Market View
Beyond MQLs: Reframing success in B2B marketing
Sponsored by:
Produced by:
Matti Vaininen
Head of Marketing (CMO) at LeadDesk
About Matti Vaininen
Matti Vaininen is the Head of Marketing (CMO) at LeadDesk, where he drives sales growth through innovative marketing strategies. With an MSc in Information Economy, he brings extensive experience in brand, marketing, and business development. Additionally, he is a co-founder and partner at Nålla Kova Sooda, a Nordic Hard Seltzer brand, and serves as an advisor and partner at Right Sales Finland Oy. Matti is dedicated to integrating branding and design into the B2B domain and leveraging technology for enhanced customer service and profitability.
How do you see the role of marketing evolving in B2B organisations, especially in revenue generation?
I believe that modern marketing should be in the driver's seat for growth. While sales will always drive revenue, they're more in an executional role. Marketing should own market analysis, market research - essentially everything that happens before sales. It should support sales and then focus on the later phases like preventing churn throughout the customer journey.
The role of a marketing leader is evolving into more of a revenue operations or revenue management position. We're not just creating brand awareness or generating leads; we're integral to the entire revenue generation process. This shift in perception is crucial. Marketing must be seen not only as a support function, but as a strategic driver of business growth. It's about moving from being seen as a cost centre to being recognised as a revenue generator.
Marketing should also play a crucial role in pricing strategies. It's about understanding the market dynamics and positioning the product or service effectively. In essence, the future of marketing lies in its ability to directly impact and drive business outcomes, going far beyond traditional metrics like MQLs. It's about taking a holistic view of the customer journey and business growth, and positioning marketing as a key strategic function within the organisation.
"The role of a marketing leader is evolving into more of a revenue operations or revenue management position. We're not just creating brand awareness or generating leads; we're integral to the entire revenue generation process."
"Successful revenue operations are about breaking down traditional departmental boundaries and creating a unified, customer-centric approach to driving growth. It's a shift in mindset as much as it is a shift in processes and tools."
What strategies have you found effective in aligning marketing, sales, and customer success teams?
The first and most vital step is ensuring there are no silos between the different teams. This alignment should be managed top down. You need to establish the right teams and the right communication channels. It's crucial to identify internal issues first and figure out how to get buy-in from everyone.
Each team must recognize that they can provide significant value for each other. It's about constantly sharing knowledge. You don't need to stay confined to your role - often, the most valuable insights for different parts of the revenue operations come from outside your own core domain.
One effective strategy I've seen is implementing regular cross-functional meetings where each team shares their key insights and challenges. This not only promotes understanding but also allows for collaborative problem-solving. Another crucial aspect is having unified metrics and goals. When marketing, sales, and customer success are all working towards the same overarching objectives, it naturally encourages alignment and cooperation.
Ultimately, successful revenue operations are about breaking down traditional departmental boundaries and creating a unified, customer-centric approach to driving growth. It's a shift in mindset as much as it is a shift in processes and tools.
How are you implementing a more proactive approach to identifying buying signals, and what challenges are you facing?
We're focusing on developing systems and collecting data that allow us to anticipate buying intentions and behaviours. A crucial part of this process involves direct communication with our Sales Development Representatives (SDRs) who are on the front lines. They're our primary source of first-hand information about customer needs and market trends.
We utilise a multi-faceted approach. We have our own tool stack, with some tools providing valuable data points. We also collaborate with research companies and consultants who offer market research and country-specific insights. However, one of our key learnings came from a campaign we ran last spring. We realised we needed to revamp our communication strategy with our sales teams.
Initially, we approached the campaign with a top-down, waterfall-like process, disseminating information through our account managers and sales directors. However, we quickly realised that this approach had limitations. We pivoted our strategy and established direct lines of communication with the SDRs, who turned out to be the most crucial players in the operation. We began gathering data and insights directly from them as they interacted with clients in the field.
This approach allowed us to collect real-time information about our clients' primary pain points and concerns in each market. It's a more dynamic and responsive way of operating that enables us to identify buying signals much earlier and more accurately. By implementing this strategy, we've been able to create a more proactive approach to sales and marketing, one that's closely aligned with the actual needs and behaviours of our potential customers across different markets.
"In the B2B world, it's vital to evoke emotions from your prospects, just as you would in B2C. To successfully implement B2C strategies in a B2B context, we maintain that human touch and appeal to emotions, but the angles might differ."
How are you integrating B2C marketing approaches into your B2B strategies?
The primary difference between B2C and B2B is scale of reach. In B2C, you're thinking about efficient ways to reach the masses, whereas in B2B, you're often aiming to capture the attention of just one high-quality customer or prospect. However, the fundamental methods and approaches remain quite similar. In both cases, you need to capture the prospect's attention to make the sale.
One crucial aspect I often emphasise is that while we're tracking MQL numbers and analysing spreadsheet data, we must remember that behind each data point is a person. In the B2B world, it's vital to evoke emotions from your prospects, just as you would in B2C. To successfully implement B2C strategies in a B2B context, we maintain that human touch and appeal to emotions, but the angles might differ. For instance, when addressing customer service agents or managers, we focus on how we can make their workday easier and help them achieve better results.
It's about understanding the context of your audience and tailoring your emotional appeal accordingly. Whether it's B2B or B2C, at the core, we're still communicating with individuals who have personal motivations, challenges, and aspirations. By integrating these B2C-inspired personalisation techniques into our B2B strategies, we're able to create more engaging, relevant, and ultimately more effective marketing campaigns. It's an exciting direction that I believe will continue to shape the future of B2B marketing.
lorem
lorem
lorem ipsum
lorem ipsum
About LeadDesk
LeadDesk is a leading provider of cloud-based sales and customer service software, headquartered in Helsinki, Finland. Specialising in solutions for contact centres, LeadDesk serves clients across various industries, including media, security services, energy, telecommunications, financial services, and market research. The company's innovative platform enhances operational efficiency and customer engagement, making it a trusted partner for businesses seeking to optimise their sales and support functions. With a commitment to continuous improvement, LeadDesk is dedicated to helping clients achieve better customer interactions and drive growth.
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.
6sense are changing the world of marketing, one customer advocacy programme at a time. Ready to transform your business?
