can now:

• View Demandbase Sales Intelligence on the Account, Prospect, and Opportunity tabs in Outreach, providing industry-leading company and contact-level insights.
• Access the full capabilities of Demandbase on the Account and Prospect Overview Tabs in Outreach
• Interact with Demandbase’s Sales Intelligence through a custom tab, enabling searches across Demandbase’s entire 3rd-party company and contact database of more than 92 million companies globally and 150+ million contacts, to build prospect lists, set up connections, and more, all from within Outreach’s UI.

This means that sellers can access Demandbase company and contact-level details throughout Outreach, no matter what their preferred workflow may be.

Enhancing Efficiency and Impact

Sellers aren’t the only winners here. With this integration, sales and marketing teams can collaborate more effectively, aligning around coordinated messaging throughout the customer journey. Sales can reference the same insights as marketing and easily track the various ways marketing engages with accounts in their territory.

Take the Engagement Tab as one example. Sellers can view every marketing and sales engagement with an account or prospect to keep tabs on the prospect’s participation in marketing campaigns and adjust their engagement accordingly.

The integration empowers sellers to tap into the full potential of Demandbase in a format tailored specifically to their preferred workflows. They can easily access highly relevant insights to make informed decisions, identify sales opportunities, and engage with prospects more effectively. 

Future Innovation

Our commitment to empowering sales teams doesn’t end with this integration. We have exciting plans to further enhance the experience in the coming weeks and months, including the introduction of our Prescriptive Sales Dashboards. These dashboards will provide a unified and prioritized view of a seller’s territory and account lists.

Everything You Need in One Place

The Demandbase + Outreach integration represents a significant milestone in revolutionizing sales outreach. By seamlessly combining the power of Demandbase’s rich account insights and Outreach’s sales execution capabilities, sales teams can now deliver highly personalized, targeted messaging at scale. This integration streamlines workflows and empowers sales professionals to make data-driven decisions, resulting in increased response rates, stronger pipeline generation, and ultimately, better sales outcomes.

Join us in unlocking the power of personalized sales outreach with Demandbase and Outreach today. Visit https://www.demandbase.com/smarter-sales-intelligence/ for more information.

The post One Platform, Endless Insights: Access Demandbase Intelligence without Leaving Outreach! appeared first on Demandbase.

The world of B2B marketing is always changing, and one of the most recent breakthroughs has been the incorporation of AI-powered technologies, such as ChatGPT, into Account-Based Marketing (ABM) and Account-Based Experience (ABX) strategies. The unexpected introduction of these AI-powered marketing solutions has aroused both enthusiasm and alarm among B2B marketing executives. In this article, we will look at the benefits of AI-powered ABM/ABX marketing, and analyse the possible risks and benefits of this disruptive technology.

ABM/ABX marketing platforms driven by AI have proven to be great assets for B2B marketers. These systems use artificial intelligence to analyse massive volumes of data, forecast client behaviour, and scale personalised interactions. These technologies give the following main benefits:

Enhanced Efficiency

By automating repetitive procedures and processes, AI-powered systems may dramatically enhance the efficiency of ABM/ABX marketing efforts. This frees up marketers’ time for high-value tasks like strategy development and creative projects.

Personalization at Scale

Using artificial intelligence, marketers can build highly personalised experiences for individual accounts or prospects, adapting information, messaging, and suggestions to unique requirements and preferences. This degree of personalisation promotes better consumer ties and boosts engagement.

Data-Driven Insights

AI systems can analyse massive volumes of data from a variety of sources, including as consumer interactions, previous behaviours, and market patterns. Marketers may acquire useful insights and make data-driven decisions to optimise their ABM/ABX initiatives as a result of this.

Several organizations have already embraced AI-powered ABM/ABX marketing and achieved remarkable results. 

The future of AI-powered ABM/ABX marketing holds both promises and challenges. As the technology continues to advance, we can expect the following:

Hyper-Personalization

Using real-time data and contextual knowledge, AI systems will improve to provide progressively more personalised experiences. Marketers will have unprecedented accuracy in tailoring their messaging, suggestions, and interactions.

Improved Decision-Making

Artificial intelligence (AI) will play a critical role in boosting marketers’ decision-making processes. Advanced analytics and predictive modelling will deliver actionable information that will allow marketers to optimise campaigns, find new possibilities, and efficiently manage resources.

While the benefits of AI-powered ABM/ABX marketing are apparent, there are certain ethical considerations to overcome. 

