A couple of days later, and I’m still feeling the buzz from our Digital Showcase, Reimagine: The future of pipeline generation’.
As it coincided with Valentine’s Day, our goal was to bring sales and marketing closer together, and the event delivered just that.
We were privileged to host industry leaders: Akansha Aggarwal, Senior Director, Americas GTM at NetApp, Cat Anderson, Head of International Marketing, Sprout Social, Evelyn Truter, CMO at GDS Group, Jessica Deckinger, Operating Partner at Clearhaven Partners, Liza Adams, Fractional CMO and AI Advisor at GrowthPath Partners, and Ruth Connor, CMO and Business Trainer at Coface.
The showcase was undoubtedly a fascinating and thought-provoking event, bringing together these leaders to share their expertise and wisdom in the world of sales and marketing today. The conversations were rich with knowledge, not just from our speakers but also with data from our latest report and valuable questions from our audience.
I’m excited to share my 5 key lessons from marketing leaders, distilled from the wealth of amazing content and diverse perspectives presented during the showcase.
5 key lessons from marketing leaders:
1. The more we engage online, the more we crave real connections.
My first takeaway comes from a powerful statement Liza Adams, Operating Partner at GrowthPath Partners said during the showcase.
The digital era has undeniably transformed how we engage with each other. However, as we continue stepping deeper into digital spaces, there’s a growing desire for authentic human interactions.
Liza put it beautifully: “There’s this digital hunger paradox: The more we engage digitally, the more our yearning is for human connections. So those companies that can continue to elevate human value will be rewarded.” Read that again.
As humans, we like communities. We like social groups, Slack, podcasts, gaming, live streams, events – you name it. And this is because we like to connect and interact with each other. Usually, through a combination of physical and digital. It’s certainly an ‘and’ rather than an ‘or’.
Corporate events, of course, offer this space for businesses and executives to come together. And there is absolutely a place for both digital and in-person, as our guests go on to discuss.
However, in-person events, with their unique ability to foster side conversations, bring a level of connection that digital interactions struggle to match.
One of our Editors and Presenters at GDS, Tim Cassidy, joined the panel and shared his experience:
“I think the difference between virtual and in-person is those side conversations that you have with people at an in-person event, finding out more about their families, finding out more about their challenges within their job. And I think what these executives are saying is, we’re so glad to get back to in-person events because they’re establishing relationships with their peers in this chosen.”
2. Buying decisions hinge on emotions and connections. Build relationships first, and the sale will follow.
My second takeaway relates to how we make buying decisions as humans.
This very much builds on my first key takeaway but takes it a step further. We don’t just crave human connection; we also make decisions based on it.
Cat Anderson, Head of International Marketing at Sprout Social shared a compelling statistic that I’m definitely going to be using again. According to Gallop, 70% of buying decisions are based on emotional factors rather than rational factors. That’s huge. It underscores the profound impact emotions have on the choices we make.
Delving deeper into the emotional aspect of buying decisions, Cat shared a real-life example of this:
“You know, I think if we’re being really truthful, oftentimes in a position where you’re maybe in an RFP or something like that, and, you know, there’s maybe a cat’s whisker of difference between some of the proposals you may be looking at. Sometimes it kind of boils down to who you like, who you have had that relationship with, who has connected with you on that human level.”
I can absolutely relate to this. Building relationships becomes not just a nicety but a strategic imperative. Cat emphasized the critical role relationships play in sales outcomes during the showcase. She highlighted the detrimental impact of neglecting relationship-building efforts, especially when the focus is solely on selling.
Cat elaborated: “There is nothing worse than going to an event and having people sort of blindly pitching to you. So just to add to that, make sure that all of your supporting functions are cognizant of what your strategy is. So, your sales operations team, your sales development reps, and everyone who’s going to be at this event in any capacity is ready and knows the strategy. Please do not just launch into blind elevator pitch pitches because it’s just such a turnoff.”
3. Align sales and marketing on one KPI: pipeline. What you measure, you achieve.
My third takeaway comes from fascinating discussions with Akansha Aggarwal, Senior Director, GTM and Opps at NetApp, Ruth Connor, CMO and Business Trainer at Coface, and Jessica Deckinger, Operating Partner at Clearhaven Partners, who emphasized the necessity of shared outcomes, realistic metrics, and constant dialogue to achieve true alignment.
To set the scene, our report revealed that 54% of marketing leaders and 42% of sales leaders identified fostering internal collaboration and alignment as a priority focus area for 2024.
