There are multiple advantages to using SDRs, including:

• More consistent, faster, and better quality follow-up on prospect interest
• More cost effective for less expensive people to take on some of the work
• Better tracking and analytics
• Talent development for sales

Like all functions, sales development is evolving. Just as marketers embraced account-based marketing (ABM), we’re also seeing great SDR teams adopt account-based thinking and thus the rise of account-based sales development (ABSD). So, let’s explore what ABSD is and how account intelligence is the fuel that makes it happen.

What is ABSD?

In account-based sales development, the SDRs work in conjunction with marketing and AEs to create new opportunities for new and existing customers. It’s a strategy that emphasizes connecting with multiple high-value contacts instead of individual leads. It’s not about casting a wide net; it’s about fishing with spears. You aim for the big fish, the accounts that are most likely to bring in significant revenue. 

There are many reasons to adopt an account-based approach over the traditional lead-focused one:

• Sales reps focus on accounts, not leads, so SDRs should also.
• While the traditional approach does encourage SDRs to ignore disqualified accounts, it rarely creates incentives to focus on the biggest and best accounts — despite them being worth 2 to 10 times more. 
• Focusing only on inbound leads causes SDRs to talk to casual browsers but not genuine decision-makers.
• Looking at individual leads misses out on valuable indicators of buying intent at the account and buying group level.

When done well, ABSD is:

• Targeted – aimed at selected, named accounts, not huge, undifferentiated lists. 
• Personalized – based on relevant, crafted conversations instead of standard, one-size-fits-all scripts.
• Researched – driven by systematic insight generation (not two minutes on LinkedIn).
• Multi-channel – maximizing reach by using all channels, not massive spamming campaigns.
• Integrated – a coordinated effort supported by marketing and AEs, not another silo.
• Patient – with less emphasis on short-term calls-to-action such as demos and more on high-value engagements such as meetings to share insights or trends.

TOPO Research, one of the pioneers of account based thinking (and now part of Gartner), puts it this way:

“Account Based Sales Development is today’s most effective account based tactic… Rather than rely on the high-volume process of outbound prospecting, organizations now strategically define a smaller, more targeted set of accounts and run personalized, buyer-centric campaigns against those accounts.” 

The Fuel: Account Intelligence

As we’ve seen, great account-based sales development isn’t about just following up on inbound leads or even the typical outbound prospecting process of slightly personalized sequences (“Question for Jon: I hope you’re having a great day so far! I love the look and feel of Demandbase.”  Ugh.)

Also, ABSD isn’t just about working harder.  It’s about working smarter. It’s about picking the right accounts and people to focus on (“who”), knowing the right time to reach out (“when”), and what to say to stand out from the noise (“what”). 

Account intelligence isn’t just data; it’s data with context. We’re not merely collecting names, emails, and titles. We’re gathering insights into the behavior, needs, and pain points of target accounts and their buying groups. This is where the magic happens.

Knowing WHO to target

Knowing who to go after is the first step in ABSD. Account intelligence gives you a comprehensive view of an organization, including key decision-makers and influencers and the “buying groups” within these accounts. The decision of who to target is not left up to the individual SDRs; instead it’s a disciplined process where AEs pick accounts guided by marketing, using AI to focus on the highest-value accounts with the best propensity to purchase. 

It looks primarily at these things:

• Firmographics – company revenue, growth rate, number of employees, industry, location, structure.
• Technology profile – knowing if they use complementary or competitive technologies is often the #1 predictor of account fit.

But it doesn’t stop at the account level.  ABSD goes deeper into the buying groups, identifying target personas and proactively targeting key members of the buying committee. That’s because deals that move forward on the basis of just one or two buyer contacts are the most likely to fail. Your contact can get sick, go on vacation, or leave the company — stalling or killing your deal. That’s far too high a risk for the deal sizes we’re talking about. You need to build connections with as many members of the buying/influencing team as possible. 

Knowing WHEN to engage

We all know that timing is everything when it comes to engaging high-value accounts. Reach out too early and they’re not interested; too late and you miss out on the opportunity.

Fortunately, looking at the account and contact behaviors can tell us exactly when and how we should engage. This includes looking at how the account engages with your marketing (website visits, content downloads, etc.) as well as what content the account is researching offsite (tracked using B2B intent data).  The key buying signal is usually when you observe an increase in the number of unique people from the account engaging with relevant content.

