Best practice in sales and marketing alignment

Best Practices in B2B:
Sales and Marketing Alignment
John Neeson
Co-Founder/Managing Director

Five Things Will Occur By 2015

1. The sales cycle will shift, increasing marketing’s
importance in the early stages of the buying cycle

2. Demand creation will be measured in three ways –
inbound, outbound and sales driven

3. Sales enablement move from tactical programmes to a
strategic initiative

4. Marketing’s success will become increasingly
technology driven

5. “Buyers journey” marketing will result in greater
investment in customer experience

© Copyright SiriusDecisions.
All Rights Protected and Reserved. 2

Trends

• Online Marketing: Today 58% of all leads come from the web increasing to
71% by 2015.
• Performance: Organizations leveraging the web who market to the buyers
journey, have strong sales alignment and effectively use marketing automation
create twice as much pipeline as those who do not.
• Technology: B-to-B companies doubled their investment in marketing
technology in the last five years with 70% saying they will increase further in
the next five.
• Skills: Less than 25% of organizations utilize marketing technology to its
fullest.
• Enablement: The greatest barrier for a sales person not achieving quota (52%
of the time) is from the inability to demonstrate value or lack of customer
knowledge.
• The Sales Cycle: More prospect interaction is now occurring online shortening
the actual time for sales engagement. The need for a digital relationship has
never been higher.

Trend: Most Used Research Techniques
SiriusPerspective: Decision makers rely on Internet search and their
teams and colleagues when completing research.
.
100%
Ask my team or colleagues
90% 22% 21% for options
24%
80%
11% Access a social media
70% 12% 10% community
60%
20% 22% 21% Call an industry analyst
50%
40%
22% 22% 21%
30% Call an industry peer

20% 25% 23% 24%
10% Search on the Internet

0%
CXO VP Director

Trend: Later Interaction With Sales
SiriusPerspective: Engaging with sales is happening later in the buying
cycle, after decision makers know they are going to make a decision.
.
100% 3% I never engage with a vendor
1% 6%
sales person
90% 15% 18%
16% Other (specify)
80% 5%
13% 5%
8% 3% Only after I know I am going to
70% make a decision
5%
60% After consuming a substantial
25%
amount of the firm's marketing
23% 32%
50% After an industry analyst
suggests
40%
25% I engage to keep up with the
30% 11% industry
26%
26% When I am curious on the
20%
22% company/product
10% 14% After my team sells me on
reason to change
0%
CXO VP Director

ROI Definitions
SiriusPerspective: The meaning of ROI varies by job title and role;
first identify your target, then align with their definition.

100%
8% 8% 10%
90% 1% Other (specify)
5%
7% 5%

80% 11%
Ease of use

70% 28% 32%

Solution we can agree on
60%
33%

50% 13%
16% Competitive impact

40% 42%
40% 8%
Time saved
30% 33%

20% Money saved

10%

0%
CXO VP Director

Trend: CXO Interactions With Marketing
SiriusPerspective: By the time the sales person engages with the CXO, a
dialogue has begun digitally and opinions have begun to be formed.

Sales Process

Online Relationship

Exploring Committing
Losing the Committing to ROI for Vendor
Possible To a
Status Quo Change Decision Selection
Solutions Solution

Engage CXO Actions
Influence Enable

• Search The Internet • Assign Team • Committee Engagement
• Access Peers • Engage Sales Person • ROI Content
• Internal Project • Case Study • Save Money
Discussions • Peer Engagement • Save Time
• Find Content • Competitive


Marketing Around The Journey
SiriusPerspective: Today’s marketing ecosystem centers on the buyer’s
journey, where marketing disciplines must effectively work together.
• SEO/SEM
• WCO
• Social Media

Customer Marketing
Inbound
Content
Demand
Strategic Communications

Education
• Sales Playbook Content
• Account-Based Marketing Sales • Sales Tools
• Pipeline Acceleration Sales Buyer • Channel Enablement
Enablement
• Opt-In Programs Demand Journey • Case Studies/Reference

Outbound
Demand

• Lead Generation Programs
• Reconstitute Programs
• Recycle Programs
• Channel Demand

Best Practice Attributes
SiriusPerspective: While there are many differences between average
and high performing companies, four characteristics are consistent.

Sales Pipeline Sales Alignment

• 30% + Sourced* • Flexible Programs
• 70% + Influenced* • Strong SLA’s
• Not a Leads Only Focus • Targeted and Sales
Stage Based

Program Mix Integrated

• Multi-channel • Based on Buyer Journey
• Web Centric • Multi-Touch Programs
• Nurturing Model • Data Centric
• Best Practice Syndication • Web Focused

* Varies by organizational size and target markets

Task Families Surrounding the B-to-B Waterfall
SiriusPerspective: To drive best-in-class performance, sales and
marketing must align around five waterfall-based jobs.

SEED

The use of traditional and
social media to set the NURTURE
stage for demand creation
Care and feeding of
prospects that aren’t ready
for sales, or that have fallen
CREATE out of the waterfall

The generation of “original”
demand, with a focus on
quality vs. quantity
ENABLE

Helping reps increase their
ACCELERATE productivity, both for sales-
and marketing-sourced
Efforts geared to help sales demand
move deals more quickly
through the pipeline


Average vs. Best – in - Class
SiriusPerspective: High performing companies market to all areas
of the waterfall to impact performance.
Waterfall Conversion Rates
Best-in-
Average Strong
Class What do high performing
companies do differently?
Inquiries
SEED
4.1% 5.8% 9.7%
Marketing Qualified CREATE
Leads (MQLs)

62% 65.6% 74.5%
NURTURE
Sales Accepted
Leads
47.5% 56.4% 60.5% ENABLE

Sales Qualified
Leads (SQLs) ACCELERATE
22.1% 26.9% 30.7%
Closed/Won
Business


What is Alignment?
SiriusPerspective: There are four key areas of alignment
between marketing and sales.

