Market View
Beyond MQLs: Reframing success in B2B marketing
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Produced by:
Anders Lindstrom
Senior Director of Marketing at Cezanne
About Anders Lindstrom
Anders Lindstrom is the Senior Director of Marketing for Cezanne, given his responsibilities, such as setting marketing strategies, leading the marketing team, and being part of the company's leadership team. In this role, Lindstrom plays a crucial part in shaping the company's revenue efforts and overall strategic direction, focusing on sustainable growth.
Can you talk about the main changes you’ve seen in B2B marketing effectiveness and how we gauge it now?
There's been an increased focus on targeting with high intent or those that fit perfectly with our ideal customer profile. This focus has drastically cut down wastage and improved our marketing effectiveness. Advances in marketing automation have also broadened the scope of personalised marketing, previously limited to fewer accounts, to include many more, enhancing the customer experience significantly. This, I believe, is a substantial change for our industry.
"Advances in marketing automation have also broadened the scope of personalised marketing, previously limited to fewer accounts, to include many more."
"We concentrate mainly on the volume and conversion rates of Sales Qualified Leads (SQLs), ensuring they meet our high-quality standards."
What are the key performance metrics your team emphasises currently?
Our headline metrics are volume and conversion rates of Sales Qualified Leads (SQLs), ensuring they meet our high-quality standards—this is our top indicator. Another vital metric is the Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) and monitoring which channels bring in the most revenue. We also look closely at the Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) and how quickly we can recover that investment. We track these figures every month to ensure we’re not exceeding our budget, keeping our finances in check.
How do your marketing strategies align with the sales team’s goals?
Our marketing, SDR and sales teams are remarkably aligned. We share common goals around Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR) and Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR). We coordinate to ensure that the sales team has the right number of Sales Qualified Leads (SQLs) they need to hit new business targets. We also keep an eye on average deal sizes and conversion rates, adjusting our strategies where necessary. It feels good to have such strong teamwork.
From a CEO’s standpoint, which metrics would you use to track marketing’s impact on new business?
Stepping into those shoes, I’d echo the emphasis on tracking where our SQLs are coming from and increase attention to the ROI on marketing spend. It’s crucial to show that marketing is not just about spending money but driving the company’s revenue. Making sure everyone sees and understands this data helps underline the critical role marketing plays in our business’s overall success.
What trends or challenges might affect how sales and marketing teams work together in the future?
The big thing will be improving how we seamlessly share information between sales and marketing. We already possess detailed data on our managed accounts, and the sales team knows a lot about what our buyers like and dislike. Getting better at managing and using this information will help us stay aligned and work more effectively together.
"Generative AI is already shaping up to be a big part of our strategy, particularly in creating lots of content quickly."
How do you think Generative AI will influence B2B marketing moving forward?
Generative AI is already shaping up to be a big part of our strategy, particularly in creating lots of content quickly. While it’s a huge time-saver and increases our capacity to handle more work, it’s important to us that our team refines and enhances what the AI produces and makes sure it’s up to our standards. We see its value, but we also stay cautious to keep the quality high.
About Cezanne
Cezanne is a pioneering entity renowned for its innovative approach in leveraging technology to enhance business processes and productivity. With a foundation built on the principles of sustainability, efficiency, and continuous improvement, Cezanne has emerged as a key player in its industry, offering cutting-edge solutions that cater to the evolving needs of modern businesses. The company's commitment to excellence and growth is reflected in its diverse portfolio of products and services, designed to meet the highest standards of quality and performance. Under the leadership of its dedicated team, including key figures like Anders Lindstrom who spearheads marketing strategies and initiatives, Cezanne continues to set benchmarks for success, driving forward with the aim of achieving long-term sustainability and value creation for its clients and stakeholders.
About 6sense
6sense is on a mission to revolutionise the way B2B organisations create revenue by predicting customers most likely to buy and recommending the best course of action to engage anonymous buying teams. 6sense Revenue AI is the only sales and marketing platform to unlock the ability to create, manage and convert high-quality pipeline to revenue. Customers report 2X increases in average contract value, 4X increases in win rate and 20-40% reduction in time to close deals. Know everything, do anything, with 6sense.
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