Account intelligence also provides insight into trigger events, which includes news and social alerts that may indicate openness to contact. This can include new funding, an acquisition, new office, new executive hire, a promotion, and so on. 

Knowing WHAT to say

Once you know who you’re targeting, you need to know what to say to them. That’s because the success or failure of your account-based sales development strategy depends on your ability to be relevant to your target contacts.

Relevance separates quality sales development from spam. 

Relevance earns email opens and more importantly, responses.

Relevance gets buyers to lean forward instead of drawing back.

Relevance can only come from account intelligence: a real understanding of the buyer’s challenges, opportunities, and pain points. Beyond getting the timing right (previously discussed), some of the key ways account intelligence can drive relevance include:

• Journey Stage: An account’s journey stage is crucial for delivering a relevant experience. Early-stage accounts prefer educational content, while late-stage ones need help with vendor comparison and decision-making.
• Intent: Intent data also provides insights on topics an account finds relevant and their problem descriptions. Deliver targeted messages based on these interests, e.g., “network infrastructure” versus “cybersecurity.”
• Firmographics: An account’s industry and size reveals potential business challenges.
• Technographics: Companies want to know that your solution works well with the rest of their technology stack. Talking about their existing technologies shows you understand their business.
• Competitors: Identifying an account’s competitors, especially if you’re already working with them, can influence decision-making through social proof and FOMO. 

The Importance of Marketing and Sales Coordination

You can’t talk about ABSD without discussing the relationship between marketing and sales. It’s like discussing peanut butter without jelly; they’re better together. Marketing warms the audience up, creating awareness and interest. Sales engages directly with a tailored human touch.

Shared goals, shared data

Both teams should have access to the same account intelligence. When marketing and sales are looking at the same data and insights, their efforts become more coordinated. Marketing can create content that addresses the specific pain points identified, and sales can use this content in their outreach efforts.

Communication

Regular meetings and updates between marketing and sales are essential. These interactions, including account-based standups, ensure that everyone is on the same page, and they provide opportunities for real-time adjustments to strategies.

Coordinated plays

In traditional sales development, marketing and SDRs work like a relay team, linearly passing the lead like a baton. But in ABSD, they work like a football team, seamlessly coordinating their efforts by running coordinated plays. Plays are a way to ensure that everyone follows best practices throughout the account development process – from the first touch to the last. And just like the Xs and Os on a football coaches chalkboard, they coordinate how everyone on “your team” – the SDRs plus marketing and account execs — will line up with everyone on “their team”, e.g. all the members of the buying committee. 

Final Thoughts

ABSD is not a trend; it’s a strategic shift in how B2B companies approach sales development. The targeted nature of ABSD, combined with the rich insights provided by account intelligence, offers a more efficient and effective way to engage high-value accounts.

Account intelligence doesn’t just make ABSD possible; it makes it powerful. It informs you not just about which doors to knock on but also what to say when those doors open. And when marketing and sales work together like a well-oiled machine, fueled by the same rich account intelligence, the sky’s the limit.

The post Account-Based Sales Development and the Power of Account Intelligence appeared first on Demandbase.

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.

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 Connected TV 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?

Connected TV 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.

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 committees.

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 committee 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 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 group owner into the queue. The SDR now has all they need to reach out 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.

But because we’re not ones to shy away from a challenge, we took ourselves (and our bias) out of the equation.

How?

We turned to ChatGPT and asked point blank: “why do our customers love Demandbase?” However, if you’re skeptical about trusting AI, we’ve got some quotes from our beloved customers to back up its claims.

In this blog, we’ll explore the key features and benefits of Demandbase that have made it a favorite among our customers, from our powerful account-based marketing capabilities to our intuitive user interface and expert support. Whether you’re a marketer looking to supercharge your B2B campaigns or a business owner looking for a competitive edge, we’re the solution you’ve been looking for! lLet’s dive in and see what ChatGPT had to say about why our customers can’t get enough of us.

AI vs. Real customers

Note: The ChatGPT points will be in italics to be easily identifiable from the rest of the text. Our prompt was: “List 10 things that people love about Demandbase.”

AI Reason 1

What our customers had to say about it
“I wouldn’t want to do ABM without Demandbase. It’s the backbone of all of my programs.”
-Mandy Hanson, Director, Global Account Based Marketing at Lacework

Read more about how Mandy was able to leverage a mix of our ABX, orchestration, and advertising solutions.