Ethical Considerations and Transparency 

As organizations leverage AI in marketing, it is essential to prioritize ethical practices, ensuring transparency and safeguarding customer data privacy. Establishing clear guidelines and regulations for the responsible use of AI will build trust and maintain integrity in marketing operations.

Human Expertise and Collaboration

While AI brings advanced capabilities, it is crucial to recognize that human expertise and collaboration remain essential. Marketers should actively engage with AI-powered tools, combining their domain knowledge and creativity with the AI’s capabilities to achieve optimal results.

Addressing Bias and Algorithmic Fairness

AI algorithms are only as unbiased as the data they are trained on. Marketers must proactively address biases in data sets and continuously monitor and evaluate the fairness of algorithmic decision-making to ensure equitable outcomes for all customers.parency, and bias in algorithmic decision-making. Responsible and ethical AI practices should be prioritised in order to guarantee that the technology is used fairly and trustworthily.

Conclusion

The use of AI-powered solutions, such as ChatGPT, into ABM/ABX marketing tactics is reshaping the B2B marketing environment. These tools provide increased productivity, scalability, and data-driven insights. The concrete benefits of AI-powered ABM/ABX marketing are demonstrated through best practice examples from top organisations. Looking ahead, the potential benefits are numerous, including hyper-personalization and enhanced decision-making. However, given the ethical concerns and potential risks involved with AI, it is critical to approach this technology with prudence. B2B marketers can use the potential of AI to optimise their ABM/ABX efforts and achieve long-term success by embracing safe AI practises.

We are excited to invite you to an upcoming webinar, AI-Powered ABM/ABX Marketing: Optimization and Cautions, taking place on 13th July, 2023. This webinar will explore how AI can revolutionize your ABM/ABX efforts and unlock new levels of success. Join us to discover the potential of hyper-personalization, enhanced decision-making, and the long-term benefits of incorporating AI into your marketing strategy.

The post Revolutionizing the Potential of AI-Powered ABM/ABX Marketing appeared first on Demandbase.

@demandbase Ramp up your 2023 ad strategy! #b2b #b2bmarketing #b2bmarketing ♬ original sound – kardashianshulu

Effective advertising is all about reaching the right people with the right message at the right time. With so much competition for attention, it can be tough to stand out from the crowd. However, by following these five tips, you can improve your ad strategy and maximize your ROI.

1. Personalization

Gone are the days of one-size-fits-all advertising. Consumers expect personalized experiences that speak to their individual needs and interests. That’s why it’s crucial to incorporate personalization into your ad strategy.

One way to do this is by using dynamic ad creative that adapts to each viewer’s preferences. Another approach is to use targeted messaging that speaks directly to each prospect’s pain points and goals. By tailoring your ads to each individual, you can increase engagement and drive conversions.

2. Harness the Power of Intent

Intent-based advertising involves targeting prospects based on their demonstrated interest in your product or service. By leveraging intent data, you can reach people who are actively researching solutions like yours and are therefore more likely to convert.

To implement an intent-based ad strategy, you’ll need to work with a data provider that can help you identify high-intent prospects. Then, you can create targeted ads that speak directly to their needs and interests. By focusing on intent-based advertising, you can improve your targeting and drive more qualified leads.

3. Be Smart with Your Budget 

No matter how effective your ad strategy is, it won’t matter if you blow your budget in the first few weeks. That’s why it’s crucial to be smart with your spending.

Start by setting clear goals for your ad campaigns, such as increasing conversions or driving more website traffic. Then, allocate your budget accordingly, focusing on the channels and tactics that are most likely to help you achieve those goals. Finally, track your results closely and make adjustments as needed to ensure you’re getting the most bang for your buck.

4. Warm-Up Accounts Before Email Blasts

Email marketing can be a highly effective way to nurture leads and drive conversions. However, if you’re sending emails to prospects who have never heard of your brand, you’re likely to see low open and click-through rates.

That’s why it’s important to warm up your accounts before launching a full-scale email campaign. This might involve sending targeted ads to your prospects to introduce them to your brand or offering a free resource in exchange for their contact information. By warming up your accounts, you can improve the effectiveness of your email campaigns and boost your ROI.

5. Tailor Your Strategy to the Buyer’s Journey

Finally, it’s important to remember that not all prospects are created equal. Different people are at different stages in the buyer journey and therefore require different types of messaging and tactics.

To improve your ad strategy, you’ll need to tailor your approach to each stage of the buyer journey. For example, you might use awareness-focused ads to introduce your brand to people who have never heard of you, then shift to more targeted messaging as they move closer to making a purchase decision. By tailoring your strategy to each stage of the journey, you can increase the effectiveness of your ads and drive more conversions.