Buyers Journey Activity Alignment
Key Issue: How do your customer’s buy? Key Issue: What are the sales and marketing
activities along the buyers journey?
Deliverable: Buyers journey model sales and
Deliverable: Identification of marketing programs, sales
marketing will use as a common denominator for
requirements / process, and role clarification at each stage of
strategy, process and activity alignment.
the buyers journey.

Campaign Structure Planning / Measurement
Key Issue: What is language, structure, and Key Issue: How will the planning and
visual descriptions you will use to describe measurement process change as a result of
marketing and sales efforts? buyers journey?

Deliverable: One view on campaign Deliverable: Waterfall model of closed loop
nomenclature, lead definition and SLA’s between measurement. Integrated marketing planning
sales and marketing. model.

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Aligning Marketing Programs

Tactics and Programs
Loosening
Advertising
of the
Suspect
SEED Status Quo
Thought Leadership
Global Campaigns
Product Launch
Committing
Promos/Offers
Qualification to Change Events/Webinars
CREATE Account Based Marketing

Exploring
Website/SEO/SEM
Possible
Self-Guided Demos
Solution
NURTURE Analyst Reports
Solutions
Identification Lead Nurturing Programs
Presentations
Committing In-Person Demos
Solution
ENABLE Competitive Tools
to a Solution
Validation Customer References
Trials/Proof of Concept
Justifying ROI Tools
ACCELERATE the Exec Briefings
Propose Decision Pipeline Acceleration
Programs
Customer Newsletters
RETAIN
Close Making the Online Communities
Selection Value Review
Relationship Marketing


Service Level Agreements: The Ties That Bind
SiriusPerspective: Two sets of core SLAs must be created, and
adjusted over time based on data.
Lead acceptance
Timeframe
Bypass/exceptions
Disposition
Special program alignment

Demand Center/ Field/Channel
Teleprospecting
Field Marketing Sales

Lead acceptance
Timeframe
Disposition
Rep alignment
Program alignment

Demand Type and Lead Level
SiriusPerspective: : Demand type also will provide significant
guidance in terms of the “type” of lead you are looking for.

New Concept

New Paradigm

Established
Market


Demand Generation: Critical Process
SiriusPerspective: Best practice lead delivery requires common
process, definitions, rules and timeframes.

Marketing Teleprospecting Sales

Disposition rules Timeframe
Target agreement Accept/
Source Volume rules Deliver Accept/reject rules
Programs/tactics Reject
Notification Notification

Accept

Lead definition MQL definition CRM adoption
Scoring Qualify Engagement rules Qualify Qualify
Engagement rules
Nurture DQ rules DQ rules
Accept

Disposition rules Timeframe CRM adoption
Accept/
Volume rules Deliver Accept/reject rules DQ rules Pipeline
Reject
Notification Notification Timeframes

Reject Reject

Disqualify Disqualify


Understand Message Needs for Different Tactics

• Inbound (Indirect) Tactics: • Outbound (Direct) Tactics
– Traditional advertising/branding – Email
– Public relations – Newsletters
– Analyst relations – Internal/third-party teleprospecting
– Search engine optimization – Direct mail

– Search keyword sponsorship • Offers (Examples)
– Association marketing – White papers
– Celebrity sponsorship – Trials/demos
– Cause marketing – Live Events/seminars/roadshows
– Content syndication – User conferences
– Banner/online advertising – Online events: webcasts/webinars

– Social media (e.g. blogs, microblogs, communities) – Financial incentives

– Trade shows (virtual, traditional)

Source: SiriusDecisions

Integrated Campaign Framework
BUYING CYCLE
NEW CONCEPT
NEW PARADIGM
ESTABLISHED MARKET

Loosening Exploring
Committing Committing Justifying Making the
of the possible
to change to a solution the decision selection
status quo solutions

Reputation Demand Creation Sales Enablement
MESSAGING
Solution Vendor Selection
Education
Help Align
Align buyer solution
Create Demonstrate
problem with identify with
awareness core features Validate/
business needs in specific
around a new and reinforce choice
issues; drive solving sets of
problem functionality
urgency the business
problem needs
TOUCHES

Education Education Solution Solution Solution Selection Selection Selection Selection

T1 T2 T3 T2 T1 T2 T3
T1 T3

White Paper Webinar Case Study White Paper Event Webinar Analyst Report Case Study Peer Interaction


Technology Integration

Web site

Web content
Management Marketing
Automation
Platform Pipeline Contact
metrics
Behavior & management
performanc Marketing Database
e analysis Campaign Mgmnt
Lead CRM
delivery
Lead Mgmnt Contact SFA
Advanced Features information

Web analytics

Business Intelligence

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Summary

• Effective alignment begins with a consistent language,
SLA’s and a measurement system.
• High performing organizations uniquely generate over
30% of the sales pipeline and influence over 70%.
• The integrated campaign model is all about the
customer / prospect journey not a single marketing
tactic.
• The marketing mix is evolving to be more digital with
tight integration with inbound activity.


Best practice in sales and marketing alignment

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