AI Reason 2

What our customers had to say about it
“There’s so much room for growth. We’re only using a small bit of what Demandbase can do and that’s already so powerful.”
-Elsa Toutlemonde, Account-Based Marketing Manager at Thales

Read more about how Elsa led the charge to quadruple CTRs, double MQAs, and re-engage 50% of Targets.

AI Reason 3

What our customers had to say about it
“It unlocked a number of different metrics and performance insights we couldn’t see before.”
– Bryant Pulecio, Director Web & Digital Strategy at Deep Instinct

Read more about how Bryant and his team put data into action with tools like Sales Intelligence and Data Integrity.

AI Reason 4

What our customers had to say about it
“If I found myself in a place where I didn’t have Demandbase tomorrow, I would be stepping back into a dark, dark world.”
-Jodi Lebow, Director, Global Demand Center at Hexagon

Read more about how Jodi and the team at Hexagon use the insights gained from Demandbase to tailor content based on the journey stage, intent signals, and levels of engagement from each account.

AI Reason 5

What our customers had to say about it
“As healthcare systems digitally transform the way they deliver care, there’s been a shift to more tech-minded buying committees. So ABM was a no-brainer to get high and wide inside these organizations.”
-Jim Somers, CMO at CipherHealth

Read more about how Demandbase’s integration capabilities with tools like Salesforce prevented silos and increased their intelligence.

AI Reason 6

What our customers had to say about it
“We know our ideal customers, so why wait for them to come to us? Why not focus our efforts on engaging them rather than the unwashed masses?”
-Ann Leach, Director of Customer Marketing

Read more about how Ann and her team at Silkroad Technologies were able to leverage Account-Level Insights with Demandbase.

AI Reason 7

What our customers had to say about it
“I find that the customization is beautiful because you don’t have to pigeonhole all of your salespeople into a specific way of looking at information. We’re each able to read the information we want, where we want to see it… it’s amazing.”
-Tina Pluff, Enterprise Business Development Representative

Read more about how our customer Fivetran was able to locate and market to ABM to target accounts with Demandbase.

AI Reason 8

What our customers had to say about it
“All those kinds of things — reps’ confidence in the data and tools, satisfaction in their jobs, reduced turnover — really add up in the end to a product that’s worth more than its weight.”-
Matt Norris, Sales Operations Specialist

Find out how our customer at Navisite were able to use Demandbase enriched data and Sales Intelligence to feed an entire funnel.

AI Reason 9

What our CPO had to say about it
“It’s gratifying to see that our customers are having the kind of success we envision. They’re using so many different aspects of our GTM Platform and taking advantage of ongoing improvements — improvements in orchestration functionality, application usability, reporting and analytics, the volume and accuracy of company and contact data, email snapshots, and much more. We see this reflected in the number of reports we were recognized for across multiple categories.”
-Brewster Stanislaw, chief product officer on Demandbase being Recognized by G2 in 54 Reports and Named a Leader in 35

Read more about why Demandbase was recognized by G2 in 54 reports and named a leader in 35 and the hard work that went into this achievement.

AI Reason 10

What our customers had to say about it
“To know what organizations are researching and considering before they even hit our website, is very powerful.”
Jay Civitillo, Market Development Manager

Read more about how our customer Caregility was able to hit their targets and achieve a fast ROI with Demandbase One.

The reviews are in

With our powerful targeting capabilities, robust analytics tools, and unparalleled customer support, it’s no wonder why our customers love us! If you’re ready to take your marketing and sales efforts to the next level, give us a try and schedule a free demo of Demandbase One today! Whether you’re looking to generate more leads, close more deals, or simply better understand your customers, we’ve got the tools and expertise to help you achieve your goals.

The post 10 Reasons AI Said Customers Love Demandbase, Supported by Customer Use Cases appeared first on Demandbase.

But not just any intelligence and not just any strategy.

Today’s audiences will only be captivated by the right mix of account intelligence with an account-based marketing (ABM) plan that takes into account the customer experience –– yes, we’re talking about account-based experience (ABX).

In simpler terms, account intelligence + ABX = Smarter Go-to-Market.

Let’s take a look at how you can activate this strategy so that you don’t just fool-proof your go-to-market, but you can actually stay in-market.

The post Going To Market is One Thing… But Can You Stay In-Market? appeared first on Demandbase.