In conclusion

By following these five tips, you can improve your ad strategy and boost your ROI. Remember to focus on personalization, harness the power of intent, be smart with your budget, warm up accounts before email blasts, and tailor your strategy to the buyer journey. With a well-crafted ad strategy in place, you’ll be well on your way to achieving your marketing goals.

The post 5 Game-Changing Tips to Supercharge Your Ad Strategy and Boost ROI! appeared first on Demandbase.

Those who know me have likely experienced my happily telling tales of how, in my journey of life, I’ve designed community programs with and for engineers and scientists. Incredible memories exist from those days, especially from the times when I organized hackathons. Building them is exciting for me, as hackathons are about contribution and collaboration—two essential elements of any healthy, thriving community.

When I heard Demandbase was hosting its own Hackathon, I was (not surprisingly) curious to find out more about who would participate, what they would be working on, and to learn about what the results of the hackathon were. The hackathon spanned three days, giving our product, engineering and data science teams the time and conditions to come together to innovate. 

Ultimately, I went on a mission to chat with those who participated in the event, to learn more about their skill sets, what they learned, and what technologies were the focus of their innovation. I chatted with a few awesome members of our data science and engineering teams and I’d like to share the conversations with you. 

Please join me in learning more about the Demandbase Science and Engineering teams by checking out the brief interviews below. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions about the Demandbase team, what we’re working on and what it’s like to work here! Thanks for checking out my blog! 

Erin Oshinsky, Data Scientist

Erin came to Demandbase with a degree in statistics and a background as a data analyst. Chatting with her about her journey to becoming a Data Scientist and what the experience is like for her here at Demandbase was awesome. She was excited to have the opportunity to collaborate with the engineers and to be supported in taking the time to learn and innovate with others in Demandbase Science and Engineering teams. 

Louie Lu, Sr. Software Engineer

Louis came to Demandbase from Twitter Engineering. He now works on the Analytics team at Demandbase, helping build the core functionality of the Demandbase One. Here he shares a bit about what he works on at Demandbase and his experience at the hackathon as a learning opportunity around technologies such as AI and ChatGPT, and building a Python server. Louis is passionate about the culture here and especially loves our Learning Days. Feel free to see what projects he’s worked on and connect with him on LinkedIn.

Joshua Cason, Sr. Software Engineer

Josh’s education is in Computational Linguistics and Computer Science. He has a strong background in research and working in AI, including working on Watson at IBM. Here, Josh shares his experience and details about what we’re up to with AI, ML, data science and engineering using Scala, here at Demandbase.

The post For the Love of Hackathons: Creative Cross-team Innovation at Demandbase appeared first on Demandbase.

It’s tough out there for B2B marketers. 

It’s getting harder to sell because of uncertain economic times, so B2B buying cycles are longer and more complex. You’re also being asked to do more with less. 

Every dollar you spend is getting scrutinized under a microscope and needs to drive ROI. 

Jordan Rost, Head of Ad Marketing for streaming/connected TV provider Roku, understands your pain. He leads Roku’s advertising business, which helps B2B marketers like you better target and execute their ad spend to drive ROI. 

In a recent Sunny Side Up podcast episode, Rost explained how connected TV can help B2B marketers get the most bang (ROI) for their B2B advertising buck. 

CTV’s growth and the “best of both worlds”

People are increasingly cutting the cord and watching more content on multiple streaming services (Netflix, Apple TV, Roku, etc.) and devices. Last year, “more people spent time streaming TV than watching a traditional television set,” said Rost. 

 Rost views CTV as combining the best of traditional TV and digital advertising. “TV has always been about great storytelling on the biggest screen in the home,” he explains, “and digital advertising has always been about precision, accountability, and measurement. Streaming combines the best of both those worlds.” 

B2B advertisers have multiple ways to take advantage of the growth of streaming/CTV and to measure the impact of their ad spend on CTV.

Ad-supported streaming, for instance, where viewers “pay” for content by watching an advertisement, is growing as fast as streaming subscriptions. “This ad-supported model may overtake subscription viewership in the next two years or so,” says Rost. 

Measuring CTV ads

Targeting and measurement were huge problems with traditional TV advertising. 

You paid your money to buy an ad during some golf tournament because you were hoping to reach Fortune 500 business executives, but measuring your ad ROI was a messy game of pin the tail on the donkey. 

CTV takes the blindfold off and lets B2B marketers see their target audience and place the pin precisely on the donkey’s backside.