Sales and marketing alignment has been a challenge ever since I can remember. However, the positive shift is evident, especially in the shared focus on pipeline and revenue.
This was echoed by our speakers during the showcase. Here’s what they had to say on the topic:
Ruth Connor, CMO and Business Trainer at Coface:
“Everybody is really centered, aligned, and focused around pipeline and revenue. So, it’s no surprise that we see sales and marketing have similar views.”
“Having a shared outcome is key. What gets measured, gets done.”
Evelyn Truter, CMO at GDS Group:
“We’re also continuing to bond our RevOps teams to create that unified revenue approach [that we’ve seen in the report] – which, if done properly AND consistently, can create a 20% uptick in overall revenue performance when we combine all our skills.”
Jessica Deckinger, Operating Partner at Clearhaven Partners:
“I think creating that level of understanding and trust is around setting realistic metrics for the things that you can measure. Setting expectations around the weight and importance of things that you can’t. And then having that open dialogue all the time.”
Akansha Aggarwal, Senior Director, GTM and Opps at NetApp:
“What we’re also starting to see is the alignment that is starting to happen on pipeline progression. If we already have a customer that’s engaged, how do we meet them where they are so that we can be that product and that solution in helping them move forward with us.”
The common thread in achieving greater alignment is clear – fostering strong partnerships, maintaining open dialogues, and sharing a common KPI.
4. Events are vital for deepening connections and accelerating your pipeline.
Moving onto my fourth takeaway from the showcase, the spotlight turns to the indispensable role of events in deepening relationships and accelerating pipelines.
With events proven to help businesses connect with their ICPs (ideal customer profiles), it makes sense that 93% of sales and marketing leaders are putting events in their 2024 strategies.
So, how can sales and marketing leverage this opportunity, and navigate events together to ensure their pipeline converts?
Questions that Jessica Deckinger, Operating Partner at Clearhaven Partners answered flawlessly:
“There has to be a strong, not just partnership, but locked in arm-in-arm open dialogue between sales and marketing. And that can be hard because a lot of time, organizations wind up with this dynamic of your ‘leads aren’t good enough’ and ‘you aren’t closing enough things’. Being willing to open your own kimono on both sides, have an open dialogue, and take feedback without getting defensive is critical.”
The versatility of events was a recurring theme during the showcase, with various guests shedding light on the myriad ways events can be strategically utilized based on specific outcomes. Regardless of the event type, the consensus is clear – events are potent tools for delivering tangible results to your pipeline.
Jessica further articulates the critical role of events:
“Events are critical now because those 1 to 1 connections with people who are looking for you are going to be more valuable in an environment where they can’t just find you easier through search.
And to have the opportunity to have a partner do some of the outreach for you and expand the possibilities with people who are potentially ready for what you do but may not be actively searching the right way to find your key terms in your marketing programs and your digital.”
However, your event is only as good as your follow-up.
As Ruth said: “Events only really work, depending on how you follow them up. There’s a big post-event type of activity that needs to happen as well.”
5. Focus on a strong product-market fit; you can’t out-campaign a poor fit.
As my final takeaway, I want to leave you with a quote from Liza Adams, Fractional CMO and AI Advisor at GrowthPath Partners. It really stood out to me and deserves to be unscored.
“Just like in the real world, we cannot out-exercise a bad diet. In business, we cannot out-campaign a bad market product-market fit.”
Liza’s analogy is a wake-up call, reminding us that the heart of business success lies in the harmony between what we offer and what the market craves.
Launching valuable content, orchestrating multi-channel campaigns, and hosting epic events won’t cut it if there’s a disconnection between your brand and your audience.
We’re in a world of product-market fit. It’s about identifying the best opportunities for your business to guide your customers to what is most meaningful for them.
“If we can identify the right customers, develop the right products, and engage with them in a meaningful way, it’ll create more opportunities for sales.” Well said Liza!
To wrap things up
The Reimagine Digital Showcase was rich with ideas, insights, and inspiration. And as I reflect on the wealth of insights shared, I can’t help but echo the sentiments of our esteemed speakers. Evelyn Truter, CMO at GDS Group encapsulated this perfectly: “It’s all about having a flexible future-friendly strategy so we can keep progressing, faster while staying ‘human-centric’ at our core.”
Let these 5 key lessons from marketing leaders offer a glimpse into the wisdom shared by our expert panel. To catch up on the event or relive your favorite moments, access the recording here.