Streaming and connected TV have become “performance marketing” media, like other internet-based advertising channels. B2B advertisers can see if a CTV viewer visits their brand website as a result of watching a CTV ad. They can connect specific ad spend to specific customer engagement and revenues. 

The “measurability” of CTV is gold when it comes to proving and improving the ROI of your B2B ad spend. 

Rost also sees CTV becoming a place to make actual purchases. “We’ve been making connected TV advertising more shoppable. With a click of their TV remote control, ad viewers can get more information (or a product demo) about an offering and even put items into a shopping cart right from their screen.” That enhanced ad interactivity is the holy grail of B2B advertising.

How CTV killed the million-dollar sock puppet

Traditional TV ads were generally too expensive for most B2B marketers. Targeting audiences was speculative. Tracking impact was harder still. 

B2B marketers never want to put all their chips down on a single, make-or-break bet, as Pets.com did back in 2000 when it bought a massively expensive Super Bowl ad (with its famous sock puppet) only to go out of business a few years later. 

Blowing your B2B ad budget on huge bets that lose is a great way to blow up your career.

 “CTV changes the whole B2B advertising playbook,” says Rost, “because everything B2B marketers have learned through digital is applicable to TV streaming.” With CTV, B2B advertisers can leverage their first-party and third-party data to precisely target the right audience at the right time with the right message. 

“You can target audiences based on what people are streaming or other behavioral signals,” driving relevant messaging, says Rost. 

A Word on DSPs

Using a demand side platform, or DSP, B2B advertisers can use their data to target certain buyer personas and audience segments, then make ad purchases. At the end of the day, CTV is a great place to put your ad spend. It offers B2B advertisers more analytics, better targeting, measurability, segmented audiences, and more ROI. 

The days of million-dollar sock puppet ads that break your whole company are over. You actually can do more with less. The solution is targeted, measurable B2B advertising on CTV that can prove and improve your ROI.

Learn more about CTV and Demandbase Advertising Platform built exclusively for B2B.

The post Why Should You Care About Connected TV? ROKU’s Jordan Rust Shares His Take appeared first on Demandbase.

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The landscape of B2B buying decisions is undergoing a seismic shift. No longer are decisions confined to the jurisdiction of individuals or accounts, they now rest with buying groups –– influential conglomerates that are growing in both size and importance. This evolution, from individual leads to accounts, and now to these essential buying groups, marks a pivotal moment in B2B marketing. But why does this matter, and how can it be leveraged to optimize your marketing and sales strategies?

The rise of buying groups

Marketing to leads often resembles attempting to hit a constantly moving target — it’s too narrow a focus. On the other end of the spectrum, zeroing in on accounts can be an overly broad approach; not everyone in a large corporation plays a role in every purchasing decision. Herein lies the significance of buying groups: they are the ‘Goldilocks Solution‘ to the B2B marketing conundrum.

However, one hurdle remains: identifying and engaging these groups is a substantial challenge for marketing and sales teams. It is here that Demandbase’s Buying Group AI makes its grand entrance.

Unlocking the power of Buying Group AI

Demandbase’s Buying Group AI transforms the arduous task of identifying and tracking all buying group members into a streamlined, seamless process. By harnessing the power of vast amounts of go-to-market data like intent signals, website behavioral data, marketing activity data, sales emails, meeting records, and CRM records and analyzing it with AI models, we can infer the composition of these critical buying groups.

Our USP is transparency regarding the data and signals used in identifying these groups, along with the empowerment it provides to users to modify these signals, thus creating a ‘human-in-the-loop’ system.

A real-world application: Engaging buying groups

Let’s delve into a practical scenario: a paid media manager, for instance, could shift their target from accounts to the specific buying groups within those accounts. By tailoring the content of their campaigns to the specific personas within these buying groups, a demand professional can guide buying groups through the sales funnel, from awareness to engagement, and finally, to conversion.

A crucial factor in this process is synergy, which brings us to the powerful alliance between a demand marketer and a sales development representative (SDR).

The demand marketer and SDR synergy: A case study

Consider a case study featuring a hypothetical company called “Wellness Tech,” where a single buying group in the engaged stage comprises seven individuals. With a high level of web traffic, specific pages consumed, and identified visitors, it’s clear that the sales team should engage this buying group.

In a seamless partnership, the demand marketer and SDR collaborate, initiating engagement with the buying group. If they’re running their CRM on Salesforce, a task is created, neatly placing the buying group owner into the queue. The SDR now has all they need to reach out to the buying group in a meaningful and effective way.

Empowering SDRs with buying group insights

With the familiar tools of CRM and sales engagement platforms, the SDR can observe a prescriptive sales dashboard, presenting the best buying groups to connect with. Leveraging proprietary algorithms and AI, these groups are highlighted for their potential to convert into a pipeline and their relevance to the SDR’s time and efforts.

For example, within Wellness Tech, multiple buying groups are identified, but the primary focus remains on the DEV GPT product. A deeper dive into the DEV GPT buying group reveals valuable insights, showcasing the power of this transformative approach.

Transforming B2B marketing: The Demandbase advantage

The overarching goal is to revolutionize how B2B go-to-market professionals operate. 

By focusing on buying groups and the individuals within them, this approach drives efficiency, leading to more closed deals and increased revenue. 

It makes every persona within B2B marketing — from the revenue ops team to digital marketers, demand professionals, and sellers — more effective. The cherry on top? All this information and data is available via API and cloud delivery, allowing you to consume the information, build your models, and craft your unique activation strategies.

Streamlining your work with Demandbase Sales Intelligence

Demandbase Sales Intelligence enables buying groups’ data to flow through their web applications and CRM applications, providing valuable insights wherever needed. Sales teams can focus more on result-oriented strategies as this system identifies individuals you may not know, uncovers hidden blockers, and provides a comprehensive picture of the buying group. This level of insight allows sales teams to move deals along faster and close more revenue, making them more effective and efficient.

Wrapping up

In essence, the evolution from accounts to buying groups marks a revolutionary change in the world of B2B marketing. The shift promises a more focused and efficient approach, paving the way for increased revenue and optimized operations. It’s high time to adopt this innovative approach and harness the power of buying groups to drive your B2B marketing efforts forward.

The post The Buying Group Revolution: Supercharge Your B2B Sales Today appeared first on Demandbase.

For many, the end of Q2 isn’t looking too optimistic in the quota arena. All signs are pointing to more slowness on the horizon, and a recession is looming if not already here. Doing more with less isn’t just the phrase of the day –– it’s most likely going to be the mantra for the year.  

You are probably already seeing all of the signs: 

• Pipeline shortages
• Slowing growth
• Delayed decision-making
• Extending sales cycles
• Churning customers 
• Difficulty forecasting.

In times like today, I love to summon the old adage that “tough times don’t last; however, tough people do.”  

In a world of constant change and uncertainty, the ability to pivot and adapt quickly is the key to sales success. There is no question about it: sales teams must be  flexible and embrace change to be able to grow in tough times. To survive, you must embrace persistence, creativity, and adaptability. 

To help illustrate how to do this with concrete actions, below I have outlined the top 5 sales strategies I believe sales teams need to focus on in today’s challenging economy.

1. Expand relationships. Now more than ever it is crucial to sell wide within an organization. Build relationships beyond your current buyers and establish strong relationships with all members of your buying groups.. In uncertain times buyers will turn over, and it is essential that you expand your use cases, develop new champions, and build some fault tolerance.
2. Become a learning organization. Learning organizations refine, adapt, and change based on feedback or new information. The most successful teams I have seen are learning machines, constantly improving themselves to deliver better results. Take time as a team and individually to discuss what worked and what didn’t, and remember that this is a time to be honest, transparent, and critical. Use this feedback to adapt the strategy based on what is working and what is not. This is important in good times, and especially in times like today.
3. Stay close to your customers. Invest the time to know your customers’ businesses, their challenges, and how you can help them. Reach out to them early and often, and try to learn how their business is being impacted. Don’t be afraid to ask the simple question, “How can we support you during this time?”  Not only is this approach great for showing partnership and support, but it will also give you better insight into how your company can best support them.
4. Focus on value. Right now, businesses are being extra cautious around spending due to uncertainty. It is imperative that your sales team can clearly articulate the level of impact and value that your solution provides. Your sales team needs to be armed now more than ever before with collateral and training that supports this effort. Invest in ROI calculators and customer stories that highlight cost justification and how your product makes your clients more effective. You need to arm your teams with the right talk track for the times.
5. Employ data-driven decision-making for prospecting. We all need to be driving towards greater efficiency with our limited resources and over-taxed teams. That’s why being data-driven and using every indicator revenue teams have at their disposal is critical to ensuring that your sales team is as productive as possible. Matching the right message, to the right buyer, at the right time needs to be on everyone’s mind.  

With global and local factors at play, the next few months will be critical to building and strengthening teams that can sell and sail through headwinds, like the current downturn we’re facing. I believe the strategies outlined above are necessary year-round, but especially during lulls and slow quarters like the one we’re living through now.  

The post A CSO’s Guide to Quarter Closing in Difficult Times appeared first on Demandbase.